Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1764: Chapter 1012: Misfortune (Part 2)

"Yes! I understand." Heize Lin bowed apologetically to Qingshui Cangjie.

Yang Xiao watched the two perform like an invisible bystander. The show was quite effective, rendering Principal Suzuki utterly bewildered.

The next part of the conversation was much simpler, as Principal Suzuki began to recount what he knew of the events.

"That child... no, no, it’s Asakura Yodou. He was once a student at Chao Wei Primary School, back when he was in second grade."

"It’s not human, truly not human. Terrifying. Anyone it sets its sights on would be haunted by bad luck and ultimately meet a tragic fate."

When Asakura Yodou was mentioned, Principal Suzuki’s emotions were visibly tense, evidently more fearful, as though the name had awakened his deepest, most horrifying memories. "It harmed teachers, attacked classmates. Although it was stopped at the time, who could have expected that the tragedy was far from over? Those teachers and classmates who were attacked or harmed would die in horrific ways after returning home."

"They would suddenly scream in the night, as if trapped in nightmares, unable to wake up, and then... and then die within minutes."

"And there would be inexplicable scars on their bodies, right?" Heize Lin asked.

Unexpectedly hearing this, Principal Suzuki was taken aback, raised his head, and stared at him with a puzzled expression. "Scars? There were no scars. They just died in their sleep, as I’ve mentioned before."

"Principal Suzuki, this is why I’ve come seeking you. Things have changed; this entity is still killing, but now there are terrifying scars on the bodies of the victims." Qingshui Cangjie backed up Heize Lin’s words and hinted for Yang Xiao to take out the wooden board from his backpack.

Yang Xiao’s backpack contained a wooden board, marked with scratches and puncture wounds. Upon seeing this scene, Qingshui Cangjie shrank back involuntarily, exclaiming, "It’s him! It’s him! Those scars on the teachers and students he harmed were left by his compass!"

"Compass..." Yang Xiao furrowed his brow, immediately recalling Police Chief Takeda Yuji’s assessment of the ominous instrument, which coincided perfectly with a compass.

From this moment on, they finally identified the ghost as indeed being a child, only a child could fit into a small space, matching their height assumptions.

This entity is known as Asakura Yodou.

"At first, we were unsure what was happening, assuming it was some kind of strange illness, until its behavior became increasingly bizarre, no longer satisfied with harming teachers and classmates at school. One night, it secretly lured a female classmate out of her home, attacked her with a compass, and tried to push her into the sea to drown her. Fortunately, her parents noticed something amiss and found her just in time, saving her, but..."

Principal Suzuki sighed and shook his head slowly, "But it was no use; the girl still died. Anyone targeted by it can’t escape their dire fate."

"As its misdeeds came to light, it had to leave the school. Locked at home by its parents, forbidden to go out, yet even they became its targets. Shortly thereafter, its mother and grandmother died in nightmares as well."

"Around this time, the Eightfold Kashi Mountain Hotel began construction, but encountered many difficulties with the foundation. Seeing the construction deadline approach, its owner conceived a sinister plan to secretly pay a high price for a child to serve as a ’human pillar.’"

"Finally, the villagers who had lost relatives found an opportunity for revenge. Waiting for Asakura Yodou’s father to be away, they snuck into his house at night, kidnapped Asakura Yodou, stuffed him into a wooden box, nailed it shut, and transported him overnight to the Eightfold Kashi Mountain Hotel construction site, where they buried him in the foundation."

"Strangely enough, construction progressed smoothly afterward."

"But they never imagined that the nightmare was far from over. Shortly after the burial, strange occurrences resurfaced in the village, and those villagers who had participated in kidnapping Asakura Yodou began dying tragically one after another... all in the same way, dying in their sleep. People realized—it had returned, Asakura Yodou had returned!"

"In sheer terror, many villagers chose to flee the village, leaving behind only the elderly, weak, and sick who couldn’t leave."

Principal Suzuki sighed mournfully, "The children are gone, the school is abandoned. I’ve taught here my whole life and don’t want to leave, nor can I. My home is here."

"After several deaths, however, things calmed down again. Some who fled still died from nightmares, but how many died and who precisely, I don’t know. Most lost contact after leaving the village, probably... probably wanting to forget everything that happened here, given how terrifying it was." Principal Suzuki understood their sentiments.

"What about Asakura Yodou’s father? Did he leave too?" Yang Xiao asked the crucial question.

"No, he didn’t leave; he died before he could." Principal Suzuki took a deep breath. "He was the first to be killed in the village—its revenge."

"Revenge?"

"Yes, because the one who proposed burying Asakura Yodou alive was his own father. That night... he never left the house." Principal Suzuki’s expression was complex.

"His father hated it too, and had told others that the real Asakura Yodou was dead, killed by it. What was controlling his son’s body now was not human; it was an evil ghost! This evil ghost killed all his kin!"

"Back then, they invited a witch to assess the situation, but the next day, she died suddenly at home, her death similar to those villagers."

"Mr. Katou, if you have a way to subdue that evil ghost, it will be of immense merit." Principal Suzuki looked at him earnestly and spoke.

"Principal Suzuki, was Asakura Yodou’s family native to this area?" Qingshui Cangjie asked.

"Yes, his father was a fisherman, mother a housewife. They lived here for a long time." Principal Suzuki confirmed.

"When did Asakura Yodou start behaving this way?" Qingshui Cangjie continued probing.

"Probably... during the summer break when he was promoted to second grade. Before then, Asakura Yodou was a good child; although mute, he was kind to teachers and classmates, loved by all." Principal Suzuki adjusted his glasses and recalled.

"He couldn’t speak—was he mute?"

"Yes."

"Did anything occur during that summer break?" Qingshui Cangjie sensed he was inching closer to the truth, seeking the catalyst for change.

"I don’t know, nothing seemed special during that summer; nothing happened in the village either. Maybe... maybe his family knew, but..." Principal Suzuki expressed regret since his family was no longer around.

The final clue broke off here.

Yang Xiao glanced at the time on the wall; it was getting late, and they had to head back, uncertain of any unexpected circumstances on the road—they needed to allow ample time.

Before leaving, Qingshui Cangjie and Principal Suzuki exchanged phone numbers, agreeing to call each other if they recalled anything.

Under Yang Xiao’s probing, Principal Suzuki revealed he had no contacts with other gang members, aligning with the gangs’ discreet nature, avoiding leaving traces, since such matters were indeed shadowy.

The trio returned to the village entrance and drove back. Finally, after losing three lives, they confirmed the identity of the ghost—a heavy cost indeed.

Just as they suspected, there was a body buried beneath the hotel, a child’s sacrifice. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

The nearby arrangement by Meizhen Quan Gongsi was also aimed at confining this ghost.

"Asakura Yodou..." Qingshui Cangjie softly repeated the name.

"Mr. Qingshui, have you discovered something?" Heize Lin inquired.

"Don’t you find this child’s condition odd? All those it harmed died in a bizarre manner—dying in dreams." Sitting in the back seat, Qingshui Cangjie peered into the rearview mirror at Yang Xiao in the front seat, as if expecting something from this young foreigner.

"Like an Angel Envoy’s ability." Yang Xiao suddenly remarked. "This child is an Angel Envoy, and possesses an extraordinarily rare spell-type magical artifact, which killed the villagers by curse."