Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 534: Chapter 462: Red Star Textile Factory

"It’s the left foot," Yang Xiao whispered, reminding them that they had searched the rest of the room but hadn’t found a second footprint.

From the position of the high heel print, it seemed that last night, a female ghost had clung close in front of Yu Dagui’s bed, scaring him to death.

"Was this room originally meant for him to stay?" As he uncovered the quilt, Lian Jinsun blocked the sight of Yu Dagui’s face, which had died with eyes open, and turned to ask the key question.

"No, it was Yu Dagui who insisted on staying here; the key to this room originally belonged to Wen Chongxian," Zhang Man explained.

Following that, everyone looked at Wen Chongxian, his complexion looking exceptionally terrible and even turning a faint shade of green. The next second, his throat heaved, and he suddenly rushed to the bathroom, before slumping over the toilet and vomiting with a "wa" sound.

A sour and foul smell drifted out, making A Qiang cover his nose and complain, "Isn’t he experienced enough? Why is his psychological quality so poor?"

Staring at the bulge under the quilt on the bed, Yang Xiao thought to himself how close it had been, guessing that Yu Dagui also had been extra cautious last night. Knowing the first night was usually safer, he had switched keys with Wen Chongxian, or else Wen Chongxian might have been the one who died today.

He and Lian Jinsun had done the same, each taking a room in another haunted house last night—this was the knowledge gained from surviving numerous missions.

Yu Dagui’s locked phone was found under the pillow. They wanted to check the call logs to estimate the time of death, but Yang Xiao was frustrated to find that the crafty old fox had set a startup password. After several failed attempts, Lian Jinsun was so annoyed he nearly smashed the phone. ƒrēewebnovel.com

"Forget it, let’s just call Fei Rou," Yang Xiao said to appease him, and took the initiative to make the call. Fei Rou was shocked to hear the news. After much reassurance from Yang Xiao, she finally snapped out of it and informed him that she received calls from Yu Dagui last night, two of them, in which Yu Dagui told her everything was normal. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

After hanging up, Yang Xiao slowly exhaled, "Fei Rou said she received two calls, one around 10 pm, another one shortly before 11 pm. This means the person died after 11 pm. Also, Fei Rou promised to deliver the detailed case files by 4 pm."

The scene only retained a single left-foot high heel print. Besides that, there was nothing else, so there was no point in staying any longer. The group left the room, closed the door behind them, and departed just as they had discussed the day before. They each began to search for the identities of the three female victims published in the newspaper, suspecting that the Fierce Ghost would be among them.

The newspaper in Yang Xiao’s hands showed a blurred image of a woman who had hanged herself. The picture was taken from a distance and was so fuzzy that one could barely make out a person hanging from a crooked tree, with several buildings resembling factories in the far background.

Stepping out of the hotel’s front door, Ju Juan looked at the newspaper in her hands, feeling lost about where to start searching in such a large city.

At that moment, as she was feeling bewildered, she saw Yang Xiao walk to the curb and hail a taxi. Ju Juan’s eyes lit up with a flash of an idea. Of course, she could ask the taxi drivers—they were often the ones most familiar with the city’s map.

"Master, do you recognize the place on this newspaper?" Yang Xiao took the newspaper from Ju Juan, passed it through the taxi window to the driver to avoid any misunderstandings, folding it so that only the photo’s background was shown.

Unexpectedly, the driver took only a quick glance before immediately answering, "Isn’t this the Red Star Textile Factory to the north of the city? I just happen to be heading near there. Get in," he said, then turned and opened the front passenger door himself.

"That’s great, thank you!" Ju Juan’s face brightened with joy, and she immediately reached out to pull open the nearest rear car door. But before she could get in, she was yanked back from behind.

Turning around, she found Yang Xiao pulling her back with force and drawing closer to the driver while giving an apologetic smile, "Thank you, Master, but we were just asking. We won’t bother you anymore."

Upon hearing this, the driver’s face fell, and he glared fiercely at them with disgust, muttering under his breath, "If you’re not going, why stop my car? Are you sick?" The next second, he stepped on the gas and drove off.

Noticing that not only Yang Xiao but also Monk nearby had made no move to get in the car, Ju Juan realized something was amiss.

As Yang Xiao watched the taxi disappear into the distance, he finally relaxed, then turned to look at the puzzled Ju Juan and explained, "You should be more cautious in such places. The picture’s clarity was so poor, yet he recognized it immediately. Don’t you find that strange?"

As soon as Ju Juan heard this, it struck her like a bolt of lightning, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. "You... you’re saying something’s off with the driver, that he’s a Ghost?"

"I didn’t say that. But I do find it odd—avoid risky situations when you can," Yang Xiao replied before ignoring her to hail the next taxi. Asking a few drivers would give them the answer they needed.

Time and again, the drivers who stopped quickly recognized the background of the photo as the Red Star Textile Factory located in the old northern district of the city.

"May I ask, how were you able to recognize anything in such a blurry photo?" Yang Xiao, who was sitting in the passenger seat, curiously looked towards the driver at the wheel.

Clad in a faded old-fashioned white shirt with the top button undone, the driver grinned and proudly laughed, "We’re in this trade, aren’t we? How would we eat if we didn’t have good eyesight? Take a closer look, isn’t there a small triangle on that factory building on the far left?"

Yang Xiao focused on the photo and quickly located the triangle. It was indeed hard to spot without careful inspection, "Then what?" he inquired curiously.

The driver chuckled, showing off his yellowed teeth stained by cigarette smoke, "Let me tell you, that’s not a triangle, it’s a big star. It’s just that the photo didn’t capture the whole thing, only the corner of the star. We locals who were born and raised here all know this place, it used to be famous."

Yang Xiao suddenly understood, "So that’s the case."

The journey wasn’t short, and the taxi swiftly moved from the bustling city center into the old district. Looking out of the car window, the decline and decay of the place was visibly evident, with low brick houses everywhere. Mostly old people nearing their twilight years could be seen on the streets, and a sense of an era unique to the last century pervaded the area.

Seeing that Yang Xiao seemed interested in the area, the driver took the initiative to start a conversation, saying that he too grew up in this old district. Back then, this had been the center, with many newly constructed factories. Each large plant was like a small community, with adults working together, and their kids growing up together playing. But now, with the rise of the new districts, this place had been slowly forgotten. Young people chose to work outside, leaving behind nothing but the elderly and children, who couldn’t leave.

Perhaps sensing some sympathy, the driver even charged two yuan less on the fare and advised them to leave before it got dark, otherwise it would be difficult to hail a cab.

After thanking the driver, the three of them got out of the taxi and in front of them was a large iron gate, overgrown with rust. It was the kind of gate with anti-climb spikes embedded on top that slid open on semicircular tracks when pushed to the sides. It was 7 or 8 meters wide, big enough for a truck to pass through.

The gate was currently closed, tied at the opening with a thick iron chain, and a big black lock hanging from it.

The remnants of the lettering could still be discerned on the iron gate, painted on in white paint: Red Star Textile Factory.

Pulling out a newspaper and comparing it with the photo, Yang Xiao quickly confirmed that the background of the picture was indeed this place. He could already see several abandoned factory buildings standing behind the iron gate. However, the spot where the woman in the photo had hanged herself should be within this industrial area. Surrounding the vicinity was a high wall topped with pieces of broken glass, making it tough to climb over.

Next to the big iron gate, a smaller iron door was cut open. The small door was ajar, and it wasn’t clear if it was locked from the inside. As Yang Xiao walked towards it, a series of ferocious barks echoed from inside, sounding very menacing.

Soon, the ajar iron door was pulled open, and a hunched figure appeared behind the gate—an old man, half bald and blind in one eye, looked at Yang Xiao and his companions with wary eyes, "What are you here for?"

Taking advantage of her sweet appearance, Ju Juan stepped forward to engage in conversation, sweetly saying with a smile, "Grandpa, we need your help with something. We’d like to have a look inside the factory, you see..."

With a "bang," the old man promptly closed the small iron door. A moment later, his impatient voice came from inside, "Don’t bother me, off with you, shoo!"

Ju Juan’s face stiffened. Yang Xiao walked a few steps toward the concrete house on the right side of the iron door and discovered a small window on the other side. The old man inside was fanning himself, listening to the radio. The glass counter in front of the window was stocked with various brands of cigarettes, and behind the old man, shelves were filled with cheap snacks and all sorts of little toys. The small room was crammed full of items.

As Yang Xiao approached again, the old man frowned, just about to lose his temper when he saw Yang Xiao take out ten yuan.

"What are you... What are you looking to buy, young man?" The old man’s expression changed instantly, as he stood up enthusiastically.

Yang Xiao glanced at the counter and pointed at the most expensive pack of cigarettes, "I’ll take a pack of those cigarettes, but I want to go in and smoke them."

The old man didn’t utter another word; he took the money and handed the cigarettes and change to Yang Xiao, then immediately stepped out of the concrete house, unlocked the small gate, and let the three of them in.

Looking at the old abandoned factory buildings not too far away, a sense of oppression was unavoidable for the group. Yang Xiao needed someone to guide and explain things to them, so it was natural to approach the gatekeeper. He wanted the old man to take them on a tour around the factory, but the old man seemed extremely reluctant, hesitantly saying, "This... I’m afraid this won’t do. I still have business to run, and it’s quite good business at that!"

Hearing this, Ju Juan couldn’t hide her frustration and scoffed, "Don’t joke, Grandpa. From the time we got here, have you seen you doing even one bit of business?"

The old man suddenly laughed, showing his few remaining yellow teeth, and spoke with deep meaning, "Aren’t you the business?"

Yang Xiao pulled out another 10 yuan and stuffed it into the old man’s hand, "Lock the gate and bring your big black dog, come with us."