Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 991: Chapter 697: Haunted House

"Offering a hefty reward for childbirth?" Yang Xiao suddenly thought of that fraud message.

Boss Sun’s face stiffened at the question and stammered awkwardly, "Well... something like that. My fees are indeed quite high, but you know, this is a one-off deal. Besides... besides, I genuinely can help them."

Yang Xiao remained noncommittal, folding his hands as he leaned back comfortably against the sofa, then spoke, "Boss Sun, our phone call yesterday was a bit rushed. I’d like you to carefully explain the whole story from beginning to end."

"This..." Boss Sun’s expression turned peculiar. He glanced at Qu Hong and Yu Kai sitting beside Yang Xiao, as if harboring some unspeakable secret.

Yang Xiao could roughly guess—it must be a man’s shameful matters that he wished to keep private, not wanting anyone besides himself to know the details.

But dismissing Qu Hong and Yu Kai at this moment was absolutely not an option. The mission had just begun; trust within the group hadn’t yet formed. If he sent the two away, it might look like he was hoarding clues for himself. If issues arise in future actions, these people might suspect him, blaming concealed information for causing casualties.

As expected, just as Yang Xiao predicted, Qu Hong and Yu Kai seemed oblivious to Boss Sun’s implied signals and continued standing firmly beside him.

"Boss Sun, relax. This matter isn’t something I can handle alone. We’re a team," Yang Xiao tied Qu Hong and Yu Kai to himself with a few words. "We have a few more team members who I’ll introduce to you later."

Seeing Yang Xiao’s stance, Boss Sun hesitated for a moment, but eventually relented. His bloodshot eyes slowly took on a resolute look. He leaned forward, his expression unusually mysterious, "The three of you, my business is rather unique. It’s not about using medical skills to help these couples conceive. It’s about taking them out, bringing them to certain places to spend the night, so they conceive naturally."

"What kind of places?" Yang Xiao pressed him further.

"Rooms where strange incidents or murders have happened, where someone died before." Boss Sun paused, his voice dropping low, "We usually call them haunted houses."

"You bring these couples to spend the night in haunted houses?" Qu Hong widened her eyes in disbelief. "You let them... do that kind of thing in haunted houses?"

"I swear I don’t force them. Everything is voluntary. I’m merely providing them a pathway."

Boss Sun defended himself, "There are three filial duties—producing a descendant is the greatest. You don’t understand; these older couples go to extreme lengths to have a child. Before they come to me, they’ve tried everything—hospitals, renowned doctors, folk remedies, even visiting temples and Taoist shrines. I can say this: I am their last lifeline."

"Don’t interrupt the conversation," Yang Xiao coldly shot a glance at Qu Hong, then refocused his gaze on Boss Sun, nodding slightly, "Go on."

Boss Sun’s face looked troubled as he sighed, "I was bewitched by ghosts myself. Years ago, back in Myanmar and Thailand, I heard people talk about this business. They call it borrowing a ghost fetus."

"Some say that ghosts with intense resentment linger in the places where they died. Such vengeful spirits can’t leave, nor can they reincarnate. If a man and woman engage in that act in the room, the likelihood of conception increases significantly."

"Can the fetus even be born?" Yang Xiao had heard similar stories but knew ghost fetuses rarely come to term.

"No, usually they miscarry after a few months. But we had agreements—our responsibility ends once a pregnancy begins," Boss Sun admitted bluntly.

Qu Hong, as a woman, looked at Boss Sun with a murderous glare. If they didn’t still need this man right now, she would’ve kicked him out. He was undoubtedly an animal.

Boss Sun seemed oblivious to Qu Hong’s hostility and continued sheepishly, "I usually operate in one area for a few months before moving cities. Repeated miscarriages might eventually raise suspicions. I’ve managed to work safely for years. But here... here, things went terribly wrong. I got into serious trouble."

"People died this time. Out of four women, three are dead. One fell off a building, one got hit by a car crossing the street, and one drowned in her bathtub while taking a bath. All three of the deceased women were pregnant." frёeωebɳovel.com

"What about the fourth woman?" Yang Xiao asked, "She didn’t conceive, right?"

Boss Sun’s face fell into despair as he slowly shook his head, "No, she did conceive. Her time is just not here yet."

"What do you mean by that?"

Boss Sun raised his bloodshot eyes, revealing a mix of fear and numbness, "Her time hasn’t come yet. The other three all met with accidents exactly one week apart. She only has five days left before her moment arrives."

"Are you haunted by a ghost, too?" Yang Xiao didn’t believe Boss Sun was the kind of person who cared about his "customers’" safety. Clearly, he was just a scammer willing to resort to any morally reprehensible means for fast money.

"No." As he spoke, Boss Sun suddenly burst into tears, his numb expression crumbling instantly, "Please, save me. You must protect this last woman. Otherwise... otherwise, I won’t survive either. This woman’s father is a ruthless figure, rich and powerful. Crushing me would be as easy as crushing an ant. I don’t want to die yet..."

Of course it’s for this reason... Although Yang Xiao found this man utterly despicable, he had no choice but to comfort him. After all, this was tied to their mission.

"Alright, Boss Sun, crying won’t solve anything. We will help you," Yang Xiao reassured him. "Now tell us all the details about that haunted house."

Taking the tissue Yu Kai handed over, Boss Sun wiped his tears, then opened his leather bag and pulled out several sheets of paper, handing them to Yang Xiao.