Chapter 140: 137 Reporter (Combined)

Wang Daye looked at the special symbol scar on his ankle, his eyes dull, a storm already raging in his heart. He could not believe this was real; a chill like a flesh-boring worm drilled into his entire body, swarming toward his brain, devouring his fragile sanity.

"It's your turn... the mission is handed to you..." The madman's ravings echoed in Wang Daye's ears. After a long while, he found himself involuntarily repeating them, as if a demon's whisper were constantly tempting him.

"Hello, Grandpa!"

Suddenly, Wang Daye experienced a bout of tinnitus, and a loud, crisp female voice bloomed intensely in his ears.

Like a clumsy thief caught in the act, Wang Daye widened his eyes in guilt, looking around wildly, only managing to notice the young girl squatting beside him after some effort.

The girl looked to be in her mid-twenties, fresh and pretty, with a well-proportioned figure and fair skin. She wore a cartoon white T-shirt, denim shorts that just covered her hips, and carried a red leather mini backpack, possessing a childish sexiness.

Seeing the distracted Wang Daye finally come to his senses, the girl felt a weight lift from her heart and said with a smile, "Grandpa, I am a reporter for the Shanghai Weekly Express. My name is Chen Xiaolin. Is it convenient for you? May I interview you with a few questions?"

Wang Daye wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "A reporter?"

"Just call me Alin, Grandpa." Chen Xiaolin gave a brilliant smile; her lively and cheerful expression easily won people over, causing Wang Daye to lower his guard.

"What kind of express is the Shanghai Weekly Express? How come I've never heard of such a newspaper?" Wang Daye asked with some curiosity.

Chen Xiaolin smiled and explained, "Who reads paper newspapers these days? Everyone reads news on their phones and computers. The Shanghai Weekly Express is a new online media column, and I am mainly responsible for the official account side of things."

"Ah... I know about official accounts." Wang Daye nodded. He hadn't actually heard clearly what Chen Xiaolin was saying, but he guessed the meaning of her explanation from the parts he could hear.

"Don't worry, I just want to ask you some things. No photos, and I won't reveal your identity or name." Fearing Wang Daye might have concerns, Chen Xiaolin added.

Wang Daye clearly didn't have that many concerns; he had just been startled earlier and hadn't quite recovered, but now his mood had finally calmed down. He smiled and said, "Alright, what do you want to ask?"

Looking at Chen Xiaolin in front of him, it was as if he saw his own daughter who was in college. His daughter was about the same age and had a similar personality, so looking at Chen Xiaolin, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Although he could guess Chen Xiaolin's purpose and roughly knew what questions the other party wanted to ask, and that his behavior might make the park management dissatisfied, he was willing to tell this kind-faced girl as much as she wanted to know.

Sure enough, Chen Xiaolin asked straight to the point about the horrific murder that had occurred not long ago, asking in a low voice, "Three days ago, wasn't there a murder at the amusement park? Do you know about it?"

"Of course I know." Wang Daye gave a bitter smile. He was an eyewitness to the event and the only survivor among all the targets the madman had set his sights on.

Seeing the change in Wang Daye's expression, Chen Xiaolin was secretly delighted and hurriedly followed up, "Can you describe the process of the event as it happened?"

"I can..." Seeing Chen Xiaolin pick up a tablet and an electronic pen, looking at him with expectant eyes, Wang Daye sat up straight, cleared his throat, and then drew upon the literary skills he had learned in his life to begin recounting his encounter that day. "That day, I was cleaning as usual. It was very noisy around me, but because this is an amusement park, it was very popular, and my hearing isn't very good either, so I didn't pay much attention when that happened..."

Chen Xiaolin listened to Wang Daye's simple description, taking notes with rapt attention, occasionally nodding to give Wang Daye some encouraging responses.

Feeling that there was nothing strange about his description, Wang Daye felt bold enough to continue, "I just kept sweeping and sweeping, until I saw a human corpse, and then I saw the murderer standing in front of me with a knife, that madman."

When the other party said this, Chen Xiaolin immediately switched the tablet screen and opened a photo. The photo was taken in a dimly lit bar; a somewhat haggard-looking middle-aged man was raising a glass to the camera, smiling reluctantly.

Chen Xiaolin pointed at the man in the photo, her expression abnormal, her eyes revealing a trace of urgency and concern, and asked, "Is the person with the knife this person?"

Seeing the man in the photo before him, Wang Daye was instantly so frightened that he gasped. He pointed at the person on the screen with some agitation, as if he saw the madman standing in front of him with a knife again, and stammered, "Yes, it's him. He stood in front of me with a knife, and then he wanted to kill me."

"Are you really sure?" Regarding this answer, Chen Xiaolin appeared quite incredulous and dejected. Her eyes dimmed, and she asked again.

"There's no mistake. In the nightmares I've had recently, he appears every night." Wang Daye nodded affirmatively.

After receiving this answer, Chen Xiaolin couldn't help but cover her forehead, her expression appearing somewhat lonely. She seemed quite surprised and unable to understand such a result, and felt sad because of it.

Wang Daye also had his own life experience. He saw that Chen Xiaolin's attitude as a reporter regarding this matter was a bit off, and he guessed, "Is he someone you know?"

Chen Xiaolin twitched the corners of her mouth and nodded slowly, "I really didn't expect him to do such a thing. When I first saw the news, I felt like I was having some kind of nightmare."

Wang Daye sighed, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, but he is a very good friend of mine." Chen Xiaolin shook her head. After confirming that the murderer of the amusement park horror incident was someone she knew, her mood was naturally very complicated, and the moment she thought of the murderer's family situation, she felt a wave of sadness and lament.

While Chen Xiaolin was feeling sad, Wang Daye, who was silently comforting her, keenly noticed that the other party's face suddenly had other changes. It was as if she had suddenly remembered something terrifying, and fear was instantly etched onto her face.

Chen Xiaolin took a few deep breaths, looked at Wang Daye, and asked with flickering eyes, "Grandpa, since you were the last person to have contact with him while he was alive, did you notice anything abnormal about him? For example... were there any abnormal factors?"

Hearing this, Wang Daye was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He sprang up from the ground, shook his pant legs, and shook his head rapidly, "I don't know, I don't know... I just, I just saw him get beaten to death, and then I was saved. There were no other problems, so I left, I'm leaving now."

Wang Daye stood up, picked up his belongings, and walked away quickly with his head down.

Seeing this, how could Chen Xiaolin not guess that Wang Daye was hiding something? The other party must know some inside information that others didn't. She hurriedly chased after him, "Grandpa, you must know something, please tell me, okay?"

Wang Daye dodged Chen Xiaolin, who was chasing him with questions. Guilt and fear kept surging in his heart; he was afraid that others would know he had made contact with that madman.

He was a normal person, he was different from that madman. Even if a mark like the one on the madman had appeared on his body now, that didn't mean he would also become a madman who killed everyone he saw. He didn't want to accept any mission.

The more Chen Xiaolin questioned him, the more resistant and irritable Wang Daye became.

Finally, Wang Daye's patience was worn out by the pestering Chen Xiaolin. He let out a shout, his voice filled with rage, his eyes bulging with bloodshot veins. His angry, ferocious expression made him look like a demon, scaring Chen Xiaolin into taking a few steps back, not daring to make a sound for a moment.

Seeing Chen Xiaolin startled by him, Wang Daye's anger slowly calmed down. He snorted coldly and turned to leave. When he turned his back, his eyes were full of apology and loneliness.

He didn't actually want to be like this, but he was very afraid. Those abnormal events that brought death and despair—he never imagined that one day they would involve him.

Wang Daye thought, what if, just what if, under the influence of some unknown factor, he became a madman like that man that day? He didn't want an innocent girl like Chen Xiaolin to die under his butcher's knife...

Watching Wang Daye's desolate back walk away, Chen Xiaolin's terrified emotions slowly stabilized. She pouted and stomped her feet with some resentment, "What's the deal? Why are you yelling? If you don't want to talk, then just don't talk."

After saying this, Chen Xiaolin thought of the madman again. She still couldn't figure out how her good friend Zheng Yu could do such a thing that violated human ethics. It was without warning, simply inexplicable. Clearly, they had only met half a month ago, and they had even had a drink together at the Good Days Bar, chatting happily, telling each other about their life experiences, and pouring out their hearts.

Of course, Chen Xiaolin didn't think that an occasional drink and chat could completely release the pressure on a person, but it should at least alleviate it somewhat. Moreover, in her impression, Zheng Yu was a very responsible and reliable good father. He couldn't possibly abandon his beloved young daughter and recklessly do something that would incite social revenge and be condemned by both gods and men.

There must be a reason! Chen Xiaolin remembered the strange story about his daughter's drawing that Zheng Yu mentioned during that drinking session.

Since she believed that Zheng Yu was not a person who would commit horrific atrocities for no reason, there must be a special reason for him to become like that, and Chen Xiaolin guessed it had to do with the abnormal factors in Zheng Yu's home.

At the time during the drinking session, Zheng Yu said that the school art teacher had assigned his daughter's class a project to draw the Heaven of their imagination. As a result, his daughter drew their own attic, just because Zheng Yu had said that Heaven was where departed people went. So, had his daughter seen something in the attic of their own home?

Once she thought of this, Chen Xiaolin became increasingly uneasy.

What terrible secret was hidden in the attic of Zheng Yu's house?

Chen Xiaolin looked back and found that Wang Daye had already walked far away. She felt a bit unwilling; if only she could have asked for more.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by. Chen Xiaolin smelled the scent of incense drifting in the air, then saw murky, mysterious smoke and yellow paper flying all over the sky. Then she heard the sound of bells and something similar to "opera singing," and it was even in a language from the Minnan dialect family.

She followed the sound and, upon arriving at the core area of the amusement park, near the rapids ride facility, she saw a bizarre scene.

She saw a pot-bellied man and several men and women in professional attire standing to the side, watching a tall and handsome young man performing a ritual at an altar in front of a table covered with yellow cloth and filled with offerings, chanting words.

Seeing this, Chen Xiaolin's instinct as a journalist kicked in. She keenly smelled the scent of news, picked up her camera, and took continuous photos of this scene, recording it.

Afterward, she put away her camera properly and walked over to the big fat man.

The big fat man saw the beautiful young girl who had suddenly appeared and come to his side, and he also showed a brief moment of surprise, but he didn't make a sound, just silently watching the handsome young man perform the ritual, waiting for the ceremony to end.

After the handsome young man finished his ritual, the large, fat man first glanced at Chen Xiaolin, then came before the handsome young man and respectfully cupped his hands, saying, "I am truly grateful to you, Master Li Duojin, for the trouble of traveling thousands of miles to come here and cleanse our little, run-down amusement park of evil spirits."

The young master named Li Duojin smiled upon hearing this and returned the salute, saying, "It was merely a small effort, and besides, it was you, Zhang Laoban, who paid a high price to invite me. Our relationship is nothing more than that of employer and employee; there is no need for thanks. I simply take people's money to help them avert disaster; it is as simple as that."

Upon hearing Li Duojin's words, Zhang Laoban only gave a simple, honest smile, then turned his head to look at a Bodhisattva statue placed on the table and began to pray repeatedly, "Bodhisattva, I beg you to protect my company so it can safely pass through this crisis, and may my JOJO Amusement Park return to its former flourishing popularity," and so on.

After finishing his worship, Zhang Laoban asked Li Duojin somewhat nervously, "Master, now that you have finished the ritual, did you not sense anything wrong with this amusement park?"

Li Duojin understood what Zhang Laoban meant; though he looked young, his eyes were world-weary. After a moment of silent fire-warming, he said sincerely, "This place does indeed contain some restless Abnormal factors, but there is no need to be overly afraid. Those Abnormal creatures generally will not appear, and after this ritual, you will basically no longer need to fear those demons and ghosts."

Upon hearing the point that "Abnormal factors exist," the smile on Zhang Laoban's face stiffened.

If the Abnormal factors could not be resolved well, his amusement park would never be able to reopen.

Li Duojin comforted him again, "Rest assured, those fellows have already been brought under control. For a long time to come, there should be no more strange occurrences, unless they are man-made."