Chapter 38: Outdated Game

Tang Luo could no longer experience that feeling.

He lacked large sums, but everyday expenses posed no problem.

Zhang Yuchou's family had divided money; after buying a house, he still had several million left.

But he worked alone outside; those funds belonged to his wife's dowry, so he couldn't use them for daily spending.

Life was tight, the opposite of Tang Luo's situation.

"Yes, yes, yes."

Tang Luo answered half-heartedly a few times, then got to the point: "You still haven't told me what happened to you."

"Do you really believe me?" Zhang Yuchou asked.

"Train ticket, hotel expenses—do you want reimbursement?" Tang Luo joked, "If I didn't believe you, I wouldn't have come all this way—am I just rich?"

"I encountered a plate spirit." Zhang Yuchou didn't reply with a simple "yes" as before, but said solemnly.

"Plate spirit?"

Plate spirit.

As the name suggests, it's a deity on a plate.

It's a metaphorical title; the unfathomable yin-yang is called a god.

Originating from ancient fuji (planchette writing), it belongs to divination techniques.

Later it gradually evolved into a kind of supernatural game.

It is one of the means often used by the death‑seeking protagonists in horror movies.

Other methods include, but are not limited to, vacationing in remote cabins, watching legendary cursed tapes, opening sealed attics, exploring abandoned buildings, etc.

In modern scientific terms:

Games like the plate spirit and pen spirit.

Actually they are psychological games full of suggestibility, amplification, and unconsciousness.

Domestic horror films have offered scientific explanations—everything is man‑made.

Believe in science!

And Tang Luo's life had long passed the stage of shouting "This isn't scientific!"

He made a gesture, signaling Zhang Yuchou to continue.

Tang Luo wondered why this guy would play such an outdated game.

Yes, games like the plate spirit and pen spirit are outdated among today's youth.

If one wants to play, are there supernatural apps or phone immortals?

One must keep up with the times.

It's only because domestic horror films, with their fearless spirit, want to implement scientific thinking that they repeatedly "invite" the plate spirit and pen spirit.

"I have a coworker who wants to play the plate spirit game to hint at and confess to the girl he likes," Zhang Yuchou said.

"……"

After a second of silence, Tang Luo raised his thumb, "Damn, that's talent!"

Using a supernatural game to hint, then confess.

The guy must have been single for over twenty years, collecting dozens of nice‑guy cards.

"The girl he likes is a supernatural enthusiast." Zhang Yuchou slapped him.

Tang Luo lowered his raised thumb; the world really is wonderful.

"So then you all went along and played the plate spirit game with him?" Tang Luo asked.

"We weren't really keen either."

Zhang Yuchou wore a helpless expression: "Although that guy is only two years older than me, he's our deputy department manager; he demands we stay until midnight, and before then we can do anything—we can even go home, as long as we're back by twelve, helping him once counts as double overtime!"

"There's a full 500 yuan—who could resist?"

Saying this, Zhang Yuchou's tone grew excited.

What counts as a huge sum? This is it!

For someone like Zhang Yuchou, who's been beaten down by society, even if he says he doesn't want it, his body is honest.

When you get older, it's not guaranteed; even if you want it, your body can't keep up.

Thus, Zhang Yuchou stayed behind with three other coworkers, plus the young deputy department manager and the girl he likes.

Altogether six people.

Four men, two women—not the standard two‑men‑two‑women setup, but it can still be played.

Who knew that playing would lead to trouble?

That night they played relatively smoothly, and the hinted confession also succeeded.

As a result, that manager got overly happy and broke a taboo.

The so‑called taboo is just a precaution in the game.

For example, questions must be asked one by one.

After finishing a question, when asking the plate spirit to leave, one must close one's eyes and say three times: "Plate spirit, plate spirit, please go."

At that moment, the plate spirit returns to its original place.

Only after everyone has finished their questions can the plate spirit be asked to leave.

Both inviting and sending off must not be omitted.

Their mistake was not having everyone finish their questions, not sending the plate spirit away, and directly breaking off the game.

Even those present, even that girl, merely treated the supernatural as a hobby.

Nobody cared about this at all.

After the confession succeeded, everyone tidied up and went home.

Waiting for the overtime pay that would be directly rewarded the next day.

But the overtime pay never came.

What arrived was the news of the deputy department manager's death.

"Speaking of which, you guys were playing this game in the company late at night, and someone ended up dead." Tang Luo said, "If it wasn't the victim who proposed it, the boss would have had the heart to kill."

"The boss is heartbroken." Zhang Yuchou said, "The deputy department manager is his son; otherwise you wouldn't think someone so young could have gotten the position."

「……」

"Our company forbids office romances." Zhang Yuchou added.

"I understand." Tang Luo nodded.

What a perfectly supernatural event—how did it become so real?

"I heard from others that the deputy manager's death was extremely gruesome, like death by a thousand cuts. The blood was all over the floor."

"How did he die?" Tang Luo asked.

"He was killed by being cut with shards of a broken plate." Zhang Yuchou said.

"Huh?" Tang Luo raised his eyebrows slightly.

Zhang Yuchou said: "It was the plate we used that night, similar to a saucer but a bit larger than a usual saucer."

He stretched out his hand, fingers spread, slightly curled, forming a circle with his two thumbs and index fingers to indicate the size.

"After that night's confession, we each went home, and no one remembers how that plate was finally disposed of." Zhang Yuchou said.

"There should be your fingerprints on the plate, right?" Tang Luo asked.

Since we played the game, there would definitely be fingerprints.

"Yes."

Zhang Yuchou said, "When I assisted with the investigation, they said we could barely distinguish our fingerprints, but only those of us few people."

"Just that alone doesn't count as a supernatural event, does it?" Tang Luo said.

Ceramic tableware shatters into shards; wearing gloves, one can kill using the sharp edges.

This is something that can be done by humans.

"That deputy manager lived alone outside; when he died, the door was locked from the inside, undamaged, with the window half open and an iron bar outside." Zhang Yuchou said, "Moreover, the shards found in his home, when pieced together, are about one-sixth the size of the original plate."

How was the deputy manager discovered dead?

Although everyone worked overtime until twelve, the next day they still went to work as scheduled.

The deputy manager didn't show up in the morning.

Zhang Yuchou and the others didn't think it was strange.

After all, he's the boss's son; skipping half a day of work is no big deal.

But when he still hadn't appeared by afternoon, the boss found it strange.

That deputy manager wasn't some idle rich kid; he earned the position and didn't rely solely on nepotism.

His attitude toward work was still fairly serious.

He rarely took three days off to fish and two days to dry nets.

The boss, who is also his father, called, but no one answered.

Going to his residence and knocking on the door, no one opened.

After opening the door, they discovered his son lying in a pool of blood on the living room floor.

The boss nearly collapsed on the spot.

"The shape formed by the assembled shards is like a triangular pizza." Zhang Yuchou said, "It's about one-sixth of the plate—exactly what the six of us used when we played the planchette game that night."

When he said this, his voice trembled and his tone was quite hollow.

"Two days later, that girl—the one who was confessed to—also died. Blood‑stained shards were found at the scene as well."

"Next is the third person."

"Three out of the six people have died! Shards were found at each scene."

"That's a pretty vicious murder case." Tang Luo said, "Didn't the police send anyone to protect you?"

"Yes." Zhang Yuchou detached himself from the earlier emotion.

"So three people died in total?" Tang Luo asked.

"That was originally the case."

Zhang Yuchou gave a bitter laugh, "But three days ago, another person suddenly died!"

From the department manager onward to the third victim, the incident occurred within no more than seven days.

After the third victim appeared, Zhang Yuchou immediately resigned.

People were panicked and unable to work.

After all, he's a second‑generation demolition beneficiary, so he still has some confidence.

The other two remaining colleagues did not resign.

One of the two survivors from three days ago told Zhang Yuchou that something else had happened.

Same method of death, same shards found at the scene.

Zhang Yuchou went to assist the investigation one day.

He also couldn't leave West Hang City, since he might be needed to provide help at any moment.

It's already a major vicious case; the special task force has been set up.

"Do you think it's the planchette?" Zhang Yuchou stared at Tang Luo and said.

"Hmm, it's possible." Tang Luo said.

Although he did not detect any phenomenon of resentment clinging to Zhang Yuchou's body.

Well…… Tang Luo wouldn't do that.

"Let me give you an opening light first." Tang Luo said to Zhang Yuchou.

"Opening light?"

"Wasn't I out traveling? I met a great monk, learned the Opening Light Divine Technique from him; it can help people eliminate disasters and solve difficulties, guaranteeing your safety." Tang Luo said solemnly.

"Okay, okay."

Zhang Yuchou said.

His mood was like a roller coaster—at times he seemed fine and could even joke with Tang Luo.

At other times he felt anxious and uneasy, extremely irritable.

He still had a talisman he had obtained from a temple.

Tang Luo wanted to give the opening light, so let's do it.

Zhang Yuchou himself wasn't sure whether, deep down, he believed there truly existed a terrifying disc immortal, or thought it was man-made.

The worldview formed over many years was now teetering on the brink of collapse.

Superstition is just superstition.

Everyone is a pragmatist.

When people say the disc immortal kills, most don't believe it.

But if you tell people that the stray cat in the neighborhood is actually a cat demon, because you fed her, she will turn into a cat girl to repay you.

Most people would surely laugh and say, "I believe, I believe—where's the cat girl?"

The process of giving the opening light was simple: Tang Luo put his palms together, gathered the Merit Jade Lotus within them, lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes, and murmured sutras that Zhang Yuchou couldn't understand.

After a couple of sentences, it ended.

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Yuchou clearly felt that after Tang Luo finished chanting, he made a noticeable gesture of raising his head to look at him.

It was a bit abrupt.

"It's fine, believe in my Opening Light Divine Technique—it will definitely keep you safe." Tang Luo said with a smile.

"Come on, let me treat you to a meal."

Zhang Yuchou stood up and laughed.

When a friend comes to visit, his mood will surely improve a lot.