by <unknown>
"We're very sure of it. So far, three police staff had gone missing. The one thing in common between the three of them is that they have all entered the dormitory at one point."
The middle-aged man passed the report to his elder colleague. "Take a look and you'll get what I mean…"
"Little Wang, print more copies at the office and hand them out to everyone here."
The elderly man instructed before taking the report in hand and started going through it. When he started reading it, everyone immediately noticed sweat dripping down his forehead and along his back…
Was it cold sweat?
Everyone present was silently awed by this sight. This man had been second in command at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for many years. There was no spectacle that he had not seen before, but now he was reduced to such a state?
"I have to say, it doesn't look good."
After five minutes, the aged man struggled to lift his head back up. His expression had become incomprehensibly grave. "I've heard of contagious fever or pneumonia, but never such a thing as contagious disappearance. No matter how you look at this incident, all evidence points at the Dorm 404 as the source."
"Have we properly investigated that dormitory?" one of them asked again.
"We have. Everything suspicious in the dormitory has been investigated. Even all of the folders in the four laptops inside this dormitory have been thoroughly investigated. We also went through the websites they frequented but there's no notable discovery."
The middle-aged man answered, "The only abnormal observation is probably a videotape we found under one of the beds."
The young man they called Little Wang had returned to the conference room again. He lapped around the conference table and handed a copy of the report to each person before returning to his original seat.
"Videotape?"
Everyone was slightly surprised by this piece of information. Something like a videotape had been obsolete for at least two decades. Why would it show up in a dormitory housed by young university students?
"What are the contents of the videotape?" Some of the members could no longer bear the suspense and flipped to the end of the report. What they saw caught them off guard.
"Ring?"
"That's right. Odd, isn't it."
The middle-aged man held up a report and tapped a paragraph written on the report. "The contents of the videotape is very similar to a Southeast Asian movie called Ring.
"After comparing them side by side, we found there are many similarities between the movie Ring and the videotape we discovered. They both contain elements such as 'well', 'volcano explosion', 'combing lady', it's completely identical…"
"Maybe it's just the graduation project of one of the students?'
Someone raised a valid point. "Considering the special effects technology these days, it shouldn't be too hard for an academy student to recreate the same images."
"The police have investigated the tape."
The middle-aged man flipped to the next page. "Six members watched this movie and right after they finished the movie, their phones coincidentally rang all at the same time. The number of the caller was blank and when they picked up, the call was cut off."
"Isn't this the same as the plot of the movie?"
Some of them who were familiar with the movie suddenly murmured, "This is the plot of the movie. Anyone who watches this movie will receive a phone call and they'll die in seven days, isn't it?"
"That's right."
The middle-aged man nodded. "They even tried to track the source of this phone call but the local station reports that their phones didn't receive any inbound call at that time."
Everyone immediately descended into silence.
"Maybe we can try to contact the director of this movie."
Suddenly, the elderly man suggested. "Not just the director, we should meet with the entire casting crew. They were the ones who filmed this movie, I believe that they should be able to contribute to this case."
"I agree…"
"That's right, that should be it."
"Agreed!"
Many people vouched for the same idea.
"Hold on!"
It was then when the young man called Little Wang seated in the final row suddenly drew everyone's attention and flipped to the final page. "Sudden disappearances aren't the only abnormal activity reported in that school. There are also cases of people falling to their deaths and sudden deaths, all of them also originated from Dorm 404!"
As he said this, he shot up from his seat and pointed at the relevant article. "The first victim of these cases is a patient with epilepsy called Wang Wei. What's odd is that he's never had this syndrome in his medical history nor any of his family members! The method of his death warrants some suspicion as well. He snapped his neck on his own accord!"
Everyone was shocked by this revelation and flipped to the mentioned page.
"Our utmost priority now is to find the people involved. This report says that two people in Dorm 404 are still living. Even if they aren't the killer, they must be the ones who can offer the most information!"
…
Chen Chen stood outside the school and observed the impeccably tranquil campus. He shook his head.
This was the third day since the incidents began occurring.
The curses began spreading on the campus two days ago. In this span, the number of people killed by Kayako had risen to the hundreds. Everyone on the campus decided that it was better to protect themselves and left the campus without notice. Some of them rented rooms in hotels while others bought tickets to return to their homes.
It was not so much a lack of action on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was more so that this event was too bizarre.
Who would have expected an inconspicuous lot to be the spreader of a deadly curse?
Dormitory building No. 1 was no longer the only building that contained the strength of the curse. Some of the classrooms, toilets, even some of the offices on the campus…
All of these places had become the source of the curse.
Now, close to thousands of still-living people afflicted with the curse had evacuated from this place. Some of them came from the south, others from the north, some of them from the inland while others lived along the coast. There were even the occasional foreigners.
These people would speed the curse of Kayako across the globe. There was nothing that could stop the spread.
Even Li Bo chose to leave.
Chen Chen did not try to stop him. After all, the curse was already spreading. It made no difference even if he stopped Li Bo. Still, Chen Chen made sure to give him a stern warning: unless he wanted to bring ruin to his family, he better not return home. If he was going to die, at least die somewhere away from his family.
Although the time now was at the height of noon, the sky cast a depressing gray over the lands below. Thick dark clouds covered the sun and painted the sky with a gloomy haze. Not a trace of sunlight was allowed to shine through.
Chen Chen stood by the entrance of the school for a long time, watching both teachers and students alike fleeing the school.
Each one of them had fear written across their faces. They were afraid of disappearing if they even lingered in the school for a moment longer.
When a group of students passed by Chen Chen, he somehow managed to sense a faint, sinister aura stemming from them.
He knew that this could only mean that this group of people had been afflicted with the curse but were blissfully unaware of it…
If this supernatural event was portrayed as a viral infectious disease, this group of people would be at the height of the incubation period. The disease may not be infectious during the incubation period, but it would not be spread from the fate of the final stage of the curse.
The symptom of breakout would be when Kayako appeared to claim their lives.
The reason Chen Chen did not enter the school nor try to get away was t
hat he was waiting for someone. Considering the dire state of the current situation, the ones above should be dispatching someone to look for him.
Chen Chen suddenly felt someone fixing their gaze on him. This was a queer sensation that could not be put into words. This would commonly be described as "instinct" or "sixth sense".
However, as someone who was well versed in biology, Chen Chen was aware that the human body contained bioelectricity. The conduction of everything in the body from brain waves to body nerves was transmitted by electrical signals.
This was how some people with hypersensitivity could close their eyes and still sense someone approaching or the gaze of someone on them. This was not because they saw them, but that they could feel the bioelectricity of others.
This was the exact sensation Chen Chen was feeling at this moment.
This was no time to figure out where this acquired hypersensitivity came from. Chen Chen instinctively turned around and immediately saw a filthy beggar whose appearance he could not make out standing in front of a shop lot. This beggar was studying him silently…
Chen Chen felt an odd sense of familiarity when he looked at those eyes.
"You again?"
Chen Chen muttered to himself and turned into a frown. This was the second time he met this beggar. The first time was when he was leaving the Internet cafe on an evening two days ago.
For some unknown reason unknown, he felt a queer familiarity each time he looked at this beggar.
It was as if he was able to see the faint silhouette of another person — Aixen.
Impossible…
Chen Chen shook his head suddenly. There was no way that this beggar he was looking at would be the mysterious Aixen. They only carried a vaguely similar aura.
Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen decided to stop studying this person and turned the other way instead. He knew better than to get involved with any other strange phenomenon now.
After Chen Chen had walked only several paces, a black Chevrolet suddenly swept around the corner and screeched to a stop in front of Chen Chen. The screeching brakes even jolted Chen Chen a little.
The door quickly slid open and revealed two towering figures dressed in dark suits who hopped out of the vehicle.
"Are you student Chen Chen?"
One of them asked in a whisper as he took out his certification, "Zhang Qiang, Federal Bureau of Investigation, please come with us if you don't mind."
Chen Chen instinctively ducked backward. It only took a single large stride from one of the men in black to close off Chen Chen's path of retreat.
"Finally here?"
To their surprise, Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief before telling them, "Alright, I've been wanting to meet the higher-ups at FBI for some time now."
Without waiting for an invitation, Chen Chen got into the car on his own.
The man in black chuckled softly when he saw this reaction coming from Chen Chen. The two men entered the car from both sides and kept Chen Chen seated between them.
The door shut swiftly after that as they drove off into the distance...
Chapter 370: The USB Drive is Broken? |
Several hours later, Chen Chen switched into another set of clothes after going through an X-ray. All metal objects were removed from him and he was taken to an empty room by the two men in black.
The design of the room was peculiar. It was approximately twenty square meters in size and was brightly illuminated by the dozens of lamps lined along the ceiling. In the middle of the room, there was a table and two chairs while floor mirrors that stood at waist length decorated the four walls.
Cameras were installed in each corner and recorded everything happening inside the room.
As Chen Chen entered, one of the security asked him to sit on one of the chairs.
Unlike the chairs on the opposite end of the table, the one Chen Chen sat on did not have a backrest.
It also did not have a horizontal bar that served as a footrest like regular chairs. Instead of calling it a chair, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a stool.
At one point, Chen Chen was deeply interested in studying criminal psychology. He immediately recognized at first glance that the room was intentionally designed to make his conversation with the FBI agents as uncomfortable as possible.
The chair without a backrest was designed this way to strip away his sense of security. Without a proper footrest, his sense of balance was taken away as well. The irritating brightness coupled with the cold color temperature in the room made it so that it was easy to become disassociated after staying in the room for a prolonged period.
When Chen Chen saw the mirrors, he immediately determined that there were probably at least ten psychologists hiding behind them, observing and dissecting every move he made…
This room was far better equipped than regular interrogation rooms seen in police stations.
After Chen Chen sat down on his uncomfortable chair, the two men in black stood on guard behind him with their arms behind their backs. Although Chen Chen was not strapped with handcuffs, this was essentially the same thing as being cuffed.
Within another ten seconds, the door opened again. A young lady in office attire that wore a stone-cold expression stepped into the room. She wore a pair of gold-framed glasses and as she strode across the room, her heels would click against the marble floor and produce striking noises.
Chen Chen only spared a curious glance before averting his sight away from her.
"Clack!"
When the lady came to the opposite end of the table, she suddenly pulled out a leather whip and slammed it on the table with all her might. Chen Chen was shocked by this. She immediately started. "Chen Chen, male, 19 years old, 20th-grade student in the Department of Biological Sciences of Shangdu Jiaotong University, a native of Handu. Third grade of elementary school, broke a window in the school and was punished by the class teacher and parents. Second grade of junior high school, got in trouble with the school for fighting. Second grade of high school…"
The lady began narrating the events that occurred to Chen Chen throughout his childhood, some of them Chen Chen had even almost completely forgotten about. After she finished her sequence, she asked icily, "Chen Chen, do you understand the situation you are in right now?"
Chen Chen could not help but scratch his head when he heard this and said in a slightly troubled voice, "Sorry, I have no clue. Anyway, why are you dressed so much like the actors in the adult movies I've saved on my computer? Are you going to seduce me now?"
"What did you say?" The lady's eyebrows flared up and her voice grew harsher at this mention.
"I have to admit that you agents have done your homework well. You even know what kind of movies I've saved on my computer."
Chen Chen shook his head and looked slightly disappointed as he said this, "But I think you guys have this mixed up because these adult movies line up better with my dorm leader Wang Wei's taste. A few days ago, he had to borrow his girlfriend's computer so he transferred his videos to my computer to hide them. I'm more of an innocent schoolgirl type if I'm being honest…"
"The audacity!"
Before Chen Chen could finish, the lady slammed the table. The sudden loud burst echoed across Chen Chen's eardrums.
Chen Chen subconsciously craned his neck to the side and covered his ears. His expression grew several degrees colder as he did this. "Enough! Let's not discuss these unsavory topics for now. Haven't the FBI had enough of these cases of disappearing students? Let's talk about how we're going to solve this problem."
"You…"
The lady flicked her eyebrows and grew even more agitated. Before she could go on another rampage, the voice of another man came from somewhere in the interrogation room. "Shen Qi, that's enough."
The sound traveled from all sides of the room in a three-dimensional stereo pattern. As Chen Chen started to scan his surroundings, the entrance to the interrogation room opened again. This time, a man with
ashen gray hair and a stern expression walked in.
"Director, he…"
The lady quickly approached the man and tried to explain herself. The man quickly waved her away and she had no choice but to step to the side. This man came before the table.
Director?
The moment this person announced his presence, Chen Chen began sizing him up. This man appeared to be somewhere in his mid-fifties. His expression was like iron. The ends of his hair stood up like sharp needles in a flat top style. He undoubtedly had the most intimidating aura Chen Chen had ever witnessed in person.
While Chen Chen was sizing this man up, the same favor was being returned as well. The newly-arrived man only started speaking after he sat down. The tone in which he spoke suggested that this man was not to be questioned. "Chen Chen, we've gone through your notes. We can meet your stated conditions."
"Your ranking isn't high enough."
However, Chen Chen only shook his head and answered formally, "Branch director still falls a little short of what I requested."
"Insolent!"
The girl called Shen Qi quickly howled at Chen Chen angrily. Her superior promptly raised a hand to stop her while he addressed Chen Chen, seemingly unbothered. "Of course, I understand that my ranking doesn't meet your stated requirement. We can see to it that you get to speak to the core officials of the Mainland. Unfortunately, due to the recent cases of disappearances, they are unable to come in person. However, I can arrange for you to speak with them in a video call."
Chen Chen was relieved when he heard this. "Alright, I'm fine with that."
The man seemed somewhat relieved when he heard this. Meanwhile, he moved the chair under him to the side of the table.
Chen Chen quickly sensed something happening as he raised his head and looked at the mirror in front of him. He saw the mirror flash before turning into a dark panel and heard muffled noise coming out of it.
What appeared to be a regular piece of mirror had been an electronic display all this time!
Following another flash, the image of a small conference room immediately came into view.
Chen Chen could not stop himself from tightening up and breathing in a drag of cold air when he saw the image displayed before him. What he saw before him were familiar faces that regularly appeared on television!
