Chapter 97: Chapter 97: The Ghost is Outside

[AHHHH! Is it ghost night or something? First, we had that female ghost looking for her body, and now there’s one haunting a residential complex. It’s the middle of the night, and I’m scared to death!]

[I was just wondering why that female ghost jumped into the river and died. Now this has totally grabbed my attention.]

[I’ve seen the woman who called in before. She’s an influencer. I’ve come across videos of her singing!]

[That’s my girl, Nanbowan! I just finished watching her stream and came straight here!]

“Thank you all for the support. I’m a talent streamer. If you like what you see, please give me a follow!”

Out of professional habit, even while on a call with Shen Zhiyao, she didn’t forget to ask for followers.

Shen Zhiyao said, “Nanbowan, get to the point.”

Nanbowan said, “I bought this apartment a year ago. I saw that it was in a great location with nice renovations, and it was so cheap. The previous owner was moving out of town, so they sold it to me for a bargain.”

At the time, Nanbowan thought she had gotten an incredible deal and bought the apartment without a second thought.

But who would have known that strange things would start happening as soon as she moved in.

At first, every night at midnight, a “CRUNCH… CRUNCH…” sound would come from one of the rooms, like the sound of bones being chewed.

But when she went to check without turning on the lights, there was nothing there.

When she waited until the next day to check, she would find many small bone fragments and traces of blood.

Because of this, she contacted property management.

But property management didn’t do much, only saying they would have the patrolling security guards take a look at night. Yet when night fell, the horrifying chewing sound started up again, scaring her so much she couldn’t sleep.

Later, things got worse. She went to the bathroom one night and found the water in the sink had suddenly turned blood-red.

The lights in her apartment would also flicker.

Yesterday, she heard from a neighbor that two years ago in this complex, there was a case where a mother beat her child to death. It was a brutal death; the mother had beaten the child so hard his brains came out.

Because of that incident, the property values in the complex had never risen.

[Miss, listen to me, I’m a real estate agent. If it’s a stigmatized property, the original owner is legally obligated to disclose it. If they didn’t, you can sue to have the sale reversed.]

[Just get out of there! Even if there’s no ghost, it would still be creepy to live there!]

[You have to be so careful when buying a home; you can’t just be tempted by a low price. I bought a stigmatized property once. Couldn’t get in touch with the previous owner, couldn’t sell the place, so I just moved out in the end.]

Nanbowan sighed. “I want to get out of the sale too, but the previous owner is being completely unreasonable!”

As soon as she found out the apartment had problems, Nanbowan contacted the previous owner, but they refused to acknowledge anything.

The previous owner said indignantly, “Sure, something happened in the complex, but that was in the next building over, on the third floor. It certainly didn’t happen in my apartment, so on what grounds should I give you a refund?”

The real estate agent also said it wasn’t technically a stigmatized property, so it didn’t count as deliberate concealment, and the conditions for reversing the sale weren’t met.

Nanbowan looked up the relevant regulations and found that this was indeed the case.

She had spent all the money she’d earned from streaming to buy this apartment, so moving out anytime soon was unrealistic.

But who could stand being tormented like this every day?

“Master, I’ve seen your streams. You’re the real deal!”

Nanbowan pressed her palms together and pleaded, “Please, I’m begging you, help me get this wronged soul out of my home! I have no grudge against him, I never hurt him or offended him, and he didn’t even die in my apartment! Why does he keep tormenting me?”

After hearing her plea, Shen Zhiyao said, “I need to see every room in your apartment to determine if there’s a ghost.”

Nanbowan quickly complied, showing every room on her camera, including the bathroom.

“So? Is there a ghost?”

Shen Zhiyao said, “I’ve seen everything clearly. Your home is completely clean. There are no traces of a ghost soul’s presence.”

“Huh?” Nanbowan couldn’t quite believe it. “But I encounter strange things every day! Could the weird stuff be happening outside my apartment?”

She couldn’t help but glance toward the window. Even though the curtains covered it completely, her heart still pounded uncontrollably.

Shen Zhiyao shook her head. “There really isn’t one.”

Nanbowan grew frantic. “That’s impossible! There’s definitely something wrong with this place. I’ve experienced so many creepy things since I moved in. Streamer, please take another good look!”

Shen Zhiyao said, “Didn’t you say you hear the sound of bones being chewed every night? Turn off your lights now and go to the window that faces the complex’s public square. You’ll see the answer you’re looking for.”

Nanbowan turned off the lights and, clutching her phone, went to the bathroom window.

Her end of the video feed went completely dark. Only Nanbowan’s nervous voice could be heard, “Streamer, if anything happens over there, you have to come save me!”

Shen Zhiyao said, “Don’t worry. That thing is under a restraint. It can’t cross over, and it certainly can’t get to your apartment. At least, not for the time being.”

Nanbowan fell silent, and the stream went quiet, with only the viewers’ comments continuously flashing across the screen:

[So… what on earth is going on? What does the streamer mean it won’t be a problem for the time being? Does that mean it WILL be a problem later on?]

[Crap, can you all shut up? I’ve never seen a ghost before, what if you scare it away?]

[Are you stupid? Who can hear typed words?]

[Duh! What if the ghost can sense electronic devices? Like Zhenzi!]

[OMG, my mom just asked why I ran into her room covering my face. I told her I want to see a ghost, but I’m also scared of ghosts.]

[Wait… I think I hear the sound of glass being scraped. What’s going on?]

[Holy shit, holy shit, I hear it too!]

[I can also hear someone gnawing on bones! Oh my god! So scary!]

The hand Nanbowan was holding her phone with trembled uncontrollably. “Streamer, did you hear that? It’s here… What do I do? I’m not really going to die here, am I?”

Shen Zhiyao lowered her voice. “Be very quiet now. Open the window. You have to be extremely quiet. Don’t startle it. Don’t make eye contact, and absolutely do not speak to it!”

Nanbowan’s voice trembled. “No, I’m so scared… I don’t dare…”

Shen Zhiyao’s voice was a whisper. “What’s there to be afraid of? Nothing will happen. Don’t worry, it can’t get to you!”

[Nanbowan, you have to trust the streamer! There are over a hundred thousand of us in the stream with you!]

[OMG OMG! I’m so excited! What does a ghost even look like? I’ve never seen one!]

[The streamer’s voice got quieter too. Is she scared? Streamer, you can’t wimp out on us now! You’re so powerful, go get it!]

Outside the livestream, Jin Huai Zhong secretly wiped away a bead of sweat. “This whole thing is pretty thrilling. This isn’t just an act, is it?”

The doorman, Old Zhang, immediately retorted, “Don’t say things like that! I can tell from this streamer’s profound gaze that she must have real abilities! There’s no doubt, she’s a true master!”

Jin Huai Zhong sighed. “Just watch quietly. You don’t need to share your opinion.”

Old Zhang tilted his head, so engrossed in the stream for a moment that he actually forgot who was standing beside him.

Though she was terrified, Nanbowan still listened to Shen Zhiyao. She opened the window and stuck her phone out.

Shen Zhiyao told her to cover the phone’s screen with her hand and only aim the camera in the direction of the square.

Because there was a greenbelt outside her building, Nanbowan raised her phone a little higher, making it easier for the people in the stream to see the complex’s public square.

In the public square, a dim streetlight flickered incessantly. At first, there was nothing there.

But as time went on, the sound of a child’s playful laughter began to drift up from the square…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep