Chapter 006: Traps

He grinned widely, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth: "Sign a contract with me, and I will lend you money; you can say how much you need."

The old police officer discovered that my shop had been robbed. In the past few days, incidents have occurred one after another, and almost every event is related to me, which has already raised his suspicions. This time, he specifically came to my shop to find me. As soon as he arrived at the door, he noticed that the shop door was wide open, as if someone had been inside, so he quickly notified me

I was thinking that perhaps the old police officer could really help me, so I told him the whole story. Throughout my account, he kept frowning. After I finished speaking, the old police officer's expression also turned grim. He glared at me with some anger and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? So many people have died, and only now do you bring it up"

I am quite annoyed: "Is this person abnormal?"

As he spoke, he gave me a meaningful glance, which I understood; simply put, it meant that my shop was haunted. However, as a public servant, it was inappropriate for him to say it outright, so he left it unsaid. My face had already turned pale. Could it be that those who entered my shop were not thieves, but ghosts? The thought of this possibility made my heart race. I didn't care if he laughed at my fear; I grabbed the old policeman and went outside. I wasn't sure if it was just a psychological effect, but once I stepped out of the flower shop, I felt much more at ease. I took a deep breath and asked, "Do you believe in this too?"

The old policeman coughed twice and said, "Let’s first see if anything is missing"

He said no without hesitation, and then continued to pull me along.

brain-dead

How could the store feel like an ice cellar after such a short time away? The cold atmosphere makes me very uncomfortable; no wonder the old policeman is waiting outside, this is the reason.

Seeing that I had stopped, another old policeman also came to a halt. He gripped my hand even tighter and looked at me coldly

I said into the phone: "Nothing is wrong for the time being"

I wanted to say, isn't this nonsense? However, considering that the person is a public servant, I did not dare to offend them and asked, "Have you encountered this phenomenon before?"

The old police officer took a deep breath and said, "It seems that things might not be very peaceful here."

The old police officer turned around hastily: "To save your life, and to prevent more people from losing their lives!"

It has only been half a day since we last met, so why has your temper suddenly changed so much? I began to wonder if something difficult had happened, and I felt a bit anxious: "Where are we going?"

I mainly do not want to walk alone at night. Once I heard that he had arrived, I had nothing to fear. I told him I would be out soon and hung up the phone. I washed my face and went out, and sure enough, I saw him standing ahead, waving at me. I jogged over and asked, "What did you find?"

The old police officer was quite angry and directly shouted: "Are you coming out or not? I'm right outside the mahjong parlor!"

The old police officer shivered; the cold environment made him uncomfortable. He observed everything with a very professional eye and said, "There are some strange things in your shop."

In the end, he hesitated for a moment and casually referred to it as "that thing".

As soon as I heard about the return to the *picture* book wreath shop, I felt a chill run down my spine

I asked him: "What are you going to do?"

In fact, there is no need to look; the store is not large and everything is clear at a glance. I roughly searched and indeed found nothing missing. The only peculiar thing is that the incense in my store has all been pinched. Originally arranged in groups of three, two of them have been pinched off by a segment the length of a little finger. This person did not cover up the traces, and there are quite a few scattered incense heads underneath.

I just realized that I overlooked an important issue: I never told anyone that I was at the mahjong parlor. How did he know? Moreover, he waited outside to call me instead of coming in to find me. Wouldn't that be more efficient?

I said with a mournful expression: "What a grievance, how was I to know I had provoked that thing? Who would think about this for no reason? By the time I realized, it was already too late"

The old policeman took out two cigarettes, handed one to me, and lit the other for himself: "Whether you believe it or not, it all actually exists. I have spent half my life in the police force, and I have encountered many things that those people cannot understand. What can you do if you don't believe? Just be honest with me, what exactly is your situation? Are those who died related to that thing?"

I instantly became alert: "I don't know you, why are you asking to borrow money from me?"

I paused, as if my feet were glued to the ground, watching the old police officer who was pulling me. In the moonlight, his profile appeared pale, and I involuntarily began to tremble. The old police officer on the phone did not hear my response and shouted nervously, "Xu Ming, are you okay? What are you doing?"

Fearing to arouse suspicion from hetushucomcom, I hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and asked: "How did you know I was at the mahjong parlor?"

He said coldly: "Go to your store."

I gave him a definition, entered the mahjong parlor, ordered a pot of tea, and planned to sit like this until dawn

Originally, I had no intention of paying attention to this person, but since it involved money, I found it difficult to proceed. Out of curiosity, I asked, "What do you mean?"

After he left, I mustered the courage to lock the shop door, not wanting to stay here for even a moment. I still remembered what he had just said, to find a place with more people. Where could that be? I thought for a moment; there are quite a few mahjong parlors in town, bustling with business all night long. I might as well go there and hang out for the evening

Upon hearing this, I became even more frustrated. Damn it, I've really been having a streak of bad luck lately. It's as if ghosts are after me, and thieves are also targeting me. Who have I offended?

Previously, I had only heard of peculiarities such as squeezing instant noodles in supermarkets, but I had never heard of someone squeezing incense sticks in a flower shop. I have at least a thousand incense sticks, and now ninety percent of them are ruined. The frustration I feel inside is beyond words. I looked at the old police officer, hoping he could provide some explanation

Because I felt uneasy, I walked quickly. When I was nearing the mahjong parlor, I encountered a man in his thirties, sporting a slicked-back hairstyle. Even though he was dressed in a suit, it could not conceal the shrewdness that emanated from him. His small eyes were filled with cunning, giving off an impression that he was always calculating. He grabbed my arm like a thief and whispered, "Brother, can you lend me some money"

I nodded and stepped inside. As soon as I entered, a wave of cold air hit me, and I almost turned back. I touched my bare arms with both hands and exclaimed, "Why is it so cold?"

I glanced at the time; it was a little past 4 AM. I felt a bit hesitant to go out and said, "Well, can we discuss this tomorrow instead?"

I let out a sound of reluctance and instinctively withdrew my hand. He held on tightly, and despite his efforts, he was unsuccessful. Frowning, I said, "Is it possible not to go?"

He impatiently pulled me along, saying, "First come with me, we can talk while walking"

I was just about to complain when my phone rang again. After I answered, I heard a joyful voice on the other end: "Xu Ming, where are you? I have good news to share with you!"

I never expected him to know anything, but to my surprise, the old police officer nodded slightly and said with some seriousness: "In my many years of handling cases, I have encountered all sorts of strange people and bizarre incidents, but this kind of chilling cold that seeps into the bones, I have only encountered three times."

I am curious: "Three times?"

He shook his head and smiled, saying, "How could that be? What I mean is that I will lend you money"

In fact, I personally do not really want to come back, always feeling that the flower shop is eerie, and I do not wish to stay here. However, after this incident, I had no choice but to rush back as quickly as possible. The old police officer was waiting outside. I asked what the situation was and what had been lost in the shop. The old police officer shook his head and said, "I took a look, and it seems that nothing is missing."

Isn't this voice, this phone number, from the old police officer

As he spoke, he walked away, and I called out to his back, "Can you still catch ghosts?"

The old police officer looked at me, his eyes surprisingly filled with a hint of fear: "Suicide, violent death, those cases where the deaths are the most tragic and hardest to accept, the crime scenes all have this feeling, eerie and cold, like a cone drilling into human bones, unsettling and nauseating. For those with weak constitutions, they might not even withstand a serious illness!"

The old police officer glared at me for a moment and said resentfully, "If you don't do anything wrong, you have nothing to fear. You must have offended someone. Don't go back to the store for now; find a crowded place to stay and wait for my call"

So it turns out he is a loan shark! I suddenly realized, but looking at this person's character, he seems more like a fraud. I couldn't be bothered to engage with him, so I just brushed him off and left. He was still shouting behind me, saying that I could find him anytime I needed money, always at my service.

He shrugged: "This situation cannot be filed."

The mahjong parlor was quite noisy, and the air was thick with smoke. Although the environment was not pleasant, I felt a sense of stability. As I sat there, I began to feel a bit drowsy, my head drooping as I dozed off. I lost track of how long I had been asleep when suddenly my phone in my pocket vibrated. I quickly answered the call, and the voice of an old police officer came through, sounding quite urgent: "Xu Ming, come out quickly, I have a major discovery!"

On the road, I kept wondering who the hell had the time to steal from my flower shop, where there was money and gold inside; however, the money is meant for the dead, and the gold is for the dead as well

The old policeman nearly lost his breath, turned around, and shouted at me: "I'll catch your grandfather, stay put, and I'll report to my superiors to see if they can handle this matter concerning you"

Upon hearing this, I felt a bit flustered and cautiously said, "Do you mean ... ... ?"