Chapter 5, Alarm

Indeed, it is still like this! Chen Zhi let out a heavy sigh; he had long since grown accustomed to his mother's indifferent attitude towards him

Mom! I need to tell you, I encountered something and I don't know what to do, I am very scared

Chen Zhi said: "Yes, my mother"

In the police car, the two officers did not ask him too many questions, but instead engaged in casual conversation with each other. Chen Zhi lowered his head, contemplating the events that occurred last night

The call was connected, and I heard his mother's voice on the other end

When the first ray of sunlight touched his face in the morning, Chen Zhi felt much better. Human beings are such creatures that no matter how difficult the situations you encounter may be, time will gradually bring you peace.

Chen Zhi quickly made a decision to report to the police

So it was murder, how terrifying. How did you find out? Did he come to you in a dream on Teacher's Day? The smile on the face of the police officer could no longer be concealed.

Chen Zhi resembles his mother greatly; otherwise, he would truly doubt whether she is his biological mother. Since Chen Zhi can remember, his mother has been very indifferent towards him. After the divorce, she has had even less contact with Chen Zhi, yet she comes every week to help him clean his room on schedule. Sometimes, she visits the nursing home to see Chen Zhi's father, but she never goes with Chen Zhi. Chen Zhi often resented his mother in the past, thinking she was very selfish. Later, he considered that perhaps his mother had grown too weary of this family.

Chen Zhi explained everything with great effort. However, the police informed him that they had gone to the warehouse, which had been completely burned down. There was indeed a cellar, but there were no bodies at all.

Chen Zhinang mumbled, "I, I am here to report a case, a murder case"

Her mother did not speak

Chen Zhi was at a loss for words, his mental state was on the verge of collapse. In the end, the police did not obtain any concrete evidence

Chen Zhi remained silent for a long time. When he reached a crossroads, he spoke again, his voice somewhat hoarse. He said: "Mom, I encountered something in the past couple of days, one of my elementary school teachers..."

Chen Zhi took the remaining two hundred yuan with him and went to the police station on the main street

Chen Zhi recounted the matter in detail, striving to use a tone that would inspire trust, for he understood how incredible this situation was. However, he did not mention the shadowy figure, as he did not want the police to consider him insane; it would be better to wait until the body was found before discussing that.

When Chen Zhi stepped into the police station, two officers were leaning back in their chairs, yawning and chatting. Upon seeing Chen Zhi enter, they looked him up and down and asked, "Hello, what brings you here?"

In the days that followed, Chen Zhi lived a rather difficult life, as two police officers took him directly from the fire scene back to the Public Security Bureau. For the next few days, it seemed as though he had entered a spinning world, filled with spinning people, intense interrogations, and persuasive words. The questions he faced each day were essentially the same.

No, I..." Chen Zhi was momentarily at a loss for words

The police officer put away his smile, lowered his head in thought, and said: "Then please tell me the general course of events."

Chen Zhi said: "I am certain there is none; I hope you will go to the scene with me immediately"

Chen Zhi opened his mouth and said, "Mom, I am sorry"

Chen Zhi first washed his face, and when he saw himself in the mirror, he was startled. His face was pale and gray, with dark circles under his eyes; the fright from last night had left him looking as haggard as a ghost

But when he saw the ghostly figure in the duty room, his worldview was turned upside down; that thing was definitely not human, but what was it? Was it the Teacher Guo who came to work the next day? Or was this Teacher Guo himself a ghost?

When Chen Zhi heard his mother's voice, he felt a little excited in his heart

The police went out to make a phone call, and approximately two hours later, Chen Zhi's mother arrived

"If you're not sad, then why not just go home? What are you doing here looking for us?" the police officer asked

The two police officers were taken aback and urgently asked, "When? Where did you see it?"

Chen Zhi's mother entered with very short hair, a plain face without makeup, and carrying a cheap handbag. The police first called her in for a brief education, stating that Chen Zhi was under significant suspicion and could not leave the city for the time being, among other things

The tense expressions of the two police officers relaxed. One officer looked at Chen Zhi with the gaze typically reserved for a mental patient and said with a smile to the other officer, "It's all just a show from morning till night." He then got up to refill the cups with hot water.

Why do you want to commit arson

Beep! Beep! Beep! The other party has hung up

Chen Zhi stood still like a wooden carving, motionless. He felt as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over him from head to toe, his heart frozen to the core

On the way home, Chen Zhi walked ahead of her mother, who had not turned back to look at her at all

"It is a fire," another police officer said loudly

Not very sad, it has been fifteen years! Chen Zhi replied

"Shut up, get lost!" Chen Zhi's mother turned around and shot a fierce glare at Chen Zhi, her eyes piercing like ice against his face, before walking away without looking back

"What is it?" Chen Zhi's mother asked coldly.

After so many days of enduring so much suffering, Chen Zhi did not shed a single tear. However, when his mother threw down that sentence and left him, he cried. He stood there, tears falling like beads from a broken string, plopping down one after another. He felt as if his spine had been crushed; what had he done wrong? Without the protection of a father, without the care of relatives, even his own mother, who should have been the closest to him, treated him like an enemy. Perhaps he really should not live in this world; perhaps he really should die. He felt as if his spine had been crushed; what had he done wrong? Without the protection of a father, without the care of relatives, even his own mother, who should have been the closest to him, treated him like an enemy. Perhaps he really should not live in this world; perhaps he really should die

Chen Zhi's mother responded affirmatively, exchanged some polite words, and took Chen Zhi away

He still hasn't spoken

"It's a fire, the factory is on fire!" Chen Zhi's eyes widened, hardly able to believe the scene before him

Before this, Chen Zhi absolutely believed that the world was materialistic. He had always despised those mystical matters. Even when he saw Teacher Guo's corpse, he thought it was merely a planned murder case. There were no ghosts in this world.

As the police car had just entered a few kilometers into the suburbs, a police officer shouted loudly, "Look, what is that?" Chen Zhi looked up in response to the voice and was taken aback. At the site of the abandoned factory, a plume of black smoke was rising into the sky

Chen Zhi said, "Mom, let's go home and have a meal together. I have something to discuss with you"

Chen Zhi's eyebrows suddenly raised, and he said loudly: "I have discovered a corpse, it is real, right in the basement of the suburban Youth Forging Complex, you will know if you go and take a look." Chen Zhi's expression was very serious

The first thing he did was call her mother, as Chen Zhi had no relatives; the only family member he could rely on was his mother

Chen Zhixian dialed 110 and described the situation to the female police officer who answered the call. After listening, she seemed to find it quite amusing and advised Chen Zhi to report to the local police station.

Yes, it is necessary to report to the police; he must know what is going on. Analyzing from common sense, this is simply impossible. That Teacher Guo truly exists; his body is in the cellar, which is indisputable evidence. The cause of death should be that car accident.

Fifteen years ago, my math teacher was murdered, and the body was found in an abandoned factory on the outskirts. Later, I..." Chen Zhiyue's voice grew softer; he no longer believed the words he was saying.

The police officer hurriedly drove forward, and upon arriving at the fire scene, Chen Zhi was the first to jump down. The fire had mostly been extinguished. Several fire trucks were parked near the site, with firefighters everywhere and thick smoke filling the air, causing people to cough violently. Many farmers from the suburbs were watching, and someone in the crowd remarked, "How did the fire start? This factory has been abandoned for so long; it must be haunted."

After listening, the police officer said, "Are you sure you weren't drunk or dreaming last night?"

Chen Zhi stood there like a wooden chicken amidst the chattering crowd, unable to say anything. The two police officers turned around in unison to look at Chen Zhi, their eyes filled with suspicion

Is there anything else? The voice from over there remained cold.

Under normal circumstances, if an accident occurs, the people in the vehicle should immediately call for an ambulance. How could they throw him into the cellar? Unless it was murder. Yes, Chen Zhi is certain that it was murder. What exactly did Teacher Guo call himself there for? Who replaced Teacher Guo at work later? Most importantly, what exactly is that ghostly figure? Chen Zhi now has too many questions that need answers. Who replaced Teacher Guo at work later? Most importantly, what exactly is that ghostly figure? Chen Zhi now has too many questions that need answers

I suspect he was murdered, so I came to report it to the police. Chen Zhi felt as if he were a fool

On the morning of the third day, an older police officer approached Chen Zhi and said, "Do you have any relatives? Have them come to pick you up"

In the days following Chen Zhi's return home, he lay in bed like a corpse. The neighborhood dogs seemed to have learned about Chen Zhi's detention from somewhere, and they spread the news gleefully, claiming that Chen Zhi was caught red-handed stealing and was under investigation by the Public Security Bureau, and that he would soon be taken away to prison. The residents of the community buzzed with gossip, saying that Chen Zhi was doomed, just like his alcoholic father. Liu Xiaohong visited him several times, bringing him meals. Chen Zhi was too lazy to talk to her, merely staring blankly at the ceiling, while Liu Xiaohong sat beside him and shed tears on several occasions.

The police officer whispered a few words to another police officer, then took Chen Zhi and got into a police van, heading towards the suburbs

Another police officer stifled a laugh and said to Chen Zhi: "Oh, the teacher has died? Are you sad about that?"

Upon returning home, the first thing he did was to burrow under the quilt, trembling inside it. After a while, he nervously barricaded the door with the table and other heavy objects, fearing that the shadowy figure would come looking for him