Cataclysm Chapter 87: Tomino’s Hell 05

Chapter 87: Tomino’s Hell 05

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

The family doctor quickly arrived with his assistant and bandaged Wei Jie’s injuries. He was invited to stay at the collection house for a few days. Wei Guangming’s leg had started hurting, so he asked the family doctor to check it first. After examining him that night, the doctor suggested he should go to a hospital or clinic where the equipment was more complete.

Wei Guangming agreed, and the doctor decided to stay for one night at the collection house. The next day, he planned to leave. However, a heavy rain began to fall early in the morning, and the thick rain curtain only allowed vague glimpses of tree shadows. The doctor, whose last name was Hao, stayed in the same guest room as his assistant for the time being.

Dr. Hao opened the curtains and stared at the heavy rain outside, standing still for a while. His assistant, waking up and walking toward the bathroom, asked, “Dr. Hao, why are you standing by the window? It’s just raining outside. You can’t even see the trees clearly. By the way, given the situation, we’ll have to wait for the rain to stop before we can leave. The mountain roads are dangerous when wet.”

Dr. Hao barely listened to his assistant. Instead, he kept staring absent-mindedly at the rain. The endless downpour, the gloomy weather, and the oppressive atmosphere inside the house all combined to create a sense of unease. His eyelids began twitching, something he usually attributed to a lack of rest. But now, a sudden sense of foreboding washed over him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a woman in white standing under the eaves downstairs, staring directly at his window. Dr. Hao felt a prickling sensation on his scalp, realizing he hadn’t noticed her there before. He had no idea how long she had been watching him.

“Dr. Hao?” His assistant walked over, calling out in confusion. Dr. Hao snapped out of his daze. His assistant, noticing the doctor’s pale and frightened face, was startled. Dr. Hao looked back at the spot, but the woman was gone. He muttered to himself, “Maybe I’m just exhausted. Seeing things.” He turned and went into the bathroom to freshen up, then went downstairs, all while his assistant watched with a puzzled expression.

Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao encountered Dr. Hao at the door and exchanged greetings. Dr. Hao, unsure of their identities, felt a bit confused but didn’t show it. He nodded politely and smiled. Chen Yang stepped aside to let Dr. Hao and his assistant pass. Zhang Qiudao, who was behind him, murmured, “Clouds are gathering. Vengeful spirits are haunting him.”

Chen Yang walked downstairs, replying, “And then?”

“What?” Zhang Qiudao asked, confused.

Chen Yang motioned to his neck, “There’s a mark, like a noose, wrapped around it. A Hanging Ghost is after him.” He pointed to Dr. Hao’s retreating figure and added, “His time is short. He deserves it.”

Zhang Qiudao couldn’t see any marks on Dr. Hao’s neck, but he understood that being targeted by a Hanging Ghost was a serious matter. Dr. Hao must have committed a grave sin to be cursed by vengeful spirits. In such cases, the Tianshis were in a difficult position. As a Tianshi, it was their responsibility to maintain the balance between the realms of the living and the dead. If the vengeful spirits hadn’t received a pardon from the King of Hell, their actions in the mortal world were considered unlawful.

Tianshis had to protect those haunted by vengeful spirits and drive the spirits away, but if the spirits had a legitimate grievance, the situation was complicated. The law and personal feelings were both difficult to ignore, creating a moral dilemma. Zhang Qiudao sighed softly, “I hope the spirits have received the King of Hell’s pardon.” If they had, then the Tianshis could turn a blind eye.

Chen Yang nodded, “Whether they have a pardon or not, it depends on the situation.” As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they heard a child calling for him. Chen Yang turned and saw Wei Ning in the small living room near the stairs. Wei Ning was wearing a stylish little suit and sitting at a small table, looking exquisitely cute.

Wei Ning waved Chen Yang over, and he walked toward the child. Wei Ning grabbed his hand and, in a childish voice, said, “Sit down.” Once Chen Yang sat down, Wei Ning stared at him, then hugged his arm and whispered, “They’re bothering me again. It’s so annoying, so noisy.”

Chen Yang paused for a moment before asking, “Where are they?”

“They’re in the wall,” Wei Ning replied. “They came out from the wall.”

At this, both Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao turned sharply to look at the wall. It was a dark gold color, blending in with the uniform decor of the entire collection house, so no one had ever paid much attention to it. But now, upon closer inspection, they saw strange, eerie patterns drawn on the wall. The once ordinary wall had transformed into a twisted, terrifying image, resembling a monstrous demon with its mouth wide open, seemingly trying to devour everyone in the house.

Zhang Qiudao asked, “Could it be that an evil spirit passed through the wall, and the child mistook it?”

Chen Yang asked Wei Ning if all the “people” who came to play with him had come out of the walls. Wei Ning played with his fingers, remained silent for a moment, and then softly replied, “No.”

Wei Zhizhi ran over and immediately screamed in displeasure when she saw Chen Yang and Wei Ning. The shrill sound of her scream pierced the quiet of the museum early in the morning, but it was even more irritating. It was pouring rain outside, and although the museum was brightly lit, there were always dark corners where the light couldn’t reach. It was these unnoticed dark corners that caused the restlessness and displeasure in people’s hearts. Anyone who heard Wei Zhizhi’s scream would have been filled with anger and frustration.

Wei Zhizhi ran over and pulled Wei Ning away. “I hate you! Go away!” she yelled, then grabbed Chen Yang’s arm, saying, “Mine! Mine!” Wei Ning stood helplessly beside them, nearly being shoved over by Wei Zhizhi.

Wei Guangming, who had been suffering from sore legs due to the rain, couldn’t tolerate the pain any longer. Hearing Wei Zhizhi’s scream and witnessing her domineering behavior, he immediately lost his temper. “Wei Zhizhi, come over here!!”

Wei Zhizhi was the little tyrant in the museum, confronting everyone except Wei Guangming, who made her tremble with fear. She usually played around on the second floor but became as docile as a quail when she was on the first floor. If she hadn’t seen Chen Yang, whom she liked, being taken away by Wei Ning, she wouldn’t have screamed and angered Wei Guangming.

Wei Guangming grabbed a feather duster from a nearby vase and began to hit Wei Zhizhi. After only one strike, he missed. Looking up, he saw that Chen Yang had quickly snatched Wei Zhizhi up, with her holding onto him as though he was her lifeline, softly sobbing. Wei Guangming said, “Master Chen, my little girl doesn’t understand. A good scolding will be enough. Please don’t take it personally.”

“I don’t mind,” Chen Yang shook his head and said gently. “Zhizhi is still young. Mr. Wei can scold her with words and guide her toward the right path. Hitting is the worst form of education.”

Wei Guangming forced a smile, shot an angry look at Wei Zhizhi, and warned her not to cause trouble, but he didn’t hit her again. Wei Zhizhi was so frightened that she continued to sob quietly. Wei Guangming’s face was dark. “She really needs to be taught properly. If it weren’t for her causing trouble, her older brother wouldn’t have had his leg punctured. A child so young, with such a malicious mind.”

Chen Yang’s face darkened. “When Wei Jie got into trouble, Zhizhi was with us. How could she, a little kid, have hurt Wei Jie? Mr. Wei, if you want to favor her, you should at least respect the facts and not favor her too much.”

Wei Guangming’s expression grew strange as his gaze shifted between Chen Yang and Wei Zhizhi. Finally, he gave a strange smile. “Master Chen is right. I was too angry. Zhizhi, don’t be upset with your father. I misunderstood you. In the afternoon, I’ll have your mother make you a bowl of egg custard, okay? But don’t scream anymore. It’s too loud, and others will say you have bad manners. Also, don’t provoke your brother. He’s in a bad mood right now.” After saying this, he turned to Chen Yang. “Please take care of Zhizhi and Ning Ning.”

He didn’t give anyone a chance to object and, leaning on his cane, turned and walked away. Qi Yin glanced at the children with a worried expression before hurrying after Wei Guangming, leaving behind a single sentence: “Zhizhi, Ning Ning, behave and don’t cause trouble.”

Chen Yang set Wei Zhizhi down, letting Wei Ning and Wei Zhizhi each grab one of his arms. “Don’t make trouble. Be good, okay?” Wei Zhizhi’s small face was covered in tears. She sniffed but allowed Wei Ning to get close. Wei Ning said nothing but clung tightly to Chen Yang’s arm.

Chen Yang asked Wei Zhizhi, “Zhizhi, do you get along well with a lot of the ‘people’ in the museum?”

“No,” Wei Zhizhi proudly puffed out her chest. “They can’t play with me, they’re so weak. They can never find me, so bad. It’s no fun to play with them, but no one else wants to play with me, so I have to ask them to play. It’s so boring. How about you play with me? Play hide and seek with me, and I won’t play with them anymore. I won’t let them play with you, just the two of us. Okay? Okay?”

“No.” Before Chen Yang could respond, Wei Ning refused for him. Wei Ning remained expressionless. “You play your game, don’t make him play with you.”

Wei Zhizhi pouted, visibly angry, and said, “Why? They always lose, and whenever they want to play with you, you refuse. If you’re not going to play, at least don’t stop Chen Xiaoyang from playing with me. You’re so annoying, hmph!”

Wei Ning ignored Wei Zhizhi and tugged on Chen Yang’s sleeve, speaking seriously. “Don’t play with her.”

Chen Yang paused for a moment, then smiled and said, “Okay.”

Wei Zhizhi became even more upset. “Why? Why? Does Chen Xiaoyang not like me? Why won’t you play with me? If you dislike them, you can just play with me. If you don’t agree to play with them, then you don’t have to play with them at all.”

Chen Yang asked, “Zhizhi, you played with them because you promised. Ning Ning didn’t play with them because he refused their invitation. But since you promised, do you have to play hide and seek with them every day?”

Wei Zhizhi clapped her hands in delight. “Chen Xiaoyang is so smart, smarter than mom.” Then she pouted and said unhappily, “Mom just doesn’t understand. She always scolds me, and she doesn’t play with me.” With a pitiful look, she asked, “Really, can’t you play with me?”

Chen Yang gazed at Wei Zhizhi for a long time, then firmly shook his head. “Sorry.” He patted her head. “Big brother still has important things to do and can’t play with you.”

Wei Zhizhi, disappointed, turned her head away from Chen Yang in a huff, but still tightly held onto his sleeve, refusing to let go. She insisted she wouldn’t let Chen Xiaoyang be with Wei Ning, calling him a “nasty person.”

Wei Ning paid her no attention and acted like a quiet little boy.

At breakfast, because of a mess, only Wei Xiaoxiao, Chen Yang, and the others were present, but Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi didn’t show up. Mao Xiaoli curiously asked, “Aren’t they having breakfast?”

Zhang Qiudao replied calmly, “They probably overworked themselves.”

Mao Xiaoli immediately dragged out her words, “Oh~~~” with varying tones that carried all kinds of meanings.

Chen Yang coughed twice to signal them to tone it down. There were still unmarried girls and two five-year-old kids at the table, so they needed to be mindful of their image. Only then did they quiet down and stop alluding to Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi’s situation. The table only had the two little kids and Wei Xiaoxiao, who remained quiet, speaking no more than five sentences throughout.

She fed Wei Zhizhi and Wei Ning while their parents were in the room talking to Dr. Hao about medical matters. After feeding the two kids, Wei Xiaoxiao said, “You two go back to the children’s room to do your homework. Zhizhi, practice the piano well and don’t be lazy.” After saying that, she stood up, lifted the two kids out of their chairs, and led them upstairs.

Wei Zhizhi waved goodbye to Chen Yang as she left, asking if he would play. Wei Ning immediately pulled her away firmly.

Chen Yang watched them go upstairs, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and then asked Mao Xiaoli, “Xiaoli, did you find anything about the previous owner of that painting?”

Mao Xiaoli replied, “I found some things, but there’s still other information I couldn’t get because the heavy rain interrupted communication. My phone had no signal.” Since the location was a bit far, she stood up, grabbed her breakfast, and sat at the nearest spot to Chen Yang and Zhang Qiudao. “The painting is called ‘Grotesque,’ and it’s a self-portrait of a serial killer. In his delusion, he thought of himself as an evil ghost who ate people. So, those he killed had their organs taken, mainly their livers and facial features.”

Zhang Qiudao asked, “So the security guard wasn’t killed by the evil ghost in ‘Grotesque’?”

The security guard had died from suffocation by his windpipe, and besides the glass beads spilling from his mouth, there were no other injuries.

“Maybe,” Chen Yang said. “Xiaoli, keep going.”

Mao Xiaoli said, “The previous owner of the painting was also a curious collector. They bought the painting from the family of the previous owner. People said the painting was sinister, but the owner didn’t believe it. They bought it and placed it in their collection room. After that, strange things began happening in the house. Every time someone passed by the collection room, they would hear noises from inside, but when they opened the door, no one was there. The owner didn’t believe the strange reports from the house, until the family’s dog disappeared.”

During the pause, Mao Xiaoli popped a piece of egg into her mouth, then drank some milk. After swallowing, she continued, “From the surveillance footage, the dog ran into the collection room and disappeared. There was indeed dog hair found inside, but no sign of the dog. What’s strange is that the collection room only had one door, no windows or holes, not even in the basement. The dog simply vanished into thin air. Later, the owner of the painting also disappeared. They went into the collection room and were never seen again, only their shoes were found. The housekeeper mentioned that on the night the owner disappeared, they passed by the collection room and heard chewing sounds outside the door. It sounded like someone was chewing meat and even crunching the bones. They also found blood on the painting, and after testing, the blood matched the owner’s.”

Zhang Qiudao asked, “So you’re saying the owner and the dog were eaten by the painting?”

“That’s right,” Mao Xiaoli nodded.

Zhang Qiudao asked, “Where did you read this story?”

“It’s not a story!”

“It’s not a story, and yet you tell it so vividly? With all those details, ninety-nine percent of it must be made up,” Zhang Qiudao bluntly criticized.

Mao Xiaoli rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. I added some of those details, but I did find some reliable sources. Basically, three things happened: after the painting was bought, the house became haunted, the dog and the owner both disappeared in the collection room, and chewing noises were heard from inside. There was indeed blood on the painting, but no official investigation was conducted. They all knew that ‘Grotesque’ had the blood of a serial killer mixed in, so bloodstains were expected.”

Chen Yang took notes. “What about you, Qiudao? Did you find anything?”

Zhang Qiudao shook his head. “Nothing major. It’s pretty much what we suspected. Wei Zhizhi is active and often plays with the ‘people’ on the second floor. I can feel something strange, but I can’t locate these things. Whenever I go to the second floor, the compass loses its function completely, spinning wildly, unable to find the ‘people.’”

Just as they were speaking, Kou Xuanling and Lu Xiuzhi came downstairs for breakfast. Kou Xuanling looked exhausted, while Lu Xiuzhi seemed full of energy. The three immediately dropped the serious talk and turned to watch them with bright eyes. “Tired?” “Need some help?”

When Kou Xuanling sat down, Chen Yang expertly handed him a soft cushion. Kou Xuanling took it and said, “Thanks.” He leaned back in his chair, stretching his muscles. At that, Chen Yang lost his interest in gossip. He asked, “Did you two stay up late talking again?”

Kou Xuanling shook his head. “No, we played cards all night.”

Mao Xiaoli and Zhang Qiudao both ‘shushed’ loudly, clearly not wanting to say a word. Kou Xuanling replied, “Can’t you two think of something more wholesome?”

Mao Xiaoli smirked, “Wholesome, huh? It’s a step right to the stomach.”

Zhang Qiudao stuffed a peeled egg into Mao Xiaoli’s mouth. “Be healthy.”

Kou Xuanling sighed. “Last night we heard loud noises, people running and shouting in the hallway. But when we opened the door, there was nothing. So we ended up playing cards all night.”

Chen Yang asked, “Why didn’t you use soundproofing?”

Lu Xiuzhi peeled an egg and placed the slippery egg into Kou Xuanling’s bowl, then asked whether he wanted milk or soy milk. Kou Xuanling replied, “Milk,” then answered Chen Yang, “We wanted to figure out what it was, but we got too into the card game.”

Lu Xiuzhi placed the milk cup in front of Kou Xuanling, who didn’t even look up and just took a sip. It was like he was being served by a royal. Chen Yang silently looked at his empty bowl and suddenly felt like he was being outdone.

 

 

 

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