Chapter 113: I Once Heard Them Mention It (Third Update)
Doctor Gao seemed to have his own concerns: "If we wait until night, I'm afraid Men Nan won't be able to hold on. His condition is getting worse and worse."
With his head lowered, Men Nan maintained his eerie posture, his eyes shifting without a word.
"But there's no better option right now." Chen Ge knew what Doctor Gao wanted to say. "His situation is completely different from Wang Xin's back then, so there's nothing I can do. If you trust me, let me go check out the apartment building where he lives tonight. Maybe I'll find something. Also, I want to ask him a question."
Chen Ge walked over to Men Nan and slowly reached out, tracing his hand over Men Nan's head and back.
"What are you doing?" Doctor Gao didn't quite understand.
"Have you noticed that whether he's talking or walking, he always keeps his head down? It feels like something is pressing down on top of his head." Chen Ge had noticed this long ago but never had the chance to bring it up. "Men Nan, don't you find it uncomfortable to maintain that posture?"
Prompted by Chen Ge, Doctor Gao also took it seriously. He gently patted Men Nan on the back. "Still feeling uncomfortable?"
Men Nan waved his hand, his head never lifting. After standing among the crowd for a long time, his emotions became unstable again, as if he might lose control at any moment.
Seeing this, Doctor Gao had no choice but to take Men Nan to a shaded area to rest.
"The frequency of Men Nan's eye movements is abnormally fast. He seems to be constantly scanning his surroundings, and he has a habit of rolling his eyes upward, as if trying to see the top of his own head." From a distance, Chen Ge watched Men Nan's back, finding it stranger the more he looked.
Normally, a hunched back would curve into an arch, but Men Nan's back was straight, while his head tilted downward. It felt like something heavy was on top of his head, pressing it down so he couldn't lift it.
"Washing his hair... why would he have a dream like that?"
The black phone still didn't react, so Chen Ge ignored it. Special visitors were an unexpected bonus to him—if he gained something from them, great; if not, he wouldn't be upset.
After sending in two more groups of visitors, Men Nan's condition finally improved. Doctor Gao was indeed skilled in psychological counseling. Men Nan, who would go berserk in front of strangers, remained calm beside Doctor Gao.
He brought Men Nan back to Chen Ge, and the two seemed to have reached an agreement: "We'll meet at the entrance of Haiming Apartment at eight tonight."
"Alright." Chen Ge agreed without hesitation, and the black phone in his pocket vibrated lightly. "Let him sleep normally tonight. I'll keep watch."
"I'll join you." Doctor Gao thanked Chen Ge and left with Men Nan.
"Another strange one." Chen Ge had roughly figured out the black phone's definition of special visitors. They weren't necessarily ghosts, but more often people caught between two worlds.
He took out the black phone and opened the notification message.
"The second special visitor has left. Through your efforts, you have successfully obtained the mission information! Unlocked hidden trial mission—Room of Three."
"Room of Three (Scream Index: One Star): Arrive at Haiming Apartment before midnight and find the cause of the special visitor's illness."
"Mission Location: Room 303, Third Floor, Haiming Apartment."
"Mission Hint: He comes from the Third Ward."
"Accept mission? Note: The trial mission only exists for twenty-four hours. If not accepted within that time, it will be considered forfeited, and this scenario will never be unlocked."
Chen Ge hadn't really taken this hidden mission seriously at first, but when he saw the end, his expression became unusually serious.
"Why does the mission hint mention the Third Ward? He comes from the Third Ward? Was Men Nan once locked up in the Third Ward?" Reading through the information again, Chen Ge noticed something even stranger. The number three appeared most frequently in the mission description. "This can't be a coincidence, can it? But what exactly does 'Room of Three' mean?"
If two ghosts were living inside Men Nan, it could be called a room of three "people." If Chen Ge, Doctor Gao, and Men Nan were all in the room together, that could also be a room of three. Chen Ge couldn't figure out the deeper meaning of this mission. "Room of Three... the key should be in the people."
Since it was related to a Scream Index Three-star horror scenario, Chen Ge couldn't afford to be careless. He memorized the mission details, making sure nothing was missed before putting the black phone away.
He contacted Xu Wan to buy tickets outside while he activated the Midnight Escape scenario and went in to play the ghost.
No further incidents occurred. During the lunch break, Chen Ge didn't go to the cafeteria with Xu Wan but headed to the office building alone.
After learning about Director Luo's daughter the night before, Chen Ge had a few questions he wanted to ask Director Luo in person.
Taking the elevator to the top floor, Director Luo's office door was open. He seemed to dislike being confined in a closed room.
Chen Ge lightly knocked on the door, and soon Director Luo came out from the inner room, holding several reports in his hands.
"Director Luo, there are a few things I don't quite understand. May I ask for your advice?"
"Is there a problem with the underground parking lot renovation?" Director Luo put down the documents.
"No, it's something else." Chen Ge placed Luo Ruoyu's bracelet and the note left by his parents on Director Luo's desk. "I found this next to a load-bearing pillar in the underground parking lot."
"What do you want to ask?" Director Luo clearly knew about the bracelet. "Many inconspicuous corners of the park are scattered with toys. Each one was carefully chosen and hidden by me."
"Why did you do that?"
"All these toys were my daughter's favorites. I placed them in every corner of the park so that if she comes back, she won't feel so lonely."
"Did you put anything else in those spots where you hid the toys? Like this, for example." Chen Ge handed the bloodstained note to Director Luo.
Director Luo glanced at the note and shook his head. "No recollection. I definitely didn't put that there."
After getting Director Luo's definite answer, Chen Ge felt a bit disappointed. He had thought that as the head of New World Park, Director Luo might know something about his parents, but that wasn't the case. Director Luo didn't even know his own "daughter" was in the park, and his parents had hidden all the secrets.
"Sorry for the interruption." Chen Ge picked up the note from the desk and prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Director Luo slowly stood up and gestured for Chen Ge to unfold the note. "This is your father's handwriting, isn't it?"
"Yes, you recognize it?" Chen Ge was a bit surprised. Handwriting was hard to identify for someone unfamiliar.
"The Third Ward..." After seeing the words on the note, he said with certainty, "Before your parents disappeared, I once heard them mention this place."