Chapter 125: The Possible Red Gown
Over an hour later, the middle-aged man helped the young man from Room 302 back to Haiming Apartments.
The young man had gauze wrapped around his head, his gaze still somewhat dazed.
"You're finally back." Chen Ge stepped out of the living room of Room 304, a tool hammer in hand. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I just want to ask you a few questions."
The young man's eyes darted nervously, and he reluctantly opened his own door. "Both of you, come in."
A thick, foul stench wafted out of Room 302, making even the unkempt middle-aged man cover his nose and mouth. "When's the last time you cleaned this place? Is something rotting in here?"
Chen Ge found it odd too. The room looked tidy, and the young man was cleanly dressed—not the type to be particularly slovenly.
"My experiences over the past two months have been like a dream," the young man said, clutching his head as he walked to the bedside. From underneath, he pulled out several black plastic bags containing the carcasses of small animals. "Honestly, it's been a nightmare I can't wake up from."
Chen Ge glanced into the bags, then fixed his gaze back on the young man. "The nightmare's over now. You can tell me everything without holding back."
The young man tossed the bags aside, a hint of apology on his face. "Three months ago, when I first moved into this room, the landlord told me I could cancel the lease if I felt uncomfortable or encountered anything strange. But on the very first night, I had a nightmare—I dreamed the window wouldn't close properly. When I tried to shut it in the dream, I saw a man standing in the next room."
"At first, I didn't think much of it. But after having that dream for several nights in a row, I suddenly realized one day that the man who should have been in the next room had come into my home."
"I tried to fight back in the dream, but I couldn't do anything. Still, he didn't hurt me. He just told me he wanted my help with something."
"After I woke up, I was dazed all day and finally decided to crash at a friend's place for the night. But who knew that guy seemed to have latched onto me? Not only did I dream of him again, but this time he appeared right by my bed."
"He told me I couldn't escape, that if I helped him just once, he'd never bother me again. I believed him, so I followed his instructions—tying up live small animals and tossing them into Room 303."
"The animals were alive when I threw them in, but after one night, when I checked the next day, they were all dead."
"There were no wounds on them, and I have no idea how they died." The young man grew more frightened as he spoke. "I wanted to get rid of the man in my dreams, but his appetite just grew bigger. At first, he only needed one sparrow or rat at a time. After just a week, he started asking me to catch stray dogs for him. Eventually, he wanted me to lure living people into Room 303 after midnight."
"I couldn't do it, so he pressured me, threatening to kill me in my dreams. I was almost at my breaking point." The young man's eyes reddened as he lowered his head. "That day, I told my friends about it. A few of us gathered up the courage to enter Room 303 at night, but strangely, nothing happened that night. After that, no one believed me anymore—they thought I had mental issues."
"I was at my wit's end. That man was insatiable. Day or night, I could always feel him standing beside me." He spoke with increasing anguish, clutching the gauze on his head. "At that point, I just wanted to get rid of him, even if it meant actually tricking someone into Room 303. But it was too hard."
It took him a long time to compose himself before continuing. "I dragged on like that for a few days, and then I stumbled upon an ad for a roommate on my school's forum. You know the rest. Men Nan didn't want to stay in the dorm because of his quirks, and his monthly allowance was tight, so I recommended Haiming Apartments to him."
"So Men Nan ended up in Room 304 because of you?" Chen Ge hadn't expected this unexpected lead.
"I did warn him at the time, but he didn't take it seriously, just like I didn't at first." Having poured out everything, he felt a bit lighter.
"That's all in the past. Whether to pursue it further depends on when Men Nan wakes up." Chen Ge pulled the rusty key from his pocket. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Answer honestly—if you know, say so; if you don't, don't make things up."
"Go ahead."
"Did you ever see the face of the man in your dream?"
"Once." The young man hesitated for a long time before speaking. "He had two faces, like two people stitched together. And they would talk and argue with each other."
"Besides asking you to do things, did they ever mention anything else?" This was a perfect chance to learn about the other world, and Chen Ge wasn't about to miss it.
"The most they did was curse each other. Once, one of the faces was especially furious, saying that if he weren't afraid of being discovered by the Red Gown, he'd rather die than coexist with trash."
"Red Gown?" Chen Ge caught a familiar term from the young man's words.
He pulled out his black phone and opened the affinity page. Behind the small name, it read "Malignant Spirit," while behind Zhang Ya's name, it was specifically marked "Red Gown Malignant Spirit."
Though it was just two extra words, Zhang Ya had her own dedicated page in the black phone.
Chen Ge sank into thought. The monster Wang Haiming had brought out from the Third Psychiatric Ward knew about the Red Gown, which meant there was likely a Red Gown Malignant Spirit in that ward!
"A malignant spirit on the same level as Zhang Ya."
Just thinking about it gave Chen Ge a headache. The first mirror ghost he'd encountered had been toyed with and killed by Zhang Ya, showing that ordinary ghostly remnants stood no chance against a Red Gown.
He sighed softly and gestured for the young man to continue.
"Besides the Red Gown, I also figured out a few of their weaknesses. I was saving them for a last-ditch fight if things went south." The young man sat on the edge of the bed, unfazed by the stench from the black bags beside him. "Those monsters rarely show up before midnight. They're afraid of bright lights, dislike noisy environments, and most importantly, they seem to be scared of cats."
"Scared of cats?" Chen Ge's interest piqued.
"Yeah. The man in my dreams had me prepare all kinds of live things, but never stray cats. So I think they might be afraid of them." The young man's reasoning made sense, but it was still just speculation—no one had tested it.
If possible, Chen Ge didn't want to be the first to verify it. "Should I try it out in my own haunted house?"
Seeing Chen Ge silent for a long time, the young man didn't dare speak. The middle-aged man, looking bewildered but intrigued, listened to their exchange with wide eyes.