Lord of the Mysteries

Sounds like a foreigner…

Moriarty… seems to be the professor in Holmes… Sherlock seems to be Holmes’s first name… This detective is using a fake name, right? It has a style reminiscent of coming up with a name when creating a game avatar… Perhaps he isn’t a foreigner…

I sense something from the ghost in the mirror and ask after some thought:

"Who is he?

"Why does he want to protect me?"

At this moment, due to the other party’s ability to communicate, my sense of fear has been greatly reduced.

I’ve become an Assassin. Isn’t it normal for ghosts to exist in this world?

It isn’t hard to accept something that goes against common sense!

Besides, it’s not like I didn’t sense something on the bus on the way home.

The blurry woman wearing a petite bonnet in the mirror replies in a flat voice, "Someone wants to harm you."

She didn’t tell me who Sherlock Moriarty is. Why does he want to protect me… It looks like it’s a secret. What is it that can’t be said? Many thoughts flash through my mind.

Suddenly, I think of a possibility and blurt out, "That cult wants to harm me?

"Sherlock Moriarty is their archenemy?"

That makes sense!

Otherwise, I wouldn’t believe that someone would send a female ghost to protect me for no reason, unless it’s the police who serve the people.

The female ghost in the mirror falls silent for two seconds before nodding indiscernibly.

"You can put it that way."

At that moment, I feel a subtle change in her eyes, but I can’t decipher what emotions are contained within them.

Under normal circumstances, a person without any training would more or less reveal their emotions in their eyes. This would help me understand their attitude.

But the entity right in front of me is a ghost.

More importantly, the things that can be discerned through the eyes most of the time are the more intense fluctuations in emotions or unconcealed emotions. Not only is the female ghost in the mirror blurry, but she also has a mosaic over her. Furthermore, her emotions are very mild, almost as though she’s emotionless.

After pondering for a moment, I probe, "Which people around me are from the evil cult?"

The female ghost in a black dress opens her mouth.

"They…"

Her voice becomes increasingly ethereal as it turns weaker and weaker.

Following that, a fine layer of snow appears on the surface of the mirror, just like an old television that has its reception hampered.

The female ghost vanishes amidst the static.

This…

What happened?

I’m not afraid of ghosts anymore, so why did the ghost disappear instead?

Did something happen again?

I turn wary and look around, but everything’s normal.

When I look back, the mirror has returned to its original state, reflecting my fearful and blank face.

Splash.

The water from the tap gushes out incessantly.

Unconsciously, I grab my wet towel and wash my face.

Nothing has changed.

At the same time, I don’t sense anything unusual.

Yes, no matter what, I still have to brush my teeth… I force myself to stay calm.

Since things are already like this, what’s there to worry about?

After brushing my teeth and wiping my mouth, I return to my room.

The moment I enter, I feel an indescribable feeling.

My eyes are drawn to my cell phone, which I have set on the computer table.

It seems to be the source of all the abnormalities.

Instinctively, I charge over, wanting to hurl the phone out of the window so it’s far away from me.

However, it’s very expensive. I changed it not too long ago… I don’t know if there’s something wrong with it… I’m already an Assassin, and there’s the female ghost protecting me. What’s there to be afraid of? I console myself, walk over, pick up my phone, and plaster my fingerprint on it.

After unlocking the screen, the first thing I see is a message:

‘SleepingWithCorpses has added you.’

In the next second, my cell phone darkens suddenly, and the lights around me seem to be attracted by this bottomless pit. They are all thrown into the pitch-black darkness.

Before I can react, the faint light on my phone ripples, revealing a translucent face that’s without any eyes, nose, or mouth.

"There’s a ghost in your room."

The mouth of the face opens and closes, revealing a long and bright red tongue. There are five slender fingers at the tip of the tongue, and embedded on the two sides are rows of irregular sharp teeth.

Don’t tell me you’re not one too? I have the urge to give such a reply, but I hold myself back.

Recalling the message I just read, I ask with a slightly trembling voice, "Ma’am Da?"

Impressive!

She really is psychic and can control ghosts!

"Yes, I’ve already made some initial restrictions via the messenger. That ghost won’t affect you tonight, and I won’t have the chance to suck you dry." The translucent wobbles shook. "I’ll come personally tomorrow morning to deal with it. Give me the address."

"Tomorrow morning? I have work to do." I am thrown into a dilemma.

CEO Huang wants me to pick up the VIP at the airport!

If I stand him up, I will lose my job!

"Work? Is your boss beautiful?" Madam Da asks through the translucent face.

"He’s a guy," I point out the truth.

"You like men?" Madam Da asks without pause.

"How is that possible?" I deny it, amused and exasperated.

"Since that’s not the case, why are you still in the mood for work even though you’re haunted by ghosts? Or perhaps, you have a female colleague that you have a crush on? You can’t skip a day of seeing her?" Madam Da scoffs.

"…Can’t it be because I’m poor? If I don’t work, who will take care of me?" I have a nagging feeling that I’m being led astray by Madam Da. The conversation is filled with logical errors.

Although I have some savings, it’s not a lot, and I have to pay for the exorcism.

Of course, I’m in the mood to work because the female ghost hasn’t shown any malice.

Madam Da’s translucent face opens its mouth and says, "What about your family?"

"They aren’t well-off," I answer frankly.

"Uh… how are your looks?" Madam Da asks another strange question.

"Average." I feel lost.

"Height?"

"A little over 1.7 meters."

"Strong?"

"Ordinary."

"How big?"

"Huh?"

"How big is that thing of yours?"

"Hey!"

"It’s like this: I can introduce you to some part-time work. The other party consists of rich and idle mature ladies. They value young people very much. They’re willing to provide the necessary help and become friends with mutual benefits. Do you want to consider them?" the translucent face rambles on.

"…Auntie, am I just going to give up on my hard work?" I roughly understand what the other party was talking about.

"As long as you understand." The translucent, terrifying face lets out a suspicious laugh.

"I don’t plan on doing so," I say without hesitation.

I have my integrity!

Madam Da doesn’t bother with the topic and instead says, "Then, when will you get off work tomorrow? Let’s schedule an appointment."

"Nine in the evening." I include the possibility of working overtime.

"Alright, give me the address. I’ll contact you on QQ when the time comes." Madam Da’s translucent face yawns.

This lady’s extraordinary performance has exceeded the limits of my knowledge, so I no longer have any doubts about her abilities. I immediately give her an address and ask, "Eh… Eh… How much will it cost?"

"The basic cost is 20,000 yuan. The price can go higher depending on the difficulty. If you can’t afford it, you can consider the part-time job." Madam Da is rather direct.

I recall my savings and feel a wave of pain.

"What’s the maximum it can go?"

Why don’t I just forget it?

Besides, the female ghost doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

"The highest it can go is 50,000 yuan," Madam Da calmly says.

"50,000. Only 50,000?" I’m surprised.

The translucent face snorts.

"I’ll give up missions that exceed 50,000. Money is nice, but I need to be alive to spend it."

"… Okay." I see myself on the brink of bankruptcy.

"By the way, I’ll give you a document. You can download it and read about how to get along with ghosts." The translucent face slowly slides back into the phone.

Then I see SleepingWithCorpses send me a BitTorrent seed.

I open it and realize that there are a few videos in it. They’re quite large in size and are named "1," "2," and "3."

Due to the seriousness of the matter, I don’t hesitate and turn on my computer to download it.

While I initiate the download, I start playing games to pass time.

After a while, the download completes. I open the video file named "1."

In just a few seconds, a title appears in front of me:

"A Chinese Ghost Story."

"I…"

On the glass window, a blurry female ghost wearing a long black dress appears. She holds her cheek with one hand and quietly stares at the computer screen.