The Cursebreaker #
Chapter 2: The Haunted Apartment #
Wednesday arrived.
Just as the weather forecast had predicted, the rain finally stopped and the skies began to clear.
Most people still treated weather forecasts with a healthy degree of skepticism, but every now and then, the predictions turned out to be right.
And when they did, everyone seemed surprisingly pleased.
Luo Juexing arrived at the laboratory early that morning.
He began preparing the equipment needed for the day’s experiments, carefully inspecting every piece of laboratory apparatus.
On the desk beside him sat the lecture materials he had prepared.
Director Wang was the second person to arrive.
The moment he entered the laboratory, he picked up the lecture notes from the desk.
He had barely opened them when he began praising Luo Juexing.
“Well, I have to say, ever since you started working at the laboratory, you’ve been a tremendous help. It’s rare to find someone as hardworking as you.”
Luo Juexing smiled.
“Honestly, I’m just doing my job.”
As he spoke, he continued examining one of the pieces of equipment through a magnifying glass.
“Oh, by the way, Juexing.”
Director Wang glanced down at the lecture materials.
“I’ve already discussed this with the university administrators. We’re planning to promote you to deputy director of the laboratory.”
“What?”
Luo Juexing immediately stopped what he was doing.
He straightened and stared at Director Wang.
“Yes. The official approval should come through next week.”
Director Wang adjusted his glasses.
“Keep up the good work. With you here, I can finally relax.”
He looked down at the lecture materials again.
“These are excellent, by the way.”
“I’ll go get things ready. You have a laboratory class during the second period, so make sure you’re prepared.”
“Oh.”
Luo Juexing nodded.
“Got it.”
He watched Director Wang leave.
After a brief pause, Luo Juexing returned to inspecting the equipment.
About fifteen minutes later, he began preparing for the upcoming laboratory class.
Time passed quickly.
Before he knew it, the workday was over.
As always, Luo Juexing refused to leave until the entire laboratory had been properly organized.
Today was no different.
The weather was gradually clearing.
The brighter sky seemed to lift everyone’s mood.
Luo Juexing checked his watch.
It was time for lunch.
He left the laboratory and slowly began walking home.
The streets were still wet from the previous week’s storms.
A strange heat seemed to rise from the soaked pavement.
In the low-lying areas, puddles reflected the sunlight, creating an oddly beautiful scene.
Luo Juexing was still thinking about a question one of his students had asked during the morning experiment when he accidentally collided with a woman carrying several large bags.
“I’m sorry!”
He immediately crouched down and began helping her gather the bags and packages scattered across the pavement.
“It’s all right.”
The woman shook her head.
“I wasn’t paying attention either. It’s not your fault.”
She casually brushed her hair back and looked up at him.
Their eyes met.
Then, unexpectedly, they both smiled.
The two of them stood up.
The woman gave him a polite bow.
“Thank you.”
Luo Juexing nodded.
“You’re welcome.”
He was about to continue walking when she suddenly called after him.
“Excuse me!”
He stopped and turned around.
“Could you help me with something?”
Luo Juexing smiled.
“Sure.”
She handed several of the bags to him.
“I live a little far from here.”
She gave him an apologetic smile.
“Would you mind helping me carry these home?”
“You’re not going to take a taxi or a bus?”
Luo Juexing glanced at the bags as they began walking.
“I don’t like taking vehicles.”
She smiled.
“Whenever I go anywhere, I usually just walk.”
Luo Juexing smiled.
“By the way, I never asked your name.”
“Qingmu Chengzi.”
She looked at him.
“And you?”
“Qingmu Chengzi?”
Luo Juexing repeated the name.
Then he looked surprised.
“Are you Japanese?”
Her Chinese was remarkably fluent.
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“I was born in Shibuya, Japan. I attended Peking University.”
Luo Juexing raised his eyebrows.
“Ah. So you’re a top student.”
He smiled.
“I’m Luo Juexing.”
She looked at him thoughtfully.
“Wait…”
“Don’t you work as a laboratory assistant?”
“Yes.”
Luo Juexing looked genuinely surprised.
“How do you know where I work?”
The odds of randomly encountering a stranger on the street who happened to know his workplace had to be incredibly small.
Chengzi laughed.
“I teach at Jingzhi City University too.”
“I’m in the tourism department.”
Luo Juexing nodded.
“I see.”
“Then I guess we’re practically colleagues.”
“Almost.”
A moment later, Chengzi pointed ahead.
“Here we are.”
“It’s the fourth floor.”
The old apartment building stood in front of them.
The building looked as though it had been standing there for decades.
Luo Juexing looked up.
And the moment he did…
Something changed.
A strange and inexplicable sensation swept over him.
His gaze immediately fixed upon the fourth floor.
A layer of gray energy seemed to hang over the entire level.
It was a presence that most people would never notice.
But Luo Juexing could see it.
To him, it looked like a sign of death.
A warning.
A terrible omen.
“Juexing?”
Chengzi noticed the sudden change in his expression.
“Are you all right?”
Luo Juexing quickly looked away.
“I’m fine.”
He shook his head.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
“Okay.”
Chengzi nodded.
The two of them climbed the stairs.
Perhaps because she was carrying so many bags, Chengzi struggled to find her keys inside her handbag.
Luo Juexing stood with his back to her.
But his attention had already shifted to the apartment across the hall.
“Why did you choose to live here?”
The question escaped his lips almost casually.
Chengzi finally found her keys.
“Because it’s close to the university.”
“And the rent is cheap.”
She unlocked the door.
“You know, living alone in another country isn’t easy. I have to save money wherever I can.”
She set the bags down.
Luo Juexing was still staring at the apartment across the hall.
Chengzi noticed.
“Come on.”
“Why don’t you come inside for a while?”
Luo Juexing lowered his head.
He seemed deep in thought.
Then he glanced at his watch.
It was already five past one.
He turned around.
“It’s getting late.”
“I should head home.”
“Wait.”
Chengzi hurried to the doorway.
“You probably haven’t eaten lunch yet.”
“Why don’t you have something here?”
“I’m hungry too.”
Luo Juexing stopped.
“Wouldn’t that be a bother?”
“You have to go back to the university this afternoon anyway, don’t you?”
Chengzi smiled.
“If you go all the way home and then come back again, you’ll just be wasting time.”
Luo Juexing looked down at the palm of his hand.
He wondered whether he should tell Chengzi about the apartment across the hall.
There was something wrong with that place.
Something deeply wrong.
But the more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
What would happen if he told her?
She would probably laugh.
Or worse, think he was crazy.
“If you really want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
Chengzi’s voice brought him back to reality.
Luo Juexing sighed.
“All right.”
“I’ll take you up on that.”
He turned around and walked inside.
Chengzi tied an apron around her waist and began preparing lunch.
Luo Juexing didn’t just sit around.
He joined her in the kitchen, washing vegetables and helping prepare the ingredients.
Chengzi watched the way he handled the knife.
“You seem pretty comfortable in the kitchen.”
“You cook often?”
“Sometimes.”
Luo Juexing continued chopping.
“When I have free time, I make something for myself.”
Chengzi laughed.
“Men who can cook are becoming rarer these days.”
“You’re quite the catch.”
“Not really.”
Luo Juexing shook his head.
“Maybe you just haven’t met enough men who can cook.”
Chengzi immediately laughed.
“Oh, so you’re talking about yourself?”
“That’s one terrible way to advertise yourself.”
Her smile was infectious.
The distance between them seemed to disappear a little more.
By the time lunch was finished, it was already two in the afternoon.
Chengzi was an excellent cook.
Luo Juexing had eaten far more than he expected.
He checked the clock.
Then he walked over and knocked on the door of Chengzi’s bedroom.
“Give me a minute.”
“I’ll change and come out.”
Chengzi got up from the bed and brushed her long hair, which fell past her shoulders.
Once she had changed, she opened the door.
Soon, the two of them were walking toward the university together, talking and laughing.
But if anyone had turned around and looked back…
They would have seen something strange.
A dark cloud was slowly gathering above the fourth floor of the apartment building.
The elevator slowly climbed upward.
A red number moved across the display.
Ding.
The doors opened.
Luo Juexing turned right.
A man was standing outside his apartment.
He kept pacing back and forth in front of the door, peering around suspiciously.
He looked like a thief who had been caught in the act.
The moment he heard the sound of keys turning in the lock, he straightened.
He cleared his throat.
“Look…”
“I really didn’t want to bother you again…”
“Enough.”
Luo Juexing waved him aside.
“I don’t want to hear any more excuses.”
The man moved out of the way.
But he remained in the hallway, pacing nervously like a restless ghost.
He couldn’t imagine what would happen if Luo Juexing refused to help him.
His situation would become a complete disaster.
Luo Juexing gave him an annoyed look.
“Are you planning to stand there like a lunatic?”
The man’s face immediately lit up.
“Haha!”
“Looks like I was worrying for nothing.”
He rushed into the apartment.
Luo Juexing opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of beer.
He handed it to the man.
They had known each other for two or three years.
Luo Juexing still remembered his friend’s drinking habits.
“Thanks.”
The man took the beer.
Then his expression became serious.
“I’m here because something strange happened.”
Luo Juexing immediately cut him off.
“Whatever it is, I’m not helping you again.”
The man’s expression changed.
“I know I still have a responsibility for what happened to Limi…”
“Enough.”
Luo Juexing’s voice became cold.
“What happened in the past is in the past.”
“There’s no point talking about it anymore.”
“Just leave.”
The man slowly placed the unopened beer back on the table.
His face was filled with helplessness.
And despair.
Looking at him, Luo Juexing still felt a painful sense of sympathy.
But there were some things he could not simply forget.
The man sat there quietly for a while.
Then he finally stood.
“Sorry for bothering you.”
“I’ll go.”
Luo Juexing watched him walk toward the door.
Just before leaving, the man turned around.
He looked at Luo Juexing.
It was the kind of look Luo Juexing had rarely seen during the past year.
A look filled with absolute despair.
“Do you really think…”
“Am I really about to lose my job?”
It was Huang Jiaye.
A major crimes detective.
A man who had once been confident and fearless.
Now he looked completely defeated.
He sighed.
Then opened the door.
But inside his head, his thoughts were very different.
Come on.
Feel sorry for me.
Tell me to stay.
Just call my name.
Luo Juexing finally spoke.
“Jiaye.”
“Yes!”
Huang Jiaye instantly pulled his foot back.
He turned around so quickly it was almost ridiculous.
Then—
Whoosh!
He was back on the sofa.
He grabbed the beer sitting on the table, popped the tab, and began drinking.
Gulp.
Gulp.
The moment the alcohol began to warm him, Huang Jiaye wiped his mouth.
“This case is completely different from anything we’ve dealt with before.”
“It’s a locked-room murder.”
“Absolutely flawless.”
Luo Juexing looked at him.
“Couldn’t the police find any clues?”
“More precisely…”
Huang Jiaye corrected him.
“We couldn’t find anything.”
“Because…”
His expression suddenly became serious.
“That apartment has a ghost.”
Ordinary people tended to react very differently whenever supernatural stories came up.
Most became pale.
Frightened.
Uneasy.
But Huang Jiaye was different.
Perhaps it was his naturally carefree personality.
Or perhaps he was simply too stubborn to be scared.
Either way, the idea of a haunted crime scene didn’t seem to bother him very much.
“And then?”
Luo Juexing asked.
Huang Jiaye took another drink.
“According to the landlord, three people died inside that apartment in the past.”
“Afterward, everyone considered the place unlucky.”
“So the apartment was left empty for years.”
“But somehow…”
“Someone moved in.”
“And now…”
The expression on Huang Jiaye’s face darkened.
“That person is dead too.”
Luo Juexing’s eyes narrowed.
“Where is it?”
“The apartment?”
Huang Jiaye nodded.
“The six-story apartment complex on the outskirts of the city.”
“The building at the very western end.”
“Fourth floor.”
Luo Juexing suddenly froze.
“The outskirts…”
“The west…”
“The fourth floor?”
Something clicked inside his mind.
His expression became uncertain.
Huang Jiaye immediately noticed.
“So?”
“Interested?”
He grinned.
“Come on.”
“With a case like this, I swear you’re probably the only strange person in the entire country who could solve it.”
“You’re the only one I can count on.”
Huang Jiaye grabbed Luo Juexing by the leg and gave it an exaggerated shake.
Luo Juexing stared at him.
Then he sighed.
“Fine.”
“I’ll take a look.”
He picked up his coat.
Huang Jiaye immediately jumped to his feet.
“I knew I could count on you!”
“You’re the most reliable man I know.”
“My car is downstairs.”
“We can leave right now.”
Luo Juexing paused for a moment.
Then he looked toward the rain-streaked window.
Something about this case bothered him.
The western building.
The fourth floor.
The ominous gray presence he had sensed earlier.
And now…
A locked-room murder.
A haunted apartment.
It couldn’t be a coincidence.
Could it?
Continue Reading #
- Read Chapter 1: The Anonymous Letter
- Read Chapter 3
- Read The Cursebreaker
- Explore Paranormal Fiction
About This Chapter #
In Chapter 2 of The Cursebreaker, Luo Juexing meets the enigmatic psychologist Qingmu Chengzi and immediately senses a disturbing supernatural presence surrounding her apartment building.
Later, Detective Huang Jiaye arrives with a bizarre locked-room murder case.
Three people have already died inside the apartment in the past.
Now someone else is dead.
And according to the detective…
The apartment has a ghost.
But Luo Juexing has already sensed something even more disturbing.
The fourth floor.
The western building.
And a dark presence that may be connected to the curse that returned five years ago.
The investigation is about to begin.