Chapter 757: Reincarnation of the Disaster Star
“Cult? Isn’t that too exaggerated?” Lin Dongxue said.
“I mean the nature of this small group. They all believe in something that others find absurd. Calling it a cult isn’t an overstatement!” Chen Shi replied.
“We should call them the Dream Worshipers!” Xu Xiaodong suggested.
“Alright, that sums it up well… Oh, Xiaodong, help me keep an eye on someone,” Chen Shi said.
“Sure, who do you need me to watch?” Xu Xiaodong eagerly responded.
Chen Shi asked him to monitor Liu Tao and handed him an address. He added, “You’re enthusiastic. I’ll treat you to dinner sometime.”
“Hehe, I like doing tasks. No need to think, just do it,” Xu Xiaodong chuckled.
“It’s good to be enthusiastic, but if you always think like this, you won’t become a competent police officer on your own,” Chen Shi advised.
“Why do I need to be on my own? I’m good as a support. Police work is about teamwork, right, Dongxue?” Xu Xiaodong grinned.
Lin Dongxue smiled, “Your reasoning is all over the place.”
Early the next day, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue went to the bus station. To reach Yinxian, they had to travel through some rugged mountain roads, so taking a bus was more convenient. Chen Shi hadn’t taken a trip like this in a long time.
They enjoyed the scenic mountain views along the way and arrived at the small town nestled in the mountains by 10 o’clock in the morning.
“This town is so quaint and cozy. If it weren’t for the case, I’d never have had a chance to come here. I’ve never even heard of it before,” Lin Dongxue remarked.
“If you’re not in a hurry, we could stay overnight here and take the bus back early tomorrow,” Chen Shi suggested.
“Leaving Moon alone at home? I’ll pass! We’ll have plenty of time together in the future, but you don’t get to spend much time with her,” Lin Dongxue chuckled.
“Haha, thanks for being considerate, big sister.”
They inquired and found their way to Yinxian First Middle School. Chen Shi spoke to a teacher about the names of several deceased individuals. The teacher furrowed his brow, trying to recall. “Which class were they in?”
“I’m not sure, but they were all born in ’79.”
“They should have enrolled after ’90. That’s too long ago. The teachers from that time have all retired. Let me see if their records are in the archives.”
Surprisingly, the archive was located on a small hill behind the school. The teacher walked and reminisced, “The old school site is up there. It’s used as a warehouse now—just a row of tile-roofed houses. I went to school here when I was young. The school was always poor and couldn’t retain people. Later, a Hong Kong actor donated money to build several new teaching buildings, and enrollment improved.”
“What year did you attend middle school?” Chen Shi asked.
“1992.”
“Have there been any rumors in the school? Like a student being bullied by the entire class, or something similar?”
The teacher hesitated, but upon hearing that they were investigating, he said, “Well, let me tell you something casual then. Don’t take it too seriously. I heard that in previous classes, there was a girl considered the reincarnation of a disaster star. Her background was quite unfortunate. Her mother was abducted by human traffickers. In those days, trafficking was rampant… This girl was bought by a family for 3,000 yuan to be a wife. She refused to comply and was locked in a cellar with iron chains. Strangely, she became pregnant. The man who bought her thought his own brother was responsible and they fought, resulting in the brother’s death. The man went to prison. After giving birth, the woman went insane. The family kept her locked up, hiding their shame. When I was young, I passed by that cellar and heard her laughing inside, calling someone ‘my baby.’ It was eerie. The children in town dared not approach that place. They say she died in her seventh year, in a very tragic manner.”
“What happened to the girl?” Lin Dongxue asked, captivated.
“The girl wasn’t born yet and killed the ‘father’. Since her family was biased towards men, could she have a good life?小时倌