LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 75
Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan had just bought ice cream and were about to head back when Ye Jinmeng's eyes suddenly caught sight of a small orange cat.
Cats have an inherent appeal, and Ye Jinmeng was no exception as her gaze was captivated.
"Wanwan, look! There's a little fat orange over there."
Following the direction Ye Jinmeng was pointing, Xu Wanwan saw the small orange cat not far to the east, meowing at them.
The cat looked to be about three or four months old, quite chubby, probably because it was usually well fed, though it was a bit dirty.
Xu Wanwan said, "It looks dirty, it must be a stray cat. I wonder if it's hungry?"
"What a coincidence, there happens to be a ham sausage in my bag. Let's go feed it!" Ye Jinmeng's face was full of anticipation.
While most girls have lipstick and powder compacts in their bags, Ye Jinmeng's contained chocolate, cookies or ham sausage.
The two slowly approached the little fat orange. Ye Jinmeng had just taken out the ham sausage when the cat headed east.
Ye Jinmeng thought the little cat was afraid, so she gently said, "Kitty, don't be scared, big sister has something yummy for you~~"
The little cat looked back at them, meowed twice, then turned its head and took two steps forward before turning back to look at them and meowing twice more.
"Meow~ Meow~"
Seeing the chubby orange's actions, Xu Wanwan realized, "Jinmeng, I think it wants to take us somewhere?"
Ye Jinmeng was also surprised. "It seems so. Let's follow it and see."
And so, a cat and two girls headed east, with the little fat orange occasionally turning back to see if they were following.
Finally, the cat stopped in front of a row of corrugated steel plates.
Ye Jinmeng knew this place. It was the site of the haunted house project before the upgrade. Now fenced off by steel plates and off limits to visitors.
So basically no one comes here. She wondered what the cat wanted to show them.
The cat led them to a large gap in one of the plates, just big enough for a person to squeeze through.
Hearing the cat's soft meows from inside, Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan looked at each other hesitantly, both afraid and curious.
Ye Jinmeng took a deep breath. "Let's go in! What could happen, ghosts?"
And so the two girls squeezed through.
What greeted them was the locked front gate of the familiar haunted house, chained shut. Only it looked desolate and dilapidated from disuse, a completely different world from the steel plates outside.
The reason the haunted house was scrapped was that the ghosts inside were all props without any NPCs or story, just intended to tease people.
The fat orange cat led them around the haunted house and through a pried-open side door. Ye Jinmeng turned on her phone's flashlight, grabbed Xu Wanwan's arm in fear, and slowly moved forward one step at a time.
Unexpectedly, there was light coming from deep inside.
Ye Jinmeng turned off her flashlight after making sure it wasn't just a reflection. She also seemed to hear breathing sounds.
Ye Jinmeng shuddered and Xu Wanwan signaled her not to be afraid.
The two tiptoed slowly towards the light, stopping in front of a curtain where rays were shining through the gaps.
Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan held their breath and took turns peeking through the curtains. The orange cat remained silently by Ye Jinmeng's feet.
Inside, a bloodstained man was digging a hole in the ground with a shovel, illuminated by lamplight.
Next to him was a lumpy black plastic bag, with bloodstains all around.
Ye Jinmeng stared wide-eyed in fear, because she saw a large torn hole in the bag through which an eye was staring vacantly at her.
A human eye!
Ye Jinmeng was so frightened she covered her mouth, staggering back a step and accidentally treading on Xu Wanwan's foot behind her.
Despite the pain, Xu Wanwan held back any sound. But the scuffing of their shoes caught the attention of the man inside.
"Who's there?"
A panicked, icy voice rang out, and the two girls quickly hid to the side in terror.
Just then the fat orange cat darted inside with a "Meow!" and bared its teeth at the man with a hiss.
"Ha—" The cat's fur stood on end.
"Oh, it's just a stray cat!" The man seemed to relax. "Don't worry, after I finish cleaning up I'll deal with you too."
Hearing the exchange, Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan hiding outside felt they had just escaped danger. They looked at each other and slowly backed out, hearts pounding but trying to stay quiet.
Not daring to turn on the flashlight, they relied on memory to carefully feel their way forward. Fortunately their eyes had already adjusted to the dark.
At first they didn't make a sound, but as they moved farther away, panic set in and they quickened their pace, desperate to escape.
To Ye Jinmeng and Xu Wanwan, the short distance out of the haunted house now felt endless.
"Jinmeng, call the upperclassmen right away. I'll call the police."
Seeing the faint light of the side door in sight, Xu Wanwan panted in a low voice to Ye Jinmeng.
"OK." Ye Jinmeng's hands shook as she dialed Shi Shuning's number.
Shi Shuning and He Junting had been about to call Ye Jinmeng when her call came in.
Shi Shuning's heart thumped as he anxiously answered, "Jinmeng, where are you?"
The anxious, hurried voice on the other end contained hints of crying.
"Brother Shuning, old haunted house, hurry...hurry!"
Old haunted house!
Shi Shuning immediately ran in that direction, shouting as he ran, "Don't panic, we're on our way! Stay on the phone!"
Sensing something wrong, He Junting hurried after him.
Finally the two girls staggered out of the haunted house side door, the bright sunlight hurting their eyes.
But they didn't dare stop, comforted by Shi Shuning's voice from Ye Jinmeng's phone.
"Brother Shuning, we...we seem to have met a murderer!"
Shi Shuning was shocked. "A murderer? Did he find you? Go hide somewhere safe first, we'll be right there!"
"I don't know if we were discovered. We're already out of the old haunted house, just need to get through the steel plates... Ah! Wanwan! Careful!"