After turning on the video recorder, we inserted the videotape. Everyone watched nervously from behind, their eyes glued to the television screen. This was a very old television, the kind with a bulky back. I wondered why, after only three years, the equipment here was still so ancient. Could this family really be that poor?
As I pondered this, the television screen began to show distorted scenes. It appeared to be filmed outside a tenement building. Someone with a camera walked in curiously. There were four people in total. One burly man was holding the camera, and for some reason, his hand was trembling, causing the image we were seeing to shake as well.
Later, a middle-aged man with curly hair, who seemed to be the leader, chided the cameraman. The burly man calmed down a bit, and the leader told him not to shake: "You look so sturdy, yet you're the most timid among us. It seems appearances can be deceiving!"
"Section Chief, please don't say that. This family of four is said to have disappeared mysteriously. Even the police came here to investigate and never returned. I wonder if the problem is inside the house! Could this be a legendary haunted house? Something unclean?"
"You've watched too many ghost stories. Haunted houses and the like are just lies to fool children. We must find suitable material for the newspaper today, because with the current market competition, if we don't get any traffic this month, we'll be finished. None of you want to be unemployed, do you? The boss has been extremely stressed lately."
"Sigh, I think, in this day and age, if we could create a website or something, it would be much better!"
"You two, stop talking and follow me. Xiao Rong has opened the door!"
"Ah, this guy is actually quite capable. Was he a thief in the past!"
Everyone laughed at the burly man's remark, but the curly-haired man coughed and said, "Turn on the searchlights, everyone. Don't get lost in this haunted house!"
"Oh ho! We're going to explore a haunted house. I'm so nervous!" a thin man said sarcastically, only to receive a glare from the burly man. They entered through the main door and found the entryway. Everything seemed normal, but suddenly the burly man shouted, "Look, those shoes are all identical!"
Everyone was startled by his shout, but the Section Chief pulled him aside and scolded, "So what? A friend of mine used to like wearing identical shoes, maybe the owner of this house had the same habit!"
"But there were four people living here, weren't there?"
"I think there were more. There was a female doctor here, but she died in a medical accident and was burned. Then her family disappeared inexplicably one night. The police came here to search, saying they saw her family, but couldn't find any bodies, and then they themselves disappeared!" the oldest of the four men said. "This is absolute fabrication. If that police officer really disappeared, how would he have known about the situation inside the house? It must be a story concocted by outsiders based on a few clues."
"I don't know about that. I actually saw it on forums or in some news... Ah, look, there's movement upstairs!" the thin man said. Everyone's attention was drawn upstairs. And then they saw...
The female doctor who had died in the operating room, wearing a pristine white uniform, walked down the stairs step by step, holding a syringe. "Welcome to my home. Now, you are all my patients!"
"No! Help!" The men turned to open the door and escape, but the door had somehow closed. The Section Chief and the burly man pulled at it desperately several times to no avail. Soon, they looked back to find the doctor standing behind them, the syringe already piercing the Section Chief's neck. The Section Chief screamed, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness. The others were so terrified their hands and feet went cold, and they collapsed on the ground, left to the doctor's mercy.
The doctor took out more syringes and, just like with the Section Chief, dealt with all of them with a single injection. Then she began to drag the bodies of these men towards a wall at the back of the house. The picture then became even more shaky, as if there was an earthquake. It was almost impossible to see clearly. We all watched in stunned silence, like watching a horror movie.
However, Zhang Keying, with her clear mind, quickly explained, "This video is definitely fake. First, all four of them were in the frame at the time, proving the cameraman was outside of them. Second, the female doctor, Xi Jingfan, is dead. How could she reappear in this tenement building? Unless the person who died back then wasn't her at all. She's carrying out some scheme and faking her death to deceive everyone. And she's still staying in this house. If anyone comes here and sees her, they'll surely be startled. Then she can achieve her goal. As for why she would do this, I haven't figured that out yet. Finally, apart from that man, the families of the other people here are definitely dead. Based on their ages, that man should be Xi Jingfan's husband. But why not a brother or cousin? Because based on visible genetic analysis, their faces show no similar characteristics."
"That makes a lot of sense. Everyone, don't be scared anymore. Let's try our best to contact the outside world!"
I suggested, taking out the videotape and storing it in an evidence bag. "Everyone, let's not linger here any longer. Let's continue looking for other exits!"
Just as we were about to leave the room, Xia Xiaoling suddenly said, "There's a light above the fireplace over there!"
It was night, so light must be from a lamp. We all gathered in front of the fireplace and looked up. Indeed, a yellow light was shining down from a brick in the ceiling. But we couldn't reach it from our height. Liu Yuning and Xia Xiaoling looked at me, as if expecting me to do something. But I quickly realized. Liu Yuning jumped onto my shoulders. I then lifted her entire body up. She remained fixed on me, her hands raised, touching the brick above and moving it aside.
An even more intense light shone down from above us. It was clear that the room upstairs was lit. I had initially thought this place had lost power. After all, who would pay electricity bills for a house that had been vacant for years? That would be rather suspicious.