Mysterious Resurgence: Starting with the Strange Bus

Chapter 111 Old Qin

After hanging up the phone, Li Hui hailed a taxi, got in, and told the driver his destination.

Wanting Grand Hotel!
This was the place Cao Yanhua had arranged for him to stay. He said it was a hotel under the jurisdiction of the Ghost Tamer Headquarters, not open to ordinary people. Most of the guests were from the paranormal community, and even the hotel staff were specially trained headquarters personnel.

In a sense, it is similar to the Ping An Hotel that Li Hui is familiar with. The only difference is that the Ping An Hotel is frequented by the Ghost Masters of the headquarters, while the Wanting Hotel may not be.

After all, not all Ghost Tamers in China join the headquarters. Those Ghost Tamers who do not join the headquarters cannot stay at the Peace Hotel. Therefore, the headquarters specially opened a separate hotel, the Wanting Grand Hotel, for this purpose.

However, because this is a hotel that specifically caters to ghost tamers, the Wan Ting Hotel is located in a relatively remote area to avoid any emergencies. For this reason, many people would rather pay to stay in a hotel in the city center than stay in this free hotel.

Yes.

For the ghost tamers who move in.

The Wanting Hotel is free!
After all, this hotel was specially set up by the headquarters to accommodate Ghost Tamers who came to Dajing City, except for those who joined the headquarters. Its purpose was to facilitate surveillance, and the room fee was naturally free.

Li Hui didn't seem to mind anything about it.

As the capital city of China, Dajing City has a strong sense of security. Once a Ghost Tamer goes out of control, the harm caused is great. Therefore, it is normal for the headquarters to have this idea of ​​monitoring other Ghost Tamers.

And all of this is voluntary.

The headquarters does not require all visiting ghost tamers to stay at the Wanting Hotel, nor does it require ghost tamers from other cities to stay at the Ping An Hotel. This is just an arrangement by the headquarters, and whether or not to stay at the hotel is ultimately up to the individual.

Li Hui vaguely remembered that in the original novel, there was a ghost tamer named Zhang Hui who survived the ghost messenger incident and was targeted by the vengeful ghost released by Yang Jian. At the time, he thought it was because of the Ping An Hotel, so he hurriedly left the hotel and checked into a small inn.

Followed by.

He is dead!

Li Hui remembered the subsequent plot quite clearly. At that time, the city official in charge of investigating Zhang Hui's cause of death and disposing of his body was Chen Yi. When Yang Jian passed by with Wan Delu, Chen Yi asked him to use his Ghost Domain ability to help explore that street, but Yang Jian refused.

"Young man, there's something I'm not sure if I should say, but I can tell you're from out of town. Why did you book the Wanting Hotel? I'm not trying to be nosy, but that hotel is pretty weird!"

Just as Li Hui was pondering, the taxi driver's words suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

The driver was probably in his early forties, with slightly dark skin, wearing a hat, and a smile on his face, giving the impression of being very talkative.

"Evil?"

Hear the words.

Li Hui looked at the driver and said, "What's so strange about it?"

Wherever there are places that cater to ghost tamers, there are bound to be some supernatural phenomena, so Li Hui was quite curious about what kind of rumors the driver had heard.

"I heard that hotel is haunted!"

Seeing that Li Hui's interest had been piqued, the driver immediately said, "It's not just me. Anyone who has driven around Dajing City for a while knows that the Ping An Hotel, the Wanting Hotel, and Beiyin Village on the outskirts of the city are all notoriously haunted. There are all sorts of ghost stories circulating."

“Take the Wanting Hotel you booked, for example. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about it being haunted. At first, I didn’t believe in these things, but two months ago, something I experienced made me completely believe in ghosts and gods.”

The driver continued, "That night, I picked up a passenger."

"He also went to the Wanting Hotel. It was already past midnight when I dropped him off. I was planning to go home and rest, but just as that passenger got out of the car, someone came out of the hotel, got into my car, and said he wanted to go to the city center."

"At the time, I was thinking of making as many orders as possible, so I planned to take him to the city center. But for some reason, after he got in the car, I felt that the car suddenly became chilly, and there was also a faint, unpleasant smell."

"I didn't think much of it at the time, just assumed it was because the temperature dropped in the early morning and the cold air came in when I opened the door. But when I was halfway there, I realized that I wasn't pulling a person at all, but a corpse, no, to be precise, a vengeful ghost!"

Speaking of which.

The driver swallowed hard, as if he had thought of something terrible, and a look of fear appeared in his eyes.

He continued, “It was the middle of the night, and the radio in the car was playing midnight horror stories. Plus, the car felt a bit chilly, and the passenger’s clothes were strange. Considering all the ghost stories about the Wanting Hotel, I started to get a little creeped out. So I tried to distract myself by chatting with the passenger.”

"I talked to him a lot, but he didn't respond at all. Then I looked in the rearview mirror and found that his mouth had been sewn shut, leaving only a hideous wound. In addition, his face was unusually pale, without a trace of blood, and his eyes were bloodshot. Combined with the atmosphere at the time, it was even more frightening than being in a horror movie!"

"I was completely stunned at the time. I don't remember how I got home. I only know that when I came to my senses again, it was already noon the next day, and I was lying in my own bed."

"But the strange thing is, I can't remember anything after that night. My wife said I walked home by myself. I felt like I had lost my soul, I was in a daze, and I just fell asleep as soon as I got home..."

Hearing this, Li Hui roughly understood the driver's experience. He must have picked up a ghost tamer that night and then suffered a supernatural influence, forgetting what happened that night.

Using supernatural powers on ordinary people suggests that the ghost tamer has a problematic personality and is severely corrupted by the vengeful spirit within him, which is why he did such a thing. Otherwise, ghost tamers would not usually use supernatural powers on unrelated ordinary people.

And then there's the ability of that ghost tamer.

The ability to cause someone to lose their memory and forget a period of time is likely related to consciousness, or it could be an ability similar to the deceitful ghost controlled by Gao Zhiqiang.

compare to.

Li Hui actually admired the driver's courage. He had already experienced something like this before, yet he still dared to take people to the Wanting Hotel.
Thinking.

Li Hui directly voiced his doubts.

"That's why I said that place was weird, and I was thinking of having you change hotels."

The driver replied, "How about this, I recommend a hotel to you. It not only has a good environment and clean rooms, but it's also reasonably priced. The location is better than Wanting Hotel, and more importantly, it offers more 'services'."

Is this service legitimate?

Li Hui really wanted to ask that question, but in the end he said with a suspicious look, "The hotel you're recommending isn't owned by one of your relatives, is it?"

"This……"

The driver looked embarrassed and said, "Although that hotel is owned by my brother-in-law, everything I've said is true, there's not a single lie. Do you want it or not..."

"No need, just stay at Wanting Hotel."

Li Hui said, "I'm an artist, I'm not afraid of ghosts. Even if there are ghosts, maybe they're afraid of me! If you're too scared to go, just drop me off at the intersection ahead, I'll take another taxi."

"I'm not too afraid in broad daylight. Since you're sure you want to stay there, I'll take you there."

After the driver finished speaking, he felt reassured and continued driving.

See this.

Li Hui even began to doubt the credibility of the driver's previous story, wondering if he had deliberately told it to solicit customers for his relative's hotel.

But then I thought about it again and realized it was impossible.

It wasn't that he trusted the driver's character, but rather that the story the driver had just told wasn't actually that gory or terrifying; it just sounded a bit bizarre. If the driver really wanted to scare passengers, he could have made up some much scarier stories instead of this one that was so vague and unfinished.

.........

The rest of the journey was uneventful.

About ten minutes later, the taxi finally arrived at its destination.

After paying the fare, Li Hui got out of the car, while the driver stepped on the gas pedal to the floor, and the car sped off as if there were some kind of ferocious beast in the car, making the driver not dare to linger for even a moment.

After getting off the bus, Li Hui immediately saw a hotel not far away, with a total building area of ​​more than 200 square meters and a height of nearly 300 meters. The hotel was decorated in a very luxurious style and had dozens of floors. There was also a huge neon billboard hanging on the central floor of the hotel.

The words "Wanting Grand Hotel" are written on it.

It is worth mentioning that.

This hotel is indeed very remote.

The hotel is right next to a highway, and the surrounding area is deserted with no other buildings. At first glance, it looks like a hotel located in the suburbs.

Tatata!
Following the hotel's welcoming path, Li Hui quickly entered the service lobby on the first floor of the Wanting Hotel.

The lobby was huge, magnificent, and brightly lit, exuding luxury and the style of a five-star hotel. But what five-star hotel would be located in such a remote place?

The moment Li Hui stepped into the hotel, a female hotel customer service representative in a uniform greeted him.

"Hello, are you Mr. Li Hui?" the waitress asked politely and respectfully.

“It’s me.” Li Hui nodded.

"Okay, your room has been prepared in advance. Your room is on the twentieth floor. Please follow me."

talking.

The waitress gestured for them to enter, then took the initiative to lead the way and pressed the elevator door open. Her actions were smooth and efficient, demonstrating her professionalism.

at the same time.

the other side.

Cao Yanhua arrived once again at the gate of an old-fashioned building deep within the Ghost Tamer headquarters.

The door was open, revealing the view inside. Within the courtyard wall was a garden with various vegetables planted on both sides, including tomatoes, eggplants, and loofahs. This suggests that the people living in this house longed for a peaceful, rural life.

At the end of the courtyard stands an old-fashioned building, slightly worn and seemingly having existed for many years, but not dilapidated. It is no different from other old-fashioned buildings with courtyards in the countryside.

What's truly special are the people who live in this old-fashioned building!

In the courtyard, there was a black armchair with a cane beside it. An elderly man in a gray coat with age spots on his face was sitting on the armchair, looking at Cao Yanhua outside the courtyard gate.

"Mr. Qin."

The moment Cao Yanhua saw the old man's face, he immediately greeted him.

"Little Cao, come in and have a seat."

Old Qin's slightly aged, deep voice rang out. This voice carried a hint of kindness, yet also revealed a trace of coldness, giving people a very strange feeling.

Upon hearing this, Cao Yanhua walked into the courtyard and sat down on a wooden bench.

"You're here because of Li Hui, aren't you?"

After Cao Yanhua was seated, Old Qin spoke, as if he had long anticipated that Cao Yanhua would come looking for him.

"You really can't hide anything from me. I'm so sorry to have disturbed your rest again." Cao Yanhua's face showed a hint of apology.

"It's all for the people, it's nothing."

Old Qin, however, seemed unconcerned.

Then, as if talking to himself, he said, "If I remember correctly, headquarters should be holding a large meeting soon, right? It's about the selection of team leaders. We'll also arrange a position for Li Hui at this meeting."

Hear the words.

Cao Yanhua frowned slightly and said, "That's true. Headquarters is preparing for this, but there's still some time before the official meeting. Can Li Hui wait that long in Dajing City?"

"He will!"

Old Qin's tone was firm.

“But this headquarters meeting is of great importance, and Li Hui… he hasn’t joined headquarters yet,” Cao Yanhua said with a troubled expression.

"Just because he hasn't joined yet doesn't mean he won't join in the future."

Old Qin replied, "There are many things I can't explain to you. What you need to know, you will know in time. What you don't know, you don't need to know now!"

"Go and get to work. There's a huge mess right now, and headquarters can't function without you. As for Li Hui, you don't need to worry about him."

"Okay, then you can rest."

Done.

Cao Yanhua then got up and left the courtyard.

"boom!"

Not long after he went out, the courtyard gate suddenly closed automatically, as if an unseen person had forcefully pushed it shut.

Hearing the noise, Cao Yanhua turned his head to look, then turned back and continued walking, seemingly used to this situation.

In the courtyard.

Old Qin turned his gaze away from the direction where Cao Yanhua's figure disappeared and looked into the distance, as if gazing at something, while muttering two words to himself.

“Li Hui…”

PS: I'm shamelessly asking for some monthly votes!
(End of this chapter)