A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 395 A Gentle Knock on the Door, But No One Opens
The Yanglao Village quarantine zone was a wasteland of ashes, with traces of fire everywhere. Even though Dianhuo had been imprisoned again, the dry air still retained wisps of scorching heat.

Ning Zhe unbuttoned his clothes and took stock of the empowerment items he carried:

1. The music box containing requiems; Ning Zhe used 3 of the pieces, leaving 5.

2. The soul-summoning doll named 'Xia Rong' was stolen by Lan Shiwen after he killed Van Dyke.

3. A straw figure made of wheat stalks, supposedly capable of taking someone's place in death, was of little use to Ning Zhe.

4. A pure silver fountain pen, from a ghost codenamed "Ouija Board," requires special paper coupons to use.
5. A blank paper coupon, also from the Ouija board, can be used with a sterling silver pen to create a contract. Both parties to the contract must strictly abide by its terms; otherwise, they will be cursed by the Ouija board.
6. Notebook used to contact Xia Yubing

7. A number of copper coins representing the God of Wealth and the Five Elements.
Apart from the notebook, music box, and money to buy his life, all the items Ning Zhe possessed were taken from Van Dyke. He had hardly ever used them, only keeping them close to his body.

Ning Zhe took out all the initiation items one by one, checked them carefully, and made sure nothing was missing.

"Let's assume that there's a petty thief wandering around this quarantine zone, and that this ghost seems to have a particular fondness for the strange and eerie Daoist arts. Both of your notepads have been stolen by this ghost."

As Ning Zhe carefully put away his empowerment items one by one, he said, "That's a bit strange. Apart from the notepad I just gave you, I haven't lost any of the empowerment items I was carrying. Why did that ghost only target you and not me?"

Plumeria shook her head: "I'm sorry, Master, Plumeria doesn't understand..."

"It's alright." Ning Zhe pulled a tissue from his pocket, wiped away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes, and handed her a straw doll: "Substitute straw doll, do you know how to use it?"

"I know." Plumeria loosened the bandage on her left hand slightly and wiped the bloodstains on the gauze onto the straw doll. Instantly, a strange feeling, hard to describe, similar to 'blood connection', welled up in her heart.

Her life is now intertwined with this straw doll.

A substitute straw doll that can take the blame for its master is a very precious ascendant item. For most ascendants, it is even more precious and rare than a requiem that can hypnotize evil spirits.

Such a precious thing was given to me so easily. My master really cares about me... Plumeria's heart started racing, and blushes appeared on her fair cheeks.

"Be careful this time, don't lose it again," Ning Zhe said.

"Yes! I will protect it with my life!" Plumeria nodded emphatically, holding the blood-stained substitute straw doll firmly in her hands, her expression as solemn as if she were being baptized.

"I gave you this so it could protect your life... Never mind." Ning Zhe shook his head, carefully put away the last item of the bestowal technique, and got up to continue walking towards the residential building not far away.

Perhaps because they were prepared, nothing strange happened along the way, and the two of them smoothly completed the last leg of the journey, arriving at several residential buildings deep in the quarantine zone.

These residential buildings were also temporarily constructed using precast cement slabs to house Yin Lishang and other staff members responsible for her care. With the high walls surrounding the quarantine area, most of the houses have been abandoned.

Following the location of Ji Taiyao's maternal grandparents' house in his memory, Ning Zhe quickly found the three-story building where Yin Lishang lived. Originally, there should have been a lush bamboo forest and a well here in Yanglao Village. Now, the bamboo forest has been burned to ashes by the mad fire, and the well has been buried by ashes, with only a low stone rim exposed.

Ning Zhe arrived at the apartment building and gently knocked on the tightly closed steel security door. Knock, knock, knock—

The dull, metallic sound was not crisp at all. Ning Zhe stood there for a while, but there was no sound from inside the building. So he raised his hand and knocked again, this time with more force, but there was still no response.

"Isn't she here?" Ning Zhe turned around and glanced at Plumeria behind him. She stood there obediently, holding the straw doll he had given her in her hands. When she saw Ning Zhe looking at her, a beautiful smile, as lovely as a begonia, bloomed on her face: "Master?"

Ning Zhe smiled at her: "The substitute straw doll is still here... Did you lose anything this time?"

Plumeria then unzipped her bag and checked: "The phone is still here. The lip balm is still here. The keys are still here... but one of the bank cards is missing."

Plumeria suddenly looked up: "Master, my bank card is missing!"

“It seems this ghost didn’t just steal the empowerment items.” Ning Zhe nodded thoughtfully, and checked his own belongings. The empowerment items he kept close to his body, as well as his phone, tissues, and other items, were all intact, but one thing was missing—“My lighter is gone.”

"Did Master lose something too?" Plumeria asked hurriedly.

“I lost a lighter,” Ning Zhe said. He doesn’t smoke, and he only carries a lighter with him for things like burning sticky notes and lighting candles. “My lighter was originally in the left pocket of my coat, but now it’s gone.”

“Two notepads, then a bank card, a lighter…” Plumeria pondered for a moment and said, “These things that disappeared into thin air seem to have one thing in common: they all disappeared from places we can’t see.”

As she spoke, she shook the straw doll in her hand: "I've always kept this straw doll in my hand, and I've never let it disappear from my sight. It's still here now."

“That’s what I think too.” Ning Zhe nodded and said, “Then for now, let’s consider this ghost’s rule of stealing as ‘stealing things that can’t be seen.’ We need to be more careful from now on and not let important things out of our sight.”

“Yes, Master.” Plumeria nodded vigorously. This time, she unzipped the bag and left it open, instead of closing it.

After speaking, Ning Zhe turned around and looked at the heavy steel security door on the first floor behind him. The residential building was still quiet, no one came to open the door, and there was no sound.

"Xia Rong~" Ning Zhe called softly, and a cute little girl-shaped rag doll appeared on his shoulder in response. Its button-shaped eyes looked at him expectantly, and its two short little hands waved gently in the air, as if asking for a hug.

Ning Zhe held Xia Rong in his arms and kissed her slightly chapped cheeks: "Can you do Mommy a favor? Go open this door."

Xia Rong nuzzled Ning Zhe's face and nodded obediently. Ning Zhe then held its bottom with one hand, aimed at the gap in the security bars, and threw it upwards, tossing the rag doll onto the second-floor balcony.

“The door will open soon,” Ning Zhe said, turning to Plumeria.

Plumeria seemed not to hear, her hands tightly gripping the straw doll, her eyes fixed on the second-floor balcony, her face contorted with jealousy.

Ning Zhe couldn't help but laugh. He stepped forward, gently put his arm around Plumeria's shoulder, and kissed her cheek.

(End of this chapter)