I have a ghost diary

"Upon contact, the man stopped moving, and I saw a look of terror on his face."

"Next, next..." Sun Xiaoman said, closing her eyes in pain.

Chu Jiang didn't rush her, but waited for her to slowly explain herself.

After a long while, Sun Xiaoman took a deep breath and said, "Next, the lifelike doll will lay the man flat on the ground with a blank expression."

"During this process, the man was powerless to resist, as if the other person was the human being and he was just a puppet, a puppet to be manipulated."

"The lifelike doll meticulously removed a single hair from the man's head. I saw it even turn its head slightly, as if carefully observing every detail of the hair."

"Then it took out a hair from the man... and it kept repeating this, and the speed kept increasing, until finally, the doll plucked all the man's hair out."

“I could see that the assailant was conscious; his face showed an unnatural contortion and a look of pain.”

"But the lifelike doll didn't care about the man's feelings. It was as if it were just an emotionless researcher, simply analyzing every physical feature of the human body."

"Next, the puppet resumed its original speed, slowly stripping the thug naked and then removing the nail from his left thumb..." Sun Xiaoman's voice trembled slightly.

"After removing the nails from the left hand, it was time for the right hand; then the left foot, the right foot..."

"I could see that the bearded man was in great pain, but he couldn't even struggle. The slightest twitching of his facial muscles was the most his body could manage."

"What happened next, I think you can guess without me having to tell you."

"The man was dismembered bit by bit by that lifelike doll. It was as if the most meticulous scientist was dismantling this human specimen piece by piece, just to better understand humanity."

"From hair, to nails, to skin, to blood, to muscles, to bones, to internal organs, to the brain, to nerves..."

"I witnessed a doll dismember a human being alive, torn to pieces beyond recognition. Even though I closed my eyes halfway through, I could still hear the sounds and vividly picture those horrific scenes in my mind."

"Finally, I passed out. When I woke up, it was already dawn."

Sun Xiaoman's voice was low and her eyes were red.

"When I woke up, I was incredulous to find that I was still alive and had not turned into a pool of blood and minced meat."

"I thought that after the imposter killed that man, he would do the same thing to me, since I had already seen its true form."

"But the truth is there is none. Moreover, I found that the lifelike doll had disappeared. There was only a strong smell of blood in the room and the thug's body that was shattered beyond recognition."

"In my panic, my first thought was to call the police."

But looking at everything in the room, I fell silent...

Chapter Forty: Preparations Before the Ghost Hunt

"When the doll left, it didn't kindly untie me; I was still tied up."

"But thankfully, there were no more people threatening me in the room, and a knife was lying on the floor."

"I spent a lot of effort, holding the knife handle between my legs and placing my hands on the blade, slowly wearing down the rope around my wrists."

"And so, I gradually regained my freedom, and finally tore off the transparent tape that was stuck to my mouth."

"But after I was freed, I didn't call the police. Instead, I ran out to look for the surveillance footage and locked the door."

"Just like I said before, all the surveillance footage related to the criminals has been destroyed, so I have no way of proving that this guy tried to rob me and rape me."

"All I have is blood all over the room and a body that is shattered beyond recognition."

“At that moment, I collapsed to the ground, powerless. I couldn’t prove to anyone that there was a ghost in the hotel. Even if it was later found that the man had a criminal record, given the cruel way he died, I would never be able to be convicted of ‘self-defense’.”

"So I had no choice but to become the puppet's accomplice, helping it to carry the criminal's body out and dispose of it bit by bit."

"Now you know why I can't sleep every night, why I cry every night, right?" Sun Xiaoman finally revealed the secret she had kept hidden for so long. She looked both exhausted and relieved...

Seeing that Chu Jiang did not show any fear or disbelief, but was just deep in thought.

Sun Xiaoman finally had the strength to continue, "This isn't the worst part. I believe you've already discovered the worst part."

"After the lifelike doll killed that man, it did not leave my side."

"I don't understand either. It clearly figured out the man's anatomy and then killed him. Wouldn't it be better to take his place and live in his identity?"

"Don't tell me it's because the man has a criminal record and might be arrested by the police. I don't believe in such a bizarre existence, and I'm afraid of the police."

"That doll is like a ghost, still lingering around me to this day. I don't know what it wants, I only know that one day I will die at its hands..."

Sun Xiaoman's story has been told, clearly and completely.

With these detailed descriptions, Chu Jiang also obtained a lot of information about this ghost.

His first thought was: a ghost that would protect humans?

No, no, no, ghosts don't intentionally protect the living.

It can only be said that the robber triggered the ghost's killing pattern, while Sun Xiaoman did not. That's why it looks like the ghost is protecting people.

Following this line of thought, Chu Jiang's previous guess was wrong. The ghost's purpose was not to replace Sun Xiaoman.

Having reasoned this far, Chu Jiang had almost figured out the complete murder pattern of the lifelike doll; all that was left was to verify it.

Thinking of this, Chu Jiang looked up at Sun Xiaoman and said, "Thank you for your hard work. I believe what you said."

Sun Xiaoman breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, and she seemed to feel much better.

"That's settled then. Don't ask any more questions. To avoid any misfortune, it's best for you to leave my side as soon as possible. I'll also refund your room fee."

Chu Jiang smiled. "If I said I could help you, would you believe me?"

Sun Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, unsure of what the young man in front of her was thinking.

He's still a student, right? A college student or something, but he looks very calm, yet with a hint of gloom.

"Don't you find it strange? If a normal person heard what you were saying, they would either think you're crazy, or they would be so scared that they would pack their bags and leave immediately."

“But I’m different. I’m very interested in the ghost next to you. Or rather, my job is related to that.”

"So, if you trust me, come to room 401 on the fourth floor after the hotel closes tonight, and I will take away the lifelike doll that was with you."

After saying that, Chu Jiang stood up. "Of course, catching ghosts isn't that simple. I need to go out and do some preparatory work now."

"That's all for now, good luck~" With that, Chu Jiang walked away gracefully.

"Wait!" Sun Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, but still chased after him.

However, Chu Jiang did not turn around or stop. He simply waved his hand, indicating that the other party should wait patiently.

.........

Over the next day, Chu Jiang went to several places and brought back several cardboard boxes to the hotel. The boxes were of various sizes, and it was unclear what they contained.

Sun Xiaoman stayed in the hotel, either interacting with guests and handling check-in procedures, or talking with the women who came to work and arranging for them to clean certain rooms.

In short, Sun Xiaoman met with Chu Jiang several times, wanting to ask him something but not daring to, afraid of ruining his plans.

And so another day passed. Chu Jiang didn't encounter any unexpected situations. He didn't think about losing anything, and the local person in charge didn't come looking for him.

After nightfall, Chu Jiang asked Sun Xiaoman for the key to room 401, moved all his prepared belongings inside, and then never came out again.

It's worth mentioning that because Chu Jiang was running around, the girl living in room 302 became very interested in him and even helped him move a few things.

The girl looked very young, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, and a baseball cap pulled low over her head, as if she was afraid of being recognized.

Although the other woman kept her head down, Chu Jiang couldn't see her face clearly; however, he noticed that she was dressed in designer clothes, and even the bracelet she wore was from a famous international jewelry brand.

Okay, maybe she's a runaway rich girl. But that has nothing to do with Chu Jiang; if he needs it, he'll never be short of money in the future.

Chu Jiang had inquired on paranormal forums and found that, according to the research institute's acquisition price, even the most ordinary C-level vengeful ghost would cost tens of millions.

As for the higher-level ghosts, their value is sometimes difficult to measure in monetary terms; even a billion dollars wouldn't be enough to buy a top-tier, sealed ghost.

While it may be of little use to ordinary people, powerful organizations like research institutes have ways to harness the power of ghosts.

Chu Jiang heard that the research institute would also imprison ghosts to study their killing patterns and the nature of their power, hoping to find a way to solve the global resurgence of paranormal phenomena.

Of course, this isn't something only Research Institute 21 does; similar official agencies exist in various countries around the world. However, Research Institute 21 is one of the top paranormal organizations, even on a global scale.

Chapter 41 Luring the Enemy into a Trap

After Chu Jiang entered 401, he didn't come out again. Sun Xiaoman was very curious about what he was doing inside. What was in those boxes he had prepared? Black dog blood? A Bagua mirror? A peach wood sword? Glutinous rice?

Sun Xiaoman felt both apprehensive and secretly expectant.

She thought that maybe this boy could really surprise her; ordinary people wouldn't be so confident when facing these ghosts and monsters.

During this time, a girl from room 302 came to chat with Sun Xiaoman, mainly asking about Chu Jiang. Presumably, from a young girl's perspective, Chu Jiang's behavior seemed a bit mysterious.

Sun Xiaoman, of course, wouldn't say much to her, just made up a couple of casual remarks to brush it off.

......

At 8 p.m., at the hotel reception, Sun Xiaoman glanced at the time on her phone and then at the surveillance camera in the fourth-floor corridor.

The surveillance footage was completely silent; not a single person passed by.

This made Sun Xiaoman hesitate. Should she go up ahead and check how well that person was preparing?

But if he goes there now, will it interfere with his plans?

As for the front desk, there's no need to worry about it being unattended. Just close the outer glass door and hang up a sign saying "Out of town," and everything will be fine. I'll be back in no time anyway.

Sun Xiaoman would do this whenever she needed to leave temporarily, or when the cleaning lady had finished her shift.

......

At nine o'clock in the evening, Sun Xiaoman finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Just now at 8:30, she dialed the phone that came with room 401, but the man didn't answer at all.

This made Sun Xiaoman even more worried. Had something happened to him? Had the lifelike doll sensed Chu Jiang's threat and attacked him beforehand?

After enduring this ordeal for half an hour, Sun Xiaoman chose to temporarily close the glass door, hang up the sign, and pull out a baton from under the front desk.

Since being targeted last time, Sun Xiaoman not only spent money to install a front desk alarm system, but also bought several more self-defense weapons.

She cautiously approached the elevator, hesitated for a moment, and then made her decision.

......