Mysterious Awakening - Chapter 56: The Source.

Captain Bright soon returned with Miles’s identification.

“Captain Bright, what’s the situation? I’m not in the wrong, am I? This security guard committed extortion. I propose immediate detention. I’ll then have my lawyer compile the evidence. I demand justice,” declared Mall Manager Li, painting himself as the innocent party.

It was as if he was indeed the wronged one.

Captain Bright commenced his response, “Manager Li, we are only able to delve into your allegations. We can only proceed if the evidence is concrete. Miles’s rank is too high for us to detain him without consultation from our superiors. If you firmly believe that Miles is involved in extortion, kindly join me for the investigation.”

“Eh?” Manager Li was taken aback.

“What? No authority to detain? Captain Bright, could there be a misunderstanding? Can’t you hold a simple security guard?”

Miles also grasped the situation. It seemed that after he had taken Right’s satellite-located phone, Rain had arranged for him to gain access to the ghost tamers’ office.

That said, was the head of the headquarters’ rank really that superior?

He was somewhat baffled, not understanding the hierarchical structure.

“No errors have been made. I have sought my superiors’ advice. Manager Li, please accompany us,” Captain Bright stated. “Escort Manager Li to the station for his statement.”

Sensing a hint of irregularity, Manager Li cautiously asked, “Captain Bright, what if the investigation doesn’t establish a case?”

“If the evidence is insufficient and the plaintiff is found to have framed the defendant post filing, you could be arrested for endangering national security,” Captain Bright’s glance at Manager Li turned somewhat frosty.

Having served as a captain for many years, he could discern that Manager Li was visibly guilty. This case likely was a facade.

“Me? Detained?” Manager Li enquired again.

“Detained?” Captain Bright shook his head, “Are you joking? With your charges, you’ll be facing treason. For more serious matters, you should consult your lawyer. He’d have a better understanding than me.”

“What?!” Manager Li was taken aback, his complexion going pure white at the heavy charges.

Could it be that dire?

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

When he glanced back at Miles, fear seeped in. No matter how foolish he was, the man had realized this supposed security guard wasn’t as he seemed on the surface.

Miles responded, “Don’t look at me. Please, continue your act.”

“Young man, I was only jesting before. Let’s dismiss this, alright? I’ll treat you to a meal later as an apology. What do you say?” Manager Li forced a grin.

Miles retorted, “Weren’t you accusing me of extortion? Why have you stopped now?”

“It was a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. I was merely playing around earlier and felt a bit disoriented, leading to some misplaced comments. I couldn’t control myself at all.”

Manager Li added, “See, I can’t control my speech. I must’ve been cursed earlier. That’s it, I’m being framed too.”

“You’re quite something,” Miles remarked earnestly, his admiration clear, “But we shouldn’t leave jobs half-finished. We’re in the midst of an investigation, so we should see it through to its conclusion. What do you think, Captain Bright?”

“Absolutely.”

Captain Bright gave a firm nod. “Bring Manager Li in for questioning.”

Two officers immediately responded to his command.

Shaken to his core, Manager Li crumpled in fear. His despair was intense, exceeding even the terror he’d felt at the appearance of a ghost earlier.

“Farewell, my friend,” Miles lightly waved at him, a trace of grim humor in his voice. “Stay strong. It’s not my fault, remember. You’ve dug your own grave. Don’t hold a grudge against me when you walk free in two decades.”

“You… you heartless jerk!” Manager Li wept, a mix of anger and desolation etched on his face.

He hadn’t anticipated that the burden of his position would prove to be this heavy.

His previous meeting with Right hadn’t prepared him for this at all.

“Miles,” Captain Bright began, his voice low and hushed, “You were inside the mall earlier. Can you share anything about the current situation? Unless it compromises the secrecy of Ghost Tamers HQ? I’m under a lot of pressure to solve these missing persons cases.”

“All the missing people are within the mall,” Miles explained, “But they’re no longer human. The mall is a dangerous place now. I recommend sealing it off immediately and not sending anyone inside. Anyone who enters may not make it out. You’re not responsible for this case, the head of Dachang City is. Right’s death has left the position vacant, but when the new head arrives, hand the case over.”

“To summarize, let’s minimize unnecessary casualties,” he concluded thoughtfully.

“I see.” Captain Bright’s nod showed his grasp of the situation.

He promptly ordered his team to surround and secure the area, also arranging for the mall’s immediate closure.

“I need to head back inside to handle a few things. I’ll try not to interfere with your investigation, Captain Bright,” Miles assured him.

With a wry smile, Captain Bright responded, “You’re being modest. You’re the one cracking the case, I’m just your assistant.”

After closely examining Miles’s records, he had started to believe in Miles’s credentials as a member of Ghost Tamers HQ.

“Ethan, let’s move. Follow me into the mall.”

Without further delay, Miles sprung into action.

He had made up his mind.

This ghost needed to be apprehended.

He couldn’t avoid it forever. Now was the ideal chance, and he had to take it.

“Those in our line of work don’t have the luxury of choice. When an opportunity arises, we must grab it. Else, we’ll be sitting ducks,” Ethan joined in, ready for action.

“Indeed, we don’t have a choice,” agreed Miles, casting a last glance at the ominous mall.

Night had already fallen.

Meanwhile, River remained hidden in the mall’s fifth-floor surveillance room, too terrified to move or venture out.

The sight of Strong’s headless body was haunting. His lifeless form slumped on the ground, his head a short distance away.

Under these ominous circumstances, River found herself confined to the surveillance room. If Miles didn’t return to rescue her, she would be trapped there indefinitely.

“Where could Miles be?” she wondered, her anxiety building with every passing second as she scanned old surveillance footage. “He’s been absent for an unsettling amount of time.”

All other survivors had been safely evacuated, leaving her isolated. The fear that Miles was using her for a profit-oriented mission only to abandon her eventually gnawed at her.

“Miles, can you hear me? Please,” River’s voice trembled, on the brink of tears. “Come get me. I’ve been good. You can’t just leave me stranded here.”

“Enough with your complaints. A child would be calmer than you are. For an adult, you’re remarkably immature,” Miles’s voice echoed over the phone.

“Have you discovered the ghost’s true identity? I’ll pick you up along the way.”

Miles’s voice brought a smile to River’s face and a glimmer of hope to her heart. “I haven’t determined the ghost’s true identity,” she responded, “but I noticed from the earliest footage that it originated from a clothing store on the fifth floor.”

The screen displayed a recording of the clothing store at night.

The store was closed for the evening. At one point, a door within the store slowly opened, revealing nothing but a vague shadow.

The shadow moved and paused before a mirror. Inexplicably, the surrounding mannequins fell over. Then the shadow proceeded to assemble various mannequin parts – arms, legs, torsos. Yet, none of the bizarre combinations satisfied it.

The process spanned over two hours. Each mannequin in the store was dismantled.

Eventually, a peculiar mannequin, two meters tall with a small body and disproportionately long limbs, was assembled, but it lacked a head.

In the footage, the shadow seemed to fuse with the headless figure, imbuing it with life. It tried on various heads from the disassembled mannequins, none of which were a match.

As dawn approached, shopkeepers started arriving at the mall, preparing to open their stores.

A woman eventually entered the clothing store, the tall mannequin standing still by the display window. As she busied herself, the mannequin’s head slowly rotated to follow her movements, completing a full 180-degree turn. Unable to support itself, the poorly-fitted head toppled onto the floor.

Unfazed, the woman gave a quick glance and continued with her tasks. The moment she turned her back, the uncanny mannequin sprang into action. Its elongated arm stretched towards her. As River witnessed this unsettling scene, her heart raced. “Was she its first victim?”

“So, the ghost resides in that clothing store,” she surmised.