Here Lies The Wicked

Chapter 14: Gates of Hell

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation

Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

‘There were ghosts?

‘Coming back from the dead?

‘A woman, who was supposed to be dead, appeared in her own home?’

Captain Liu and Old Zhang were unnerved. They thought of ghosts, sitting side-by-side with Man, listening to tales of their demise. They shuddered.

Contrariwise, Fang Zheng was completely at ease. 

He had encountered ghosts before–had just killed one, in fact–so he was hardly surprised by the revelation. He was a man with evil in his soul. He had no reason to fear his victims.

Still, he was puzzled. Did that mean that the Hell Car truly had belonged to a ghost?

Fang Zheng had been complaining about it for four days. 

“Why don’t we call the police?” Captain Liu nudged Fang Zheng. 

“This man is weird. Do you think he has a mental illness? He’s been talking about the existence of ghosts.”

“There are no ghosts in this world, after the Cultural Revolution, the government had already launched the movement to end old practices, cultures, traditions, and habits. They also demolished the temples to stop animals from turning into spirits. The country has been getting better, and ghosts have been banned from being played in the media as well–these ancient beliefs had already been debunked back in the days of the movement.”

Fang Zheng stared at Captain Liu in shock. 

Who knew that Captain Liu, who looked like he was in his forties, had such a clear and progressive view of the world? He did not sound traditional at all. It was such a waste for him to be a security guard when he could have been in politics. 

Captain Liu’s tanned face blushed after realizing Fang Zheng was staring at him. He said shyly, “We’ve called the police, if anything goes wrong, the police could deal with it.”

“Wasn’t there a campaign saying that if you’re met with trouble, you should seek Mr. Police’s help?”

Fang Zheng was speechless.

If a policeman had a nephew of your age, he might be…in his seventies or eighties. He really could not afford being called “Mr. Police”. 

“Captain Liu, if I remember correctly, you own a second hand Yamaha bike, right?” Fang Zheng asked. 

“It’s a petrol-consuming tiger, it’s been left in the dust for two months. Why are you asking about it?” Captain Liu looked at Fang Zheng in confusion. 

“I want to bring this man to lodge a police report myself.” Fang Zheng pointed at the man next to him. 

He also found out the man’s name: Sun Yushu. 

“If it’s really urgent, the police could work faster if we go and lodge the report at the station itself. We could optimize the time frame to save someone.”

Captain Liu thought it was a sensible suggestion, so he raised no objections. 

Fang Zheng came around the corner of the guardhouse with the Yamaha bike. He urged Sun Yushu, “Come on, why are you still standing there? Do you still want to save the person?”

Sun Yushu got on the bike. 

Fang Zheng said, “Put your arms around me.”

Sun Yushu did what he asked. 

Fang Zheng added, “Hug my waist.”

Sun Yushu did just that. He was as submissive as a tiny bird. 

Captain Liu and Old Zhang were in shock.

The men inhaled sharply, and shivered, their sensitive teeth clacking together. They did not comprehend the thinking of youngsters nowadays. 

Fang Zheng disappeared into the night with Sun Yushu. 

“Do you feel safer hugging me? Are you calmer now?” The Yamaha bike sped along amidst the cold. 

‘It was something said by psychologists, right?’ Fang Zheng wasn’t sure. 

Sun Yushu was silent. 

Sun Yushu hugged Fang Zheng tighter. His chest was pressed against Fang Zheng’s back, and he greedily leaned on him for warmth. The men were extremely close to each other under the night sky. 

At this very moment, the Yamaha bike went past the entrance of the police station.

Fang Zheng did not slow the bike down, instead, he rode right past it. 

“That… was a police station…” Sun Yushu could not help but mention from the backseat. 

“Yes.” Fang Zheng did not bother looking back. 

After riding for another minute, Sun Yushu worked up the courage to ask a question. 

“Is this… the way to my place?” Sun Yushu couldn’t help but ask. 

Fang Zheng replied, “Yes, we’re short on time. We’re going straight to your house to save her.”

Sun Yushu had provided all the details Fang Zheng needed when he was pleading for help. Thus the journey was a relatively straightforward one. 

“You, you believe what I said? You believe that there are ghosts in this world?” Sun Yushu was a little doubtful, but he could not hold back his excitement for long. It was as if he was a lost lamb who had, at last, found the light of the barn! 

“If there are ghosts in this world, I just killed one days ago,” Fang Zheng said nonchalantly. 

Nonetheless, it was an arrogant statement, intending to boast the wielder’s power.

Sun Yushu was awed by this statement, and his perception of Fang Zheng had increased exponentially. “She’s the devil! She really is! I’m not lying! I’m not mentally ill! She was dead. I did the post-mortem on her, but she’s come back to life!

“Yesterday, it was yesterday! She stood before me alive! I was afraid! I did not dare to go home throughout the night. I was afraid that she would come for me! She is definitely here for me, she is definitely here for me, I’m scared, I’m weak, but she shouldn’t go after my family! She shouldn’t go after my family!”

Sun Yushu was an emotional ball of desperate maniacal energy. 

Sun Yushu, who was shivering, hugged Fang Zheng tighter in fear. 

“You did a post-mortem on her?”

Fang Zheng paused. ‘A post-mortem, not a dismembering…’ 

Although he was keen on finding out the origins of the white smoke, he did not want to lose his life over it. It was one of the reasons why he had chosen to borrow Captain Liu’s bike rather than hail a cab. 

“Do you… know about the incident on March the 2nd where multiple cars fell off the bridge in Zhou City?” Sun Yushu shivered and asked. It almost felt like the incident was his own personal nightmare and not a real event. 

“I’ve seen the news.” Fang Zheng nodded. “53 people apparently died and the bridge had to be closed after a two-day trial.” 

“No, there weren’t 53 victims. It’s now 109!” Sun Yushu said in fear. “She was one of the first victims. I was the forensic doctor who did the post-mortem on her!

“People are dying on that bridge every day! It’s a bridge that leads to the gates of hell!”

Fang Zheng slammed on the bike’s brakes, causing the bike to squeal as it skid along the road. 

“109 people are already dead? And people are dying every day! How much are you hiding from the world?!”

Sun Yushu avoided his gaze, as he began to stutter. 

“Say it!” Fang Zheng said coldly. 

Fang Zheng’s gaze was frigid. It was clear that he was not going to proceed so long as he did not receive an answer…