Futile Devices Scans

“Where did you lose your little sister? I can help you find her.”

Qin Shu’s voice was almost completely flat as he attempted to negotiate with her once more.

Although the cold had nearly become unbearable, he remained perfectly still and had no intention whatsoever of turning around to search for the source of the voice behind him. He continued meeting the hanged ghost’s bloodshot eye.

She had not attacked Qin Shu immediately, which meant either that her desire to kill was not particularly strong or that she possessed some other obsession.

More importantly, Qin Shu had gradually discovered a pattern.

Aside from those bizarre carrion-eating little ghosts, the other spirits lingering in the mortal world—no matter how deep their resentment might be—seemed to lack any direct means of killing someone quickly whenever confronted head-on.

Unlike Qin Shu, who was only skilled at killing them with a single punch, they relied more heavily on corrosive methods resembling curses. Otherwise, certain special conditions had to be fulfilled before they could swiftly take a person’s life.

At this very moment, for example, Qin Shu had a suspicion—if he truly turned around in response to the voice, he might instantly become her substitute.

Perhaps she would possess him, or perhaps he would directly take her place, hanging from that rope… Either way, dealing with the consequences would be extremely troublesome.

But Qin Shu did not turn around. He gazed at her calmly and offered an exceptionally tempting incentive.

Noticing that the breathing beside his ear had quietly grown more erratic, Qin Shu immediately added a condition. “If I help you find your little sister, you have to return to the underworld with me. How does that arrangement sound? If you aren’t satisfied, we can negotiate further, but you can’t continue lingering around here.”

“…Little sister.”

“You only want your little sister, and nothing else matters. Is that right?”

“Ah, I… want… little sister!”

This was a hanged ghost whose tongue could not retract, so speaking truly was inconvenient. Apart from the words “little sister,” which were exceptionally clear, everything else sounded rather indistinct.

Yet her emotions were intensely vivid. Even when she spoke only a single short phrase, Qin Shu could roughly infer what she meant. With such a powerful obsession, she had probably suffered some terrible misfortune while alive.

“All right, then take me to the place where your little sister disappeared. We’ll leave right now and settle this tonight.” Qin Shu spoke with tremendous confidence. Since he was currently brimming with energy, his fighting spirit rose even higher.

“Can’t… leave…”

“Huh?”

“Outside, outside! Ahhhhh!!!” The hanged ghost twisted anxiously, her limbs spasming as though she were suffocating all over again. Her bloodshot eye abruptly burst, and streams of bloody tears flowed down her cheek.

Qin Shu jumped in fright. “Hey, hey, miss, don’t panic. Speak slowly…”

After several rounds of difficult communication, Qin Shu finally understood the entire sequence of events—as well as another truth that became increasingly horrifying the more he considered it.

—Jiangcheng No. 2 High School was a prison for ghosts.

At least, according to the hanged ghost’s understanding, the school was a prison.

Ghosts born within No. 2 High School could only wander around the places where they had died. The weaker they were, the more restricted their range of movement became. Like Song Qian Li, who had been unable even to leave the mop sink in the boys’ bathroom.

As for ghosts that accidentally wandered into No. 2 High School from outside, they might be able to move around freely, but they could never pass through the school gates again. They were permanently trapped inside.

No matter how powerful a vengeful ghost might be, it would meet the same fate. Thus far, there had been no exceptions.

After being trapped for long enough, any vengeful ghost that retained intelligence would only accumulate more resentment, eventually becoming unable to control itself and slaughtering other ghosts or actively harming humans… However, no incidents of ghosts hurting people had occurred in recent years.

That was because whenever the situation was about to spiral out of control, some terrifying balancing mechanism seemed to emerge within this prison and kill every vengeful ghost.

It was like an incomprehensible, supreme force looking down from above. Once it decided to kill, it killed. No one could escape their ultimate fate, and not even the smallest trace of them would remain.

As for why this hanged ghost understood everything so clearly? When she first became a ghost, her mental state had still been relatively normal.

To find a way out and search for her little sister, she had repeatedly explored the school on her own and sought out ghostly companions with whom she could communicate, continuing until she finally fell into complete despair.

Moreover, she had not voluntarily hanged herself… She had accidentally lost her younger sister while taking her to school. Her parents then deliberately retaliated against her, forcibly tying her up and hanging her inside one of No. 2 High School’s classroom buildings. They used her death to pressure the school administration into paying them a large settlement.

At the time, there were no surveillance cameras in the corridor, and no one knew that her “suicide” had been staged. Outsiders saw only two parents wailing in grief and pitied the ill-fated couple who had lost all their children within a matter of days.

So No. 2 High School paid the money. Even though her younger sister had disappeared on the way to school, No. 2 High School still paid.

The couple was very satisfied, and the entire matter was subsequently suppressed. Like the reports of student suicides that appeared every year, it caused a brief stir before sinking without leaving another ripple.

Only she remained trapped inside the school. Everywhere bore traces of the life her little sister had once lived, yet nowhere could her little sister be found. One lively generation of high school students after another came and went, while she could never escape.

“Your name is Du Xiao Shuang, and hers is Du Xiao Xue… I pronounced them correctly, didn’t I? All right, let’s check the archives. The computers there should still contain records on former students.”

Qin Shu knew how to enter the school archives. The lock on the back window was broken, so anyone who pushed it open could reach through and unlatch the door from inside.

Other teachers had taught him this small secret during the torrential rains the previous summer. Because Qin Shu had long arms and legs and plenty of strength, he had been perfectly suited to opening the door and moving things, helping to rescue various records that had almost been submerged by floodwater.

Since the broken window lock was so convenient, no one had been willing to report it for repairs, and the little loophole remained until this year.

Not only that, Qin Shu also knew the computer’s password because he knew how to repair computers and was always willing to help. The computer tower in the archives had happened to break down, and submitting an official repair request would have taken several months. A teacher called Qin Shu over, and he solved the problem within half an hour.

Thus, remaining helpful was a good thing. It made life easier for everyone—and also made it easier for Qin Shu to search for records tonight.

“She disappeared six years ago, just after starting her first year. She was assigned to the advanced class at the time, right… Let me see. Is this her? The one with twin ponytails.”

Qin Shu clicked on Du Xiao Xue’s identification photograph and enlarged it. A fierce chill immediately rose behind him once again.

It truly was cold, but he endured it and forcibly resisted turning around, continuing to stare at the computer screen. Many first-year students had not yet grown into their features and looked almost like middle schoolers. The girl named Du Xiao Xue was the same, resembling a thin little bean sprout.

Judging only from the high-resolution photograph, Du Xiao Xue’s eyes were bright, but her skin was sallow and lacked any luster. It did not resemble a tan, but rather the complexion caused by malnutrition. Her old school uniform also hung loosely from her body and did not fit properly. She had clearly inherited the clothes her elder sister had once worn to school.

Glancing at the black-haired female ghost reflected in the computer screen, Qin Shu steadied himself slightly, took out his phone, photographed the image, and sent it directly to the detective.

That was right—the young detective whose WeChat he had only added earlier that day.

His name was Xing Yong. His name sounded rather imposing, although his appearance did not match it at all. He had probably joined the force not long ago. He was highly enthusiastic while handling cases and lacked the perfunctory attitude of a jaded veteran whenever they communicated.

As a result, Qin Shu had a favorable impression of him. They might even cooperate again in the future, so Qin Shu naturally had to seize this opportunity to ask him for more help.

Xing Yong: A first-year student who disappeared six years ago? She still hasn’t been found? All right. I happen to still be at work, so I’ll look into it.

Qin Shu: Her elder sister was also murdered by their parents and has been trapped inside No. 2 High School for years. Her resentment has recently grown much stronger, so I want to help her find her younger sister as soon as possible. Thank you for your trouble, Officer.

Xing Yong: We aren’t that many years apart. There’s no need to make me sound so old. Just call me Brother… But what do you mean her elder sister was also murdered? Do you have evidence?

Qin Shu: Does testimony from the victim count as evidence? Brother Yong, if you truly don’t believe ghosts exist, you can find some ox tears right now and smear them over your eyes. Look at your own shoulder first, then come to No. 2 High School and meet her ^ ^

Xing Yong: …Kid, where am I supposed to find ox tears in the middle of the night? We’ll discuss all that nonsense when there’s time. Look at this first. I found information on Du Xiao Xue. She is still officially listed as a missing person. If you can provide a lead and genuinely help find her, the bureau will give you a commendation certificate.

Not firmly refusing was equivalent to not refusing at all! Sure enough, Xing Yong had begun to waver. Perhaps a few more strange experiences would be enough to convince him.

At the same time, the fax machine in the archives began humming.

Qin Shu curved his lips and walked straight toward the machine without glancing aside, then picked up the freshly printed documents.

The warm paper carried the scent of fresh ink, while several strands of wet black hair impatiently fell across the page. They clearly belonged to Du Xiao Shuang.

Qin Shu could not help hissing softly. Rubbing his shoulder, he smiled helplessly. “…Miss, don’t rush. Don’t put your hand on my shoulder. I’m genuinely freezing to death. Can I put the documents on the table so we can read them together?”

After the human and ghost finally negotiated an arrangement, Qin Shu pulled out a chair and sat down. He had read only a few lines before he sensed that something was wrong, and a drawn-out chill began spreading through his heart.

Du Xiao Xue had been exactly sixteen years and six days old at the time of the incident.

She disappeared six years ago, on June sixth, at exactly six o’clock in the morning. The location was Zhongshan South Sixth Road beside Morning Star Elementary School, near a mobile breakfast stall called “Sunshine at Six.”

While lining up to board Bus No. 6, she was separated from her elder sister, Du Xiao Shuang, amid the crowd of people getting on and off. From that moment onward, she vanished without a trace.

At the time, the surveillance network was incomplete, and every roadside camera in the area had coincidentally malfunctioned. It was extremely difficult for the police to search for her, and almost no witnesses were found while canvassing the neighborhood. As a result, the case remained unresolved to this day.

Qin Shu took a deep breath. His expression became increasingly grave as he read, and he reached a conclusion without hesitation.

“Du Xiao Shuang, stay calm and listen to me. I suspect your younger sister didn’t simply become lost, which is why the police could never find her. The two of you were definitely targeted. Look at these numbers. The time, date, and location of her disappearance are all extremely strange. This cannot be a coincidence.”

“Who… Who?!”

“If I had to say, I would begin by investigating your parents—their personal connections and their financial accounts. But only the police can access much of that information.” Qin Shu’s expression became somewhat complicated. He paused before continuing, “By the way, do you know Du Xiao Xue’s exact birth date and time?”

The archives briefly fell silent. A moment later, the fountain pen on the table stood upright. The metal casing at its end came loose, and a large amount of blue liquid flowed from the ink cartridge, forming a line of delicate, slightly trembling characters across the tabletop.

Qin Shu examined them carefully and felt that something was unusual. He had only recently begun studying these things and was unfamiliar with even the basics, so he quickly searched on his phone. What he found genuinely startled him.

“Wait. The Heavenly Stems continuously generate one another, the Earthly Branches correspond with them, all five elements are present, and the favorable element is strong… This is a Sequentially Generating Heavenly Stems configuration. It’s an exceptionally rare and unusual birth chart. She should have been wealthy and long-lived.”

Logically speaking, someone with such an auspicious destiny would not easily be harmed by ghosts or spirits and would emerge unharmed even when disaster struck. Unless someone knowledgeable in these arts deliberately exploited her, Du Xiao Xue’s life should have continued rising higher, becoming increasingly smooth and prosperous.

The Du sisters’ household registration had originally been in a mountainous region, and there was a considerable age gap between them. It was only after the elder sister worked her way into the city and achieved some success that she brought the whole family out and settled them in Jiangcheng. Even then, their stable life had not lasted long, as could be seen from Du Xiao Xue’s malnourished face.

In a family with selfish and greedy parents, harsh poverty, and a weak foundation in education… the fact that Du Xiao Xue had managed to enter Jiangcheng No. 2 High School and be assigned to its best experimental class proved that she had been an exceptionally intelligent and hardworking child.

Back then, Du Xiao Shuang had also earned a decent income. She had been capable of gradually improving the family’s circumstances while firmly supporting her younger sister’s education. Everything had clearly been growing better.

But the sisters’ steadily improving lives seemed to have been abruptly halted by an invisible hand. At that strange time and strange place six years ago, everything came to a sudden end.

“Honestly, I’ve never been able to stand things like this.”

After a long silence, Qin Shu suddenly spoke softly.

A faint chill lingered within his dark eyes beneath the dim light. He pulled out several wet wipes and slowly cleaned the ink from the tabletop.

Then, lowering his eyes, he fed every paper document concerning Du Xiao Xue into the shredder, reducing them all to tiny fragments. The still-warm ink transformed into clouds of murky dust.

“So from this moment onward, I have no morals.”

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