Chapter 31: The Enigmatic Files

A student jumping to their death at school is no small matter. If I hadn’t heard of it, that meant the school administration had suppressed the news. This was standard practice in the country. Ji Yun realized this in an instant.

At first glance, the file appeared to be a routine investigative record from the "Fox Hunter Detective Agency." It concerned the case of a female student who had fallen to her death. While Ji Yun was surprised that such an event had occurred at his own school, he also found it strange. It was just a fatal fall—why hire a private investigator? Furthermore, even if it involved the children of some high-ranking figures, it shouldn't have been enough to warrant the murder of the detectives involved.

However, as he read the subsequent investigation logs, he realized the situation was far more complex than he had imagined.

...

The light from the phone screen illuminated the increasingly grave expressions on the uncle and nephew’s faces. They continued to read.

The contents of the incident investigation file were as follows:

"November 8: After several days of door-to-door inquiries and covert surveillance, no signs of bullying against Lin Kexin were found, nor were any complicated social relationships discovered. Tentative conclusion: the school’s report is credible. Case summary: No further investigation needed. Negotiating the end of the commission."

"November 10: The client issued a new request, stating that her granddaughter had appeared in a dream claiming to have been violated (see Appendix 3 for the detailed transcript of the client’s statement) and offered additional payment. Investigation reopened. Through technical means, we obtained the school’s sealed files and discovered suspicious points. Over the past twenty years, several similar cases of female students falling to their deaths have occurred in the T4 dormitory building. Strangely, the negative news regarding these cases was perfectly suppressed, with no information leaking out. We have confirmed the interference of a major conglomerate, or perhaps even higher-level powers... The risk assessment exceeds the potential reward. Decided to terminate the commission."

"November 11: The client came again to ask about the progress (Appendix 4). The other party gave me a reason I could not refuse. Investigation restarted."

"..."

Every trade has its tricks. Those who work as private investigators have their own ways of gathering intelligence. It might involve "informants," "bribery," "hacking," or other illicit, gray-area methods that skirt the law. This is precisely how they bring to light secrets that would otherwise remain hidden.

A series of suicides at the T4 girls' dormitory? Ji Yun had never heard of a single one. The suppression of information had been far too thorough.

The Fox Hunter Detective Agency had indeed uncovered some explosive secrets. But as Ji Yun read on, he felt that things were becoming increasingly wrong. From what he had seen so far, the agency’s actions were logical. Since they were in it for the money, once they discovered the involvement of powerful figures, it shouldn't have been worth the risk. Yet, the entry from November 11 showed that they had agreed to continue, fully aware of the massive danger.

Ji Yun whispered, filled with curiosity, "What kind of 'reason that couldn't be refused' did the client give to make the agency continue despite the obvious risk?"

Ji Huaichuan, standing beside him, was equally puzzled. "Indeed. If they were just after money, there was no need to gamble with their lives."

Holding onto their doubts, they continued to read. The content began to take an unusual turn.

The file continued:

"Discovered commonalities in several historical cases: the female students who fell all shared similar traits—pretty, long hair, wearing white when they fell—and all died around midnight (Appendix 6, stolen photos of school files). Suspected targeted serial killings or supernatural events."

"Basically confirmed that higher-level forces intervened, intentionally pruning police and school records. The methods were very clean; it is highly likely the work of the 'Cleaners' rumored in the black market."

"Confirmed that this case has taken a major turn."

"Hacked the computer of Lin Kexin’s roommate and recovered hard drive data, discovering daily records inconsistent with police files (Appendix 5). The roommate, 'Liao Feifei,' may be hiding important clues connected to the case."

"I realize I have touched upon some high-level secrets. Therefore, I have made some contingency plans and initiated a file backup."

"Through multiple inquiries, I found an informant from a fall five years ago. Investigation confirmed a hidden key truth: the girl who jumped was pregnant at the time of her death. But this was not recorded in any autopsy or school file."

"I think I may have touched upon the truth behind the serial killings..."

"The client’s granddaughter’s body has already been cremated. I went to the funeral home to investigate and found the cremation records were falsified. The body wasn't cremated; it went missing. I have decided to find a breakthrough through the forensic pathologist."

"..."

The file stopped abruptly there. It appeared that after finding a key clue, they had gone to verify it with the forensic examiner. The result, however, was that the entire detective agency was burned to the ground, and all four members died.

...

After finishing the file, a heavy, perplexing atmosphere filled the air.

Ji Yun pondered, "It seems this attitude of wanting to get to the bottom of things is what made the people behind the scenes feel threatened, which is why they sent someone to silence them."

Ji Huaichuan agreed, "Yes. That is quite a lot of trouble." Though he spoke seriously, his tone remained as indifferent as ever.

Ji Yun had originally thought the fall might involve common reasons like bullying, academic pressure, or cheating on exams. But after reading the materials, he realized the matter was more complex than he could have imagined. That mention of a "dream" was the most esoteric term in the text, yet looking at the file as a whole, it was the least significant detail.

Several girls had fallen to their deaths in the T4 dormitory, and the victims all shared common traits. This inevitably sparked wild speculation. And what were these "Cleaners"? Judging by the fire, the methods used by those who silenced the detectives were professional—not the work of ordinary killers.

Ji Yun couldn't imagine who would handle problems this way. Even if the school were run by major capitalists, would they really resort to murder to protect the school's reputation? This likely involved an even greater secret. The more he thought, the more questions he had.

Once Ji Huaichuan finished reading, he lost interest in the file entirely. He sat to the side, his worried expression smoothing out, and began sipping his drink again. Ji Yun wondered why his uncle had suddenly become so relaxed. He then realized that after they had read the file, the chilling sensation had vanished.

Checking with the gossip mirror, he no longer saw the spirit that had been digging at its eyes and blocking its ears. It seemed the ghost hadn't wanted to leave because it wanted someone to know that their death wasn't an accident, but that there were hidden circumstances. Now that someone had seen the file, the obsession had dissipated.

The "haunted house cleaning" was complete, and they would receive their final payment. Naturally, his uncle was no longer anxious.

Ji Yun suddenly understood. He looked at his leisurely uncle and asked, "Uncle, aren't you curious about the cases recorded in this file?"

"Not curious." Ji Huaichuan let out a belch, completely uninterested. He retorted, "Besides, what good would curiosity do?"

Ji Yun was left speechless. He was right. The USB drive couldn't be turned in, nor could they report it to the police. He didn't have the ability to investigate the truth himself. There was truly nothing they could do. The best way to handle it was to act as if nothing had happened.

...

Thinking of this, Ji Yun sat down and started eating the roast duck his uncle had somehow acquired. Yet, as soon as he sat down, various questions popped into his head. The cases in the file were too bizarre. He couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, why do you think those girls jumped?"

It was a series of falls. No matter how you looked at it, there was a major problem.

Ji Huaichuan replied, "How would I know? The professionals couldn't figure it out, so how would I?"

Ji Yun persisted, "Uncle, could it be a supernatural event?" The file had mentioned that the detective had suspected as much.

"Who knows?" Ji Huaichuan maintained his lazy, indifferent attitude. Seeing the burning curiosity in Ji Yun’s eyes, he added, "There is one point worth suspecting. Did you notice anything special about the victim in the file?"

Ji Yun recalled the victim's traits recorded in the file. "Extremely pretty?"

Ji Huaichuan teased, "Is that all you noticed?" He then instructed, "Don't just look at the surface. Look at the causal connections hidden beneath the details."

Ji Yun listened intently.

Ji Huaichuan revealed the secret, "Didn't you notice anything wrong with the victim's birthday?"

Ji Yun looked; the file was very detailed, but they were just numbers. "What's wrong with it?"

Ji Huaichuan didn't hold back, explaining, "The Eight Characters corresponding to this birthday are very special. The Year Pillar is Yiyou—Yi is Yin Wood, You is Yin Metal, making it a Yin Year; the Month Pillar is Xin-Si, Yin Metal and Yin Fire, a Yin Month; the Day Pillar is Gui-Wei, Yin Water and Yin Earth, a Yin Day; the Hour Pillar is Gui-Hai, Yin Water and Yin Water. This is a 'Pure Yin' Eight-Character chart."

"Oh?" Ji Yun knew nothing about the Eight Characters. But he knew some rural superstitions. A "Pure Yin" chart referred to someone born in a Yin year, Yin month, Yin day, and Yin hour. It wasn't that special—plenty of people were born in that time frame. However, folk legends held that people with such a chart were prone to attracting "unclean" things. That was why many old-time mediums had such charts.

With this revelation, the case felt even more connected to the supernatural. His uncle was indeed his uncle; he had spotted the overlooked key at a glance.

Ji Yun asked, confused, "But why would a detective record someone’s birth date in such detail?"

Ji Huaichuan said, "Those who work as detectives have more or less encountered strange things. This one was something of an expert too; he knew the matter might involve the supernatural, so he recorded it. It doesn't necessarily mean it was ghosts. After all, the motives for many criminal cases are tied to these Eight Characters. For instance, in the country to the south of the peninsula, cases of cult sacrifices are frequent; that’s nothing new. The line of investigation in the file wasn't wrong; they just provoked a big shot they shouldn't have..."

"Oh." Ji Yun listened, lost in thought.

That was the extent of the file's content. His uncle had no interest in digging deeper and said no more. Although Ji Yun was curious, he had no way to piece together the cause and effect. He decided to stop thinking about it.

The spirit was gone, and he could finally calm down to practice his breathing techniques. The two of them stood guard in the basement for the rest of the night.