Resurgence of the Unknown

Chapter 33: The Mannequin

"Hey, what have you been up to these days? Have you forgotten about me? You haven't called, and I'm bored out of my mind. Want to hang out at your place? Maybe hit the massage parlor tonight?"

In the mall, Yang Jian received a call from Zhang Wei.

"You'd better not come to my house. My dad might be there. I ran into him last night, and he nearly killed me. I'm working out here right now," Yang Jian said while changing into his security guard uniform in the locker room.

"But didn't you say your dad passed away?" Zhang Wei asked, puzzled.

"He did, which is why I found a job that includes room and board. I don't dare stay at home," Yang Jian replied.

"Holy crap, your house is haunted!" Zhang Wei exclaimed, suddenly alarmed.

"Yeah, it's haunted, but that thing's not as scary as Old Man Moneybags. I can manage, barely," Yang Jian said. "So, what's up? Why'd you call?"

"Nothing much, really. I'm just bored at home and thought I'd hang out with you," Zhang Wei said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, relieved he'd called ahead. "By the way, where are you working now?"

"At a mall," Yang Jian answered.

"Are they hiring? I could use a job too. I'm just sitting at home since I took a break from school and have nothing to do," Zhang Wei suggested.

"You might not want to. This place could be haunted too. The moment I walked in, I smelled something rotten, like a corpse. They say people have gone missing here. The police even put up barricades, but the case is still unsolved. Whoever went missing has probably rotted away by now, but they still haven't found the body," Yang Jian explained.

"..."

"Can't you find a normal job? If you need a place to stay, just come to my house. My bed's big and warm, and I'll even feed you," Zhang Wei said, almost in tears.

Yang Jian said, "Lately, Wang Shanshan's been acting weird, saying something's following her. She might have been targeted by that ghost baby from school. Her dad called me today, so be careful. I can't be sure that ghost baby won't go after someone else. If you get the chance, warn everyone in our group."

"Man, don't say that. I just bought a new computer. Come over, and we'll play PUBG together. Let's just be shut-ins for life. Who needs work when we've got anime and games? I'll even take care of you," Zhang Wei said, almost crying.

What's happened to the world? Ghosts are everywhere. Looks like I'd better stick close to my buddy.

"I can't. I have things to do. Just be careful, okay?" Yang Jian hung up the phone.

He finished changing into his uniform and walked out of the locker room.

"Why'd you take so long?"

Another young man outside, Liu Qiang, a recent college graduate who'd started working at the mall not long ago, asked.

"As per the rules, we have to patrol the entire mall five times a day: once in the morning, once at noon, once in the afternoon, and twice at night. It's 4 PM now, so let's start early," Liu Qiang said.

Yang Jian followed him, asking, "Are we the only two security guards in the entire mall?"

"Yeah, it's just us. There used to be another guy, but he went missing, and they haven't been able to hire anyone else since, so I've been covering his shifts," Liu Qiang replied.

"Missing? With so many disappearances at this mall, why haven't you quit? How can you keep working here?" Yang Jian asked.

"I'm not from around here. It's hard to find a job with room and board and decent pay right after graduation, so I'm sticking with it. Are you a high schooler? Shouldn't you be in school? The college entrance exams are coming up," Liu Qiang asked.

"I'm on a break from school, probably won't be taking the exams," Yang Jian replied.

Liu Qiang didn't press further and instead said, "I usually start patrolling from the fifth floor and work my way down. After checking the parking lot, we'll be done. The mall's power is out, so the elevators aren't working. We'll have to take the stairs."

"Have you noticed anything strange while working here? Does this mall seem off to you?" Yang Jian asked, turning on his flashlight to illuminate the surroundings.

"Strange? What do you mean?" Liu Qiang asked, puzzled.

"For example, have you ever noticed a weird smell in the mall?" Yang Jian asked.

"Sometimes. It's probably from spoiled frozen food in the freezers. They'll clean it out before reopening," Liu Qiang replied.

"I mean, have you ever thought that this mall might be haunted?" Yang Jian asked.

"Haunted?" Liu Qiang chuckled. "You're a high schooler, right? How can you believe in that stuff? If it were really haunted, wouldn't I have run into something by now? The boss believes in that kind of thing, though. He's been trying to hire a master to perform an exorcism. One guy came by a while ago, but it didn't do much. So, the boss went out of town to find a more renowned master."

"If it's not haunted, then how do you explain the disappearances? The mall isn't that big, so if someone went missing here, where could they be?" Yang Jian asked.

"It's not necessarily true that they disappeared in the mall. The police said the last footage of the missing person was from inside the mall, but maybe it was a kidnapping or robbery. Anyway, since the mall closed, there haven't been any more disappearances," Liu Qiang replied.

"Wait," Yang Jian suddenly stopped, his expression changing.

"What's wrong, man?"

Yang Jian pointed ahead, "Didn't you say we're the only ones patrolling the mall? Then what's that?"

A figure stood motionless in the darkness ahead, like a wooden statue.

Liu Qiang shone his flashlight on it, revealing a mannequin.

"It's just a mannequin. You scared me for nothing."

He walked over, picked up the mannequin, and placed it inside a nearby shop.

The dark shop was filled with a dozen mannequins, all missing arms or legs. None of them were complete, and they were arranged haphazardly, clearly having been neglected for some time.

"Nothing to worry about. Let's go patrol the next floor," Liu Qiang said.

Yang Jian asked, "Why was that mannequin in the middle of the hallway? Didn't you see it during your earlier patrol?"

"I didn't see it during my noon patrol. This is the first time I've seen it. Maybe Sister Li and the others were using it to try on clothes. It wouldn't be the first time," Liu Qiang replied.

"Is that so..."

Yang Jian wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but the smell of decay seemed to be getting stronger.

As they moved on, back at the shop they had just patrolled, the mannequin was now standing in the doorway again, motionless, its head facing the direction where Yang Jian and Liu Qiang had disappeared.

After patrolling the entire mall, nothing unusual had happened. Maybe Yang Jian had been wrong. Perhaps this was just an ordinary criminal case with no supernatural involvement. Earning that million yuan from the mall's owner wasn't going to be easy.

Yang Jian decided to stay for the three-day probation period. If nothing happened, he'd quit and move on. There was no point wasting time here.

After finishing his patrol and returning to the security office, his satellite phone rang. It was Wang Shanshan's father, Wang Bin.