Ghost Behind You

1.30. The Final Puzzle (1)

Closing the diary, Rose and Zach exchanged glances, a shared sense of victory lighting up their faces. They couldn't help but smile. The puzzle of Lana's life and death was finally coming together. With all the evidence they had—Lana's diary, the testimonies from the spirits, and Rose's dreams—they could now piece together the events that had unfolded after Lana left home.

Lana Chao had left home at eighteen, relying on her special abilities as a Yao witch, traveling the world with her beloved cat, Ony. She had visited many places, lived through countless experiences. In the final months of her life, during a spiritual battle, Ony had been severely injured. To end her cat's suffering, Lana had mercifully put it to rest, burying Ony in the bathroom of Room 104. Ony had been her spiritual companion, and its death was devastating. Unbeknownst to Lana, Ony's deep emotional pain at being put down had drastically amplified its spiritual energy. In the dark, damp confines of the bathroom, Ony's spirit completed a "Black Cat Soul Reaping Ritual." Zach now admitted that Lana likely hadn't known about this ancient witchcraft; the ritual had probably been performed unintentionally.

Seeking revenge for Ony, Lana returned to the hotel two months later. But instead of achieving her goal, she was severely injured in another spiritual battle. While recuperating at the hotel, she crossed paths with her killer. The details of how they met remained unclear, but it was obvious the man had taken advantage of Lana's weakened state, raping and ultimately killing her.

"If Lana had been healthy," Zach noted, "the killer likely wouldn't have succeeded. Based on her diary, she knew powerful dark magic she could've used to protect herself."

After murdering her, the killer buried her body in a secluded part of the forest and fled. Rose added, "Since there was no autopsy and the dreams only provided partial details, we can't confirm if the murder happened in Room 104. It's possible the killer knocked her unconscious there and moved her elsewhere."

The killer didn't return to the hotel at night after the murder. He came back during the day to steal the guest registry, but upon realizing no one had noticed Lana's disappearance, he simply hid the registry instead of destroying it. A hotel cleaner later found the registry, leading to a key piece of evidence.

Lana's ghost lingered near the hotel, bound by the unfinished business of revenge and the powerful spiritual energy from Ony's ritual. The Black Cat Soul Reaping Ritual fueled two mysterious suicides, each death feeding Lana's growing power.

But when Rose and Zach arrived, they disrupted Lana's ritual, preventing her from continuing to grow in strength. Furthermore, Ony's spirit had attached itself to Rose, further complicating Lana's plans. Lana then turned her attention to Rose, intending to drain her soul to amplify her own power and carry out her revenge.

Zach reflected on the first time he had met Rose. "That afternoon, I saw dark energy surrounding you. I warned you because I sensed something was off." His warning had changed everything for Rose, pulling her attention toward Lana's case. If Zach hadn't said anything, Rose might have died that night at the hands of the Footstep Monster.

Rose didn't believe in fate, but meeting Zach felt like destiny now. She couldn't deny it anymore.

As for Rose's dreams, Zach explained them as a manifestation of her latent abilities, much like her ability to see spirits. Rose had a natural spiritual gift, and her dreams played a crucial role in uncovering Lana's death and the identity of her killer. Though some details in the dreams differed from reality—like Lana opening her eyes at the end—the dreams had provided invaluable guidance.

Now, they had a clear timeline, location, and the key people involved in the murder:

Time: The night of August 9th to the early morning of August 10th, 2006 (verified by the diary and guest registry).

Locations: The crime occurred in two locations—Room 104 (confirmed by Lana's ghost) and the burial site in the forest (revealed in Rose's dream).

People: The victim was Lana Chao Adams, though the killer's identity remained unknown, his motive likely sexual assault.

The weapon and Lana's body were still missing, but Rose and Zach were close. Despite many leads coming from "spirit testimonies" and dreams, Rose had no doubt about their authenticity. All that remained was to find the killer. Rose was confident that, with Lana's ghost assisting them, the truth would soon come to light.

Zach had scouted the surrounding area of the hotel on his first day. Situated in a forest park, the hotel was surrounded by dense woods, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact burial site. However, they were getting closer.

In a final breakthrough, Rose found Lana's old phone number in the contacts section of her diary. Using it, she tracked down Lana's call records. She discovered that the phone had only been used twice after August 8, 2006. The first call, made by Lana, was to a client in Jinan. But the second call, placed at 8 a.m. on August 10th, was much more telling—it had likely been made by the killer after Lana's death.

The recipient of that second call? A man named Tian Weidong.

Rose exhaled deeply. Tian Weidong wasn't just anyone—he was the owner of the hotel. While he wasn't the killer, he was clearly connected to the murderer.

As the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, Rose and Zach knew they were close. The killer's time was running out.