Chapter 21: Shes Been Dead for Months!
The power of money is formidable. Despite the middle-aged man's imposing stature, his earlier reactions hinted at his lack of courage.
However, as soon as Yang Haoran mentioned money, the middle-aged man's response became somewhat nuanced, hesitating!
Seeing this, Yang Haoran sensed an opportunity. He forcefully dragged the middle-aged man out, anxiously saying, "Help me open this door first. I'll make sure you're satisfied with the price once it's done!"
"I'm not interested in empty promises! Do you take me for a three-year-old?" The middle-aged man sneered, turning to go back inside.
Though cursing internally, Yang Haoran didn't voice it out. He swiftly took out his wallet from his jacket pocket and emptied all the cash from his wallet, directly handing it to the middle-aged man.
"Here's over five hundred for now. Once it's done, I'll give you another five hundred. Please hurry and help, or it'll be a disaster!" Yang Haoran urged anxiously.
The initial five hundred yuan was given to Yang Haoran by Jiang Zhenzhen. He hadn't had the chance to deposit it in the bank, little did he expect it to come in handy now.
The loose change beyond the five hundred was his own remaining money. To show his sincerity, he stuffed all of this change into the middle-aged man's hands as well.
Seeing Yang Haoran emptying his wallet without any sign of deceit, the middle-aged man finally accepted the cash, gave it a brief look under the light, and pocketed it.
"You promised there'd be another five hundred once it's done," the middle-aged man reminded.
Yang Haoran nodded vigorously. "Definitely! Please, help me open the door first. Do you have any tools at home?"
To rescue Jiang Zhenzhen, they needed to open the security door first. It was unrealistic to expect Jiang Zhenzhen to open the door from the inside. Firstly, a thug wouldn't open a door willingly, and secondly, Jiang Zhenzhen wouldn't endure suffering inside if she had the ability to open it.
Thus, breaking in was the only option!
With just Yang Haoran alone, it was impossible to open the security door in a short time. He lacked the ability to do so, hence why he sought the middle-aged man's help.
"You wait here!" The middle-aged man left a remark and went straight inside.
Yang Haoran was filled with anxiety, but he had no choice. He kicked the security door vigorously with his foot, but besides producing dull thudding sounds, it was futile.
Jiang Zhenzhen's terrified screams continued to echo, each one pricking Yang Haoran's nerves!
"Open the door! You bastard, open the door! If you dare, open the door and let me in! Let's see if I can't kill you!!!" Yang Haoran fiercely kicked the door while shouting angrily.
"Get out of the way, don't get in the way!"
As Yang Haoran turned around, he happened to see the middle-aged man emerging from his house, holding a mobile phone and a hefty object, which visually overshadowed Yang Haoran's kitchen knife.
Damn, it was a chainsaw!
The sight made Yang Haoran involuntarily take a step back. He couldn't believe the middle-aged man had brought out a chainsaw from his house.
Suddenly, he became wary of the middle-aged man. Compared to the chainsaw, the kitchen knife in Yang Haoran's hand was nothing. If the middle-aged man lost his mind and made a move with that chainsaw, Yang Haoran would be in deep trouble.
Ignoring Yang Haoran, the middle-aged man, seeing Yang Haoran retreat, pulled the chainsaw's cord and started it up.
Vroom!!!
The sound of the chainsaw sent shivers down Yang Haoran's spine. Watching the chainsaw whirring rapidly, he couldn't help but imagine the horrifying scene if it were to land on a person.
Yang Haoran shuddered, daring not to dwell on the thought. By now, the chainsaw had landed on the security door, emitting a piercing noise.
"This chainsaw of mine is the latest model. It can cut through reinforced concrete. A flimsy security door? Piece of cake!" The middle-aged man boasted loudly, appearing excited. His demeanor had shifted drastically from before; if he was somewhat timid earlier, now he seemed not only brave but also reckless!
In just a short while, the security door was sawed open by the middle-aged man's chainsaw. Seeing this, Yang Haoran, regardless of the potential danger from the chainsaw, rushed inside the house.
The moment he burst in, a familiar chill greeted him, freezing him in place, his face etched with shock!
Not frozen by the cold, but startled by the scene before him!
At the same moment Yang Haoran froze, the middle-aged man wielding the chainsaw also charged in.
"Damn it, you've disturbed me all night. Tonight, I'll make sure you know what a terrifying chainsaw is!" The middle-aged man's face was crazed as he forcibly pulled Yang Haoran away, intent on settling scores with the thugs as mentioned by Yang Haoran!
However, when he pulled Yang Haoran away, his reaction was no different from Yang Haoran's. He too stood frozen in place, and the chainsaw in his hand clattered to the ground.
Yet, he snapped out of it in just a moment. Mechanically, he turned his head towards Yang Haoran and uttered in a wooden tone, "You damn liar, what thugs? She's been dead for months."
The middle-aged man's voice lacked any emotion, as if he had lost all feelings at that moment. With those words spoken, his eyes rolled back, and his towering figure slumped to the ground, unconscious.
The middle-aged man's voice jolted Yang Haoran out of his daze. His face paled, and he cursed under his breath.
"Damn it... are you kidding me!"
Although the room wasn't lit, the moonlight provided enough illumination to see clearly inside.
Despite the visibility, under the moonlight, the rented room appeared even colder.
At that moment, Jiang Zhenzhen was curled up in a corner, disheveled, trembling, and continuously screaming hoarsely. Her screams sounded weak and hoarse due to her already sore throat.
Standing in front of Jiang Zhenzhen was a decayed old woman, or rather, it was more fitting to say she was floating.
She hovered in front of Jiang Zhenzhen, seemingly intending to do something to her.
When Yang Haoran burst into the room from outside, he witnessed this scene. Of course, the old woman also sensed his presence. She turned around, wearing a grotesque smile, facing him squarely.
Yang Haoran, who had initially intended to come in and deal with thugs, was dumbfounded at the sight of the decayed and maggots-infested face of the old woman. His mind buzzed, and he froze on the spot.
There were no thugs inside; this damn place was haunted!
When Jiang Zhenzhen had approached Yang Haoran earlier, she had detailed the haunting incidents in the house. Particularly when mentioning the Decaying Corpse Granny, Jiang Zhenzhen, although fearful, described it in great detail because she knew it was crucial. Her problem to deal with revolved around it. Hence, she described the Decaying Corpse Granny in great detail.
It was because of this that Yang Haoran had mentally conjured up the terrifying image of the Decaying Corpse Granny!
When he saw the decayed old woman in front of him, he immediately thought of who the Decaying Corpse Granny was, surely it was the same as described by Jiang Zhenzhen!
Although the appearance of the Decaying Corpse Granny was completely different from what he had imagined, the horrifying aspect of her appearance far exceeded his mental image!
It was because of the horrifying appearance of the Decaying Corpse Granny that he was momentarily scared silly.
Although he made a living out of this, he was, after all, just a charlatan, lacking any real ability. Moreover, he had never truly encountered a ghost since he started this line of work. Today was the first time, and it was a terrifying experience.
He originally thought it was some thug lurking around, who happened to have targeted Jiang Zhenzhen and followed her home, intending to force himself upon her. However, he never expected things to turn out like this.
Whether the Decaying Corpse Granny was a thug, he wasn't sure, but judging by her actions towards Jiang Zhenzhen, she was indeed preparing to force herself upon her. It was just that her intentions were different from those of regular thugs.
Yang Haoran stared dumbfoundedly at the Decaying Corpse Granny, who in turn, was also looking at him. Her terrifying appearance and sinister smile made his body involuntarily tremble!
At that moment, he envied the middle-aged man lying unconscious on the floor. He wouldn't have to deal with this overwhelming fear anymore. He wanted to faint too, but he didn't have that ability.
Just as Yang Haoran's mind was filled with fear, the Decaying Corpse Granny suddenly disappeared from his sight. Before he could react, in the next moment, her horrifying decayed face was right in front of him!
Yang Haoran's pupils dilated suddenly, fear spread all over his face. The sudden appearance of the Decaying Corpse Granny almost stopped his heart. If he hadn't caught his breath, he might have been scared to death by her sudden appearance!
In panic, Yang Haoran, drawing strength from somewhere, swung the kitchen knife in his hand towards the Decaying Corpse Granny!
Clang!!!
The kitchen knife pierced through the Decaying Corpse Granny's body, heavily hitting the wall, leaving a mark, and numbing Yang Haoran's wrist with the impact.
If one didn't look carefully, the Decaying Corpse Granny's body appeared quite realistic under the moonlight, almost indistinguishable from a real person, except for the fact that her feet couldn't be seen. However, when Yang Haoran's knife passed through her body, it proved that she was incorporeal.
Yang Haoran's slash didn't hurt the Decaying Corpse Granny, but it seemed to have enraged her. She sneered at Yang Haoran, revealing sharp teeth, disgusting pus constantly oozing from her mouth, dripping onto the floor.
However, the pus disappeared as soon as it fell to the ground, leaving no traces, as if it had never existed.
"Young man, do you know what 'crunchy' means?" The Decaying Corpse Granny asked Yang Haoran in a sinister tone. However, she didn't seem to intend to let Yang Haoran answer her question. As she finished speaking, she forcefully broke her right index finger and threw it into her mouth, chewing on it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sound of her finger being chewed sounded crunchy!