S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 6 Chapter 163

The Wisteria Murderer 07 – Unclean Land

---

The so-called abandoned area, Bai Yutang had imagined it might just be a single street or neighbourhood, but when the car reached the vicinity of the "entrance", they discovered that it really was an entire "district".

Centred around an abandoned building, it encompassed a number of surrounding structures. The entire outer perimeter had been enclosed with corrugated metal sheets and wire fencing, with only a two-metre-wide gap left open. Beside it, someone had spray-painted the three words: "Abandoned District Entrance" in white paint.

There was no way the car could get in. Bai Yutang looked around, trying to find somewhere to park, but although the area nearby was very open, there were no other vehicles in sight.

Xiao Yang pointed the way and said it would be better to park near the exit.

Zhan Zhao found it quite novel. "There's even a separate entrance and exit? Can't we come back out through the entrance?"

"You can't, once you enter the abandoned district, you have to follow the rules. You go in through the entrance and out through the exit. If you get them mixed up, you'll bring something unclean out with you!" Xiao Yang held up one finger and wagged it back and forth.

Bai Yutang didn't argue with him. Since Xiao Yang was leading the way, whatever he said would go.

The car drove alongside the abandoned district's metal fencing for a while before they came upon an open-air parking lot with several vehicles parked inside.

Everyone from SCI got out and followed Xiao Yang back the way they had come, circling around to the entrance of the abandoned district.

Xiao Yang took a bundle of incense out of his bag, leaving everyone somewhat bewildered.

Once they entered through the entrance, they really did catch the scent of burning incense.

Zhan Zhao looked down and discovered that several incense burners had been placed against the wall just beyond the entrance, with sticks of incense that were still burning.

Zhan Zhao silently glanced at Bai Yutang. Bai Yutang merely shook his head helplessly – Superstitious nonsense.

Xiao Yang respectfully took a statue of Guan Gong out of his bag, lit the incense, and first bowed three times to Lord Guan, then he turned around and bowed towards the dilapidated building at the centre of the abandoned district.

He performed a small ritual by himself, though he didn't force anyone else to join him.

Afterwards, he put the statue of Guan Gong back into his bag and beckoned to the others. "All right, let's go. Shall we go and see the wisteria first, or that building?"

"What do you think?" Bai Yutang looked at the sky and felt that they would only have time to visit one place before dark. In that case, they should go into the building while there is still daylight. After all, seeing the wisteria only required walking on level ground, making it somewhat safer than the abandoned building.

Xiao Yang had the same plan. In his opinion, entering that building was an offence to the spirits of the dead, so they absolutely couldn't go there after dark.

As they made their way towards the building, however, what they encountered along the way was somewhat different from what they had expected.

According to its reputation, the place was not only abandoned but haunted as well, yet walking through it did not feel particularly eerie.

The walls on both sides were covered in all kinds of graffiti, making the place look more like a street art exhibition area.

There were also a few scattered pedestrians along the way, most of them filming videos. Some were skateboarding, some were cycling, while others darted along the tops of the walls, clacking their spray-paint cans as they went.

Because there are almost no residents or pedestrians in this area, it has instead become quite suitable for filming videos, as though they had wandered into some sort of cyberpunk-style photography district.

Mia was walking along with a selfie stick holding her phone, filming as she went. Since most of the people along the road were carrying recording equipment, she didn't stand out at all and was able to blend in quite naturally.

As they walked, Hu Zi complained to Ma Han, "Are you sure this is an abandoned district? Why does it look like a film set? It's a shame they're not setting up stalls selling barbecue."

Ma Han was also observing their surroundings. Every now and then, they could still see some residential buildings, and the ones with air-conditioning units installed were probably still occupied. They looked like shantytown housing, but there really were no shops. They had walked all this way without even seeing a single little convenience shop. That was actually quite unusual. No matter how chaotic a place was, as long as there were people, there would definitely be somewhere selling water and food. Even opening a little shop selling spray paint here would surely turn a profit... Yet there was not a single shop. Could the place really be haunted?

The crowd arrived in front of the abandoned building.

The four exterior walls on the lower half of the building were well-preserved, while the upper half had been wrapped in blue tarpaulin, presumably covering the sections of the exterior walls that had been burnt away.

"Weren't there two incidents of people falling from the building before?" Bai Yutang examined the exterior of the entire building. There were barriers at the higher levels, while the glass windows in the exterior walls at the lower levels were all intact. "Where did they fall from? Inside?"

They pushed open the glass doors on the ground floor. The interior was brighter than they had expected.

The ground-floor lobby had an extremely high ceiling. It was spacious, open and surprisingly clean, looking more like an unfinished building that had only just been constructed than an abandoned one...

This entire complex had a circular layout, with a very large atrium in the middle. When they tilted their heads back, they could see the sky directly above them.

"Was the roof burnt right through?" Luo Tian looked curiously at the chimney-like structure and asked Qin Ou.

Qin Ou shook her head. "It probably collapsed later."

Looking around again, everyone finally understood how the two previous victims had accidentally fallen to their deaths. Just looking up like this made them feel that it was very dangerous up there.

The shopping centre must have originally had railings or glass curtain walls on every floor, but they had all been removed now. The floor slabs on each level simply jutted out from the exterior walls, while the side facing the atrium was completely open, without the slightest barrier.

There were also voices and the sound of footsteps running coming from upstairs.

Everyone instinctively looked at Xiao Yang – Is this really supposed to be some haunted house or notorious murder site? It doesn't feel eerie at all.

Xiao Yang spread his hands, explaining that he had only lived nearby in the past, and even just passing by and hearing some of the rumours had made the place seem eerie. After the abandoned district had been fenced off over the past few years, he had only come here a few times for work. They should hurry upstairs, have a look around, and leave.

When Bai Yutang reached the second floor, he instinctively grabbed Zhan Zhao.

Once they were upstairs, it looked even more dangerous. The floor was uneven, and in some places there were even holes...

Luo Tian and Qin Ou pulled Mia towards the middle, while Zhao Hu and Ma Han kept their eyes on the ground as they walked.

However, the most spine-chilling thing was still the people in the building.

There weren't many people in the building, but every now and then they could vaguely make out one or two figures flashing past, followed by all sorts of "gulu-lu, gulu-lu" rolling and sliding noises. The SCI team were quite familiar with that sound, it was the sound of Zhan Zhao sliding around on an office chair in the corridor whenever he was irritated. It was particularly maddening to listen to, and after complaints from people upstairs and downstairs, Bao Sir had been so furious that he had wanted to have speed bumps installed in the corridor.

Mia tilted her ear to listen for a moment, then frowned and pointed at a warning sign lying on the ground nearby that read "No Trespassing". She crossed her arms towards Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, then pointed upstairs.

At this moment, whether or not they understood sign language, everyone could tell that Mia thought that using anything with wheels in a place like this was extremely dangerous.

Bai Yutang also thought it was ridiculous. Is there really no one in charge of this place? They knew enough to put up tarpaulins outside to keep out the rain, so could they not install some sort of fall-prevention netting inside? There had already been two deaths...

The group continued up the stairs. The incident had occurred on the tenth floor of the Wisteria Hotel. Qiu Xiaoyu, who had fallen from the building, had been on the ninth floor, while the other victim, Zhao Chang, had been on the eleventh floor. The Wisteria Hotel was right between the two floors.

The structure of this building was very similar to that of an ordinary commercial complex. The staircases were on the outside, while the inside had elevators running straight up and down, as well as escalators. However, all the elevators had been abandoned and dismantled, so they could only use the emergency stairway on the outside.

When they reached the seventh floor, a cordon had been put up. Black marks had also begun to appear on the floor and walls, and there was a complicated smell in the air.

The crowd stepped over the cordon and continued upwards, floor by floor. The signs of burning all around them became increasingly obvious.

When they reached the ninth floor, they suddenly felt a chill.

Zhan Zhao shuddered and looked around in confusion. "Why does it feel like the air conditioning is on this floor?"

"Heavy yin energy?" Zhao Hu instinctively added.

Bai Yutang naturally didn't believe in such things, but he could also feel that the temperature on this floor was noticeably lower.

Fortunately, they had someone knowledgeable with them. Qin Ou quickly explained, "There's a tarpaulin covering the outside, isn't there? That blue tarpaulin blocks out sunlight. On top of that, these floors were exposed to high temperatures when they were burnt, so the walls may have developed leaks. And it's rained recently, so it's relatively damp. That's why the perceived temperature on these floors may be a little lower than on the floors below."

"Oh..." Everyone nodded – So that's why.

"Shall we check this floor first?" Bai Yutang pulled aside the cordon at the entrance and led everyone inside. Qin Ou moved to the front, telling everyone to watch their step.

Luo Tian was holding onto Mia's backpack. He had one job, to keep an eye on the child.

Yang Xiaogao followed closely behind Bai Yutang, walking in alongside Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao could hear him muttering away under his breath, reciting things like, "Within and beyond the three realms, only the Dao is supreme... Though I see it not, though I hear it not..."

Curious, Zhan Zhao asked him, "What are you mumbling about?"

Yang Xiaogao gripped the cross hanging around his neck and said, "The Golden Light Divine Incantation!"

Zhan Zhao looked at him speechlessly – He really believes in a bizarre mixture of everything...

There were still no railings on this floor, though there were plenty of warning signs, and a cordon had also been symbolically strung along the outer edge. Sure enough... just as Qin Ou had deduced, this floor was relatively darker because the windows around the perimeter had all been covered with tarpaulins.

Yang Xiaogao had come to collect Qiu Xiaoyu's body before. He pointed towards the side of the platform directly opposite the main entrance and said, "She fell from there."

Everyone shook their heads, this place really was dangerous.

Mia looked up at the structure of the ceiling. She realised there was nothing particularly interesting to play with around here, so what was there to practise? Could it be... that they flew outside and jumped across to the floor of the opposite building? That would be completely absurd.

Just then, everyone heard the clear sound of wheels rolling from upstairs.

Zhao Hu tilted his head back. "No way... wasn't the tenth floor where the fire happened back then?"

This time, they could hear not only the sound of wheels and footsteps, but also laughter and playful chatter.

Hu Zi grabbed Ma Han. "If we go up there and find nobody, let's get the hell out of here!"

Yang Xiaogao had already started reciting the Great Compassion Mantra.

The group followed the staircase upwards. When they reached the tenth floor and had just stepped through the entrance, a figure suddenly shot past them with a whoosh.

"Whoa!"

It wasn't anyone from SCI who had shouted, the cry had come from the side.

The figure that had just shot past them came to a stop on one side of the doorway. It was a young man wearing roller skates.

The boy wasn't particularly tall, had dark skin and dyed blue hair, and was wearing a T-shirt and jeans with a black baseball cap. On his feet were a pair of unusually designed wheeled shoes that even lit up.

Two people stood on the other side of the doorway, a man and a woman.

The girl had a golden-blonde buzz cut and smoky eye make-up. She was petite, wearing a cropped top and baggy pants, with a matching pair of wheeled shoes on her feet.

The young man beside her had a close-cropped buzz cut, with a dragon shaved into the hair with a razor. He was wearing a black vest and black pants, and one of his arms was covered in a full-sleeve tattoo. He was holding a tripod and filming equipment in his hands. He was the one who had shouted just now.

The three people looked quite young, and it was hard to say whether their outfits could be described as fashionable, avant-garde, or simply bizarre.

However, Bai Yutang was not particularly interested in studying the three of them. As soon as he entered the tenth floor, his attention was drawn to the "marks" on the ground.

There were many white human-shaped outlines on the floor. Although all the furniture had been removed and the floor had been charred black, those lopsided white human figures stood out all the more starkly against it.

Just then, the man who had shouted "Whoa!" earlier complained to them, "What a waste of a shot! Do you even know the rules? When you see someone taking a shot, you shouldn't come barging in..."

Hu Zi raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down.

The young man was at most a little eccentric, but when he encountered the genuine streetwise swagger of Zhao Hu, his bravado immediately weakened. Seeing that quite a few people had come in, a whole line of tall, handsome men who all looked rather serious, with an air that did not really suggest they were there to have fun... the three exchanged glances, looking somewhat uneasy.

The girl asked, "Who are you?"

Just then, the young man from the other side came skating back over.

Zhan Zhao looked down, somewhat interested in his shoes, thinking they looked more useful than the swivel chairs at the police station.

"You look a bit familiar!" The young man skated over, spun around, and carefully studied Bai Yutang. "Oh! You're that... something-or-other-i person, you're a cop, right?!"

Bai Yutang observed the way he had stopped just now and felt that the man had excellent balance. Looking at his physique as well, he seemed to have trained for many years... Could he be some kind of professional athlete?

Just then, Mia suddenly slipped between the two of them and made a somewhat peculiar gesture towards the young man on roller skates.

"Oh!" The young man immediately laughed. "That's right! It's the three of us!"

When the other two saw Mia's gesture, smiles immediately appeared on their faces as well. The girl in particular had looked rather cold when they had first met, but after realising that Mia seemed unable to speak, she put an arm around her and took a photo with her, looking quite friendly.

Some things, particularly a person's instinctive reaction, could not be faked. After observing the three, Zhan Zhao felt that although their clothing and appearance were somewhat unusual, they didn't seem to be bad people, so he chatted with them for a while.

Bai Yutang led the SCI team to investigate the scene first.

The three were a group who had been making a show about extreme sports, they really weren't delinquent youths.

The roller-skating guy was called Hei Zhen. He was a professional athlete specialising in roller skating.

The girl was called Xiao Wei, a second-year student studying sociology at S University.

The bald man was a photographer named Tian Bian.

Of course, these were all stage names. The trio's collective nickname was "Wei-Zhen-Tian". They all loved extreme sports and had been friends for many years.

Their show was quite popular among young people who enjoyed outdoor sports. Its style was all about doing deliberately bizarre things, and Mia was a loyal viewer.

Bai Yutang discovered that all the ventilation ducts had been removed, so he looked at Qin Ou – Would they normally be removed in a situation like this?

Qin Ou wasn't sure either, they would have to ask whoever was in charge. It was also possible that an investigative agency had removed them and taken them back for further analysis.

"What are you filming here?" Zhan Zhao asked the three of them, wanting to know whether they knew what this floor was.

Xiao Wei pointed at the shoes on her feet and said that they had taken on an advertising job promoting these outdoor roller skates, and the location had been specified by the advertiser.

Bai Yutang frowned. "What advertiser? Do you know that this used to be the scene of a fire where many people died?"

The three nodded, saying that of course they knew, but the other side was paying them quite a lot, and surely it would be fine coming during broad daylight.

Yang Xiaogao shook his head repeatedly, then took the statue of Guan Gong and an incense burner out of his bag, preparing to pay his respects.

Xiao Wei and Tian Bian hurried over to join him, while Hei Zhen merely looked indifferent. "It's not like we were the ones who killed them, so what's the big deal...?"

After saying that, he asked Bai Yutang, "We've only got a few shots left, we're planning to finish filming before dark... That's not illegal, right?"

Bai Yutang asked him, "Do you have to film on this floor? Do you know what those white human-shaped outlines on the ground mean?"

"Of course, it's that outline of a body the cops drew after someone died there, aren't they?" Hei Zhen nodded. "That's exactly the effect the advertiser wants. These shoes light up, and they said they wanted it to feel like skating through a crime scene!"

Bai Yutang was utterly stunned and turned to look at Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao also looked somewhat bewildered – What kind of advertiser is this? Is this really not illegal?

Meanwhile, after setting down the statue of Guan Gong, Yang Xiaogao took out the incense and lighter, but no matter how hard he tried, the lighter wouldn't ignite. Looking at the three sticks of incense that refused to light, Xiao Yang began muttering again. "This is very bad... Namo Guanshiyin Pusa!"

As Yang Xiaogao recited Buddhist prayers, for some reason he suddenly whipped around, dropped the incense and lighter, and ran towards Hei Zhen.

Almost simultaneously, while Hei Zhen was talking to Bai Yutang, he suddenly spun around on the spot. Then it was as though someone had given him a push from behind, and he went sliding towards the atrium.

"Waaa!" Amid everyone's screams, Hei Zhen shot off the edge of the floor slab and fell towards the atrium below.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC |

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: August 21, 2026 by Angel

Edited: August 21, 2026 by Angel