Chapter 18: Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society
Perhaps it was because he experienced too much yesterday, and was mentally exhausted, that Lu Yibei finally managed to fall asleep quietly, waking up to find it was nearly noon.
In a daze, he reached under his pillow to grab his phone and took a quick look.
Time: 10:27
“Wow, is it really this late?”
Lu Yibei let out a sigh, sat up, and patted his cheeks with his hands to wake himself up, quickly climbing out of bed.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
It was Su Mi calling.
Once the call connected, Su Mi’s voice came through, clearly laced with urgency.
“Old Lu, you finally answered! Do you know how many calls I made to you this morning? I was about to freak out.”
Lu Yibei rolled his eyes, unfazed, and said, “What? Am I supposed to not sleep in during my summer break after graduating high school to repay my three years of hard work? By the way, why are you so anxious?”
“Didn’t you tell me last night that a girl with an unknown background climbed through your window and broke into your house, and you wanted me to ask my dad for help in checking her basic information?” Su Mi asked.
Lu Yibei glanced towards the living room through the closed bedroom door and nodded, “Yes! She even came in through the bathroom window. Is there a problem? Is it inconvenient for Uncle…”
“There’s a problem! A big problem!” Su Mi’s voice raised a few notches on the other end, “You might have really encountered a ghost!”
“Uh?” Lu Yibei was momentarily confused, unable to respond.
“We found her personal information through her ID! Her name is Gu Xiliu, and she lives in Banshan Apartment…”
“Wait!” At this point, Lu Yibei sensed something was off and interrupted, “Banshan Apartment? Isn’t that place a dangerous building? Hasn’t it been empty for many years? How could anyone live there?”
Wasn’t she called Gu Qiqi? How did it turn into Gu Xiliu? The Gu Xiliu in my dream memories seems to be someone else! Lu Yibei thought.
“Exactly! It has been uninhabited for a long time!” Su Mi continued, pausing for a moment before speaking conspiratorially, “What I’m about to say next, you better not get scared!”
“Don’t worry, I’m a professional. Even if you brought me a real urban legend right in front of me, I wouldn’t be afraid,” Lu Yibei joked.
I’m the king of urban legends in Huacheng… well, in my dreams.
“That’s what you say.” Su Mi replied, “First of all, this girl, Gu Xiliu, went missing over a decade ago, and her case has already been declared dead in the records.”
“Secondly, her family also went missing one after another a few years later.”
“And the last, and most important point, do you know what it is?”
“What?” Lu Yibei asked.
“Her family was involved in numerous activities of the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society before they went missing, and they were even arrested, leaving a criminal record!”
“Seek Truth…” Lu Yibei was stunned for a moment before snapping back, hurriedly asking, “Is that the cult group that stirred up quite a commotion a few years back?”
He had heard of the so-called Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society before.
It was a group of lunatics who claimed that this world was false and that one must leave here to enter the real world to gain true freedom.
The Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society was rumored to be like a flood beast, devouring people whole; they committed all kinds of evil for what they pursued.
However, rumors are just rumors, sometimes more deceptive than memories.
Lu Yibei recalled that he had never actually seen the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society commit any heinous acts. The occasional news he saw only labeled them as a cult group, without specific examples.
He distanced himself from the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society simply because the vast majority of people rejected and avoided them.
After all, normal people would habitually keep a distance from madness and danger.
But now, after having that remarkably real nightmare, he had direct contact with Gu Qiqi and even fed her five buckets of fried chicken, which sparked a sudden curiosity towards the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society.
Among a group of muddied individuals, the very few who are sober are considered outliers, so being sober becomes a mistake, and those who are sober turn into madmen.
Perhaps the members of the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society are a bunch of sober “madmen,” and I’m in the process of becoming one of them, Lu Yibei thought.
“Exactly! That’s it!” Su Mi urged, “So, Old Lu, the girl in your house is very dangerous. Hurry and call the police!”
“Is it that serious? I’ll check the situation first…”
“Well… keep your phone in hand at all times. If anything happens, call the police or contact us immediately!”
“Okay, got it!”
Lu Yibei hung up the phone, turned to look towards the living room through the closed bedroom door, and fell silent.
Even though he confirmed that Gu Qiqi, or should he say Gu Xiliu, truly existed in this world and that he wasn’t just hallucinating, he still felt no joy.
Gu Qiqi and her family being connected to the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society made him feel uneasy, as if a layer of gloomy clouds had settled over his heart.
Could the “real world” that the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society sought be the one from his dream memories?
But if the memories in the dream are real, then what about everything I have seen and experienced?
Here are Mrs. Wang Meili, childhood friend Xiao Hua, and good buddy Su Mi… what could the “real” world that the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society describes even be?
Thinking back, the first things that appeared in his mind were the seven limited-edition Bai Xiaohua figurines at home and Jiang Li, followed closely by Stinky Sister and Qing Ji, then the coat, Meng Meng, Du Sixian, Uncle Zhang Shan, and the little urban legends at home… For a long while, he reluctantly added Bai Kai as well.
So, it seems like there are more people over there waiting for me? Lu Yibei pondered.
———
Moments later, Lu Yibei got up, preparing to check on Gu Qiqi’s situation.
Standing at the bedroom door, with one hand holding his phone ready to call the police, and the other grasping the doorknob, his heart rate slightly increased, and he unconsciously held his breath.
Slowly turning the doorknob, trying to make as little noise as possible.
After opening the door just enough to get a clear look at the living room outside, Lu Yibei waited quietly for a moment, and seeing nothing unusual, he pushed the door open and left the bedroom.
In the living room, the bright noon sunlight poured in, radiant and dazzling.
The chair on the balcony was empty; Gu Qiqi had already vanished.
All that remained was the broken power line on the ground and the five empty buckets of fried chicken on the coffee table, proving that she had been there.
Lu Yibei stepped over to the empty chair and noticed a note with childish handwriting, furrowing his brows.
The note read: [Lu Yibei, I went to find my family! If I find them, I won’t come back! Gu Qiqi]
Staring at the note for a moment, Lu Yibei frowned and murmured, “What she means is, if she can’t find them, she will come back?”
Talking to himself, he set down the note left by Gu Qiqi and picked up the broken power line, feeling his brow knit tightly, his heart clenching.
Suddenly, a troubling and peculiar thing occurred to him…
Lu Yibei gazed at the broken power line in his hand with a heavy heart.
Last night, Nanling Yaohua suddenly appeared in his home with a plate of braised pork, right in the middle of the scene where he was feeding Gu Qiqi.
At that time, he was completely flustered, just wanting to blend in and escape, but he overlooked a crucial detail.
Although Nanling Yaohua likely could not see Gu Qiqi, she should have been able to see the power line tied around Gu Qiqi, right?
On that late night, a bunch of power lines hovering above an empty chair, vaguely forming a human shape, could already be considered an paranormal incident.
Her gaze clearly lingered on the chair but showed no sign of fear or surprise, as if she didn’t see those power lines at all.
This situation made Lu Yibei feel as if not only was Gu Qiqi a figment of his imagination, but the entire series of events that occurred during their interaction was also imagined.
And at that moment, he was too tense to notice such abnormalities.
Lu Yibei had read some stories about split personalities, where the protagonists frequently unconsciously did things under the control of their alternate personality.
When they finally woke up, they would think that whatever they did unconsciously was done together with another person or completely removed from themselves, happening to someone else.
Of course, there’s also the possibility, similar to the information he received from Su Mi, that Gu Qiqi’s real name was Gu Xiliu.
She might have faced some issues after going missing, leading to some dysfunction in her mind, and then broke into his house last night.
“But, Xiao Hua also asked me to use magic to get rid of the humidifier…” Lu Yibei murmured.
Nanling Yaohua’s behavior seemed to indicate that she saw Gu Qiqi and even witnessed her swallowing a chicken leg, yet chose not to expose it, as if she was deliberately messing around.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Yibei decided to ask her in person.
He took out his phone and dialed the number; soon, he heard Nanling Yaohua’s familiar voice on the other end.
“Hey, is that you, Xiao Bei? Have you left to play basketball yet?”
“Yeah, it’s me, not yet!” Lu Yibei replied, turning serious, “Xiao Hua, before I go out, I have something to ask you.”
“Love…”
Lu Yibei’s eye twitched slightly, “Can you be serious for a moment?”
“Hahaha, sorry, I couldn’t help it; it just slipped out.” Nanling Yaohua laughed on the other end, “Go ahead, ask away.”
“Yesterday…” Lu Yibei took a deep breath, opening his mouth, “When you came to my house to deliver the braised pork, did you see a girl tied to a chair with power lines?”
The one I saw at the crossroads during the day… Lu Yibei added silently in his mind.
“…”
There was silence on the other end of the call.
After a while, Nanling Yaohua burst out laughing, “Xiao Bei, what are you thinking? Bringing a girl home at night and tying her to a chair, that’s criminal!”
“If I had seen that, even if it were you, I’d have to call the police and have them arrest you!”
Lu Yibei, “…”
That’s true. Given “the hero’s” personality, if she saw a situation like that, she would definitely uphold justice.
“Xiao Bei?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?” Nanling Yaohua asked softly, “If it’s really too much, I can ask my dance teacher for a leave to come keep you company?”
“Um…” Lu Yibei was momentarily taken aback, “I’m fine. It’s probably just the residual effects of that strange dream from the night before. I had a good long sleep after that and I’m feeling much better now.”
“Okay then, let’s leave it at that! I just got a call reminding me to go play basketball, I’ll hang up now!”
After hanging up, Lu Yibei looked at the broken power lines, lost in thought.
In a haze, he felt as if invisible eyes were watching him, extending an unseen hand to stop him from seeking the truth, preventing him from questioning Xiao Hua or Su Mi, and not to expect any revelations from them.
Mrs. Wang Meili was perhaps somewhere in a remote sea area of Alaska, playing with king crabs, and he couldn’t reach her by phone. Currently, he had no one else close to confide or inquire with.
Not that he could call the police and say, “I tied up a girl yesterday, and this morning I found out she’s dead and has vanished!”
The police would definitely send me to Yun Kang Psychiatric Hospital! Lu Yibei thought.
Then, he suddenly remembered the girl named Jiang Li, feeling an inexplicable pang in his heart, as if it were a reminder that Jiang Li was also someone extremely close to him.
However, as he wanted to delve further into the dream memories to find something that could confirm his relationship with Jiang Li, any relevant memories seemed to be shrouded in mist, gradually drifting away and eluding his grasp.
Everything became unclear.
This disturbing sense of ambiguity sparked his underlying “competitive spirit.”
He wanted to know who Jiang Li was.
His instincts told him she was someone of equal importance to Mrs. Wang Meili and Xiao Hua.
“…”
Remaining silent, Lu Yibei faintly sensed that if he wanted to continue exploring dream memories, he might have to attempt finding members of the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society.
If he could find members of the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society, he should be able to ask them something.
Aren’t they just playing with the “real”? They shouldn’t lie, right?
Gu Qiqi’s family were members of the Seek Truth Mutual Aid Society, and her family residence is in Banshan Apartment…
So, does this mean I should check out Banshan Apartment? Perhaps I could find Gu Qiqi there; if she’s really going to find her family, she should head there, right? Lu Yibei thought.
“Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll grab a bite to eat first, then head out!”
With a light fist thump on his palm, Lu Yibei stood up, walked to the coffee table, and prepared to find something to eat from the leftover buckets of fried chicken from last night, just a simple fill for his stomach.
And then…
“d*mn! Gu Qiqi, how could you steal some stuff on your way out!”
———
At 1:05 PM.
Lu Yibei stuffed a toilet plunger into a backpack, randomly tossing in a bunch of the so-called protective jade pendants from Mrs. Wang Meili, then slung the backpack over his shoulders and headed out.
After casually eating a bowl of fried sauce noodles at a nearby restaurant in the faculty housing area, he hailed a taxi, ready to head to Banshan Apartment.
“Driver, please take me to Banshan Apartment.”
After stating his destination, Lu Yibei unconsciously glanced at the driver’s information and furrowed his brows slightly when he saw the name “Zhang Shan.”
Seriously, even hailing a cab in another world and running into you, this quantum entanglement is serious! Lu Yibei thought to himself.
Combining the dream memories with the current situation, he even suspected that if he crossed into some fantasy world and hailed a dragon carriage, the driver would be called Conrad von Zhang Shan.
Feeling as if he remembered something, Lu Yibei looked at the driver and asked, “Sir, do you like to listen to urban legend stories?”
The driver shot Lu Yibei a curious glance, “I do like them, but why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s like this…” Lu Yibei explained, “I heard from one of my friends that telling you urban legend stories could earn a fare exemption; I just wanted to know if it’s true?”
After all, the Uncle Zhang Shan in my dream memories can be taken advantage of.
“A friend?” The driver frowned.
In all honesty, isn’t this friend you referring to yourself?
He thought to himself but didn’t delve deeper, changing the subject. “Could you please ask your question again?”
“You like…”
“Sorry, not really!”
Lu Yibei, “…”
