The short and fat man took a breath, looked serious, and said to her word by word: "Not just a ghost."
"In fact, I have had many nightmares over the years. People often threaten and intimidate me when I am doing business, but I have never been afraid!"
"If it was just something like what they described, I wouldn't be afraid at all. But the reason why... the reason why I must seek help from an expert like you is because it's not just a ghost."
"what is that?"
"It's a street."
Having said this, Pang Sen's body began to tremble slightly.
He took out a brand new handkerchief from his inner pocket, but instead of using it to wipe his sweat immediately, he held it tightly.
“It’s a street that descended from the dream world into reality…it changed the way I take to go home every day.”
"I am forced into it every day. No matter how I try to avoid it or change my route, I will encounter it."
"And...you have to stay in there for a full ten minutes before you can come out."
Chapter 5: Ghost Street 2
"Wait a moment." Hitzfeld raised his hand to signal Ponson to pause. "If possible, I would like you to describe in detail how you broke into that street."
"I told you, Miss Hitzfeld - I don't know how I broke in!" Ponson stared at her, his face flushed. "I was just driving normally... Can you understand that feeling? For example, a road you are very familiar with... You can even simulate what is on that street in your mind!"
"You mean, you're driving down this familiar road and you gradually realize it's not something you're familiar with anymore."
"Yes, Miss Hitzfeld!" Pang Sen nodded vigorously. "For example, I go home every day on Enling Road. There is a church at the intersection of Enling Road and Fiton Road. After the church, drive north along this road. There is a small forest on the left side of the road, and the bushes of the North City Garden on the right side. Going further ahead is a lawn. At this time, the left side should be the Huishi Orchard contracted by the church, and the right side is the Bot family's auto repair shop. Further ahead is the residential area - there are a total of fifteen houses on both sides, and I recognize them all!"
"But in the middle of that road! Starting from about the fifth or sixth house, when I drove past there, the scenery I saw afterwards was different from what I remembered!"
"How did you first determine that they were different?" Hitzfeld asked. "I mean, what is the biggest difference between them?"
"It's foggy, Miss Hitzfeld, because I've encountered this situation many times. I've observed that every time the ghost starts to make trouble, there will be a light white fog on the road."
"Isn't it dense? What's the visibility like?"
"The visibility is at least 70 to 80 meters."
"It is indeed a mist... except for the fog."
"Those houses have changed." Pang Sen's body shuddered again when he said this. "You should be able to guess that we live in a wealthy area, so every house is a duplex with a garden. At first glance, these buildings don't seem to have changed much, but I pass by there every day. I am 100% sure that they have become older than before, that is - more dilapidated than they should be. Some of them look like no one has lived in them for a long time."
"Have you counted how many times you have encountered such a situation?"
"Twenty-nine times—Miss Hitzfeld, twenty-nine times."
"In other words, you only remembered to seek professional help after being toyed with by a ghost for twenty-nine times?" Lu Xi'er, leaning on the back of the sofa, frowned fiercely.
"That's not the case!" Pudan Jiaoli next to him interrupted to explain, "Before asking me for help to contact a reliable detective, Bill asked many people for help. But the result... You have also seen those reports. Those bastard reporters didn't take it seriously at all."
"Have you called the police?" Lu Xi'er asked again.
"I have reported it." Pang Sen nodded his head. "I have tried almost all the methods and people I can ask for help, but they either have failed after many attempts, or have not found a solution yet..."
"What do you mean by multiple attempts?" Hitzfeld interrupted.
"Of course, try to walk to my house from Enling Road."
"By gaining nothing, you mean those people never encountered the situation you described?"
"……Yes."
Nodding slightly, Hitzfeld probably understood why the Wayne Morning News wrote this incident like a talk show script.
After hearing the news, I went to help investigate and verify it with great anticipation. After many tests, I found that there was nothing abnormal about that road, and I had wasted time, money and energy in vain.
Not to mention that the reporters of the Wien Morning News are not professional enough, even if they were, they might not be willing to report the matter objectively and neutrally.
Sarah's system of news control is still imperfect. As long as they don't lie, that level of exaggeration...it's impossible to blame anyone for this.
But then things get really weird.
Supernatural events caused by evil spirits usually treat everyone equally. It is not the case that one person will be affected while others will be fine.
"You used the word 'either' in your description just now. Does that mean there is another situation besides 'nothing'?" After thinking for a moment, Hitzfeld asked again, "What is this situation? Has anyone in the group you sought help from seen 'Ghost Street'?"
"Actually... not really."
"That is no one can see it except you."
"No...it's not like that! It's not like that, Miss Hitzfeld...there are still other people who can see it. I'm not the only one who has encountered this situation. Many people on the street where I live have encountered it to some extent. It's just that I have encountered it the most!"
"So those police officers had no choice but to open a case and investigate because of the large number of people seeking help for this matter."
"That's right. After all, they can't even see that street... But even if they have already filed a case, I don't plan to count on them at all, because they think that I have encountered it so many times and it's still alive and kicking, which means that the thing is not a threat at all. They obviously intend to focus their energy on other things. They are just perfunctory to me!"
Pang Sen clenched his fists, raised his arms and waved them: "If their families are not threatened, of course they don't care! But we can't! I have to be responsible for my children!"
"Excuse me, do you smoke?" Hitzfeld suddenly changed the subject, and the question he asked surprised him.
"This... of course it's drawn."
In fact, this step is not necessary at all, because from the moment these two people came in, there was a faint smell of smoke in the air in the living room.
However, Hitzfeld's main purpose was not to ask him whether he smoked or not. She just used this question to buffer the other party from getting angry.
"Is it a strong smoke?"
"You can say it's amazing... There are many things in business that I can't think without smoking."
"Just smoking?"
"…Ms. Hitzfeld."
Pang Sen was stunned for a moment, and then his face became a little gloomy, "I don't understand what you mean!"
"I mean, we all know that there are some... well, you could say 'drugs' that can cause hallucinations after taking them..."
"I haven't fallen to that level yet!"
The short and fat man stood up angrily, shaking with anger: "I have a successful career and a happy family... Why would I touch that kind of thing!?"
"Don't excite Bill—"
Jiao Li next to him immediately stood up to ease the atmosphere.
"Ms. Hitzfeld was just asking casually... This is not suspicion..."
"And, miss, to be honest, this possibility is very low, because Bill is not the only one who has seen that street. Do you mean to say that so many people took hallucinogenic drugs at the same time?"
"Water pollution, gases from open-air burning..." Hitzfeld sat on the sofa unmoved, "There are too many factors that can cause you to unknowingly incorporate toxic ingredients."
"But Mr. Gioli is right. This is just a 'casual question' rather than a 'suspicion'. I am certainly not slandering you, Mr. Ponson."
After she said this, the short and fat man relaxed his expression and sat back on the sofa.
Lu Xi'er curled his lips as he watched. The client had such a bad temper.
But Hitzfeld didn't mind.
Because she had encountered worse cases... although they were not the direct clients, but the clients' family members. In comparison, Bill Ponson's behavior was considered a law-abiding citizen.
"Back to the question of Ghost Street." Hitzfeld stared into Ponson's eyes. "You just said... that we must stay in there for a full ten minutes. Are you sure it will take ten minutes every time?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure."
After a pause, Pang Sen spoke again, and without waiting for the girl to ask, he took the initiative to explain: "Because I was very scared when I first encountered it... I thought I would be trapped there forever, so I took out my pocket watch and started counting the time. Of course, I was not sure at that time when I broke in, but it was about ten minutes... After that, I would time it every time I encountered it, and the error was within one or two minutes."
"Have you tried taking a detour?"
"I've tried... I've tried many different routes, but every time I get close to home I run into that damn situation."
"So far, you haven't been hurt."
"No."
"Did you do anything after entering that street? Like get out of your car?"
"No! I didn't dare get off the car!" Pang Sen shook his head quickly, "Because I did see the man with the paint on his face! Although he only swayed in the fog and disappeared, I am sure he really exists!"
"So please help us, Miss Detective! I'm not afraid of what that thing will do to me, but I saw him handing out candy to my children in my nightmares... Can you imagine how scared I was at that time? I have suspended their classes now, and I dare not let them go out until this matter is resolved!"
"I am willing to pay you 1 gold selas to hire you to go to Fellington... Please! Save us!"
Chapter 6: Earl of Candy
Hitzfeld did not immediately agree to Ponson's request, but told them that she needed two days to consider it, and asked them to find a hotel nearby to stay and come back to her the next morning.
"Wang!"
After the stranger left, the big white dog changed from lying in the corner pretending to be timid, ran to the sofa, and tried to nudge the girl's legs.
As expected, the dog's head was grabbed and rubbed wildly. He had no choice but to rest his head on the girl's legs, and then made a threatening "woo woo woo" sound to the red-haired nurse lying next to him.
"Are you bullying Lily again?" Hitzfeld turned to look at her.
Even though this dog is bigger than a wolf and can be very aggressive when it meets a stranger, it will not dare to act rashly if it is sure that the person is familiar to it, or has only a slight relationship with the familiar person.
Hitzfeld's assessment of it is that it is too robust.
Being fierce to strangers and showing extremely high aggressiveness and territorial awareness are exactly what a dog should have as a creature.
It is indiscriminate in showing its weakness to its owner's relatives and friends, which prevents it from provoking some important person and being abandoned by its owner.
Hitzfeld had seen through the nature of the dog and knew that it could not bully Luxil. It could only be that Luxil bullied it.
Besides, it wasn't the first time that the young nurse had done such a thing. On the first day she moved in, she tried to kidnap Lily, dragged the dog into the bathroom, and used its fluffy hair as a mop.
"I didn't!" Lu Xier would not admit it, and shook his head like a rattle, "It's just that you gave me a cookie just now, and it's just jealous!"
"Woof!" The big white dog couldn't stand this kind of confusing right and wrong, so he raised his head and barked at Lu Xier: "Woof woof woof woof!"
"Try to yell again." Lu Xi'er narrowed his eyes.
The big white dog did not respond to her provocation immediately.
It first glanced at its new owner, Hitzfeld, and found that Hitzfeld had been maintaining the posture of crossing his legs and supporting his chin, and there had been no movement for a long time.
He rubbed her skirt a few times tentatively, but still no response.
It thus confirmed that Hitzfeld would not be able to spare the time to escort it in the short term, and without arguing with Luhilda, it ran straight to the bedroom.
"How about it?"
Xia Yibing had finished eating in the kitchen. When she came out, she saw Hitzfeld still frowning in thought, so she asked her directly, "Just tell me what you need to prepare. After all, I can... give you some convenience now."
The kitchen was only a few meters away from the living room. She had good hearing and heard most of the details of the case. She knew that Hitzfeld's final statement was just a polite remark.
If she really hesitated, she would have more than two days to consider. So these two days were just for her to prepare, and she had already decided to go to Fellington.
"My main reason is..." Hitzfeld glanced at the woman and was embarrassed to say in front of Lu Xier that the reason for his hesitation was that he was worried about her.
Isn't it? With this human pillow, Xia Yibing's sleep quality has improved dramatically. But she is now the director, and she certainly can't apply for an overseas assignment like before. Once she leaves, she will have to sleep alone again.
"I'm not that fragile." Xia Yibing naturally put her hand on the girl's head, gently stroking and tidying her silver-gray hair. "If it doesn't work, just spray some perfume on the pillow as you said. I can sleep hugging the pillow."
"Yes! This is very necessary!" Lu Xier shouted beside him, "Your corruption risk has not been completely eliminated! Ensure that your mental state has the highest priority! ...Oh, so, you can actually refuse them?"
"I'll go back to the bureau now." Xia Yibing pretended not to hear and turned to look at the clock. "Then we should still have time to go to the library... You can go with Mapus this time. It's okay. I'll take care of the house for you."
She saw how many difficulties Hitzfeld had overcome to help her, but the nature of the detective's job meant that they couldn't maintain this kind of life forever, and they would have to separate one day.
She didn't want to... keep the girl by her side just for her own personal preference. Even if Hitzfeld didn't care about it, her self-esteem wouldn't allow it.
"If Mapus is free..." Hitzfeld forced a slight smile, looking very embarrassed.
This is also just a polite remark.
In fact, they all knew that Darent had been very idle recently and came to have dinner every three days.
The Treemen contributed hundreds of polluted Treemen warriors to Xina during the Ice Moon Coup. Logically, they should be severely punished... but in fact, this situation is difficult to avoid because the Death Tree's ability to restrain this tribe is too strong.
According to the tree rings and Elwin's subsequent analysis, the original Death Tree was most likely the one planted on the high platform of the Holy Oak Palace. Its ability to assimilate and pollute plants far exceeds that of flesh and blood creatures, and those tree warriors could not resist its control at all.
Therefore, the Tree People’s sin was actually that they did not discover in advance that these warriors had lost contact.
But this has nothing to do with Darent. Thanks to Hitzfeld, he gained a lot of merit in the coup. He is one of the few local library agents in Wayne who does not need to be punished and can run around.
No one else can compare with him in this regard - with the new king on board, all kinds of decrees need to be executed, Zafira and others are so busy that even Ethan, who has received a serious punishment, has been brought out and asked to use his working hours to offset his confinement.
"Heath!"
At this time, Ashley also came to the living room from the bathroom.
