Another Victim and an Ominous Discovery

A few days had passed, and on the surface, life seemed to have returned to normal. However, Li Lin and Ye Xiao couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. No matter how the police explained things, they both knew that the ghost was still out there, lurking in the shadows. While they had decided to continue their investigation, events soon took a turn—there was another victim.

It was early morning, and Li Lin was just about to leave for school when his phone suddenly buzzed. The screen showed an unknown number. Hesitating for a moment, he answered the call.

"Is this Mr. Li?" The voice on the other end was low and carried an unnerving weight.

"Yes, I'm Li Lin. Who is this?" Li Lin asked.

"I'm someone who knows about the supernatural incidents you're investigating. Another person has just died, in the same strange way as the last one. I think you'd be interested."

The man's words made Li Lin's heart skip a beat. He quickly woke Ye Xiao, and the two rushed to the location the caller had described.

The latest victim was a middle-aged man, his death mirroring what they'd seen before—his face frozen in terror, his neck marked with inexplicable strangulation marks. The police had already arrived, cordoning off the area, while onlookers gathered with uneasy expressions, whispering among themselves.

Li Lin and Ye Xiao stood at the edge of the crowd, quietly observing. The scene was eerily similar to what they had experienced before, but this time they knew they had to be more careful. They didn't want to be dragged into the police's suspicions again, yet they were determined to uncover the truth.

"We'll have to wait until they leave and sneak in to take a closer look," Ye Xiao whispered, her eyes resolute.

Li Lin nodded. "Right. The police won't tell us everything. We'll have to act on our own."

Later that night, after the police had sealed off the scene, leaving only one officer to guard it, Li Lin and Ye Xiao quietly crept into a nearby alley. Hidden in the shadows, they watched the officer. After midnight, the guard, clearly tired, began to nod off.

"Now's our chance," Li Lin whispered, leading Ye Xiao as they swiftly entered the crime scene.

By the dim light of their flashlight, they saw the victim's body again, now covered, but the oppressive atmosphere of death still lingered in the air.

Li Lin crouched down, inspecting the ground and the surroundings carefully, hoping to find some clues. Suddenly, he noticed something strange—odd footprints, larger than those of an average person, with an unusual shape, as if left by something inhuman.

"Look here!" Li Lin said quietly, pointing at the tracks.

Ye Xiao leaned closer, her eyes widening in shock. "What are these? Could they be...?"

"Yes, these might be footprints left by the ghost." Li Lin followed the trail of prints, which led to an old, rusted metal door.

The door seemed to lead to a basement, and the chain that once locked it was broken, as if forced open. Li Lin and Ye Xiao exchanged a glance, both feeling a growing sense of dread.

"Should we go in?" Ye Xiao hesitated, her curiosity battling with her instincts, which warned her of the danger beyond the door.

Li Lin nodded. "We've come this far. We can't back out now."

They pushed open the door, revealing a space filled with the smell of decay. The floor was thick with dust and cobwebs, and the faint beam of their flashlight did little to penetrate the darkness. Shadows loomed everywhere, suffocating, as though they were closing in on them.

As they carefully made their way forward, the strange footprints became more frequent, suggesting that more than one entity might have been roaming the area. Soon, they came upon a wall marked with odd symbols, drawn in what looked like blood.

Ye Xiao gasped softly, "These symbols... I've seen them before in that old book!"

Li Lin frowned, "You mean these symbols are related to the ghost?"

"Yes, they appear to be part of some ancient summoning ritual, something that might be connected to everything happening here." Ye Xiao's voice trembled slightly with unease.

As they tried to decipher the symbols, a sudden cold gust of wind brushed past them, as if something was watching from the darkness. Li Lin quickly turned around, but saw nothing.

"We need to leave," he whispered, his voice tense. "This place is dangerous. We need more information to figure out what these symbols mean."

Ye Xiao nodded, and they decided to retreat for now. Just as they were about to leave the basement, a low, eerie whispering filled the air, as if countless voices were murmuring right beside them. The sound was faint, yet it sent a shiver down their spines.

Li Lin's heart raced as he grabbed Ye Xiao's hand. "Let's get out of here!"

They ran out of the basement, and by the time they reached the street, both were drenched in cold sweat.

"That voice... did you hear it?" Ye Xiao's voice shook.

"I heard it. It was right behind us," Li Lin replied, breathing heavily.

Although they had escaped the basement, the eerie whispering continued to echo in their minds, impossible to forget. They hadn't found direct evidence of the ghost, but the footprints and the symbols on the wall pointed to something far darker, something that defied explanation.

Back at home, Li Lin and Ye Xiao sat on the couch, their minds still racing.

"What do those symbols and footprints mean? What do we do next?" Ye Xiao asked, her voice laced with concern.

Li Lin thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, "Those symbols might hold the key to understanding these hauntings. We need to find more ancient texts or related material to decipher them."

Ye Xiao nodded. "I know where we can start. My professor once mentioned a library that holds old occult books. Maybe we can find something useful there."

Though the investigation was becoming increasingly dangerous and filled with uncertainty, Li Lin and Ye Xiao realized they had no choice but to move forward. The deeper they went, the more they were convinced that something malevolent and beyond their understanding was at play.