The City's Dark Secret

Did you know? The older the city, the more it resembles a massive graveyard. Dynastic changes, natural disasters, and countless lives lost. Perhaps as you walk down a street, chilling stories lurk beneath your feet – murder, dismemberment, the dead watching. Maybe the ground you stand on was once a part of someone's remains. Or, perhaps, it still conceals the body of someone who died with a grudge, a grudge that lingers forever. Even when the flesh turns to bone, the hatred remains.

Lan Lan has disappeared, much like her boyfriend, Wang Yan. Their whereabouts remain a mystery. The rented room held no clues, except for a bed soaked in blood – a gruesome scene with a patch of scalp still attached to the hair and flesh. When the police investigated, they discovered that all the blood belonged to Lan Lan, but there was too much blood, soaking through the entire bedsheet. There was no sign of an intruder, no traces of a struggle, and the weapon used was unknown. The forensic expert examined the scalp and could only describe it as forcefully torn by hand. The room's door was locked from the inside – a true locked room mystery. The only set of footprints inside belonged to Lan Lan. So, where had Lan Lan gone? The case was full of unanswered questions.

Xiao Wen, Lan Lan's close friend, was devastated. She didn't know what had happened and desperately hoped for Lan Lan's safety. However, Xiao Wen knew that Lan Lan had been depressed lately because of her boyfriend, Wang Yan, who was pursuing a master's degree in art history. He was researching urban legends in the city. During the weekend before his disappearance, Wang Yan had mentioned to Xiao Wen and Lan Lan that he had gathered a lot of material but was missing one crucial element – a story from over a century ago when a flood hit, people were starving, and they resorted to cannibalism. Among the three friends, Xiao Wen, a local, had some knowledge of this story, but she didn't have all the details. Her grandmother had shared a fragment of the story, saying, "My great-grandmother lived through it. It was terrible! So many people died – of hunger, violence, you name it. The living even resorted to using knives and scissors to cut flesh from the dead bodies." However, the specific details remained unclear. After starting university, Xiao Wen had borrowed some old county records from the library but found mostly vague references. She knew that due to the chaos and lack of burial space, many bodies were buried haphazardly within the city. But with the passage of time, the exact locations had been forgotten.

Xiao Wen hadn't taken this story too seriously, believing that every city had its legends and history. However, Wang Yan's pursuit of this particular legend, involving an elderly person who had detailed information, led to his disappearance. Xiao Wen didn't think much of it then, but with Lan Lan missing and the horrific scene in the room, she couldn't help but connect the dots.

As the semester was ending and school was winding down, Xiao Wen couldn't stay in her dorm room. Her mind was in turmoil, and she found herself walking along the school's outer wall, eventually arriving near Lan Lan's rented house. She suddenly remembered that Lan Lan had sent her two emails the day before, but she hadn't had time to check them and had subsequently forgotten. She quickly pulled out her phone and discovered two compressed files in the emails, containing various documents and photos. As she examined them, Xiao Wen's face turned pale.

Lan Lan had sent her materials related to Wang Yan's research. Her message read: "Xiao Wen, I've carefully looked through Wang Yan's materials, and my intuition tells me his disappearance is linked to these documents. I found information about our city really going through cannibalism due to a natural disaster over a century ago. However, what happened later is far more complicated than the stories we've heard. During the famine, people turned on each other, leading to a plague outbreak. Surrounding cities, fearing infection, confined, slaughtered, and buried our city's inhabitants under the pretext of treating their illnesses. All outsiders ever heard was the story of famine and cannibalism. In reality, today's city residents are descendants of people who moved here from other cities, and our ancestors lie beneath our feet. I'm sharing these materials with you. Take a look! I'll also try calling Wang Yan to see if I can find him."

Xiao Wen examined the materials closely and discovered the shocking truth hidden beneath the legend. Her own ancestors had been involved, which was a disturbing revelation. But why had Wang Yan disappeared? Among the materials was a photograph that Wang Yan must have found somewhere, depicting a battered wooden board with brownish, blood-like writing: "Even if I become a ghost, I won't forget to seek revenge. I'll tear off the flesh of my enemies and bite into it!"

Xiao Wen couldn't help but shiver, her mind racing with unsettling thoughts. She remembered a saying about the deeply vengeful dead being unable to reincarnate and their memories remaining obscured until they heard someone recount the past. But as soon as they remembered...

Xiao Wen shook her head, telling herself she was just a college student and shouldn't believe such things. She decided to call Lan Lan's number, although she expected it not to go through. Strangely, the call connected this time, but no one answered. Simultaneously, she heard a cellphone ringtone coming from a nearby patch of grass. It was Lan Lan's ringtone. Xiao Wen followed the sound and discovered Lan Lan's phone in the underbrush beneath a tree. However, the phone was covered in blood, with a thick layer even on the screen and traces of flesh. The overwhelming stench of blood sickened Xiao Wen, but she powered through, cleaning Lan Lan's phone with a tissue. She was bewildered: how had Lan Lan's phone ended up here?

Xiao Wen ended her call, and Lan Lan's phone stopped ringing. Then, Lan Lan's phone rang again, displaying an unknown number. Xiao Wen pressed the "answer" button. A sinister, raspy sound emanated from the phone. Xiao Wen strained to listen, moving closer, hoping to hear more clearly. Suddenly, a pale, ghastly hand extended from the phone's screen, violently grabbing her face, and tearing at her flesh.

Please note that the provided translation is a work of fiction, and the original text appears to be part of a horror or suspense story. If you have any specific questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.