Chapter 84.2 Ghost Market
When he got in the car, Lin Banxia found that the driver kept turning to look at him. He couldn’t help asking: “Mister, what are you looking at?”
When the driver was questioned by Lin Banxia, his hand holding the steering wheel shook and he whispered: “Young man, what’s wrong with your eyes?”
Lin Banxia: “Huh?” He looked up at the rearview mirror and found that his eyes were indeed strange. A thin green line appeared in the center of the pupil, shining in the dark car. At first glance, it looked like a cat’s eye. With his erect pupils, it was no wonder that Song Qingluo insisted on him going home directly.
“It’s okay.” Lin Banxia rubbed his eyes and calmly explained to the driver, “I’m wearing fluorescent contact lenses.”
The driver let out a long oh, though it was not clear whether he believed it or not, and continued driving without saying a word.
A few hours later, Lin Banxia finally arrived home. The moment he opened the door, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The room was quite quiet. Xiaohua and Small Cave had already gone to bed. He went directly to the bathroom, turned on the wall lamp, and looked at himself in the mirror.
In the mirror, there was a young man who looked a little strange. Although he still had the same face, the green lines in his eyes made his face look a little more coquettish and inhuman, just like the heretical object previously… Lin Banxia stretched out his hand and gently touched the mirror. The cold touch of the mirror pricked his fingertips, which made him withdraw from this emotion.
Lin Banxia lowered his head, took a few deep breaths, turned around and turned on the hot water.
After washing away all the dirt, Lin Banxia slowly walked out of the bathroom. He wiped his wet hair, went to the kitchen to get a can of cold beer, and stood on the balcony to drink and rest. There were no messages from Song Qingluo. He must be experiencing the same thing as last time.
Lin Banxia became a little irritable. He squeezed the beer can hard and the beer spilled into his hand, but he didn’t feel it.
“Brother.” Xiaohua’s voice suddenly came from behind, suppressing Lin Banxia’s irritable mood. He turned around and saw Xiaohua standing by the wall, half of her face exposed, with a cautious look in her eyes.
Lin Banxia rarely saw Xiaohua with such an expression, so he called out: “Xiaohua? Are you still awake?”
Xiaohua said sweetly: “Brother, are you unhappy?”
Lin Banxia said: “Brother is not unhappy.”
“Xiaohua knows that brother is unhappy.” Xiaohua said.
Lin Banxia was silent for a moment and did not refute again. He walked to Xiaohua and picked her up. Xiaohua looked the same as when she was a child, neither her appearance nor her height having changed.
Lin Banxia pinched her soft cheek: “Go to bed, it’s so late.”
Xiaohua leaned on Lin Banxia’s chest and sniffed: “Brother, your smell seems to have changed…”
Lin Banxia smiled and said, “What has it become?”
Xiaohua said: “It smell sweet and delicious.”
Lin Banxia thought to himself, he had been marinated in it all night, so he should have picked up some of its flavor. He raised his hand and sniffed, but he didn’t smell anything. He didn’t know whether it was because his nose was so numb that it was hard to use, or because Xiaohua had a special sense of smell.
He sent Xiaohua to the bedroom, watched her get into bed obediently, and then returned to the living room.
Lin Banxia didn’t sleep the whole second half of the night. He was actually a little tired, but because he was thinking about Song Qingluo, he didn’t feel sleepy at all.
When it was almost dawn, Lin Banxia was a little hungry and ordered takeaway. As soon as the takeaway arrived, his phone suddenly rang. When Lin Banxia saw that it was Li Su’s number, he quickly picked it up.
“Banxia.” Li Su called, “Are you at home now?”
Lin Banxia said: “Yes, I am at home.”
Li Su said: “Okay, I am bringing Song Qingluo back later.”
Lin Banxia said: “Okay, is he okay now?”
Li Su: “It’s nothing serious. he just isn’t feeling and fell asleep in my car.”
Lin Banxia: “Okay, I’ll wait for you at home.”
Knowing that Song Qingluo was coming back, Lin Banxia went to the bathroom again. To his helplessness, the green lines in his eyes had not subsided. If Li Su saw him, he would definitely be suspected. After thinking about it, he simply dug out the sunglasses he hadn’t used for a long time from the cabinet and put them on, planning to improvise later.
Li Su came over very quickly. Not long after the call was made, there was a knock on the door. Lin Banxia opened the door and saw Li Su with Song Qingluo standing beside him.
Song Qingluo’s skin was originally pale, but now it was as white as a piece of paper. His eyelashes were half-lidded, as if he hadn’t woken up yet.
“Come in quickly.” Lin Banxia turned sideways and invited the two in.
Song Qingluo walked to the sofa, lay down directly, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Lin Banxia did not dare to ask him to go to the bed in the bedroom, so he could only lower his voice and said: “Shall we go out and talk?”
“Okay.” Li Su nodded.
So, the two of them went to the balcony. Lin Banxia was afraid of disturbing Song Qingluo, so he even closed the door.
Li Su took out a cigarette from his pocket: “Want one?”
Lin Banxia thought for a while then took one and lit it.
The two of them didn’t speak for a while, and smoked quietly for a while.
“Do you know what happened to Song Qingluo’s family?” Li Su suddenly started talking.
Lin Banxia said: “I know part of it.”
Li Su said: “Which part?”
Lin Banxia: “I know where he lived before and… about his parents.”
Li Su blew out the smoke and said, “Then do you know why Song Qingluo became a monitor?”
Even if Lin Banxia didn’t know before, he should know now that Song Qingluo may not be a monitor voluntarily. Because he was the companion of some kind of heresy, just like Bai Luze, he would either be locked up in the base with no freedom at all, or he had to risk his life to become a monitor dealing with the heretical objects.
“Before you came, Song Qingluo was not willing to save any money.” Li Su said, “All the money was used to buy antiques, both real and fake. He would spend all of his money, to the point that sometimes even eating was a problem… You know, if a person still has expectations for the future, he will definitely make some preparations.” He leaned against the wall and said lazily, “But he didn’t have any.”
Lin Banxia: “…”
“But I also understand that in our line of work, it’s too easy to go crazy. If we don’t see each other for a day or two, the person might be gone.” Li Su said, “I have known him for almost ten years. He arrived at the base when he was seven years old, five years before me.”
The irritability in Lin Banxia’s heart was surging again. He didn’t say anything and kept smoking, appearing a little quiet.
“I can’t even think about how a seven-year-old child survived.” Li Su said, “He doesn’t like to talk, and he doesn’t know anyone well. Everyone in the base is afraid of him. In fact… I am also afraid of him.”
Lin Banxia raised his eyes and looked at Li Su.
“After all, everyone who can become a monitor, has something to do with those things.” Li Su said, “I should say sorry to you. If it weren’t for my selfishness, you wouldn’t have gotten involved.” He was the one who suggested to let Lin Banxia be Song Qingluo’s partner.
Even if Lin Banxia was doing it voluntarily, but…basically, he could be regarded as a matchmaker.
“No.” Lin Banxia smiled, “I should say thank you to you for this.” Without Li Su, he and Song Qingluo would not have experienced all this, and the two of them would not have reached this stage. He had no relatives, and his life experience was similar to Song Qingluo’s. Because of this, the two of them cherished each other a lot.
This was a fate that Lin Banxia cherished.
Li Su: “Actually, I’m talking to you so much because I want to tell you one thing.”
Lin Banxia: “What’s the matter?”
Li Su said: “Song Qingluo has been looking for something. I don’t know what it is, and I don’t dare to ask him… We are not as familiar with each other as you are. Do you understand what I mean?”
Lin Banxia naturally understood.
“Although I don’t know what it is, it must be a very dangerous thing.” Li Su said, “It was that thing which turned Song Qingluo into a companion and killed his father.”
Lin Banxia said: “That thing hasn’t been sealed yet??”
Li Su said that it was a dangerous thing, but it’s been more than 20 years, and it still hadn’t been solved?!
“No.” Li Su said, “We once thought that the sealing was successful, but recently we discovered that it was not.” He said, “It is still in the outside world and continues to create its companions.”
Lin Banxia: “Song Qingluo…is one of them?”
“Well.” Li Su scratched his head, a little troubled, “How should I explain this to you? This thing is not an ordinary heretical object. Its existence is very special. It does not directly infect living things or objects, but it is a source of infection.”
Lin Banxia: “…you mean it is creating heresy?”
“It makes a lot of sense.” Li Su said, “That’s not accurate.” He said sadly, “Oh, how do I explain it to you? Forget it, you might as well ask Song Qingluo yourself. He knows better than me. ”
Lin Banxia: “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Li Su said, “Then I’ll leave first.”
“Well, pay attention to your safety.” Lin Banxia put out the cigarette.
“You can continue to rest.” Li Su said, “I can leave by myself.”
“Okay.” Lin Banxia did not force it.
It wasn’t until Li Su left that Lin Banxia realized that from beginning to end, Li Su never asked him why he was wearing sunglasses. He seemed to know something, but chose to hide it for them. Lin Banxia stood on the balcony and looked at Li Su gratefully. This feeling of gratitude lasted for about ten minutes. Ten minutes later, Lin Banxia returned to the living room and found that the barbecue takeout that had just arrived on the living room table had been taken away.
Lin Banxia: “…” Damn it, he just wondered why Li Su didn’t want him to send him out… he was waiting to steal his food!
The author has something to say:
Li Su riding a battery-operated scooter: It is impossible to work part-time, and only by sneaking takeaways can I barely make ends meet.
Lin Banxia:????
Song Qingluo: I will talk to you slowly when I wake up.
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