Going Around in Circles

The Sun Paradise.

Once a large amusement park located in the suburbs of Goat City.

Covering an area of 300,000 square meters, it featured water attractions and various land-based rides.

Unfortunately, due to outdated equipment and poor management, it went bankrupt in 2003.

The land where the amusement park once operated has remained vacant ever since.

A unique commercial district formed around the park.

Even though the amusement park shut down, the surrounding area had already developed during its heyday.

......

"So, you're saying Liu Guixiang used to work at this Sun Paradise? Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been assigned a dormitory."

Less than a kilometer away from the Sun Paradise stood the employee dormitories built for its former workers.

When the amusement park closed down, these dormitories couldn’t be sold off, so they were left to the employees to manage.

It was similar to work-unit housing allocations.

However, these dormitories were tiny, making them impossible to rent out or sell.

They lacked property certificates—relics of the last century with incomplete paperwork.

Because of this, Liu Zheng and his team couldn’t find Liu Guixiang’s residence through the official identity system.

The three of them left Ms. Qian’s house and headed straight for the suburbs.

Despite years of development, the area remained largely rural.

Still, it was connected to the city proper, with access to subways and highways.

A little further north lay the airport.

Because of this, the neighborhood still had some life in it.

After all, having affordable hotels near the airport was a good thing.

They arrived at a rundown residential complex.

Calling it a "complex" was generous—the faded characters on the shabby perimeter wall read: "Sun Paradise Employee Dormitories."

The dot in the character for "Sun" had long since fallen off, lost to time.

There was no guard at the entrance, but a few elderly men were playing chess under the shade of a tree.

As soon as the trio reached the building, a booming voice rang out.

"Hey hey hey! You lot, what are you doing here?"

A man in a white tank top, clutching a bottle of Jiujiang Double Steamed liquor, wobbled over from the group. His murky eyes scrutinized the three of them with suspicion.

"You don’t look like you’re here to visit family."

He pointed a finger at them, his expression wary.

Liu Zheng smiled and stepped forward, speaking in slightly accented Cantonese: "Uncle, just looking for someone."

The old man wasn’t fooled. His breath reeked of alcohol as he snapped, "Who you lookin’ for? Debt collectors?"

Liu Zheng didn’t waste time. He pulled out his badge and held it up.

"Uncle, we’re from the Goat City Criminal Investigation Division. We’d like to ask if Ms. Liu Guixiang lives here."

The old man squinted at the badge, then fumbled for his reading glasses from his pocket. Once he finally saw the details, his suspicion melted into enthusiasm.

Slapping his thigh, he exclaimed, "Ah! Officers! Detective Liu Zheng, right? You’re here for Ah Xiang? What’d she do?"

"Just routine inquiries," Liu Zheng said, tucking his badge away. "We heard she lives on the sixth floor?"

"That’s right! Room 602!" The old man took a swig from his bottle, wiped his mouth, and eagerly waved them forward. "I’ll take you up! The stairs are dark here—I know the way!"

He swayed like a roly-poly toy as he tried to lead the way.

But Liu Zheng stopped him.

"Uncle, no need to trouble yourself. With your legs and the slippery stairs, we can’t risk you falling. We wouldn’t want that on our conscience."

They didn’t need a liability—what if Liu Guixiang turned violent when they confronted her?

"I’m fine!" the old man insisted.

Old Bai stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling out half a pack of cigarettes.

"Uncle, have a drink, take a rest. We’ll find our way—won’t get lost."

With some gentle coaxing, Old Bai steered the old man back under the tree. The man muttered, "Ah Xiang’s a good person… don’t scare her…"

Liu Zheng and Shouzhen exchanged a glance before quickly entering the decrepit residential building.

The stairwell was dim, the walls peeling to expose red bricks beneath.

The air carried a musty scent, mixed with a faint trace of incense.

The higher they climbed, the quieter it became.

From the fourth floor up, there were no signs of other residents.

After all, elderly folks preferred lower floors in walk-ups.

They reached the sixth floor.

The hallway was gloomy, dust floating in the stale air.

The second door down was an old vermilion wooden door, its paint faded, marked with a barely legible "602."

Shouzhen pulled out a small porcelain vial, dabbing a few drops of clear liquid onto his eyelids.

A cooling sensation spread, and the world before him shifted.

Thick crimson mist seeped from the cracks of the door, coiling like a living creature.

The dense red haze materialized before Shouzhen’s eyes.

"This is the place."

"I can feel it," Liu Zheng said, unzipping his jacket to reveal the gun at his waist. He paused a few steps from the door, listening—the hallway was eerily silent.

He signaled to Shouzhen and Old Bai. The three moved in a triangular formation, approaching the door without a sound.

The door was locked, but Liu Zheng had lockpicks.

A relic like this was child’s play for him.

The moment the door swung open, a surge of red mist—far denser than before—burst out, passing straight through their bodies.

Shouzhen stood firm, bracing against the energy.

Yet the mist dissipated harmlessly, leaving no discomfort.

Old Bai was the first to react, charging inside.

The room was empty.

Only a few incense sticks burned in a small holder on the table, their smoke curling upward—likely lit just as they’d entered the neighborhood.

Shouzhen followed, scanning the room. "There must have been several cursed objects here," he muttered.

Liu Zheng remained at the doorway, his hand raised as if sensing the wind. "That was before. Liu Guixiang knew we were coming. She’s already slipped away."

He focused on the energy fluctuations in the air.

"A fox with three burrows—but she won’t escape."

Liu Zheng called to the other two, "Let’s go! That witch hasn’t gotten far!"

Shouzhen confirmed once more—no one was inside, no cursed objects remained.

The three hurried downstairs.

"She used a trick to trap the cursed energy in this empty room, trying to mislead us," Liu Zheng explained as they descended. "But she underestimated my tracking skills. This energy is like a beacon in the dark."

He tossed the car keys behind him without looking. "Old Bai, drive! I’ll navigate. Follow this energy trail—it’ll lead us straight to her!"

Old Bai caught the key in one swift motion and immediately quickened his pace.

At the turn of the second-floor staircase, he didn’t even glance at the steps—instead, he vaulted over the waist-high railing and leapt down from over four meters high. His knees bent as he landed with a heavy thud, then without a moment’s pause, he dashed toward the parked vehicle by the entrance.