PD -Chapter 148 The Security Guard Who Committed Suicide

“And how exactly was it strange?” I continued asking.

In our line of work, much like traditional Chinese medicine, everything depends on observation, listening, inquiry, and examination. The more information you gather beforehand, the easier it is to handle things later.

“This has to do with the guy whose livestream of the mental hospital I watched,” Li Zi said as he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and continued.

About a month earlier, one night, that young streamer and several of his friends sneaked into the abandoned psychiatric hospital while livestreaming.

The hospital itself had long been abandoned, but the land still belonged to someone.

Over the years, plenty of daring thrill-seekers had trespassed into the deserted facility, and there had been more than a few accidents. As a result, all kinds of horror stories about the place began circulating once again.

Some people claimed that many patients had died there. Most of them had suffered from severe mental illnesses, and some had even displayed violent tendencies during their lives. According to the rumors, they could not rest after death and had become malevolent spirits wandering throughout the hospital.

Others said that some kind of restriction or curse had been placed on the hospital grounds. The souls of those who died there were trapped forever, unable to escape or find peace. Anyone who entered would be dragged into becoming a replacement victim.

The stories grew increasingly exaggerated, causing problems for the local residents.

Because of that, the company that owned the property not only erected barbed-wire fencing around the hospital and posted numerous warning signs prohibiting unauthorized entry, but also increased security patrols. Guards were assigned to regularly patrol the perimeter at night to prevent trespassers from sneaking in.

That night, two security guards happened to spot the streamer and his friends climbing over the fence. Seeing them enter the hospital grounds, the guards immediately pursued them.

Fortunately, they discovered the intruders quickly enough. Although the kids led them around in circles for quite some time inside the facility, the two guards eventually caught them and escorted them back out.

The town was small, though. Everyone knew everyone else.

The guards recognized the boys as so-and-so’s sons, so they didn’t make a big issue out of it. After scolding them for a bit, they drove each of them home.

Everything was perfectly normal up to that point.

But after the two guards finished their shift and returned home, something horrifying happened.

One of them went home, used his stun baton to electrocute his wife to death, and then hanged himself.

According to his coworkers, however, he had always been a cheerful, well-adjusted person.

He was a young man who had only recently settled in town, probably not even twenty years old. He and his wife had been newly married.

They had a simple life full of hope ahead of them.

No one could understand why he would do something like that.

As a result, many people began to believe that his sudden madness was directly connected to the abandoned psychiatric hospital.

Some speculated that while chasing those kids through the building that night, he had somehow become possessed by one of the restless spirits said to haunt the place. That was why he lost his mind afterward and destroyed his own family.

By the time Li Zi finished his story, only a small stub of cigarette remained between his fingers.

He took one last deep drag, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and continued:

“No wonder that company is so desperate to sell the property. Right now that place is like a hot potato in their hands. They originally planned to develop it into a residential housing project…

“But now there are bad-omen stories and ghost rumors everywhere, so that’s obviously impossible. In the end, I got a huge bargain. The property is several thousand square meters, plus six or seven acres including the front and back grounds, and I got it for practically nothing.”

“Alright, quit bragging. We already know you’re good at making money,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Li Zi chuckled and steered the conversation back on track.

“So, big brother, shouldn’t we first talk to the coworker who was patrolling with the guard that night and find out exactly what happened?”

“Not bad. You’re starting to sound like a professional. You even know the proper procedure now.”

“Heh, that’s because you’ve taught me so well.”

“Cut it out and let’s go. You already know this guard personally, don’t you?”

While we were talking, Li Zi had already led me out of the hotel and into a hotpot restaurant.

Judging from the situation, he had clearly arranged to meet the security guard there beforehand.

We found a relatively quiet corner and sat down. Li Zi immediately ordered a table full of food.

Not long afterward, I saw a middle-aged man in his forties scanning the restaurant before heading toward our table.

He was dressed plainly and casually. Judging by the stubble on his face, he hadn’t shaved in days, giving him a somewhat disheveled appearance.

“Brother Zhou! Over here, have a seat,” Li Zi called out as the man approached.

He stood up immediately, invited the man to sit beside him, and offered him a cigarette.

“We can talk while we eat.”

“What… do you want to know?” the man whom Li Zi called Brother Zhou asked.

He looked at Li Zi, then studied me for quite some time before finally speaking.

“Brother Zhou, don’t worry. Li Zi and I don’t have any ulterior motives. You’ve probably already heard that Li Zi purchased the property rights to the abandoned psychiatric hospital. In the future, he may develop it into an interesting exploration and entertainment project. The project is based on the area’s real history and local culture, so understanding what happened here is part of the process.”

I felt my explanation was fairly convincing.

And judging by the way Brother Zhou nodded repeatedly, it seemed he agreed.

“You know how many strange stories people tell about that hospital. Of course, we don’t particularly believe those rumors. We simply want to understand the place better. Could you tell us exactly what happened between you and your partner that night inside the hospital?”

I was trying to put him at ease.

The man frowned.

The truth was that the events of that night weren’t exactly a secret.

Besides, his partner’s incident had happened only after returning home, and the police had already confirmed that no outside party could have been involved. So talking about it wouldn’t cause him any trouble.

It was also obvious that since his partner’s death, he hadn’t been doing well emotionally.

Fear, guilt, and grief weighed heavily on him. Those feelings were probably why he looked so unkempt now.

Perhaps he simply needed someone to confide in.

After thinking for a while, he let out a sigh and began recounting what had happened that night.

His partner’s surname was Xu, and everyone called him Little Xu.

That evening, following company instructions, Brother Zhou and Little Xu began their patrols at eight o’clock. Every three hours, they were required to circle the psychiatric hospital once along the outer fence.

The security booth itself was located some distance away from the hospital.

There was a shared electric three-wheeled vehicle parked there, and the night-shift guards normally used it to make their rounds.

Neither Brother Zhou nor Little Xu were new to the night shift. They had patrolled many times before and had never encountered anyone trespassing.

As a result, they weren’t particularly worried.

Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on their side that night.

During their second patrol, they spotted people climbing over the fence.