novelraw Chapter 117: White Candle at Night
Chapter 117: White Candle at Night
The figure of [Writer] floating in mid-air paused slightly, and upon closer observation, one could notice a hint of stiffness.
Xiao Gui'an blinked a few times before recognizing that the terrifying face before him belonged to Xu Zisheng, not some other ghost or monster.
It seemed to be because of the candleholder's effect—the candle flame was somewhat eerie, causing the thin boy's face to appear caught between the living and the dead.
Only after his emotions settled again did Xiao Gui'an continue to approach.
No matter how many times he witnessed such scenes, their sudden appearance still sent shivers down his spine.
In that brief period, Xu Zisheng had reviewed numerous documents, gaining a thorough understanding of this orphanage's origins and development history.
The earlier archives were relatively authentic and detailed, covering many aspects comprehensively.
However, the later records became increasingly formulaic, with much information simplified, their authenticity questionable.
When [Writer] had gone to examine the photos on the wall earlier, Xu Zisheng had also glanced up briefly.
But for some unknown reason, even after [Writer] raised his hand and used his power to wipe the dust off the photos, he still couldn't make out the specific contents clearly.It seemed he would have to ask the teacher about it later.
He decided to finish reading the materials on his side first.
Through his observations over these two days in the orphanage, Xu Zisheng had roughly deduced which period of the orphanage's development they were currently in.
The ghosts currently present in this orphanage instance were almost all characters who had lived here during the few years before the orphanage's closure.
Something must have happened during this period—the orphanage, which had been operating well and even receiving substantial funding, suddenly shut down.
Former staff and teachers were dismissed, and the children in the orphanage were sent elsewhere.
These few sparse sentences described the final outcome of this orphanage that had once sheltered many children and served as their safe harbor.
Misfortune always strikes at any moment, falling upon those whose fates were already troubled and who struggled merely to survive.
Something utterly terrible must have occurred during the orphanage's later stages, though exactly what remained unknown.
The evil in human nature is always impossible to fathom—what people might do for their own desires and interests is never surprising.
Between humans and ghosts, which is truly more terrifying at times?
Having witnessed so much darkness across different worlds, Xu Zisheng found his heart still unable to remain completely unmoved when anticipating the tragedies that might have occurred here.
The thin boy's hand holding the documents tightened slightly, then quickly relaxed.
Based on his judgment, he quickly focused on finding relevant materials from this later period, then went through the cabinets one by one to locate information about the ghosts currently existing in the orphanage.
But just as he had anticipated, much of the information from this final period was blurry and unclear, seemingly obscured by something, unable to reveal the true details.
Some were even blank sheets of paper, as if nothing had been written on them at all.
Xu Zisheng's expression remained unchanged as he brought the documents closer and tilted the candleholder slightly.
As Xu Zisheng focused his will, the white candle's light flickered, emitting an eerie aura. The white candle and flame color continuously changed.
The white candle completely turned blood-red, its texture completely transforming to resemble flesh and blood.
A decaying, foul smell spread through the air, while the flame turned into a ghostly blue.
The room's temperature plummeted instantly. The blood-red candle burned, several drops of foul-smelling corpse oil dripping onto the documents from the tilted angle.
The corpse oil spread out, quickly absorbing into the documents.
It was as if surface illusions had been broken—the once genuine relevant information all emerged, no longer blank or unreadable.
However, using this candleholder came with negative effects: during use, the candle must not be allowed to extinguish on its own, and one's flesh and blood would gradually disappear bit by bit.
Misfortune always strikes at any moment, falling upon those whose fates were already rough and who struggled merely to survive.