Amelia didn't buy Li Yunlong's answer for a second. If American police officers were truly this incompetent, how could they possibly maintain any kind of deterrent against criminals? Still, seeing that he had no intention of elaborating, she didn't push the issue or throw a tantrum. Instead, she smoothly steered the conversation toward mundane small talk. After about ten minutes, she took her leave, politely but firmly turning down his offer to have his paper car drive her home.
Li Yunlong saw her out of the yard and promptly retreated indoors. Amelia flipped through her phone contacts and reached out to a taxi driver she knew well. He promised to arrive within ten minutes-a bit of a wait, but she had zero desire to step back inside Li Yunlongs house. She remained deeply wary of him, consciously keeping her distance. It wasn't just the police warrant-after all, the threat of federal authority meant little to seasoned journalists. It was her recent ordeal. Having personally experienced supernatural phenomena, she knew all too well that it was anything but pleasant. Amelia had no trouble admitting it to herself: she was terrified by her encounter on the Train to Paradise.
As she leaned against the courtyard fence and idly scrolled through her phone, a hushed voice suddenly called out from nearby. «Psst! … Psst! Over here! Come quick!»
Amelia followed the sound and spotted a teenage boy in the neighboring yard. He was peeking over the top of the fence like a thief, showing only half his face, his expression filled with anxiety. Amusement washed over her, mixed with a touch of curiosity, as she strolled over. «Hey there, handsome. What's up?»
Seeing her walk toward him, the teenager let out a visible sigh of relief, though he still seemed terrified of something. Even as he poked his head out, he kept most of his body shielded behind the wooden panels. «Hello, Miss Amelia. Ive watched your news broadcasts on KTLA.»
She hadn't expected to run into a fan. After off the air for over a month, it warmed her heart to know someone still recognized her. She offered a gracious smile and reached out her hand. «Well, hello! Oh…»
The boy caught on quickly, eagerly grasping her hand. «Bob. My names Bob. This is my house.»
A warm handshake was a staple of fan interactions, and fans were usually an enthusiastic bunch. But Amelia was merely a TV news anchor, lacking the refined social skills and experience of big-screen movie stars when dealing with overly eager admirers. It took a bit of effort on her part to wriggle her hand free. «So, Bob, did you call me over for an autograph?»
An awkward look crossed Bobs face. «Oh, no, its not that. I was just throwing out the trash when I saw you standing there.» He pointed toward Li Yunlongs small yard. «I was worried something terrible might happen to you, so I called you over right away. Now that I think about it, I was way too hasty. I didn't interrupt your interview, did I?»
Amelia shook her head. «Of course not. Im off the clock. I just came by to visit a friend.»
Despite the dim lighting, Amelia distinctly caught the sudden shift in Bob's expression. He took a subtle step back, his voice trembling slightly. «Miss Amelia… your friend doesn't happen to live there, does he?»
Realizing something was off, Amelia nevertheless answered truthfully. «Yes! His name is Brook Lee. Youre neighbors, so you must know him pretty well, right? Why do you…»
Before she could finish her sentence, Bob shrieked, «Im sorry! Please forgive me!» He turned on his heel, dashed inside, and slammed the door shut with a heavy bang!
Talk about an overreaction! It was as if hed seen a ghost. Amelia pondered it for a moment. Could it be that the neighbors already knew about Li Yunlong being wanted by the police? That made sense. It had been over a month, and rumors had likely spread like wildfire. Just then, her taxi pulled up. Though she still had unanswered questions, Amelia quickly composed herself and got into the cab. «Good evening, Mickey. Remember my place? Take me home.»
«Of course, Miss Amelia. Fasten your seatbelt,» Mickey replied cheerfully. Most cab drivers loved to chat, and Mickey was no exception. Since Amelia was a regular, they talked all the way to her apartment building. She paid the fare and prepared to step out. «Goodnight, Mickey.»
Mickey pocketed the money. «Goodnight, Miss Amelia. Good luck with your work!» As he drove off, he muttered under his breath, «Man, journalists are crazy these days. Running off to a haunted house in the middle of the night…»
By sheer coincidence, Amelia caught the tail end of his whisper. A haunted house?! She let out a soft laugh and shook her head, wondering what kind of look Li Yunlong would make if he heard people calling his home that.
By November 4, 2000, Amelia had been back at the station for a week. Harboring her own misgivings, she hadn't tried to contact Li Yunlong during that time. Yesterday at lunch, while chatting with her colleagues, Li Yunlong somehow popped into her mind, prompting her to ask casually, «Have any of you heard about the haunted house in Burbank?»
Her coworker didn't think much of it. «The haunted house in Burbank? Oh, right! You mean Mr. Ghosts Haunted House! It caused quite a stir back then. But later, the brass put a gag order on it. Not just here-word is, higher-ups reached out everywhere to smother it. It lost all news value instantly, and nobody cares anymore. Itll probably just end up as another urban legend.»
What on earth was that about? After offering a few vague responses, Amelia quickly found an excuse to slip away. Ever since returning to work, she had deliberately avoided anything related to the paranormal due to her trauma. But now, she decided to dig into the stories surrounding Mr. Ghosts Haunted House. And boy, was there a mountain of material. Judging by the dates, the story had dominated the headlines for nearly half a month before someone slammed the brakes, bringing all related coverage to a screeching halt!
It had all started on September 26, 2000. After bending over backward and failing to catch Li Yunlong, Captain Wales had snapped in frustration and stripped Li Yunlongs house clean. His men hadn't even spared the ceilings, walls, flooring, windows, or doors. To haul away the heavy alchemy furnace, they had dug a massive crater in the small yard. The devastation rivaled a swarm of locusts, reducing a perfectly fine detached villa to a structurally unsafe ruin. Before leaving, they had posted police seals and wrapped the property in caution tape. Naturally, a scene that loud couldn't be kept quiet, but the American public had seen it all-if that had been the end of it, it would have amounted to nothing more than a trashy tabloid headline.
The real trouble started after dark. On the night of September 26, 2000, Li Yunlongs house was suddenly ablaze with light! This, despite the official seals and police tape still plastered all over the perimeter. Who could be so brazen? Who dared treat the authority of federal law with such utter contempt? Driven by a deep sense of civic duty, Bobs family-Li Yunlongs next-door neighbors-immediately called the police. The LAPD didn't stall, dispatching a massive force to completely surround the house. The commotion drew a large crowd of onlookers, including local residents alongside reporters. That was when someone sharp-eyed noticed something impossible: hadn't the doors and windows been completely gutted? How did the place look fully intact now, without a single piece missing? Had it really been renovated that fast?
Regardless of what the spectators thought, the LAPD didn't mess around. When their megaphones yielded no response, they sent a team storming inside. Nobody on the outside knew exactly what happened in there, but one thing was certain-it did not go smoothly. A chaotic din erupted from inside: frantic gunshots, terrified screams, enraged roars, and the thumping sound of heavy impacts against walls. The officers outside visibly panicked and quickly rallied a second squad to charge in, but it accomplished nothing beyond making the racket inside even louder and more chaotic. A few minutes later, the officers who had rushed inside stumbled back out. None appeared to be dead or injured, but after a tense huddle, they completely ignored the swarming reporters. Leaving a single cruiser behind to watch the perimeter, the rest pulled out in a rushed, anticlimactic retreat. It was entirely uncharacteristic of the LAPD. Onlookers noted that by then, Li Yunlongs house had returned to a state of serene quiet, glowing softly with lights as if enjoying its own private solitude.
On the morning of September 27, 2000, Li Yunlongs neighbors woke up to a horrifying sight. Many of them had run out to watch the commotion the previous night. At that time, the house had been fully intact, glowing brightly even after the police withdrew. But under the bright morning sun, what in the world was standing there? The day before yesterday, the house had merely looked abandoned because the doors and windows were missing. Today, not only were the doors and windows still gone, but massive holes were punched through the exterior walls. With its load-bearing supports destroyed, nearly a third of the roof had caved in, rendering it a genuine safety hazard.
Around that time, a reporter caught wind of an insider rumor from the LAPD: during the late hours of September 26, the police station itself had experienced a haunt! If true, that was massive news, and journalists scrambled to cover it. But at a press conference called by the LAPD, the department spokesperson harshly dismissed the theory as baseless, insane gibberish.
That very evening-specifically from 6:00 PM on September 27 until 7:00 AM on September 28-the LAPD mobilized heavy personnel to lock down their own station, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving, especially hyper-curious journalists. Meanwhile, observant locals noticed that as soon as night fell, Li Yunlongs house once again restored itself to pristine condition, glowing brightly in the dark!