Chapter 758: Chapter 758: Bring Her Back
According to the rules, the Security Bureau doesn’t record the status of people other than spirit mediums.
But this spirit medium had once reported a case to the police, so the Security Bureau made synchronized records.
This convenience allowed Scarlett Jennings and her team to pinpoint their target.
The group followed the spirit medium’s address.
The spirit medium lived in an alley in the old town, reportedly approached by residents who wanted to communicate with those below.
When people from the Peaceful City Security Bureau visited to confirm the spirit medium was genuinely skilled at spirit communication, they registered her.
When Scarlett Jennings and her team arrived, the room was evidently "busy."
An old single-story house with a small yard, the entrance veiled by thick cotton curtains.
Through the gaps, two or three figures could be faintly seen inside.
An ancient spirit medium was seated on a mat, with a man and a woman opposite her.
Her bony hands gripped one hand of each person opposite while she muttered.
The time elapsed was uncertain.
Outside, waiting, Scarlett Jennings and her team clearly felt a chilling wind sweep by.
Soon after, the spirit medium inside seemed to change her face, and an elderly woman suddenly emitted a young girl’s voice.
"Mom! Dad! You’ve finally come to find me! Sob sob..."
Opposite, the middle-aged couple heard the voice and tone, their eyes instantly reddened. Although their daughter had been gone for almost half a year, they immediately recognized their daughter.
"Darling! Is it really you! How are you doing down there? Your Mom and I have been dreaming of you these past couple of days. Are you suffering down there? Is it a lack of money?"
The reason they sought the spirit medium was due to repeatedly dreaming of their deceased daughter at night, yet unable to hear her voice, only witnessing her anxious expression.
Having watched "Inspiration," they knew in this world, ghosts and spirits were real, and dared not overlook the dreams with their daughter, thus seeking the spirit medium.
Surprisingly, they genuinely met their daughter!
The spirit medium, possessed, was also visibly excited but soon recalled the pressing matter and hastily said,
"Mom! Dad! I came in dreams just to tell you, don’t trust cousin’s family! Especially don’t listen to them about adopting cousin!
I heard it! None of them are good people! They plan to cheat you out of your house once cousin is adopted, then have you support their whole family!"
The girl said this all in one breath, leaving the middle-aged couple dumbfounded.
"How—how can this be? But they said, you were good friends with her privately..."
"That’s just a lie she told you! I’m not close with her at all!
She just read my social media to know my interests, then pretended to be my friend in front of you! I didn’t borrow money from her without repaying!"
The girl’s voice was indignant,
"My only best friend is Elowen Woods! I do owe her a little money, but that money doesn’t need to be repaid; she won’t take it.
Anyway, just don’t ever believe cousin’s family, if they keep bothering you, call Elowen Woods for help on my behalf. Just tell her I said so."
As the girl said this, her body swayed, turning to notice the incense burning beside her was near the end, she hurriedly said, without any formalities or other greetings,
"Also, please help pass this message to Elowen Woods, remind her to log in to my account and delete all my phone’s chat logs and private album collections, also next month’s Jingjing concert, remember to burn peripherals for me..."
The middle-aged couple listened blankly, watching as the incense burned out, the originally chattering daughter’s voice paused.
Soon after, the spirit medium lowered her head, raising it once more, her eyes restored to gray and lifeless.
They knew their daughter had left.
An indescribable sadness welled within, but they must still fulfill what their daughter asked for.
After thanking the spirit medium, the couple decided to first seek Elowen Woods and inquire about the peripherals...
Outside, Scarlett Jennings’ group waited for the couple to leave, then heard an old voice from inside.
"Please come in."
Entering, they found dim lighting within, an incense table prominently centered in the hall, with the spirit medium seated on the mat, her eyes visibly unlike a normal person’s.
She was already blind.
"You all... Aren’t here for spirit communication?"
Though the spirit medium couldn’t see, her hearing and senses were still keen.
Scarlett Jennings observed and without much small talk, first stated their identity as Security Bureau officers, then explained their reason to the spirit medium.
"We’re not certain if the girl whose face was swapped is your reported missing disciple, so we intended to confirm it with you."
Evidently, the spirit medium wasn’t able to help them "identify" anyone.
Upon hearing her disciple might have been swapped faces, already hunchbacked, she nearly couldn’t stand but staggered up, silently fumbling into the room.
Shortly afterward, she returned holding a photo frame and a piece of clothing.
The spirit medium directly handed the items to Scarlett Jennings, her voice hoarse after a long silence,
"I can’t see, but this is a photo I took holding that child; please... help me look, if it’s her, this is clothes she frequently wore..."
For some reason, as she received the items from the elder’s hands, Scarlett Jennings felt an unexplainable sourness in her chest. She first looked at the person in the photo frame.
With just a glance, she confirmed the person in the photo was Lucienne Xander.
Compared to now, Lucienne Xander looked younger, yet even while young, her eyes showed gloominess unbefitting a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.
Having seen Elysia Xander previously, with her face swapped, she couldn’t discern the original face.
But now looking at the true photo of Lucienne Xander, she could glimpse some of the girl’s past experiences from her features.
With eyebrows slightly furrowed, Scarlett Jennings felt discomfort.
"It’s her... isn’t it?"
The spirit medium’s raspy voice came again, though questioning, she internally already had the answer.
She pushed the clothing in her hands further toward Scarlett Jennings, "Can you bring her back? That child... is still alive."
Since Lucienne Xander’s disappearance, the spirit medium regularly attempted spirit communication to summon her spirit.
Yet, she still hadn’t successfully communicated.
Which, in her case, meant something positive.
Being alive meant hope still remained.
"That child... Her real name is Layla Xalvadora, she endured bitter years before."
Layla was sent to an orphanage after her parents’ death.
Soon after, she was adopted by a couple and moved away.
As John Dawn shared earlier, before turning thirteen, Layla lived a joyful life, vibrant and spirited.
However, from thirteen onwards, her life seemed marred by misfortune.
Parents deceased, her only trusted brother moved abroad and lost contact.
The couple who adopted her were nothing but beasts in human guise!
Their adoption had the sole purpose of grooming her to be the male head’s plaything.
They fabricated medical records for her to leave school, isolating her in the basement for three harrowing years, enduring inhuman treatment, unseen by daylight.
When the spirit medium found her, she’d even forgotten how to speak.
It took the spirit medium nearly two years to restore her life to normalcy.
Yet even such good days vanished quickly.
Misfortune hadn’t intended to let her go.
Upon hearing her face was taken, the spirit medium could imagine Layla’s current suffering.
But she still comforted herself, it was fine.
Being alive was the utmost respect.
She told Scarlett Jennings,
"Please bring her back."
Her raspy voice carried threads of a plea,
"Coming back... as bitter as it may be, I’ll be this old companion to support her."
She was blind, even without her face, she couldn’t see it.
As long as she returned.
She would be with her, just like those two prior years... stay alongside her.