Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 781 - 14. 168 Hours (Part 1)

Chapter 781: 14. 168 Hours (Part 1)

"You don’t look well."

On the morning of the third day since Chen Rong’s return.

She sat down across from Meng Quan, her husband’s pale, bloodless face causing her delicate brows to furrow in concern.

"I’m... fine." Meng Quan forced a smile, continuing to absentmindedly stir his milk.

He had already confirmed that his wife had been dead for some time.

The fear of accompanying the dead sent shivers down his spine.

"I’m planning to look for a new job." Chen Rong swept her long hair, strands slipping through her fingers and accumulating at her feet.

She seemed oblivious to this scene.

"...Rest at home for a while longer, your body hasn’t recovered yet." After a brief silence, Meng Quan said.

He dared not let others know...

"But it’s boring being cooped up at home." Chen Rong propped her chin with her hand, her lively expression indistinguishable from that of the living.

As she finished speaking, she suddenly noticed her husband wearing a wool sweater fit for autumn, and linked it to his complexion...

"Are you catching a cold, wearing such thick clothes?"

She leaned over, her icy hand feeling Meng Quan’s forehead, then her own, mumbling in confusion, "I don’t feel anything..."

"I... I’m fine." Meng Quan struggled to suppress the urge to shy away, answering with a ghastly pale face.

Concealed under the dining table, his hand clutching the remote control for the air conditioner showed a temperature of 16°C.

Yet his wife was in nothing more than a sleeveless nightgown.

She had completely lost all sense of the external world.

The wife’s soft voice kept on talking while Meng Quan ate breakfast quietly and silently.

Before heading to work, Chen Rong covered the air conditioner with a dust cover, not letting her discover it was set to the lowest temperature, then dressed properly, standing at the door instructing his wife, "It’s been raining recently, don’t go out."

"Okay~ I’ll wait for you to come back."

Meng Quan did not respond, rushing out in a near state of flight from the building.

...

Pitter-patter——

The drizzle fell hazily; having just entered the rainy season, light rains were frequent. But in a few days, the rain would change.

Evening, nearing dusk.

Meng Quan drove into the garage, parked the car, turned off the engine.

The sound of the engine faded, and the day’s noise dissipated in this moment, approaching silence.

The fear inside him hesitated, not wanting to return to his former home, but he had no choice...

He got out of the car, taking the elevator back to the 16th floor.

Standing at the doorstep, he hesitated for a moment as he took out his key to open the door, slowly opening it.

What greeted him was not his wife’s cheerful laughter, but a faint, pervasive stench of decay in the air.

Meng Quan’s heart tightened, his steps growing heavy as he walked back into his home.

Clatter——

The sound of cooking came from the living room.

Meng Quan hurried to the kitchen entrance, seeing the figure side-on to him, as if gripped by a huge hand, unable to breathe from the pain.

A patch of bluish-purple livor mortis appeared on his wife’s lovely cheek.

The livor mortis... was beginning to spread.

"You’re back?" Chen Rong noticed her husband at the door, giving a gentle smile.

The blossoming smile left Meng Quan frozen, his heart tightening afterward: "Did you... go out to buy groceries?"

"No, the fridge is stocked. But we’ll need to go shopping tomorrow." Chen Rong stirred the pot a few times, covering it and walking toward Meng Quan.

He no longer dared to let his wife go out, fearing if anyone saw his wife decaying... they would call the police, suspect him...

"Do you really think I’m a kid?"

Chen Rong tried to hug her husband, but Meng Quan recoiled in fear, backing away, waving at his puzzled wife, "Nothing, just cough cough, the cooking fumes are a bit choking, I’ll head back to the living room."

Turning away, the smiling face instantly turned ashen.

Just on the third day and already...

Dinner was tasteless, as Meng Quan absentmindedly answered his wife’s various questions, all while pondering what to do next.

Run away? But what if she caught up with him or was discovered by others...

Before sleeping, Meng Quan rested in the study and locked the door.

His wife was a bit angry and ignored him.

Not a word all night.

On the fourth day, Meng Quan was awakened by a strong stench.

"Phew..." he took a few breaths, opening windows in the adjacent bedroom, study, and kitchen to ventilate.

The sky was still dim, just minutes before six.

There was no way he could sleep anymore, and there were three hours before work.

Meng Quan decided to take this time to clean up the house.

He sneaked back into the bedroom, and after the air circulation had somewhat dissipated the smell, he tiptoed to gather clothes, dressed up in the kitchen, and went downstairs for some shopping.

Disinfectant, air purifier, freshener.

A dozen minutes later, Meng Quan returned to the quiet home. There was no sound in the bedroom, his wife still asleep.

First, he opened the bedroom door, then moved the air purifier to an inconspicuous corner and turned it on to dispel the stench.

A few minutes later, the odor was mostly gone, Meng Quan closed the door, took out two cans of lemon-scented air freshener, one in each hand, spraying around the living room, study, and kitchen until both cans were empty.

He grabbed two new ones, went back to the bedroom to spray.

The lemon fragrance mixed with the stench of decay, the smell indescribable but better than pure stench.

Meng Quan didn’t even dare take a deep breath to test the effect; he returned to the living room, put the four empty freshener cans in a trash bag, and went downstairs to throw it away.

Clang——

Gently closing the door, Meng Quan suddenly heard a humming sound coming from the bedroom.

He walked over and pushed open the bedroom door, his wife was facing away, sitting before the vanity mirror.

Lividity crawled over half her face, once bright and clear eyes now cloudy and dull.

She seemed unaware of her own gradual decomposition, humming softly while tidying her hair that fell out in large bunches.

Seeing the change in the mirror, Chen Rong turned around, smiled with curved eyes, "Do I look good?"

Meng Quan stood stunned at the doorway. At that moment, he suddenly and tangibly realized... this woman was already dead.

The surging fear overwhelmed Meng Quan.