The Enchanted Art Gallery – The Beginning Of A Case

Time passes and the human victims continue to fall. But Alex still hasn't found out who the bloodthirsty vampire really is. What clan was he really from? Was he from the ancient vampire clan? Or a rival clan? If the vampire was from the Ancient Vampire Clan, Alex somehow doubted it. The Ancient Vampire Clan was a respectable vampire clan that had coexisted with humans for hundreds of years. Even when Alex appeared in this world, it had already been that way. It seemed unlikely that they were behind all these murders.

On the contrary, the rival vampire clan's wild and unruly behaviour had led Alex's thoughts to them. Moreover, their leader's obnoxious attitude - accusing the ancient leader of the vampire clan - really made Alex suspicious. Alex also marked the rival vampire clan in his notebook.

"Don't let my hunch be right," he muttered and closed the book.

Amidst the AC and DC electricity running through Alex's brain, Alex's doorbell suddenly rang.

"Isn't that Evelyn Stirling?" thought Alex as he saw who had rung the bell at his home and office without opening the door. "What's she doing here?" muttered Alex as he opened the door, allowing Evelyn to enter.

Yes, Alex has the power of invisibility. He can see everything within a 1 km radius of him, even if it is blocked by an object.

***

"Thank goodness you're home Alex!!! Humph, or rather in your office. May I get in?" Without waiting for Alex's permission, the middle-aged woman walked in, startling Liam who was buried in his files in the living room.

"I have a favour to ask of you, Alex. Something very mystical has happened in my gallery," she said to the point, not even waiting for Alex to ask.

Evelyn Stirling began her story with a worried look on her face. She recounted the strange happenings in her gallery, where artworks start moving for no reason, paintings change shape by themselves, and strange noises are heard in the room at nightfall. There was a look of fear and confusion in her eyes as she recounted the mysterious happenings in the place she lovingly and devotedly ran.

"I'm serious, Alex! I even called a clairvoyant, but even they couldn't come up with an explanation. You know, works of art that are normally still are suddenly moving and changing shape. Strange noises are heard at night, and I feel as if my gallery is inhabited by an unseen presence," says Evelyn with a shudder.

Alex looked at her seriously, trying to understand the fear and anxiety Evelyn was feeling. "I've taken all your details, Evelyn. I will investigate and hopefully find the cause."

Evelyn was relieved to hear Alex's words. "Thank you, Alex. I know this may sound ridiculous to some, but I'm afraid my gallery will be destroyed if this problem isn't solved soon. I'm pretty sure this isn't man-made! There must be some nosy ghost in there."

Although there was no expression on Alex's face, he replied, "We'll know if it's human or not after I investigate. All right, Evelyn, leave it to me now. You just pay according to the tariffs." He pointed to the fare board he had placed behind his seat.

"Alex, you don't have to worry about money! I'll pay whatever it takes! All that matters is that my gallery is back to normal! You know, I feel like there is a presence watching my every move in the gallery. Even when I was alone, I could feel sharp eyes tracing my body. It feels like something invisible, but so close."

Alex tried to keep a straight face, even though he himself was horrified by the story. "What have you done so far to solve this problem?"

Evelyn rolled her eyes lazily. She remembered telling Alex about it earlier. "Like I said, I tried to call a clairvoyant. But even they could only sense a strange energy in the gallery, without being able to give any further explanation. And with each passing day, the strange occurrences are getting worse."

"Huh!" Alex thought for a moment, trying to process the information he had just heard. "Then you and I will go to your gallery tonight."

"Me? You want me to come with you? Can't you just do it on your own Alex?" Evelyn didn't really like Alex's idea. It was obvious that she was afraid to go back to her gallery, Alex was asking her to come with him.

"If you don't mind I'll go with Liam." As she said this, Alex glanced at Liam out of the corner of her eye. And look at Liam, who sighed with a long face, because he will definitely be Alex's sacrifice in the expedition to the haunted gallery.

Evelyn nodded in agreement. "Well, that makes more sense to me! No matter that I spent money to pay you, I still have to spend money to pay a heart doctor to tie my heart tightly in there." She babbled incoherently.

"All right, since you have agreed, please make the payment by wire transfer to my account! 60% of the total cost. This is my account number!" Alex handed over his business card, which turned out not to have his mobile number on it, but his account number.

Without waiting long, Evelyn immediately took out her mobile phone and transferred the amount of money to the number Alex had requested.

A dollar smile spread across Alex's handsome face. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Evelyn. And as for your gallery, let's just say there's nothing there anymore. I'll get it back to normal."

"Thanks Alex." Evelyn thanked him in a soft voice, but there was great hope for Alex in her eyes. Now a mysterious riddle was ready to lead Alex to something behind the doors of the dark art gallery.

After Evelyn had left, Liam walked over to Alex and patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, A! You're great at raising money quickly, you seem to have a natural talent for it." Liam said with a meaningful smile. Whether the sentence was meant to praise or insinuate. But for sure, Alex himself did not care. He continued to smile at the figures on his account.

"When it comes to money, you really don't care anymore, A!" Liam shouted at Alex with sharp eyes.

Alex looked away with a smile on his face. "You know, Liam, in this world, money can indeed move things. And this time money has moved Evelyn's feet to come into our office." He said, returning Liam's smile with the same one.

"Although this is our office, from Evelyn's explanation, this is clearly your case! And you have cleverly dragged me along with you!" Liam narrowed his eyes and laughed in a slightly mocking tone. "You're not happy to see me when I'm not with you. You know, my gut told me I'd be involved in a paranormal expedition like this. If I could choose, I'd rather spend my time playing computer games than facing ghosts and astral beings.

Alex laughed at his comment. "I know, Liam. But I have a feeling that our adventure will be very interesting this time. Who knows, maybe we will have an unforgettable experience."

Liam raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Funny! I'm not even sure! Instead of a fun experience, I'm worried I'll be traumatised?"

Alex replied with a slight chuckle, "Who knows, Liam. Life is full of surprises, isn't it? Besides, who knows what answers we might find there.

Liam stroked his chin thoughtfully. "All right, Alex, I'll be there for you. But promise me that afterwards we should go and play computer games to 'wash away' this scary experience."

Alex gave Liam's hand a friendly shake. "Deal! But who knows, maybe after tonight you will become an occult detective with me."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're really a detective or an exterminator! You see, your work is far from being that of a detective." Liam joked, but as usual Alex didn't respond.

"If it can be both, why does it have to be one!" Alex replied later.

They both laughed together, lightening the atmosphere.

Alex and Liam began to plan the steps they would take on tonight's expedition. They divided up the tasks, discussed what to look for and how to deal with any situations that might arise.

"So what kind of equipment are we going to bring, A?" Liam asked sincerely.

Alex thought for a moment and then replied, "Cameras to record evidence, entity detection equipment and of course high power flashlights. We need to be prepared for the darkness of the night and anything that might appear. Alex mentioned all the items a ghost hunter would normally need. Although Alex didn't actually need any of those things. With his naked eyes alone he could see people from a distance.

Liam nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll make sure my torch is fully charged. But please, A, don't let anything interfere with my phone game in the middle of this adventure."

"Don't worry Liam, I'll make sure the ghosts don't interfere with your internet connection," Alex said with a laugh.

As night falls, they prepare to face the mystery behind the darkened doors of the art gallery.