Downstairs, the female ghost led me to the room with the black lake. The door was open, and inside was pitch dark.
Yuna Ji giggled, taking a big step as if she was about to leap inside.
"Get out." John Chou's deep, forceful voice came from inside.
"Fine, I won't go in. What's the big deal? Hmph, I'm going out shopping instead."
I stepped inside cautiously, afraid I'd slip and fall like that day. Strangely, as I crossed the threshold, I felt a sense of solidity beneath my feet.
As I walked in, my eyes widened. A massive black stone floated in midair, and a path made of black stones hung suspended. I was standing on one of them, looking down.
The black lake below seemed even larger now, the entire space like an enormous cavern. John Chou sat on a chair, sipping tea, while the little female ghost stood beside him, eager to please.
"Ethan, you're here!"
I nodded and walked over.
"Why didn't you come up and find me?"
"Bro, that bitch is here. Just seeing her makes me want to kill her, so you'd better come find me instead!"
"What happened between you two, anyway? Was she your ex-girlfriend?"
I asked, puzzled, and John Chou's expression instantly changed.
"Even if I were blind and deaf, I'd never want a woman like her."
I wanted to ask for more details, but it was clear John Chou wasn't going to tell me.
"So, what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to dig up her corpse and bring it back."
I gasped, seeing John Chou pointing at the female ghost in the landlord's house.
"Dig... dig up a corpse? This..."
"What? Scared now, bro?"
I glanced at the female ghost. She still wore a blank expression, but this time her eyes were fixed on me.
"Why do we have to dig up her corpse? She's dead—shouldn't she rest in peace?"
"If her body isn't recovered, she'll never be able to leave this place. Bro, do you want her haunting you from time to time, or would you rather find her corpse and let her reincarnate?"
"I'll go, I'll go..."
The female ghost followed behind me as we left the apartment building. I couldn't shake the chill running down my spine.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Tina Yu."
I acknowledged with a simple "Oh."
It was already 7 p.m. I asked her where her body was buried, checked my pocket—more than 4,000 yuan, borrowed from my cousin—and hailed a cab toward the forest to the west.
There was a vast, dense forest over there. I passed a hardware store and bought a shovel, then stopped by an outdoor shop for a sleeping bag—after all, I'd be moving a corpse soon.
I lived in the southern part of the city, with several universities nearby—it was always bustling. As we passed my alma mater, the Advanced Technical Institute, I thought I should visit someday, especially my homeroom teacher, who'd always been kind to me.
Tina Yu sat motionless beside me. Aside from her pale complexion, there was nothing unusual about her, so I wasn't scared.
"Young man, what are you doing heading into the forest alone at this hour?"
"Just scouting the area. We're planning to camp here in a few days."
"You'd better not, kid. That place is haunted!"
I chuckled. Haunted? There was already a ghost sitting right next to me.
It took over an hour to get there, costing me more than a hundred yuan. It hurt, but there was no other choice.
"Driver, could you wait here for me? Is that alright?"
"Alright, but I can't wait for nothing, can I? At least you should..."
Suddenly, I saw the driver staring wide-eyed behind me. With a roar, he slammed his foot on the gas and sped off, ignoring my shouts as he turned and fled.
"Great, now how am I supposed to get back?"
Luckily, there was a bus stop nearby. I walked over—the last bus was at ten, and it was already past eight.
"Hurry up, where's your body?"
I put on a safety helmet with a light, switched it on, and looked around. The woods were dense, trees tangled together. I'd heard plenty of people came here to play every year, but not all of them made it out.
Suddenly, I froze. What had the driver just seen?
"Miss Yu, is there something here?"
"Go in over there." Tina Yu said, pointing to a spot beneath the guardrail where a path seemed to lead into the darkness. I reluctantly headed over.
Tina Yu followed behind, occasionally pointing the way. I twisted and turned through the woods—the deeper I went, the bigger the trees and the narrower the path.
"Should've come during the day."
But then again, digging up a corpse is a nighttime job—if I did it in broad daylight and got caught, I'd definitely end up at the police station.
"Go that way. We'll be there in about ten minutes."
Tina Yu said, turning right without waiting. I followed, stepping carefully over the exposed tree roots, forced to move slowly.
"By the way, Miss Yu, how did you die?"
I asked, and suddenly Tina Yu stopped, turning to stare at me.
"Forget I asked. Don't get mad, please don't get mad."
Just then, I tripped over something and fell face-first to the ground. Holding my aching nose, I turned my head.
I screamed. A swollen human hand lay beside the tree roots. Still shaken, I stared at it, and realized something was wrong—the hand was moving.
With a crunch, the hand moved, suddenly reaching out and grabbing my foot. I shuddered with terror, struggling, but it held on tight.
"Come help!" I called. Tina Yu came over, and with a swift motion, the hand was cut off. I hurriedly grabbed the severed hand and tossed it aside, then got up, panting heavily.
After a while, we reached an open spot. Fallen leaves were piled up, giving off a foul stench.
Tina Yu started crying then, her wretched sobs chilling the air. I shivered.
"Is it here?" Seeing her nod, I brushed aside the leaves, grabbed my shovel, and started digging.
After a while, I hit something. I put on my gloves and began tossing out clumps of dirt.
A foul stench wafted up. I held my nose, unable to bear it, and stepped away for a moment.
A decayed female corpse—many parts missing, bone exposed. It had to be Tina Yu. How did she end up buried here?
I glanced at her, puzzled. She was still crying.
"Were you..." I didn't finish the sentence.
"I was murdered and buried here." Tina Yu finally spoke. I looked at her with sympathy.
"I had a boyfriend I'd known for years. Later, he wanted to start a business, so I vouched for him and borrowed money from loan sharks. He took the money and ran off with another woman. I hid in that apartment building, but the loan sharks found me. The landlord turned me in, and they wanted me to pay my debt with my body, to become a prostitute. I refused. During the struggle, humiliated, I killed myself. They buried me here."
I listened quietly to Tina Yu's story and sighed.
"Should I call the police for you?"
Tina Yu burst out laughing, her shrill laughter echoing through the woods.
"As long as you bring my corpse back, I'll be able to leave that apartment building. Then, I'll find every one of them—I won't let them get away."
Her excitement startled me. I held my breath and started digging again. Soon, I unzipped the sleeping bag and packed Tina Yu's corpse inside. Luckily, it was already decayed and not too heavy—I slung it over my back.
Just then, I realized the path I'd come in on was gone. It had been a straight shot before, but now several trees were clustered together—there was no way out.
"Where's the path? How do I get out?"
I turned around, but Tina Yu was gone. I sucked in a cold breath.
"Stop messing around. Come out, now."
I looked around—everything seemed the same. I had no idea which way to go. I wanted to leave, but if I got lost, I'd be in real trouble.
"Miss Yu, where are you?" I called out a few times, my voice echoing through the woods.
In the forest, aside from the light on my helmet, everything was pitch black. Not even insects or birds made a sound. I started to panic, calling out for Tina Yu again and again.
Just then, I heard a rustling behind me. I turned, and the sound stopped. It was like something was moving under the leaves.
When I turned back, the sound started again. I kept turning around, and each time, the noise would stop.
"Damn it, what is it? Stop messing around. If you've got guts, come out!"
I was scared, but I still shouted.
Then, the rustling came from all directions. My back went cold—something was moving under the leaves.
A swishing sound rose all around me. Tree roots shot up, and I stared, screaming, trying to block them—but the roots grabbed me, dragging me off the ground.
"Heh heh heh..."
A rough laugh echoed through the woods, and then more voices joined in, growing louder and louder.
I was twisted up by the tree roots, hanging from a tree like a piece of rope.
"Who are you?"
I shouted again, and suddenly something dropped down. I was terrified—a corpse hung upside down, its body rotting in several places, its skeletal face stopping right in front of me.
Then, with a creak, the corpse moved. Its decayed hands reached for me.
I strained to pull my head back, struggling desperately.
"Having fun?" A voice came from behind. I turned to see a man with white hair, pale skin, and a big leather coat, grinning wickedly at me. His arm was around Tina Yu, his hand covering her mouth.