Early the next morning, I woke up. Jason Zheng was still sound asleep, while the Tong Ghost kept watch over him. I glanced around—my stomach was growling. I was sleeping on the lower bunk, Jason on the upper.
"Keep an eye on this guy. I'm going out to get something to eat."
I said this while the Tong Ghost gnawed on one of its fingers, casting a resentful look at me.
"Then what do I eat?"
I let out a surprised sound.
"Eat yourself."
As I said this, I turned into a cloud of black mist and slipped out. By now, trucks loaded with garbage were arriving, and the landfill plant was already in operation.
I headed to the street where there were many food stalls last night. I found an empty alley, transformed into a human, and walked out. I found a breakfast shop, and just then, my phone started vibrating again.
"Go left, ten meters. The breakfast at the Braised Mixed Sauce Noodle Shop is the best here."
I stared in surprise at the Bing App, then headed to the left. Sure enough, I saw the noodle shop, went inside, and ordered a bowl of noodles. The shop was packed—so full that many people were squatting outside on the sidewalk, eating from large bowls.
I watched as someone finished eating and immediately sat down. Sure enough, the noodles here were delicious—I'd never tasted such amazing mixed sauce noodles before.
After I finished, I closed my eyes. Through the Tong Ghost, I could see Jason Zheng was still asleep. Just then, a burly man walked in.
"Jason Zheng, I left your things here. Make sure you clean up the trash later—don't keep living like this."
"Got it, Uncle."
Jason Zheng mumbled, half-awake. I opened my eyes and planned to look around. Last night, after I came back, I asked Jason if he knew where that monster Simon Lin had turned into went. Jason only told me that thing was taken away by the man in the black mask.
Just as I was getting bored, my phone vibrated again.
"If you're bored, there are three options. First, at the end of this road on the right, turn right—there's a hair salon where you can find some female entertainment. The third woman in that shop is fairly attractive. Second, head east, past the gate area—there's a zoo. Third, at the end of this road on the left, turn right and keep walking—there's a gambling spot. You're lucky today, you can win some money."
I listened to the Bing App's instructions in surprise. I tried sensing it with Deathbane Aura, but found nothing suspicious. I also tried uninstalling it, but couldn't—it was strange, but pretty useful. I ruled out the first two options and decided to gamble to pass the time.
I also didn't plan to contact Rachel Lan and the others—she should understand. If I call, it might be tapped. Thinking about it, our troubles before were probably known to the Immortality Society because of phone calls.
Sure enough, I found the gambling spot. Early in the morning, quite a few people were already inside. There was a lookout at the door. I went over, they checked me, and let me in. I found a dice gambling table—it was basically betting on high or low.
I started playing, and just like the app said, my luck was incredible today. Whether it was high, low, or triples, I kept winning—over fifty rounds by lunchtime. With nearly ten thousand yuan in hand, I left, satisfied, under the astonished gazes of the others.
I was in a great mood—who knew gambling could be such a quick way to make money? I decided to eat something and then go win more. Just then, my phone vibrated again.
"Don't go gambling this afternoon, or you'll lose everything. It's best to try the first option from earlier—the girl there hasn't had much business lately. You might get a pleasant surprise."
For a moment, as if possessed, I ate quickly and headed toward the right side of the food street, following the app's suggestion. Suddenly, I snapped out of it—something felt wrong.
I immediately found a deserted spot, turned into a cloud of black mist, and sped toward the landfill plant. I wanted to move even faster along the Specter Web, increasing my use of Deathbane Aura.
Finally, I whooshed back into Jason Zheng's room. I felt like I'd moved fast, but just then, the Bing App vibrated again.
"The straight-line distance you just traveled from the street to here is 1.9 kilometers. It took you 23.86 seconds. Please keep it up—adjust your Deathbane Aura usage and stabilize your connection to the Specter Web. These will help you increase your speed even more."
I stared at the Bing App in disbelief. I tossed my phone to the ground with a slap. Jason Zheng muttered something.
"So noisy. Can't a guy get some sleep?"
"Did you just hear anything?"
I immediately asked, and Jason Zheng looked up at me, confused.
"What?"
Then I picked up my phone and pointed to the Bing App, but Jason Zheng just looked blank—he couldn't see the app at all.
Jason Zheng went back to sleep. I picked up my phone again, still unsure what this app was. Using the Specter Web to sense it, I got no reaction. It felt eerie, and I was starting to get scared.
"Don't be afraid of me. I'll answer any request—I'm Bing. You really want some tea right now, don't you? There's tea in the second drawer of the little cabinet, and it's pretty good. If you want something better, go..."
I didn't wait for the app to finish. I turned off my phone, breathing heavily, and asked aloud.
"Tong Ghost, did you hear that?"
Tong Ghost glanced at me.
"Yeah, I heard it. Nothing special—what's wrong?"
"I mean the sound the phone just made—did you hear it?"
"It's just telling you to drink tea. Stop bothering me—I'm going back, I'm exhausted."
(This chapter isn't finished yet~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading!)
With that, Tong Ghost merged back into my body, leaving me completely puzzled.
But just then, with a buzzing vibration, my phone on the floor powered on by itself and started ringing. A voice message played again.
"Why are you afraid of me? I'm Bing, custom-made for you and your other self. I'll answer any request."
I held up the phone, ready to smash it to the ground, but instantly, another voice message played.
"The person you're looking for will call in 5 minutes and 40 seconds."
As the voice started counting down, I stopped myself from smashing the phone. The time ticked down, and just as it hit zero, Jason Zheng's phone rang. After a while, Jason climbed out of bed, groggy, and answered.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Suddenly, Jason Zheng's face changed dramatically. He looked at me in terror. I nodded—clearly, it was the Immortality Society calling. Jason switched his phone to speaker mode.
"Very good, you did well. Tonight, I'll come get you. Welcome to the Immortality Society—the doors are open for you."
With a click, the call ended. I immediately grew tense. That guy's mask was black—I saw it yesterday. He's powerful, but now, I have no fear of him.
"Currently, your chance of winning a fight against him is only thirty percent."
Just then, the Bing App's voice prompt sounded again. I was already sick of dealing with it.
By now, it was almost afternoon. After eating, Jason Zheng asked me again.
"Ethan Zhang, we're classmates after all. When that guy comes, will you let me go?"
"You've killed before. Go spend some time with the Ghost Burial Squad first."
I said this, watching Jason Zheng. He looked at me, disgruntled. I glared at him, and he lowered his head.
I kept waiting for night to fall. I had the Resentful Ghost watch Jason Zheng, went out for some food, then returned to his room and activated the Specter Web, waiting.
Finally, a little after nine, Tong Ghost saw a black sedan approaching the landfill plant. I quickly called Tong Ghost back and suppressed all my ghost power, turning fully human.
Just then, the phone rang—the black-masked man from the Immortality Society told Jason Zheng to go to the center of the landfill plant and wait for him. He was to face the final trial.
The landfill plant was closed at this hour. Jason Zheng walked over, and I found a spot with a good view—there were piles of scrapped cars stacked high. I climbed into one and watched. Jason was less than twenty meters away. As long as I didn't turn into a ghost, the Immortality Society operative shouldn't sense me.
Sure enough, after a while, a man in a white suit appeared, wearing a black mask with the words 'Immortality' written on it.
"Sir, what is the final trial? I did everything you asked—thank you. May I ask your name?"
Jason Zheng asked politely. The Immortality Society operative laughed.
"My name is... John He. You can call me Brother He, Jason."
Jason Zheng immediately put on a sycophantic smile and called out. The way he acted—well, I'd warned him before: if he tried anything, I'd kill him on the spot. He didn't seem ready to betray me.
"Jason, do you know why I chose you?"
Jason Zheng shook his head.
"Brother He, how would I know?"
"Hmph. It's your killing intent. You've already killed someone, but if I went in, you could kill me without hesitation. Ordinary people would just run, not think about killing a witness—that's the difference. Your killing intent made me choose you. You have real potential. As long as you follow my lead, not only will you be free of murder charges, I'll arrange for you to join a company as their manager."