The next day, contrary to our expectations, there was no major commotion. Around nine in the morning, I saw many tourists gathering at the entrance of the museum, but it was not open to the public—the doors were tightly shut. According to the person in charge, the museum was undergoing repairs and adding new exhibits, so it would be closed temporarily. No mention was made of what we did last night.
"Something's off," Rachel remarked.
Rachel said this, and Rufina Howard and I shared the same opinion. This is exactly what Hugh Thompson had warned us about—something strange. Normally, if we had smashed open the glass coffin and damaged that dried corpse, it would have caused an uproar in the village the next day, perhaps even leading to a police report.
But now, everything seemed normal. The villagers didn't seem to care at all about what happened last night.
At that moment, I once again felt a gaze from behind me. I quickly turned around and looked at the tourists coming and going on the street. The strange feeling faded, but I was certain someone in the crowd was watching us.
"Let's look around, take a walk."
Today I noticed Rachel was unusually quiet. She didn't joke with us or tease Rufina Howard. I found this odd, and the only reason I could think of was the phone call Hugh Thompson made yesterday. It seemed he said something to Rachel during that call.
"Someone's watching us," Rufina Howard said, grabbing my arm and pretending to be a well-behaved little girl. She wore a smile, glancing around, and Rachel started laughing.
"Hey, you two, relax! Let's just enjoy ourselves for a few days."
I was about to say something, but then I changed my mind and patted Rufina Howard on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's go play by the pool."
I also thought that since someone had already noticed us, we probably wouldn't have to look for them—they'd come to us sooner or later.
It had been a long time since I last swam. After we bought three swimsuits, I changed quickly and watched the people playing in the water. I stretched my limbs a bit, then with a splash, I jumped straight into the pool. Suddenly, the moment I hit the water, I saw a face—a man with a handlebar mustache, his hair tied up with a hairpin. He was an old Taoist priest.
After plunging into the water, I quickly surfaced and looked around, but saw nothing. Immediately, I let my killing aura spread out, and my Specter Web began to stretch in all directions.
In that split second, I was sure of what I saw. I was deeply shocked, but the countless threads of the Specter Web drifting in the air, like spider silk, didn't pick up anything unusual.
"Ethan, what's wrong?"
While I was distracted and scanning the area, Rufina Howard came over. She was wearing a light green children's swimsuit embroidered with little flowers, and behind her, Rachel walked over in a black, very sexy swimsuit. I glanced at her, then quickly asked:
"Did you sense anything?"
Rufina Howard nodded gravely.
"There was definitely a ghostly presence just now, and it wasn't yours, Ethan."
As we spoke, suddenly Rachel shoved Rufina Howard from behind. With a splash, she fell into the pool. I shot Rachel a disapproving look—the pool wasn't deep, about two meters—but in that instant, Rufina Howard started flailing in the water. She couldn't swim.
I quickly dove into the water, grabbed the panicking Rufina Howard, and pulled her up to the surface.
"You... Just wait! You're going to get it..." Rufina Howard shivered all over, glaring fiercely at Rachel, who was smiling nearby.
"Sorry, sis, I didn't know you couldn't swim."
I comforted Rufina Howard. She really did look miserable—after nearly drowning, she seemed shaken. With no other choice, I took her back to our room. I couldn't figure out why Rachel, grown as she was, still loved playing pranks.
Ding—the elevator doors opened. Suddenly, I saw the Taoist Elder I'd just seen in the water standing outside. He was dressed in a blue-green robe, staring blankly at me. Instinctively, I raised my fist, but with a whoosh, the Taoist Elder vanished before my eyes.
Though Rufina Howard still felt miserable, she managed to lift her head in surprise.
"Ethan, over there—go after him."
I helped Rufina Howard out of the elevator, then released my Specter Web and chased after the ghostly aura to the left. The air was thick with traces of ghostly energy. I hurried along—since it was daytime, I had to run to avoid drawing attention. When I reached the stairwell, the ghostly aura had vanished.
I walked back helplessly, but in that instant, I realized Rufina Howard had disappeared. Outside the elevator, there were traces of water—right where she had been standing. My eyes widened as I stretched my Specter Web as far as I could in every direction.
There was no trace of her—Rufina Howard had vanished as if into thin air.
I looked around angrily, but saw no one. I sighed, clenching my fists in frustration, and began searching floor by floor—there was no sign of Rufina Howard anywhere.
We searched the entire village all day, until nightfall—Rachel and I found no trace of Rufina Howard.
"There's no sign of that girl outside, Ethan."
Old Ray stood beside me and spoke. I looked around, dejected and anxious. It was only our second day here, and already Rufina Howard was missing. Redmond had warned us before—her blood is an irresistible lure for zombies.
"It's all my fault. If only I..."
Suddenly, Rachel appeared in front of me, one hand lifting my chin. I panicked and tried to pull away, but her other hand held me firmly. Passersby laughed as they watched.
"Women aren't as weak as you think, Ethan Zhang."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Rachel. There was determination in her eyes. I nodded, and she smiled.
"Good, as long as you understand. Let's eat—it's getting late."
After dinner, it was 7:30. Rachel and I sat by the pool in a small pavilion lit by flickering lights. Old Ray went out to keep searching. I sat in silent thought, just hoping night would fall quickly. Old Ray had said that when it got dark, he'd search the hotel. Even though whoever took Rufina Howard could make her disappear without a trace, there would still be a scent. I couldn't sense it, but Old Ray was confident—he said that now, at least, he was a dog, and not just any dog; he'd definitely find her.
All we could do was wait. Just then, I noticed a lot of tourists moving toward the center of the street, as if something was about to happen.
At that moment, I felt that strange gaze again. I stood up abruptly, and as I did, I pinpointed its source. The number of tourists was dwindling, and amid the chaos on the street, I noticed who was watching us. I turned into black mist—became a ghost in an instant.
Ordinary people couldn't see me. I floated toward the source of the gaze—a fat man, short and round, wearing glasses and holding a camera. He was mingling with the crowd heading toward the center of the street, but his eyes were fixed on us.
The fat man looked very cautious, not wanting us to notice him. But after I vanished, his expression turned to surprise, and he shifted his gaze to Rachel.
I was already behind him. He was just an ordinary person—I could tell right away. Still, something felt off. I didn't reveal myself, instead watching him closely. Rachel smiled at me, glancing my way—she could see me.
As the crowd thinned out, the fat man finally put away his camera and followed the others.
I watched Rachel smile and walk toward me while I was still in my black mist form.
"What's with that guy? Why does he keep staring at us?"
Rachel didn't answer me—she just smiled faintly. When she saw the crowd had mostly dispersed, she muttered softly:
"So it's real—so cool, you can turn into a ghost, Ethan. But you should change back somewhere private; otherwise, if I talk to you, people will think I'm crazy!"
I glanced around—there were still people nearby—so I flew into the hotel and changed back in a restroom on the first floor, then hurried out again.
Just as I got outside, Rachel came back from the street, holding a flyer. It was for some kind of lottery—an "unexpected surprise," a special event. She dragged me along, insisting we join.
When we arrived, we saw a long line had already formed. Apparently, this mysterious event would start in three days. With nothing else to do, Rachel and I joined the queue. The lottery was a drawing—several staff members dressed as zombies with heavy makeup looked rather fake.
Finally, it was our turn. One staff member gave me a strange smile, but I didn't think much of it. Rachel insisted I draw, so I stuck my hand in at random. Suddenly, a small object landed in my right hand—I grabbed it without thinking.
"Congratulations..." Suddenly, a staff member shouted, lifting my right hand. Instantly, fireworks burst into the sky all around the village, filling the night with dazzling colors.
According to the staff, I had won the village's Mystery Jackpot. The grand prize would be revealed in three days, and for those three days, all our food and lodging would be free.