10:15 p.m. The alarm clock rang. I dragged myself out of bed and rushed to wash up. It's my second day at work—I can't afford to be late.
After washing up, I hurried out the door. It takes at most an hour and a half to walk to 300 East Spring Road from here. Tomorrow, I’ll have to ask Brother Luo to lend me his motorcycle.
It was pitch black outside. There weren’t even any decent streetlights. I walked a long way before I saw people and light.
Finally, there was some sign of life. The usual chill was gone. It was still early, and this street was lined with bars—lots of people around.
"Hey, Ethan, you finally figured it out, huh? Coming to this place so late—feeling any better?"
Outside a bar, a guy squatted at the door, wearing sunglasses and looking pretty cocky. I looked closer—it was my cousin, Zhang Hao.
"Cousin, I have to get to work."
My uncle’s family is pretty well-off—they run a quarry. My cousin Zhang Hao is a typical rich kid, only a few years older than me. We used to hang out a lot in school, and even in college, he’d often drag me out for fun.
"Hey, working this late? Come on, let’s grab a few drinks first."
"Hey, Hao Hao, what are you doing squatting here? And who’s this country bumpkin?"
A petite woman with heavy makeup hugged Zhang Hao from behind. Her voice was sweet and mocking as she looked at me with a contemptuous smile.
"He’s my cousin."
The woman quickly apologized, insisting I join them for drinks, but I refused. My cousin put his arm around her and headed into the bar. Just then, I heard children laughing—a boy and a girl tugged at my cousin’s shirt and followed him inside.
Startled, I stared at them. Can kids even get into a bar? Whose children were they?
"Uncle, can you see us?" As they went inside, I thought I heard the little boy say something to me.
I shook my head—seeing ghosts again. I hurried along, but I was worried about my cousin. What if he’s caught up with something supernatural?
My cousin has a bad habit—he changes women more often than clothes. His private life is pretty messy.
I checked the time—it was already 10:40. If I didn’t hurry, I’d definitely be late.
I’d have to tell my cousin about this tomorrow, though he’d probably laugh his head off.
I arrived at Midnight Cleaners right at midnight, panting as I ran inside.
There were still cars parked out front, people coming and going. I noticed the red and black vans—they all had the Phantom Motors logo. My cousin once told me it was a luxury brand, but I’d never seen a Phantom Motors van before. Inside, it looked just like any other van—nothing fancy. But once you got in, it was fast, almost like flying.
I went over to take a look—it really was Phantom Motors: a circle split into white and blue by a cross.
"What are you looking at, Ethan?" Leo Huang and the others walked over, already holding their tools.
I smiled and hurried to the changing room. From my assigned locker, I grabbed my light blue uniform, put it on, and ran back out.
Strangely, as I walked through, people kept sniffing the air, as if searching for something.
Tonight, we’re headed to Frost Storage Inc.—supposedly a tough job. I was feeling energetic, but the place was far; it was past one by the time we arrived.
We left the east side of town and headed to the outskirts. I wondered why we’d be cleaning so late out here. Then I figured—the company’s got connections, so the better the results, the better the pay.
The four of us chatted and joked along the way.
A huge warehouse stood before us. At the door was a burly man, shirtless, with a green dragon tattoo on his arm. He wore a blood-stained apron and had a butcher knife at his waist. He looked imposing and authoritative.
We got out of the car and walked over.
"Boss, we’re here. Which area needs cleaning?"
Leo Huang walked over with a grin—only to get slapped so hard he saw stars.
"Idiots! Why’d you bring a living person here, huh?"
I didn’t quite get what he meant, but the mood changed instantly—everyone stared at me with blank faces.
"Boss, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"
The burly man suddenly drew his butcher knife, glaring viciously as he approached.
Seeing the gleaming butcher knife, I was terrified and backed away step by step.
"Perfect. I’ve been eating rotten meat for days—now I can have a real feast."
I stared blankly at the man, but suddenly I remembered—none of these guys are human. There’s no such thing as a Phantom Motors van. I’d seen vans with that logo only at paper offering shops.
And in the two nights I’d ridden those vans, I never heard an engine. The more I thought, the more scared I got—I turned and ran.
A strong wind whipped up, and the bright lights around me turned a ghostly green.
"Ha! Kid, don’t run."
The big man shouted and chased after me. I glanced back and bolted as fast as I could.
Half of the man’s head was gone, leaving only the other half—white brain matter squirmed inside.
Leo Huang had a gaping hole in his chest, intestines spilling out. David Wang, the driver, was covered in burns; the charred flesh mingled with raw, red meat. Mike Mao looked even worse—his head was like a swollen pumpkin, covered in bulging pustules.
"Damn you, John Chou—just you wait."
Now I was not only terrified—I was furious. I finally understood why, for two nights, every time I went to work, he could barely hold back his laughter.
As I ran, something felt wrong. The surroundings changed—I was suddenly inside a huge warehouse, with things wrapped in woven sacks hanging from the shelves.
"Kid, keep running, huh? Good—fresh meat is best. I’ll toss you in the soup pot and cook you up."
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Click next page to continue reading the rest!)
The rotted-face ghost stood before me, butcher knife in hand, licking his lips. The air was freezing—it was the cold storage. I’d been trapped by a ghost again.
Based on past experience, I knew this was all an illusion. My senses felt real, but it had to be a ghost’s trick. I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Oh? That’s better. I’ll make it quick for you."
I could feel the rotted-face ghost leaning closer, sharpening his knife with a scraping sound. Sweat poured down my forehead as I kept repeating to myself: It’s just an illusion.
Suddenly, my forehead was gripped tightly.
"Let’s start by gouging out your eyeballs—freshness first."
Even if it was an illusion, it felt far too real. The rotted-face ghost pried my eyelids open with his fingers, pressing hard against my eyeball.
I shoved his hand away and dashed toward the rows of hanging woven sacks.
I grabbed a sack and pushed it at the rotted-face ghost. The sack was light; with a hiss, his butcher knife sliced it open.
It was a human corpse. I jumped back in shock. The body on the ground shriveled up—it was just a skin sack. There was a huge slit in the back, and all the bones and flesh inside were gone.
Looking around, I saw so many skin sacks—I screamed in terror and ran toward the warehouse’s open door.
"You can’t escape." The rotted-face ghost laughed wildly and chased after me.
At the door, Leo Huang and the other two suddenly jumped out from the side and grabbed me.
"Let go! Let go of me..."
I struggled desperately. The rotted-face ghost approached, butcher knife raised high.
"Hold him down. You’ll each get a chunk of fresh meat soon."
Suddenly, I remembered the yellow talisman in my pocket. Pinned to the ground by four hands and feet, I stretched my fingers toward my pants pocket.
I found it—the yellow talisman. I always carried my phone, and luckily, when I changed clothes, I put the talisman in my pocket too.
The three ghosts holding me backed away in fear. As the rotted-face ghost came closer, I flipped the talisman onto his face.
"Aah..." The rotted-face ghost screamed as black smoke hissed out, his face melting away, yellow-brown acid dripping down.
I dashed out of the warehouse without looking back. My body was crackling—I realized I was wearing a paper outfit, and my phone was gone.
After running for a while, I reached the main road. When I looked back, there was no road at all—just mud and water, and behind me, a desolate wasteland.
Luckily, there were still cars passing by. I stood in the middle of the road, waving, hoping to flag one down. A sedan flashed its lights and pulled over.
Just as I thought the car would stop, it spun around and sped off without looking back.
I walked and ran along the highway, and just as dawn broke, I finally made it back to the city. Now I had to walk home again.
At 10 a.m., I finally reached the main road in front of my apartment building. Wearing the paper outfit, I drew stares and laughter from passersby.
Looking at the apartment building, it was a bright, sunny day—I’d survived another ordeal. But now, I’d lost my job again.
Strangely, many shops nearby were closed. The whole street felt cold and deserted.
At the entrance to the courtyard, I felt a chill run down my spine the moment I stepped inside.
I was stunned. Just moments ago, from the main road, it was clearly sunny, but as soon as I entered, rain poured down and the sky turned dark.
Then I noticed my paper clothes had turned into fabric. I ran through the heavy rain.
At that moment, I saw John Chou sitting at the entrance to the apartment building, in a large chair. In front of him stood a man in ancient official robes, bowing and nodding.
"Ah, I am the Third Hell Magistrate, a servant of Emperor Song. I’ve come especially to pay my respects to you, sir."
"Heh, what’s there to pay respects for? I’m nothing but a wandering ghost now."
John Chou snorted coldly and gave a contemptuous smile.