The next morning, I woke up around seven. As soon as I opened my eyes, I looked down at my chest—everything from last night's dream was still vivid in my mind.
There were no wounds on my body. When I raised my hand, a ball of flame flickered to life—red fire, restless in my palm. I could feel power surging endlessly from within me.
When I went downstairs, many of the ghosts were already in the yard. Julian Chu glanced at me. Dressed like a gardener, he was still tending to those black flowers.
"Ethan Zhang, you seem different after just one night's sleep."
I let out a surprised sound and looked at Julian Chu.
"It's your eyes. Before, there was always a hint of unease in them. Heh, but now they're different—much sharper, your gaze."
I smiled, a confident smile. Justin Huang also came out from one of the rooms. He and I had agreed to get breakfast together. After we ate, it was already eight o'clock. I drove straight to Dongming Estates.
I’d heard that it was a newly built complex, but because of Tina Yu, many people had started to back out of their purchases. There were too many eyewitness accounts—everyone said they saw Tina Yu drifting through the estate every day.
We arrived at Dongming Estates a little after nine. Sure enough, it was desolate. At the entrance, a white notice was taped to the security booth, saying it was out of service. Inside, it was empty. The whole estate felt silent; though there were a few people coming and going, they all looked listless and hurried.
"I heard this place is haunted?" I grabbed a commuter who was about to leave and asked.
"Yeah, it's haunted. If you're here to look at apartments, I'd advise you not to. Sigh, I really regret buying here."
"Has anyone actually gotten hurt?" Justin Huang added.
"Haven't heard of anything like that."
As we dug deeper, we found there were still many residents here, mostly because the prices were low. Only a small fraction had witnessed ghostly events—most people stayed.
Sure enough, at nine o'clock, we heard the banging of renovations. Justin Huang and I circled a few buildings, looking around. Piles of sand and bricks were stacked in many places.
According to the intel, the place where Tina Yu was seen was Building 3. Justin Huang and I headed over, and as soon as we entered, Justin suddenly stopped.
"There's definitely a heavy chill here, Ethan." I nodded—I felt it too. The moment we stepped in, the air was thick with yin energy.
"Tina Yu, are you here? It's Ethan Zhang. Can you come out for a moment?"
I called out loudly. With a ding, the elevator doors opened—no one inside. Just as Justin Huang and I were about to knock on doors and ask the residents, the elevator doors, which had closed, suddenly opened again, as if inviting us in.
We stepped into the elevator. As the doors slowly closed, the floor indicator jumped to the twentieth floor. Justin Huang and I exchanged surprised glances.
After a short while, the elevator reached the twentieth floor and opened. Outside, it was pitch black except for a single white bulb. The windows were boarded up with cardboard. Justin Huang and I stepped out.
As soon as we stepped out, cold laughter echoed around us. It was Tina Yu.
"Come out—what are you doing?" I shouted.
"What do you want with me, Ethan Zhang?" With a sudden rush, Tina Yu's pale face appeared right in front of me. I jumped back, fists raised.
"Ethan, are you okay?" Justin Huang grabbed me.
I looked at Tina Yu with resentment. She was cold and powerful. The ghostly aura around her was intense—Justin Huang could feel it too. Back in the yard, even with all those powerful ghosts, I hadn't felt anything like this. But now, with Tina Yu standing before me, I truly sensed it.
"Why are you here? Don't trouble the residents. Could you go back for now? This isn't helping anyone, is it?"
"It's none of your business, Ethan Zhang."
"Hey, miss, you're disturbing the lives of the people here."
Tina Yu glared at Justin Huang.
"Outsiders, stay out of this. It's none of your business. Get lost."
Justin Huang gave me an awkward glance. I quickly put on a friendly smile and asked.
"What exactly is going on? Can you tell us? Please don't be like this. After all, we live in the same compound. Can't we talk this out?"
With a sudden rush, Tina Yu slipped into the elevator. Justin Huang and I hurried after her. The elevator stopped at the eleventh floor. Tina Yu stepped out and stood quietly in front of the door to 3053, as if waiting for something.
While Justin Huang and I were still puzzled, a laughing couple walked out of the elevator. The man had a small mustache and was holding a flamboyantly dressed woman. They flirted and joked as they passed us, acting as if we weren't even there.
In an instant, Tina Yu glared viciously at the mustached man, her face twisted with murderous intent. She sneered.
"What are you two doing standing in front of my door?"
Justin Huang and I quickly stepped aside. The man, still holding the woman, went inside and slammed the door behind them with a loud bang.
"Is that your ex-boyfriend?" I asked tentatively. In a flash, Tina Yu drifted right up to me.
"Don't use that word."
Then Tina Yu started giggling.
"Lately, I've been thinking about how to kill him. What do you think, Ethan Zhang? Heh, just imagining how to do it makes me so excited. Haha."
As she spoke, Justin Huang kicked the door open with a bang.
I jumped in shock.
"What are you trying to do? I'll call the police!" came a voice from inside, followed by the woman's scream. I rushed in.
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Justin Huang pinned the mustached man down on the white marble table, holding him firmly.
"Do you know Tina Yu?"
I walked over and asked menacingly. With things as they were, I figured roughing him up might help calm Tina Yu down.
"Ah, are you that bitch's people? Fuck, let me go! I haven't had anything to do with her in ages—call the cops!"
The mustached man, pinned by Justin Huang, started shouting, while the woman immediately took out her phone.
"Let go! I'm a cop!"
Justin Huang glared fiercely at the woman. She was so frightened that her phone fell to the floor. Sitting on the ground, she covered her mouth and didn't dare say a word. Justin pulled out his police badge and slammed it in front of the mustached man's eyes.
"Officer, what do you want with me? I haven't done anything wrong."
Suddenly, I saw Tina Yu pull Justin Huang's hand away, speaking viciously.
"This has nothing to do with you two. Heh. Get out. I'll handle it myself."
Helpless, Justin Huang and I said nothing and let Tina Yu drive us out of the room. The mustached man hurried over and snarled.
"Damn it, just because you're cops you think you can hurt people? Listen up, I'm going to..."
"What are you going to do?"
Justin Huang snapped back, and the mustached man instantly fell silent.
"You used Tina Yu as collateral to borrow from loan sharks, didn't you?"
"No, what are you talking about?"
"Back off, Ethan Zhang, Justin Huang. This has nothing to do with you. Don't interfere, or I'll make you regret it."
With no other choice, Justin Huang and I left. We had no idea what Tina Yu planned to do. Justin then called Hu Tianshu, hoping he could provide more information about the mustached man.
About half an hour later, the call came through.
We learned that the mustached man was named Don Howe. He had no criminal record. Justin Huang and I decided to stay here for a few days to resolve this matter.
But after a while, the police really did show up. Someone had reported that Justin Huang and I had broken into someone's home and assaulted them.
I used a fake police badge and explained for a long time before the officers finally left.
After dinner that night, we rested in the car for a while, planning to go back up and check on Tina Yu later.
Just then, I suddenly saw a familiar shadow. Night had just fallen, but I was sure I hadn't mistaken it—Justin Huang noticed it too.
"Ethan, that's not a person."
I smiled, opened the car door, and walked over to the ghostly aunt rummaging through the trash bin.
"She's my friend, it's fine."
I walked up behind the ghostly aunt and greeted her warmly. For a moment, it felt like I was a child again.
"Auntie, we meet again."
The ghostly aunt finished rummaging before turning to look at me.
"Oh, it's you, Xiaoyuan."
I nodded seriously, bent at the waist, and gave a respectful bow.
"Thank you, auntie. You saved my life when I was little."
The ghostly aunt put away her trash bag, slung it over her shoulder, and sighed.
"Xiaoyuan, that young girl upstairs is really pitiful. I can sense a lot of resentment. I'm afraid, deep down, she still loves that treacherous man."
I let out a sound of surprise. Then the ghostly aunt continued, telling us that Don Howe had many girlfriends. He had just bought this place with a woman's money. According to her, Don Howe brought a different woman here every week.
"Let me take you somewhere."
As she spoke, Justin Huang got out of the car and followed. She led us into Building 3, heading toward the basement, which was completely sealed off.
Justin Huang kicked open the basement door with a bang. I glanced at him.
"Couldn't you wait for auntie to help? If you keep doing this, someday the Ghost Burial Squad's finances will be in trouble because of you."