I stared at this phone—about six inches long. Now, looking again, it seemed to have lost all its residual yin energy.
“Sir, this model is powerful and selling like crazy lately. Plus, it comes with a high-value app. Whatever you need—travel, shopping, anything you can think of—you can find it on this app and make transactions, all extremely convenient.”
The male salesperson said this, picking up the phone. It was black. After turning it on, he pointed to an app—a green icon with a smiling little figure on it. The app was called 'Must Answer.' I thought for a moment, paid directly, and took it. In the corner of this shop, I saw a ghost in a white shirt standing in front of a counter.
Maybe he’d touched this phone before. After buying it, I inserted my SIM card—everything seemed normal. I thought for a moment: I had to head to the Gate District. After leaving the store, I opened the app, typed in ‘Gate District,’ and a map appeared.
“Fly over—it’ll only take half an hour.”
I let out a startled sound, staring at the app’s voice prompt—there was something uncanny about it. Then a smiling face appeared, and suddenly everything seemed normal again. The app began navigation: Gate District is on North Ring Road, a densely populated area, lots of cargo trucks pass through on their way to the northern city. After reading the introduction, I found a deserted spot, transformed into a ghost, spread my wings, and took flight. One hand on the phone, I watched as a red line appeared on the map, marking the distance.
I didn’t think much—just sped up and flew.
About half an hour later, I saw a stretch of dazzling lights. On the road, big trucks came and went. There were plenty of repair shops here, and a lively night market street. It was past eleven, but still bustling. I found a quiet spot to land, then called Rachel Lan, asking her to send me a photo of Jason Zheng.
On the night market street, I waited over ten minutes before receiving Jason Zheng’s photo. I started asking around at the food stalls—after all, Jason had to eat somewhere. Day or night, people came here to eat. But after asking more than a dozen places, no one had heard anything about Jason Zheng.
Just then, I sensed a surge of ghostly power—dense and overwhelming. My Specter Web was already unfurled. My heart skipped; I dashed into a nearby alley. Though the ghost aura was strong, it felt strangely familiar.
Sure enough, in an alley piled high with garbage, I saw her—it was Auntie Ghost, the same old spirit who used to dig through trash with me when I was a kid.
“Auntie, what are you doing here?”
Excited, I ran over. Auntie Ghost stopped rummaging and looked up at me.
“It really is you, Ethan. Sigh.”
Auntie Ghost was just as before, dressed in an old, oversized white coat. Though clean, it was stained with many colors, some patches dark. In the next instant, Auntie Ghost vanished before my eyes.
Just before, I’d already sensed it. Looking up, I saw Auntie Ghost standing atop the rooftop. I glanced around—there were people here. At that moment, I felt a force against my back, gently pushing me up to the rooftop.
“Auntie, why do you always dig through trash?”
I asked, puzzled by her daily habit of rummaging through garbage.
“Ethan, trash is called trash because it’s unwanted, discarded. It’s the same for ghosts—what ghosts don’t want gets thrown away, becomes ghostly trash. Years ago, I lost something. I’ve been searching for it for centuries.”
I let out a sigh, sitting beside Auntie Ghost. The feeling was so familiar—just like before, sitting together, eating scraps we’d found, listening to her tell ghost stories.
“Ethan, you’re in a bad state right now. What happened? What’s wrong?”
Auntie Ghost asked. I choked up, shaking my head. Ever since Boss Zhang’s incident and Brother Luo’s death, I’ve felt powerless against the Immortality Society. Even what happened this morning—I was completely helpless.
Night deepened. The lively market below had quieted; some vendors were packing up. I talked with Auntie Ghost about everything—one thing after another. These burdens pressed on me like a boulder, making it hard to breathe.
“Ethan, whether human or ghost, walking this earth, nothing ever goes as planned. When I was alive, I faced plenty. Even after death, it’s all the same—the road only goes forward.”
Auntie Ghost stared at me. I nodded. She placed a hand on my forehead, smiling.
“You’ve grown up, Ethan. Whatever happens, don’t lose confidence—give yourself more faith. Step by step, things will eventually come to light. I’ve dug through trash for centuries, searching for that thing; though I haven’t found a trace, someday you’ll get married, have kids, and talk these things out with your partner. Don’t waste words on an old trash-picker like me, alright? Ethan.”
I looked at Auntie Ghost, nodded seriously, then stood up.
“Auntie, do you want to come to my apartment? It’s lively there—I’ll get everyone to help you search.”
“Thank you, Ethan. But that thing—I have to find it myself. Just like you, Ethan—this is the road you chose. Only you can walk it. Remember, give yourself more confidence. I have to go now, Ethan.”
With that, Auntie Ghost vanished before me. I sensed her slip beyond my Specter Web’s range in an instant—so fast. My Specter Web now stretches three or four hundred meters.
This chapter isn’t over yet^.^, click next page to continue reading!
“So fast. High-level Qing ghosts really are quick.”
I understood better what Hu Tianshuo did for me before. Looking around, the night wind tugged at my hair. I started desperately thinking—how could I find Jason Zheng?
“First, I need to get familiar with this place.”
As I spoke, Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost appeared—both looked at me, bewildered.
“What is it, Ethan Zhang?”
Tong Ghost looked half-asleep, staring at me.
“Extend the Specter Web as far as you can—cover this whole area.”
With a thought, the two turned into clouds of black mist, drifting off into the distance. I spread my wings and took flight.
In less than half an hour, I’d gotten familiar with the Gate District. In the area, the west side was residential, the rest mostly shops. The most likely place was the western residential zone—I decided to head straight there.
I arrived at the western residential area—towering apartment blocks everywhere. Just then, Resentful Ghost and Tong Ghost returned, merging back into my body. I began searching around.
I found some ghosts and asked if they’d seen the person in the photo—still nothing. But I decided to spread my Specter Web here and keep searching. If I sensed anything off, I’d fly over immediately.
Most places with ghostly energy only had ghosts—I didn’t lose confidence. I would keep searching. Just like Auntie Ghost said, I had to have faith in myself. Everything that happened today had shaken my confidence to its core.
Just then, my phone buzzed. I grabbed it—it wasn’t a call, but the Must Answer app, flashing red. A line of text appeared: Whatever you want, find it with Must Answer.
I sighed, then smiled, opened the app, typed in Jason Zheng’s name, and started searching.
But then, the app glowed—suddenly a map appeared, showing the Gate District. On the west side, a red dot pulsed. I stared in surprise.
“Jason Zheng is at the large landfill on the west side, 3.8 kilometers away. Fly there—it’ll be quick.”
My eyes widened at the Must Answer app—my mind was a mess, shocked. True or not, I still flew west.
In less than ten minutes, I saw mountains of garbage, lights everywhere. This really was a huge landfill. Even at night, the machines still buzzed.
I picked up my phone again—another prompt sounded.
“Jason Zheng is right beneath you, forty-five meters to your right.”
I dropped down, looked to the right—a two-story tin house. I floated over, stopping in front of it. It was pitch-black; this must be where the landfill staff lived.
“Jason Zheng is in the room with the light on.”
The app’s voice prompt sounded again. In a flash, I was in front of door 211 on the second floor. I slipped inside—it really was Jason Zheng. He was drinking beer, eating peanuts, squatting in front of a laptop, watching a movie and grinning.
The room was bare—just a bunk bed. He couldn’t see me. I looked around—mess everywhere, a low table piled with empty food containers.
Little by little, I released my Specter Web and, in a flash, entered Jason Zheng’s body. Suddenly, my eyes widened in shock—his memories, except for how he got here, were pitch-black.