At 8 a.m. sharp, I dragged myself out of bed. Today was the day Leah King would hold her concert at Long Creek Square. I had just finished washing up when Old Stone called, telling me everything was going smoothly and urging me to hurry over.
I pushed open the window, bringing in fresh air. Though it was a bit chilly, I took a deep breath. Behind the apartment building, everything was already quiet.
The rising sun had just emerged from the east, dyeing the clouds gold. Sunlight was already visible, though on my floor, it still felt like night.
After I left the house, I saw that the other residents in the yard were already awake.
The Five Oddballs had already gone out. In the yard, apart from a few Blue Wraiths, the other ghosts were busy with their own affairs. I greeted them and left the apartment building.
I walked north, passing by residents living their ordinary lives. I hadn’t gone even a kilometer before I saw a Ghost Burial Squad vehicle driving toward me.
Hugh Thompson was the one picking me up. After the car stopped, Hugh looked around cautiously.
"Ethan, what happened here? Just a few days, and this place has changed so much. And those people..."
Hugh Thompson looked at me in confusion. After I got in the car, I briefly explained why things had changed here.
Hugh Thompson laughed.
"You're becoming less and less human, Ethan."
I smiled and replied.
"Speak for yourself. Hurry up, I haven't had breakfast yet."
Once we left, Hugh Thompson told me that although having Leah King perform a concert for the dead was Chief Stone’s last-minute idea, it had unexpectedly become explosive news.
Several TV stations had even sponsored the event, wanting to film the whole thing. Chief Stone tried to stop it, but now it was out of his hands.
The stage at Long Creek Square had already been under construction for three days, built to the standards of a major concert. News outlets were reporting on it daily.
Previously, Leah King had been the target of much abuse, but now there were growing voices of doubt. It seemed everyone’s attention was on this event. Most of the skepticism focused on the idea of a concert for ghosts—many called it a cheap publicity stunt, vulgar. In short, doubters and critics were still the majority.
Hugh Thompson and I found a breakfast stall and grabbed a bite to eat.
"Ethan, once you’re done with things here, come help us out. We’re swamped—gotta train new recruits, usually one-on-one. Two senior members each take two trainees. If you join, could you handle three?"
I made a sound of surprise. Hugh Thompson chuckled and said:
"After all, Ethan, your abilities now are on a whole different level. Even if you run into some fierce ghosts, it shouldn't be a big problem."
I nodded. After we finished eating, Hugh Thompson and I got in the car and headed toward Long Creek Road. By a little after ten, we arrived at Long Creek Square, which was already packed with people.
Many had come just to join the excitement. It was Saturday, so the crowd was huge. Even the regular police had sent out extra officers to maintain order. The square boasted a massive stage, already fully built, with plenty of staff bustling about.
"Officer Zhang, so it’s true—you came as well."
As we entered the square, reporter Li Ting approached us with a smile.
"So it’s true, Officer Zhang. They say ghosts appear here every night."
I was about to reply with a smile when Hugh Thompson gave me a look.
"Miss, what are you talking about? We’re only here to maintain order. Just look at all these people."
As Hugh Thompson spoke, he walked ahead. I followed him to where Chief Stone and the others were waiting. Chief Stone looked deeply troubled.
"Sigh, looks like we’re in real trouble."
"Wasn’t this your idea, Chief Stone?" Hugh Thompson said. Chief Stone gave a bitter smile.
"I’ve made countless calls to the higher-ups about this."
I could imagine what was going on. What exactly had happened?
"We absolutely can’t let this get exposed to the public, right, Chief Stone? All this ghost business."
Hugh Thompson said this, and Chief Stone nodded.
"That’s the headache—tonight’s audience will be huge. Even if we don’t allow regular people inside, they’ll all be watching from outside. We need a solution. I never expected so many TV stations to show up. Sigh."
"Ever heard of Ghost Mirage?"
"But where are we supposed to find that many ghosts?"
Chief Stone grumbled, while Hugh Thompson adjusted his glasses.
"Ghost Mirage is really just human vision imposed on ghost bodies. It blocks their view, making it impossible to see things clearly—sometimes they even see things that aren’t there," Hugh Thompson explained, glancing at me.
"Sorry to trouble you, Ethan. Try to call as many ghosts as you can."
I made a sound of acknowledgment, looking at the smiling Chief Stone.
With no other choice, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number for the ghost boss at the taxi company, but only got a dead line.
It’s not easy to round up so many ghosts on short notice to form a barrier and keep outsiders away from the square. We’d have to rely on these ghost companies—most of their employees were Yellow Page-level. Some could even come out during the day, if it was overcast.
"You’ll have to wait until tonight to call again."
Hugh Thompson said, then asked:
"What time does the concert start?"
"Eight o'clock. Why?"
"An hour should be enough."
I looked at the two who had already made up their minds and sighed helplessly.
"I just feel like this isn’t such a good idea."
Suddenly, I remembered—the ghosts who died here don’t usually come out until midnight. I immediately asked:
"Oh, right. I’ve already contacted Miss Yunmei. Tonight at eight, when the concert starts, those ghosts will come out."
I’d heard last time that Huang Jun and Hugh Thompson got hurt because Chief Stone agreed to one of Yunmei’s conditions, so she’d help treat them.
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"By the way, Chief Stone, what did you promise Yunmei?"
Chief Stone shook his head and laughed.
"Just wait a bit, Ethan. I’ll tell you soon."
The day passed quickly. I saw that it was getting late. As the last rays of sunlight faded along the horizon, I pulled out my phone.
Sure enough, once the sun set, the call went through. After I explained the situation, the ghost boss from the company readily agreed to help.
"I’ll leave it to you, but move fast. We need everything ready before eight."
"Relax, Ethan, brother. Don’t forget what kind of company we are—a taxi company! I’ll call the other bosses right away and have them send people to help. Two or three hundred ghosts should be enough."
I’d already notified the ghosts in my building by noon, asking them to come help. Now, I could feel a chilly wind blowing through the crowd. I saw the ghosts from my building arriving one after another.
For some reason, I never felt their heavy yin energy when they were in the building. But now, as soon as they arrived, the air grew cold and the wind howled. Many people felt it—the temperature dropped sharply.
The stage crew was already tuning the sound system, and the lights were fully on, running tests.
Behind Long Creek Square was a parking lot. At noon, Chief Stone contacted the car owners and had them move their vehicles, saying the area was being temporarily requisitioned. It was to make it easier for the ghosts I’d called in to park.
Hugh Thompson and I hurried to the parking lot, where ghost taxis were already lined up. I saw Lin Rui, who greeted me warmly as soon as he arrived.
"Impressive, Ethan Zhang. You really command respect here in the ghost world."
I gave an awkward smile.
"It’s nothing, really."
"Honestly, maybe I should just quit and follow you around." Lin Rui joked. I shook my head.
I also saw Huang Xiaolong and Wang Xin. Ghosts kept coming up to greet me, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
"Thanks, everyone. When it’s over, we’ll prepare offerings for you."
Chief Stone had already instructed Mao Xiaoyu and Li Guohao to take care of these things at noon. Time was ticking by.
As eight o’clock approached, I saw ghosts forming a circle around Long Creek Square. I’d already told the ghost company bosses that as long as the ghosts saw Leah King performing on stage, that was enough. Nothing else should be revealed to them.
At eight, the gentle opening music played. On stage, a lift slowly rose from the ground. Leah King, holding a microphone and dressed in a purple princess gown, ascended.
I felt something strange—a hint of Soul Inn began to appear, its doors opening as the dead ghosts emerged.
Suddenly, the ghosts who’d seemed dazed all regained their senses, cheering and shouting with joy.
"You... you... you all..." Leah King's voice came through the speakers. She fell back onto the stage, stunned.
"All ghosts, pay attention—don’t let anyone outside see what’s happening in here."
I shouted as I rushed toward the stage. The staff were in total chaos, and the ghosts in the square all showed the horrific wounds they’d had at death.
The Ghost Burial Squad rushed over to calm the panicked staff. Leah King was completely terrified—I hurried to her side.
"Wait." Yunmei’s voice stopped me. I turned to see her standing right behind me.
"What’s wrong? Are you scared? They’re all your fans—they loved and supported you in life, and even now, after death, they’re still waiting for this concert. Stand up and be brave."
It was Boziran. I stared at him in surprise—he was standing right beside Leah King, reaching out a hand.