My head was spinning as I returned home, made myself a cup of tea, and sat in the living room.
"What just happened?"
My mind was in utter chaos. I had no idea what had occurred. It felt as though my memory had blanked out, but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what was missing. Miles Mao was on my mind.
I took a sip of hot tea, picked up my phone, and looked through my call history. There was a saved number for someone named Rachel Lan, but I couldn't recall who she was.
"Judging by the name, it should be a woman. Ghost Domain?"
I dialed the number again, but was met with the same mechanical message: The number you have dialed is not in service.
A chill crept into my heart. I didn't know why, but it felt as if there was a hole inside me, and cold wind kept pouring in. Leo Huang surfaced in my thoughts.
I stared blankly at the number on my phone. For no reason, a wave of sadness overwhelmed me, and tears silently slid down my cheeks.
"What's wrong with me?"
I reached out and wiped away my tears.
After washing my face, I returned to the living room. Staring at the phone on the table, I still felt deeply lost.
Just then, the phone rang.
I answered. It was Mao Xiaoyu calling, saying there would be a three-day celebration banquet at the Ghost Burial Squad Headquarters and asking me to come.
I thought for a moment, gathered myself, and headed out. I still had plenty of money in my pocket, so I decided to splurge and take a taxi straight to the Ghost Burial Squad Headquarters.
I muttered to myself, wondering what to do. If I got out of the car, I'd probably end up on camera—I definitely didn't want to be on TV. This must be the set of that wildly popular midnight paranormal show. All around, curious onlookers were taking out their phones to record. The troublesome TV crew was everywhere.
The more I looked at the red car, the more uneasy I felt. Checking the time, it was already past 10 p.m.—I would probably arrive after 1 a.m.
It was late at night and there weren't many cars around. Suddenly, I remembered the Ghost Cab Company—Huang Xiaolong still worked there. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number.
A strange but somewhat festive tune played.
"Can you send a car over right now? Ghost Domain."
"Hey, isn't this Ethan Zhang? Haha, where are you? I'll notify a nearby driver to pick you up right away."
After I told them my location, I hung up. Last time, at the Banquet of Ten Thousand Ghosts, I had given my number to some ghost company owners and saved a few numbers myself.
After a while, I felt the cold wind blowing through. It was almost 11 p.m., and the streets outside my neighborhood were deserted.
In the distance, blinding headlights appeared. I raised my hand, but heard no sound. A cab with a red and black exterior approached, a chill following in its wake. Although the car sped along the road, it made no noise—I knew someone from the Ghost Cab Company had arrived.
The car stopped right in front of me.
"Ghost Domain?" I cried out.
I looked at Ray Lin, the ghost driver before me. He was smiling, his handsome face full of easy confidence. His hair was tousled, he wore white gloves and a sky-blue uniform. There was nothing unusual about him except for his pale complexion.
Seeing his outstretched hand, I quickly shook it.
"Ray Lin, how much to get to the Ghost Burial Squad Headquarters?"
I asked. Ray Lin shook his head.
"No charge. The boss gave orders—wherever you want to go, I'll give you my number. Consider me your personal driver from now on."
I scratched my head, a bit embarrassed as I looked at Ray Lin, then got into the car. I was a little worried—if the car started flying down the street, what if it scared someone?
"But isn't this the Ghost Domain?"
I responded and sat in the back seat. The car whooshed forward, moving quickly and smoothly without any bumps.
Half-believing, I made a sound of acknowledgment. I'd seen plenty of Ghost Domains before—whenever space split open, it was always a Ghost's domain.
I looked around carefully. The forest was huge, impossible to see through, pitch black. The car kept moving along the dirt road for a long stretch, until I noticed a dim yellow light shining in the woods. Ghost Domain?
Ray Lin's neck twisted around with a loud crack, staring straight at me. I was startled.
"Yeah, lately, a lot of people from the occult world have stopped using regular cars and switched to ours. It's cheaper, and much faster. The company is short-staffed now. Once, a regular person even took my cab—maybe they were just more sensitive, haha."
"Can you turn your neck back around?"
We were on East Ring Fourth Road. Just a bit farther and we'd reach the Ghost Burial Squad Headquarters. Ghost Domain.
The scenery outside the window blurred by at incredible speed. I estimated the car was going at least two hundred kilometers an hour, but it would still take at least two hours to get there.
"How long have you been doing this?" I asked. Ray Lin seemed to know the city even better than I did, always taking the quickest shortcuts.
"I've bounced around a bunch of companies. Driving is the easiest gig, haha. Only been at this for three months. The ghost world has changed completely. For little ghosts like me, there's no chance to reincarnate, and I don't want to suffer in the underworld, so I just drift around the living world instead."
I made a sound of acknowledgment. Suddenly, the car lurched forward and I was thrown toward the front.
Suddenly, a web glowing with yellow light appeared before us. The car slammed into it, smoke sizzled up, and in an instant, powerful spotlights shone from all directions.
Clutching my head, I fell against the window. Then I saw yellow talismans swirling in the air, flying straight at us.
Ray Lin sat quietly, as if nothing had happened.
Only then did I realize—the place was surrounded by people.
I started to worry—had people seen us?
A bell chimed.
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits..." I covered my eyes and looked over. Suddenly, I realized I recognized that Taoist priest.
"Everyone, do you see this strange phenomenon? Recently, there have been rumors of ghosts driving cars through the city every night. Watch as I reveal the true form of this ghost car with my spell."
"Master Miles, can you tell the viewers what to do if they encounter a ghost car like this?"
It was Victor Miles. I suddenly remembered—he was the Taoist exorcist the landlord hired to cleanse our building before. All around, there were cameras and a lot of crew members.
The place was packed with people in every direction.
I muttered to myself, wondering what to do. If I got out of the car, I'd probably end up on camera—I definitely didn't want to be on TV. This must be the set of that wildly popular midnight paranormal show. All around, curious onlookers were taking out their phones to record.
I was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, while Ray Lin just smiled slightly and scratched his head.
"What a hassle... That Taoist priest, sigh."
Victor Miles held up his peachwood sword, chanting under his breath. I looked around but saw no sign of any Ghost Burial Squad members. I’d heard they usually sent people every night to keep this troublesome TV crew in check, but tonight, everyone was at headquarters for the celebration.
I’d already called Hugh Thompson earlier—lots of people were waiting for me. I looked at the scene before me, feeling frustrated.
Going out or staying in, neither was a good option. I was a bit worried about Ray Lin—after all, he was pretty powerful.
"There's no other way, passenger. I have to activate the emergency route now—get ready."
Ray Lin spoke as he restarted the car. Victor Miles stepped closer, then suddenly dipped two fingers in a small basin of water.
"Ghost Eye, open..."
Ray Lin restarted the car. With a crack, the space ahead split open.
"Ghost Domain?" I cried out.
The car drove into the split in space. For a moment, Victor Miles and I locked eyes, but his gaze was filled with fear. He stood frozen, as if petrified. Ray Lin just smiled.
We drove into the rift. All around were dark woods, just a dirt road ahead. As the car entered, the gap closed behind us. The last thing I saw was Victor Miles, mouth agape, trembling violently.
The car stopped, and I stared at Ray Lin in a daze.
"Are you a Blue Wraith?"
Ray Lin lowered his head, a smile tugging at his lips. Then he suddenly twisted his head around.
"I'm just a regular little ghost, not a Blue Wraith!"
"But isn't this the Ghost Domain?"
"Ah, you don't know. This is a special escape route our company set up for us little ghosts. If we run into powerful monks or Taoist priests, we can use it to escape—just like how your apartment building has emergency exits, right?"
Half-believing, I made a sound of acknowledgment. I'd seen plenty of Ghost Domains before—whenever space split open, it was always a Ghost's domain.
I looked around carefully. The forest was huge, impossible to see through, pitch black. The car kept moving along the dirt road for a long stretch, until I noticed a dim yellow light shining in the woods.
Ray Lin seemed to slow down. I looked over and saw a unique little bamboo house, two stories tall.
"That's just for decoration, haha," Ray Lin added. But I remained suspicious about this place.
Finally, after driving for a while, the space ahead cracked open again and the car drove out.
We were on East Ring Fourth Road. Just a bit farther and we'd reach the Ghost Burial Squad Headquarters.
"By the way, Ethan Zhang, please don't mention what happened tonight to anyone. If the company finds out, I'll get docked pay this month."
I made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded.