Mysterious Awakening

Miles, as was typical, was comfortably reclined on the bed. River sat next to him, her shock ebbing but still evident.

“That’s the latest addition to the ghost tamers, now in charge of Dachang City. He’s an expert at dealing with supernatural incidents from Interpol. It has nothing to do with you,” Miles explained nonchalantly.

“What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? He nearly shot me a minute ago!” River retorted, her voice charged with disbelief.

“He wouldn’t have fired. That entire spectacle was for me to see. From the moment he stepped in until he left, he was fully aware someone was showering in the bathroom. The gun at your head wasn’t a threat to you but to me. That man is a formidable adversary, likely to become my enemy in the future,” Miles added.

Clearly unsettled, River asked, “If it’s this dangerous, should we think about moving?”

“Move to where? This Zhao Kai Ming controls the whole of Dachang City. Unless you fancy moving to another city altogether. You can leave if you wish, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Miles continued, his voice firm, “Given his hostile welcome, I’m more committed than ever to outsmart him and take his place. But first…”

He let his words trail off.

To become part of HQ, he had to find a way to delay the revival of the aggressive ghost. If not, in his current state, joining would be nothing less than a death wish. He vividly remembered how Right had met his end.

“Will you be alright?” River voiced her concern.

“I’m not sure,” Miles confessed, “It’s getting late, and I need to sleep. It’s best you stay away from me.”

“Alright.”

And with that, their conversation came to a close.

The next day, sometime around noon, Miles received a package. The items he’d ordered online were finally here.

As he sorted through his new equipment, he frowned at the sheet of human skin laid out on the table.

“Tomorrow, I’m heading to the village. Zhao Kai Ming’s sudden arrival has left me uneasy—it feels dangerous.”

“But the glimmer of survival has fueled my desperation. I have no choice but to take the risk and go through with the deal with Sun Lihong. Yet, another idea has started to form.”

“Do I put my faith in people or this scrap of human skin that guided my escape from school?”

“After some contemplation, I resolved to trade the headless ghost sealed in the golden box and this piece of human skin. If I can pull this off, I’ll have found a path to survival.”

“That is the only path, mastering the second ghost to delay the revival of the vengeful ghost.”

Upon reading the text, Miles snorted dismissively, “I’ll keep this as a last-ditch strategy. As of now, I don’t trust a single punctuation mark here.”

He had hoped to find some kind of helpful hint on this human-skin paper, but it proved unhelpful.

It merely served its purpose as a notebook, obstinately.

After loading the ammunition, Miles carefully folded the human-skin parchment.

Just as he tucked it into his pocket, a line of text appeared, “Interaction failed once again.”

He examined the firearm in his hand. It was loaded with thirty special rounds—ten per magazine—at a staggering cost of three million.

Each bullet was worth a cool hundred thousand.

The sheer expense made Miles’ mouth twitch in discomfort.

“The deterrent effect of this thing far exceeds its practical value,” he mumbled to himself.

In no time, three days had passed.

One early morning, Miles was driving his extravagant car—courtesy of Master Catch—along a deserted highway.

Eventually, his phone’s navigation led him straight to Huanggang Village.

He had researched the place online. It was a quaint village with some history dating back to the last dynasty. It once served as a tourist destination but fell short due to various logistical and economic reasons.

As for any supernatural occurrences there, surprisingly, Miles found no information.

There might be some records, but they were inaccessible to him.

Regardless, he doubted these records would be beneficial since no one had yet been able to resolve the supernatural events there, indicating any useful information was limited.

“When we reach the village, I’ll get out at the entrance. You’ll drive the car back yourself. Unless I call you for a pick-up, don’t call me. The last thing I need is a phone call disturbing me in the middle of dealing with a supernatural incident and getting me killed,” Miles directed, his face set in serious lines as he drove.

“Don’t worry, I won’t,” River assured him quickly.

“Good.”

An elongated silence enveloped the car.

After leaving the main road for a narrower track and driving for another ten minutes, a secluded village nestled at the foot of some distant mountains came into view.

Cross-referencing with the navigation on his phone, he confirmed they had arrived at the correct location.

At the village entrance, Miles abruptly applied the brakes, bringing the car to a stop.

Without turning off the engine, he tossed the car keys to River seated beside him.

“If I don’t come back within a month, assume I died. The car is yours. After I fetch a few items from the trunk, you should leave. And don’t let curiosity draw you back here. I don’t know what might transpire here later, but it’s best you avoid this place from hereon.”

With that, he stepped out of the car.

He wasn’t taking much with him—just a custom-made, heavy-duty body bag, a few emergency rations, and a handful of clothes.

His aim was to get a job done, not take a vacation.

Suddenly, the rumble of sports cars filled the air from behind. A procession of five luxury vehicles drove up from the distant path.

Such a spectacle was out of place on such a secluded road.

“Miles, I didn’t expect you’d have the guts to turn up here alone. Do you seriously think you can handle this supernatural situation by yourself?” A sports car screeched to a stop and the window rolled down. Ye Jun, who had suffered a head injury previously, stared at Miles with an icy and hostile expression.

“I’m not in the habit of engaging in idle talk with dim-witted individuals,” Miles retorted, acknowledging the presence of the other ghost tamers from the Cockroach Club.

He deduced they must have been tailing his car; otherwise, they couldn’t have arrived this quickly.

“What did you just say? I haven’t even begun to settle our previous scores. Did you think it’s all water under the bridge?” Ye Jun seemed ready to bolt out of the car and throw a punch.

Miles retorted, “What’s there to hold onto when death is knocking at your door? Didn’t that Cockroach say, ‘Present a bright face, let bygones be bygones, forgive past debts with a smile?’ As adults, ponder before you act. Don’t be so hasty. What’s the fuss about a few gunshots and a minor head wound? Who hasn’t been shot in this life? At worst, I’ll cover your medical bills later.”

Ye Jun’s face twisted with rage. Just as he seemed about to blow his top, Zhang Han, sitting behind him, opened the car door and intervened, “Ye Jun, are we going or not? Why are you blocking the road? Let’s head to the village first. We can address other issues later.”

“Miles, don’t get too cocky. Once we resolve this supernatural event, our club members will take care of that transaction on our own. We will never share the secret of survival with you.” Ye Jun then scoffed, “To be frank, I should be thanking you. Without you, we wouldn’t have stumbled upon this crucial intel.”

“Maybe your Cockroach Club’s leader knew about it all along but chose not to disclose it to you. I suggest you be careful and not be outwitted and exploited by others. Otherwise, you might find yourself counting your exploiter’s money without even realizing you’ve been sold.” Miles responded blandly..

“Humph, see you in the village.” Ye Jun’s eyes flickered, seemingly deep in thought after that remark.

The engines roared back to life, and one by one, the five cars veered off towards the village road, soon vanishing from sight.

“Five cars? So, there are five ghost tamers. They seem well-off, all driving luxury vehicles. They must have been living quite lavishly during their stint as ghost tamers. To me, though, they’re merely cannon fodder. The more, the merrier; it would be troubling if there weren’t enough hands to tackle this supernatural event,” Miles pondered, his gaze cool and vaguely sinister.

He collected his belongings, shut the trunk, then turned to River, “Let’s go.”

The car pivoted in a U-turn. River, now behind the wheel, cast a worried glance at Miles, “You’re not going to get into trouble, are you?”

“In the face of a malevolent ghost, nobody can assure their safety, not even me.” Miles hoisted his bag, ready to set off.

“I believe you’ll be fine,” River asserted.

“You believe in me? Even I’m not entirely confident,” Miles dismissed with a wave. “I’m off.”

Without lingering or indulging in a drawn-out goodbye, he shouldered his belongings and followed the path into the village.

Shortly after his departure, River drove away, not wanting to linger in the supposedly haunted area for too long.

“Could there truly be ghosts here? It seems quite normal,” Miles pondered as he ambled along, a frown creasing his forehead.

Vegetable plots and farmland lined the roadside. Judging by their upkeep, they were regularly maintained. Flocks of domestic birds roamed the road, indicating some local family’s husbandry. The houses showed no signs of dilapidation or abandonment.

All signs pointed towards a typical, albeit tranquil, rural village.

That wasn’t unusual, though. These days, it’s typically the elderly and children who remain in rural areas while the younger generation ventures out for work.

Meanwhile, back in the village, five luxury cars were parked along the roadside.

A group of five or six people exited their vehicles, standing together as they scrutinized the village with curiosity.

“Does this place give off a haunted vibe? I don’t think so.”

“I’m baffled,” admitted Zhang Han. “There’s no sense of dread here. It feels more like we’re on a leisure trip.”

“If Sun Lihong’s intel points to this place being haunted, there must be something unusual about it. Not all ghosts stir up chaos. If we come across more docile spirits, their impact is minimal. Such ghosts are generally considered low-level and not in our usual consideration,” Ye Jun clarified.

Another individual piped up, “Harmful influence isn’t equivalent to a sense of horror. If the data indicates supernatural activities here, then this village must indeed be haunted.”

“Fabricating tales to draw us here wouldn’t serve anyone’s interests. If you’re scared, there’s still time for you to leave.”

“We had a mutual agreement to tackle this supernatural occurrence together and then negotiate terms with Sun Lihong. I’m on a tight schedule, and I have no intention of waiting idly for death.”

A flurry of thoughts and opinions was exchanged among the group.

Having made the decision to journey here, they were not about to back down now.