Mysterious Awakening

The resounding banging at the box had ceased, their echoes receding into the void, never to reverberate again.

From Miles’ perspective, he could contemplate only two possibilities. The first suggested that the being attempting to break the golden box had succumbed to fatigue – a hypothesis that bordered on incredulity.

The alternative scenario proposed that the spectral entity, the headless ghost, had been freed from its gilded prison.

As to a third outcome, Miles grappled with formulating anything else.

As the room’s somber darkness enveloped him once again, tranquility draped itself across the room. There’s no more smashing or footsteps, only the stillness of the eerie night.

However, the silence persisted much longer than any previous hush. Moreover, the cyclic recurrence of the ghostly coughing ceased abruptly as well. This left Miles wondering whether this unanticipated silence was an essential clue in the ghost’s attack pattern.

“That ghost isn’t moving anymore, and the headless ghost appears to be gone too. But why does this stillness feel so disquieting?”

Although Miles had braced himself for his demise in this place, but now…

In light of his desperation, he recognized salvation was still possible for himself. Reason being the paralysis was beginning to recede from his body.

Once he reclaimed his ability to move, Miles was resolute he would no longer fear the headless ghost.

Perhaps the ghost had sensed his impending resurgence as well, or perhaps a predetermined moment had arrived, but the rhythmic footsteps had begun again, drifting away from the wardrobe and towards the door. It exited the room, descending the staircase with a slow, deliberate pace. Each footfall resonated distinctly in the corridor, signifying the ghost’s departure.

Almost synchronously with its descent, Miles regained command over his body.

Powered by this newly discovered strength, he propelled himself up from the bed. His hand darted towards the wall, and he flicked the light switch on.

In a flash, the room was flooded with light, dispelling the shadows and bringing his surroundings into sharp focus. Miles’s gaze darted immediately to the wardrobe. There, the door was slightly open, and on the floor lay a golden box, its form distorted. A prominent indentation marred the center of the box, threatening to tear it apart.

Yet the resilient quality of the gold and the box’s unparalleled craftsmanship managed to maintain its solidity, forestalling its destruction.

“Phew!” Upon the sight, a sigh of relief escaped from Miles.

The most favorable outcome had materialized. The box remained unopened, and the headless phantom was yet to break free. As for the box’s deformation, it held no consequence. Gold was but a vessel, its form irrelevant.

Yet, what was unusual was a swatch of human skin draped over the box.

It was the same fragment of human skin parchment he’d procured from school.

Despite the baffling sight, Miles understood now was not a moment for pondering.

He hastily collected his belongings, packed his luggage, and clutching his weapon, he bolted out.

“For me, this is both a predicament and an opening. Now that the ghost has surfaced, even if I choose not to confront it, I must determine its identity, whereabouts, and guise.”

“If I let it slip away this time, such an opportune moment may not ever come again.”

Despite the fear and apprehension simmering within him, he set off nevertheless in pursuit of the departing phantom. After all, he had journeyed to Huanggang Village for a shot at survival. If he were petrified of death, he would never have embarked on this quest.

The main entrance on the ground floor was firmly secured, yet the sound of fading footsteps emanated from beyond the door.

Evidently, the ghost had departed Liu Genrong’s abode and was venturing elsewhere.

“Chase!”

With a burst of determination, Miles flung open the main door and launched into immediate pursuit. A ghostly red eye on his forehead pierced through his flesh and surfaced, its crimson gaze revealing an unorthodox vista through the red radiance bathing his close vicinity.

The ghost’s eye had the capacity to penetrate both darkness and the illusions of the ghost domain. Although not particularly helpful when a ghost domain remained inactive, it still held a unique power.

“It’s just ahead.” Miles pressed on, the phantom’s eye straining to distinguish the ghost’s silhouette.

But a turn in the path obscured his line of sight, the echo of footsteps reverberating from the alleyway.

“If I utilized the ghost domain, I could catch up with the ghost in an instant, but to do so without any knowledge about the ghost would be utterly reckless.”

While he was brimming with anticipation to see the ghost’s true face, the potential fallout of the ghost domain’s use made Miles curb his rash instincts.

After all, a hasty pursuit may not necessarily ensure its capture.

As he persisted in the chase, the footsteps ahead grew louder in return. It would come into view after he navigates the next bend.

However, the very next moment…

The spectacle that unfurled before Miles as he rounded the corner left him momentarily spellbound.

The figure confronting him wasn’t a ghost, but Zhang Han, a member of Cockroach’s club, who had also journeyed to Huanggang Village earlier that day.

“Miles? How could it be you?” More unnerved than he might have been at the sight of a ghost, Zhang Han blurted out. The sight of Miles elicited a visible jolt from the man.

“That’s my question too. I traced a ghost’s footstep to this spot. Yet, upon rounding the corner, it was you I encountered. Are you indeed Zhang Han, or the ghost in disguise?” Miles’ eyebrows knitted together as he gripped a golden handgun in his hand, the bullet primed and ready to shoot.

His intention wasn’t to exterminate the ghost using this weapon, but rather a reflexive act of self-defense.

“I am indeed Zhang Han. You’re the one behaving oddly. I was also tailing those footsteps, suspecting you to be the ghost. It was quite a shock finding you,” retorted Zhang Han, visibly irked.

At his words, Miles’ heart fluttered anxiously. “Were we deceived? Or are there multiple ghosts here? The one you followed might not be the one I was after.”

“I can’t be certain, but the footsteps did vanish in this vicinity.” Zhang Han’s expression turned grave.

Abruptly, the sound of footsteps resonated from a nearby alleyway while they argued.

Without hesitating, Miles fired in the direction of the sound, the eye on his forehead wide awake.

A yelp of agony pierced the silence as a figure crumpled onto the pavement, blood pooling around them.

“Miles, why would you shoot so recklessly? You’ve injured a person!” Zhang Han cried out.

Miles frowned. “The entire village should be sleeping by now. Not even dogs are stirring at this hour. We have no clue if the sudden footsteps were a ghost’s or not, so it’s safer to shoot first.”

“Fortunate for me that you recognized me earlier, or else I’d have surely been your target.” Zhang Han commented, shuddering at the thought.

It was then he noticed that Miles had been wielding a handgun all this while.

“That man appears to be one of our club members. You should recognize him, but I’m uncertain if your shot was fatal,” Zhang Han mentioned.

Moments later, in a compact villa temporarily rented by the club members,

A man with a pallid face clutched at his bleeding wound while Zhang Han attended to it with bandages.

Other ghost tamers were also in attendance due to being roused by the commotion of tonight’s ghostly occurrences.

“Ouyang Tian, I want to let you know Miles didn’t intend to shoot you on purpose,” Zhang Han offered, his voice laced with sympathy.

Miles shot him a seething glance as if to rebuke the claim. “Nonsense, I clearly aimed for his head. It’s not my fault the bullet didn’t land where I wanted it to. Regardless, I must express my regret for my poor aim, Ouyang Tian. I apologize.” Having said this, he extended a look of earnest apology towards Ouyang Tian in not killing the other guy.

Ouyang Tian’s impassive features were now alight with fury, “You think a mere apology can compensate for shooting me?”

“I’ve offered my apologies, what more do you want? Do you intend to report me to the authorities?” Miles added, “There was a ghost causing a commotion in the village late at night, and you were meandering around in the village without illuminating your path. Accidental injuries under such circumstances are commonplace.”

“If you agree to let me shoot you once, we can consider it settled. What do you think?” Ouyang Tian’s face turned an ashy hue as he pulled out a handgun and directed it at Miles.

Miles retorted, “Even if we resort to that, when will this cycle of vengeance stop? Furthermore, I’m still a minor. Can’t you exhibit some leniency?”

“Leniency, my foot.” Without batting an eye, Ouyang Tian squeezed the trigger.

He took aim at Miles’s head. However, Miles managed to evade the bullet just in the nick of time.

“Now, can we consider the score settled?” With the ghost’s eye affixed on his forehead, Miles addressed him.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Ouyang Tian made a move to shoot again.

But this time around, Miles also leveled his firearm at Ouyang Tian’s head, “An eye for an eye, it’s fair that way. However, if you wish to continue, I can indulge you all night and we’ll see who crumbles first.”

“Enough, Ouyang Tian, it’s even after you shot once. If this persists, we’ll spiral into a brawl, and with a ghost still lurking in the village, we’d be inviting our doom. Moreover, an injury is nothing so long as you’re alive. You can settle the grudge at a later date after we capture the ghost.” Zhang Han swiftly stepped in to diffuse the tension, steering Ouyang Tian away.