Mysterious Awakening

The mysterious lack of information and the sudden death of a ghost tamer on their first day in Huanggang Village had cast a dark cloud over everyone’s spirits. Ghost tamers perishing at the hands of reanimated vengeful ghosts wasn’t unheard of, quite common in fact. However, falling silently to an unidentified specter lurking in the shadows was a perturbing deviation from the norm.

Ignoring everything else, the sheer fact that He Sheng died without putting up a fight was evident enough that the scale of difficulty exceeded any ghost tamer present.

“Your analysis matches what Miles suggested earlier to me. He proposed that the vengeful ghosts in Huanggang Village weren’t aiming for humans, but our internal ghosts,” Zhang Han noted after a slight pause, sending the rest of the group into silence.

The members of the club may not believe Miles if such a theory was thrown out into the open, but Zhang Yiming was known to be a cautious and intelligent person within the club. Since he brought the idea forward, plus Zhang Han’s support, the idea naturally held sway.

Besides, facts spoke louder than words – He Sheng died, and his woman lived.

“Oh, so Miles said that too?” Zhang Yiming quirked a brow. “I remember everyone dismissing him as an unhinged madman, a simpleton. Perhaps I need to rethink my initial impressions.”

His theory was primarily drawn from He Sheng’s unfortunate demise, but Miles had beaten him to it without clues. Did this mean that Miles’s ability exceeded his own? Could such awareness emerge from a supposedly irrational child?

“He did say so, but we didn’t believe it before. Now that you’re echoing his theory, we can’t dismiss it anymore,” admitted Zhang Han.

On overhearing this, Miles, who was investigating the scene, retorted nonchalantly, “Maybe I should step away and let you adults continue talking. Earlier, someone tried to drag me into a shooting game, and it nearly scared the living daylights out of me.”

“Miles, enough with the nonsense,” Ouyang Tian grumbled, his irritation yet to dissipate.

Zhang Yiming took a long drag of his cigarette and proposed, “I believe it’s best if we make a retreat. What’s your take, Miles? We’re clearly ill-equipped to challenge a ghost that has other ghosts in its crosshairs. This mission is far more complex than we anticipated. I suspect the company responsible must have compelling reasons to assign us this task. Surely they wouldn’t have casually offered the method of controlling a second vengeful ghost otherwise.”

“High risks often pave the way to high rewards; our presumptions seem to have been correct,” Miles observed with a smirk. “But do you have an alternative plan in place for the future? If we don’t subdue our internal ghost soon and delay the reanimation process, how long do you think we can last?”

His blunt words struck a nerve. They had journeyed here, fully aware of the inherent risks and armed with a grim determination. Backing out now seemed the safest option, yet it also symbolized the forfeiture of their hopes for survival.

“Choosing to die from a revived vengeful ghost over succumbing to this one is better. Miles, just because you’re fearless doesn’t mean we all share the same sentiment. We don’t wish to perish here without justification,” Ye Jun shot back.

“Suit yourselves.” Miles casually responded, “If you’re so inclined to leave, then do so. Go back to your club, indulge in drinks and conversations, harass the rookies, and await your fate. But don’t forget to pick a nice urn and a decent burial site. It’d be interesting to see who’d dare to pay respects at our tombs.”

Taken aback, Ye Jun was at a loss for words. Despite their harshness, Miles’s words rang true – retreating would simply mean awaiting their doom.

“High stakes often yield high gains. Remaining here to unravel this supernatural mystery and conclude our deal does provide a fighting chance,” Zhang Yiming noted, flicking his finished cigarette away. “But we need to decide swiftly, as the ghosts have already made their move. Should we stay or depart? Voice your opinions. I propose we retreat.”

“I concur,” Ye Jun swiftly agreed.

Zhang Han pondered briefly before saying, “I believe there’s a chance if we combine our strengths. It’s inevitable to take some hits initially when dealing with an unknown ghost. I vote we stay.”

“I second that,” chimed in Miles with a grin. “Although, I’m not sure if my view as an outsider holds any weight.”

“Ouyang Tian, what’s your take?” Zhang Yiming asked before noticing something amiss, “Ah, you’re wounded. Your trousers are soaked in blood.”

Ouyang Tian looked distinctly uneasy at the topic. “It’s nothing, just a minor scrape.”

Minor scrape? Losing his manhood between the legs and labeling it as ‘minor’ was something Miles had to admire.

“I suggest we hold our ground and fight. With the imminent revival of the vengeful ghost, how long could we truly last if we flee? Solving this paranormal puzzle and procuring a method to postpone the ghost’s reanimation is our only viable move,” Ouyang Tian stated firmly. He might bear a grudge against Miles, but he wasn’t about to wantonly throw away his life. “As long as we’re not trapped in a dead end, any flicker of hope is worth pursuing.”

“So, we’re placing our chips on this bet?” Zhang Yiming asked, lighting another cigarette as he pondered their precarious odds of survival. Despite the looming abyss, they had no choice but to leap, for there was truly no way back.

“Given three out of four of us agree to stay, we’ll brave this,” he decided. “Analyzing our recent encounters, it’s clear that this ghost has us ghost tamers in its crosshairs. Hence, separating again would be unwise. From now on, we stay together for everything – eating, drinking, attending to nature’s call, even sleeping. All personal grudges must be set aside, at least temporarily.”

“A group of men living in such proximity could potentially lead to unforeseen incidents,” Miles aired his worries.

Zhang Yiming took a puff from his cigarette, “We’re in a critical situation. We must remember that the ghost here has demonstrated its capacity to silently and tracelessly take a ghost tamer’s life.”

“Alright, but you’re neglecting something. There could be more than one ghost in the vicinity now,” Miles pointed out, gesturing towards the body of the deceased, He Sheng.

“You have a point. Considering the likelihood of He Sheng’s ghost having escaped, we may indeed be dealing with two phantoms in the village,” Zhang Yiming acknowledged.

“And how much do we know about He Sheng’s ghost’s capabilities?” Miles queried.

“We don’t really know. He seldom frequented the club. Having worked as a bodyguard for a boss, he rarely showcased his ghost’s powers in our presence. It’s hard to gauge,” Zhang Han shook his head in resignation.

Miles chuckled, “Well, isn’t this turning out to be quite the mystery? Another unidentified ghost to contend with.”

“Assuming he didn’t fall to the vengeful ghost’s revival, his powers shouldn’t induce extreme terror. Our immediate priority is locating the original ghost from Huanggang Village. I’ve coined a nickname for it – ‘the Sick Ghost’, referring to its signature weak cough,” Zhang Yiming explained.

His suggestion went unchallenged.

“I have here a rudimentary map of Huanggang Village. While it’s hand-drawn and not professionally crafted, it should serve our purpose.”

With that, Miles revealed a paper sheet, unfolding it to display a simple map composed of lines and squares.

“When did you make this?” Zhang Han asked, visibly surprised.

“You didn’t create one?” Miles appeared taken aback. “How do you plan to hunt the ghost without even knowing the village layout?”

“No, we didn’t,” Zhang Han confessed, a tinge of embarrassment in his voice.

The rest couldn’t suppress their smirks. They hadn’t considered planning that far ahead.

“The lines represent paths, and the squares denote houses. These points here are where we bumped heads while tracking the phantom footsteps,” Miles highlighted on the map. “The footsteps seemed to vanish around this central house. It’s a location you all should recognize.”

Zhang Yiming’s hand wavered, causing the ash from his cigarette to flutter down. “Is it that house by the village entrance, the one hosting the funeral? The one with the coffin placed prominently in its main hall?”

“Exactly, that funeral house is the one. The spot where we arrived is right behind it. Circling to its front should reveal the coffin,” Miles corroborated.

“Damn it, I knew something felt off. We stumbled upon a funeral on our first day here, with a coffin bizarrely displayed in the central hall. I had a gut feeling something wasn’t right,” Zhang Han couldn’t refrain from cursing.

“Should we confront it?”

“Do we even need to debate this?” interjected Ye Jun. “Our combined force is formidable. Even Jesus would have to bow before us.”