CH 35

(Part 1 – BGM Start)

Edited by Sliver Wind 

Shen Dongqing shook the keys and it issued a jingle.

“You don’t know how to drive?”

Hit-and-Run Ghost: “I know how to…”

If it did not know how to drive, how could it have become the Hit-and-Run Ghost? 

Shen Dongqing stuffed the key into the Hit-and-Run Ghost’s hands, pulled open the door to the co-pilot seat and sat down very naturally.

It was not until it got into the car that the Hit-and-Run Ghost came to itself—it was supposed to find its substitute, so why was it becoming his driver for free?

Feeling faint, it looked at its own reflection in the rear-view mirror.

Crimson blood and brain matter leaked out everywhere, allowing terror and nausea to coexist.

This was what it had specifically learnt after it had apprenticed itself to its ghost big brothers from another place. Could it be that he had lost his ability to scare someone?

The Hit-and-Run Ghost gripped onto the steering wheel and decided to try again.

A snap rang out. 

The Hit-and-Run Ghost twisted its head by ninety degrees without moving its body and looked at the car owner who was seated in the co-pilot seat while it executed a terrifying expression. However, the car owner was only paying attention to his phone, and even when its eyes were going to fall out from all the staring it was doing, the car owner did not raise his head at all.

Can you please give me a response?

The Hit-and-Run Ghost was going to die out of anxiety.

Thankfully, the insensitive car owner finally raised his head slowly. 

But he did not seem scared at all as he queried: “Why aren’t you driving yet?” All he had were doubts.

Aggrieved, the Hit-and-Run Ghost turned its head back and inserted the key in to start the car.

“Where are you going?”

Shen Dongqing let out an “ah”. 

He had been thrown into the game without knowing any information. When the game started, he was already in a car that was moving at full speed, and he was unclear as to where he should go.

After he rummaged through the bag in the car, he managed to find a business card with an address on it.

“Drive there first.”

The Hit-and-Run Ghost gave it a glance. 

The place stated in the address was a small community and it looked a little familiar like it had seen it somewhere. The Hit-and-Run Ghost pondered about it for a moment as it dredged up  memories from its past.

“That small community is not auspicious,” the Hit-and-Run Ghost said with an air of mystery. “Are you really going to go there? Ten people die there every year, and I heard that there is an issue with the feng shui that caused everyone to be trapped, without the possibility of being redeemed.”

Saying that, it shuddered. “Once, I drove past it and happened to feel how terrible that place was, and it nearly scared me to death.”

Shen Dongqing gave it a strange look. 

The Hit-and-Run Ghost used to be a taxi driver and right now its occupational disease was acting up as it started chatting with its passenger.

“Can I drop you off outside the small community? It’s the middle of the night, and demons and ghosts and monsters of every description could run out. I’m terribly afraid of ghosts; I’m the sort whose legs would go weak upon hearing a ghost story.”

Shen Dongqing kindly reminded him, “You’re a ghost too.”

Ktf Lla-jcv-Eec Xtbra ktb jiwbra obguba atja la tjv jigfjvs yfmbwf j utbra: …… 

Ktf Lla-jcv-Eec Xtbra kjr jc biv vglnfg ktb tjv yffc lc atf vglnlcu yerlcfrr obg wbgf atjc akfcas sfjgr, atfgfobgf atf mjg uilvfv nfgs rafjvlis jcv rkloais vbkc atf eclctjylafv jgfj jcv gfjmtfv atf egyjc bcf.

Ktf mlas kjr ralii yglutais ila fnfc atbeut la kjr atf wlvvif bo atf cluta.

The streets were empty and there was not a single person in sight.

As the Hit-and-Run Ghost was driving, it stopped and waited for the red light to pass. Suddenly, it saw a person crouching at the intersection with a brazier in front of them and they seemed to be burning something since it emitted the scent of candles. 

Hit-and-Run Ghost shrieked: “A ghost!”

It forgot its setting as a ghost again.

Even though it was this time of  night, the Hit-and-Run Ghost still observed the traffic rules strictly. When the light switched to the green, it floored the accelerator and raced past the zebra crossing.

Just as the Hit-and-Run Ghost’s breath loosened, it heard a series of crisp knocks at its window. 

Knock Knock— Knock Knock—

The Hit-and-Run Ghost turned its head and saw a wrinkled old lady with her hair worn in a bun standing there.

The old lady asked affably, “Can I hitch a ride?”

Hit-and-Run Ghost replied decisively, “No!” 

Then, he increased his horsepower in an attempt to get rid of the old lady.

However, the old lady disappeared from the window and her voice came from the back seat.

“Aiyo, young people these days, they’re always so impetuous and restless…”

The old lady had her legs crossed as she sat in the back. As the road lights shone in from the window, the black shroud she was wearing could be perceived. Her visage suddenly became gloomy, “Since that is the case, I can only let you accompany this old woman.” 

As the old lady spoke, she stretched her withered hands – limbs that were littered with age spots, a breath of cold air lingering – towards the person sitting in the co-pilot seat.

However, before she could touch the person, both of the people in front turned around concurrently.

The young man looked quite pretty and charming, which seemed to inexplicably dispel the terror that ghosts brought for people; the driver, on the other hand, was frightening because it was dripping fresh blood and half of its face was gone.

The old lady initially thought that two ignorant young men were seated in the car and she wanted to casually give them a scare by demanding their lives but she did not expect that she would encounter the Hit-and-Run Ghost without  any prior mental preparation when she got on the vehicle. 

The old lady was quite advanced in age and she had died of a heart attack. Confronted with such a scare, she could hardly breathe and she was reduced into a series of rapid gasps as both of her eyes could not help but roll to its whites.

Evidently, Shen Dongqing’s moral principle of respecting the old and cherishing the young did not apply to ghosts as he took hold of the old lady and forcibly dragged her into the space between their seats.

He was holding onto the old lady like she was a broken and old plastic bag while preparing himself to throw her out  as he opened the car window.

Seeing this scene, the Hit-and-Run Ghost was shocked. 

It could not help but be grateful for the fact that it had not acted against him on the road, or it would end up the same way as the old lady.

As it listened to the old lady wail and beg for mercy, the Hit-and-Run Ghost shuddered silently and turned its head back to the road and drove honestly.

Before Shen Dongqing could throw out the extraneous stuff, he discovered that the ghost he was holding had turned into a thin, rectangular card.

【 Name: Old Lady at the Intersection 】 

【 Ability: She lingers at the intersection late at night and is capable of climbing onto a car to claim the lives inside 】

【 Disadvantages: The old lady’s heart is not very good and she cannot tolerate scares, please treat her kindly 】

Shen Dongqing took a brief moment to read through the short introduction that was written on it. He did not understand its use for the time being so he could only keep it for now.

There were many ghosts and monsters in Strange Talk City and the old lady was one of them. 

But…

Shen Dongqing had a thought as he held his phone, why did it seem like these ghosts and monsters were too lacking in terms of their lethality?

It was basically shaming people, no, it was shaming ghosts!

The Hit-and-Run Ghost stepped on the brakes and completed a perfect reverse parking before he stopped the car in the parking space. 

Shen Dongqing got out of the car.

In front of them was the entrance to the small community, and from where they were standing, it was just a flat piece of darkness. There were only one or two rooms with their lights switched on and there seemed to be some kind of strange or terrifying creatures lurking within it.

The Hit-and-Run Ghost followed him as it rubbed its hands: “Look at that, can I not go in?”

Shen Dongqing carried his bag and he was about to walk into the small community when he heard the Hit-and-Run Ghost’s words. He stopped and turned around to look at it again. 

Then Hit-and-Run Ghost was still rubbing its hands.

Speaking of which, it was not ideal for it to obstruct cars in order to claim lives even though it had no choice but to use such a method, considering how it could only reincarnate after it found its substitute, so anyone who encountered it could only blame their bad luck.

Thus, it hoped that this big boss would not come claiming the debts it had incurred and beat it to the extent where its soul scattered and flew away.

The Hit-and-Run Ghost waited on his answer with some unease, but it was only stuffed with a handful of paper money in the end. 

“Ah?”

Shen Dongqing said: “Taxi fee, you can go now.”

Saying that, he walked into the community.

Holding the paper money, the Hit-and-Run Ghost was basically holding back  hot tears. 

It initially set out to hurt him, but it did not expect that not only would the big boss not try to settle accounts with him, he even gave it money. He really was nice, he truly was a good person!

The Hit-and-Run Ghost clenched its fists.

In the future, it definitely had to correct its errors to  make a fresh start, and properly be a good person… it meant ghost!

Shen Dongqing studied the address on the business card as he tried to find his way to his room. 

“Room 1804, Unit 4…”

Ding dong—

The elevator doors slowly opened.

Shen Dongqing raised his eyes and saw a long corridor stretching before him. There were doors on both sides of the corridor and it was completely dark apart from the two flashing, green words “Safe Exit”. 

The colour of the doors were a little odd since it was all black. Placed next to a white wall, it looked like a coffin had been placed there instead.

Finding a key in his bag, Shen Dongqing stood before Room 1804 to test the door, and it really opened.

After opening the door. 

The room had a layout of three bedrooms and one living room but there were no special decorations to it. It looked like it came out from the assembly line since its style was frugal and cold with how uniform everything was.

Shen Dongqing threw his backpack on the sofa before he conveniently laid down on it.

The sofa was soft and it had a lot of cushions to lean on which was so comfortable it made him squint his eyes.

Fishing out his mobile phone, Shen Dongqing plugged in the charger with a practiced hand and unlocked it. 

He had finally entered a world with internet and electricity which made him cheer a little as he opened Fight the Landlord to play.

“Call the Landlord!”

“Explode the King!”

As the joyful music continued to sound, the ghost hidden under the sofa did not know when the opportune time  to come out was. 

Although the song “Good Fortune Comes” scarcely caused any trouble for the ghost, the BGM just wasn’t right!

The Ghost Shadow’s hands stretched out only to retract again, and after hesitating for a long while, it eventually decided to act in the end.

Meanwhile, Shen Dongqing was engrossed with playing Fight the Landlord and was completely unaware of the slender and pitch-black hand drilling out from under the sofa, which was about to drag him into the darkness.

The Ghost Shadow slowly moved amidst the thumping and clanging that was akin to the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals, before it tried to grab the person lying on the sofa in a steadfast and indomitable manner. 

Very soon, just a bit more…

The Ghost Shadow held its breath. Just as it was about to touch Shen Dongqing, he shifted his body and changed the posture he was lying in and accidentally opened up the distance.

Ghost Shadow: One more time!

The Ghost Shadow waited for a while more. 

The person on the sofa finally stopped playing Fight the Landlord. Just as it exhaled out of relief, it heard various strange noises sound by its ears— because he was no longer playing Fight the Landlord, he had decided to watch hellish videos of animals instead.

Ghost Shadow: …….

It was almost desperate.

Whenever the other tenants arrived, they would always be terribly afraid of their own shadows. They were timid and too afraid to sleep which gave the likes of it – evil things that had the penchant for trouble – opportunities to strike. 

None of them had ever played Fight the Landlord or watched animal videos the moment they stepped into the room.

And the BGM was becoming even more cheerful.

Fortunately, the Ghost Shadow was made of staunch will; it steeled its heart with the desire to hurt someone tonight, regardless of the BGM that was playing.

Thus, the Ghost Shadow stretched its hands out again. 

But it was met with failure this time around too because there was a knock outside the door which disrupted its movement.

It’s the middle of the bloody night, who was even knocking?

As he continued to hold onto his phone, Shen Dongqing flipped off the sofa and walked towards the door.

The Ghost Shadow was anxious. 

The thing outside the door was a ghost as well.

If you had to know, there were only a few people available for them to play with, and being able to claim them came at a first come, first served basis. 

Hence, the Ghost Shadow had to rush out from under the sofa.

From the onlooker’s point of view, it seemed like the sofa’s shadow stretched and elongated to form the shape of a hand, wanting to cut the person off first. 

But Shen Dongqing was one step faster than the Ghost Shadow because he already opened the door.

Standing outside the door was a dwarf with a hunchback that was carrying a freshly plucked head in its hand as it smiled at Shen Dongqing with its fine and sharp teeth.

Shen Dongqing yawned lazily: “Do you need something?” 

The dwarf grinned, voice hoarse. “I would like to borrow your life.”

Shen Dongqing gave it a glance before he resolutely said: “Not lending.”

As he said that, he tried to shut the door.

But before he could close it fully, the dwarf managed to squeeze itself in and its pupils were twitching strangely. “Since you don’t want to let me borrow it, I can only take it for myself…”