Midnight Funeral Procession

At 11:45 p.m. on October 31, Shanming City was still ablaze with lights. Many people's nightlife had only just begun.

Inside the taxi, Ji Li's eyes were clouded with gray as he silently watched the scenery flash past outside the window.

It was not until the cigarette butt in his hand burned down and scorched his fingers that he snapped out of his daze.

The location mentioned in the hotel's email was only a few minutes away. Ji Li had set out at precisely the right time.

Long illness made a doctor; after clashing with ghosts several times, he could be considered an expert.

Although the Supernatural Location had been identified as Beggars' Alley, under normal circumstances, he absolutely could not enter early.

Otherwise, he might trigger the ghosts' attack ahead of time. And before the mission began, he would be facing a dead end with no hope of survival!

"I remember now!"

The two personalities, who had remained silent throughout the journey, broke the silence.

It was the newly formed Third Personality speaking.

"My name isn't Ji Li... I should be called Ji Li! I was hypnotizing a patient, so how did I suddenly end up in your body?"

"Cut the crap, Third. Your name is Ji Li. We're all Ji Li!"

"Impossible!"

Ji Li scratched his head speechlessly. The Second Personality was violent, crude, and possessed no additional memories.

This Third Personality had barely spoken since appearing yesterday. It now seemed that he was somewhat unusual.

But Ji Li had no time to think further. The taxi slowly stopped at an empty alley entrance.

The middle-aged driver turned around with a grin. "Brother, we're at Beggars' Alley."

Ji Li dusted the ash off himself, took out some cash from his coat and handed it over. Without waiting for change, he got out with his tool bag.

"Quiet down. We can think about what comes next after we survive this."

The Third Personality stopped talking, and the Second Personality also fell silent at the right time.

Now, in this pitch-black midnight alley, only Ji Li's footsteps remained.

The alley ran deep. Only a single streetlamp in the middle barely provided a trace of light. There were few residences on either side, only brick-and-stone walls. One had to walk nearly ten meters before seeing a dilapidated, tightly shut wooden door.

Ji Li had never heard of Beggars' Alley before. He had previously looked into many records concerning alleys, but had found no supernatural rumors.

Seeing how deserted it was made his heart grow colder.

A place like this seemed made for hauntings.

Ji Li raised his wrist and checked the time. It was 11:58 p.m., with only two minutes left before the ghosts appeared.

He had just set down the bag on his shoulder when a burst of laughter and horseplay came from behind him!

"Liu Zi, you really drank too much today. Can you still find your way home?"

"Tch, I'm way more sober than you. I can still walk in a straight line!"

"Slow down, you two! Slow down!"

Ji Li frowned. He saw three swaying figures approaching from behind him—three drunks...

There were only two minutes before the ghosts appeared. The entire alley would become a place of evil. Outsiders interfering at a time like this would definitely introduce variables into the mission!

Ji Li did not reveal his concern. He did not even move to stop the three men, merely watching as they drew closer.

"Hehe, they're really unlucky. But that's actually good for us," the Second Personality suddenly said with a strange laugh.

Whoosh...

Ji Li suddenly felt a chill around his neck. An inexplicable cold wind swept past him, and as though he had sensed something, he whipped his head around.

Yet everything before him was completely different from what he had seen before!

Beneath the dim streetlamp, yellow paper offerings filled the air. A group of figures dressed in mourning clothes carried a coffin, silently advancing toward Ji Li and the others!

"Did I drink too much? A funeral procession in the middle of the night?" A fat man froze in place and spoke blankly.

"Liu Zi, this is terribly inauspicious! Let's turn back!" The Tall Thin Man supporting him paled.

Other than Ji Li, all three drunks retreated toward the entrance of the alley. He watched them without trying to stop them.

The mission had already begun. They could not leave this alley!

The funeral procession drew closer. Listening to their dull footsteps, Ji Li fixed his gaze on the coffin.

"What form will the ghost take this time?"

It was not just the coffin. This group of people in hemp mourning clothes was also bizarre. Their faces were as white as paper, their body proportions strikingly similar, as orderly as though they had been carved from the same mold.

As the distance shrank, Ji Li held his bag in one hand and pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath as he watched the people at the front pass by him without even acknowledging him.

Ignored...

That only deepened Ji Li's sense that something was wrong. The mission had begun less than five minutes ago, and he was still in the exploratory stage.

He watched the people at the front carrying white funeral banners. Standing so close, he could not even hear the slightest breath from them.

"Could it be... none of them are human?"

Just then, the three drunks who had left earlier ran back, drenched in sweat. Seeing Ji Li already mixed in with the funeral procession, they stared in stunned disbelief.

"Th-this... have we really run into ghosts? Why can't we find an exit at all?" the fat man named Liu Zi shouted anxiously.

Thud!

The instant Liu Zi spoke, the entire funeral procession stopped. The coffin bearers threw the coffin to the ground, and everyone stared directly at Liu Zi!

Ji Li frowned. Could that man's words have touched upon some taboo...

Liu Zi cried out for his mother and nearly collapsed. The Tall Thin Man and another man with dyed blond hair hurriedly held him up from either side.

"Don't say anything else, don't say anything else!" The Tall Thin Man had stronger nerves and quickly bowed and apologized.

After standing still for a long while, the funeral procession lifted the coffin again and continued onward. They ignored Ji Li completely and walked forward toward Liu Zi and the others.

"A funeral procession at midnight..."

The funeral procession had traveled more than halfway through, seemingly about to leave Beggars' Alley.

Liu Zi sucked in his gut and pressed himself into the corner, trembling nonstop. He watched the white-robed figures pass by one after another like puppets, his heart in his throat.

Fortunately, they seemed not to be paying attention to him. He wiped away his sweat and looked at the nearby coffin bearers with relief. Once these few passed, he would be safe.

That was what he thought, but his gaze still curiously flicked toward the pure black solid-wood coffin, then toward the coffin bearers.

Liu Zi silently found something strange, as though he had noticed something unreasonable. He scratched his head.

But immediately afterward, a faint sound rang out!

His tiny eyes widened round. His vision was instantly swallowed up, and then he fell completely into an abyss of darkness.

His mouth opened as wide as it could, but it was as though his throat had been blocked. He barely forced out a few words.

"I... how did I..."

Then, his unfinished words vanished along with his bloated body.

By the time the Tall Thin Man and Blondie reacted, their scalps had gone numb.

Liu Zi had vanished without a trace right before their eyes in an instant. All that remained where he had stood was a floor covered in yellow paper...