The scenery sped backward as the two figures left the moat long ago and rapidly headed toward South City District in Shanming City.
Inside the taxi, the midnight driver was bored out of his mind and had cranked the stereo up to a deafening volume, playing some soothing, melodious tune.
In the back seat, the long-haired man, once handsome but with his heroic air ruined by a gloomy aura, held a cigarette between his fingers and stared silently at the night rushing past outside the window.
Beside him, a thin young man with an uneasy expression clutched a photograph in his hand and stared fixedly at it.
"At Tiannan Academy of Drama, I saw a ghost. It should have been a ghost..."
The man's words pushed the oppressive atmosphere to new heights, and a heavy air gradually echoed through the cabin along with his voice.
The driver glanced back at the two of them, snorted through his nose, and seemed rather disdainful.
The long-haired man did not react at all. He merely opened the window and flicked away the long ash from his cigarette.
"At the time, I went with another faculty member into A Lian's former office.
A Lian's desk was completely empty, as if some force had erased every trace of it.
Strangely, the teacher's workstation opposite A Lian's had also been completely cleared out.
Another teacher had disappeared alongside A Lian.
And the ghost I saw was that other missing female teacher."
The thin young man spoke softly, recounting a bizarre past that was terrifying to hear, like some urban legend.
The emotion flowed quietly through the taxi, even drawing some interest from the driver, who had initially scoffed at him.
The driver stole a glance at the speaker through the rearview mirror and immediately asked, "And