"Be more specific." Ning Zhe frowned.
"I'm saying we've encountered a ghost." Baizhi enunciated each word. "The ghost is watching us right now. Don't look directly at it."
Ning Zhe fell silent for a moment, then lowered his head to glance at the time displayed on the car screen: 18:01.
"Don't look directly at ghosts... Is that a new rule?" Ning Zhe asked with a smile. "Has our Urban Legend Player returned?"
"More accurately, don't look directly at gods." Baizhi's expression was grave, her eyes filled with solemnity. "Gods are ghosts expanded on a macroscopic scale, while ghosts are gods collapsed on a microscopic scale."
"Why does that sound like you're reciting science fiction..." Ning Zhe sighed. "Be specific. What are the urban legend rules this time?"
Baizhi nodded and said:
1. Gods are everywhere.
2. Gods must not be looked at directly.
3. Beware of those who have looked directly at gods.
"And... we must find a hiding place before the sun sets and hide inside it." Baizhi gave one final emphasis.
"Okay, is that all?" Ning Zhe checked the screen. It was 18:01 in the evening, and the nearest gas station was less than five kilometers away.
Summer nights in the south came late. The sky often remained bright even after seven o'clock, which meant Ning Zhe still had at least an hour to drive to the gas station five kilometers away. There was more than enough time.
Ning Zhe pressed down on the accelerator, raising the speed to 110 kilometers per hour. The Lady of the Lake glided elegantly down the broad highway, moving farther and farther away from the Tao River behind them.
As he drove, Ning Zhe asked, "You said just now that a ghost was watching us. What was that about?"
Baizhi shook her