Wherever the eye could see, the world was full of ghosts; after living among people long enough, one too would grow a green face and fangs.
—Volume Five: Humans and Ghosts
May in Jiang City seemed to have entered the rainy season again. For days now, an endless drizzle had fallen from morning till night.
The grayish-purple overcast sky had woven an ominous canopy over the city. Beneath the towering buildings, pedestrians as tiny as ants hurried along. Colorful umbrellas blossomed like mushrooms over the filthy water, their hues bleached by the curtain of rain as though they stood on the verge of decay.
In an apartment in Jinjiang Residential District, damp, chilling moisture seeped through the windows into the walls and ceiling, condensing into large patches of water stains on the floor by the corners. The waterlogged, aging structure made a soft rustling sound, as if rose branches were growing somewhere in the dark.
The young man in a red suit lay on his back on the bed, staring blankly at a stain on the ceiling with his eyes wide open. Only when the phone by his bed began playing "Sunday is Gloomy" did he reluctantly sit up, pick it up, and answer the call.
Jin Yusheng's anxious voice came through the phone. "Old buddy, have you seen Ning Xu? Some official organization called the Investigation Bureau or something says Ning Xu has gone missing, and they traced it back to me."
"I haven't." After a pause, the young man asked, "From the sound of it, did she disappear on her way to find me?"
"Not exactly." Jin Yusheng's tone eased. "According to them, she went out for a walk and never came back."
"I see..." The young man chuckled. "Jin Yusheng, tell me the truth. What exactly is