Monster! I Need Your Help to Break This Predicament!

Whatever that entity inside the car was before, it currently believes itself to be human—to be Chen Xing. Therefore, it would not easily identify with a ghost, but rather, after hearing that story, it would screen its companion to see if they were human, just as a person would.

This is absurd, yet there is another fact that proves it: Zhang Anzai, acting as a friend, told him to sit in the car and stay put, and he truly hasn't made a single move since.

Although Zhang Anzai has encountered far too many supernatural phenomena since joining the company, his worldview has still been severely shaken by this incident.

A lingering sense of dread followed: Thank goodness I didn't make any rash moves just now, didn't act impulsively...

Looking back now, Zhang Anzai realizes that besides video materials and the like, Chen Xing was clearly imitating other people as well.

The clerk died too quickly for him to learn much, perhaps only the action of looking at a phone.

But the fact that its intelligence could grow so rapidly is clearly inseparable from Zhang Anzai.

From drinking water to using a phone, and even the decision to listen to ghost story broadcasts on the road between the intersection and the gas station—all of this was learned from Zhang Anzai.

"This instance is designed way too maliciously!"

Zhang Anzai realized that if he had buckled under the pressure at any point before this and tried to attack it, he would have been instantly killed by this monster.

He sat in the chair, calming his nerves for a while, but a massive question soon surged up.

"If this guy can actually be considered my teammate now, then who was it that trapped me here with a ghost wall?"

"There is something else in this instance!?" As Zhang Anzai realized this, fear and unease flooded his heart once more.

After grasping this, he didn't wait any longer. He decisively grabbed his belongings, walked out the door, vaulted over the counter, and pushed his way out of the gas station.

Once outside, the first thing he checked was the car. Although he still couldn't see the figure clearly, the silhouette confirmed that Chen Xing was indeed still sitting quietly inside.

Zhang Anzai dared not leave this guy behind now.

If his guess was correct, then to survive in this instance, staying by this guy's side was actually the safest option.

For one, according to the concept of being a "friend," he wouldn't harm him; perhaps, out of friendship, he might even protect him.

For another, only by staying by his side and attempting to guide or even restrain him could he prevent him from continuing to learn other knowledge and turning into something else.

"It's me!" After opening the car door, Zhang Anzai decisively showed him his heels, planting them firmly on the ground, left and right.

He then sat in the car, and before putting his things away, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out a hand toward the entity beside him.

The gas station lights couldn't fully reach the passenger side near the road, and Zhang Anzai still didn't dare to look over there, but Chen Xing fell silent for a moment before taking his hand.

Zhang Anzai let out a sigh of relief; Chen Xing's hand was still warm.

"I know it's you." Chen Xing had indeed grown; his speech seemed much more fluent.

"Do you need to verify me?" Chen Xing asked after letting go, even mimicking Zhang Anzai by stomping his feet inside the car.

Watching this guy's still-clumsy movements, Zhang Anzai felt a sense of relief that was damnably comforting.

"It's fine, I know it's you too. My friend, the kind-hearted Chen Xing," Zhang Anzai said, implying something deeper.

Having confirmed that his theory was likely correct, he immediately understood the importance of the guy beside him, and knew that he still required guidance.

Although Chen Xing's state had gradually stabilized—and for some time, there had been no reality-warping incidents like conjuring charred paper remains, manifesting a knife out of thin air, or altering Zhang Anzai's memories—

Zhang Anzai estimated that these abilities still existed. This guy still couldn't be considered a normal person, so he had to remain cautious when interacting with him.

"Kind-hearted..." Chen Xing chewed on the word.

Zhang Anzai explained, "Kind-hearted means not hurting people at will, especially not hurting your friends like me.

When encountering trouble, don't act impulsively; think thrice before you act. Simply put, it means knowing how to think and having a brain."

Chen Xing fell silent. Given his current intelligence, it was likely difficult for him to fully grasp this, but Zhang Anzai estimated that such words might have some effect.

He organized his various items, putting away the True-Form Scissors—which couldn't be stored back once taken out in the instance—along with the hammer, the notebook, and other things, then took out his phone.

"Chen Xing, there is a very important matter to resolve right now!" Zhang Anzai said seriously:

"We are currently on Highway 44. The sign we saw earlier should have been for Highway 45, but after driving in circles, we are still on Highway 44."

Zhang Anzai still didn't quite dare to turn his head to look at Chen Xing. After all, even knowing his situation, such a bizarre existence—who was a monster just a short while ago and was constantly learning and evolving—still triggered the uncanny valley effect.

But he tried his best to describe the situation: "Do you remember when we were kids, after we went with Grandma to burn paper and came back, you went into the small alley alone?"

Zhang Anzai caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye: Chen Xing nodded.

"I suspect it's the same now. We've been trapped by a ghost," Zhang Anzai said.

Chen Xing actually used a tone clearly filled with fear: "Then, what do we do?"

Zhang Anzai really wanted to say that if you didn't identify as human so quickly, you could actually wipe out the ghost in seconds.

But now, his thinking had solidified; he had fully absorbed Chen Xing's story, as well as the unified idea from the second story that humans are hard-pressed to deal with ghosts. Clearly, he couldn't do that anymore; he could only continue to guide him.

"Of course there are ways to deal with ghosts, but we need to confirm one thing first."

Zhang Anzai took out his phone: "Remember the video I took earlier? It might have recorded what the ghost looks like."

That's right, he felt there was another ghost in this instance—whether it was one that the not-yet-fully-evolved Chen Xing had inadvertently attracted before reaching the gas station, or some other native ghost, there should be such an entity.

"Look at it with me and confirm. But don't worry, if this ghost really exists, it should be near the Highway 45 sign."

He said this and tapped on the video.

With the night surrounding them and the road slowly receding outside the windshield—which was stained with water and grime—the Highway 45 sign vanished the moment it passed the car.

Zhang Anzai watched it once, opened the edit mode, slowed it down several times, and watched it again.

This time, sure enough, Zhang Anzai saw a patch of eerie black mist shrouding the road sign, and a dark shadow, lurking within the mist, flickering in and out of existence.