"There really is a ghost!" Chen Xing's surprised, slightly frightened voice came from beside him. Perhaps because most of the previous story had focused on Chen Xing's childhood, he wasn't actually all that mature.
Zhang Anzai knew that the presence beside him was far too unstable.
So when he'd just thought that there might be other ghosts in this instance, he'd remembered the video he'd recorded. But he hadn't dared to watch it inside the gas station.
Chen Xing didn't mind the surveillance footage he'd personally experienced before. Zhang Anzai was worried the video might trigger some kind of change in him.
Now, though the video showed that there really was a ghost on this highway, he'd already laid the groundwork. The guy beside him shouldn't be affected again.
But one fact was now staring them in the face: there really was a ghost by the Highway 45 sign, blocking their way.
Still, thinking of Chen Xing's ability, Zhang Anzai started the car and drove on as he said,
"Actually... we don't need to worry too much. Not every ghost is a powerful evil spirit that steals people's bodies like the one in that story just now. The one you met as a child couldn't catch you for half a day, could he?
"I think the one we've run into now is like that, too. We only offended him by passing through. We can do what your grandma did back then: burn some joss paper and incense to apologize, then dig up a little dirt and use it to summon his soul. That should get us back on the right road."
Chen Xing seemed to calm down at his words, and fell silent once again.
But Zhang Anzai wasn't finished. He intended to squeeze every last drop out of this opportunity. "It won't be difficult, but I'll need your help."
The highway stretched endlessly ahead of them once more, while the night remained vast and boundless.
Now that he'd confirmed there were other dangers in the instance, Zhang Anzai knew that the bargain-bin friend beside him would be someone he had to rely on.
Ahead of them was that familiar Highway 45 sign again.
As he drove, Zhang Anzai carefully recalled what Chen Xing's grandmother had done in the original story to help the two protagonists escape the female ghost who'd been crushed to death by a dump truck.
It had taken two steps. First, she burned joss paper and incense, along with the clothes stained with the woman's blood, and begged the female ghost to leave them alone.
The second step came after Chen Xing's soul had still been stolen. They went beneath the asphalt and dug up the bloodstained dirt where the ghost had lost his soul.
Then they burned incense over the dirt, wrapped it up, and placed the bundle beside Chen Xing's bed. He'd lost his soul and couldn't wake up.
They should do something similar. They'd go to the intersection where they'd first seen the presence beside them burning joss paper in his shadowy form by the roadside, burn incense and paper to beg for forgiveness, and then try digging.
The ghost was by the Highway 45 sign, but Zhang Anzai reckoned his real body was probably at the intersection where the ghostly loop began.
Even if it wasn't... no big deal.
Zhang Anzai took out his phone and recorded another video as he drove past the Highway 45 sign.
As expected, the sign disappeared behind the car once more, and they were back where they'd started.
Zhang Anzai decisively pulled over, then checked the video.
Once again, a vast expanse of black mist appeared on the road ahead at a very specific moment. The difference was that this time, the ghost shrouded in the mist seemed to have taken a few steps forward. His outline was much clearer.
"Looks like we can't waste too much time. If he comes out, this might turn into more than just a ghostly loop."
Thinking this, Zhang Anzai heard Chen Xing say, "Is that ghost going to find us?"
Zhang Anzai shook his head. "At most, he can get closer. He probably can't catch up with us anytime soon."
He decisively turned the car around and drove to the intersection.
"The loop starts here, so this must be where the ghost died." Zhang Anzai sounded certain. That was what he was relying on now.
Even if that wasn't actually the case, Chen Xing beside him was still single-minded in his thinking and personality. As long as Zhang Anzai sounded certain enough, then even if it wasn't true, Chen Xing's ability would make it so the ghost had died here.
That was the only thing Zhang Anzai could do now. This instance was far too strange. He couldn't figure out the whole truth behind what was happening, so he could only let go of the truth and try to save himself by exploiting the rules amid all the uncertainty.
"Get out, Chen Xing. I need your help." As he spoke, Zhang Anzai opened the car door and got out.
Outside, the endless fields and wide highway were shrouded in darkness.
Zhang Anzai had only gotten out of the car at the gas station before. Now he finally realized why the night scenery had always seemed so strange. It was simple: there was no moon or stars to be seen when he looked up.
But it didn't matter. Zhang Anzai had turned on the high beams before getting out, so at least the area near the car at the intersection was brightly lit.
With the hammer in his hand, Zhang Anzai turned and looked back.
Chen Xing had indeed gotten out of the car already. He stood by the passenger side, wearing the hat he'd inherited from his previous role as an employee. It was still pulled low, obscuring his face, but from his figure, he looked like an ordinary young man.
"Keep an eye on our surroundings," Zhang Anzai instructed, then walked toward the intersection.
If they'd offended this ghost, and it was connected to the story they'd first heard, then Chen Xing—that is, the place where the monster had first burned joss paper—should be where the ghost's corpse was.
Zhang Anzai headed toward the roadside. Ashes from burned joss paper still lay among the low shrubs and weeds. When he stepped beside the ashes, he noticed that a little blood had already gotten on his shoes.
He bent down and used the hammer to push aside the weeds. That was when he discovered the blood was seeping out from beneath the asphalt.
Up close, he could smell a stench.
Thinking it over, whether it had been that way from the beginning or was the result of Chen Xing's ability, this had to be where the ghost was buried.
Zhang Anzai took a deep breath, then shifted his consciousness back to his real body.
The asphalt by the roadside wasn't very thick, but it had been compacted and dried. There might even be a cement-stabilized base layer underneath. All Zhang Anzai had was an iron hammer.
What's more, if the ghost's corpse really was down there, breaking through the asphalt could cause who knew what.
So he decided to use some outside help.
"[Ox-Horse Liver-Exploding Pill] (Temporarily and forcibly boosts physical fitness and athletic ability. The effects last for 6 hours. After they wear off, the user will be weak for 6 hours.)"
"Price: 100 Employee Points."
Another masterpiece from the Ox-Horse Pill Series. Zhang Anzai hated spending those 100 points, but he hated his miserable life even more.
"[Ox-Horse Liver-Exploding Pill] redeemed."
Zhang Anzai promptly swallowed it, then switched his consciousness back to the game.
The high beams in front of the car were still glaring, and the night around them was still so dark it inspired fear.
But Zhang Anzai raised the Great Ram-Horn Hammer high without hesitation and brought the clawed end, meant for pulling out nails, crashing down onto the asphalt.
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