Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Standing between two gloomy buildings, Zhang Jingjiu and Li Changyin stared at each other.

Neither said a word. Neither had any experience dealing with ghosts, and the atmosphere grew stranger by the moment.

After a dry cough, Zhang Jingjiu—who used to work in sales and was more outgoing than Li Changyin—realized they couldn't go on like this. He decided to break the stalemate.

"Don't worry. Can you describe exactly what the thing you lost looks like?

He'd only said it offhandedly and hadn't expected the other man to press him for details.

With no way to back out now, Li Changyin hesitated before answering. "His face is blurry. He's covered in blood, and he keeps crying. He says he's so cold, so cold."

"Can't make out his features? That's a bit of a problem." Zhang Jingjiu rested his chin in his hand and thought it over seriously. "He says he's cold, so maybe he was hidden in a freezer. But if he'd been put in a freezer, his blood should have frozen, so we can rule that out. Let me think—where else would be cool? Oh, right! The morgue at the town hospital! Your child might have wandered into the hospital. I think you should look there. Listen for crying. Whichever room has the loudest crying is probably where your child is."

"Are you serious?"

Li Changyin was very confident in his makeup skills and acting. He was the best actor at Nightmare Academy, but in front of Zhang Jingjiu, he began to doubt himself. The other man was playing along so convincingly, as if he'd seen through everything and was deliberately trying to lead him to the morgue.

Zhang Jingjiu had no idea what Li Changyin was thinking. He nodded. "If he's not at the hospital, don't worry. This