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After everyone had left, an employee in the Cremation Room prepared to sweep out the ashes.

The furnace needed a quick cleaning after each cremation.

Otherwise, ashes from the previous deceased would remain in the Bio-Cremation Furnace, which would look bad if anyone found out.

Out of habit, the employee opened the iron door and stepped back. Once the hot air inside had dissipated, he picked up a flashlight and shone it inside.

Incomplete cremations had often happened in the past, sometimes leaving behind small fragments of bone. To avoid that sort of problem, he usually performed a second inspection after each cremation.

As the flashlight beam shone into the furnace, the employee leaned his head in for a look out of habit.

A well-behaved, glowing skull sat quietly inside, facing the opening.

Man and skull stared at each other for a moment.

"Ah!"

"Holy shit!"

"What the hell is that?"

The employee fell to the floor in fright, then scrambled to his feet. Clutching the broom he used to sweep out the ashes, he eyed the skull warily.

After confirming that it was simply a head that had failed to burn, the employee gathered his courage and gently lifted the skull out.

"Oh, come on. What a disaster. I'm screwed. Why didn't this head burn?"

In the past, all that remained had been the odd fragment of bone. If it hadn't burned, so be it. This time, an entire head had been left behind. If he'd known, he would have blasted it with intense heat instead of trying this slow-and-steady approach.

This was serious. The employee knew that if his superiors at the company discovered the unburned head, he would definitely lose his job.

He might even have to pay the family over a hundred thousand in compensation for emotional distress.

"No, I'll have to find somewhere to bury you." Muttering to the skull in his arms, the employee set it on a table, then went to find a black plastic bag.

The skull rotated more than halfway around and surveyed its surroundings. Only when the employee returned did it stop moving.

"Strange. I could've sworn I left you facing the window." The employee picked up the jade-like skull and examined it from every angle, letting out a soft sigh.

"What an artistic skull!"

Suddenly, he no longer wanted to bury it so hastily. As a veteran employee who had worked at the White Jade Capital Company for over a decade, he thought little of death, but a great deal of art.

In his eyes, this skull was every bit as valuable as a precious work of art.

"I'll pack you up first. No offense, no offense." The employee placed the skull in the plastic bag, then found a large box and tucked it inside, planning to take it home after work.

He Min and the others soon returned to the cemetery by car. It was late at night now. The spectral figure lay on the roof of the car, gazing at the world in utter boredom.

His memories were gradually returning.

Although he still couldn't remember his own name, he now recognized everyone in the car.

They were all people he had met in the days before his death.

He knew they were arranging his funeral.

His funeral still mattered a great deal to him. Although the spectral figure felt hollow inside, he decided to follow them.

The cemetery was still brightly lit. The prospective host and several reporters were rehearsing in advance to prepare for anything that might happen tomorrow.

The urn was to be placed in the coffin, but the ashes inside didn't need to be. At Xu Nayuyan's suggestion, He Min became the best candidate to scatter them.

The two drove away from the crowd and reached the upper stretches of the Crane River, at a spot they had selected long ago.

They were outside Crane City's urban area now, with only scattered streetlights illuminating the surroundings.

Fortunately, the headlights on He Min's rich-lady car were powerful enough to light up half the Crane River.

The wind rose, and the ashes scattered.

The river wind swept up the ashes, and they vanished without a trace in an instant.

Mist rolled in. He Min sat by the river for a while longer, holding the empty urn. Xu Nayuyan leaned against the car, watching her from a distance by the light of its headlights.

Clearly, neither Xu Nayuyan nor He Min could see Zhang Youzhi in his spectral state.

As his ashes were scattered into the river, the spectral figure's memories returned as well. He now remembered his name and most of the things connected to him.

"Stop sitting around. Hurry up and head back," Zhang Youzhi's spectral figure said to He Min as she held the urn.

But the woman before him clearly couldn't hear him.

After a long while, He Min lowered her head to look at the urn, then stood up.

The next morning.

[Funeral of Mr. Li Zhi, honored for his courageous act]

The roar of a helicopter circled above the funeral venue as a reporter aboard it explained the scene to the camera.

"Hello, viewers. During the July 25 Thunderstorm Operation, Li Zhi, an alias, used himself as bait to help the police draw out Crane City's Main Criminal Syndicate, allowing their operation to proceed unhindered. In this major crackdown, Comrade Li Zhi killed the syndicate's principal leader in combat at the critical final moment, throwing the organization into chaos. The police seized that opportunity to destroy the syndicate in one decisive move.

"Comrade Li Zhi's contribution to successfully eliminating our city's greatest scourge cannot be overstated.

"Tragically, enraged criminals retaliated viciously against Comrade Li Zhi, stabbing him multiple times. Despite more than twenty hours of continuous emergency treatment, we regret to report that Mr. Li Zhi succumbed to his injuries three days ago.

"I will now bring you live coverage of the funeral."

The camera shifted to the chief coordinator of the Thunderstorm Operation, who was delivering a eulogy at the venue.

Below the stage, members of the news media and representatives from all walks of life had to conduct their interviews and speeches in an orderly fashion, just as they had rehearsed.

At that moment, Zhang Youzhi's grave was surrounded by bouquets in subdued colors. The wreaths were covered with headshots of him, while his main identification portrait was, of course, displayed at the very center of the funeral.

Black flowers hung from the picture frame, and numerous funeral couplets even stood on either side.

There was "Your voice and face have faded, but your noble spirit lives forever."

And "Return righteousness to heaven and earth; devote body and soul to the people."

And "Cold pines along three paths weep with dew; sparse bamboo by half a window sighs in the wind."

There was a whole jumble of funeral couplets sent by all sorts of prominent figures. None of them seemed remotely heartfelt.

Several cameras were shoved up close to the faces of weeping citizens.

The spectral figure looked this way and that, teased a child who had brought him flowers, then began wandering around the venue when he found it all too boring.

"Why does this memorial portrait look nothing like me?" Zhang Youzhi's spectral figure held the black-and-white headshot, then felt his own face, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Well, we digitally altered your photo."

"Huh? Someone can see me?" Zhang Youzhi looked around in confusion.

Number Two stood at the edge of the venue, smiling over at him.

"So it is you." Zhang Youzhi drifted over along the ground and marveled at Number Two.

"How can you see me? And aren't I dead? Can you see souls, too?" Zhang Youzhi passed through Number Two's body. After confirming that Number Two was a living person, he was thoroughly puzzled.

"White Jade Capital in the heavens. I never said we were an ordinary company."

"Come on. I'll give you a tour of our company so you can get familiar with your future workplace, and tell you about our employee benefits. We'll come back to watch your funeral this afternoon."