Are You Human or a Ghost?

At one in the morning, outside the ruins of the Mufeng Lumber Mill in the northern suburbs.

"Take a look, everyone! Behind me is the location of tonight's Spirit-hunting livestream—a lumber mill that's been abandoned for six months!"

Two young men stood at the Timber Factory's entrance. One had a camera on his shoulder and was filming the factory ahead.

The other, a handsome young man in a sharp suit and polished shoes, stood before the camera with a confident smile, introducing the night's livestream to his viewers.

His name was Lin Hai, and he was a rich kid-the kind whose family fortune could fund dozens of lifetimes of reckless spending.

Lin Hai enjoyed livestreaming, but unlike most rich kids, he scorned streams that flaunted wealth. Instead, he went his own way with "Spirit-hunting livestreams," spending a fortune to hire all sorts of "mystic masters" and assemble a supposedly professional paranormal investigation team.

Unfortunately, his carefully prepared streams had consistently struggled to attract viewers. Compared with the wealth-flaunting streams run by a few of his rich friends, his audience was in an entirely different league. Apparently, showing off money really did appeal more to the masses.

But Lin Hai refused to give up. He eagerly sought out more thrilling paranormal incidents, making each stream bolder than the last. After repeated efforts, he finally attracted a following of paranormal enthusiasts.

Watching the viewer count climb rapidly, Lin Hai cleared his throat and took a photograph from his pocket.

"Look, everyone. Just three days ago, a local resident passing by took this paranormal photograph. We're here today to find out exactly what supernatural activity is happening here!"

As he spoke, the cameraman obligingly swept the lens across the photograph. In the pitch-black night, eerie blue lights like ghostly flames had appeared inside the supposedly deserted factory, making the entire place look like a haunted graveyard!

Whether it was the paranormal photograph or something else, the livestream's audience suddenly began to explode, the viewer count jumping by hundreds at a time.

Delighted, Lin Hai assumed his photograph and atmospheric buildup had worked. He smiled and said, "Heh, looks like everyone's interested in tonight's ghost hunt..."

But the moment he finished, a flood of comments scrolled across the screen.

"Get lost! Who wants to watch some dude's stream?"

"Didn't they say in the group chat that the goddess would be here? Where is she?"

"Damn it, that shameless bastard posted fake news in the group again! Where's the goddess we were promised?"

"We want the goddess!"

"Is the goddess showing up or not? If she isn't, I'm leaving!"

"Ahem..."

Somewhat embarrassed, Lin Hai hurried to explain, "Yes, yes, she's coming! The goddess will be here any minute. Just be patient, everyone!"

The "goddess" his viewers were talking about was actually his older sister, Lin Xue.

Lin Xue was an academic superstar with two doctorates from Stanford, in human DNA and biological sciences. She had only recently returned to the country. A few days earlier, she had happened to appear on his stream, and with just a few words, she had exposed the "supernatural powers" of his expensive mystic masters so thoroughly that they had nothing left to hide behind.

From that day on, his channel had suddenly taken off. His follower count soared, propelling him from an obscure streamer straight into the platform's top ten!

Lin Hai had finally discovered the secret to attracting viewers, too. Ever since then, he had shamelessly begged his sister to make an appearance on every stream.

Today was no exception. He had arranged things with his sister well in advance, and she was already on her way. Unable to wait, Lin Hai had started streaming first, intending to warm up the audience.

After a brief introduction, Lin Hai led the cameraman into the factory.

Abandoned for six months, the grounds were already covered in weeds, with rotting, moldy scrap boards scattered everywhere along the path.

The factory had no electricity. Fortunately, an amusement park right beside it remained brightly lit at night, and shafts of light filtering through gaps between the buildings kept the factory from being completely dark.

The two crossed the open ground at the front of the factory and arrived before a four-story building.

"Look, everyone! This is the place in the photograph!"

Lin Hai addressed the camera, taking out the photograph again and holding it up to the lens.

Sure enough, the building in the photograph lined up perfectly with the one before them.

"This was the Timber Factory's employee dormitory. It's been empty for ages, and the 'ghostly flames' in the photograph appeared right here in this building. What exactly happened up there? I'm sure you're all curious. Don't worry. I've already sent another cameraman upstairs to set up a camera, so you'll soon get to see what it really looks like inside..."

"Holy shit!"

While Lin Hai was speaking confidently to the camera, the cameraman facing him suddenly cried out, making him jump. "Wh-what's wrong?"

The young man pointed a trembling finger toward something behind Lin Hai. "Young Master Lin, look over there!"

"Look at what?"

Lin Hai instinctively followed his finger and immediately let out a "Holy shit!" of his own.

In the shadows near the building stood a figure shrouded in a cloak, carrying a lantern. A blood-red hood concealed the figure's features and outline, leaving only ragged strips of cloth fluttering in the night wind.

Even stranger, the figure kept flashing from one spot to another as though teleporting, leaving both men trembling with fear.

"Guys, did you see that? There really is a ghost here!"

Lin Hai swallowed and hurriedly spoke to the camera.

The cameraman immediately zoomed in on the eerie hooded figure.

The livestream chat instantly exploded.

"Holy crap, teleportation? Is that real?"

"Awesome..."

"Definitely an actor!"

"Pretty decent special effects..."

"Little Hai, you've sold out. Now you're hiring actors just like those clout-chasing streamers..."

Watching the flood of comments on his phone, Lin Hai said solemnly, "Everyone, I stake my reputation on this. That is absolutely not an actor! My longtime fans know I never fake anything..."

"Young Master Lin, watch out!"

Before Lin Hai could finish, the cameraman facing him shouted again.

Lin Hai instinctively turned to look. The distant hooded figure seemed to have noticed them. A longbow had appeared in the figure's hands, and it was drawn toward the two men.

The next instant, the bowstring snapped forward. A streak of light flashed before them, and both instinctively raised their hands to shield their faces.

But after two or three seconds, the expected sensation of an arrow piercing them never came. When they looked up, the hooded figure had already vanished.

Before they could react, the figure abruptly reappeared in the darkness a few meters away, then bounded right up to them in just a few steps.

"Fuck!"

The young cameraman was so frightened that he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Lin Hai's legs went weak, and he nearly wet himself in terror. But remembering he was still livestreaming, he forced himself to speak. "A-are you human or a ghost?"