Chapter 066: Field Research.
A dim grayish light illuminated the wall.
Security guard Wang rubbed the back of his hand, which held the flashlight, and let out a sigh.
"Doesn't winter seem to have arrived early this year?"
He muttered to himself, his flashlight revealing a child-sized red handprint on the pristine white wall. In the darkness, it appeared especially eerie. However, he simply glanced at it and calmly walked away.
The bathroom faucet was also broken, dripping incessantly. Wang tried to turn it tighter, but the water started dripping even faster. Under the flashlight's glow, the water had a reddish-brown hue.
On the concrete floor, there were also some red footprints.
Wang sneezed, and without bothering about the faucet anymore, turned and continued his patrol.
The red handprints and footprints were merely acrylic paint, which Wang knew very well. He also knew that the rusty faucet, which constantly leaked red-tinged water, was of poor quality. Wang thought whoever had purchased it must have taken a hefty kickback.
He had been working here for several days. Initially, a middle-aged guard was on duty, who didn't need to patrol. However, after someone played pranks, the middle-aged guard got scared off, and Wang replaced him.
Wang, in his twenties, didn't have any particular skills, but he was exceptionally courageous, which is why he was assigned to this construction site.
Ever since the "hauntings" began at this site, work had been halted. Most workers were too scared to return. The boss wanted to catch the prankster who was disrupting the construction, so he hired two additional security guards for nightly patrols.
They were to patrol every hour, but they never saw anyone. Strangely, the ghostly phenomena only seemed to increase, and just yesterday, another guard left.
Wang sneezed again, his flashlight wobbling in his hand. Suddenly, it illuminated a pale face stuck to the ground. Startled, he directed the light back, but there was nothing.
"Did I see that wrong?" Wang voiced his confusion aloud.
But he didn't dwell on his doubts for long. After shining his flashlight around, he resumed his patrol.
At that moment, he heard footsteps. Not just one set, but multiple and rhythmic. Confused, he wondered if someone had gotten the patrol schedule wrong. But then he remembered – with the recent departure of a guard, there were only two of them. So who else could it be?
Wang checked the time. It was 2 in the evening.
Could it be those pranksters?
Wang switched off his flashlight and stealthily followed the sound of the footsteps.
After trailing for a short while and rounding a corner, the footsteps abruptly ceased. Wang halted too. If he were to rush out shouting now and face a crowd, he might end up getting beaten up. He decided first to gauge the situation.
He pressed himself against the wall, cautiously peeking around the corner.
"Hello," a voice suddenly whispered right beside him.
Wang whipped around, turning on his flashlight, revealing a ghostly pale face bathed in its grayish light. The face's owner bore a chilling smile, as if ready to open its crimson lips and devour him.
Humans... make noise when they walk.
Wang scrambled to his feet, clutching his flashlight, and began to run. As he rounded the corner, the beam of his flashlight revealed a man who looked as if he had just succumbed to cancer: lifeless eyes, hollowed cheeks, and skin with a sickly yellowish-green hue.
"A ghost!" Wang shouted in panic, but as he turned to run back, he was confronted by that eerily smiling specter again.
——
"Don't be scared. We're humans, not ghosts."
Moments later, Wang, still trembling, accepted a cigarette offered by the cadaverous man.
They had made their way to the security room. It was Cheng Shen who had helped him back. Under the relatively bright lights of the security room, they were finally able to prove that they were living humans. The other man was named Li Xù.
As for why the two of them were here...
It all started with a night out drinking.
After their drinks, Li Xù, considering his extensive knowledge in folklore, had suggested they gather material from a haunted site that night. He hoped that witnessing such a scene might inspire Cheng Shen with fresh insights. The haunted construction site in the North Harbor district seemed perfect.
Though the site's supposed hauntings had been dismissed as human-made pranks, Li Xù remained skeptical. He believed that as long as he hadn't visited, the haunting remained a Schrödinger's ghost – it could be real, especially since the prankster hadn't been caught.
Cheng Shen initially didn't want to come, but...
Li Xù had patted his shoulder at the time, "Consider it overtime. You can take the day off tomorrow to rest."
Thinking it a good deal, Cheng Shen agreed.
Li Xù seemed seasoned in exploring supposedly haunted sites. In no time, he managed to calm Wang down and even convinced him to keep a lookout for them. However, Cheng Shen believed that Li Xù's persuasive powers came less from his words and more from the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes he offered.
Cheng Shen also questioned Wang. Wang's answers were mostly noncommittal, and he remained firm in his belief that the construction site wasn't haunted.
After a brief chat, Chi Shen and Li Xu prepared to explore on their own. Xiao Wang greeted them, advising them not to disturb anything on the construction site before returning to his security booth, getting ready to lock up.
As he was locking the door, he glanced outside. He paused momentarily, thinking he saw something behind the man who looked eerily like a ghoul - it resembled the silhouette of someone in a skirt.
Rubbing his eyes, Xiao Wang looked again and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Assuming his eyes deceived him, he quickly secured the door.
"There are no ghosts," Xiao Wang reassured himself. "It's all man-made; any sighting is just a trick of the eye."
He settled back in front of the booth's window, planning to nap. His sleep was restless; he faintly heard the sound of something heavy being dragged. A few minutes later, he woke shivering. Getting up to grab a coat, he noticed a trail of red on the cement outside the door – it looked disturbingly like blood.
"It's late; my eyes are playing tricks on me," he mumbled as he wrapped himself in a jacket, laying back down. "Working night shifts really makes you hallucinate."
*
Author's note:
Happy New Year!
I'll be out during the day but will update in the evening. Don't worry; it won't be as late as today!
Chapter 066: Field Research.
A dim grayish light illuminated the wall.
Security guard Wang rubbed the back of his hand, which held the flashlight, and let out a sigh.
"Doesn't winter seem to have arrived early this year?"
He muttered to himself, his flashlight revealing a child-sized red handprint on the pristine white wall. In the darkness, it appeared especially eerie. However, he simply glanced at it and calmly walked away.
The bathroom faucet was also broken, dripping incessantly. Wang tried to turn it tighter, but the water started dripping even faster. Under the flashlight's glow, the water had a reddish-brown hue.
On the concrete floor, there were also some red footprints.
Wang sneezed, and without bothering about the faucet anymore, turned and continued his patrol.
The red handprints and footprints were merely acrylic paint, which Wang knew very well. He also knew that the rusty faucet, which constantly leaked red-tinged water, was of poor quality. Wang thought whoever had purchased it must have taken a hefty kickback.
He had been working here for several days. Initially, a middle-aged guard was on duty, who didn't need to patrol. However, after someone played pranks, the middle-aged guard got scared off, and Wang replaced him.
Wang, in his twenties, didn't have any particular skills, but he was exceptionally courageous, which is why he was assigned to this construction site.
Ever since the "hauntings" began at this site, work had been halted. Most workers were too scared to return. The boss wanted to catch the prankster who was disrupting the construction, so he hired two additional security guards for nightly patrols.
They were to patrol every hour, but they never saw anyone. Strangely, the ghostly phenomena only seemed to increase, and just yesterday, another guard left.
Wang sneezed again, his flashlight wobbling in his hand. Suddenly, it illuminated a pale face stuck to the ground. Startled, he directed the light back, but there was nothing.
"Did I see that wrong?" Wang voiced his confusion aloud.
But he didn't dwell on his doubts for long. After shining his flashlight around, he resumed his patrol.
At that moment, he heard footsteps. Not just one set, but multiple and rhythmic. Confused, he wondered if someone had gotten the patrol schedule wrong. But then he remembered – with the recent departure of a guard, there were only two of them. So who else could it be?
Wang checked the time. It was 2 in the evening.
Could it be those pranksters?
Wang switched off his flashlight and stealthily followed the sound of the footsteps.
After trailing for a short while and rounding a corner, the footsteps abruptly ceased. Wang halted too. If he were to rush out shouting now and face a crowd, he might end up getting beaten up. He decided first to gauge the situation.
He pressed himself against the wall, cautiously peeking around the corner.
"Hello," a voice suddenly whispered right beside him.
Wang whipped around, turning on his flashlight, revealing a ghostly pale face bathed in its grayish light. The face's owner bore a chilling smile, as if ready to open its crimson lips and devour him.
Humans... make noise when they walk.
Wang scrambled to his feet, clutching his flashlight, and began to run. As he rounded the corner, the beam of his flashlight revealed a man who looked as if he had just succumbed to cancer: lifeless eyes, hollowed cheeks, and skin with a sickly yellowish-green hue.
"A ghost!" Wang shouted in panic, but as he turned to run back, he was confronted by that eerily smiling specter again.
——
"Don't be scared. We're humans, not ghosts."
Moments later, Wang, still trembling, accepted a cigarette offered by the cadaverous man.
They had made their way to the security room. It was Cheng Shen who had helped him back. Under the relatively bright lights of the security room, they were finally able to prove that they were living humans. The other man was named Li Xù.
As for why the two of them were here...
It all started with a night out drinking.
After their drinks, Li Xù, considering his extensive knowledge in folklore, had suggested they gather material from a haunted site that night. He hoped that witnessing such a scene might inspire Cheng Shen with fresh insights. The haunted construction site in the North Harbor district seemed perfect.
Though the site's supposed hauntings had been dismissed as human-made pranks, Li Xù remained skeptical. He believed that as long as he hadn't visited, the haunting remained a Schrödinger's ghost – it could be real, especially since the prankster hadn't been caught.
Cheng Shen initially didn't want to come, but...
Li Xù had patted his shoulder at the time, "Consider it overtime. You can take the day off tomorrow to rest."
Thinking it a good deal, Cheng Shen agreed.
Li Xù seemed seasoned in exploring supposedly haunted sites. In no time, he managed to calm Wang down and even convinced him to keep a lookout for them. However, Cheng Shen believed that Li Xù's persuasive powers came less from his words and more from the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes he offered.
Cheng Shen also questioned Wang. Wang's answers were mostly noncommittal, and he remained firm in his belief that the construction site wasn't haunted.
After a brief chat, Chi Shen and Li Xu prepared to explore on their own. Xiao Wang greeted them, advising them not to disturb anything on the construction site before returning to his security booth, getting ready to lock up.
As he was locking the door, he glanced outside. He paused momentarily, thinking he saw something behind the man who looked eerily like a ghoul - it resembled the silhouette of someone in a skirt.
Rubbing his eyes, Xiao Wang looked again and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Assuming his eyes deceived him, he quickly secured the door.
"There are no ghosts," Xiao Wang reassured himself. "It's all man-made; any sighting is just a trick of the eye."
He settled back in front of the booth's window, planning to nap. His sleep was restless; he faintly heard the sound of something heavy being dragged. A few minutes later, he woke shivering. Getting up to grab a coat, he noticed a trail of red on the cement outside the door – it looked disturbingly like blood.
"It's late; my eyes are playing tricks on me," he mumbled as he wrapped himself in a jacket, laying back down. "Working night shifts really makes you hallucinate."
*
Author's note:
Happy New Year!
I'll be out during the day but will update in the evening. Don't worry; it won't be as late as today!
