The black mist arrived silently and submerged everyone. The security members near the station had all heard of Gao Ming before. However, they didn’t expect him to show up . The bus with a special coating moved down the road until it stopped a few metres from Jing Tuoshen. The headlights shut off, and Gao Ming let go of the steering wheel. A horror game player in a mask took over the driver’s seat. The door creaked open. The rust fell off. Gao Ming walked out of the bus.
“From which dumpsite did you haul this thing from?” Jing Tuoshen was disgusted by the stench that emanated from the bus.
“My people are all here.” Gao Ming’s voice was calm. He looked like he was forced to be there. He didn’t look unhappy or nervous.
“Your people?” Jing Tuoshen and the security members turned to the bus. Inside this old bus, each seat was taken. Most of them wore masks. Some of them wore strange red clothes.
“Since everyone is here, then we should depart as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the lower the chance of survival for those trapped at Piety Safety Town.” Jing Tuoshen picked up the lamp and had his people push Wan Jie around while he walked in front.
The lamp emitted a strange scent as it burned. Wisps of screams came from it. Gao Ming glanced at Jing Tuoshen, “How much human oil have you burned to keep this thing burning?”
The security members’ faces darkened. They had been purposely avoiding that topic. The light inside the lamp couldn’t be considered bright. It didn’t provide any warmth either. If anything, one would feel cool as one approached it. The eyeball implanted in Zhang Ding’s head looked deep, but it contained a discomfiting source of light. Could the Dream Ghost’s power be related to light?
Gao Ming waved for the driver to move. They followed Jing Tuoshen slowly. Compared to Gao Ming, Jing Tuoshen appeared more serious. He looked at the black mist that slowly rolled towards Han Hai. His fingers that held the lamp tightened.
“No one should leave the range of the light! Those around me, be ready to enter the mist!”
“Nothing feels out of the ordinary.” The moment they entered the fog, Jing Tuoshen and Gao Ming’s pupils shrunk. The ghost tattoos on them started to fade away. The security members around them didn’t sense any danger. The black mist felt like a normal mist to them. The person who carted Wan Jie around couldn’t resist taking a glance back. The black mist stopped a few metres behind him. If he wanted to turn back, he could.
“Don’t look back. Follow the light.” Jing Tuoshen maintained his speed. He memorised everything in his mind. He recorded the location of all the buildings. He didn’t miss out on the commercial signboards and the trees.
The bus followed Gao Ming slowly. The passengers were as silent as the dead. Some of the security members glanced at the bus out of curiosity. They only saw lowered heads.
The surrounding light weakened. Everything within their sight looked normal. This place was even more peaceful than inside Han Hai. However, no one put their guard down. They walked for about 300 metres when Wan Jie suddenly turned to look behind him. Noticing this, Jing Tuoshen immediately stopped moving. The other security members turned around as well. The thick black mist had already blocked off everything. Only a barely visible path remained.
“What did you see?” Jing Tuoshen stared at Wan Jie, “Don’t make me use the medicine on you when we have just entered the black mist.”
“Nothing. I merely took a look. Don’t need to be so nervous.” Wan Jie’s body was fixed to the cart. His body part below the neck was covered up by a cloth made from special material.
“If we can’t Recorder 0003, your subordinates who trust you dearly will become the oil for the next lamp.” It was clear that Jing Tuoshen didn’t believe Wan Jie.
“With your paranoid nature, I wonder what the headquarters see in you. Are you also a sacrifice?” Wan Jie said, “When we were young, we fought for everything. In the end, we’re both sacrifices.”
The lamp swayed. Wan Jie’s eyes suddenly moved away from Jing Tuoshen and glanced ahead. “Someone is waiting for you. Hurry on up. Aren’t you in a hurry to get to Piety Safety Town?”
Jing Tuoshen whipped his head around. He and the security members around him saw a waving shadow in the mist. No one dared to do anything. They followed the map in their mind and slowly approached Piety Safety Town. They took almost half an hour to cover about 1000 metres. Eventually, the second station appeared before them-- Piety Safety Station.
“With the lamp lighting the way, we didn’t get lost. We should be able to bring the recorder back.” The person who pushed Wan Jie gained confidence. He didn’t notice that the lamp was already darker than before.
“My people can stay here.” Gao Ming knocked lightly on the bus door. The bus stopped at the station. Some of the masked passengers got down. They moved things with them. They placed incomplete mud figurines around the station and set up a fixed altar in the middle of the station. A few bowed at the altar. Then, they placed portraits inside the altar. They burned the portraits. The flame danced inside the altar. The station became a small camp.
“Guard this place, and do not let the fire go out.” Gao Ming hollowed out the old city to deal with the black mist. His followers, this time, were well-selected. He had seen their futures in his past.
“Don’t you need me to go with you?” A man wearing a burning mask asked.
Before Gao Ming could answer, Jing Tuoshen, who was nearby, raised his head. He felt that the man’s voice was very familiar. The fact that the man used a fake voice made it even more suspicious.
“It’s not necessarily. I have other classmates who will follow me.” Gao Ming glanced at the passengers in red clothes. He didn’t urge them. Instead, he walked towards Jing Tuoshen.
“Are you ready?” Jing Tuoshen scanned Gao Ming, “Are you the only one coming with us? What about the passengers on the bus?”
“They are the backup I’ve left for myself,” Gao Ming grabbed the cart and smiled at Wan Jie.