In a large private room that could seat twenty to thirty people, there were only five: Yang Jian, Zhang Wei, Zhao Lei, and Wang Shanshan.
Despite the table being full of expensive dishes, the atmosphere was exceptionally bleak, even the servers felt it odd.
"Do so few people really need such a large table for a meal? With so many dishes, we can't finish them all, it's quite wasteful," said Yang Jian.
Zhang Wei sighed, "From a class of over forty people, together for three years, to only seven left in a blink of an eye. And damn it, even among those seven, two didn't show up, and one is late. I'm feeling sorrowful inside, and recently I've been very anxious, as if I'm going to drop dead at any moment."
"Yang Jian, you don't think I'll suddenly kick the bucket one day, do you?"
"It's all about luck, if we don't bump into a ghost, everything else is fine."
Yang Jian continued, "Even meeting a ghost doesn't necessarily mean death. Aren't we still alive and well? Don't worry too much, just prepare your coffin and gravestone in advance, you'll need them sooner or later."
"What you're saying does make some sense," Zhang Wei replied.
To the side, Zhao Lei said, "By the way, have you guys been paying attention to any news about paranormal events?"
"No, why watch that stuff? It's frightening. Better to stay home and play games," Zhang Wei responded.
Zhao Lei fell silent for a bit before saying, "I've been keeping an eye on news and forums related to supernatural phenomena. I've found that the ghost encounters aren't unique to us; there have been sightings and paranormal events all over the country, and many places have been cordoned off."
"Take our locale for example, several spots have been sealed off. I've even gone to look. Besides our school, the residential area from Zhang Wei's photo, a stretch of highway outside the city, and Renming Park have all been barricaded. Those places have been closed for a while now, with patrols standing guard."
"I asked around, they say the residential area was evacuated due to a gas leak, very dangerous and no one is allowed near. They say the highway is under repair, but have you ever seen a road repair with a wall built right on it? That's not repair, that's a blockade. And that park, they claim it's under renovation, but that's an old park that hasn't seen renovation in over a decade."
Yang Jian was somewhat taken aback; he hadn't expected Zhao Lei to investigate these issues after being so shaken up.
"You're just freaking yourself out for no reason. Why go courting death? What if you run into that thing again?" Zhang Wei said, his fear of that thing profoundly ingrained.
Zhao Lei replied, "I just wanted to understand more, to be prepared and have mental readiness. Yang Jian should know more about this than me."
As he said this, he looked towards Yang Jian.
He seemed to want to inquire further on the subject.
Yang Jian, however, wasn't keen on discussing the supernatural events with them, not out of secrecy but because he didn't want them to know too much.
The more they knew, the more fear and despair they would feel. If they became paranoid, their mental health would eventually deteriorate, and it would be a good outcome if they didn't end up taking their own lives.
It was enough that they already believed in the existence of paranormal phenomena.
"Wang Shanshan, you've been very quiet. Not saying a word, do you feel pressured being with us fine individuals? Don't worry, even though you're indeed not as good as us in many aspects, we're still classmates. How could we look down on you?"
At this point, Zhang Wei turned to Wang Shanshan, "And why are you sitting so close to Yang Jian?"
Wang Shanshan's seat was right next to Yang Jian.
Out of twenty-some seats, only theirs were together; the rest were far apart.
"I don't really want to talk. Just being with Yang Jian is enough."
Wang Shanshan's voice was almost indifferent, devoid of any emotion, a huge change from her previous personality.
"Alright then, I'll just be a single dog over here," Zhang Wei said with a complex look towards Yang Jian.
If only he had known that playing the hero would get rewarded on the spot and not in the next life, he too would have risked it all.
The four of them chatted about many things.
Such as their current situation and future plans, but most of the conversation revolved around paranormal topics.
Yang Jian also reminded them that events like these might become more frequent and to be cautious. For instance, it would be wise to invest in gold if feasible, which was sure to appreciate in value, and to avoid crowded city centers if possible.
Because the higher the concentration of people, the higher the chance of triggering paranormal events.
Therefore, being in the city center was not advisable.
Moreover, there was a Ghost Infant roaming the center of Dachang City. They had encountered it a few days ago, and who knows where it went these past few days to take more lives.
"Damn it, just talking about it is making me hungry. Where the hell is Miao Xiaoshan? She said she'd be here in ten minutes, but after ten, and another ten, it's been half an hour," Zhang Wei said, beginning to feel agitated all of a sudden.
"If she weren't so cute, I'd definitely call her an orphan in anger."
"She's probably not coming," Zhao Lei said. "After all, this sort of gathering has lost its meaning."
"How can you say it's meaningless? Only a few of us from the class are left, and we should cherish the fact that we've made it this far. Now everyone is going their own way, if we don't gather now, who knows if we'll ever get the chance to see each other again."
Zhang Wei uncharacteristically said something quite normal.
But the next sentence made everyone want to hit him.
"Moreover, my identity as a local tycoon has just been revealed, who else can I show off to if you don't come?"
"Ignore him, let's eat," Yang Jian said. "Wang Shanshan, you eat too."
"I ate the day before yesterday," Wang Shanshan said.
"The day before yesterday?" Yang Jian was taken aback and looked at her.
It sounded like she had just eaten.
Wang Shanshan explained, "My heart rate has slowed down, my metabolism has also slowed down, now I eat less and less,"
"You should still eat something," Yang Jian said.
"Okay," Wang Shanshan nodded.
When the meal was halfway done, Miao Xiaoshan hurried over. She pushed the door open, saw everyone, and quickly apologized, "Sorry, sorry. There was a car accident on the road. A taxi rear-ended a private car, and the drivers started fighting in the street, causing a half-hour traffic jam. I really couldn't make it on time, sorry to keep you all waiting."
"No problem, you're so cute, of course we forgive you," Zhang Wei said with a grin.
"By the way, who is this handsome guy?"
He saw a young man in his twenties following behind Miao Xiaoshan.
"He's my cousin, he drove me here, he was worried so he came along, hope you guys don't mind," Miao Xiaoshan quickly explained.
"Not at all," Zhang Wei said.
The young man smiled and offered his hand, saying, "I'm Shangguan Yun, may I know your name, classmate?"
What era is it that there are still people with the compound surname Shangguan?
It makes it sound so grand. Besides, you're an outsider, and you're really thick-skinned to join our survivors' get-together.
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow and stood up, saying, "Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, I am Xuanyuan Tiedan."
"?" Shangguan Yun looked at him in surprise.
Are there really such strange names?
"This one is Zhuge Dasha," Zhang Wei pointed at Zhao Lei.
"Xuanyuan Tiedan, there's no need for you to introduce me, I, Zhuge Dasha, can introduce myself," Zhao Lei said.
"Sorry, Zhuge Dasha, my bad," Zhang Wei said.
Yang Jian raised an eyebrow. Both of you think you're that outstanding?
"This one is Murong Erniu, and next to him is Duanmu Heiniu, although she isn't actually dark-skinned," Zhang Wei said.
"Damn, you guys are messing with me, right?" Shangguan Yun almost swore.
At first, he actually believed his name was Xuanyuan Tiedan.
Yet Yang Jian found it somewhat unbearable to look directly at them. He really couldn't measure up to Zhang Wei, too embarrassed to show his face, and buried his head eating and drinking.
But while he was earnestly focusing on his food, he suddenly saw on a nearby table a set of utensils that had been used, with some leftovers beside it.
The chair at that position had been moved back, as if someone had been sitting there eating.
But looking around, there were Zhang Wei, Zhao Lei, and beside him, Wang Shanshan.
Including himself, that made four sets of used utensils.
But whose was that extra fifth set? After all, Miao Xiaoshan and her cousin had just arrived.
For a moment, his originally relaxed mood involuntarily tensed up.
Yang Jian remembered clearly that when they had entered this private room, the dishes had not yet been served, and no one else had dined here before them,
Meaning that this fifth set of utensils had been used after they entered the room.
But that was impossible because he had been watching the whole time.
Recalling what Zhang Wei said earlier about winning rock-paper-scissors all evening in front of a mirror, his unease grew larger in his heart.