"I think we should go get Miao Xiaoshan's cousin back. If there really is a ghost, then him being alone out there is definitely very dangerous. Isn't that how horror movies always play out? Those who are alone are bound to die."
Zhao Lei voiced his opinion at that moment.
"That makes sense," Yang Jian said, nodding in agreement.
But his agreement didn't stem from kindness, rather, without understanding the ghost, it was best not to sacrifice anyone.
Once the ghost starts killing, it means a bad precedent has been set.
More killings would follow.
On the contrary, if the ghost hasn't killed anyone, you might look dangerously terrifying, but at least you are safe for now.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go together," Miao Xiaoshan said, sounding uneasy.
Just as the group was about to stand up and leave the private room to look for the cousin.
At that moment, the door to the private room suddenly opened.
Shangguan Yun walked in.
"Cousin, you're alright? That's great," Miao Xiaoshan let out a huge sigh of relief.
Compared to the haunting, being inexplicably beaten up was nothing.
"What's the matter? Of course, I'm alright. Little cousin, it's time to go back. I got a phone call earlier about some urgent business, so we need to leave early. I was thinking you and your classmates might want to keep playing here," Shangguan Yun said.
Miao Xiaoshan hesitated: "But..."
She wanted to mention the possibility that the place was haunted, but Yang Jian couldn't be entirely sure if there was a ghost around him or not.
Moreover, it was indeed getting late, and time to head back.
"Yang Jian, what do you think about this..." Miao Xiaoshan said hesitantly.
Zhang Wei exclaimed in alarm, "You dare to leave? Just now, even Zhao Lei didn't dare go. Brother Tui said that it's very likely a ghost has slipped in among us. Now, whoever leaves first is the first to be alone, and if the ghost follows you home, then the consequences would be unimaginable. Miao Xiaoshan, I strongly suggest that no one goes home tonight."
"I'll book a room, and we can all stay together for a few nights until this blows over. What do you think?"
It has to be said, Zhang Wei rarely made a useful suggestion.
But his next statement was more surprising: "Of course, I want to share a bed with Yang Jian. You, Zhao Lei, and your cousin can figure out the rest."
"What haunting? That's just superstitious nonsense, something that only a child would believe. Which adult would believe such things?" Shangguan Yun said.
"I am an adult, and I believe it," Zhang Wei retorted.
Shangguan Yun said, "You kids have messed up brains. I don't want to talk to you anymore. Plus, if it gets too late and we don't go back, your aunt and uncle will start worrying. I agreed to bring my little cousin here to meet you, her classmates, and now that the gathering is almost over, if we don't return, the family will worry."
"Yang Jian, should I go with my cousin first? You guys keep playing, and if something happens, call me?" Miao Xiaoshan said.
"Don't bother, if anything happens, calling the funeral home would be better. We're classmates, but I don't want to end up collecting your body or attending your funeral."
Yang Jian's eyes suddenly narrowed, becoming very stern: "I suggest you keep your distance from your cousin... immediately," he said.
Miao Xiaoshan was stunned, looking at him; "What's going on?"
"Nothing's happened. It's just that I find your cousin a bit strange. Didn't you see his shirt pocket is turned inside out? Before, his pocket was on the left side, now it's on the right. It's clearly the same shirt... and even the letters on his belt are reversed."
Yang Jian sharply noted these slight details: "His face still has the injury, but it's no longer bleeding. Even if it's healing, it's not that fast."
"What are you trying to say? You can't suspect my cousin has a problem, can you? We came here together," Miao Xiaoshan said, shocked.
"Damn, Yang Jian, are you telling a horror story again? The cousin is the ghost? We were just sitting together earlier," Zhang Wei blurted out.
Yang Jian said, "Rushing to leave just after using the restroom is not quite normal, and his clothes are slightly different from before. These changes indeed make one wonder."
"It doesn't matter if he is a ghost or not, we can just give it a try," he said indifferently.
With that, he suddenly drew a gun and aimed it directly at Shangguan Yun at the doorway.
"If you're human, then you should probably die from this bullet, right? If you don't die... then you must be a ghost," he said.
"Yang Jian, have you lost your mind? Are you going to shoot my cousin?" Miao Xiaoshan cried out in alarm, frantically lunging forward to stop him.
"Wang Shanshan," Yang Jian called out.
Suddenly, Wang Shanshan stood up and hugged Miao Xiaoshan.
Her soft arms felt ice cold, yet there was a terrifying strength in her grip that was impossible to break free from, as if it were not the strength of a woman at all.
"Wang Shanshan, what are you doing? You can't let Yang Jian go crazy," Miao Xiaoshan said, almost crying, but she couldn't wrestle free from Wang Shanshan's arms.
Wang Shanshan didn't say a word, her expression somewhat vacant, as if even she didn't know what she was doing.
It was Yang Jian directly controlling her.
"Yang Jian, think it through, a mistake could kill someone," Zhang Wei exclaimed, eyes wide.
Zhao Lei remained silent, unsure whether to stop or not to stop the action.
After all, Yang Jian had had experience dealing with malevolent spirits, and his judgment was to be trusted; however, it was still quite astounding to think that Shangguan Yun could be a ghost.
At this moment, Yang Jian released the safety catch and said calmly, "I trust my judgment. If I am wrong, I'll accept it."
"But have you considered how I feel? Yang Jian, I'm begging you, don't shoot. There must be another way to identify that ghost, right?" Miao Xiaoshan pleaded in tears.
"Without direct contact, this is the most effective method. Don't blame me for being cold-hearted. Once you realize the true horror of a ghost, you will understand that any hesitation could mean missing the best chance to stay alive. So, please, trust me," Yang Jian said.
"Hold on, classmate. What am I doing? Let's talk this out," Shangguan Yun said, looking frightened.
However, the next moment, the gunshot rang out without hesitation.
"Ahh~!" Miao Xiaoshan screamed in terror.
At such a close distance, a miss was impossible, even for an amateur like Yang Jian when it came to cold weapons.
A bullet hit Shangguan Yun directly.
If he were a normal person, he would have been lying on the ground convulsing and waiting to die.
"Why on earth would you shoot? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?" Shangguan Yun chastised Yang Jian.
Yet at this moment, everyone's eyes widened as if they had seen a ghost, staring at Shangguan Yun. Even Miao Xiaoshan was stunned and began to panic.
The guy had been shot yet was unharmed.
"Bang~!" Without hesitation, Yang Jian fired another shot.
This time, the bullet hit Shangguan Yun in the head.
He could clearly see a bullet hole appear on his forehead.
Yet Shangguan Yun still said, "Yang Jian, you're shooting again? Are you crazy? Believe it or not, I'll call the police?"
"Yang Jian, you were right. He, he is a ghost," Zhao Lei shouted, feeling a chill run down his spine.
The previously furious Shangguan Yun suddenly stiffened, his complexion rapidly paled, the light in his eyes quickly vanished, and at the same time, his body gradually became transparent... until he eerily vanished from everyone's sight.
Just like an illusion, he was directly erased without a trace.
Nothing was left behind.
Except for two golden bullets that fell crisply to the ground.
"What, what's going on? Where did it go?" Zhang Wei asked, terrified.
Yang Jian furrowed his brows: "I don't know, but what I am certain of is that this ghost wanted to blend into the crowd with a legitimate identity, or it needed a living person's identity to appear before us. We've just exposed its disguise, so it abandoned the identity of Shangguan Yun and disappeared."
"If I'm not mistaken, it should still exist in some invisible form around us now. Whether it has left or not, I can't be sure."
"I've seen quite a few paranormal incidents. This is the ghost I've encountered that's best at hiding. Once it assumes a human identity, it's just like any other person," he said with a somber tone.
Thinking this, his expression turned grave.
A ghost with an identity indistinguishable from a human, completely blending into society—what does it want to do?
But definitely not something good.
"So it's gone now, but where did Shangguan Yun go?" Zhao Lei said.
"Follow me to the restroom," Yang Jian put away his gun and immediately rushed to the restroom.
The others hurriedly followed.
But just as they were leaving, the reflection on the glass door of the room showed the silhouettes of six people. Those who had left the room were Wang Shanshan, Miao Xiaoshan, Zhang Wei, Zhao Lei, and Yang Jian—a total of five people.
There was still the presence of an extra person.
Yet no one had noticed this point.