Due to Xiao Hei's presence, no ghostly figures invaded her privacy. It was a rare peaceful moment for her, and a long sigh of satisfaction escaped her lips. The warm temperature are very suitable to treat fatigue and rejuvenate her state of mind. She was refreshed and leaned on the edge of the tub.
In the midst of relaxing, Minglan glossed over her memory. Xiao Hei's arrival was particularly impactful. Before she met him, her life was very ordinary. She had normal world views and analyzed things based on logical reasons. She didn't even know ghosts actually existed. She thought it was only a fiction created by parents to scare their children into obedience, but she was slapped by reality a week ago, and it was a very life-changing slap!
She closed her eyes and sulked.
As the memory played, her expression became more miserable.
The summer weather was hot, and even though there were air conditioners, there were still people visiting the supermarkets to cool down as the private sector, which mainly provided electricity for the city, couldn't keep up with the demand. Elderly people would bring their fans and huddle besides the huge cooling machine inside the business establishment.
Though it was quite different on Minglan's part. The weather wasn't too unbearable; she could even feel some cool breeze blowing often inside her house even though the air conditioner was not operating. She was glad and thought the apartment unit had good feng shui. She praised herself for being so smart and picking this unit to live in among the other vacancies.
Minglan enjoyed the cool breeze while watching her favorite TV series. Life was so good, and only the ice cream and popsicles were missing, so she decided to buy some and hurriedly took a bus to the supermarket. When she went out, she finally felt the scorching temperature of the weather.
She quickly bought a box and took another bus home. By the time she reached the parking lot of the apartment building, she sensed someone spying on her. She looked around and soon found a man in black spectacles and dressed impeccably standing besides a luxurious car, staring in her direction. She blinked and looked behind her before confirming that he was really aiming his eyes at her. She was very nervous; she acted ignorant and continued walking lightly in the opposite direction.
Minglan only breathed a sigh of relief after walking a safe distance from the man. She opened the box, took out a piece of chocolate popsicle, and started licking.
She thought that the matter was over, but after walking a few meters ahead, a shiny pair of pristine black leather shoes entered her sight. She immediately lifted her head and traced the owner. The man that she avoided was now in front of her, gazing at her intently.
Minglan was quite shocked; how could he travel such a distance so fast? That was totally unscientific! He would need to be several faster than Usain Bolt to sprint towards the spot where he is now. She forgot her snack for a few seconds, and the scorching temperature melted the cream dripping from her fingers. She awoke from her shock and immediately detoured away from the man. This time, she ran, but as if the man possessed superpowers, he would always pop out in front of her even though she changed directions. She avoided him for ten minutes straight before giving up.
"What do you want?" She asked in between pants. Her limbs were exhausted from the run. A lazy pig like her had poor stamina, and that short marathon depleted her energy. At this point, she just wanted to return to her room, lay down, and sleep, but the man might not fulfill her wish at all!
The man stayed quiet and appeared to be in a struggle. He opened his mouth and closed it again, and he parted it after a few seconds only to stop afterwards.
Just say it already! What is wrong with him? Minglan waited for a full minute before starting to walk. "Don't follow me again!" She was really mad. She guessed he must have recognized the wrong person but was too shy to admit it. This lady is tired! The ice cream and popsicles she had gotten from enduring the heat were already soaked in their own juices. She felt like pulling her hair. What did she come out for?
"Wait." An icy voice as cold as the mountainous peak in the winter spoke, stopping Minglan in place.
She gritted her teeth and turned around. "What is it, Mister? Could you let me go already? I don't think we met before. Do I owe you a debt? Why are you chasing me?
The man sensed her agitation; her eyes were filled with undisguised anger. He never saw her in such a state. He was startled and coughed before asking her cautiously but with great expectations, "Minglan?" The name that brought him myriad emotions in his land of dreams He really wanted to step forward and pull her to confirm if she really was alive and warm. Her cold corpse would keep haunting him.
She was caught off guard and took a few steps away from him, asking, "How do you know my name?" Sweeping the surroundings with her eyes, Minglan was trying to find someone as a refuge. To her frustration, because of the weather, the people decided to stay inside, and none came out. Suddenly, she saw a figure standing at the back entrance of the apartment building by the stairs. She quickly made up her mind and dashed towards the target.
The man had envisioned multiple scenarios while stalking her for a week, but he did not expect her to run off just after he said her name. He was totally unprepared. Another five seconds passed by the time he reacted, and by some kind of miracle, Minglan had already thrown him into a large gap.
Minglan really did her best this time, even abandoning the box of ice cream and popsicles. Even she was shocked to discover her hidden potential. She never knew she could run so fast. Human beings would break through their limits in desperate times. She finally believed this theory.
"Uncle! Uncle, Help me! I'm being followed by a creep!" Minglan soon reached her destination and plopped her buttocks on the ground. Her limbs didn't have any ounce of strength left—the aftereffects of so-called breaking the limit. Her lungs took a huge mouthful of air.
"You can see me?" The Uncle was facing her with his side profile, and he issued an eerie laugh when he heard her words.
"I'm not blind; of course I can see you." Minglan responded quite perturbed by his laugh, but the Uncle was the only person in the vicinity right now, and even though he was a little bit weird, she still stayed.
"You can see me?" He laughed again and slowly twisted his head, showing his hideous visage.
Minglan saw his conspicuous facial features and screamed out loud.
Swelling bloodshot eyes, rotting flesh, and dark red blood dripping from the large hole in his skull, she could see the brain and plasma inside.A large laceration on the corner of his mouth revealed his torn gums and broken teeth. The Uncle didn't feel any pain in such a state, and Minglan's first thought was, "Zombie!"
Minglan tried to stand up, but her muscles were aching all over. She groaned and still crawled toward the stairs. She began to question herself: Is this still earth? Did it undergo an apocalypse when she wasn't paying attention? How come a zombie appeared in this apartment building of all places, and it can even talk? Where am I?
"You can see me?" The Uncle Zombie laughed again, whispered the same question, and hovered over her. His jaw was only hanging by a connecting tissue, and his smile grew wider, reaching his bloodshot eyes. It was very happy when Minglan could see it, and it sniffed the air, drawing a large whiff. "So fragrant. Ka ka ka." The flesh dangling on his cheeks quakes. Minglan's heart stopped beating.
She was so scared that she gripped the railings to pull herself up and climbed up, disregarding her tiredness. Even though her body was trembling, she did not give up. This time, she was followed by a creep and a zombie. She was so miserable!
In that span of their interaction, the creep Minglan referred to had already arrived behind the Uncle Zombie and grasped its formless neck. "Who is it?" The Uncle Zombie screamed, and Minglan didn't bother to turn around and continue climbing.
The man didn't reply and only squeezed its throat, grabbed his skull, and smashed it into a pulp. The Uncle Zombie dangled in the man's grip, not moving in the slightest, before it turned into tiny speckles of light and disappeared into the atmosphere. It didn't even manage to see the perpetuator before becoming nutrients in the air.
Even though she couldn't hear footsteps following her, she didn't stop at all. She has seen zombies in the movie, and they like to eat human brains the most! She doesn't want to experience being devoured while alive! Just thinking about it made her retch in disgust.
After eliminating the malicious ghost, the man breathed in the intoxicating scent diffused all around him. He frowned after finding out he was a bit affected. The fragrance seemingly arousing his desire to devour didn't disperse at all. Minglan's situation stopped him from taking another whiff. He retrained his impulses and climbed the stairs. His footsteps, although noiseless, were heavy.
Minglan continued to climb the second flight with difficulty and rested on the steps for awhile. She was overjoyed when she managed to escape another danger.
"Such a nice scent! Fragrant than the scented osmanthus and seductive as a poppy." A feminine high-pitched voice laced with extreme excitement entered her ears.
Minglan immediately searched and found a woman dressed in her purple nightgown standing in the corner with her long hair covering her face.
"Miss?" She called out carefully, the hair on her skin raising all over in alarm.
"You can actually see me?" The woman was surprised, and in the blink of an eye, she flickered towards Minglan.
A wave of acute coldness rushed over her; the heat dispersed, but the sweat on her forehead formed faster. She lifted her head up and saw another zombie. She pushed her hands to get the zombie out of the way, but she fell into another pit of trouble. Her hand passed through, and because she used too much force, her body followed, and she kissed the ground in confusion. Only one thought remained: Can zombies evolve powers now?