"Shopkeeper Lu, when do we begin?" Chen Jinfa's voice snapped Lu Fei back to reality.
The construction site was lit by only one floodlight, casting long, eerie shadows that made the place feel cold and unsettling.
The neon lights and city noises outside seemed oddly distant, as if separated by an invisible barrier.
Despite his years of experience on the streets—fighting for territory, women, and power—Chen Jinfa had never dealt with anything so spine-chilling.
"Where did the workers encounter trouble?" Lu Fei placed two tablecloths over the small coffins, picking up one while Tiger carried the other.
"Ah Long, lead the way," Chen Jinfa instructed.
Ah Long, holding a high-powered flashlight, guided them down into the excavation pit and into the shadowy depths.
"The old mall basement had three levels. It gets deeper as you go down, so be careful," Chen Jinfa warned as they descended a makeshift ladder. The further they went, the darker it became, and the damp smell of earth grew stronger, accompanied by a subtle chill.
Ah Long jumped down the last few steps, attaching the flashlight to a nearby post. The bright beam cut through the darkness, revealing the chaos of broken bricks and concrete strewn across the pit, with half-collapsed walls all around.
"Last night, workers were building that wall when bricks and debris suddenly fell from above," Chen Jinfa said, looking up with a frown.
"One worker got pushed off the ladder by something and fell hard."
"I was in the office when I heard the screams, so Ah Long and I rushed over. The sight of workers covered in blood scared me out of my wits."
Remembering the scene made Chen Jinfa shiver. One worker had blood running down his face, another had broken a leg, and one was unconscious and taken to the ICU. Worker compensation was minor compared to the looming penalty fees for construction delays.
"Shopkeeper Lu, can you handle this tonight?"
"Don't worry, Brother Fa. I'll do my best. But it's safer for you to stay aboveground," Lu Fei said, assessing the surroundings.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts! If they exist, I want to see them myself!" Chen Jinfa spat, defiance in his voice.
Lu Fei glanced at him. "Fine, but follow my instructions."
Some things had to be witnessed to be believed.
"Understood!" Chen Jinfa agreed readily.
Lu Fei signaled to Tiger, and the two carried the small coffins as they circled the pit.
Chen Jinfa, curious and anxious, trailed behind with Ah Long.
"We'll place it here."
Lu Fei set down the opened coffin and gestured for everyone to hide behind a nearby pillar. He planned to lure the spirit out, knowing it harbored deep resentment toward the coffin it had been sealed in.
He left the unopened coffin alone, scattering some ash around the perimeter.
The pit fell into an uneasy silence, cut off from the noise of the city.
Chen Jinfa stared at the small coffin, his patience waning as nothing happened. Frustrated, he reached for a cigarette.
Just as he was about to light it, he noticed something on the crumbling wall across from him—a face was slowly forming in the cement, eyes and nose pushing through the surface.
A human face!
His cigarette fell from his lips as his mouth dropped open.
"Shopkeeper Lu—"
Before he could finish, the face twisted into a sinister smile.
A soft crack sounded above, and everyone looked up in horror as a line of bricks came crashing down.
"Watch out!"
At that moment, Tiger pulled Lu Fei aside, and Ah Long shielded Chen Jinfa as they dove out of the way.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The bricks shattered as they hit the ground, splintering into shards.
"Tiger, are you alright?" Lu Fei asked, noticing a scratch on Tiger's arm.
"Just a scratch," Tiger replied, shaking his arm nonchalantly.
Chen Jinfa, unharmed under Ah Long's protection, was still reeling from the shock.
"Shopkeeper Lu, there was a face on that wall!" Chen Jinfa, pale as a sheet, pointed at the wall.
"A face?"
Lu Fei turned to look. The cracked wall was now empty.
"It was there, smiling at me," Chen Jinfa insisted, his voice shaky.
"I believe you, Brother Fa. That spirit is here," Lu Fei said seriously, spreading protective ash around Chen Jinfa and Ah Long.
"With this circle, it won't come near you."
He nodded reassuringly, gripping his lightning-struck jujube rod as he scanned the shadows.
A small figure darted from the ladder's darkness.
"Tiger, stay here and protect Brother Fa. Don't move outside the coffin's range!"
Lu Fei took off in pursuit.
"Understood!" Tiger unsheathed the ghost-head knife slung across his back, its menacing design gleaming in the dim light.
Ah Long cast him an appraising glance.
Chen Jinfa swallowed hard. If he hadn't seen that face with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.
Ah Long kept close, his stance protective.
When Lu Fei reached the ladder, the shadow had vanished. He narrowed his eyes, channeling energy to heighten his senses.
A chilling aura emanated from the left side of the pit.
"Yin energy."
Lu Fei spun around. A half-collapsed brick wall stood in the dim glow, and at its base was a small shadow, poised to push over the pile of bricks.
Feigning ignorance, Lu Fei readied his jujube rod.
Crash!
The bricks toppled over, but Lu Fei sidestepped smoothly, jumping the debris and lunging toward the shadow.
Startled, the small figure bolted.
Lu Fei chased after it.
The figure, not even half a meter tall with limbs like a doll's, sprinted faster than a rabbit!