Long Kun stood motionless, staring at his classmate Wang Jun, who was beaten senseless in front of him, completely bewildered. The terrified gazes of the surrounding students and their mouths, still open in shock, only added to his growing sense of panic. He wanted to deny his involvement, but his right hand was still sticky with blood, and his left arm throbbed with the deep pain of a bone injury.
Long Kun felt lost. He vaguely remembered beating Wang Jun, but the entire incident seemed more like a hazy, dream-like experience, as though he were an absent-minded observer watching someone else thrash Wang Jun. He even found the sight amusing at the time, yet now, as he snapped back to reality, how had he become the one doing the beating? It all felt like a surreal dream. Had he truly overexerted himself lately?
Just then, a languid voice echoed in his ear: "Kid, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get him to the hospital. Ugh, I was already careful with the force, but this guy's just too weak."
The voice was so sudden that Long Kun jumped in surprise, instinctively turning his head to look around. But the voice continued: "Stop looking around, kid. You can't see me, so get him to the hospital first. This guy's hurt badly. If you delay, don't blame me if he ends up with permanent damage."
Hearing the words "blame me," Long Kun snapped back to reality. Yes, though he didn't understand what was going on, he had beaten the guy. If anything serious happened, how could he explain it? He could barely manage to support himself, let alone deal with something like this. For Long Kun, anything related to money and survival was of the utmost importance, so he quickly pushed the thought of the mysterious voice aside.
His only thought now was to avoid any major consequences. Wang Jun's current state didn't faze Long Kun; while he was generally patient, he couldn't tolerate the insults Wang Jun had directed at his parents. However, his rational mind told him that if things escalated, he would be the one to suffer.
In a daze, Long Kun instinctively reached for the pink cellphone on Tang Keyu's desk—the one everyone in class admired—and, with trembling fingers, dialed 120. Hanging up the call, he didn't even have the energy to enjoy the surprised, cute expression on the class beauty's face. He quickly hoisted Wang Jun and rushed toward the school clinic. The ambulance would take some time, and he feared that delaying treatment would cost him even more. Besides, he had no idea how to handle the situation here. Running away seemed like the only option.
His actions only left the rest of the class in confusion: How could the one who beat Wang Jun also be the one handling his hospital visit? Was this some sort of "one-stop service"?
At the clinic, the old school doctor perked up when he saw Wang Jun in a coma. It had been years since he'd treated anything other than colds or stomachaches, and his skills had clearly deteriorated. But here was a chance to show off his abilities.
The doctor put on his reading glasses, inspecting Wang Jun carefully, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Who did this? Nice work, the inner wall of the eye socket is fractured, the nose bridge is broken, and the chin's injured. His gums are also badly damaged."
Long Kun's anxiety spiked—how much would he have to pay for something this severe? He rushed to the old doctor. "Sir, please, take a look at him. I've already called an ambulance; it should be here soon."
The doctor rolled his eyes. "Don't fuss. I can handle this. What do I need a bunch of so-called professionals for?"
Long Kun was frustrated, about to explain himself, when the familiar, raspy voice echoed again in his head: "Relax, he can fix it. This old doctor is no slouch. Besides, going to the hospital will cost a lot of money. It's much cheaper to treat him here."
A chill ran down Long Kun's spine as he recalled the voice. He instinctively tried to look around but heard, "Stop looking, kid. I told you, you can't see me. If you want to know who I am, find a quiet place, and I'll explain."
Long Kun shivered. Could it be that something was haunting him? The words "possessed by a ghost" floated through his mind, his heartbeat suddenly quickening.
The voice continued with an amused tone: "Well, kid, you're close. I'm in your body. Find a quiet place, and I'll tell you everything."
The voice chuckled when it sensed Long Kun's fear: "You're really jumpy, huh? Don't worry, if I wanted to harm you, I wouldn't be talking to you like this."
Long Kun couldn't help but feel both fear and curiosity. Could the perfect test paper and Wang Jun's brutal beating really be the work of this "ghost"? While Long Kun wasn't particularly clever, he had enough sense to understand that this entity didn't seem to bear him any immediate ill will.
After some more back-and-forth with the old doctor, Long Kun decided to leave Wang Jun at the clinic for treatment, making an excuse that he had to step out for a while. The doctor, relieved that Long Kun wasn't abandoning him, allowed him to go.
Where could he go that wouldn't be disturbed? His own home, of course. At the moment, he didn't want to return to class, knowing that things had probably blown up there. The class monitor was likely already involved, and Long Kun didn't know how to face anyone. So, he decided to leave, without a second thought.
He had barely taken a few steps when an anxious, clear voice called after him, "Long Kun, hey, don't run!"
Before the voice could finish, Long Kun had already disappeared.
His heart pounded for multiple reasons—his rapid pace, the bad thing he'd just done, the mysterious "ghost" inside him, and, perhaps most of all, the fact that the girl he secretly admired had just called his name for the first time.
The "ghost" inside him scoffed at his reaction: "This kid's hopeless. It's just some minor trouble. It's just a little girl. Does he really need his heart to race like this?"
Long Kun ran back to his shabby apartment, located in one of the dirtiest, most chaotic streets in Huxi City. It was the city's slums. Though Long Kun technically owned a small apartment inherited from his parents, he rented it out to make a profit and lived in a much cheaper place in the poorer neighborhood.
He collapsed onto his old, worn-out sofa and finally exhaled in relief. That's when the "ghost" began its explanation.
The "ghost" wasn't exactly a ghost. In simple terms, Long Kun hadn't been possessed by a ghost, but rather by a soul. The soul's owner was Luo An, who had nearly died two months ago due to a severe accident. The damage to his body was so extreme that medical treatment was nearly impossible. Thanks to the powerful Luo family's influence, they reached out to scientists from various fields, and a group of researchers in Sweden had made progress on a project that allowed a person's soul to enter another body. After a month of research, they managed to find a way to transfer Luo An's soul, and by chance, he had managed to survive this long.
The body chosen for the soul's transfer was that of a person who was near death but still physically intact. Everything went smoothly at first, but during the soul transfer process, something went awry. Luo An's soul accidentally ended up in Long Kun's body, thousands of miles away, and Luo An himself couldn't explain why it had happened.
When Long Kun voiced his shock about being possessed, Luo An sighed in frustration. "Don't worry, I'm not going to take over your body. I wish I could, but your soul's vitality is too strong. I'm a damaged soul, so I can't overpower you. I can only take control of your body when you're extremely fatigued or emotionally unstable."
"So the perfect score was you?" Long Kun, reassured that his life wasn't at risk, felt much better. Although this situation was bizarre, since it had already happened to him, he had to accept it, though he still had many questions.
"Who else? Do you really think you could have scored that well on your own?"
"So, you were the one who beat Wang Jun?"
"Do you think you, with your timid personality and weak skills, could have done it?"
Long Kun groaned in frustration: "So, I'm being falsely accused! Not only am I being blamed for cheating, but now I have to pay for the medical bills?"