Chapter 1- I am a Grim Reaper
Inside an elevator, Minglan pressed the number 1 button, intending to go to the supermarket nearby and replenish her food. Her finger scrolled the contents on the screen, swiping the notifications popping, and an odd feeling budden within her. She couldn't help wrinkling her nose after sensing a faint iron smell. She looked around and sniffed the air, becoming more puzzled as the scent was much clearer than before. She shook her head and prevented herself from thinking heavily.
Dismissing the burdensome thoughts, she concentrated on the screen, clicked on one of the food bloggers channels, and played a video. The video played, and a lovable girl in a bear apron waved her hands to greet the viewers and started chopping the vegetables prepared. Minglan watched in enthusiasm, and a craving emerged. Her stomach churned in protest as the pot in the video simmered with a rich variety of ingredients. Minglan found herself drawn in and gulped. It was not until a small circular thing popped up from the soup in the video that Minglan frowned and enlarged the video. The small ball rotated and finally revealed its true self to Minglan. The thing blinked, mimicking her actions.
Minglan took a deep breath and pressed the exit button on top while closing her eyes. She pushed the button until her finger cramped.
When she felt satisfied, she opened her eyes and sucked in a mouthful of air before closing her eyes again.
In addition to the eyeball, a marred nose and mouth swim in the simmering soup, winked playfully at Minglan.
She put the phone in her jacket pocket. The lovely face was now filled with uneasiness. She was thankful that she wore a jacket because, for some reason, the air was getting chillier. She knew deep in her heart what kind of scenario would be played out in this small elevator. She spared some courage and pressed the stop button, but once her finger touched the wall, a small hand passed through the solid wall and entwined her hand.
Minglan could feel coldness seeping into her palm and sending distressing signals to her brain. She immediately withdrew and pasted herself to the innermost wall without leaving a gap. Covering her ears with two delicate hands, she closed her eyes and started mumbling joyful songs. This was the usual thing she did whenever she encountered the same situation. Normally it would work, but somehow the entity was very determined to communicate with her and started whispering and calling her out in a scratchy tone.
The scraping voice only those transparent entities possessed traveled to the gaps of her fingers and entered her ears without a hitch. Minglan trembled, and the croaking voice sang louder than before, wanting to overwhelm the other party.
Meanwhile, the security camera captured her actions and fed them back to the main control system. The security personnel in charge of today's shift noticed her absurd behavior and clicked the section with her image and turned on the volume. Immediately, her crowing and wailing children's songs echoed in the small room. The security guard immediately turned it off, otherwise his ears would be damaged after listening long term. The comforting silence finally returned, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief and promised to clean his ears when he got home.
"Why won't you help me?" The voice asked in despair. Its anguish affected Minglan a bit, and she too couldn't help but be angry.
"Do I need to help every ghost every time? Can you give me a break? I don't want to! Find somebody else!" Minglan replied and continued yelling songs to distract herself from the eerie atmosphere.
"You won't help me! Then I'll bother you till you help me!" The ghost issued a high-pitched screeching scream.
Minglan felt her eardrums vibrate, and something warm tickled her palm.
Minglan opened her eyes and examined the palm, and her eyes went big as saucers when she saw blood. This was the first time she encountered a ghost that could affect living beings.
"Help me!" The ghost screamed once again, and Minglan's head hurt.
"What the heck!" Minglan stopped the blood trickling down her nose as well and looked up. She ignored the ghost once again.
The ghost this time didn't give her a break and floated up, showing its hideous face in the HD version.
Minglan screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw the red eyeballs, crisscross bloody marks, and creepy, wide-open mouth on the ceiling. She restrained her urge to curse. "It won't work! Quit bothering me!" She closed her eyes once more but still maintained her position, raising her chin up to prevent further nose bleeding.
She now pinned her hopes on the numbers lit up on the wall. The number 7 flickered. Minglan was overjoyed within.
Halfway through her joy, something dropped from her cheeks. Her free hand picked it up, and she sensed a slimy, cold, small ball. She opened a small gap in her eyes and instantly fell to the floor in great fear. She threw the eyeball away, hit the wall, bounced three times, and pounced on her face again. She couldn't care less for the blood trickling down her nose and crawled away from the spooky scene. She deeply regretted going out. If this had happened, she would rather eat the lousy takeaway and be done with it.
Strands of hair slowly lengthened until they reached the floor, then they crawled towards Minglan like hungry worms and crept on her skin. She was immediately surrounded all over, and she saw a face inside the hair cocoon. Minglan suddenly had an urge to vomit as the plump worms wriggled and drilled inside the flesh, devouring the decaying face. She could even see the white bones protruding. "Don't get close!" She instinctively threw the phone, and it only passed through the ghost and landed flat on the ground.
Minglan felt like smacking herself for losing her IQ at the moment. "..."
As if sensing her dismay, the ghost shrieked with its mouth wide open, commenting on her dumbness. Then it returned to making her give in and displayed a more Super HD version with a cold ambiance to match.
Minglan could feel the ridicule radiating from the ghost's ugly laugh but didn't have the time to chastise it as the ghost became more ferocious in its attacks.
Minglan touched the wall of the hair cocoon and tried to pry it open, only to be upset as a result. No matter how much effort she put in, the hair was like a sturdy wall.
"Don't bother! Just surrender and help me. I'll free you immediately!" The ghost's face inched closer slowly and persuaded her.
Minglan started to cry and scolded her boyfriend in her heart. Because of him, these ghosts kept harassing her. There has not been a day that she has not been bothered since they met. Now, where is he? "Bastard, come back already! Your girlfriend is about to be eaten! she shouted, startling the ghost, but the statement made it more enraged. What it wanted was Minglan's cooperation.
"Since you don't want to, then I'll eat you instead!" The ghost only wanted to threaten her again into submission. It thought Minglan was afraid to be eaten and opened its wide mouth. The sharp teeth glistening with droplets of blood reflected in Minglan's pupils, and she screamed again.
The security personnel became perplexed when the section where the surveillance video of Minglan was being shown shut down. He started fiddling with the commands, which didn't have any good results.
There was a tremor on the elevator. Minglan's face became grim as she found out the elevator, her last hope, had stopped operating.
Now, she was really doomed!
Minglan cried; her eyes became red, pouring her grievance out; however, the ghost didn't pity her and presented its mouth until it was above her head.
Then, all of a sudden, something grabbed the collar of her jacket, pulling her out of the dreadful cocoon.
"Did Little Lan miss me?" Full of tenderness, the man turned her face to face and smiled at her.
Bastard, you finally came! I nearly suffered a heart attack! You need to compensate me after this!" Minglan started bawling her eyes on his expensive suit, wiping her tears, nose bleed, and snouts on it, wetting a large patch. The man didn't even blink and even catered to her whims.
His eyes were shrouded in gloom when he noticed the blood on her ears and nose. "How did you get hurt?" He inquired in a cold tone.
Minglan didn't answer and didn't lift her head; she only raised a finger to point at the ghost. Then she started crying again, recalling the horrifying minutes she experienced. She promised herself never to take the elevator again and would just take the stairs. Even when she becomes dog tired, she will not complain!
The ghost being pointed at felt a piercing look directed at her and retrieved her hair, revealing a man wearing sunglasses. His presence was exuding such a powerful aura that even the ghost lost its arrogance at the moment. The ghost felt like she had a huge blade hanging from her neck, and if she made one move the man in front didn't like, she would immediately disappear without a trace. In a small whisper far from the screeching high pitch, she asked, "Who are you?"
The man took off his sunglasses and displayed a pair of eyeless sockets with two balls of fire burning.
"I am a Grim Reaper, your guide to the Underworld." His sombre voice echoed in the small elevator. Black tentacles extended from the man's shadow, turning into chains and capturing the ghost.
The ghost wanted to dodge, but the chains were very fast, and in less than three seconds, she was wrapped into a ball.
The situation reversed; minutes ago, Minglan was the one captured by its hair cocoon, and now she was in the same predicament. The ghost shivered and finally felt fear. It changed back to its image before it died, turning into a cute little loli.