Chapter 3: The King of Ideal Country_3

Moreover, aside from those sensational incidents that shocked the whole country, the supernatural locations he could recall were primarily concentrated in Tiannan District.

Conveniently, there were several such places right in Jinjiang City. Hence, the primary reason Cen Dongsheng had been looking for part-time work recently was for scouting.

"Yangming Mountain Zoo... I've been a part-time zookeeper since the beginning of June for two weeks, confirming that the 'human face mutation' hasn't happened yet. Naturally, I can't get my hands on its Cursing Prohibition, so it looks like it will have to be put off. I'll find an excuse to resign tomorrow."

He mounted his bicycle, leisurely leaving the residential area, and headed towards the place of his part-time job.

The initial wave had just begun, and as he predicted, most places had not yet undergone the "ghost house transformation," and consequently, the items within remained hidden. The so-called "scouting" was really just getting familiar with the surroundings in advance.

Therefore, he didn't harbor much hope this time either.

...

Midway, he stopped at a roadside food stall to fill his belly, then Cen Dongsheng continued cycling.

The evening breeze wafted through the trees onto the young man's face, warm and gentle. As dusk spread, streetlights on either side of the road began to flick on one by one, casting a dim glow on the faces of passersby.

The bicycle bell "tring, tring" sounded while tires "shush shushed" over a layer of soft fallen leaves; houses passed by, beaming with light through the windows, snack stalls with tempting aromas, and shops filled with a dazzling array of goods...

He weaved between cars and pedestrians, passing through streets and alleys, appreciating the long-missed human hustle and bustle.

City lights twinkled like lighthouses floating on the sea of night. Cen Dongsheng squinted slightly against the oncoming light and breeze, his mind momentarily in a trance:

What a peaceful scene, it's nostalgic.

I wonder how much longer it will last?

"Here we are."

Cen Dongsheng grabbed the brakes, gathering his scattered thoughts.

He looked up at the building towering near the intersection ahead.

A plain, boxy high-rise, fifteen stories or more, with a parking lot; it seemed to have more than one entrance and exit on the ground floor.

Only the bottom three floors had lights on, while the rest were submerged in pitch darkness; the west side was obscured by scaffolding and advertisement banners made of plastic cloth, looking as though it was not fully completed yet.

The scheduled interview location was just ahead. He hadn't walked far before he saw two people standing there.

One appeared to be about fifty with a beer belly, wearing a white shirt and smoking; the other, possibly in his mid-thirties, dressed in a security uniform, seemed to be the subordinate of the former.

Both their expressions were solemn, and the night breeze carried their hushed conversation to Cen Dongsheng's ears:

"Xiao Qin, did you find someone for the night shift?"

"Not yet, the guy who came last time only lasted three days before he ran off, claiming he saw a ghost in the bathroom," the man in the security uniform answered with a wry smile.

"Another ghost sighting?"

"Yeah, he said he saw a female ghost in the mirror."

"Wasn't it a male ghost with a broken leg last time? This building is new; where would all these Lonely Souls and wandering spirits come from? Are these youngsters making it up?"

"Sigh, I'm not sure... but the guy left without even taking his pay, I guess he was really scared."

"Even with an additional one thousand yuan, it didn't work?"

"Nope, Uncle Li, no one stays longer than two weeks… If this continues, the part-timers around here will all hear about the hauntings, and they have their own networks. Agencies are starting to refuse to refer people to us."

Listening, Cen Dongsheng stopped in his tracks, his lips unwittingly curling into a smile.

Haunting? A haunting would be wonderful! He was afraid there wouldn't be one.

This time, maybe there really might be an opportunity...