Chapter 028: When the King of Hell Calls, You Die Before Midnight

The sound of dripping water grew faster and faster...

Before long, with a thunderous crash, the water tank, together with its iron frame, tumbled to the ground.

Scraps of rusted iron flew in every direction, while the stench of rot and stagnant water melded into an unbearable odor, churning and spreading to fill the air in an instant.

Li Tianque surveyed the chaotic scene around him; the shattered fragments seemed like pieces of flesh torn from a living body, and when they landed on him, they carried a cold, uncanny sensation.

His heart lurched; fear coursed through him in waves. If he had gone over just now to check, he might very well have ended up just like the ghostly figure before him.

Just as Li Tianque allowed himself a small sigh of relief, he was horrified to discover that the shadowy apparition ahead had changed once more.

He had only just survived one danger, and already another transformation—wasn’t this far too outrageous?

This time, the ghostly silhouette now resembled a man whose entire body was burned black, his skin charred and curling as if he had just escaped from a raging inferno.

The only thing that gave Li Tianque a modicum of comfort was that the distance between himself and the apparition was much greater than before; it was no longer so close.

From afar, Li Tianque stared at this terrifying specter, convinced that it was the most horrifying sight he had ever witnessed in his life.

The ghost’s flesh writhed and emerged from the pitch-black, scorched mass, as if it had been clawed out of lumps of coal. That unnervingly vivid red, stark against the blackened crust, made his scalp prickle and his stomach revolt.

Especially when Li Tianque realized that the ghostly figure mirrored his own appearance—the terror intensified instantly, every pore on his body seemed to tremble, as though some force was about to tear him apart from within.

His composure was on the verge of collapsing, yet he forced himself to remain calm and searched frantically for any sign of fire in the room.

Was the room about to catch fire? And if so, where would it begin?

Feeling as if he had lost his mind, Li Tianque scoured every corner, unwilling to overlook a single detail.

But all his efforts proved futile. Apart from the distant, menacing apparition, there was not a single clue to be found.

The most terrifying thing of all was the unknown.

The suspense of impending danger was far more agonizing than the trauma that followed its arrival, like a giant blade hanging overhead, its thread ready to snap at any moment.

After hesitating for a while, Li Tianque finally made up his mind: he could not remain here, waiting for death to claim him. He had to move to a safer location.

He began to reason—since the apparition changed according to his actions, perhaps if he kept moving, reaching places the ghost could not, he might evade death altogether and survive unscathed.

With this thought, Li Tianque quickly donned the last intact piece of clothing and dashed out the door, the ghostly figure following his every move at a distance.

Let it follow—so long as I find a place where fire is impossible, I should be safe.

Where should I go? The fire station? A cold storage room?

As he ran in a frenzy, Li Tianque racked his brain for a suitable destination.

Suddenly, like a jolt of electricity, he remembered something—and someone who’d left a strong impression on him.

That man with the tangled hair and lazy demeanor, dressed in a traditional tunic—Officer Lu Mou!

He had told Li Tianque to contact him in case of danger. Perhaps he would have a solution.

Without hesitation, Li Tianque pulled out his phone, found the unmarked number, and dialed.

By now, the ghostly figure had put on tattered clothes, yet its burnt and blackened state remained unchanged, as if it had just crawled from a heap of coal.

After the dial tone, a languid voice answered with indifference, “Who is this?”

“It’s me, Li Tianque. We met a few days ago—I’m the one who saw the apparition…”

“I remember you.”

“Officer Lu, do you have a way to save me? I’m in trouble. I just saw my own death in that apparition, and it’s getting closer and closer. Please, help me!”

Li Tianque’s words tumbled out in a panic, and he felt he might bite through his own tongue at any moment.

Unsurprisingly, Officer Lu Mou sounded as unreliable as ever, his tone detached—as though this truly was none of his concern.

After a moment’s silence, Lu Mou finally spoke, “Don’t worry. This is a small matter. Just tell me your location.”

“I’m heading to the largest Human Guide Café on Suheng Road. I’ll wait for you there!”

Lu Mou yawned and replied languidly, “Last time we met, you may not have noticed, but I only ordered coffee.”

“What does that mean?” Li Tianque asked, both anxious and bewildered.

“You should have guessed that I don’t like coffee. Why not choose another place this time? Careless and inattentive—hmm, that’s good.”

Damn it! Do you think, in my current state, I care what you like to drink? Are you insane?

Though these resentful thoughts churned in his mind, Li Tianque didn’t slow his pace. He muttered, “Fine, where shall we meet?”

Meanwhile, the charred corpse was drawing ever closer, and now it wore the same clothes Li Tianque did—a clear sign that it wouldn’t be long before he suffered the same fate.

Lu Mou yawned again, his voice dreamy, “You’re in a very dangerous state. If you recklessly go to a crowded place, you might bring disaster to others. Just describe the apparition you see as thoroughly as you can.”

Suppressing his anger and forcing himself to remain composed, Li Tianque began to describe the dreadful ghost of his own death:

“It looks burnt, as if it just survived a great fire, and it looks exactly like me. We’re about ten meters apart, but it’s getting closer, and soon, I think, it will overlap with me. When that happens, I’m afraid I’ll really be burned to death.”

Lu Mou was silent for a moment, then said lazily, “Run downstairs immediately. Head south for about 800 meters—there’s a small plaza there, which you should know better than I do. In the center is a large fountain. When you arrive, clear out any bystanders, stay put, and wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

“Alright.”

Li Tianque replied hurriedly, racing downstairs, not even noticing he was wearing mismatched shoes.

He ran so fast he could barely see where he was going, the world around him blurring into streaks of color—he felt like a spider on a web, any moment the strands might snap and send him tumbling.

Like this, he sprinted downstairs and, following Lu Mou’s instructions, dashed toward the plaza.

The neighborhood was just as it always was—people busy with their own lives, chatting and laughing or passing by in silence, as if they were NPCs in a game, endlessly repeating their routines.

Perhaps some of them noticed the frantic young man and speculated about his urgency, understanding that everyone is struggling for survival, and perhaps even guessed that Li Tianque was in serious trouble.

But none of them could possibly imagine that behind him trailed a terrifying apparition.

Nor could they fathom that this ghost could take his life at any moment.

(End of this chapter)