Chapter 5: Summoning the Spirits (4)

“We can’t wait here any longer.”

Time was pressing. The others still had ghost-seeing rituals to complete, so they had no choice but to leave this room and move on to the next location.

That meant they had to leave Lin Shuyue alone.

Alone in this house, which was highly likely haunted, for at least eleven hours.

No one could be certain if she would still be on the train when it returned.

Yet no one dared voice any objections at such a moment.

“...Lin Jie has already been through three platform missions; she probably won’t fall to a place like this, right?”

Lu Jinzhāo noticed the flicker of unease in someone’s eyes but still tried to console, unsure whether he was comforting others or himself.

“Feels like it... As long as she follows the ghost-seeing rules and holds out until the end, plus Lin Jie has that thing... surviving should be no problem!”

Someone affirmed this, their tone gradually shifting from uncertainty to resolve.

That thing?

Lu Jinzhāo took note of the phrase but knew this was not the time to ask questions, so she suppressed her doubts for now.

Before leaving, she cast one last glance at the leader who had, until now, seemed fairly reliable. Though the dim light obscured her expression, it was clear she had tucked away her panic and was mentally preparing herself.

As they stepped out of the room, Lu Jinzhāo faintly heard the distant voice inside, softly chanting, “Cup spirit, cup spirit, please return.”

“Perhaps... that’s the most dangerous part of drawing the Cup Spirit task.”

Though no ghost had yet appeared, the oppressive atmosphere hung over everyone like a dark cloud.

Yet thankfully, because the ghost had not “truly” manifested before them, even newcomers could still maintain their composure.

The second to perform a ghost-seeing ritual was newcomer Cen Duo.

Most tasks were supposed to be done at night, except for a few exceptions. But when they stepped outside the building, they found that although it was not yet five in the afternoon, the sky had darkened as if night had already fallen.

—As if to facilitate their ghost-seeing ritual.

“That’s actually convenient. If it were all at midnight, time would be tight, and everyone would have to act separately.”

Most of the ghost-seeing instructions in the book did not specify exact times but clearly implied nighttime.

The current twilight allowed them to start earlier.

Cen Duo’s assigned ritual seemed simple enough. Lu Jinzhāo recalled the book’s description:

“Is there a shortcut to another world?

You may not remember how you came to this world, but you must know you emerged from between your mother’s legs.

Bend forward and look backward between your legs, and you will see a passage to another world.

But if you attract the attention of any ‘passerby,’ you must immediately stop this action.

The ghosts will think you are a newborn baby inviting them to be reborn...”

The book then clearly stated: find a dead-end alley, remove your shoes, stand with your back against the wall, light incense beneath your legs and inhale as much of the smoke as possible, then hold your breath, bend over, and look backward between your legs at the wall behind you.

It was not a difficult ritual, but the wording in the book instilled an eerie unease.

Dead-end alleys were not hard to find. If nothing else, all ritual locations could be found here.

Before entering the alley, everyone except Cen Duo stopped.

The alley was short; standing at its mouth allowed a view of its end. Even though the sky was as dark as night, the dim streetlight near the entrance barely illuminated the way in.

“Just in case, let’s wait a little outside the alley.”

No one wanted to accompany Cen Duo inside, and she realized this, her face turning pale.

“Wasn’t it fine when we were all in the same room just now?”

“If I’m the only one performing the ritual, it shouldn’t matter if you stay nearby, right?”

Cen Duo tried to persuade them to come along. Although she had to do the ritual alone, having someone nearby would provide some comfort.

But... no one answered her.

“If you won’t come with me... then I won’t go in!”

In desperation, Cen Duo blurted this out.

Lu Jinzhāo shook her head.

Too hasty, and she’d said something utterly ineffective.

Sure enough, no one wavered at Cen Duo’s words.

“If you’re not going, then we’ll head to the next ritual location. You can go when you want.”

A cold male voice cut through the crowd.

Cen Duo realized her “threat” was useless and her face darkened, but she could only quickly plead, “No, don’t leave!”

Better to stand at the alley’s entrance than face the damned ritual alone.

“I... I’ll go now.”

Her trembling words and pitiful expression made her seem truly vulnerable, yet Lu Jinzhāo glanced around and saw no one showing any pity.

It seemed the passengers on this train were long accustomed to this sort of thing. As Jiang Yingzhi had said, they would not offer any undue mercy or help to newcomers.

Not even Lin Shuyue, the temporary team leader who seemed somewhat acquainted with others. If trouble arose, no one would hesitate.

Self-preservation and avoiding danger appeared to be the sole rules for survival on this train.

Cen Duo took measured steps into the alley, glancing back at her “teammates” after every few steps. Only seeing their silhouettes gave her the courage to proceed further.

Fortunately, the alley was short; she soon reached its end.

From outside, even in the dark, the streetlight allowed a faint view of the alley’s far end.

But stepping inside, Cen Duo realized how truly pitch-black it was.

Even looking back toward the entrance had become blurry.

This realization made her heart skip a beat. She quickly pulled out a lighter and lit an incense stick.

The candlelight cast a faint glow along the dead-end alley but brought her little comfort — if anything, it heightened her unease.

She stood close to the alley wall, the flickering flame casting shadows that seemed to dance and shift.

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be afraid, there’s nothing here.”

“Just five seconds. I’ll only look for about five seconds and then stand up immediately. Such a short time, nothing will happen.”

She kept chanting to herself, bolstering her courage.

Once ready, she assumed the posture as instructed, inhaled deeply of the incense smoke, held her breath, bent over, and looked backward between her legs toward the wall behind her.