Chapter 5

No matter the era, young people are always passionate, impulsive, and fond of playing bold and novel games. In modern times, especially after the rise of supernatural TV shows from Hong Kong and Taiwan, ghost-hunting games became popular among young men and women. Those who enjoy these games often form a so-called ghost-hunting expedition team, heading to cemeteries, unmarked graves, and abandoned houses, trying all sorts of methods to summon what people call "ghosts." Meiyi is one of these young people. Her favorite activity is to go on adventures with her friends to cemeteries or long-abandoned villages to play ghost games like the "Ouija board" (or "Spirit of the Disc"), "Chopstick Ghost," and "Cup Ghost," etc. What disappointed Meiyi the most was that despite visiting so many places to play these supernatural games, she never successfully summoned any of those "good brothers" (spirits). In fact, Meiyi had opportunities to summon a ghost. In the village where she lived, there was an abandoned factory that had been empty for thirty years. The factory was established in the early years of the reform and opening-up, and in the beginning, it was quite profitable, providing numerous job opportunities and decent dividends for the locals. Unfortunately, just a few years later, a horrific murder occurred there. The victim's restless soul haunted the factory, making it a notorious haunted place. Eventually, the owner had no choice but to relocate the factory, leaving the place deserted. After the factory was abandoned, things didn't calm down. The restless spirits still lingered, and the factory became a gathering place for wandering souls and wild ghosts. Later, there were several frightening suicide incidents there, which further cemented the place's reputation as a site feared by all. Meiyi, being a local, naturally knew about this infamous haunted place. She had long wanted to visit the abandoned factory, hoping to meet those "good brothers." However, due to the factory's ghostly reputation, the owner hired several guards to watch over the site day and night, preventing anyone from getting close, let alone entering for a ghost-hunting adventure. But opportunity always favors the prepared. One August, a massive typhoon hit the city, and the government, for safety reasons, ordered the evacuation of people from dangerous buildings, including the haunted factory. The guards were required to leave the factory the day before the typhoon made landfall. "Chen Xue, Zhang Dong, our opportunity has come!" Upon hearing that the factory guards had left, Meiyi immediately called her two ghost-hunting friends, Chen Xue and Zhang Dong. "What opportunity?" Chen Xue asked, confused. "Of course, it's the chance to visit the famous haunted factory in my village! What other opportunity could it be?" Meiyi replied. "Your village's factory? Didn't they have guards there?" Chen Xue asked. "They did, but with the typhoon, the city ordered them to evacuate," Meiyi explained. "Really? That's great!" Chen Xue exclaimed, but after a moment, she became more practical. "But Meiyi, although the guards have left, we can't go there now! Look at the weather outside, with all the wind and rain. How can you expect Zhang Dong and me to get there?" "You don’t need to worry about that," Meiyi reassured her. "I checked the weather forecast. The typhoon will move away in two days, and by then, the rain will be much lighter. We can go then." "Alright then!" Chen Xue agreed, "We'll come over the day after tomorrow." Time passed quickly, and soon the day arrived for Meiyi to go ghost hunting with Chen Xue and Zhang Dong. The two of them arrived at Meiyi's house early, prepared for the adventure. As soon as night fell, they set off for the factory. "Meiyi, your factory really does live up to its reputation!" Zhang Dong remarked as he stepped through the factory gates. Immediately, he felt cold gusts of wind blowing out from the factory, causing him to shiver. Instead of being displeased, he became even more excited. "I have a feeling that our ghost-hunting trip will be a huge success!" "I think so too," Chen Xue agreed. They made their way to what they considered the most haunted spot. After placing their tools on the ground, Chen Xue and Zhang Dong took out three incense sticks, ready to light them and place them on the ground. This had become a ritual for their ghost-hunting expeditions. According to Meiyi, the purpose of lighting the incense was to notify the local land deity and ask for his protection, ensuring that even if something supernatural occurred, they would leave the place safely. However, for some reason, when Chen Xue tried to light the incense, it wouldn't catch fire. After seven or eight failed attempts, she almost threw the lighter away in frustration. "What's wrong with Zhang Dong?" Seeing that Chen Xue looked upset, Zhang Dong curiously asked. "What's wrong? It's the incense. It just won't light!" Chen Xue cursed. "It can't be. The incense seems fine!" Zhang Dong said, examining the incense. "Maybe the land deity is in a bad mood!" Chen Xue snapped. "We're offering the incense out of goodwill, but the deity won't even accept it. How ungrateful!" Chen Xue's words startled Meiyi. "Chen Xue, do you know what you're saying? The land deity is a god! How can you speak so disrespectfully?" "I said it, so what?" Chen Xue scoffed. "If the deity really has any spirit, let him come out and teach me a lesson! I, Chen Xue, am not afraid of anything. Let's see what he can do to me!" "Chen Xue, you can't talk like that!" Meiyi said, grabbing the incense from Chen Xue. "Let me try lighting it." After taking out a lighter from her pocket, Meiyi managed to light the incense without any trouble. "See? See?" Chen Xue said, smugly. "If I hadn’t scolded the land deity, he wouldn’t have accepted your incense so easily." As Meiyi watched the smoke rise, she felt a sudden sense of unease. "Chen Xue, Zhang Dong, maybe... maybe we should stop and not continue playing?" Meiyi said nervously. "Why?" Both Chen Xue and Zhang Dong asked in unison. "We've been waiting so long to play the Ouija board in this haunted place. How can we just stop now?" "I just feel something isn't right," Meiyi said. "Why did the incense only light after you scolded the deity? There must be something strange going on!" "Meiyi, when did you become so scared of these things? Just a little incident, and you’re panicking like this!" Chen Xue mocked.