After five bigwigs in Beijing's elite circle fell into their trap, I fled.

Chapter 40 The Collapse of Assistant Yang
"Is it Xinghua Village?" Assistant Yang patiently entered the address into the navigation again and again, only to be told that the address could not be found.

He also searched for several other villages, and the navigation was very clear.

"I can't find it." Jiang Shu said unsurprised. "Let me give you directions."

Assistant Yang asked curiously, "It's so dark, and the road conditions are bad. Can you remember the way?"

“I remember it. I’ve walked this road for fifteen years.” Perhaps it was the familiarity of being near home, but Jiang Shu explained patiently, “I’ve been going to school in this town since I was little. Every day, the villagers would take turns picking me up and dropping me off. When I went to junior high school, I became known for being bullied and fighting against bullying. After that, I traveled this road by myself. I know the way even with my eyes closed.”

Assistant Yang remarked, "Jiang's life is quite exciting! Which way are you heading?"

"To the right," Jiang Shu said softly, "the one with the most weeds."

She only mentioned that there were the most weeds, but didn't say that the road was just as difficult as a narrow mountain path, and that the mountain road had many twists and turns, with obstacles at each turn.

As a result, Assistant Yang lost all interest in the conversation. Completely absorbed in his work, the car nearly crashed into rocks several times. The winding, swaying ride almost made this man, who never gets carsick, vomit!
Another half hour passed.

Assistant Yang looked at the withered trees, the abandoned graves, and the dense swarms of bats flying around the withered trees and graves in front of him, his voice slightly panicked:

"We didn't take the wrong road, did we?"

“It’s definitely right.” Jiang Shu pointed to the distance. “See those lights ahead? That’s Xinghua Village. It’s only two or three miles from here, so drive on without worry!”

Assistant Yang looked around at the pitch-black surroundings. Countless eerie night insects tore through the silence of the night, and several bats crashed against the car window. He could almost see the bats' ferocious expressions...

A not-so-wide dirt road runs through the entire burial mound and extends into the distance to a cluster of lights that resemble will-o'-the-wisps.

He felt a little uneasy: "Is this road safe?"

"It should be safe, right?" Jiang Shu thought about it seriously.

"What do you mean by 'should'?"

Jiang Shu explained, "Many people from other villages say that our village is haunted. But over the years, I have never personally encountered anything like it."

"What...what kind of trouble are you talking about..." Assistant Yang's face tightened. "How...how did you cause trouble?"

"I don't know. Anyway, other villages have cut off contact with us now. It's okay, you can drive! Ghosts and spirits are not to be believed."

Assistant Yang drove forward cautiously.

The luxury car, worth 50 million, was like a toddler just learning to walk, wobbling along and moving slower than a snail.

After driving for two minutes...

Assistant Yang slammed on the brakes!
"Jiang, you said there's no such thing—then what's in front of it?"

What's ahead?
Jiang Shu looked up from petting the cat.

She was sitting in the passenger seat, and through the high-definition car window, the night view was exceptionally clear.

The person drifting in through the night was exceptionally clear...

That should be a man...?

Disheveled and covered in blood, his white robe, also stained with crimson blood, wrapped around his feet, made him look like a walking corpse. His eyes were pitch black, and he uttered eerie, inhuman cackling sounds...

As we walked, paper money kept flying everywhere...

He seemed to walk very slowly, but then suddenly he floated to the front of the car!
Then, the entire mangled figure slammed against the front windshield with a loud thud, deforming the windshield wipers!

The face pressed against the car window was deathly pale and stiff, with mottled cracks on it. A blood-red tongue nearly forty centimeters long protruded from its mouth, and its dark, deep pupils stared expressionlessly into the car.

He happened to be looking directly into Jiang Shu's eyes. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

Three seconds later, the shadow fled in panic! With a few leaps, it disappeared into the distance.

Assistant Yang was covered in sweat, his body was weak, and his voice was a little unclear: "How...how do you explain this?"

Jiang Shu was still deep in thought. She felt a sense of familiarity with this ghost-like thing, but she couldn't quite grasp that feeling of familiarity.

He replied absentmindedly to Assistant Yang, "Even if it's a ghost, it's a weakling, it ran away so fast. I should have caught it and studied it properly..."

……

Xinghua Village.

Inside the mourning hall, a group of villagers were still chatting.

A disheveled, demon-like old man named Tang scrambled in, yelling, "Holy crap! Shubao's in that luxury car! You—"

Before he could finish speaking, the villagers scattered like birds and beasts!

When the car horn sounded at the village entrance, the villagers, who had shed their former finery, were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces pale and unkempt, their hair disheveled, trembling yet their eyes filled with excitement, and they all shouted:
"Honey! Why are you back so early?"

When Assistant Yang saw a large group of simple villagers surging toward the luxury car, he finally felt relieved!
……

The faint candlelight flickered in the mourning hall.

Assistant Yang gulped down water from his thermos, surrounded by a group of enthusiastic villagers who kept offering him peanuts, melon seeds, and eggs, their words of gratitude never ceasing.

Having not experienced such genuine and heartwarming hospitality in a long time, Assistant Yang's heart, which had been somewhat unbalanced due to the bumpy ride and frights along the way, gradually returned to normal.

Jiang Shu was served hot milk by several aunts, and the rich aroma of milk filled the entire mourning hall. The cat she brought was so beautiful that it was taken over by Li Erniang and Jiang Liuyun, who fed it a handful of dried fish.

The proud cat was very averse to the dried fish, and only after Jiang Liuyun replaced it with other dried meat and milk did it reluctantly eat a few bites.

Jiang Liuyun asked Jiang Shu, "Is this the... pet you were talking about? It's pretty, but it's a bit too picky about food..."

Jiang Shu said "Oh," and replied, "My cat is intelligent and has dietary preferences similar to humans. He can just eat whatever I eat."

Li Erniang rubbed the leopard cat's head, showing great affection: "City cats are so delicate. Can they even catch mice? Can I borrow it to take home for the night? My shabby house has been infested with mice for days."

The leopard cat flinched, a clear look of bewilderment flashing in its eyes.

Jiang Shu was surrounded by concern and care, and had little time to attend to her beloved pet. Through the dense crowd, she spotted Assistant Yang tossing goji berries into a thermos and asked:

"It'll be dawn in two hours. Are you going to stay here with us to keep vigil, or would you like to find somewhere to take a nap?"

Assistant Yang glanced at the funeral hall, which was decorated with white banners, had a partially sealed coffin in the corner, and had a conspicuous black-and-white photo hanging on the wall, and felt a little uneasy.

Jiang Shu noticed his embarrassment: "Why don't you go lie down in the car for a while?"

Assistant Yang remembered the unidentified creature he had been playing tag with at the village entrance, and a thought struck him: "No, no, no! The car is too cramped, I can't sleep there—is there a house nearby? I'll just go and rest for a while."

The old village chief puffed on his rolled tobacco: "Why don't you stay in my room? It's right next to the mourning hall. If anything happens, just shout and we'll all hear you."

Jiang Shu paused for a moment: "No way! Assistant Yang is used to a life of luxury, how could he possibly get used to living in your shabby place?"

Assistant Yang hurriedly replied, "I'm comfortable here! I'm comfortable here!"

Even if it's dilapidated, can it be more eerie than a funeral hall? Can it be more terrifying than constantly worrying in a car that something might suddenly stick to you again?
(End of this chapter)