Chapter Twenty-Three: The Five Eccentric Ghosts (Second Update Today)

“Kid! Weren’t you acting tough just now? Show me how tough you are again!” The big man made no concessions; his first move was a kick straight to Zhou Tong’s chest, knocking him down. Zhou Tong lay on the ground, rubbing his chest and clutching his head, refusing to get up.

“Get up, you brat!” The fat man was impatient. He strode over and delivered another kick. There were shards of broken glass scattered on the ground, remnants from previous fights, and this kick sent Zhou Tong sprawling onto them. Instantly, his hands were stained with blood.

The fat man was about to land a few more kicks, but Song Nianqiang pulled him back, shaking his head to signal him to stop. If someone died, neither of them would get away; after all, this was a law-abiding society, and there were still a few honest officials around.

Dragging the fat man out of the dead-end alley, Song Nianqiang left. After they had gone, Zhou Tong raised his head, his eyes full of venom as he stared at the spot where Song Nianqiang had disappeared. Clenching his fists tightly, he got up and staggered away, swaying with every step.

He hadn’t even reached home when Song Nianqiang received a call from the hospital. The reason wasn’t clear, but the hospital asked him to come over, saying they would explain once he arrived.

Curious, he hailed a cab and headed to the hospital. Upon arrival, Song Nianqiang sensed a heavy, tense atmosphere throughout the facility—clearly, something serious had happened. Among the medical staff, uniformed officers moved about; obviously, the hospital had sought police help to no avail, and now they turned to Song Nianqiang.

He went straight to the director’s office. Opening the door, he found the director seated, troubled, and another man present—the police chief. His expression matched the director’s, clouded with gloom.

“Director, what’s going on?” Song Nianqiang wasted no time with pleasantries. The director and police chief exchanged glances, sighing almost in unison. The director said to the chief, “Old Qi, you’d better explain.” Then he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, unwilling to think any further.

“Very well, I’ll explain.” The police chief sighed and began; the hospital was already a place steeped in shadows, but recently something strange had happened. Overnight, every corpse in the morgue vanished without a trace—no signs of anyone entering or leaving. Isn’t that suspicious?

“Are you certain there’s no sign of human activity?” Song Nianqiang pressed the point; this was crucial. If it was the work of humans or ghosts, the nature was entirely different and couldn’t be confused.

The police chief nodded emphatically. “Absolutely. Even the refrigerated cabinets that hold the bodies showed no sign of being opened, yet the corpses disappeared as if they’d never been there. This has left me utterly baffled.” He shook his head, visibly distressed.

The hospital was in an even worse position regarding the media. Who would believe that corpses walked away on their own? Even the police were at a loss, so what could the hospital do? They didn’t want to trouble the military, especially since the colonel and his elite team were away on a mission, not in town. Even if the police chief wanted the colonel’s help, he had no way to reach him. With no other options, they turned to Song Nianqiang.

“Oh?” Whether Song Nianqiang was affirming or questioning wasn’t clear, but both the police chief and director were desperate. If this matter could be resolved, all parties would benefit; the police could report success and earn some credit, and the hospital could reassure the families of the deceased, preventing unrest.

A family entrusts their dead to the hospital, believing in its integrity, but who would expect the bodies to vanish? If the police hadn’t intervened, this county hospital would have been torn apart by angry relatives. People can’t find peace even after death—what family could accept that?

“Very well, take us to the morgue.” No matter how he looked at it, Song Nianqiang didn’t believe this was the work of ghosts. When he arrived at the hospital, he hadn’t sensed any particularly heavy shadow, unless there was a being akin to a ghost king lurking.

As Song Nianqiang and his companion followed the director to the morgue, he immediately felt something was amiss—the shadow here was far more intense than outside. It seemed this truly was the work of ghosts, but Song Nianqiang couldn’t understand why ghosts would bother with corpses.

While Song Nianqiang pondered, the fat man nudged him and whispered something in his ear. Suddenly, Song Nianqiang nodded as if enlightened and turned to the director. “This is indeed the work of ghosts, but you shouldn’t hope to recover those corpses. This is a Fivefold Phantom, which seeks bodies to perfect its own form.”

The Fivefold Phantom, also known as “The Five-Eyed Gentleman,” is a composite ghost entity—five spirits bound as one. Of the five, four lack eyes, and only one possesses a single eye. The other four depend entirely on this eye to see, thus they are collectively called the Fivefold Phantom. These ghosts are inseparable; except for the one with the eye, the others cannot act independently and must obey its commands.

There is a drawback to these ghosts: they specifically seek out corpses to patch and supplement their own bodies, which brings them some measure of comfort.

“What?! That won’t do! Do you realize how many are waiting to reclaim their loved ones’ bodies? How am I supposed to explain this to them?” The director was beside himself, shouting at Song Nianqiang.

“Calm down, I never said you wouldn’t get any bodies back. If time allows, the Fivefold Phantom won’t use all the corpses at once, but we must act quickly to catch them.” Song Nianqiang was startled by the director’s outburst and hastened to explain.

“If you can catch that damned Fivefold Phantom, I’ll do whatever you ask!” The director was determined; failing to recover the bodies would cost him his position, so he was ready to go to any lengths, as if the phantom was his own kin.

“Not now. We must wait five days. The Fivefold Phantom operates on a cycle—they only venture out every five days.”

Song Nianqiang was eager to catch the Fivefold Phantom; until now, he’d only read about it in the textbooks given by the old master, never encountered the real thing. Five ghosts acting together—what a spectacle that would be.

“Five days?! Can you guarantee you’ll catch it then?” The director was frantic; every day, bereaved families gathered at the hospital entrance, causing chaos in the county’s best facility.

“I can’t promise that, but we’ll do our best.” Song Nianqiang’s words nearly choked the director. If they failed, no one would know where the Fivefold Phantom was hiding or where it transported the bodies. In this sweltering heat, five days would surely lead to decomposition; you couldn’t hand over a rotting corpse.

Perhaps sensing the director’s worry, Song Nianqiang stepped forward and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. With the Fivefold Phantom involved, the bodies will be preserved quite well. Just give us five days. After that, I promise you’ll get a satisfactory answer.”

Hearing this, the director felt some reassurance. He gritted his teeth and said to Song Nianqiang, “Brother, I’m counting on you. If you succeed, I’ll give you fifty thousand yuan as a reward!”

In this small county, fifty thousand yuan could accomplish a great deal. Money is a wonderful thing. Song Nianqiang said nothing, but the fat man piped up, “Don’t renege on that promise!”

The director thumped his chest and assured them, “I won’t go back on my word!”

With five days to prepare, Song Nianqiang and his companion had plenty of time. Catching the Fivefold Phantom was nothing like their previous solo ventures; they needed to set traps in advance, for this was not just one ghost but five.

(Sorry, whether in the dormitory or the internet cafe, there’s been no internet. I finally found a cafe with a connection to update, only to discover I have just one chapter in reserve. Well, I’ll add more tonight if I can get online, though I can’t promise how many chapters.)