Chapter 001

The car continued to move forward, and due to just waking up, I no longer felt sleepy. I was only chatting with Lin Tian in a sporadic manner. Unknowingly, we had already left the old road in the mountains. Yet, I did not hear the mute cries behind us.

Who would have thought this person was so hesitant, merely gesturing with his hands. Lin Tian and I exchanged glances, thinking to ourselves that he might actually be mute

In fact, I have also doubted whether it was truly because my mother had just passed away, and I was in a bad mood, combined with the darkness of the night, that I misperceived things

When the neighbors discovered the body, the mother had already been dead for three days. Since there were no relatives or friends nearby, they contacted me and also reported it to the police

Three days later, I was discharged from the hospital. The first thing I did was to go find Lin Tian

I rolled down the car window, and due to the darkness, I could not see this person's face clearly. I only asked him where he was going

We all turned to look back at the same time, only to see that the mute had suddenly reappeared in the back seat, leaning forward and crawling towards us

Upon hearing this, I was instantly taken aback and hurriedly turned to look at the medical record card

I was just about to say a few comforting words when Lin Tian suddenly tightened his grip on my hand and said in a lowered voice, "You saw it too, right? We must have encountered a ghost!"

I hurriedly concealed it, as if afraid that others would see me as a monster, saying that it was just a problem with the car

The vehicle gradually slowed down and stopped beside that person

He grabbed my hand, making me fear that the people nearby would misunderstand.

I was startled by his shout, thinking that I had indeed encountered a robbery while doing a good deed, and I hurriedly turned my head to look.

Lin Tian glanced at me, but did not wish to argue with me too much

I think it is not unusual to flag down a car on such mountain roads; perhaps someone else's vehicle has broken down, and they simply cannot wait any longer, so they move forward on their own. When one is out in the world, one may encounter all kinds of difficulties and challenges that are not found in books.

A sudden jolt ran through my heart, and I remained silent for half a day without answering her

At a glance, I almost lost my breath

Due to work reasons, I am currently living alone in the city. My hometown is in another county several hundred kilometers away, and apart from a few holidays throughout the year, I rarely have the time to return.

Little did anyone know that this old man was relentless, insisting that he was the rightful occupant of this bed.

This time, due to the unexpected news of my mother's death, I took a leave of absence and asked a friend to accompany me back.

Red paper clothing, green paper trousers, a snow-white face, and two pieces of black paper stuck over the eyes

Not far along, illuminated by the car lights, I suddenly saw a person standing by the roadside ahead. They appeared to be stranded and unable to find a vehicle, looking quite pitiful.

The young girl briefly explained the situation to me over the phone, indicating that her parents believe this matter is inauspicious and currently do not wish for her to meet with Lin Tian. However, we are both good young people of the 21st century, materialists who have never subscribed to such superstitions, and therefore she did not take these concerns to heart

However, upon reflection, even if I am like this, Lin Tian should not have any issues. Therefore, after much consideration, I decided to meet him in person

I found it boring, stood up, and pointed at the medical record card at the foot of the bed, saying, "Look, sir, it is clearly written on whose hospital bed this is."

In the hospital ward, I called his name softly

The little girl let out a sound and did not pursue the matter further

Lin Tian was also flustered; he wanted to step on the brakes to stop and see what was going on, but to his surprise, after stepping on them for a long time, it was completely ineffective

Because they knew that Lin Tian accompanied me back to my hometown due to my mother's death, and then such an incident occurred. When Lin Tian woke up, he kept repeating the events of that night. His parents believed this was very inauspicious and hurriedly processed the transfer procedures, hoping to distance him from me.

Lin Tian's hospital room is the type shared by two people. The old man glanced at the bed next to him, then looked at us and said, "Young man, you must have entered the wrong room. This is my bed"

Lin Tian had not yet regained his composure when I interjected, saying, "Sir, my brother has been staying here for a few days now. Think carefully about which room you are in.

When I woke up, I was lying in the hospital. I heard the nurse say that both my injuries and Lin Tian's were not too serious, and that we could be discharged after a few days of rest

Lin Tian, lacking patience, directly told the person that they were in a hurry, and if he wanted a ride along the way, he should get on quickly and call out when they reached the destination.

I stared at him blankly for a long time; this old man appeared somewhat frail, his expression somewhat haggard, as if he had been ill for a long time

On the second day after the seventh day of mourning, I tidied up the house briefly, took some commonly used items, and returned to the city with a friend

I shrank my neck a bit and indeed felt a little shiver. Considering the weather in the south approaching July, such a situation should not occur

I knew that he was a patient who had been staying here for a few days and was not foolish enough to run into the wrong room. I quickly said to the old man, "Sir, please have a seat for a moment. I will go ask the nurse; perhaps they made a mistake.

The mute hitchhiker unexpectedly vanished! Moreover, a paper figure used for funerals inexplicably appeared in the back seat!

Then, I only heard Lin Tian's startled scream! ... He lost his grip, and with a loud bang, the car crashed into the guardrail by the roadside. I felt dizzy and lost all awareness of my surroundings ...

By the time I woke up, the sky had already darkened. I looked out the window; the old forest on the mountain was shrouded in darkness, and nothing was visible.

I took the elevator and came straight here

My friend's name is Lin Tian. He has been comforting me, saying things like "please accept my condolences".

The person nodded repeatedly, mumbling softly, and opened the car door to sit in the back seat

She was surprised and said, "It can't be true, can it?"

Fortunately, the old man was reasonable; he merely let out a cold grunt and did not continue to make things difficult.

Perhaps it is due to the recent passing of my mother that I feel a sense of guilt in my heart. I couldn't help but say to Lin Tian, "Let’s stop and take a look. Perhaps someone else is truly in trouble; we might as well do a good deed and accumulate virtue."

Lin Tian's face turned pale. I estimated that I was not much better off. Just as I was feeling anxious, a sudden strange cry of "Wow" came from behind me, startling me so much that my whole body trembled

Lin Tian said, "Brother, I finally see you! I thought you were dead! I asked everyone, but no one would tell me about you."

I arrived at the hospital in the afternoon. According to the little girl, at this time, Lin Tian's parents were not present.

In response to such a question, I find myself at a loss for words. Although I believe I have not misread the situation, having been educated in atheism since childhood, I truly feel uncertain.

Just as I was hesitating, an old man suddenly walked into the ward

Only the name section above displays three characters: Chen Dongsheng

The body of the mother was discovered by a neighbor. She had poor health in general, but during our regular phone conversations, she never mentioned any ailments or pains.

The old man pointed at the name above and said, "Look! I wasn't wrong, this is my bed"

My friend and I encountered a ghost, and he is now hospitalized

That is a winding road on the plateau, which we locals refer to as the Back Mountain. The mountain path twists and turns, with a bend almost every short distance, coiling like a giant snake, resembling a book twisting through the mountains.

I thought for a moment that it was because I had been sitting in the car for too long, compounded by the fact that it was nighttime

According to the customs of my hometown, after holding a funeral, there are no further matters to attend to

Unsure of what to say, I helplessly gazed at Lin Tian, who was also looking at me with a face full of disbelief

Lin Tian's family came to take him away early. I stayed in the hospital for three days, with police coming by from time to time to inquire about the situation. After all, in their eyes, we are still the main culprits of the incident. However, they did not mention anything about the paper figure. I knew that even if I spoke up, they would only think I was crazy. Therefore, I firmly insisted that it was due to brake failure. I was somewhat relieved that Lin Tian was not foolish; he echoed the same lines as I did.

Two pale hands suddenly reached over from the back seat, grabbing the shoulders of Lin Tian and me

Lin Tian was driving while I sat in the passenger seat. I was so exhausted these past two days that I fell asleep almost as soon as I got in the car

However, not long after, I found that even speaking caused white mist to escape from my mouth. Just as I was about to say that it might be a bit too cold, Lin Tian suddenly glanced in the rearview mirror and shouted, "What the hell is sitting behind us!"

Lin Tian was on the verge of tears upon seeing me

I called him several times, but he has been turned off the whole time. There is no other way, so I can only call Lin Tian's sister

The vehicle began to move forward again. I glanced back and saw that the person's face was very pale, but the eye sockets were quite dark, and he was dressed in a gaudy manner that seemed rather rustic. Although I had heard of many cases where people took advantage of hitchhiking to commit robbery, I noticed that he was frail, and besides, there were two of us, Lin Tian and I. If he truly harbored ill intentions, we were not afraid.

Seeing such a thing out of the blue on this late night made me panic. Cold sweat broke out on my body as I thought of Lin Tiandao, that mute person

Upon hearing these words, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness, as if I were the only person left in this world. However, I understand the intentions of Lin Tian's parents; in their eyes, I may now represent a harbinger of misfortune. The older generation tends to be somewhat superstitious. If Lin Tian were my son, I would certainly not allow him to continue associating with this jinx that has caused him to be hospitalized.

Just tell me the location of the hospital where Lin Tian is staying, as well as the times when his parents are usually not at the hospital. In the end, the little girl also asked, "Tan Ge, my brother was almost scared silly; I don't know if it's because of a concussion, but you guys didn't really encounter a ghost, did you?"

The incident occurred after my mother's funeral

I checked the ward number, it is 603

On the day of the funeral, I cried terribly, deeply regretting that I had not spent more time with her. But now, it is all too late.

After a while, Lin Tian suddenly asked me, "Brother, do you feel a bit cold?"

From my hometown to the city where I work, the expressway is closed, and there is only one old road available.

Lin Tian also saw it, but for some reason, he suddenly cursed, saying that today was truly bizarre, having taken more than ten turns and already encountered seven or eight people hailing for a taxi

After a busy time, most of the relatives have left. I have arranged to meet a friend to go back to my hometown to sort out some belongings

I thought to myself that I didn't have the ability to scare him to tears, so I hurriedly asked what was wrong

It is said that the forensic examination concluded that the mother died suddenly from a myocardial infarction, after which there was no further news, and the matter was left unresolved

The old man glanced and said, "That's right, this is my bed!"

This little girl has been following Lin Tian and me since she was young. It was from her that I learned Lin Tian was injured more severely than I was. His family had already arranged for his transfer to another hospital while I was in a coma