Chapter 2, High Energy Ahead

After driving onto the street, Lu Yan glanced at the remaining rearview mirror, saw no one, and let out a sigh of relief

37 is feeling a bit gloomy, having drifted in and out of existence for so long, and finally encountering someone who can perceive his presence, yet that person is unwilling to utter a single word to him

The handsome man continued to mop the floor, placing his foot on the mop again at 37, and the mop smoothly passed through his foot as before

In theory, he wants to eat McDonald's but must find a body; no one can see him, and no one can hear him

It has not appeared again until now

"I can't remember... my name," 37 sighed, "but I will think of it in a moment and tell you then"

He often encounters such people. Recently, while working at K restaurant, there was a girl who came to the dining area every day with a large red paper flower pinned in her hair, asking for a cup of boiled water, and then she would sit at a table reciting to a blank notebook, persistently doing so for three months, regardless of the weather.

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a polite knock on the door, three times.

"Hmm, she is taking time off." It seems that Brother Meng has a bottle in his hand

Rocking and rocking... rocking to Grandma's bridge... rocking and rocking...

After this sentence was spoken, the person's action of mopping the floor paused for a moment, and 37 immediately felt happy, surely they could still hear it

He was completely engulfed in a state of immense bewilderment and incredulity, unsure whether to be angry or horrified

However, what likely made him even happier was seeing 37 on the ship so soon again

When I woke up again, the sun had already set

"I haven't heard of it." 37 said irritably

"I am a ghost," said 37 with a smile

37 and the past, somewhat disappointed, is this person no longer visible to him?

Yes, this person can see him

Lu Yan, with a cigarette in his mouth, gazed at the streetlights reflected in the rearview mirror of the electric bike, as well as the pedestrians coming and going under the streetlights, feeling a sense of being quite unwell.

I also spoke to him

However, the experience of spending a long time at K restaurant without being able to eat left a deep impression on him. This time, he did not rush to find a meal; instead, he retreated to a table and decided to study the menu first

But he does not remember having met such a person at all

"I have seen you," after turning a few tables, 37 said, "At KFC, you were also mopping the floor"

This discovery left 37 feeling somewhat shaken, not just his entire being but his very soul. He stared at the waiter, somewhat incoherent: "You are... talking to me... no, can you... can you see me?"

No need. He stood up, and although he was now somewhat shaken, he still saw the store manager walking out of the break room. Being seen sitting in a chair during work hours would result in a deduction from his pay

37 Not knowing what to do, I could only stand against the wall and watch him.

Lu Yan was in a flurry, hastily tidying up when suddenly the same voice from earlier rang out from outside: "In fact, I can still get in even if the door is closed; I can enter while you are in the bathroom."

Lu Yan turned around and suddenly waved his hand, his hand passing through the body of the person behind him, a chill instantly enveloping his entire arm

Perhaps it was the one who died together with him, sharing one body and two souls, right after suffering a heart attack

retribution

Lu Yan felt that a chaotic array of colorful bullet comments rushed past him, and surprisingly, he calmly recalled that he hadn't watched Bilibili for quite a long time

37 stood in place for a while, having died and come back to life for so long, it was the first time he encountered someone who could see him and hear him, which made him extremely excited

"Damn you!" Lu Yan's anger flared up as he kicked the mop aside and forcefully pulled open the tool room door, "Aren't you able to walk through walls? Come in!"

The large glass window beside him was very bright. He leaned over to take a look at the clock hanging on the wall inside, which read 8:30. There were quite a few people inside eating.

It had just rained, and the area at the entrance was all muddy from being trampled. The cleaning staff, with their head down, was vigorously mopping the floor, and the mop was directly swept towards the feet of 37.

"... ... It's alright." 37 He stepped aside slightly, and upon seeing the face of the waiter, his eyes widened in surprise.

Then ... ... 37 still wanted to speak, but Lu Yan had already rushed into the tool room with a mop and closed the door.

What should I say, "37 thought for a moment, 'Should I hold up a sign that says high energy ahead?'"

Can this person see him

"You are truly good-looking," 37 wondered why he had been following him and talking for so long. He had never spoken so much without a body during this time. Perhaps it was due to loneliness or surprise. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

"... ... is no longer visible now." Lu Yan lowered his head and turned to walk away, dragging his feet to the side

In fact, such matters do not require any particular observational skills; anyone who is not blind can see them

After cleaning the area at the door, he planned to tidy up the table. As he turned around, he discovered that the young man was still standing behind him. Upon seeing him turn, the young man immediately asked, "Can you see me"

I am called ... ... 37. Looking at his back, I pondered for a long time but could not recall my own name. Sometimes he forgets his name, but he has never forgotten the number 37. This is his identification number. "I am called ... ... 37......"

Before he could clarify the relationship among these matters, he suddenly discovered something even more astonishing.

What is this matter

37 remained silent, got up and moved closer to the bow of the ship, and in the midst of the darkness, he once again saw the light and the door panel within the light, no, the Naihe Bridge

Lu Yan threw the cigarette butt on the ground and extinguished it, then stood face to face with him: "What do you mean? How long do you plan to follow me?"

"You... are dying slowly, do not rush." Lu Yan comforted and drove the car out onto the street

I will knock on the door first... I don't know if I can knock, I have never... tried before... said the ghost outside the door, who knows the high energy ahead.

Lu Yangan's heartbeat skipped a beat again after the adjustment, and he deeply regretted speaking to this person. Leaning on the mop handle, he closed his eyes and said, "It came too suddenly"

The sensation of losing physicality is quite distressing, as one cannot touch or feel anything, compounded by various torments of confusion, fear, and resentment

"Have you resigned?" Suddenly, someone behind said.

Isn't that the handsome guy who was mopping the floor at K?

As the handsome man extended the mop, he stepped forward and placed his foot in front of the mop

"What was that saying again?" the sailor said hoarsely, "I, Hu Huan San, have returned..."

Lu Yan stopped his actions, feeling an indescribable mix of anger and fear in his heart

The handsome man remains silent, dragging himself along as if he does not exist

The handsome man finally sat down on the chair beside him and lifted his head

No, no, I just want to talk to you. I have been dead for so long, yet no one has ever been able to see me.

He turned and walked towards the door, intending to find a suitable body

"How is that possible?" 37 asked in surprise, "If no one else can see me, how can you?"

37 did not move, this is the commotion stirred up by the new ghost on the ship

Like this? 37 stood at the very front of the bow.

However, this person is very indifferent, and now they don't even glance in his direction anymore

Um. Lu Yan straightened his body, leaning on the mop, and looked seriously at the person in front of him, who was no more than 20 years old, had relatively large eyes, and was quite good-looking, though his speech was somewhat abnormal

"Who was the last person to speak with me?" he asked

Lu Yan suddenly slammed on the brakes, breaking out in a cold sweat

He stood by the roadside for a long time, and the streetlights had already come on. For him, this time was quite good, better than during the day

At the moment when he felt his fingertips were about to touch the bottle, the sailor behind him let out a soft "oh".

The mop passed directly over his feet, and the handsome man's movements finally came to a halt, staring at the mop without moving.

How are KFC and McDonald's part of the same company

"You were quite the chatterbox when you were alive, weren't you? Now that you're dead, you come here to find someone to talk to?" Lu Yan sat back in the car, started the small battery, and regardless of whether this was true or if he was losing his mind, he no longer wanted to stay with this Tian Qi San Qi.

You? You are different from them... different... They are forever in this river, forever, with neither side bearing their names; they exist only in the river." The boatman paused and then let out a cackling laugh, "But perhaps one day you too..."

"What are you drinking?" 37 extend your hand, "Throw it over here!"

I don't know," the sailor replied succinctly, showing no curiosity about the last time someone spoke.

The waiter still ignored him, and after clearing the plates, returned to the supply room to fetch a mop and went to the door to clean up the mud

"Brother, have you switched shifts with Sister Meng?" A shadow by the bridge shouted, interrupting the boatman's words. This remark left him somewhat flustered and fearful; he did not wish to become a soul eternally trapped on the river, unable to advance or retreat.

A moment of despair

"Don't you watch television?" The sailor chuckled a few times, "Well, at 20 years old, you weren't even born when this was aired."

The store manager stood outside the tool room with a furious expression, raising his hand and asking, "What does this mean?"

Just as I was about to twist the throttle to accelerate, the face of 37 suddenly appeared from behind his shoulder in the rearview mirror: "Can you do me a favor?"

Lu Yan stared at him, adjusting his heartbeat that had failed to keep pace due to excessive shock, "You are..."

This time, he did not even have time to shout before plunging into chaos, losing consciousness

Oh!

When Lu Yan changed out of his work uniform and walked out of McDonald's, he felt devoid of any emotion. Even if the manager had not allowed him to leave, he could no longer stay and chose to resign on his own.

He instinctively dodged, and the mop swept past his feet

The boat swayed slightly

"No way." Lu Yan thought that this person must be ill, and did not look at him again, taking the mop and walking towards the tool room

"What exactly do you want to do?" Lu Yan did not turn around, picked up the cigarette butt, and tapped the ash off his pants.

The ghost that claimed to knock on the door of the tool room disappeared after he yelled at the store manager; to be precise, when he opened the door, the ghost was no longer outside.

37 was pleasantly surprised to find that this was a McDonald's.

"Hi, do you understand me now?" 37 waved his hand at him in front of him, "What is your name?"

"Erguotou." Brother Meng waved his hand, and the bottle flew towards him.

The boatman greatly enjoys this new state, muttering a few lines of "rocking back and forth" before bursting into hearty laughter

The new ghost does not speak, nor does it have the time to speak, swaying back and forth on the boat

Thinking of this, 37 feels somewhat worried. If time gradually extends, will there come a day when he wakes up to find himself transformed into a ghost drifting aimlessly in a chaotic river?

Lu Yan felt a headache coming on, gripping the handlebars and gritting his teeth, he steadied himself: "... Grandma calls me a good baby"

I want to invest, but I keep dying and being thrown back every time. 37 Just mentioning this makes me very irritable. "Do you think I don't want to leave?"

This is the most incredible thing Lu Yan has ever witnessed in his life. He has complete confidence in his observational skills; the mop indeed passed through this person's feet, and it happened twice.

The mop leaning against the side slipped down and hit him on the head, startling him. He jumped up and kicked the water bucket in front of him, causing another mop resting on the bucket to fall down as well, clattering loudly in the cramped space of the tool room like a thunderclap

With his eyes closed, listening to the familiar voice that irritated him to no end, he pondered that if he failed to conceive this time, he would spare no effort to uncover the question behind the old bridge where his grandmother was.

The gloom in my heart has temporarily dissipated; I didn't get to eat at KFC last time, but this time eating at McDonald's is also quite good

You are different from them ... ... Child, do you know, " the sailor said in a hoarse voice, neither hurried nor slow, " how many people are neither in the world of the living nor in the realm of the dead? "

After studying for about ten minutes, 37 decided to order a Big Mac meal, opting for something substantial if they were going to eat.

It seems that when I died for the first time, I also struggled for quite a while, but I cannot recall exactly how I struggled

As soon as the door closed, he threw the mop aside and squatted down on the ground

Do you understand me? 37 questions

I apologize, it was not my intention. I saw someone coming and got scared and ran away, I was afraid of being hit... The voice behind suddenly raised in volume, "Can you see me in the mirror? I can't even see myself!"

The waiter stopped his actions, raised his head, and said to him: "I apologize, I didn't notice someone coming."

What has been happening these days

"Are you not aware of the people on your ship? If you are unaware, what are you doing? You keep asking the same question." 37 Looking at the shadow by the door panel, compared to Sister Meng's slender figure, this shadow is much more robust; this time it is Brother Meng.

"Do you not remember me? That day I..." Standing next to him at 37, "That day I collapsed in front of you while placing my order."

"Sanqi? Isn't it called Tianqi?" Lu Yan flicked the ash from his cigarette, wondering if this ghost was a traditional Chinese medicine that had failed to be reborn

This was his first reaction upon hearing the word "ghost"

He withdrew his hand and did not speak again

Ah, but it's normal not to remember me. I wasn't like this that day. 37 continued to follow him. "So do you have a girlfriend? A boyfriend?"

As the mop passed by, this person's feet became somewhat transparent

This waiter is really handsome, after standing for a while at 37, he began to walk back and forth between the tables, following him at a distance of a few steps.

He does not know what time it is, as the times on both sides are different. He was pushed off the boat and may not be able to return immediately. Based on experience, sometimes it takes a few hours, and other times it takes several days

In the employee parking lot behind the mall, Lu Yan found his electric scooter and sat on it while lighting a cigarette

"Go back." A voice said in his ear

He happily followed the pedestrians through the glass door of McDonald's, looking at the menu above the cash register

"Shake, shake... shake to the Bridge of Helplessness, no, shake to the Bridge of Grandmother..." The voice of 37 was right next to his ear, "What is the next line?"

Lu Yan glanced in the rearview mirror, and the cigarette he was holding in his mouth fell onto his pants

Suddenly feeling a solid sensation on his shoulder, he was firmly pushed by someone and stumbled forward, falling towards the bow of the ship

"Can you see me, can you still hear me, right? Don't worry, I won't hurt you." The boy followed behind him, chattering on.

The waiter ignored him, took the tray and dumped it into the trash can, then turned around and continued to tidy up

In the rearview mirror stood the ghost from earlier, and Lu Yan slapped the rearview mirror, causing it to fall to the ground.

He looked at the handsome man who was silently mopping the floor, remained silent for a moment, and decided to make a bold move

Lu Yan ignored him and, after putting away the mop, began to tidy up the dishes on the table

On the first day of work, they openly sat in the middle of the hall to rest during working hours, did not come out after entering the tool room, and even insulted the store manager

In that moment, he could not utter a single word, only wishing to find someone to pinch him.