"Hello? Konnichiwa? Annyeonghaseyo? Is anyone there?" After rattling off every greeting he knew, Dr Chen got no reply from the room.

His anxiety spiked. If he couldn’t find someone strong enough to deal with the female ghost haunting him, he wouldn’t last long. Without a second thought, he grabbed a wrench and screwdriver and started prying at the lock.

"Open up! Don’t hide in there silent!" He jammed the screwdriver into the keyhole, then hammered it with the wrench—brute force was his only option.

Clang! Clang! Clang! In the silent, pitch-black corridor, heavy breathing and metallic clangs echoed relentlessly, sending chills down the spine.

In Dr Chen’s mind, horror movie ghosts only latched onto you after trespassing their domain—like watching Sadako’s cursed tape, entering Kayako’s haunted house, or drinking Chu Renmei’s bathwater. They’d haunt you relentlessly. But now? The ghosts seemed to be deliberately avoiding him, refusing to show themselves.

"M-Master… my family and I never harmed anyone. We just want to live quietly. Please… spare us!" Just as the lock was about to shatter, a hoarse voice trembled from inside.

"Do you think I’d believe your ghostly lies?"

"Master! It’s true! I’m not a Malevolent Ghost—just a wandering spirit wanting to stay with my family. This building was shrouded in that man’s vengeful aura, trapping us, blocking reincarnation. Now he’s vanished into ashes… we can finally move on. Please spare us."

"This…"

The spirit’s fear was obvious—terrified of Dr Chen, or maybe sensing the Malevolent Ghost clinging to him. If so, seeking him was pointless. These pathetic ghosts would be instantly annihilated anyway.

"Fine. Wasted trip. You weaklings really are useless."

Dr Chen left with a sullen sigh. He figured the male ghost downstairs was the apartment’s real powerhouse. If even *he* got wiped out instantly, no one here was worth fighting.

Downstairs, the two men still lay unharmed. The Room 304 female ghost was gone—likely freed from the male ghost’s control, finally moving on.

"Is this the live-stream phone?" Spotting a glow in the streamer’s pocket, Dr Chen pulled it out curiously. The ghosts’ spiritual barrier had vanished; signal returned, but the stream was closed. He tapped into the backend—heard streaming paid well. Might as well check.

"Holy crap! Over a thousand bucks in hours? Horror streams pay *this* well?" Seeing the earnings, envy prickled under his skin. When could *he* try streaming?

But Malevolent Ghost streams were all staged—people faked scares, like that guy he just met. No team. Just him…

"Why overthink it? I might not even survive the night."

He shelved the idea and headed home, jumping down from the old crooked-neck tree reaching the second floor, scrolling his phone as he walked.

"That ghost got wiped out. What do I do now?"

[...]

Minutes passed. No reply.

"What’s wrong? Broke? Say something!" Still silence. Dr Chen yawned. Almost 3 a.m.—he *had* to get home and sleep, or pass out. Only then would the female ghost appear in his dreams, staring straight at him. 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.: their appointed meeting time.

"Tonight… you won’t choke me, right?" He placed the jar by his pillow—not by choice. Every morning it’d be there anyway. Might as well put it there himself.

Sleepiness washed over him the moment he lay down. After racing around Linping Apartments all night, the utterly exhausted Dr Chen slipped swiftly into dreamland.