A chilling wind howled, the air thick with a ghostly presence.
In the darkness, sharp, scraping sounds would occasionally echo from within the abandoned Dream Toy Factory. It sounded like teeth gnawing on wooden planks, or perhaps fingernails scratching against metal.
Just as Gao Neng was about to step through the main gate, he felt a sudden gust of wind by his ear.
"SWISH!"
A black shadow shot out, rushing toward him at high speed.
Gao Neng had quick reflexes. He instinctively swung his hammer.
But he missed.
The black shadow leaped high into the air. Mid-flight, it repeatedly swiped its menacing claws, aiming for Gao Neng's face.
Just as it was about to connect, Gao Neng remained completely unfazed, swinging his hammer again with a backhand motion.
"MEOW!!!"
The feral cat retreated.
It was perfectly normal for a feral cat or stray dog to pop out in an abandoned factory like this.
Gao Neng had seen it all before. He simply wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and put on the "special mask" he had prepared.
When they said special, they really meant it.
Because this mask couldn't actually cover his mouth...
After all, it was cheap.
There was a hole in it when Gao Neng bought it. The vendor claimed it was a new, breathable model. Gao Neng didn't mind. After buying it, he stitched it up with a few white threads, making it look like a gaping, bloody maw baring its fangs.
Who's looking at the mask, anyway?
Gao Neng had perfect features, so he didn't pay much attention to such superficial things. After putting on the mask, he smeared some black mud on his face. Then, he started strapping on protective gear: a steel plate for his chest, and guards for his arms and legs.
Once everything was ready, he took another step forward and entered the gate of the Dream Toy Factory.
"WHOOSH!" A sinister wind stirred the leaves and dust on the ground, slowly swirling them into the air, where they seemed to form the face of a malevolent spirit.
"Nice weather we're having today. Perfect for hunting some ghosts!" Gao Neng grinned. The ghastly white mask crumpled inward, looking like a wailing specter.
Without further delay, he began to feel his way forward.
In the darkness, with only the wind for company, he moved with extreme care and caution. He was unhurried, steady as a rock.
However, he didn't know that no matter how steady he was, he had been spotted the moment he stepped into the Dream Toy Factory.
Because, just behind the main gate of the Dream Toy Factory, a surveillance camera was flashing with a faint light, slowly rotating to follow his movements.
...
Inside the Dream Toy Factory.
There was a surveillance room with only a single air vent. Inside were two computers, their screens displaying a grid of camera feeds.
Gao Neng was right there on one of the feeds, looking quite impressive.
"These guys really aren't afraid to die. We just offed one a few days ago, and now another one shows up?" a young man with yellowed teeth said, taking a drag from his cigarette with a cold smirk.
"What can you do? These bastards are poorer than the last, always thinking they can come in here and scavenge some scraps. But there's an upside: nobody cares if we kill 'em. Tsk, tsk... Thinking back to that chick last time... that taste... It was just too damn good. Too bad the higher-ups took her away after I only got to have my fun twice. Ptooey!" the fatty next to him spat.
In the Forgotten Land, there was a very common profession: trash picking.
These people mostly came out at night, carrying large backpacks. Abandoned factories were their first choice and most frequented spots.
After all, you could always pry some screws or parts off the factory machines.
"Want to play? Didn't the bosses pay us today? If you want some fun, I'll take you out tonight," Huang Ya said. He then casually picked up the walkie-talkie on the table and shouted into it, "Hey, actor team, is the actor team there? Are you dead? If not, get up and get to work!"
"Here, here, here... We got a job? Is it a guy or a girl?" a cheerful voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"It's a guy, so don't even think about it. No fun for you, unless you swing that way. Right, the guy's almost at the workshop entrance now. I saw him scare off a feral cat just now, so he's probably an old hand at this. Be careful. Just scare him off and we're done. We'll knock off early today. I'll take you guys out to party tonight!"
"Alright! Which club are we hitting today, Brother Huang Ya?"
"A new one. Not telling you lot yet. You guys go do the scaring. Give me a shout when you're done. Fatty and I are gonna catch a quick nap. I'm planning to go three hundred rounds tonight!"
"Don't you worry and get some sleep, Brother Huang Ya. This isn't our first time. When it comes to scaring people... we're professionals!"
"CLACK!"
The walkie-talkie was tossed onto the table.
Huang Ya tilted his head back and took another drag of his cigarette. "Professionals my ass. Just a bunch of damn temp actors. Still, they're dedicated enough. Ah, I'm dead tired. Gonna get some sleep. Fatty, grab me a pillow?"
"SNORE..." Fatty was already snoring beside him.
"Fuck!" Huang Ya cursed and closed his eyes.
「Meanwhile...」
A "ghost"—a figure draped in a white mosquito net, wearing a fake mask with a long tongue lolling out—carefully clipped the walkie-talkie to his belt.
"Alright boys, time to work!"
"Yeah..."
"Don't be lazy, every one of you! What is our dream? To be actors! Don't mind that what we're doing now is dirty, that we've killed a few people. That doesn't matter. Our souls are pure! We have a dream! Even if we're just temp actors right now, we must still live up to our roles. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
"Very good. What is our objective?"
"Scare the piss out of him! Scare the piss out of him!"
"It's a shame... it's a guy. I'm not into that. It would've been fun if it were a girl. Alright boys, let's move out! This time, we're not just gonna scare the piss out of him, we're gonna scare the shit out of him too!"
"YEAH!"
The mob of ghosts scattered in all directions.
...
At the entrance of the Dream Toy Factory's workshop.
The farther Gao Neng walked, the more he felt that something was wrong. He could actually hear the sound of wind, as if someone was breathing right next to his ear.
'Could there really be ghosts?' Gao Neng wiped his sweat again.
Just as he was thinking this, a clap of thunder exploded by his ear.
It was as if lightning had flashed.
And in that brief flash of light, he saw a corpse hanging from a tree at the workshop's entrance. Its face was pale, its tongue lolled out a good half-meter, and it was wrapped in a white robe from which red blood dripped steadily.
So scary!
So terrifying!
So horrifying!
Gao Neng froze instantly.
And most importantly, as his gaze fell upon that pale face, he got the distinct feeling that it was smiling at him.
'As expected, that's the expression!' The ghost hanging from the tree grinned. He reveled in the feeling of scaring people out of their minds. Then, he began to let out a sinister laugh.
"HEHEHE..."
On top of that, he also started to squirm.
CREAK... CREAK...
As his body writhed like a snake, the tree branch let out a cringe-inducing groan.
Then, he saw Gao Neng move.
He dashed forward in a single bound, right hand raised high.
The ghost was shocked.
But he was an actor. He had professional integrity. As long as he wore this costume, then in his heart, he became a vengeful spirit.
This was scientifically proven.
Many examples proved this point. When a person put on a performance costume, they could easily perform actions they couldn't manage during normal training.
This was a display of surpassing one's limits.
Therefore, even though he was shocked, at this most dangerous moment, he wouldn't make a single human sound. He would only shriek like a ghost.
"AIIIEEE... HEHE!"
"THUD!"
The hammer fell, and the ghostly shriek came to an abrupt halt.
"That's for shrieking and scaring me!"