“Victor, do you even know what day it is today?”
Bella Moore’s eyes widened with fear as she looked at him, her voice trembling.
“Victor… today is the Ghost Festival.”
“I’ve heard people say that on the Ghost Festival, the Gate of the Underworld opens.”
I pushed myself up from the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“When the gate opens, a hundred ghosts roam the night.”
The words had barely left my lips when Victor kicked me hard again.
“Stop trying to scare me with that superstitious crap. I don’t believe in this nonsense.”
Bella clung to his arm, her gaze darting nervously around the dark trail.
“Victor… maybe we should forget it. We can watch the sunrise at the beach instead.”
Victor slapped her on the backside with a laugh.
“The word ‘forget’ isn’t in my dictionary. I’m going to the summit tonight, no matter what.
Besides, there’s a Taoist temple at the top. My family donates a lot of money to them every year. Once we get there, no so-called spirits will dare come near me.”
With that, he grabbed me and yanked me to my feet.
“Quit playing dead. Get up and carry the sedan.”
He shoved me toward it and swaggered over to sit down.
But as he tried to lower himself, his body wouldn’t go all the way—half of him hung awkwardly in the air.
Victor’s lackey, not understanding, tried to encourage him.
“Mr. Hughes, go ahead and sit. We’re almost at the top.”
Bella, thinking he was offering her the seat, turned her head shyly.
“Victor, you don’t have to worry about me. I can walk. The sedan should be for you.”
Clutching my aching chest, my eyes locked onto the figure already sitting in the sedan.
She’s here.
A sheen of sweat broke out on Victor’s forehead. He turned to glare at me.
“Tell me—did you mess with the sedan? Why can’t I sit down?”
I gave him a cold, humorless laugh.
“I told you—once seated, you can’t set foot on the ground until you reach the destination. The sedan already has a passenger now. Naturally, you can’t sit.”
Victor’s fist smashed into my face.
“Don’t try to scare me. This is your sedan—you must have done something to it.”
Determined, he tried again to sit, but it was the same.
It was as if something was holding him up from below, refusing to let him settle in.
His temper exploded. He stormed over and kicked me hard.
“Cut the tricks. If you waste my time, you’ll regret it.”
Blood filled my mouth, spilling over my lips. I checked the time—three minutes to midnight.
“It’s too late.”
Victor began punching and kicking me.
“I’m talking to you! Are you deaf?”
Seeing me half-dead, Bella stepped forward quickly, worried he’d go too far.
“Victor, let me try. If I can sit, then Ethan’s been messing with it. If I can’t, then we’ll question him properly.”
She walked over, and the next second—she sat down without a problem.
Victor’s rage flared again. He grabbed me by the collar.
“I knew you were playing games. I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
But before his fist could fall, Bella, still seated in the sedan, suddenly let out a strange, chilling laugh—
a sound that echoed through the still night with an eerie, bone-deep cold.
