Chapter 65: The Dark Shadow in the Car

"Brother?"

Li Yang's shout pulled Le Dong back to reality.

"Brother, don't hesitate anymore." Not noticing the abnormal look on Le Dong's face, Li Yang continued his pitch, "Look, this car didn't hold its value very well to begin with, and with this minor accident, the price is even harder to push up.

Well then, didn't I say I'd compensate the two of you earlier? Out on the market, this car would easily sell for eighty or ninety thousand! Today, I'm going all out: thirty thousand! Thirty thousand and you drive it away! Consider it making a new friend to make up for my mistake just now. How about it?"

"Thirty thousand?" Cai Kun poked his head out from the driver's seat, his face a mix of surprise and temptation, "So cheap?" He looked at Le Dong with eager eyes, "Dongzi, this price... is seriously a steal!"

Le Dong didn't speak. He rubbed his eyes and looked back inside the car, but there was no trace of the black figure...

"Dongzi... what are you thinking about? If you ask me..."

Cai Kun urged him again. Le Dong cut him off, pinching the inspection report and looking over it repeatedly. Rationality told him the price was indeed absurdly low, and abnormal circumstances always harbored something bizarre, but the report looked fine, and the car's condition seemed acceptable on the surface.

Most importantly, they were in urgent need of a reliable vehicle right now. Compared to that little van, of two evils, they had to choose the lesser...

Seeing that Le Dong was still hesitating, Li Yang poured a little more fuel on the fire: "Look, brothers, you seem like straightforward guys. That old van of yours, though a bit beaten up, can still fetch some money for its parts.

I won't quibble with you anymore; just trade it straight to me, and I'll knock off another ten thousand! Twenty thousand yuan and this Regal is yours, with the registration transfer fully covered, and you can drive it away today! That should do it, right? Go out and ask around if there's a second place offering this kind of price!"

"Twenty thousand?!"

Cai Kun jumped right out of the driver's seat and slapped the car roof excitedly, "Oh my god, you... you are too generous! What is there to hesitation about, Dongzi? Driving a Regal for twenty thousand, what's a bit of road ahead after that?"

Le Dong looked at Cai Kun's expression of having struck a massive bargain, then glanced at Li Yang's "sincere" face, before thinking of their broken-down van and the unknown journey ahead.

In the end, practical necessity overwhelmed his lingering doubts. He took a deep breath and nodded: "Then it's a deal!"

"Decisive!" Li Yang was overjoyed and slapped his hands together, "Let's go, let's sign the contract and process the paperwork!"

What followed happened with astonishing speed.

With Li Yang's "enthusiastic assistance," the entire registration transfer took less than two hours.

As evening approached, Cai Kun received the official license plates. Li Yang enthusiastically walked them to the market entrance, shaking Cai Kun's hand vigorously:

"Brothers, safe travels on the road. If you need anything else in the future, come find Li Yang again—I'll definitely give you the lowest price!" His smile was so radiant that it was as if the person pointing fingers and cursing at the repair shop entrance hadn't been him at all.

Le Dong and Cai Kun got into the car, shutting out Li Yang's overly enthusiastic face. After driving for half a day, Cai Kun's excitement still hadn't faded: "Hey, this car, at this price, was totally worth it. Dongzi, do you think our luck is finally turning around?"

Le Dong closed his eyes to sense the ride; it was indeed much better than the little van, but the uneasy feeling in his heart never completely dissipated. He just nodded: "Let's hope so. Let's find a place to eat and wait for Lin Xun's call."

Taking a few turns, the two found a small diner on the outskirts of the city to grab a simple meal.

During the meal, Le Dong sent a text message to Lin Xun, informing him of the change of vehicle and contact number, but Lin Xun did not reply.

After eating, the sky had completely darkened. Time ticked by minute by minute, and as it neared 10:00 PM, there was still no news from Lin Xun and Ma Wenwen.

Not daring to casually check into a motel for the night—fearing Lin Xun might suddenly reach out—they discussed it and decided to drive to the front of the city's police station to wait. At least it was brightly lit there, which offered some peace of mind.

"Dongzi, why don't you drive for a bit? I was exhausted driving that crappy van during the day, and after tossing and turning all day, I'm dying of sleepiness."

Cai Kun yawned, cradling the malfunctioning statue of Zhong Kui, and curled up in the passenger seat.

"Alright, get some sleep." Le Dong replied. Before long, Cai Kun was letting out soft snores.

In the dead of night, the city was brightly lit, but traffic had thinned out considerably. Le Dong turned on the car's music, trying to dispel the unease in his heart and the anxiety of waiting.

Soft music flowed through the cabin, slightly easing his tense nerves.

Accompanied by the music, the car drove steadily on the empty road toward the police station, the time silently ticking toward eleven o'clock.

Suddenly!

Bzzzzz—!

A harsh burst of electrical static replaced the soothing music without warning, filling the entire cabin!

Startled by the sudden noise, Le Dong frowned and instinctively reached out to press the button, wanting to change the track or turn it off.

Before his fingers even touched the button, that harsh static sound abruptly shifted!

Wuwuwu... wuwu... wu...

An extremely eerie sound erupted from the speakers!

It was no longer static, but... crying—a mixture of men's and women's intertwined weeping!

The sound came in intermittent bursts, carrying an inexplicable chill and despair, as if saturated with endless pain. In the silent cabin, it sounded exceptionally spine-chilling!

Le Dong's scalp tingled, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He fumbled frantically to press the audio system's power switch.

"What kind of crappy song is this!" he cursed under his breath. However, no matter how he pressed or adjusted it, the hair-raising crying did not diminish in the slightest; instead, as if provoked by his actions, the sound grew louder and clearer!

The sobbing, the weeping, and even the piercing screech of fingernails scraping against glass assaulted his eardrums crazily!

"Damn it, what kind of crappy button is this!" Anxious and angry, Le Dong cursed out loud. Abandoning the attempt to turn it off, he just wanted to drive to the police station as fast as possible. Irritated, he raised his head, wanting to check the traffic conditions behind through the rearview mirror.

The exact moment his gaze swept toward the rearview mirror—

A bone-chilling coldness surged like an electric current from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!

His movements froze instantly, and his blood seemed to congeal at that moment!

In the rearview mirror...

In the dim light of the streetlights flashing past outside the car...

A blurry, distorted human silhouette—formed entirely of dense shadow!

It was just sitting there, silently, perched on the back seat!

Almost at the same time, Le Dong's ears, filled with the bizarre weeping, clearly captured a far more terrifying truth:

That heart-stopping sobbing and wailing... seemed... seemed not to be coming entirely from the car stereo at all!

Part of that sound... felt more like... felt more like it was right against his earlobe...

Or even... coming from right behind him... from the direction of that dark figure... drifting over, eerily...