Jin Qiang stepped off the train with a heavy exhale, the cool night air slapping his face like a warning.
The sky above was murky, bruised with heavy clouds, as if the heavens themselves disapproved of where he was going.
His phone then vibrated with the next part of the System's instructions.
A taxi sat idling near the station entrance, and Jin flagged it down with a half-hearted wave. As he got in, he gave the Inn's address Xiao Hei had booked for him and let the silence of the ride sink in. The driver didn't ask questions, he just drove, eyes fixed ahead as though knowing better than to pry into the business of someone who was headed to the part of town that wasn't mostly visited.
After about twenty minutes, they arrived at a small, worn-down residential inn.
The building had an old-fashioned design, with arched wooden beams and soft paper lanterns swaying at the corners.
Jin checked in quickly, barely listening to the half-asleep attendant who handed him the room key with a bored expression, and walked to the room.
Once he was inside the room, Jin dropped his backpack onto the bed, and took a quick glance around.
The room smelled faintly of mildew, had a narrow single bed, a desk, and a small window overlooking an alley. It wasn't much, but it was clean enough, and most importantly, cheap. He wasn't here for comfort anyway…. Just survival.
Jin Qiang sat on the bed, stared at the blank wall for a moment, and then let out a soft sigh.
But there was no time for rest as his phone rang.
Ding!
[System Update: Report to Haunting Site within 30 minutes.]
"This is it Qiang-ge!!!~ Let's go!!~" Xiao Hei shouted through the earphones.
"Alright," he muttered, grabbing his bag again and locking the door behind him. "Let's get this over with."
Jin made his way downstairs and out the front entrance of the inn. Where the streetlights flickered faintly along the sidewalk, casting long shadows against the cracked pavement.
And beside the building, parked just a few steps from the door, was a row of dusty, neglected e-scooters.
"A trusty steed awaits~" Xiao Hei gleefully joked.
With a soft grunt, Jin scanned one, shoved his backpack into the narrow basket on the front, and slipped on his helmet with the taped-up flashlight above.
For some reason, he felt like the air was heavier tonight…. Thicker….. Like even the air knew something was waiting for him.
He then whispered to himself, "It's just an abandoned playground. It's just an abandoned playground. It's just—"
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
[System Update: Destination Coordinates Confirmed Nearby.]
[Location: Playground of the Forgotten confirmed.]
[Route locked.]
[GPS disabled.]
The screen showed only a blinking arrow pointing north.
"Of course…" Jin groaned.
Xiao Hei floated around him like an excited, evil tour guide. "Ooooh, I hope the swings still move by themselves! That was always my favorite."
"You're not helping..." Jin said as he kick-started the e-scooter with a wheeze and a prayer.
As the chill air brushed past his face and the inn disappeared behind him. The scooter hummed along the main road, past shuttered shops and crooked fences, everything bathed in the muted glow of sodium lights.
And Jin followed the arrow into the night, not knowing that by the time he returned…..
If he returned...
Nothing in his life would ever feel "normal" again...
More so than what he thought or would have ever expected....
The further Jin rode, the more the city lights faded behind him, until all that was left was the dim, choking mist clinging to the road. His scooter's weak headlight barely cut through the fog, throwing eerie shadows across the cracked pavement.
He followed the blinking arrow, where every turn seemed to draw him deeper into a part of the city even locals avoided.
"Qiang-ge ~ You know what'd make this ride better? A soundtrack! Hehe~ Something epic, like, imagine you riding into battle while Careless Whisper plays~ Just saxophones and ghosts, baby!~ Hehe~ "
Jin sighed through his nose.
"Can we not?" he muttered, weaving around a pothole.
"Or wait! Wait!! How about a spooky remix of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? It'll definitely set the mood. Creepy kids love that stuff. Hehehe~"
"Why are you like this…" Jin murmured, as his lips twitched despite himself.
"Because I'm dead and bored~ And you're welcome... If I didn't keep you company, you'd be crying into your snacks by now… Tehee~"
Jin scoffed, but the tension in his shoulders eased a little. There was something oddly comforting about Xiao Hei's chaotic rambling.
Annoying, yes. But familiar.
Twenty minutes later…
The road narrowed as he turned into a dim suburban lane. The trees here were taller, older, and their branches knotted like gnarled hands reaching across the sky.
The cursed phone then vibrated violently against his pocket.
[Destination: Arrived.]
[You have entered a Haunted Zone.]
From afar, Jin Qiang could see the entrance gate standing crookedly at the end of a cracked path, rusted and half-swallowed by vines.
Jin skidded to a shaky stop, heart hammering as he looked up.
'Welcome to Sunvale Community Playground'
The paint was so faded that Jin almost missed the second line, scrawled in graffiti underneath.
Nobody leaves smiling.
Jin stared at the words, his throat dry.
"That's not ominous at all…" Jin muttered, parking his scooter awkwardly by a dying streetlight.
He stepped off the scooter slowly, took his backpack from the front basket, and took a few steps forward.
Jin stood in front of the entrance and felt that the air here was thick and heavy.
The faint smell of iron mixed with the sweet, rotting scent of damp leaves, and somewhere deep inside the park, he heard the faint, metallic squeak of a swing moving... even though the wind had completely died.
"Do I go in or wait?" Jin whispered, expecting Xiao Hei to answer, but silence was the only thing heard.
He took the cursed phone out of his pocket and checked the countdown displayed on the live stream overlay.
[🎥 Haunting Event: Playground of the Forgotten – 00:05:13 –]
There were about 5 minutes before it reached zero.
And Jin didn't know what to do.
Anxious about what could happen next, he grabbed his second flashlight from his backpack, held it, and went past the broken gate, slowly walking ahead into the playground proper.
The place was much bigger than he expected it to be, and creepier too.
He wanted to scan the whole area, but it was very dark and he couldn't see the whole place properly. The only light source he had was coming from his two flashlights.
And just after a few minutes, the cursed phone buzzed in his left hand.
[🎥 Haunting Event: Playground of the Forgotten – 00:00:00 –]
Haunt Index: 🟡Yellow
Mission: "Playful Woe" - Find the Forgotten Doll and set it free or survive until the time limit ends.
Conditions: No leaving the area once inside. Instant death if you do.
Time Limit: 02:00:00
Warning: Presence Detected. Proceed with Caution.
The broken gate then screamed shut behind Jin with a metallic groan, making him flinch.
Xiao Hei popped into the phone's screen, grinning way too widely. "See? Easy! Just find the doll, free it, or try not to die horribly until the time limit ends."
Jin took a breath, trying to remain calm.
"Alright… if this is a prank, I'm not mad," he called out into the stillness. "Seriously, you got me. Good job. Very elaborate."
Silence…..
Only the cold night air and the faint rustling of leaves could be heard.
Jin lowered his voice a little and continued, "Seriously. You can come out now…."
And there was still nothing….
Jin turned slowly in a circle, eyes scanning for a shadow, a laugh, a camera crew, anything that would break the illusion. His heartbeat thudded in his ears.
But there was nothing.
Jin ignored the sting in his chest, the chill on his neck. He gritted his teeth and scanned the playground one more time.
Then...
POP.
A face suddenly filled his view up close.
"GAH—!" Jin jerked back, his breath hitched, and almost dropped his flashlight and phone.
A young boy was suddenly right there, smiling.
Appearing behind him with no footsteps, no warning.
"Hiyaaa~" the boy said casually.
Jin blinked…
(That voice…)
"Wait… you....." he paused, squinting.
(that hoodie… those ridiculous shades…)
"Hehe~ Your reaction was gold, Qiang-ge~"
"Xia… Xiao Hei?" Jin stammered, wide-eyed.
The figure grinned widely and leaned in. He wore a familiar oversized black hoodie, purple tinted shades, and a massive pair of headphones perched over unkempt hair, and was grinning as usual.
"And here I thought I was being subtle~ Hehe~" Xiao said with a giggle.
Jin let out a nervous laugh, half-expecting someone to jump out and yell gotcha.
"Oh, so you are real… And this is still a prank, right?" Jin said with a hint of relief and slightly smiled.
Then he saw it, as his gaze naturally went down.
His smile froze on his lips, and his body went still.
Xiao Hei had no legs.
From the waist down, he simply drifted in midair, like mist refusing to take shape.
Xiao Hei tilted his head, mouth stretching into a gleeful smirk.
"I told you…" He whispered as he leveled his face with Jin's.
"I'm your deadest mod… TEHEE~ And it's time for the Real Stream to begin Qiang-ge~"