Chapter 29: Life and Death Beyond the Fifth Watch

Death was closing in, forcing Li Tianque to unleash a potential within himself he had never tapped before.

He genuinely began to suspect that his current speed was such that even Bolt would be left in the dust.

Li Tianque sprinted madly to the small square, the ghostly shadow trailing close behind him.

The terrifying, charred specter did not close the distance by running faster, but rather, the gap diminished with the passage of time.

But Li Tianque’s desperate running was not in the hope of shaking it off—he only wanted to reach the appointed place as quickly as possible.

Now that he was out of his home, Li Tianque found himself calming down. He gasped for breath, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins on his wrists trembled.

He had followed Lü Mou’s instructions and arrived at the pool in the center of the square.

This large pool had once been a landscaped fountain, but over time, due to neglect and lack of maintenance, its original function had faded away, and the fountain pipes were now deeply rusted.

Long years of stagnant water had filled the pool with filth and refuse, and a faint stench of rot clung to it, nauseating and foul.

It was a little past seven in the evening; nearby residents were gathering in the square. The lively music and bustling atmosphere, which would have grated on Li Tianque’s nerves at any other time, now actually helped to ease his taut nerves, making him almost wish he could wander among the moonlit dancers or stroll by the lotus pond.

Li Tianque threaded his way through the crowd, hastening to the edge of the large pool.

His trembling hand reached instinctively for his cigarettes, but when he spotted the floating, drifting ghostly shadow still drawing closer, he quickly suppressed the urge.

He had no idea how this ghost had died, but judging from its current appearance, it was clear the thing had just suffered a violent inferno, reduced to a charred corpse.

No—he must not touch anything associated with fire.

This conviction only grew stronger in Li Tianque’s heart. Until Lü Mou arrived, he did not dare to go near anything related to fire, not even to smoke.

The square was bustling with people: hurried white-collar workers rushing for the subway, mothers taking crying children for a walk, clusters of energetic teenagers skateboarding in groups.

In Li Tianque’s eyes, the entire scene seemed to detach from reality, like frames of an oil painting drifting past—vivid, yet blurry at the edges.

In the midst of the muddled light and shadows, the black ghostly figure stood out starkly, slowly drawing nearer.

Li Tianque hesitated, unsure whether to run or to dodge, and began to watch his surroundings with growing vigilance.

Soon, he noticed that there was nothing flammable nearby—no trace of combustibles or explosives. Only one thing made him uneasy: a grilled cold noodle cart slowly approaching.

On the cart sat two gas canisters, heavy and black, which would have seemed unremarkable to anyone else, but now appeared to Li Tianque as a grave threat.

The cart came closer and closer, his heartbeat grew ever more frantic, until finally his strained nerves snapped—he shouted in a frenzy, his voice wild and desperate:

“Don’t come any closer! Go away! Leave this place!”

Disheveled and wearing mismatched shoes, Li Tianque hardly looked sane; his outburst startled the vendor, who hesitated, then continued pushing the cart in his direction.

“Stay back! Go away, now!” Li Tianque shouted wildly, picking up stones and broken tiles from the pool’s edge and hurling them at the vendor.

This time, the vendor—first angry, snatching up an iron rod as if to chase Li Tianque off—finally thought better of it, decided not to provoke the madman, and turned his cart to leave.

Li Tianque's sudden outburst drew the attention of everyone present.

People’s gazes converged on him; passersby gave him a wide berth, though many glanced back over their shoulders as they hurried away. Some took out their phones for photos, others perhaps called the police or phoned friends to talk about the bizarre scene.

But only Li Tianque still watched the closing ghost with mounting dread.

What was even more terrifying was that, as the ghost drew nearer, its appearance began to change.

At first, it was only a charred, blackened human form, skin split and flesh torn. But as it advanced, cracks split open across its body, from which fresh blood spurted.

Worse yet, its limbs began to twist and deform, bones breaking through the skin, as if the entire skeleton might collapse at any moment.

Why? Why was it changing like this?

The ghost’s condition was no longer as simple as death by fire—it was more like an explosion!

Could there be something else flammable or explosive nearby besides that gas canister? Would he be engulfed by a sudden blaze?

Li Tianque looked around. After his earlier shouting, no one dared approach him. The square was empty around him; everyone else avoided his gaze, and parents hustled their children away, not letting them even glance in his direction.

He considered all the possible causes of a fire or explosion, but could find no clue that fit: not even a frayed electrical wire nearby—nothing at all that could account for a coming blaze...

Could it be—a meteorite crashing down from the sky?

Fear spread through him, and Li Tianque could wait no longer. He pulled out his phone and called Lü Mou again.

This time, there was no answer—just the endless beeping of an unanswered call.

Swallowing hard, Li Tianque’s composure finally broke as the ghost neared. It was now less than ten meters away, and the stench of scorched flesh was so strong he could smell it clearly.

What now? What was going on?

Why should he suddenly die in fire or in an explosion? What was about to happen here?

He swept his gaze around once more, but still saw nothing suspicious. His mind spun in confusion.

Then, suddenly, a thought struck him—he looked down at his feet.

Of course! He had looked everywhere, except beneath himself.

Sure enough, he was standing atop a solid iron plate, and stamped on it were the words: “Weihua Gas.”

He was directly above a gas pipeline!

Li Tianque’s eyes went wide—shocked and relieved—he had finally found the source of the danger!

Acting on instinct, he leapt aside, away from the pipeline cover, then ran a few more steps, rounding to the far side of the pool.

From the markings on the ground, he could see that he was now out of the danger zone.

“Phew... that was close…”

Li Tianque could not help but sigh, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He breathed a little easier now, believing he might actually last until Lü Mou arrived.

With the tension draining from him, Li Tianque felt a bit dizzy, and slowly sat down on the edge of the pool, his mind still spinning.

He’d just wait here for Lü Mou…

As he thought this, he suddenly noticed that the stench of burnt flesh was growing even stronger.

What was that smell?

A chill ran through his heart—he looked up, and felt the blood freeze in his veins.

To his horror, even though he had clearly avoided the impending danger, the terrifying ghost had neither vanished nor retreated. It hadn’t even stopped.

On the contrary—the horrifying specter was actually… closer!

It was now less than five meters away—he could smell the acrid stench as if it were right in front of him.

Li Tianque’s eyes widened in terror at the monstrous sight before him.

The ghostly figure was hardly even human anymore; its flesh clung to the blackened, shattered skeleton in ragged scraps.

Why wasn’t it over? How could he still be engulfed by an explosion?

Li Tianque’s mind was growing hazy. He glanced around instinctively.

He hadn’t expected to see anything new, but this time, he finally saw the cause of death!

But it was already too late to escape.

To his horror, he saw that, just beyond the square at a nearby intersection, a fuel tanker, swerving to avoid an electric scooter darting across the street, had lost control and was barreling straight toward the square at tremendous speed.

The crowd screamed as the tanker careened into the throng. Those closest to it were mercilessly crushed beneath its wheels; agonized screams split the air, and sparks flew like writhing serpents of flame.

At that moment, the blackened ghost lunged at Li Tianque. With no path left for retreat, a desperate thought flashed in his mind:

Jump into the pool!

Yes, maybe he could survive if he jumped into the pool!

As the ghost lunged, Li Tianque flung himself backward and dove into the filthy, brackish water behind him…