Starting as a dockworker

Chapter 12: Another person dies, extremely bizarre!

Hagen's death cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

What everyone thought was a foolproof method now seems like a complete joke.

Even with their eyes open, they had no idea how Haigen had disappeared...

Kai Zi, Gou Zi... several young people stayed up all night with dark circles under their eyes.

Old Gang, Chao Sheng, Da Niu... the older guys have a good mindset, but they haven't been sleeping well either.

Only Li Xiao remained radiant, seemingly unaffected.

"Just as I guessed..."

After what happened last night, Li Xiao had some answers in his heart.

Last night, he had noticed the strength of the "life fire" above everyone's head.

The weakest was Haigen, and it turned out he was the one who died last night.

So it seems the filth here isn't that bad.

Not only can it only harm one person at a time, but it also only targets the one with the weakest life force.

Although he couldn't see his own life force, he was young and vigorous, and with the added vitality of the tattered cloth shoes, his life force was definitely stronger than others, so he shouldn't have any accidents.

In the morning, Manager Zhang came to call for breakfast again...

No one spoke or caused any trouble.

The saying goes, "Money makes the world go round." If you're paid fifty dollars a day, you should know what's going on.

After finishing their meal, the remaining seven people rode on a cart on a horse-drawn carriage to the dock to unload goods.

According to the original plan, we were to finish unloading all the goods today, stay overnight, and leave tomorrow.

With the work finished, Huang's Rice Shop had no reason to keep them around.

I made 100 yuan in two days. If I'm careful with my spending, it'll be enough for two years' worth of expenses.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. Because everyone didn't sleep well last night, the speed of moving goods today was obviously much slower. In addition, there was one less person, so the work that could have been done in one day took half a day longer.

This is the result even after Li Xiao worked hard all day moving goods.

But it doesn't matter anyway, I can't leave until the day after tomorrow, so half a day later is fine too.

It seems that the filthy things in the Huang family only harm people at night, and are harmless during the day.

A day passed, and before long, it was dark again.

Another nerve-wracking moment has arrived.

After it got completely dark, everyone shook the dozing people awake and sat in a circle.

Moonlight streamed into the warehouse through the windows, and the group sat below the windows in a well-lit area.

A large, old-fashioned flashlight was sandwiched between burlap sacks, its beam shining on the group.

The moonlight combined with a flashlight was enough for them to see each other in the darkness.

At Li Xiao's suggestion, everyone sat in a circle, holding hands.

There were also thick wooden sticks placed nearby, which could be used to strike if necessary.

Eight grown men holding hands—it was a bit awkward, but it was the only option they could get.

"Let's not talk about any nonsense tonight, let's just get through this."

Da Niu suggested.

Last night he thought it was when Lao Gang was telling a ghost story and looked up that it disappeared.

If we don't look up or look around now, we can't possibly disappear, right?

Everyone nodded without saying anything more.

What followed was a long and tedious wait, waiting for dawn.

If someone needs to urinate, they'll simply be handed the chamber pot and urinate in front of everyone...

And so, everyone endured the ordeal, second by second.

To prevent anyone from falling asleep, Lao Gang would call out numbers every now and then.

One purpose was to keep everyone alert, and the other was to verify the number of people.

It really worked, and nothing unexpected happened during this period.

I stayed up from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m.

Keep going for two more hours, and when the rooster crows, it will be dawn!

Even Li Xiao felt that the dawn of victory was just around the corner, as long as he could get through the last two hours.

So, they'll leave with 100 silver dollars in style!

As time went on, everyone became increasingly exhausted and were barely keeping their eyes open.

They didn't sleep well last night, worked all day, and didn't sleep at night. Even the strongest men can't keep going like this; they're only holding on by sheer willpower.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the moon's position had quietly changed, without anyone noticing.

Without moonlight, the only light in this room comes from flashlights.

The light grew fainter and fainter, and the darkness deepened...

Suddenly, the flashlight flashed twice and then went out.

The room was suddenly plunged into darkness.

"Oh no! Everyone, hold hands, don't let go!"

As Lao Gang shouted, everyone clenched their fists, gripping the hands of the people on either side of them.

"Get the hell away from me, you filthy thing!"

"Fuck your grandma!"

"Drafting a picture of an old mother..."

The laborers clenched their hands and cursed loudly to bolster their momentum.

This will both embolden you and scare away the ghost.

"Are you here...?"

Li Xiao had already prepared himself mentally. He knew the flashlight battery wouldn't last that long, so the moment the light went out, he immediately closed his eyes and used the closed-eye fire spirit technique.

In the darkness, seven flames suddenly appeared and formed a circle around him.

This is the flame of the other seven laborers besides himself.

There were no other flames around, which meant the dirty thing hadn't arrived yet...

"That ball of fire must have come from Chao Sheng."

Li Xiao focused his attention on the rising tide of flames opposite him.

Compared to the flames of the others, his were clearly much weaker.

"What happened?"

It was at this moment that Li Xiao suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, the flame that had been rising from the tide vanished without a sound.

Instead, a green flame appeared, which was probably the filth here.

The ball of green fire, about the size of two fists, looked particularly eerie and unsettling in the darkness. It hovered in the spot where Chaosheng had been sitting, replacing Chaosheng's fire.

You could even feel the eerie chill emanating from that fire...

This was the first time he had felt the life force of something other than humans.

It's unbelievable that there really are demons and monsters in this world.

Li Xiao dared not utter a sound, dared not move, and even forgot to breathe...

That green flame is still there, just floating around.

At the same time, the two red flames on the left and right sides moved closer to the green flame.

Just as the three flames were about to collide, the green flame suddenly vanished...

Li Xiao didn't see the trajectory of the green flame as it left.

And just like that, they vanished without a trace...

Tear!

Old Gang struck a match and lit a candle that he had prepared long ago.

I bought the candles with the help of other laborers while I was working at the dock.

In an instant, the candlelight dispelled the surrounding darkness.

The entire period of darkness lasted only a few seconds.

"Quickly, call out the number, and check if the people are correct."

Old Gang immediately shouted.

"No need to count anymore... the tide has gone out."

When they could see the light, Li Xiao spoke.

"What?"

Everyone looked toward Chaosheng's position, especially those sitting on either side of him.

Chao Sheng is truly gone!

Disappear!

Logically speaking, Chaosheng should be holding Da Niu on his left and Gouzi on his right.

But now, Da Niu and Gouzi's hands are tightly clasped together.

Chao Sheng, who was among them, disappeared!

Old Gang's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly asked, "Da Niu, Er Gou, why are you two holding hands? Where's Chao Sheng? Weren't you holding his hand?"

Da Niu looked to his right, his face filled with horror, and said, "This is really strange. I was clearly holding Chao Sheng's hand firmly, so how did I turn into a dog?"

The dog, looking equally frightened, said, "Yeah, I haven't stopped for a second..."

Hearing this, everyone shuddered...

The things here are even stranger than I imagined...

Even Li Xiao, who possesses the ability to see dirty things, had no idea what was happening.

But... soon the fear of the remaining people was gradually replaced by joy.

No one paid any more attention to Chao Sheng's death.

The tide rises and dies, which means that the rest of the people can live.

With his death, the remaining seven men can all leave this place with one hundred silver dollars...