"I didn't kill anyone, I really didn't kill anyone..."
As Zhou Lan's soul emerged from his body, he continued to repeat the same words.
Seeing the people standing around, he quickly stepped forward and explained to each of them:
"It really wasn't me who hit them, I didn't hit anyone, I didn't."
"Can you let me explain? Everything I'm saying is true..."
He then crouched down and said to the boy named Hang Hang, "Your father wasn't hit by me, I'm not a murderer."
After explaining to everyone, Zhou Lan stood in place, looking at the indifferent crowd.
He murmured, lost and persistent:
"Why, why won't you listen to me?"
"No. I've already explained, I've explained, why still won't you listen?"
He held his head, filled with confusion, despair, and anger.
All sorts of emotions intertwined.
"Listen to me... I clearly explained, it's you who won't listen, you don't believe me, you don't believe me..."
"I'm listening."
A voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
Jiang Lin looked at the seemingly possessed Zhou Lan and said calmly, "I'm listening, you speak."
Zhou Lan suddenly looked up at Jiang Lin, his expression stunned.
"You, you're willing to listen to me?"
At that moment, the surrounding Yin energy that was stirring and approaching him immediately stopped.
Jiang Lin: "I'm listening."
So, you don't need to panic, don't need to rush.
Nor do you need to harm yourself to gain more power.
—Becoming a ghost would indeed grant more power. However, power derived from emotions is not as stable as cultivated power, and it comes with many side effects.
For example, impaired consciousness, only knowing revenge.
For example, loss of control over power.
He had seen many ghosts who, to maintain their power, continuously deepened their obsessions, ultimately harming themselves.
Power, at any time, is a double-edged sword.
...
"I'm listening!"
"I'm listening too! I've wanted to know what happened for a long time!"
In the live stream, "I'm listening" scrolled across the bullet comments one after another.
Some viewers who had seen the scene earlier had even gone online to search for it.
Only then did they realize that this matter had actually caused quite a stir.
The online accounts were well-reasoned, with various photos. Were they all fake?
"There can still be a reversal in this?"
"I won't take a stance for now. The internet has become increasingly bizarre in recent years, with all sorts of things constantly reversing and reversing again.
I used to be an indignant and upright youth... Later, I got tired of the things online and gradually became too lazy to comment. I don't even want to click on trending topics to see them."
"Oh, me too last time. I saw my senior in my WeChat Moments post a chat log about being played by a 'sea king.' I was very angry. But in the end, it turned out that the real 'sea king' was my senior. (▼ヘ▼#)"
Language was originally meant for communication and mutual understanding.
But gradually, they discovered that language could also be used to deceive and to hurt.
Truly killing without a trace.
"Let's just see what he has to say."
...
...
In the live stream footage—
Zhou Lan's eyes showed a hint of memory, "It all started that day..."
He clearly remembered that day, October 10th.
He was driving his truck as usual, carrying a full load of goods, traveling between two locations.
Since he was on the night shift, it was already dark.
There were far fewer vehicles on the road than during the day, and the only sounds were the chirping of insects and the rumble of cars.
"Welcome to [Tonight's Song Request], I'm Lulu..."
As Zhou Lan drove, he skillfully turned on his phone's radio.
The gentle voice and melodious music on the radio could somewhat alleviate the silence and boredom of the night.
"Next up is the violin piece [Mango], requested by netizen 'Big Cutie' for all friends who can't sleep..."
The music, flowing like a forest stream, echoed inside the car.
Zhou Lan had driven this road many times, and he knew exactly where the cameras were and where the toll stations were.
However, the truck's speed remained steady and unhurried. Even if it took more time, safety was paramount.
Therefore, when he noticed something new on the road ahead, he immediately braked.
"What the hell?"
Zhou Lan's heart skipped a beat.
"Hey! Who's out there?"
Zhou Lan didn't get out of the car immediately, but called out from the car window.
"Who's in front, human or ghost?"
The outside was silent.
Zhou Lan started to panic. Could it be that he had encountered some wild beast or something unclean?
He instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.
"Help, help..." a weak voice came.
Zhou Lan almost jumped up, his fists clenched, "Holy crap, holy crap! Who's talking?!"
"Help, help me..." the voice came again.
This time, Zhou Lan paid attention and realized the voice was coming from ahead.
"You scared me..."
He muttered, picked up the iron rod by his side, and cautiously got out of the car to investigate.
It was late at night, and the surroundings were all woods. Who knew what could happen.
Hadn't there been news before about bad guys pretending to be injured, waiting for cars to stop, and then robbing and killing the occupants?
Zhou Lan shone his phone light with one hand and held the iron rod with the other, looking towards the front of the car.
When he saw the figure below, his eyes widened.
Wow! It was a person covered in blood!
From head to toe, there were countless injuries, and his hands and legs were twisted at strange angles.
Even though Zhou Lan had lived for over twenty years, at that moment, he was a little flustered.
He was flustered by the severity of the injuries, and even more so by his own helplessness.
Zhou Lan, trembling, dialed 120, "Hello, 120? There's a person here who is very seriously injured, about five hundred meters forward from the Binjiang intersection... Yes, yes, please hurry..."
"Looking at it, it seems like they were run over by wheels..."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Lan looked at the injured person in front of him, his hands unsure of where to go.
"Hey, are you okay... No, I mean, can you hear me?"
"Are you still conscious? What happened here? Why are you here?"
He tried his best to talk to the person, rambling about things he didn't even know himself.
That night, time seemed to stretch on endlessly.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Lan finally saw the 120 ambulance.
He breathed a sigh of relief and then sat down on the ground.
"Hey, are you a relative of the patient?" the medical staff asked.
Zhou Lan quickly waved his hands, "No, no, I'm just a passerby."
He pointed to the truck beside him, "I still have work to do later."
The person who asked looked at him, seemingly suspicious.
In the middle of the night, an injured person hit by a car, a truck...
But the situation was urgent, and saving the injured person was the priority.
...
After a busy half-day,
Before dawn, Zhou Lan safely delivered the goods to their destination.
After finishing work, he lay on the sofa, recalling the events of the previous night, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Improper driving leads to tears from loved ones..."
...