Chapitre 10: Chapter 4: Haunted Building
"Uh, this can't go on, it doesn't sound good. If the merchants in the building run away, that's a real loss."
"What should we do?"
"Let's slow it down a bit. How about... for the time being, you take over a shift?"
"Me?"
Mr. Qin's face wrinkled into a frown as he hastily shook his head in refusal.
"I have to go home to take care of my wife and kids."
In reality, everyone knew the rumors. Even if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they were half skeptical about the hauntings. Just hearing about such rumors was enough to keep people away from spending a whole night there.
Uncle Li couldn't force him and thought they could only temporarily lack a position.
But if a thief sneaked in, leading to theft in the shops, or if an accident happened when no one was around at night, he couldn't bear that responsibility either.
"Hello there."
As Uncle Li and the security guard were contemplating their predicament, they suddenly heard someone talking to them.
Turning their heads, they saw a young man pushing a bicycle, smiling cheerfully at them.
"I'm here for the part-time job. The night shift security, right?"
"Are you... a college student?"
The security guard sized him up with a measure of hesitation.
"Yep, just finished my freshman year."
Cen Dongsheng smiled naively.
"It's summer vacation now, so I came out to find a part-time job."
Uncle Li and Mr. Qin exchanged glances. They were just worrying about being short-staffed, and this young man was a godsend.
"I already heard what you two were discussing."
Cen Dongsheng said.
"Ah, you heard?" Mr. Qin was surprised, "Then you..."
"It's okay, I'm not afraid of all that supernatural stuff." He answered, "I've been brave since I was a kid."
"Great! That's perfect!"
Uncle Li was overjoyed.
"That makes sense, you young fellows definitely have strong yang energy, even ghosts would have to avoid you."
Cen Dongsheng just smiled, not responding.
Indeed there's such a theory, but unfortunately, most people's understanding of ghosts is prejudiced and unreliable.
Compared to the various knowledge later verified and summarized through scientific methods, the past folk rumors could only count as "knowing the phenomenon but not the reasons behind it."
Young people have vigorous blood and qi, symbolizing the vitality of a living organism. Even if ordinary people do not know how to refine and utilize it, they can still unconsciously damage the lowest level of Floating Spirits. However, the opposite is true if they encounter a Fierce Ghost—since the abundant natural yang energy will be treated like a tempting treat.
After a brief chat in the interview, Uncle Li immediately decided without hesitation.
"The night shift allowance is very high; you definitely won't be shortchanged."
Uncle Li waved his hand.
"Come, Xiao Qin, take him to get familiar with the work."
"Alright."
The security guard looked at Cen Dongsheng with a strange expression and said to him:
"Follow me."
...
After Uncle Li left, the senior security guard took him to the changing room to get a uniform and briefly introduced the job to him.
His working hours were from when the shopping mall closed at eleven at night to when it opened at seven in the morning, after which someone would replace him.
The patrol intervals were every 2 hours; he needed to carry a flashlight, walkie-talkie, and other patrol equipment; after finishing the patrol, he had to immediately return to the booth along the route, checking property safety and surrounding environment while also filling out the night patrol log.
"The main thing is to check the corridor doors before the shops close, and places like equipment storage areas, temporary electrical boxes, and cables need special attention."
Mr. Qin took him around to all the required places.
Although it was still daytime, as they passed some unlit corridor sections, a cool, damp air was palpable. Some restrooms, rarely visited, were blocked off with wooden panels, with building materials and paint buckets strewn beside them, and dim light bulbs flickered above the doors.
Cen Dongsheng casually asked a question, to which the security guard replied that the building was just renovated, the shops weren't fully leased yet, and some areas weren't opened to customers and so were left uncleaned for now.
After returning to the guardhouse, Brother Qin prepared to leave for the day.
"Xiao Cen, are you really not afraid of ghosts?"
Before leaving, he couldn't resist asking.
"Yes."
Cen Dongsheng said.
He thought to himself, it'd actually be good if there were ghosts; he was here to encounter ghosts.
"That's good." Brother Qin sighed, "Contact me with the walkie-talkie if there's anything, and there are people on duty in the monitoring room and the parking lot. You can also call if you don't understand something. Normally, it should be two people per shift, but we're indeed short-staffed here, so it's all on you now."
"Okay, I understand."
*
"Click."
The wall clock pointed to twelve o'clock.
The bustling voices inside the shopping mall gradually subsided.
The customers and pedestrians who had come to shop had dispersed, every store closed its doors, and most of the lights in the corridors and passageways were turned off.
Occasionally, a car passed by the road outside the building, its horn breaking the quiet night, then silence returned.
The ten square meter security booth contained a simple cot, a folding chair, a hot water bottle, and a wardrobe. The table held a radio and a potted plant, and an old, small TV flickered with static.
Cen Dongsheng once again opened his eyes from meditation.
He put on his cap, picked up the flashlight, and stepped out the door with steady strides.
His actions were swift and decisive, which might reveal traces of specialized training to some experienced eyes.
The flashlight's beam, large and small, swung rhythmically back and forth, skimming over the tops of every corner in the corridor.
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone