Chapter Seventeen: The Door Ghost

All the way back, my mind was filled with the old sergeant’s warnings and that eerie green lantern.

By the time I rushed back to the August First Hotel, I was utterly spent, my legs trembling uncontrollably and my throat burning as if aflame. I knocked at the door for ages before Wang Hou and Hongye finally let me in.

I was so agitated then that I could barely utter a single word.

“Water! Water! Give Brother Tian some water!” Hongye, seeing my expression, suddenly spoke.

Wang Hou brought me a bowl of water, and thankfully, it managed to calm me just enough.

“There’s something terribly wrong with that private restaurant!” Those were the first words out of my mouth.

Perhaps my face looked so ghastly that Wang Hou and Hongye both asked at once, “What’s wrong? Did they send someone to hunt you down?”

I shook my head and cast my gaze toward Hongye, whose face was a mixture of anxious hope and concern.

Her beautiful, delicate face was marked by a desire for life and deep care for me.

Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t let my own hesitation and fear affect Hongye, who was already in dire straits. She’d suffered enough.

I steadied myself, then told Hongye and Wang Hou about the green lantern and the potential danger lurking within the private restaurant. Of course, I made the threat sound much less severe than the old sergeant had described. I even lied to Hongye, saying that as long as we could storm the “Dragon’s Lair” and find the so-called “black meat,” we’d be cured for good.

But as for where to find the black meat the old sergeant once had… I had no idea.

After I finished, I forced a smile and said to Hongye, “If you trust me, stay here tonight! Tomorrow… we’ll figure out our next move.”

But what would our next move be? I had no clue.

Fortunately, Hongye didn’t seem to notice my doubts or lack of confidence. She nodded gently and agreed to my arrangement without protest.

I then asked Wang Hou to handle Hongye’s accommodation. Before he left, I told him, “Once you’ve sorted it out, come find me in the kitchen. We’ll have a pre-battle briefing…”

Wang Hou nodded.

Afterwards, I returned to the kitchen, sitting alone in the narrow corridor. That green lantern haunted my mind, refusing to fade.

I admit, I was frightened—terrified, even—because I was facing powerful unknowns.

But I couldn’t abandon my promise to Hongye. I felt that promise was the last dignity of a soldier, and my accountability to Wang Hou, and even to the old sergeant.

In short, there was no retreat. Even if it meant braving fire and water, I had to face it all.

Why? Because I was once a soldier… because I wanted to live up to my conscience. Because that rascal Wang Hou had feelings for Hongye…

What a mess!

When Wang Hou returned to the kitchen, he and I boiled some noodles and each opened a bottle of liquor.

We ate and discussed our thoughts. I shared all my worries with Wang Hou: I feared I couldn’t infiltrate that shady place; if I got in, I might not find evidence; if I found evidence, I might not be able to save Hongye; and if I saved Hongye, I might get trapped myself. My worries were many and chaotic.

Compared to me, Wang Hou was much calmer and more resolute.

After I finished voicing all my anxieties, Wang Hou chuckled.

“Old Tian, you’re not chickening out, are you?” he half-mocked.

I had no retort, so I just kept drinking.

Then Wang Hou grabbed my shoulder firmly with his big hand.

His gaze suddenly changed!

To my astonishment, Wang Hou transformed from a simple delivery guy back into the “Recon Leader” who once dominated the battlefield!

After gulping down some liquor and thinking deeply, he nearly ordered me:

“You focus on saving Hongye and figuring out the secrets in the food! As for that shady restaurant with the green lantern… leave it to me! I don’t care what’s inside or how tight their security is—I’ll handle it!”

Wang Hou wasn’t joking. He truly believed in his capabilities. After all, he was once the second-best among hundreds of thousands in the military district—a true elite, a tiger in the barracks.

That fierce spirit of Wang Hou infected me as well. From his eyes, I saw the fighting spirit and determination of the past.

A soldier’s unique gaze can restore one’s confidence.

Finally, I said, “Let’s make a bet! See if their shady tricks are more formidable than our old mechanized regiment’s military skills!”

Instinctively, I patted the Swiss army knife in my pocket—never apart from me…

Soldiers aren’t pushovers, even retired ones!

The next day, Wang Hou put his reconnaissance skills to use, starting his own investigation of the shady restaurant.

What he did completely baffled me.

First, he asked Hongye for the list of colleagues she’d dined with that day, their genders, and marked their phone numbers and positions clearly.

Then, he advised Hongye to return to work and act as normally as possible.

At noon, Wang Hou went alone to the area near the shady restaurant.

I had no idea what he did at the True Taste Private Kitchen; I only knew that when he returned, he had two sets of black suits and sunglasses. He handed me one set, telling me to be ready “on standby.”

In the afternoon, Wang Hou left with a camera. He didn’t return until sunset, then locked himself in his room, tinkering with the camera and computer for ages…

Throughout, I was utterly bewildered by Wang Hou’s actions.

I even began to doubt his specialty in the army—was he trained in reconnaissance, or was he a secret agent? I couldn’t figure it out!

That evening, as soon as Wang Hou emerged from his room, he gathered Hongye and me together, saying he’d present the results and plans from his day’s efforts.

So we convened another impromptu “military meeting” in my restaurant’s kitchen.

There, Wang Hou told us, after careful observation, he’d discovered that the private kitchen had extremely tight security. Besides ordinary guards, there were bodyguards in black suits. The precise number was uncertain, but Wang Hou estimated about fifteen.

Most importantly, as Hongye had said, the restaurant only accepted reservations from VIP clients, and bookings had to be made in advance. Walk-ins could only enter with a VIP’s referral.

Finally, Wang Hou tossed me a photograph. In the center was a short, rotund man, surrounded by black-suited, sunglass-wearing bodyguards.

He pointed at the fat man in the photo, saying, “That’s the owner—surname Bai, called Bai Wei! He’s always surrounded by bodyguards, hard to approach. I can’t find out much more.”

I listened to Wang Hou’s report in silence, then finally spoke, “Wang Hou, are you a recon soldier or a 007? This is impressive.”

Wang Hou, full of swagger, showed off, “You think I only drive and deliver food? Old Tian, I was the runner-up in the army’s competition. Whether technical or tactical reconnaissance, I’m the top…”

As he spoke, he narcissistically gave a thumbs-up.

I pretended not to notice, since his display was more for Hongye than for me.

Once Wang Hou had finished showing off, I seized the moment and said, “Sergeant Wang? So what’s our next move? I’m following your lead.”

Wang Hou, a bit mysterious but clearly confident, replied, “No point waiting—let’s act tonight. Don’t worry about getting into the restaurant; I can handle it. After that, it’s up to you, Old Tian. We must uncover the secrets of this shady place!”

I smiled helplessly, feeling uneasy inside.

You’re relying on me? Who can I rely on?

...

That night, we had Hongye stay at the restaurant, while Wang Hou and I donned the black suits he’d acquired and headed straight for the private kitchen.

All the way, I kept wondering if Wang Hou’s plan would really work.

It wasn’t that I doubted his abilities, but I was, after all, just a former cook. This was my first time doing such deep infiltration behind enemy lines, so naturally I felt nervous.

During the journey, I asked Wang Hou how we’d get inside, since we didn’t have a VIP card—were we supposed to just force our way in?

Wang Hou replied only with a cryptic smile.

Soon, I followed Wang Hou back to the entrance of the “True Taste Private Kitchen.”

Standing beneath the green lantern, I couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Fear, but mostly nerves.

As we approached, I realized the restaurant’s barred gate was even smaller than I’d imagined—so small it felt suffocating. The red lacquer on the door, under the lantern’s green glow, took on an unnatural, blood-purple hue, giving the whole place a bleak, sinister air.

Wang Hou raised his hand and knocked. No response.

“Strange!” he muttered, knocking again.

While he knocked, my gaze naturally fell upon the red door. There were two images pasted there—portraits of “gate gods.”

I felt a surge of curiosity.

I remembered the old sergeant once telling me that restaurants rarely put up gate gods. And a place bold enough to hang a green lantern should know its etiquette—the business of gate gods and ghosts, they wouldn’t be ignorant.

Was it because they’d done so many bad deeds, afraid of evil spirits coming for them? Impossible.

Or perhaps, these weren’t gate gods at all!

Following my train of thought, I looked more closely at the images and discovered—they really weren’t “gods,” but some kind of evil spirits!

I saw that the two figures on the red door merely resembled the gate gods we often see. But upon closer inspection, they lacked the majesty and benevolence of folk gate gods; instead, they were bizarre and terrifying.

The one on the left had a white snake slithering from its mouth. The one on the right held two skulls adorned with flowers. These two “door ghosts”—one green, one white, one left, one right—were as eerie as soul-reaping messengers of hell.

What was the meaning of the snake in the ghost’s mouth, or the floral skulls in its hands? I didn’t know. I only knew it was ominous.

Just as I was about to examine the “door ghosts” more closely, Wang Hou finally managed to get the door open.

A slit appeared.

“Welcome!” came a shrill voice, unnervingly high-pitched, as if from a eunuch, echoing out of nowhere.

When Wang Hou and I looked inside, we were both stunned.

For within the doorway, there were only rows of dim red lanterns—no person in sight!

The voice seemed to have come from the ground itself.

I shivered and muttered, “Is a ghost speaking?”

I thought I was seeing things.

How could there be no one inside? Wang Hou and I exchanged glances, but the entryway was indeed empty save for a gray road paved with green bricks and rows of fist-sized, dim red lanterns on either side.

Who opened the door?

As I stood there bewildered, I suddenly felt a hand tugging at my pant leg.

The force was gentle, but enough to alert me to something odd.

Instinctively, I looked down—and to my astonishment, at my feet stood… a little ghost!

Under the green lantern’s glow, I suddenly felt that the “door ghosts” painted above had come alive!