Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 76: Cemetery [4]
With that, he turned his head and glanced at Hu Qi in the passenger seat.
"We could use our official identities to get involved, but that would risk tipping our hand.
I did some digging. The recent incidents at Anxin Cemetery have everyone on edge. The original guards all quit, too scared to keep working.
The cemetery is short on guards right now, so we could apply for the job. What do you think?"
"Alright, we’ll do it your way."
It was all the same to Hu Qi.
Before long, after a slightly bumpy ride,
they arrived at their destination on the outskirts of the city.
It was nearly dusk. The setting sun bled across the distant horizon, dyeing the sky a muddled mix of orange-red and dark purple.
The two of them opened the car doors and got out.
Hu Qi looked up at the cemetery across the road.
Bathed in the hazy light of the setting sun,
the massive cemetery looked like a desolate, silent estate.
Peeking through the fence and the gaps between the dark-green pines, he could faintly make out rows of pale, rolling tombstones.
After getting out of the car,
they walked straight toward the cemetery gate in the distance.
Because they had called ahead,
a man in an administrator’s uniform was already waiting for them by the time they reached the main gate.
"You two must be Hu Qi and Xie Fei, here for the interview, right? My surname is Wu. You can call me Manager Wu."
Upon seeing them,
a smile blossomed on the middle-aged man’s face.
Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have needed to be so welcoming.
The cemetery’s pay and benefits were excellent, the work was easy, and there was no overtime—you could leave the second your shift was over.
Some people had even bribed him just to get a foot in the door.
But things were different now.
With the recent incidents escalating,
the original staff had all quit.
New hires wouldn’t last more than a day or two before bolting.
Even those willing to stay would only work the day shift.
This had led to a severe shortage of guards.
As the manager, he was under a lot of pressure.
Faced with this situation,
his superiors had put all the pressure on him.
If he couldn’t find more guards, he’d have to take the shift himself. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Considering the recent cases of disappearing corpses in the cemetery,
and the stories from some of the guards,
he couldn’t help but be afraid, even if he didn’t believe them.
Since he was completely unable to find anyone,
he had no choice but to lower the requirements.
That meant hiring people for daily pay.
"We’re college students, just looking to pick up a part-time job at night."
Hu Qi smiled.
Then, as if it were an afterthought, he asked,
"So, uh, I read online that this place is supposedly a little haunted. Is there any truth to that?"
"College students, great! This is exactly the age when you should be getting out there, building up work experience for the future."
Manager Wu nodded with a look of considerable approval.
He didn’t seem too suspicious of their identities.
After all, their ages were plain to see.
They looked to be in their early twenties at most.
"Ghosts? What ghosts? That’s all just nonsense people are spouting. As college students of the modern age, you should believe in science.
Those previous incidents were just some wild animals digging holes. Nothing for you to worry about."
At this point,
Manager Wu seemed to remember something.
He pointed up at a black security camera nearby.
"Besides, we’ve installed security cameras all over the cemetery now. If you see anything unusual, you can call the police immediately."
Hu Qi glanced up.
Except for one,
the rest of the security cameras looked brand new, as if they had just been installed.
After a bit more small talk,
Manager Wu glanced at the darkening sky
and said to Hu Qi and Xie Fei,
"If you two are available, you can start tonight. It pays 450 per night, settled daily."
"No problem. We can start tonight."
Hu Qi nodded.
Hearing this,
the smile on Manager Wu’s face grew even wider.
"Excellent. I’ll have Old Liu go over the job details with you."
He then turned
and shouted toward a small building by the gate.
A moment later,
a slightly stooped old man emerged from inside.
The old man was wearing a faded gray cemetery uniform.
A ring of brass keys hung from his waist, JINGLING as he walked.
After receiving his instructions from Manager Wu, the old man, Old Liu,
began to lead the two of them on a tour around the cemetery.
As for Manager Wu, after giving his instructions,
he hastily got in a car and left.
It was as if something terrifying existed within the cemetery.
On top of that, the recent string of disappearing bodies and the resulting commotion from the families had left him utterly exhausted.
Anxin Cemetery was backed by a large mountain, so it covered a considerable area.
In all, it was roughly the size of twenty football fields.
With such a huge area,
the workload was naturally significant.
In the past, the cemetery would have three to five guards on duty.
But these were special circumstances.
"The job itself isn’t too complicated, really.
It’s basically split into seven tasks.
1. You need to patrol the cemetery regularly, check the perimeter walls and main gate, and keep an eye out for suspicious individuals or anything unusual.
2. Make sure the lights are working and prevent incidents like fires or theft.
3. Monitor the security cameras for any strange images or activity.
4. Stop any unauthorized people from entering at night and prevent any misconduct, like vandalism.
5. Keep an eye on the weather. During severe weather, you need to check the condition of the trees, railings, and tombstones.
6. Record patrol times, problems, and how they were handled in the work log.
7. Respond to any sudden incidents, like trespassers or troublemakers, and report them immediately."
Old Liu was clearly very familiar with the place and knew the procedures inside and out.
After rattling it all off in one breath, he seemed to feel his mouth was dry. He unscrewed the thermos in his hand, took a sip to wet his throat, and looked at Hu Qi and Xie Fei.
"Of course, those are just the official job requirements.
Since you’re on the night shift, you won’t usually have anyone coming around, so there’s a lot less to do.
And with the cemetery not being so peaceful lately...
As long as nothing special happens, you can just sit in the security office and watch the monitors. Even if something does happen, your first priority is to protect yourselves.
Don’t go risking your life for this kind of pay!"
Old Liu’s words were heartfelt.
He clearly had a pragmatic outlook.
Hearing this,
Hu Qi glanced at Xie Fei, who stood silently beside him like a clam.
’He knew he couldn’t count on him to speak up.’
So he had to be the one to ask.
"Sir, what’s the real story with this cemetery? Is it actually haunted? Could you tell us about it, if you don’t mind?"
As he spoke, he took out a cigarette and lit it for the old man.
He’d grabbed the cigarette from Xie Fei’s car.
Old Liu wasn’t smoking at the moment, but Hu Qi could still smell the faint odor of tobacco on him.
He was clearly a heavy smoker himself.
"What ghosts? I’ve worked in this cemetery for twenty or thirty years, and I’ve only ever seen dead people."
Old Liu took the cigarette and put it to his lips, taking a drag. Perhaps he inhaled too sharply,
because he immediately started coughing.
"COUGH, COUGH... That’s a strong cigarette. You boys look about the same age as my grandson. What are you doing working a job like this?"
"It’s not like we want to.
We just want to help ease the burden on our families. We’re adults now, after all. It’s time to stand on our own two feet."
Hu Qi smiled.
"By the way, Sir, does your grandson go to college in Anshan City, too? Who knows, we might even be schoolmates."
Old Liu shook his head.
"That boy... he didn’t get in. Anyway, it’s getting late. Let me take you to get your work uniforms."
With that,
he led the way.
He got them two sets of relatively new, grayish-white uniforms, then turned and left the cemetery.
...
"Hu Qi, there’s something wrong with that man."
The moment Old Liu was gone,
Xie Fei, who had been standing silently by the entire time, suddenly spoke.
