Chapter 10: The Strange Tattoo Parlor
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and shone on Zhang Qian’s face. He chewed on the bun in his hand while blowing the morning breeze.
A burst of hurried footsteps came from not far away. Wang Shang, dragging large and small bags, appeared in his field of vision.
“Big Brother, I’m here…” Wang Shang put down the things in his hand and hammered his waist.
“Why did you bring so many things? We’re just going to deliver a letter, not going on a trip.” Zhang Qian glanced over. Good grief, the bag not only had various dry rations and drinking water, but even two thick cotton jackets.
Wang Shang touched his hair, “Isn’t it a bit nerve-wracking? I just brought everything I could think of.”
With that, he took off his backpack and slightly pulled open a gap, “Big Brother, take a look.”
A pitch black crossbow lay in Wang Shang’s bag, with a red dot sight mounted on it.
“Not bad, this thing is illegal, right? How did you get it?” Zhang Qian took it in his hand and tried it; it was quite heavy. “But you need to be mentally prepared; this thing won’t be of much use.”
If physical means worked, there wouldn’t be supernatural events. All kinds of guns, cannons, and missiles could definitely give the ghosts a barbecue combo.
Wang Shang carefully put away the crossbow, “Just for peace of mind. I’m not as awesome as you, Big Brother. Going in empty-handed always feels unsafe.”
Gao Yong and Xu Shaowen, who arrived afterward, seemed to confirm his words. Both were fully armed, with huge backpacks on their backs. In comparison, Zhang Qian seemed a bit amateurish.
“Brother Zhang Qian.” Gao Yong greeted him and asked enthusiastically, “Didn’t you prepare any gear? Need me to lend you some?”
“Idiot…” Xu Shaowen covered his face, “Zhang Qian is way more professional than us half-assed guys. Do you think he’d forget to prepare?”
Xu Shaowen knew clearly that Zhang Qian was no ordinary person. As a post office newcomer, he had repeatedly shattered his cognition of the post office and was most likely a ghost controller. But he was afraid of upsetting Zhang Qian, so he didn’t dare to say it outright and could only remind Gao Yong indirectly not to act foolish.
“Big Brother Zhang Qian, when do we start the delivery mission?” Xu Shaowen asked.
“Let’s go to the area nearby to observe first. This is my first delivery, so I might need you guys to guide me.”
“Big Brother is too modest.”
Amid the two’s business-like mutual praise, the group soon took a ride-hailing car toward No. 44 Tangxi Road.
In no time, they arrived at the destination.
“Is this the place?” Zhang Qian looked at the shop across the street, “Fierce Ghost Tattoo Parlor… what a blatant name.”
The horror tattoo parlor occupied a considerable storefront. The posters at the door featured many ferocious fierce ghosts: some with green faces, fangs, and double horns on their heads; some with bloody flesh as if skinned and deboned; some draped in wedding dresses as if about to get married…
But the business here was surprisingly good. Many young men were attracted by this novel style and couldn’t help but enter the shop to take a look.
“Zhang Qian, right?” A man with a deathly pale face, wearing a uniform, appeared by the roadside at some point. “I’m Feng Quan. Headquarters sent me to support you.”
Feng Quan tossed out a shiny golden briefcase as he spoke, “This is compensation from headquarters. Get ready to start the action!”
“But before that…” His numb gaze fell on Wang Shang and the other two, “Irrelevant personnel, please leave.”
“Friend, we had no choice but to come here.” Gao Yong was somewhat displeased, “This ghostly place isn’t yours. On what grounds are you stopping us from entering?”
Feng Quan’s numb expression didn’t fluctuate at all, “Heh, if you’re not afraid of dying, then go in. A couple more cannon fodder isn’t bad.”
Anyway, the ghost only kills those who trigger the pattern. If headquarters hadn’t explicitly forbidden using live people to test the waters, he would definitely grab ordinary people as lab rats to resolve supernatural events.
Gao Yong wanted to argue further, but Xu Shaowen stopped him, “You’re right, we are cannon fodder. But this is our own choice. Cracking the supernatural to gain strength is the hope for small fries like us. If we die, it means it’s our fate, and we won’t resent anyone!”
Post office delivery missions would only get more terrifying. Could they keep escaping after dodging once?
Moreover, Xu Shaowen didn’t want to entrust his life to an unfamiliar ghost controller. He had his own things to do and would walk the path of cracking the supernatural even without the post office.
“Got it?” Zhang Qian put away the box and stood in front of Feng Quan, “Headquarters sent you to assist me, not to boss me around.”
“Tch, just a newcomer…” Feng Quan walked toward the tattoo parlor first, “Watch carefully how I resolve supernatural events.”
Feng Quan crossed through the traffic and pushed open the glass door, disappearing from everyone’s view.
“Let’s go in too.” Zhang Qian took out the red letter, “Once the delivery mission is done, you guys leave first. Leave the supernatural event to me…”
Zhang Qian pushed the door and entered as he spoke. The air conditioning in the shop was on full blast, and a chill swept over his whole body.
Clearly entering the tattoo parlor one after the other, but Zhang Qian didn’t see Feng Quan’s figure. Looking back, he found that Wang Shang and the others hadn’t followed behind.
Sure enough, another supernatural land.
Just don’t know if I was pulled out alone or what.
Zhang Qian’s gaze flickered as he scanned around and spotted a place like a front desk.
He walked to the front desk. The front desk worker immediately put down what he was doing and squeezed out a twisted smile, “Hello, customer. What would you like? We have all kinds of tattoos here. As long as you want it, there’s nothing we can’t tattoo…”
“Delivery.” Zhang Qian took out a blood-red letter, interrupting the front desk’s sales pitch.
The front desk worker immediately changed his attitude, lowered his head, and continued scribbling on the notebook, “Please deliver it to our boss.”
No matter how Zhang Qian asked next, the front desk worker just stared at him with malicious eyes, treating him like a troublesome bad customer.
Even the surrounding air began to turn cold. Thick darkness crept out from somewhere, eroding toward Zhang Qian bit by bit.
At this point, seeing the timing was ripe, the front desk worker no longer stalled. He pretentiously took out an old abacus and clacked it a few times, “Consultation fee, 18 yuan!”
“You guys actually charge money?” Zhang Qian felt his pocket and casually tossed him a hundred yuan bill, “Keep the change, no need for it.”
The front desk worker had no intention of catching it, letting the hundred yuan bill float down in the air before landing in the depths of the front desk and disappearing.
His face grew even more sinister. Faint ink crawled onto his cheeks, outlining and gradually forming a fierce ghost face.
“Can’t pay.” The front desk worker grinned wide, “Then…”
“Slap—”
Zhang Qian slapped him across the face, “Then what?”
The front desk worker clutched his face in disbelief. No one had ever dared to hit him here before, “You…”
“Slap—”
“What about me?” Zhang Qian gave him another slap. With true qi infused, the ghost face on the front desk worker’s face was completely dispersed.
