It's late at night.

Zhou Ze'an was momentarily speechless and no longer suitable for asking questions, so Xia Yao became the main force.

"This can be considered a way to make a living," Xia Yao replied.

He also expressed his concern, saying, "There are many hidden dangers on the construction site, so you workers need to be extra careful."

The driver tapped his orange-yellow safety helmet on his head. "I'm being careful. I can't afford to be careless."

This action reminded them of their 703 teammate's head being smashed to pieces.

"Oh dear, putting everything else aside, we definitely have to protect this head, or it could be fatal if it gets hit."

As Xia Yao spoke, she opened a packet of preserved plums and handed it to the two masters.

"That's right." The old master took the preserved plum and chewed it.

"Our scenic area has only had one accident where a worker was hit by falling debris, so the safety level is quite high."

Xia Yao's seemingly casual conversation had expanded from the rockfall on the mountain to all the construction work in the entire scenic area, with the focus shifting to this unexpected incident.

"Hey, it's not that much better. It's just that we value our lives too much," the master couldn't help but complain.

Another worker chimed in, "If someone gets hit during construction, it's considered a construction accident, but not an accident..."

His words trailed off, like a hook, keeping their hearts in suspense.

Xia Yao's eyes lit up; here was the clue!

"Speaking of which, this is the kind of thing you young people like to ask about."

The old master craftsman had a mysterious expression on his face, and even lowered his voice several decibels.

"When we were building the hotel, it was haunted!"

These words were like a pebble dropped into water, creating ripples, and even Chen Qi couldn't help but lean closer.

Zhou Ze'an remained silent, fearing he might displease his master again, but his ears were already perked up.

"Master, now that you say it's haunted, I'm all excited! Tell me more about it."

Xia Yao feigned great interest, confirming his identity as a curious young man.

This elderly master craftsman is talkative and likes to chat about all sorts of things.

"We construction workers can't easily go home, so we set up temporary houses next to the construction site as dormitories. Those dormitories are cramped and stuffy, not to mention hot in the summer, there are a lot of bugs."

"Back then, they were building that hotel, and everyone was exhausted. We couldn't sleep well when we got back to the dorm. One night, I vaguely heard someone knocking on the window."

Knock on the window!

Xia Yao thought of what had happened to them, but he pretended not to know.

"Who would be knocking on the window in the middle of the night? Is it some kind of bird?"

"Ugh, the construction workers scared the birds away. Who knows what's making the knocking? It's so hot, we sleep with the windows open for ventilation."

Xia Yao, however, keenly noticed the problem: why knock on the window when it's already open?

Is this ghost so persistent in making this tapping motion? Is it repeating something from its previous life?

The old master craftsman had no idea what they were thinking, so he just smacked his lips and continued talking.

"There was this idiot who heard the knocking on the window, jumped up, and went straight for it. We were on the second floor, and he just flipped right out the window, breaking his bones. Can you believe it?"

Construction site dormitories are generally limited to two stories; if they were any taller, the consequences would be far more serious than just a broken bone.

"That's ridiculous. If he had just looked around, he wouldn't have fallen," Xia Yao agreed.

"That's not how it works. The coworker who fell said he was awake at the time. He saw that the window was closed at some point, so he tried to open it to let in some fresh air. But before he even got to the window, he fell over, as if someone had pushed him. That's why we say it's haunted."

The master's words also opened up a new perspective for them. When the ghost appeared, it might create some hallucinations to confuse them. If they took it seriously, they might end up like that unlucky worker.

"Later, a few more people with hysteria sleepwalked in the middle of the night. One opened the door and rolled down the stairs, another hit the wall and injured his head. Only the ones who usually sleep soundly were unharmed."

They were sound asleep and didn't pay any attention, so they were naturally unaffected, which is consistent with their experience.

"There's something to this ghost story. Did you find something while you were working in the mountains, Master?" Xia Yao asked tentatively.

Any construction team could unearth an ancient tomb, old artifacts, or even a talisman.

Xia Yao's goal is not just to find the ghost; he also wants to dig deeper into its origins.

The old craftsman just smiled and said, "Young man, you don't actually think you can dig up some antiques, do you? Those are only found in ancient cities; we don't have that kind of heritage here. Besides, things are strictly controlled now; even if you do dig one up, you'll have to hand it over."

Ahem, sorry, he actually thought that was true, but he was wrong.

"Only some wild produce can be dug out from this kind of mountain, like mushrooms. When construction first started, there were orange groves at the foot of the mountain where we could pick oranges to eat, but they were all cut down to plant flowers."

tangerine!

Doesn't this match the pattern of ghosts killing people?

"Is it the area with the flower field? Who owns that orange grove? It's such a waste to cut it all down."

Xia Yao gritted her teeth, trying her best to keep herself from getting too agitated.

"Yes, that's it. We don't know whose it is. Most of us migrant workers are from other places, how could we possibly know everything?"

"It's a pity there's nothing we can do. Scenic spots need to be high-end and classy; how can oranges compare to the elegance of flowers?"

The experienced workers lamented that they came from the countryside and understood better how difficult it was for the forest to grow and bear fruit.

However, the master did not know the ownership of the orange grove, and the clue ended there.

Focusing the investigation on the orange grove might be a way out.

Xia Yao continued the previous topic, asking, "Was the ghosting resolved? Do you know why it happened?"

"We had no idea what was going on. The higher-ups just said that we were too tired from working overtime, so we developed hysteria. They gave us a week off to rest. After we went back, nothing strange happened that night."

As soon as the old master finished speaking, another master lowered his voice and chirped.

"Hey, even though we're migrant workers and uneducated, we're not stupid. It's not that we've worked ourselves into a stupor; we could do this anywhere else without any problems. They're just haunted. I bet they hired a fortune teller to perform a ritual during the week we were off work, and that's how it all stopped."

"Master and you are so insightful; I could never have thought that far ahead. But what kind of person is this Mr.? He's so amazing?"

Xia Yao looked like she suddenly understood.

"I don't know, the higher-ups don't tell us."

Xia Yao wanted to ask more about the scenic area, but the two drivers seemed to know only that much and couldn't say anything more.

Having rested long enough, the two workers drank a can of Red Bull and prepared to go back to continue applying cement.

The master stood up, not forgetting to give some instructions.

"There's no real evidence for these things. You young people should just listen and forget about it. You can't tell anyone else."

"Okay, thank you, Master."

Xia Yao thanked her and left some snacks and drinks before leaving.

The three returned to the sightseeing bus and continued to wander around the scenic area, trying to find the next person they could ask questions.