Chapter 27: The Malevolent Spirit of Great Renown

Drake’s eyes widened. Even with all his experience kicking around Gotham City, he had never seen such a heavy-duty, super-sized iron coffin. "Are you saying at least five people have died in this car?"

"Well, not exactly..."

"Level with me, brother. What is the deal with this car?" Drake pressed. "I’ve been working here for so long, and I’ve never once seen this vehicle."

The owner, likely realizing that this murder machine was never going to sell, sighed. "Don’t go blabbing about this, but this car used to belong to a mid-level lieutenant in the Falcone crime family. After he got into an accident, the car was sold off. It’s been circulating through their front businesses ever since. Every time someone buys it, trouble follows. The worst incident was when four people inside had their heads blown off by a pair of shotguns."

"All in all, it’s been sold three times, and the buyers have racked up six deaths—everything from car crashes to gangland hits. The most ridiculous case was when a car dealer dumped the vehicle in the middle of nowhere; he was in a car accident that very same afternoon, sent to Wayne Hospital, and ended up in the morgue by nightfall."

"The Falcone family thought the car was cursed, so they gave me two thousand dollars just to take it off their hands. I spent over five hundred of my own money refurbishing it. I tore the whole thing apart, and I swear, I pulled almost half a pound of bullets out of the frame."

"What could I do? I sold it again, but it came back. At least that time it was just shattered glass, busted tires, and a few minor dents—plus another two lives lost."

"That brings the tally up to nine. I really don’t want to be the tenth. If you guys know anyone with a death wish who wants to buy a car, send them my way. I don’t even want the money; I’ll just give it to them..."

"No."

?

The car dealer, interrupted, looked around in confusion, his movements perfectly synchronized with Drake, who was shaking his head in disbelief.

"No," Ma Zhaodi, who was standing to the side, repeated. "Three thousand, at least."

"WTF, what are you doing, bro!" Drake’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates as he stared at the calm and collected Ma Zhaodi. "There are nine lives on this car, bro! You don't have nine lives of your own!"

"Damn it! Perfect! It’s a deal!" the car dealer exclaimed, overjoyed. "No backing out now! I’ll get the keys for you right away!"

"Remember to bring the money, too."

"Huh?"

Ma Zhaodi repeated, "I said, remember to bring the three thousand dollars as well, or I’m not taking the car."

"Huh???"

"Holy crap, you’re a real piece of work!" Drake gasped again. "You’re taking his car and asking him for three thousand dollars on top of it?"

"I’m risking my life to save his, and asking for three thousand dollars in return," Ma Zhaodi corrected him. "For a job this dangerous, three thousand dollars is dirt cheap."

"Are you sure you don't have Jewish ancestry?"

"Just tell me if you're selling or not." Ma Zhaodi popped a Pocky stick from a pack into his mouth. "Make it quick. If you don't agree, I'm leaving. When this car finds its next victim, I’ll use today’s recording to... extort five thousand dollars out of him."

"..."

The dealer’s face shifted through a kaleidoscope of expressions. After a long moment, he turned to retrieve three thousand dollars in cash and a set of keys.

"You’d better pray that you..."

"Watch your tone. If I kick the bucket, the car just comes right back here."

"You’d better live a long, healthy life, may your longevity be as vast as the Eastern Sea and your life as enduring as the Southern Mountains, may you have such a day every year and every year be like today, may your life last as long as heaven and earth, may your glory shine as long as the sun and the moon, may you dwell above the twelve storied pavilions and live for eight thousand years in the spring..."

Ma Zhaodi shrugged. "This is what I admire most about Gotham. The citizens are so emotionally stable and remarkably polite. Everyone is always willing to sit down and talk things out."

"That’s truly impressive."

...

After spending two hundred dollars at the dealer’s shop to have the tires replaced, Ma Zhaodi sat inside the car while Drake stood outside, the two of them locking eyes.

"Aren't you coming back? Get in."

"I'm taking a cab back."

"?"

"Don't look at me like that, drive it back yourself," Drake said, pulling Ma Zhaodi's phone from his pocket and showing him the screen. "Remember this speed dial. It’s for Wayne Hospital."

Ma Zhaodi chuckled coldly. After taking back his phone, he pulled out a gleaming silver key, started the engine, and slammed on the gas, leaving Drake far behind in a cloud of dust.

[Disposable Spirit-Binding Car Key]
[Price: 300 Dollars]
[Note: Evil spirit, get out of its body!]
[Evil Spirit: Why don't you get out of its body first... How strange, I have a feeling I’ve had this exact conversation before when I was possessing a little boy.]

[Note 2: Which genius decided to make a car key out of a holy relic?]

When the silver key was inserted into the ignition, Ma Zhaodi heard a faint, shrill, and venomous scream resonate from the car’s chassis. In a few short seconds, the chilling, gloomy atmosphere inside the cabin vanished completely.

"Beep, beep, you [expletive]!"

The entity cursed like it was flirting.

Ma Zhaodi didn't mind. He turned on the AC again, and this time, only pure, warm air blew out. The icy, bloody mist that had previously assaulted him disappeared like a hallucination.

He pulled over to the side of the road and removed the silver key. In those few seconds, it had turned a dark, gloomy gray-black.

He opened his system interface again; the text had changed.

[Side Quest: Keeping Up with the Times]
[Summary: Still using traditional possession methods? How outdated. How can a person who just possesses people compare to a car that possesses people? Our friend the evil spirit has been having a field day in this car, and it looks like it’s looking for its tenth victim. The priest at the church might not be willing to take on the job of exorcising a car, but you, my friend, you know exactly what it means to keep up with the times, don't you?]
[Status: Completed]
[Reward: After capturing the evil spirit, it can be exchanged for an amulet, effective for nine uses.]

Ma Zhaodi chose to exchange it. The black key vanished into thin air, and a shimmering cross necklace appeared in his hand. Although it was made of iron, it didn't feel cold to the touch; instead, it radiated a faint, gentle warmth.

He examined it for a moment before hanging it around his neck and continuing his drive home.

The cross was valued at five thousand dollar-credits in the system mall, and since Ma Zhaodi remembered the holy car key from the shop, he hadn't hesitated to take the quest, earning himself a tidy profit.

As for trading the necklace for credits, he had no such plans for now. When living in Gotham, luck was clearly just as important as anything else.