[Cyberpunk neon + Eastern underworld + light suspense + emotional payoff + dark humor]
At 00:00 Convenience Store, the Gate of Yang opens onto a bustling commercial district, while the Gate of Yin faces the entrance to the Yellow Springs. The store takes no cash, only “Merit Points.” Its bestseller is oden that can melt away lingering obsessions.
I’m Lin Xian, the new store manager. I may look a little dim, but I’m actually an experimental subject of Meng Po, and the barcode scanner in my hand can tamper with people’s merits. The assistant manager on the night shift, Tan Ji, has the demeanor of a therapist, but he’s actually an heir to Dizang’s legacy, collecting wishes as he taps an electronic wooden fish.
One of us has forgotten who we are; the other can’t even save his own heart. As we serve modern-day ghosts who died suddenly while livestreaming or were hounded to death online, I discover that I’m the first guest at the convenience store who is still alive.
Then a memory-altering app launches, the Hungry Ghost Realm erupts in a wave of looting, and the underworld demands that we sacrifice one of our own. Will our journey of mutual salvation end with us descending into the abyss together, or founding a new god?
Welcome. Your last chance to say goodbye is before the shift changes at midnight.
