At 2:17 a.m., a ride-hailing app assigned Lin Ye a job.
The destination was No. 17, Back Street, Zhenling Temple. That address had been demolished three years ago.
He stole a glance at the rearview mirror. The back seat was empty.
Only an ancient bronze mirror remained on the seat, its markings glowing beneath his fingertips.
From that day on, he bound himself to the Spirit Ruins Rubbing System.
Other people's Systems rely on lucky draws. His relies on "understanding spirit-energy patterns, then rewriting them." Every time he makes a rubbing at a haunted location, he gains a remnant ability from the Spirit Ruins.
Other designated drivers pick up drunks. His passengers are... all kinds of strange things.
The platform's AI customer service docks his points every day, claiming he went off route and flagging him as "suspected fraudulent orders."
While searching for his grandfather, who disappeared three years ago, he deals with spirit-energy anomalies in the city's hidden underbelly.
Veteran drivers say there are "seven kinds of rides you should never take." He's taken every one.
