Chapter 9 It is Malifact

Back from the dead?

I glanced at the clock. It was just about midnight!

I didn't deliver the Worry-Free Coffee on time.

Alicia said if I didn't deliver it on time, I'd be dead.

So, the person who was gonna kill me was the "corpse" climbing out of the glass coffin behind me?

Hell no, I didn't wanna die!

I cursed silently, reached for the door handle, and was about to bolt.

The corpse behind me spoke. "Get back here!"

It was an old, creepy voice.

I froze.

"I'm talking to you, get back here," it said again.

In the cold night, I was already drenched in sweat.

A surreal sight unfolded before my eyes: a corpse coming back to life, a scenario I had only witnessed on TV, was unfolding right beside me.

I had scrutinized the figure under the white sheet moments ago, convinced of its stillness, devoid of any hint of breath.

I didn't dare disobey, slowly turning around.

In the circle of candlelight, the white cloth still covered the person, with only two withered, twig-like hands exposed.

I glanced at it and immediately looked away, trembling as I asked, "What do you want? You can tell me in a dream, and I'll prepare it in advance!"

"Haven't you already brought it?"

I was stunned, not understanding what the corpse was talking about.

"Come here."

Facing the corpse's invitation, I could only clench my fists and walk over slowly.

For some reason, the mourning hall felt colder than outside.

I stood in front of the glass coffin, ready to run at any moment.

"You saved my life," the corpse said in a deep voice, "but you almost killed me too."

I was a bit confused, "Aren't you back from the dead? No, I mean, you're not dead?"

The corpse laughed, "Didn't we just meet?"

As he spoke, the white cloth covering his head fell off, and in my horrified eyes, a face as withered as a dead tree, with yellow-black skin, sunken eyes, and protruding cheekbones, appeared in front of me again!

This was the guy who asked me to deliver the Worry-Free Coffee.

"Are you a human or a ghost?" I instinctively took a step back, knocking over a candle.

"I am human now, but if you had come a bit later, I would be a ghost."

With those words, he extended his hand and gestured.

Quickly, I retrieved the black jade cup from my bag, poured steaming water from the thermos I had brought along, and before long, a fragrant coffee aroma with a subtle floral undertone filled the air.

He took the coffee and drank it in one gulp.

Half a minute later, his body returned to normal.

I watched as he got up from the glass coffin, turning to leave. "Well, the coffee is delivered, I'll be going now."

"Wait!"

He called out to me, his thin face as sharp as a knife, his eagle-like eyes staring unblinkingly at me.

After all, I was just a 15-year-old kid, almost scared to death, trembling as I asked, "Is there anything else?"

He handed me the black jade cup. "Who is Mr. Williams to you?"

I hurriedly took it. "I have no parents. Mr. Williams adopted me from the orphanage."

He nodded. "My name is Cedric Taylor. I've been working here for... twenty years."

I responded, still wanting to leave.

Cedric continued, "Luckily, you had the courage to stand in front of the glass coffin for a while. I felt the aura of the coffee cup and woke up. Otherwise, I would have been eaten by those four ghosts tonight."

"Are your guys not on the same team?" I was puzzled.

A trace of barely noticeable hatred flashed across Cedric's face. "Nah, strictly speaking, we're all just Mr. Williams' clients, nothing beyond that."

I was even more confused. "Customers of the coffee shop?"

Cedric suddenly recalled something and abruptly shut the lid of the glass coffin, catching me off guard.

With a somber expression, he continued, "Do you know why I was lying in this glass coffin?"

I quickly shook my head.

"Because I'm afraid that one day, if no one delivers coffee to me, I will have only one way out, and that is to wait for death! So, every time something happens after January, I lie in the glass coffin, waiting for death."

As he spoke, Cedric patted the glass coffin. "I'm a person with no one to care about. If I die, I can only send myself off."

I asked the question in my heart, "Then, why do you die if you don't drink coffee?"

Cedric didn't answer immediately but walked to the side and turned on the light in the mourning hall.

The stark white incandescent light instantly illuminated the hall, but this kind of whiteness truly made my heart race.

He took two stools from the corner, handed me one, and motioned for me to sit down. "Lorenzo was an astrologer, you know?"

I nodded. "I've heard of him. Isn't he similar to the shamans in our countryside?"

"Well, you can understand it that way. The basic principles are not much different."

I asked, "Is that cup of coffee related to this?"

Cedric sighed. "Yes, that black jade cup is a Malifact. Only it can brew Worry-Free Coffee. Because of an incident twelve years ago, I can only rely on it to survive..."