Prologue: Dumb, Dumber, and the Dead

Being broke was a struggle. Being a broke student? That was suffering.

Sora, Ash, and Li were on their usual walk home, stomachs empty and wallets even emptier, when a tattered flyer taped to a lamppost caught their attention.

"WANTED: GHOST HUNTERS!Capture a REAL ghost on camera get PAID!"

Sora narrowed his eyes. "Wait… we get paid just for taking a ghost photo?"

Ash nodded, reading the fine print. "Yup. No fakes, no Photoshop, and absolutely no guy in a bedsheet."

Li clutched his stomach dramatically. "Chat… this could be our way out of poverty."

Sora hesitated. "I don't know, ghost hunting sounds kinda dangerous, but i like it."

Ash placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sora. We eat plain rice for lunch."

Sora clenched his fist. "Damn it… you're right. Let's hunt some ghosts."

That was their first mistake.

Their second mistake was actually showing up.

Armed with a dying flashlight, an old smartphone, and zero experience, the three found themselves inside an abandoned hospital at midnight.

"Okay," Ash whispered. "We take a picture, get the cash, and leave. Simple."

Sora looked around. "Why do ghosts always haunt creepy places? Why not a café or a theme park?"

Li ignored him and lifted his phone. The flashlight flickered. A chill ran down their spines.

Then, a guttural whisper echoed through the halls.

"…Leeeave…"

Silence.

Then—

"NOPE."

They spun around to run SLAM! The exit door shut on its own.

Ash gulped. "Uh… Plan B?"

A loud thud sounded behind them. They turned slowly, their shaky phone light illuminating a dark, shadowy figure standing at the end of the hallway.

Li, barely holding onto his sanity, whispered, "Sooo… does the picture need to be high quality? Or can I take a blurry one while running?"

Ash took a deep breath, steadied his phone… and accidentally turned on selfie mode.

The ghost lunged.

Cue screaming. Lots of screaming.

Somehow through sheer dumb luck, blind panic, or the ghost taking pity on them they managed to snap a real ghost photo and escape in one piece.

And when they got their first payment the next day, one thing became clear:

They were terrible ghost hunters.

But somehow, against all logic, they always got the job done.