This was the first time
Her face and body were virtually flawless, and that was precisely what made her so terrifying.
Chen Ge recalled the case file on
She would constantly exaggerate perceived flaws in her appearance, becoming convinced that some part of her body was unsightly, to the point of resorting to extreme measures.
The file mentioned that this seemingly perfect woman had once tried to chop off her own fingers because she couldn't trim her nails symmetrically.
She possessed the most perfect exterior, but that heart had long since become different from any normal person's. Rather than calling her a beautiful woman, it was more accurate to say she was a monster draped in the most beautiful skin.
Since she appeared, the atmosphere in the room had changed completely. Every light had been switched off.
In the darkness, gaunt, skeletal children crawled out from beneath her feet, each one connected to her by a faint, threadlike line of blood.
"Is this your trump card?" Chen Ge took a step back, sweeping his gaze across the room. When he confirmed there were no Red Coats among them, the tension in his chest eased. "There are quite a few of them. Raising this many ghost children must put a heavy burden on you."
"They were all my children once. That's why they obey me." The words carried a deeper meaning. Han Bao'er gazed at the ghost children crawling across the floor and clinging to Li Zheng, her eyes brimming with anguish.
"Children?" Chen Ge studied the ghost children. One or two of them had face shapes vaguely reminiscent of Han Bao'er's. A vague understanding dawned on him, and a chill crept through his body. "It seems your illness really is severe."
"Yes, if I weren't sick, why would I be surrounded by these filthy things? Why would I bother speaking with the stinking likes of you?" Han Bao'er dragged her fingernail across her arm. Every wound was perfectly straight, and blood seeped out with a kind of cruel beauty. "I despise all filthy things, but sadly this world itself is filthy. The best solution I can think of is to use these filthy things to destroy this filthy world."
Blood dripped from her arm, and the red threads connecting her to the ghost children became more distinct.
"I don't know what you've been through, so I'm in no position to judge what you've done. Perhaps you have your reasons, but that doesn't make you right." Chen Ge clicked on his Repeater and gripped the handle of his Skull Crusher. "Everyone in your Ghost Story Club is insane. Wanting to relieve the pain inside you and choosing to heal yourself — I can understand that. But the treatment you're using is wrong."
"Treatment?" Han Bao'er tugged at the red threads in her hand.
"You've been living too hard. It's time to let go."
"You're awfully calm. I'd wager you're terrified inside, putting on a brave face while waiting for the police to rescue you, aren't you?" Han Bao'er thought she had seen through Chen Ge's act. She stopped wasting words and directed the ghost children on the floor to lunge at him.
At the same time, Qiu Meng picked up the fruit knife from the coffee table. He was careful to keep his distance from Han Bao'er, circling around to the other side like a servant.
"Except for the ghost on the police officer's shoulder — you can do whatever you want with the rest of them." Chen Ge pressed his back against the wall. He had nowhere left to retreat, but he didn't look the least bit anxious.
He calmly addressed the empty air, as if he'd been frightened into madness and was muttering to himself.
The ghost children scurried across the floor — fast and numerous. Just as they were about to close in, a figure in blood-red appeared silently and stomped one of the ghost children into black smoke with a single kick.
"A Red Coat?!" The blood threads between Han Bao'er and her ghost children began to tremble. Fear coursed through them, and that dread transferred straight to her. Without thinking, the words tumbled out of her mouth. "I thought the Red Coat on you was dormant!"