They described her as a terrifying vengeful spirit — encounter her, and something bad would happen.
Chen Ge's current situation was far from ideal. Above him, a vast shadow reminiscent of a spider crawled across the ceiling. Behind him, less than a meter away, footsteps echoed. And ahead, not far off, stood the beckoning woman in red.
Under these circumstances, he was enduring a level of psychological pressure that would be unimaginable for an ordinary person.
Pressing forward, Chen Ge whispered his own name and silently counted his steps as he walked past the woman in red with her lowered head.
He ignored the beckoning woman, his expression betraying no change whatsoever, as though he had never seen her at all.
In stark contrast to Chen Ge's composure, the white cat in his arms let out a continuous string of low, guttural whimpers, as if warning him not to take another step deeper.
At the thirtieth step, Chen Ge tilted his head slightly and glanced to his side.
The woman in red with her lowered head hadn't given up. She had moved along the left wall of the tunnel, following right beside him.
The two of them walked side by side down the passage. In theory, each minding their own business shouldn't cause any trouble, yet Chen Ge felt the distance between himself and the woman growing shorter with every step.
"Vengeful spirits linger in this world mostly because of obsession. What did this spirit suffer when she was alive? Why would she attack someone who tried to help her? Was she killed by the driver who offered her a ride?"
The thought made Chen Ge turn his head to look at the woman.
She wore an ordinary red jacket. Her legs were covered in wounds and bruises, one white sandal was missing, and the exposed skin on her foot was pricked with thorns from some kind of plant.
"Red clothes?" Chen Ge couldn't be sure of his assessment. "I'm just doing a nightmare-tier daily task — I shouldn't run into a red-clothed spirit, right?"
Bearing the title of One Blessed by Vengeful Spirits, Chen Ge's self-awareness had grown somewhat murky lately.
"Forget about her. Just finish the forty-four steps first. If something goes wrong, I'll just run back the way I came."
This tunnel, sealed off for years, had begun to stir as soon as Chen Ge entered. Within the darkness, the filth was awakening, and pairs of eyes had locked onto him.
Repeating the same mechanical motion over and over, Chen Ge felt as though his legs had been frozen solid. Each step was agonizingly difficult.
"Chen Ge..."
He spoke his own name. His voice wasn't particularly loud, yet it produced an echo, as if another version of himself stood at the opposite end of the tunnel, walking toward him.
"That should be the thirty-fourth time."
Chen Ge kept a silent count in his mind. He needed to steel himself before reaching the forty-fourth call.
He raised his foot and was about to call out the thirty-fifth time. Before he could open his mouth, a woman's voice sounded right beside him.
It was barely intelligible — it seemed to come from the female ghost!
His body stiffening, Chen Ge flicked his eyes toward the left side of the tunnel.
Matted, filthy hair obscured her features. Through the gaps in those strands, the woman studied Chen Ge. Her eyes, hidden beneath the hair, looked like two pitch-black holes.
Her lips — riddled with tiny cuts — parted and closed. Her voice sounded as if a wooden stick had been rammed down her throat, each utterance coming out like a forced exhalation of breath.
"What is she saying?"