"They're coming!"
The dense waves of blood mist, along with the black chains flickering in and out of visibility within them — just looking at those things was enough to make the tattooed man's legs tremble. He glanced at
"I have a plan that could significantly improve our chances of getting out of here." Chen Ge was perfectly calm. "Both the Shadow and the new guy have grudges against me. It's just that the Shadow doesn't know the newcomer's real target is me. He's only being forced to fight back because he needs to protect his own plan. If he found out the truth, he'd be more than happy to use that newcomer to kill me."
"The current situation is the best we could ask for, and the longer it drags on, the better it is for us." Chen Ge paused briefly, then gestured for the others to come closer. "There's something on me that's drawing that guy in. In a moment, I'll lure him and the Shadow away and tear through Liwan Town causing as much destruction as I can. While I'm doing that, you need to go to Mingyang Residential Complex on the edge of Liwan Town and bring back the missing door panel."
"Sure." The tattooed man blurted out his agreement, then realized it sounded a bit off and quickly added, "But what about you? If they're both chasing you, one wrong move and it's game over!"
He wasn't exactly worried about Chen Ge — he just figured that being hunted by two monsters of that caliber simultaneously wouldn't leave much room for survival.
"It's the best option we have right now." Chen Ge pulled out a flip phone that was virtually impossible to find on the market and summoned the phone ghost, Tongtong. "See if you can send me messages from this place."
Tongtong gave it a quick try. Chen Ge's phone buzzed faintly, and a line of text appeared on the screen — Yes, but the cost is enormous.
Chen Ge nodded and then summoned
Men Nan was a Red-clothed ghost with formidable strength. Old Zhou was experienced and meticulous. Combined with Tongtong's ability to communicate with Chen Ge over long distances, this was the most reliable combination Chen Ge could think of.
The situation was urgent, and Men Nan didn't complain. He glanced at the blood mist and iron chains in the distance, then rubbed his forehead — which, notably, showed no sweat. "And what about you?"
"I'll draw those things away and clear a path for you."
"Friend, what's attracting your enemies should be that slip of paper, right? I saw a vengeful spirit pick it up earlier. You could have him lure the Shadow away instead, and come with us."
The Smiling Man rarely used the word "friend," which caught Chen Ge slightly off guard — he'd just thrown a high-heeled shoe at the guy's head not long ago. "No. Do as I said."
"I imagine the vengeful spirit deliberately pocketed that red paper without giving it back precisely because he had the same idea. This was his choice."
In the Smiling Man's eyes, anyone whom ghosts looked after so carefully probably couldn't be all bad. That was why his attitude toward Chen Ge had shifted, if only slightly.
"He's like family to me. Would you put your own family at risk to save yourself?" Chen Ge's expression turned serious. As soon as he finished speaking, the metallic tang of blood in the air grew noticeably thicker. A crackling, static-like sound hummed through the space, and something like streaks of blood seemed to flash across the blank expanse of
"No matter what happens, I won't let him bear that pain alone again. He has his choices, but I have my principles." The truth was, Chen Ge had noticed the problem with Xu Yin a long time ago.
Every time they fought, Xu Yin threw himself in without regard for his own existence, as if he were actively seeking death.
There was nothing in his world that he wished to hold onto. He didn't even know why he clung to this single obsession.
He didn't know what he wanted. He had no desire to destroy, nor any wish to protect. As for why he guarded Chen Ge, he couldn't explain it himself — perhaps because he saw Chen Ge as the only person he could trust, or perhaps simply because he needed a reason he could accept for his own death.
Dying was never an easy thing. Chen Ge understood that, and because he did, he wanted to help Xu Yin even more.
It was no accident that Chen Ge held the title of Favored by Vengeful Spirits. He possessed a quality no one else could ever replicate: he could understand the true pain in another's heart, feel it as his own, and then use his own actions to bring salvation and a new beginning.
"I'll go with him to draw those monsters away. Liwan Town isn't that big — I need you to move fast and find every last piece of the door before they catch up to me." Chen Ge produced the Skull-Smashing Hammer. "You go first. I'll head in the opposite direction."
If they hadn't gotten to know each other, even Men Nan might have believed that this man's heart was filled with justice — a selfless, upright boss.
"Be careful. I'm still counting on you to send me back to fix that window." He swung his short little legs into motion and headed downstairs. The others followed one after another.
Soon, Chen Ge stood alone on the rooftop. He leaned against the railing at the edge of the building, and flames kindled deep in his eyes. "
The blood-red crescent moon bathed the rooftop in its glow as Chen Ge's shadow spread outward in every direction. The blood mist was violently shoved aside, and a presence rose slowly from within him — cold, terrifying, brutal, maddening to the extreme — before vanishing just as quickly.
Chen Ge watched the still-raging battle between the blood mist and the chains, then let his truest expression cross his face. His lips curved upward as he dragged the Skull-Smashing Hammer and ran downstairs.
"Doctor Gao is the closest thing I've ever seen to what lies above a Red-clothed ghost. The Nether Fetus may be connected to a four-star scenario, but the Shadow here only possesses a fraction of the Nether Fetus's power. Even with the home-field advantage, he's probably no match for Doctor Gao." Chen Ge burst out of the stairwell and sprinted through the streets of Liwan Town, the blood mist around him growing thinner by the second.
"I still need to be careful around Doctor Gao. The problem is I can't tell what state he's in, and I have no idea what his goal is. Every move he's made seems to revolve around my haunted house." Chen Ge charged ahead, the sound of chaos erupting behind him. Doctor Gao had apparently noticed he was on the move and picked up his own pace.
The blood mist was fading. Crashing booms echoed through the air. In the blood-red buildings around them, shadowy figures flickered — the killers and vengeful spirits who had been locked up here to feed off negative emotions sensed that something was wrong and emerged from their hiding places.
"It's getting livelier by the minute. Killers, vengeful spirits, and all sorts of incomprehensible, indescribable urban legends — what a perfect celebration for a night this dark."
Weaving through the streets, the smile on Chen Ge's face grew ever more pronounced.