Hu Jiu attacked with relentless speed, the White Sash invading Zhu Ze's Ghost Domain without restraint. Following his usual practice, he destroyed Zhu Ze's communication device first.
Zhu Ze's expression darkened as he looked at his crushed satellite phone. A moment of carelessness left him with several more wounds, blood flowing from them nonstop and giving off a putrid stench.
Wounds inflicted by the Ghost Hand had to be treated as soon as possible!
Gritting his teeth, Zhu Ze drove the ghost inside him harder.
In an instant, large amounts of murky liquid flowed out of Zhu Ze and coated his body. He looked like a blob of jelly freshly pulled from the water.
When the drifting White Sash touched him, it slowly passed through him, failing to cause any meaningful damage.
Zhu Ze now seemed to have liquefied, his body turning into a pool of fluid that was immune to most attacks.
At the sight, an idea stirred in Hu Jiu's mind. He increased his output further, and the swarming White Sash tangled incessantly with Zhu Ze, sending up splash after splash as a foul stench hit him in the face.
"Hu Jiu, are you still not going to stop?" Zhu Ze said coldly. "You can't hurt me anytime soon, and I can't hit you either. There's no need for us to keep fighting among ourselves. Our duty is to save our strength and resolve more supernatural incidents!"
"Can't win, so you want to make peace? Sorry, but I think you'd be better off dead." Hu Jiu was utterly brazen. "The last Ghost Tamer who dared to show off in front of me, I steamed his whole family and made him eat them bite by bite. I'm in a pretty good mood today, so kill yourself. I won't drag your friends and family into it!"
What the fuck kind of thing was that to say?
He was deliberately trying to scare me, right?
Zhu Ze was so furious he laughed. Hu Jiu was acting as if he wouldn't stop until one of them was dead. What the hell was wrong with him?
Was he really going to kill Zhu Ze just because he and Zhao Xiujin had treated him poorly and scolded him a few times?
Impossible!
In today's society, who hadn't been berated by a parent, teacher, or boss? Was a quarrel really worth fighting to the death over?
At that thought, Zhu Ze spoke again. "I have a Ghost Domain. I can leave whenever I want. You can't kill me! Zhao Xiujin was murdered, and you've already committed a serious crime. Submitting to the law now is your only way out!"
Hu Jiu's assault didn't let up in the slightest. "Try it. See if you can leave now!"
Zhu Ze froze, then was horrified to find that his Ghost Domain seemed to have been nailed in place. It couldn't move, and he couldn't even withdraw it!
At that moment, he finally panicked. "What did you do?!"
Keeping his Ghost Domain open for too long would wear him to death! He had thought that, inside his own Ghost Domain, his life would be safe no matter what. Who could have imagined it would go out of control?
Hu Jiu didn't answer.
Zhu Ze forced himself to calm down and thought carefully about how the ghost Hu Jiu controlled worked. He had long noticed the odd way Hu Jiu's movements and voice were out of sync, but for the moment he had no idea what it meant.
"A ghost's supernatural powers can't be used indefinitely. At worst, we'll just see who runs out of strength first!" He refused to believe Hu Jiu could maintain such an intense battle for long!
Whenever a Ghost Tamer used a ghost's abilities, it stimulated the malevolent ghost inside them, causing them to die faster. But Zhu Ze's ghost had been carefully selected in a military laboratory by several experts as the best match for his constitution. He firmly believed his endurance far exceeded that of an unaffiliated amateur.
Unfortunately, Hu Jiu soon shattered his confidence. The White Sash's attacks grew increasingly fierce and vicious. Even though Zhu Ze was immune to them, every time it rushed at him, he felt an eerie chill seeping into him. His body grew cold, as if it were gradually freezing.
"Damn it!" Zhu Ze clenched his back teeth in disbelief. An unaffiliated Ghost Tamer had actually driven him into such a sorry state! Did Hu Jiu really have to fight him to the death?
Why?! What does he gain by killing me?
He couldn't understand the reasoning behind Hu Jiu's actions at all.
Given the current situation, he feared he would be the first to give out, and he couldn't help feeling a trace of regret. Hu Jiu had gotten into the car with them. If Zhu Ze had been more polite, would things have turned out differently?
Zhu Ze's eyes reddened. "You're not worthy of killing me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ze's body suddenly collapsed with a splash, turning into a pool of sewage that rapidly spread in every direction.
Hu Jiu thought Zhu Ze was trying to escape in this bizarre manner. But just then, a stream of sewage condensed into a whip and lashed directly toward Hu Jiu's real body. Its aim was rather far off, however, and it missed.
The water whip hit the ground and turned back into human form.
Zhu Ze snorted coldly. "I've seen through your trick. You created a false image and hid your real body, so I couldn't attack you. But your voice gave you away. Hu Jiu, are you still going to keep this up? Stop now, and I can let bygones be bygones!"
Zhu Ze was a military Ghost Tamer, after all. His mind was fairly nimble, and he had guessed at part of Hu Jiu's abilities... All the more reason Hu Jiu couldn't let him go!
"Let bygones be bygones? What gives you the right to say that?" Hu Jiu sneered. "You seem to have misunderstood your position. I'm the hunter, and you're the prey!"
Zhu Ze stared fixedly at the car he had just been riding in. Hu Jiu's voice had come from somewhere near it.
After Zhao Xiujin had been torn apart by hand, the car had gone out of control and braked abruptly. No one would have paid special attention to a vehicle, which had made it easy for Hu Jiu to conceal himself. In any case, he had already used the Ghost Book to restrict Zhu Ze's range of movement, so it didn't matter if he was discovered.
Seeing that Hu Jiu wouldn't listen to reason, Zhu Ze was at a loss. To end the conflict, he would probably have to start with the reason Hu Jiu had turned hostile, but... he simply couldn't understand why he had suddenly done so!
Zhu Ze carefully recalled everything that had happened since he met Hu Jiu, growing more confused the more he thought about it. Meanwhile, more and more murky sewage flowed from his body, churning and spreading outward with an overwhelmingly foul stench.
If he couldn't pinpoint Hu Jiu's location, he could only blanket the surrounding area with indiscriminate attacks!
Going all out gave him a slim chance of survival. Dragging things out would only let Hu Jiu wear him down and kill him!
The sewage formed a small lake, and water whips shot into the sky one after another. The White Sash was dispersed, but it didn't do a damn bit of good. More White Sash kept appearing in an endless stream.
Zhu Ze's expression grew even uglier at the sight. It had all happened so suddenly that he was completely unprepared. Who would have thought picking someone up would lead to this?
The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate. Zhu Ze ventured, "Hu Jiu, why don't we both take a step back? If I did anything to offend you just now, I sincerely apologize. If you're still not satisfied, I can compensate you. Would two Longevity Potions be enough?"
"Do you take me for an idiot?" Hu Jiu's tone was mocking. "We've already made enemies of each other. If I let you go for a few petty gains, you'd definitely come after me for revenge. Killing you here and now is my best option!"
As he spoke, the White Sash filling the sky surged like waves once more, sweeping toward Zhu Ze.
"What a fucking lunatic!" Zhu Ze controlled the sewage, forming a curtain to block the White Sash's waves of attacks.
This can't go on! Zhu Ze gritted his teeth. He had been careless, and he might really die here! What was more, Hu Jiu didn't seem to be fighting with all his strength. If anything, it was like a cat playing with a mouse. Whether he was arrogant or had some other idea, Zhu Ze felt he had to seize this chance to escape!
His body collapsed again. Like a mountain torrent bursting through a dam, the sewage split into several streams and sped off in different directions.
"Trying to run?" Hu Jiu watched Zhu Ze's desperate struggle in silence.
Once the streams of sewage reached a certain distance, they could go no farther. They could only circle within a round area.
The sewage gathered and condensed back into Zhu Ze's form. "Hu Jiu, just tell me what I have to do for you to let me go! We don't have any deep-seated hatred between us. Why are you so determined to kill me?!"
"Because I'm a Ghost Tamer from headquarters," Hu Jiu said casually.
Zhu Ze was dumbfounded. What kind of reason was that?
But he soon seemed to realize something. "The Research Institute for Special Anomalous Phenomena, directly under the military, is known as the Anomalous Research Department for short. In name, it's also part of headquarters, but..."
"But this department takes orders without answering to headquarters and has enormous autonomy. It even dares to bypass its superiors and intercept and arrest people from headquarters on its own~" Hu Jiu calmly finished what Zhu Ze had left unsaid.
"The research department existed before headquarters was established, and it has powerful backing. I'm only following orders. You may be strong, but you absolutely can't stand against the research department!" Zhu Ze's face was grim as he tried to intimidate him.
Ordinary people had no idea the research department existed, so naturally he couldn't use it to frighten them. But Hu Jiu was clearly aware of it, and Zhu Ze didn't mind borrowing its authority.
Then again, most people would have obediently fallen in line the moment they heard the word "military." Who would dare cause trouble?
Unfortunately, Hu Jiu was an exception.
The moment Zhao Xiujin identified who she worked for, Hu Jiu had resolved to kill them to silence them!
Headquarters stood in the sunlight, a symbol of greatness, glory, and righteousness. As for the Anomalous Research Department, Hu Jiu didn't know much about it either. The mysterious organization was like tree roots buried deep underground, hidden from the light of day. Most of those it took away... disappeared, and even those lucky enough to return became strange.
Hu Jiu had no desire to put himself at risk, so he could only ask Zhu Ze and Zhao Xiujin to die.
Afterward, he would certainly come up with a perfect explanation for their sacrifice.
Having probed most of Zhu Ze's abilities, Hu Jiu stopped wasting time. The White Sash harassed Zhu Ze, leading him to raise his head.
The next second, Zhu Ze exploded, countless droplets of sewage splattering in every direction. He had never expected Hu Jiu to have another trick. Were newcomers these days all so fierce?
The Looking-Up Ghost's attack directly stirred the ghost inside Zhu Ze into unrest, severely accelerating its recovery. His screams rang out and echoed through the quiet surroundings. The sewage multiplied uncontrollably, roiling and bubbling as if it had been brought to a boil.
A barely discernible human form struggled to coalesce in the middle of the water. It seemed to be suffering unspeakable torment, repeatedly wavering on the verge of collapse.
In the end, Zhu Ze was like a sluice gate thrown open. Sewage kept surging outward, and his body completely liquefied. His consciousness had not yet vanished entirely, however, and he was still roaring in unwillingness.
Given the unique nature of the ghost he controlled, he probably would have had a very bright future if he hadn't met Hu Jiu.
It was a shame, but the world had no shortage of geniuses who died before their time.
With Zhu Ze's death, the ever-flowing sewage formed a pond, firmly confined within a fixed circular area.
Ordinary methods would have had a hard time containing this liquid-form ghost, but for Hu Jiu, it was nothing. The Ghost Book easily changed the sewage's form, gradually compressing it until it became a single drop!
Hu Jiu placed the drop of eerie water in a sealed gold container.
Only some remains that couldn't be dissolved were left behind, including gold items and two test tubes filled with a pale blue solution.
Hu Jiu went over the scene again, taking everything he could and destroying everything he needed to. Throughout the entire ordeal, his satellite phone had never rung.
Whether headquarters was playing dumb and tacitly permitting the research department's actions or was completely unaware of them, Hu Jiu treated it all according to the conspiracy theory.
If they dared to play dumb, then they could stay dumb to the very end!