What the hell?!
Wei Shanhai felt a little uneasy, and took another closer look by the light of his phone.
It was this one glance that terrified him, nearly causing him to lose control of his bladder. His face contorted in horror as he let out a scream, hastily dropping the painting and desperately running away.
He saw it: the person in the painting slowly turned their head and stared intently at him!
Wei Shanhai's mind went blank. He ran outside with all his might, his heart pounding. "Wait, what was that I just saw? Is this world really haunted?!"
He was panting heavily, his clothes soaked with cold sweat. A faint breeze swept through the corridor, immersing him in an indescribable sense of dread.
The bag had fallen off during the run, but Wei Shanhai was too frightened to turn back and look for it.
Without lock-picking tools, he had no choice but to exit through the apartment's main entrance. Although he might be caught on surveillance cameras, it was best to leave first. Only a brainless protagonist in a horror movie would deliberately dawdle and waste time knowing the place is haunted.
He lifted his leg and continued down the stairs. The entire apartment was dark and quiet, the strong smell of alcohol constantly filling his nostrils and stimulating his nerves. Gradually, the fear strangely subsided. He didn't know where he got the courage, but he stopped. A fire seemed to burn in his heart. "Damn it, I'm not going to leave like this, looking so pathetic!"
Thinking of this, he immediately turned back and quickly found his lost bag.
"Where's the ghost? Show yourself if you dare! Do you think I'm easily scared?" His face flushed, his expression slightly manic, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather an urge to point at the ghost and hurl insults at it.
He casually took out a cigarette, but after pressing the lighter several times, he couldn't get the flame right and failed to light it.
"Damn it, even a cigarette is going against me!" Wei Shanhai was furious. He threw away the cigarette in his hand and took another one.
The cigarette was lit this time, and red sparks flickered in the darkness. Wei Shanhai seemed quite pleased with himself, his mind was a little dizzy, and he forgot his original purpose.
However, the next second, I suddenly felt a chill on my scalp, and when I raised my hand to touch my head, I found that I was bald!
"Damn it! What's going on?!" he roared in unusual rage, slamming his fist against the wall as if to vent his anger.
An extremely horrifying scene unfolded: the wall seemed to come alive, transforming into the flesh and blood of some kind of creature, instantly enveloping Wei Shanhai's fist.
Even at this moment, Wei Shanhai miraculously felt no fear. Instead, he cursed at the wall, "You damn thing, did you make me bald?!"
His scalp felt cold again; clearly, his hair had inexplicably thinned out once more. If there had been a mirror, he would have seen his face as pale as paper.
After cursing for a long time, Wei Shanhai's mouth was dry and his body was exhausted. Suddenly, his vision blurred, two red patches appeared on his face, and his body swayed and staggered, like a drunkard who had drunk too much.
Thump--
Wei Shanhai collapsed, leaning against the wall, overcome by sleepiness. His eyelids drooped, and he mumbled, "I'll be fine by tomorrow morning. Once the sun rises, all the demons and monsters will be vanquished!"
A soft snore sounded, Wei Shanhai's lips curled up, as if he were having a sweet dream.
His body gradually sank into the wall, and he was slowly swallowed up.
"Help... help me!"
A hideous figure gradually emerged on the white wall. He finally regained consciousness, wanting to call for help but unable to make a sound. He could only wail in his heart, but no one would come to save him.
Tonight, Happiness Apartment is a haunted building that devours people without spitting out the bones; Wei Shanhai is not the only one who enters and never leaves.
He was just an incredibly unlucky guy who came to the wrong place at the wrong time.
This is Hu Jiu's testing ground. He has three Fierce Ghost that need to be tested, using human lives to determine their abilities.
I've pretty much figured it out now.
[Drunkard]: First stage: Excitement, emotional instability; Second stage: Mania, irritability, decreased IQ, increased aggression; Third stage: Physical incoordination, slowed movement, further decreased IQ, leading to unconsciousness and death from drunkenness.
[Ghost Wall-Building]: This ability can encase a person within a wall, leaving a silhouette on the wall. Timely release of the victim ensures their survival. However, physically destroying the wall will not reveal the victim; only the wall material will be visible.
If the shadow on the wall is smashed, the victim will also die. Releasing the victim at this point will yield fragmented body parts. If the shadow on the wall is smashed and the wall is repaired, releasing the victim at this point will yield a complete body.
[Ghost Head-Shaving]: Causes baldness; death is imminent when all hair falls out (does not work on bald heads).
After a quick fix to Happiness Apartment, by sunrise it had returned to being an ordinary residence, except for a few human-shaped marks on the walls.
Back home, Hu Jiu took off her clothes, went into the bathroom to wash away the smell of blood, dried her hair, lay on the bed, and stared intently at the bright daylight. Then she took a few steamed buns from the refrigerator, heated them up, and ate them.
In reality, he doesn't need to sleep or eat anymore; he's just going through the motions, pretending to be human.
Unbeknownst to him, he had already sprinted an enormous distance on an inhuman path...
My phone beeped with a message notification; a quick glance revealed it was from He Ming again.
He Ming: "Recently, several strange organizations have been trying to recruit me. Some were relatively polite, but others were basically coercing me. It's so annoying, what should I do?"
Hu Jiu: "Report directly to Headquarters, or just pick one and kill them as an example to deter others."
Upon seeing the reply, He Ming remained silent for a long time. As their interactions increased, he had already realized that he and Hu Jiu were not the same kind of people and could not get along. He did not want to bother them, but Hu Jiu was the only person he knew in this circle, and he could only consult Hu Jiu when he encountered problems.
He Ming: "Headquarters informed me that I need to go to Capital next week to attend an important meeting to summarize the work on the Horror Grass Incident, and also to let me make an appearance, get to know my colleagues, undergo a mental state assessment, receive professional training in Supernatural knowledge, and collect an award. Are there any precautions I should take?"
Hu Jiu: "No, you've done a great service and become famous. Headquarters won't treat you unfairly."
He Ming: "You'll probably be there too, right?"
Hu Jiu: "Headquarters has notified me, but I might not go."
He Ming: "Why?"
Hu Jiu did not reply.
He Ming didn't press the matter further.
Lacking common topics, their conversations always ended abruptly.
Meanwhile, several uninvited guests arrived in Linjiang City...