Chapter Summaries

As unrest spread through Xihe City, Hu Jiu explained to He Ming why the state concealed the existence of ghosts, arguing that knowledge of the supernatural could destabilize society. When the Ghost Grass suddenly killed two people and grew more aggressive, Hu Jiu led He Ming toward a place where the grass was sparse while trying to figure out its killing rule.

• He Ming questioned why the state kept ghosts secret, and Hu Jiu explained the social upheaval that public knowledge of the supernatural could cause.
• Hu Jiu told He Ming that people might seek supernatural power for revenge, advancement, or curiosity, threatening the established order.
• Ghost Grass spread over a passerby, killed him, and then transformed a young man who tried to flee into another grass man.
• Hu Jiu noticed that the Ghost Grass had become more aggressive and led He Ming toward an area where it was sparse.
• He Ming saw people unsuccessfully trying to destroy the grass with fire and weedkiller, while Hu Jiu wondered why the first victim had been killed despite avoiding direct contact with it.

Hu Jiu and He Ming determined that Ghost Grass spread its supernatural power through the air, infecting people who breathed near it. At Headquarters, officials debated ways to contain the expanding incident, including using the dangerous statue [Praise the Moon].

• Hu Jiu let the exhausted He Ming sleep at an abandoned construction site while the Ghost Grass outbreak worsened around them.
• After waking, He Ming learned that weeds had spread into homes and that some residents had become Ghost Slaves.
• Hu Jiu explained that Ghost Grass's supernatural power permeated the air and accumulated inside people until grass grew from their bodies and killed them.
• Hu Jiu's findings reached Headquarters, where Shen Jiliang praised He Ming's insight and criticized the Research Department's Ghost Tamers.
• Fu Youhua and the others considered burning the Ghost Grass or using [Obituary], while Shen Jiliang proposed deploying [Praise the Moon] despite its deadly side effects.

Hu Jiu learned that the situation in Linjiang City was stable, then joined the response to the Ghost Grass crisis in Xihe City after learning that people had died inside a safe house. At the special department, he defended He Ming from Xu Bo, and the team began organizing survivors and searching for the Source Ghost.

• Qian Ying told Hu Jiu that the Ghost Grass and the Haunted House had reached a fragile balance in Linjiang City, while Xihe City police reported that people had died in a safe house.
• Xiao Mei told Hu Jiu that Headquarters had devised a plan to break through the Ghost Domain from outside and ordered him to meet the reinforcements and watch for the Source Ghost.
• Hu Jiu and He Ming returned to the special department, where Xu Bo ordered Zhao Ruying thrown out after revealing that Headquarters had an unusual identity on file for her.
• When Xu Bo threatened He Ming for defending Zhao Ruying, Hu Jiu intervened and said He Ming had discovered part of the Ghost Grass's killing mechanism.
• Xu Bo instructed the team to move people into enclosed spaces away from natural light, warn them not to look at the sky, and help Headquarters locate the malevolent ghost's true body.
• He Ming thanked Hu Jiu for taking the blame for his supposed discovery, while Hu Jiu privately recalled that he had actually found the pattern by testing it on people and had credited He Ming.

Hu Jiu confronted Xu Bo and several Ghost Tamers, who tried to provoke him into disrupting Headquarters’ plan, and killed them after suppressing their Ghost Domains. He Ming fled the confrontation, regretted his cowardice, and approached a strange bare patch of ground, hoping it might offer him a chance to become a Ghost Tamer.

• Xu Bo demanded information about Yue Renchun and revealed that Headquarters planned to use a Ghost Tamer as bait to draw out the fierce ghost.
• Hu Jiu insulted Xu Bo and the other Ghost Tamers, then used Ghost-Covered Eyes to blind them.
• Xu Bo tried to open his Ghost Domain and attack Hu Jiu, but Hu Jiu suppressed it and tore through the group.
• Hu Jiu noticed the Ghost Tamers seemed to have subdued the same kind of fierce ghost, then cleared away the Ghost Grass and helped the Ghost Water spread.
• He Ming waited for Hu Jiu but did not return to help, and he regretted running away.
• He Ming spotted a bare patch amid the roadside grass and approached it, wondering if it could help him become a Ghost Tamer.

He Ming found a Human Skin Paper that warned him about the Xihe City disaster and led him to a fierce ghost on Apricot Tree Street. After controlling the ghost named Shen, he discovered he could turn intangible and escaped the Ghost Grass, then set out to return and save people.

• He Ming picked up the Human Skin Paper, which described his future death during the supernatural disaster in Xihe City.
• The paper told He Ming that becoming a Ghost Tamer could give him a chance to survive and pointed him toward a fierce ghost on Apricot Tree Street.
• He Ming reached the street and found a humanoid apparition that the Ghost Grass could not affect.
• As the apparition began moving away, He Ming took the risk of approaching it and merged with it despite the intense pain.
• He Ming discovered that he could become intangible, allowing the Ghost Grass to pass through him, and decided to return to save people.

He Ming arrived at the flood caused by the out-of-control Ghost Grass and was recruited by Fu Youhua to help contain it. As Headquarters sent a Ghost Tamer into the sealed Ghost Domain, Ghost Grass attacked him before he could act, leaving He Ming stunned.

• Fu Youhua learned that Ghost Tamers in Xihe City had disappeared and Ghost Grass's main body had become agitated, so Shen Jiliang ordered the operation to speed up.
• He Ming returned to help Hu Jiu but found a spreading flood of sewage and weeds, and learned that Hu Jiu and the other Ghost Tamers had disappeared.
• He Ming revealed that he had become a Ghost Tamer, then received Fu Youhua's request to restrain Ghost Grass until reinforcements arrived.
• He Ming entered the flooded area unharmed, spotted a nearly black blade of grass at the lake's center, and reported it to Headquarters.
• Hu Jiu watched nearby as a Headquarters Ghost Tamer entered carrying a gold safe, but the area went dark and Ghost Grass and Ghost Water attacked him.
• He Ming watched the attack and questioned whether the newcomer was really the promised support from Headquarters.

He Ming witnessed a backup Ghost Tamer die while trying to recover the golden safe, then opened it and triggered a statue that summoned a red moon. The moonlight destroyed Ghost Grass and dissipated the filthy water, leaving He Ming to contain the weakened Ghost Grass as the statue cracked.

• Shen Jiliang ordered the backup Ghost Tamer to retrieve the safe and warned He Ming not to look at the moon or enter the red light.
• The Ghost Tamer seized the safe from Ghost Grass and threw it to He Ming before the grass swallowed him.
• He Ming opened the safe, and the altar sculpture transformed into a humanoid statue that emitted a beam of red light and summoned a red moon.
• The red moonlight withered Ghost Grass and evaporated the filthy water, while some survivors emerged and worshipped the moon.
• After the red moon faded, He Ming pulled the remaining Ghost Grass and its dew into the golden container and saw that the statue was cracked.

After the Ghost Domain vanished, He Ming was recruited by Headquarters and rewarded for his role in the incident. Hu Jiu survived and, under questioning, admitted he had controlled a second ghost, giving him an opening to advance his plans.

• Fu Youhua and Shen Jiliang met He Ming in Xihe City, praised his actions, and questioned him about his background and ability.
• Shen Jiliang invited He Ming to join Headquarters, and Fu Youhua promised him a 300-million reward and an operator.
• He Ming agreed to serve the country and began choosing a codename, but a staff member reported a surviving Ghost Tamer nearby.
• He Ming reunited with Hu Jiu, who told Fu Youhua that several Ghost Tamers had died and claimed he had survived by hiding in a Golden Corpse Bag.
• Fu Youhua questioned how Hu Jiu had survived, and Hu Jiu admitted he had controlled a second ghost.

Hu Jiu told Headquarters that a civilian group called the Playing Cards knew how to extract fierce ghosts from Ghost Tamers, then left with He Ming. The chapter revealed that Hu Jiu had secretly orchestrated He Ming’s role in the supernatural incident and was using him as bait to draw out powerful figures.

• Hu Jiu claimed that the Playing Cards had a method for extracting a fierce ghost from an unconscious Ghost Tamer, and Shen Jiliang questioned whether it could work without killing the host.
• Hu Jiu said he had met a Playing Cards member called Club 3 in Yuezhao City, then left Headquarters to return to Linjiang.
• He Ming followed Hu Jiu, offered to share his reward, and worried that Ghost Tamers might be targeted for the ghosts inside them.
• He Ming exchanged contact information with Hu Jiu and invited him to a meal with his second aunt once the aftermath was over.
• Hu Jiu revealed that he had staged He Ming’s debut, fabricated the Mirage Ghost, manipulated the Ghost Grass and Ghost Water, and used He Ming as bait while secretly monitoring him through the Human Skin Paper.

In the aftermath of the Horror Grass incident, survivors received medical examinations while Hu Jiu planned his next moves and advised He Ming. He Ming then discovered that the woman posing as his second aunt was a Ghost Tamer called [Ghost Relative], leaving him conflicted about her capture.

• The government restored services and began examining survivors, who took special medicine and answered questionnaires about the Red Moon.
• Hu Jiu saw that He Ming had joined Headquarters and explained why operators used codenames instead of their real names.
• Hu Jiu remembered Lin Guangning and resolved to make arrangements for her while developing the Playing Card Organization around his ability to help people tame ghosts.
• He Ming told Hu Jiu that Headquarters had taken away his apparent second aunt after discovering she was a Ghost Tamer posing as his relative.
• He Ming learned that [Ghost Relative] distorted perceptions, brought misfortune, and changed identities after losing everyone close to her.
• He Ming said he still felt sympathy for [Ghost Relative], who had wanted an ordinary life, and Hu Jiu replied that the matter was difficult to judge.

Wei Shanhai returned to locked-down Linjiang City to rob the abandoned Happiness Apartment, where eerie drawings and the smell of alcohol unsettled him. As he entered another apartment in search of valuables, a cold gust blew a drawing of a person embedded in a wall into his hands.

• Wei Shanhai recalled how he had witnessed a murder years earlier, fled Linjiang City, and later returned to thieving after the case was closed.
• Wei Shanhai climbed into Happiness Apartment through a broken top-floor window and found a neglected, alcohol-scented home.
• Wei Shanhai found strange drawings of the apartment building and a figure clinging to a window, but dismissed his unease.
• Wei Shanhai picked the lock of another apartment and stole cash, jewelry, and watches as the smell of alcohol grew stronger.
• After Wei Shanhai left, ghostly faces appeared from the wall, unseen by him.
• Wei Shanhai opened another apartment, where a cold gust blew him a drawing of a person embedded in a wall.

Wei Shanhai entered Happiness Apartment to steal but was killed by its ghosts while Hu Jiu tested their abilities. After cleaning up the building, Hu Jiu received a message from He Ming about an upcoming Headquarters meeting, while uninvited guests arrived outside Linjiang City.

• Wei Shanhai saw the figure in a painting turn to stare at him, fled, then returned to retrieve his dropped bag and confront the ghost.
• The Drunkard, Ghost Head-Shaving, and Ghost Wall-Building attacked Wei Shanhai, who became drunk, was sealed inside a wall, and died.
• Hu Jiu recorded the three ghosts' abilities and cleaned Happiness Apartment, leaving human-shaped marks on its walls.
• He Ming told Hu Jiu that strange organizations were trying to recruit him and that Headquarters had summoned him to the Capital for a meeting, assessment, training, and reward.
• Hu Jiu said Headquarters had summoned him too but that he might not attend, while uninvited guests arrived outside Linjiang City.

Headquarters remained busy containing the aftermath of the Ghost Grass incident while operator Lin Guangning abused her authority to confront her boyfriend over suspected cheating. She discovered a gruesome supernatural killing, fled in terror, and died in a car crash, leaving Headquarters and her influential family to investigate.

• Headquarters continued recovering contaminated statue fragments, managing Red Moon victims, investigating the Playing Card Organization, and suppressing public discussion.
• Lin Guangning argued with a colleague by phone and later gathered friends to confront her boyfriend at apartment 203.
• Lin Guangning used her Headquarters ID to make the landlady open the apartment, where the group found blood, butchered remains, and her boyfriend's severed head.
• Her boyfriend's head opened its eyes and called Lin Guangning to join him, prompting the group to flee.
• Lin Guangning escaped in a car, which was struck by an inexplicable force and overturned; she died, while her companions survived.
• Lin Guangning's father and grandfather ensured the incident would be thoroughly investigated, and Headquarters could not ignore it.

Yin Wenxian attended a banquet where Linjiang City's elites hoped to meet Hu Jiu and discuss safe houses, but he fled after learning his secret crime might have been discovered. In the parking garage, an unknown young man used a bell to make Yin Wenxian lose consciousness while searching for Hu Jiu.

• Yin Wenxian reflected on his family's history and his secret investigation into his mother's death as guests discussed preparing more safe houses.
• A friend warned Yin Wenxian that someone had discovered a trace of his having killed his stepmother's family during the Ghost Domain disaster.
• Yin Wenxian left the banquet and headed to the parking garage to erase evidence of the killings.
• A driverless car and flickering lights frightened Yin Wenxian, who believed another haunting had begun.
• An unfamiliar young man confronted Yin Wenxian and used a vibrating hexagonal bell to make him lose consciousness, then wondered whether he would find Hu Jiu.

Ye Zhuxing and the other Big Dipper employees struggled to find leads for their dangerous mission to investigate a haunted house in Linjiang City. Meanwhile, Hu Jiu explored the house and monitored He Ming, whose upcoming trip to the Capital was interrupted by the Human Skin Paper speaking again.

• Ye Zhuxing’s team discussed their lack of information about the haunted house and their inability to contact Linjiang City’s person in charge, Hu Jiu.
• Ye Zhuxing recalled that Big Dipper forced its employees to complete dangerous missions and punished them if they disobeyed.
• Hu Jiu investigated the haunted house, which had remained unaffected during the Horror Grass Incident and had suppressed the Ghost Grass.
• Hu Jiu used the Human Skin Paper to monitor He Ming, whom Headquarters had protected and chosen to support as a promising Ghost Tamer.
• He Ming prepared to leave early for the Capital, and the Human Skin Paper suddenly spoke: “My name is He Ming...”

He Ming learned that the Human Skin Paper predicted Headquarters would enslave him through the Ghost Contract, leaving him unsure whether to trust it or the institution. Meanwhile, Hu Jiu considered how to handle people investigating him, while Ye Zhuxing's team gathered clues and prepared to investigate the Haunted House.

• He Ming read the Human Skin Paper's warning that the Ghost Contract would turn him into a controlled tool after his trip to the Capital.
• The Human Skin Paper explained that Headquarters held the Ghost Contract, a supernatural item that could forcibly bind and control people, and He Ming hesitated over whether to trust it or Headquarters.
• Hu Jiu realized that strangers were asking about him and the Haunted House, and wondered how to deal with them.
• Ye Zhuxing's team received new information from Xiao Yu's Big Dipper contact, which complemented clues from Yin Wenxian and improved their prospects for investigating the Haunted House.
• Ye Zhuxing explained that Haunted House residents had seemingly killed one another until none survived, and resolved to continue the mission because someone important needed rescuing.

He Ming flew to the Capital while Hu Jiu watched seven mysterious visitors enter the Haunted House. The visitors were Beidou Organization employees investigating the villa, and Hu Jiu decided to observe them as their supernatural aura and strange conversations aroused his suspicion.

• He Ming boarded a chartered flight to the Capital, while Hu Jiu noticed seven guests slipping into the Haunted House.
• Ye Zhuxing, Huo Xun, Jia Hong, and the others found no obvious clues in the villa and worried that they had no outsiders to use as cannon fodder.
• Ye Zhuxing reflected on the team's competition for Supernatural Items and touched the Hexagonal Copper Bell on his wrist.
• Feng Tianyu learned that Jia Hong had argued with He Tao after she rejected his confession.
• Hu Jiu noticed that certain words in the visitors' conversations became inaudible and chose to keep watching them instead of killing them.

Ye Zhuxing, Huo Xun, and Xiao Yu prepared to investigate the Haunted House while Hu Jiu planned to use phantoms against them. In the Capital, He Ming arrived for Headquarters’ training and meetings, but the scheduled physical examination and the strange Ghost Tamers he encountered left him uneasy.

• Huo Xun began installing cameras and other detection equipment in the Haunted House as Ye Zhuxing worried that their mission would not stay peaceful, while Hu Jiu considered whom to target first.
• He Ming arrived in the Capital and learned that Headquarters had arranged training, a commendation, a meeting, and a physical and mental health assessment for him.
• He Ming remembered the Human Skin Paper’s warning and grew wary of the examination, so he stopped chatting with the driver and kept his thoughts to himself.
• At the hotel, He Ming saw Spirit Cat cursing at a man who was delighted by her abuse, and the staff warned him not to call her Mimi or make kissing noises.
• He Ming checked the Human Skin Paper under the covers, saw no warning, and remained uneasy about what awaited him.

He Ming spent a quiet day in the Capital while Hu Jiu watched the Big Dipper Team at the Haunted House and discovered invisible worms emerging from their heads. After a silent surveillance feed showed the three female teammates apparently killing one another, Ye Zhuxing led the group to investigate.

• He Ming toured the Capital with a Headquarters guide, then returned to the hotel and checked the Human Skin Paper without finding a clue.
• Hu Jiu observed nearly transparent worms crawling out of the Big Dipper Team members' heads and collected them in a gold container.
• Ye Zhuxing asked Xiao Yu to use her Intuitive Premonition, but she sensed nothing unusual.
• The team settled in for the night at the Haunted House and took turns keeping watch.
• Ye Zhuxing spotted the three female teammates fighting and dying on the silent surveillance feed.
• Ye Zhuxing gathered the others to check whether the women next door had really been harmed.

Ye Zhuxing and the others encountered supernatural distortions in the Haunted House, including false images, temporary blindness, and a vanished window. After Feng Tianyu warned that previous victims had killed one another, the group realized their emotions were being manipulated but could not control themselves.

• He Tao and Xiao Yu joined Ye Zhuxing’s group and described seeing an illusion of the men fighting, while Ye Zhuxing recounted the false images they had seen on the surveillance feed.
• Ye Zhuxing and Huo Xun explained that the supernatural phenomena were affecting their specially made electronic devices, suggesting a powerful entity was nearby.
• The group temporarily lost their sight, and when their vision returned, Xiao Yu noticed that the room’s window had become a wall.
• Ye Zhuxing recommended leaving the room to investigate, but Lu Hui objected, and Jia Hong’s outburst sparked an argument with He Tao.
• Xiao Yu recognized that everyone’s emotions were abnormal, and Feng Tianyu reminded them that previous victims had killed one another.
• The group realized that, despite recognizing the influence on their emotions, they could not control their reactions.