Marriage

After killing the Two-headed Paper Figure,

perhaps because it had been stained with another's blood, or because the blood carried traces of a similar presence, the Zombie Blade became active. Every nerve covering it writhed.

But Luo Di had no time to worry about that. He rushed toward the living room at top speed.

Yet trouble struck again as soon as he went downstairs.

The corridor, which had originally been only a dozen meters long, had somehow stretched to over a hundred meters.

The cramped, oppressive passage was packed with Red Lanterns and Black Hair Spider Silk. Poisonous Spiders crawled all over the walls and floor, clearly meant to restrict Luo Di's movements.

But Luo Di did not hesitate in the slightest. Even a moment's delay could cost the class monitor her life.

Moving at the fastest speed he had ever achieved during physical testing, he crushed spiders beneath his feet while swinging his blade through the Black Hair Spider Silk blocking the passage, forcibly carving out a route to the living room.

But no matter how fast he was, he had still lost quite a bit of time.

Before he had even fully passed through the corridor, he could hear a chorus of chattering voices. The entire living room had become lively.

The moment he stepped out of the passage, a paper figure suddenly appeared.

It did not attack Luo Di. Instead, it handed him a brand-new Red Envelope.

The living room had expanded to three times its previous size. Festive red knots hung from the beams, offerings had been placed on the Eight Immortals table, and paper figures wearing white wigs sat beside it.

"First bow to Heaven and Earth!"

A loud, resonant voice rang through the hall.

The newlyweds were conducting their wedding ceremony.

The groom was the paper figure Luo Di had seen in the bedroom earlier.

Judging from her clothing, the bride should have been the Spider Imposter. Yet the class monitor was nowhere to be seen. The bride had also changed into bridal headwear, which concealed the back of her head.

As an intruder, Luo Di was not restricted. He seemed to have been treated as a guest.

He did not act rashly. Instead, he slowly shifted his steps, trying to see the bride's face from the side. At the same time, he remained alert to the paper figures around him, gripping the hilt of his blade tightly.

His angle gradually shifted to the side, but the bridal headwear kept him from seeing clearly. He needed to move a little farther.

At that moment, Luo Di seemed to have already anticipated an extremely terrible outcome.

Just as he continued shifting position and was about to see the bride's face clearly,

"Second bow to the parents!"

The groom and bride lowered their heads at the same time.

Luo Di furrowed his brow and waited silently...

"Rise!"

The bride slowly raised her head.

A pair of seductive yet puzzled eyes happened to stare directly at Luo Di, as though she were surprised that this young man had arrived so quickly.

Luo Di froze completely. The face before his eyes was the class monitor's.

But upon closer inspection, there were no seams or signs of adhesion on her face. It did not look as though someone had pasted skin over it.

And after examining the bride's figure more carefully, it also resembled the class monitor's body more closely.

Luo Di let out a sigh of relief. At least the class monitor was still alive.

But his expression immediately turned grim. Although the class monitor had not had her face torn off, this situation was exactly like the possession incident he had encountered before.

That old woman had somehow possessed the class monitor's body, and time was running out. Once Complete Possession occurred, there would be no chance of reversal.

Judging from the situation before him,

once the wedding ceremony ended—once the third bow was complete—it would likely be the moment of Complete Possession.

There was very little time left.

Although the Spider Woman was surprised that Luo Di had dealt with the "Girl" she had discarded and arrived here so quickly, she was certain he had no way to deal with possession. This was the final stage. As the bride, she was already fully immersed in her role and could not abruptly stop now.

There was only one final bow left. Then everything would be settled.

Besides, every paper figure in the living room was watching Luo Di's every move.

Standing in the corner, Luo Di took a deep breath. His entire presence became dark and heavy.

The Zombie Blade in his hand slowly rose.

He did not swing it.

Instead, he cut sideways into his own mouth, slicing open both corners completely...

Five months earlier.

One month after the simulation practice, he had gone to the City Research Bureau for the relevant examination as arranged.

After the examination,

it was found that Luo Di used the Zombie Blade for more than half an hour every day. Apart from nutritional deficiencies in his body, all test results were normal, indicating that he would not be affected by the Corner-transforming item.

Director Wang, whose head was square and who had a mole at the corner of his mouth, was quite satisfied with his condition.

"Keep it up!"

Luo Di, who was usually a man of few words, took the initiative to ask a question. He still could not let go of what had happened during the practice.

"Director, if I encounter another possession incident, can I use this weapon to deal with it? Or is there some other method?"

Director Wang thought highly of the young man and explained with considerable patience:

"Possession? That is a little too early for someone still studying like you.

"Still, since you want to know, I can tell you about it.

"Do you know the essence of possession?"

"Not really."

Director Wang placed his index finger against Luo Di's forehead and lightly tapped it.

"Possession is relatively rare. A Pseudo-Human must possess the ability of Essence Projection, projecting itself into the body of the possessed individual in the form of a pituitary gland to achieve possession.

"There are many ways to carry out such projection. The simplest is to make the possessed person swallow the pituitary gland.

"But what you encountered during the simulation practice was a more sophisticated Curse Projection. It can directly affect a single target, influencing them invisibly, and it is difficult to guard against.

"Once possession begins, the Pseudo-Human's 'pituitary gland' gradually erodes the possessed person's brain, eventually completely occupying the hypothalamus to achieve perfect possession. At that point, the possessed person will also die completely.

"If you want to help someone else break free from possession, you cannot do it at your current stage. It mainly depends on the person who has been possessed.

"If that person's will is strong enough, or if they have undergone strict mental training, they can break free from possession through their own strength. But accomplishing that while still a student is far too difficult.

"So during the year before you advance to higher education, it would be best for you to stay obediently at school and stop causing trouble outside.

"I doubt your luck is so bad that you would encounter another anomalous entity capable of possession."

Luo Di still wanted an answer. "What if I do encounter one? If someone else is possessed, what can I do?"

"You need to abandon the possessed person immediately and escape on your own.

"In the current situation, running away is not a bad thing. Someone who can escape from an absolutely dangerous environment may even gain the state's attention.

"If escape is truly impossible, then perhaps the weapon in your hand can provide a little external assistance.

"Inject corpse poison into a spot near the possessed person's brain. The zombie attributes, which also come from the Corner, can create a certain degree of interference. But it is only interference. To break free, the possessed person must rely on their own will."

"Mm."

"Bow to each other as husband and wife!"

The bright voice echoed through the hall.

The possessed class monitor lowered her head once more.

As long as she completed this bow, the possession would be fully complete.

The reason it had progressed so quickly was, first, because they were within the Spider Woman's own territory; second, because Wu Wen had been constantly exposed to concepts related to "marriage" from the moment she stepped into this house—through Embroidered Shoes, Red Lanterns, Double Happiness Stickers, and more. Combined with the final Fear Invasion, flaws had appeared in her thinking.

"Rise!"

As she was about to rise from the final bow, she sensed someone standing behind her and faintly felt a scorching heat that did not belong here.

Just as the Spider Woman was about to raise her head, she discovered that someone had wrapped their arms around her.

Before she could threaten or resist, something shot toward her neck—swish!

It was not a blade.

It was a pair of sinister fangs biting into her artery, perfectly injecting corpse poison. Dark, cracked lips pressed tightly against the woman's neck.

Luo Di had used the Zombie Blade to cut open his mouth, sacrificing himself to grant half of his face zombie attributes.

It was clearly only the clenching of teeth, clearly only lips pressed against the surface of her neck,

yet it felt as though the two of them were conversing.

"Class monitor..."

A voice reached the depths of her mind.