Republic Street, once bustling with voices, had now fallen into deathly silence. No one spoke anymore, yet they all followed the same rhythm of breathing, only to stop breathing amid their gasps.
This eerie silence stood in extreme contrast to the twisted, horrifying expressions on their faces before death.
Every fallen tourist wore the same distorted expression of overwhelming terror, usually with bulging eyes and gaping mouths.
The soundless curse had cleared the street, leaving only the thuds of bodies hitting the ground.
The culprit was still being held in Ji Li's palm, wearing an easily readable smile—a look of satisfaction.
The man in the light-colored down jacket leaned against a stall, blocking the corpse of the stall owner, whose torn mouth and burst eyes were hidden from view. A faint smile rested on his face.
"It's been so many years since you were last outside. You only killed a few dozen people, and you're this pleased with yourself?"
The head ignored him and did not look at him. The smile at its lips grew more obvious. Even while being held in someone's palm, it showed no discomfort at all. Such an aggressive being was unexpectedly docile in Ji Li's hand.
The man casually picked up a jade pendant from the stall, twirling its cord between two fingers as he said lightly:
"Taking you away from Old Yu Street back then caused me quite a bit of trouble. Rose Hotel may not have brought me much benefit, but I did owe someone a favor.
Today, I'll use you to repay him. Once you help him this time, you'll be free too.
You're just a very ordinary ghost. You merely appeared in an extraordinary place..."
The man always smiled when he spoke. His narrow eyes watched the two branching paths to