The Scapegoat

The strange feeling in Ji Li's heart grew stronger. He felt something was off about this funeral procession, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Then, he heard a heart-wrenching scream, coming from the direction of those drunkards!

Without hesitation, he immediately ran over. On the way, he saw that of the original three drunkards, only two remained. The fattest one, who had been drinking the most, had vanished without a trace!

Ji Li's eyelids twitched. He instantly understood that the first victim had already appeared!

The Tall Thin Man and Blondie were now completely lost, only able to look at Ji Li, then at the vaguely visible funeral procession, unable to utter a single word.

Ji Li grabbed the dazed Tall Thin Man and asked in a low voice, "What just happened!"

The Tall Thin Man, looking lost and terrified, pointed at the stone wall where Liu Zi had been, stammering, "Liu Zi... Liu Zi he..."

Ji Li impatiently pushed him away and turned to Blondie.

Blondie, arguably the most sober of the three present, let out a long sigh. He glanced fearfully at the funeral procession, which was gradually disappearing, and said softly, "We were hiding here, waiting for those people to leave. In the blink of an eye, Liu Zi just vanished on the spot. We still don't know what happened..."

Vanished suddenly...

Ji Li's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Is that all?"

Blondie was still shaken and couldn't figure it out. He stammered, "Before he disappeared, I only heard three words."

"How could I..."

"That's all?"

"That's all!"

Ji Li's face turned ashen. Looking at the funeral procession that was gradually moving away, he pondered in his heart.

Liu Zi's death must have triggered a dead end.

Perhaps what he saw before he died, and that last utterance which wasn't quite a dying wish, would reveal some clue.

But everything was too vague; it was impossible to recall.

"Things won't be this simple. Those people will definitely come back to kill us all!"

As soon as this thought settled in his mind, the funeral procession, which had already disappeared down the alley, reappeared and was rapidly approaching Ji Li and the others!

The Tall Thin Man looked as if he had seen a ghost and was about to flee backward, but Ji Li grabbed his wrist, forcibly keeping him there.

"We can't escape. Staying here and finding its killing rules might be our only chance of survival!" Ji Li said, word by word, as he watched the approaching procession.

"What is 'it'?"

"A ghost."

The Tall Thin Man and Blondie exchanged glances and took a step back. They looked at Ji Li as if he were insane.

But they didn't run away. Perhaps subconsciously, they both realized that among those white-robed figures, there was something supernatural!

"When the funeral procession first approached, I kept a close eye on everyone's actions.

Until Liu Zi died, I can be sure the white-robed figures had no opportunity to act.

So, perhaps the truly abnormal thing is that coffin!"

This was the second encounter between the living and the funeral procession.

Now, Ji Li's attention was entirely focused on the coffin.

As the distance shortened, he still couldn't find anything unusual.

At least, that's how it appeared from the outside. The coffin was heavy, and it clearly contained a corpse.

"Huh? Do you think the coffin's weight has changed?" Just as Ji Li was lost in confusion, the Third Personality's clear yet slightly questioning voice appeared in his mind.

"Hiss..."

"The ropes on the shoulders of the pallbearers have lowered a bit!"

Ji Li's eyes lit up. He followed the Third Personality's words and looked.

Indeed, as he said, this time as they brushed past.

The ropes on the shoulders of the four pallbearers had dug into their flesh, and their steps were much heavier than before.

"Where did Liu Zi's body go?" This question suddenly appeared in Ji Li's mind, and his thoughts began to extend boldly.

Generally speaking, ghosts don't act without reason. Every detail is related to life and death!

Liu Zi died, so why did his body also disappear?

But if we consider the increased weight of the coffin, is it possible that the coffin now contains the bodies of both the ghost and Liu Zi?!

Ji Li looked at the approaching coffin. He could clearly feel a chilling aura that seemed to shake his soul.

Liu Zi's death was clearly because he saw something. Considering his position at the time, He should have been very close to the coffin!

Ji Li took a sharp breath. All the abnormalities were linked to the coffin...

"Then, it seems the coffin holds the deepest secret. To find a clue, we must expose this secret!"

Ji Li's gaze flickered. In a moment, the coffin would pass his location. This was one of his few opportunities.

Whether opening the coffin was a path to life or death remained unknown. His repeated near-death experiences forced him to tread with extreme caution.

He slowly turned his head to look at the two men beside him, who were as silent as cicadas in winter. If he wanted to achieve his goal with minimal cost, the simplest method was naturally to use those around him…

"Gentlemen, I can tell you frankly, Liu Zi was killed by the vengeful spirit inside the coffin!"

The Tall Thin Man flinched violently, his gaze towards Ji Li becoming increasingly panicked.

Blondie's mental fortitude was much better. After a few moments of struggle, he asked, "What do you mean…"

Ji Li let out a long sigh and said slowly, "Everyone in this alley has been targeted by it. Only by finding its killing rules might we still have a chance to survive!"

Then, his tone shifted. Looking at Blondie and the Tall Thin Man, he pulled out two sharp knives from his bag and threw them in front of them.

"I'll give you a choice. If you believe me, pick up the knives, and we'll lift the coffin lid from all sides simultaneously!"

Silence…

The scene froze for a moment following Ji Li's words, the air filled with bewilderment and dread.

"No… no way! Even if what you say is true, the vengeful spirit is in the coffin. If we open it, we're just walking into our deaths!" The Tall Thin Man pressed himself against the wall, his low growl a clear refusal.

Ji Li narrowed his eyes, remaining silent. But Blondie was the first to pick up a sharp knife.

"He's right. Liu Zi died for no reason, inexplicably. This is all supernatural! At the time of death, only Liu Zi was closest to the coffin. The source of everything must be the coffin."

Blondie's mental fortitude and calm mind, to a certain extent, had caught up with Ji Li, the "professional."

Sweating profusely, he gripped the knife and looked at Ji Li, "Are you sure… if we open the coffin, we can discover the vengeful spirit's killing rules?"

Ji Li nodded heavily. He also reached for his back, gripping the knife's hilt. His gaze fell upon the coffin that was approaching. Unlike the last time he passed by, after this close contact, he smelled a strange scent… the scent of death!

He had experienced this scent more than once, and it always originated from himself! Looking again at the coffin, which was swaying and clearly not light, he was almost eighty percent certain that Liu Zi's body was inside!

In response to Blondie's question, his tone was soft, but carried an unspeakable confidence: "The coffin hides a malevolent entity, but it also hides the killing rules. As long as we conquer our fear and master this hidden rule, we can definitely win this time!"

Ji Li gripped the knife's hilt. He didn't look at Blondie or the Tall Thin Man, but walked directly towards a corner of the wall. From this position, he would be facing the southeast corner of the coffin.

Meanwhile, after several hesitations, Blondie chose to stand parallel to Ji Li's left, facing the northeast corner of the coffin. The Tall Thin Man chose to stand beside Blondie. He still lacked confidence, especially when his gaze fell upon the expressionless White-robed figures, causing his legs to tremble uncontrollably.

Ji Li saw all this from the corner of his eye, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. He remained silent, but the Third Personality's sigh echoed in his mind.

*"Your actions are undoubtedly pushing these two towards their doom… The plan is good, opening the coffin is indeed a good way to take the initiative, but the risk is equally high. To find the hidden killing rules, you must first witness the killing. You are forcing them to join your action with the reasons of 'courage' and 'survival,' merely to spread out the probability of the entity's killing. Reducing your hundred percent chance to thirty percent…" *

All was said. It was evident that the Third Personality's intelligence was quite sharp, instantly discerning Ji Li's intentions. All sounds vanished. The living and the spirits were all seeking an opportunity.

And just then, the coffin quietly arrived. Ji Li's right hand gripped the knife, but he watched the coffin pass by, not making a move. Only when the coffin's length reached the side of the three living people did he suddenly exclaim, "Now!"

Blondie and the Tall Thin Man, as if struck by thunder, instinctively plunged their knives towards the coffin lid!

But only Ji Li remained completely still. He ordered the two to act, but he himself remained on the sidelines. The Third Personality had guessed wrong; Ji Li had no intention of participating in this plan! He wanted these two to open the coffin, and if a death occurred, it would be them. Ji Li's probability of being attacked was zero!

However, before the knives of Blondie and the Tall Thin Man could reach the coffin lid. Ji Li suddenly heard a muffled "creak"! Before he could even realize what the sound was, his eyes were suddenly blinded by a strong light, causing him to instinctively close them, losing his vision for a moment. Ji Li's heart lurched. Just as he realized something was wrong and prepared to flee.

But he found his left arm grasped by an icy, bone-chilling hand. It was as if he'd been bitten by a venomous snake, completely losing his ability to resist!

An immense, inexplicable force violently yanked him from that hand!

Ji Li was utterly defenseless, his entire body toppling towards the coffin!

The attack on his side was too sudden for him to react, but the Tall Thin Man and Blondie, who were constantly vigilant of their surroundings, saw what was happening the moment it occurred.

The Tall Thin Man was utterly petrified. He watched, wide-eyed, as the coffin, as it passed by Ji Li, had its lid pushed open from the inside!

Then, something flashed, and a bloodless arm reached out, forcibly grabbing Ji Li.

Trembling, he stumbled back two steps until he hit the wall, his eyes uncontrollably drawn to the open coffin...

Immediately, his pupils constricted, as if he had discovered a horrifying sight within, something that absolutely should not have happened.

Blondie, on the other side, was completely unaware of the Tall Thin Man's situation.

Being the closest to Ji Li and seeing the accident unfold, he instinctively hugged Ji Li's body, trying to prevent death from claiming him.

Everything happened incredibly fast, all within half a second.

But with Blondie's support, Ji Li finally gained a moment to react. He immediately raised the prepared blade and plunged it towards his own left wrist!

In a daze, he saw the open coffin under the streetlights, but couldn't make out the dark scene within.

Only a hand had emerged from the coffin, gripping his wrist like a vise!

And just as the knife was about to fall, and Ji Li's hair stood on end, a soul-shattering scream erupted from the Tall Thin Man's direction!

Followed by... a cryptic warning.

"Whatever you do... don't look at it!"

The Tall Thin Man had met his doom.

At the moment Ji Li should have been dragged into the coffin, he inexplicably and "coincidentally" became the substitute.

Ji Li watched as the Tall Thin Man transformed into a dark shadow, forcibly pulled into the coffin, followed by a "thump."

The ghostly entity stopped attacking him, and the coffin lid instantly closed. But a searing pain shot through his left wrist, and he gritted his teeth as he looked.

The heavily closed coffin lid was pinning his left hand.

The pain surged like a tide, intensifying the madness in his eyes!

No one at this moment had the presence of mind to care about the Tall Thin Man's death or the warning.

The coffin continued to move, its force immense, dragging Ji Li's left hand, and consequently him and Blondie, along with it!

From his left wrist down, Ji Li's skin began to develop bloody gashes, flesh and skin being scraped away frantically.

His eyes were filled with crimson, and the knife finally reached its limit, plummeting down from the air!

It plunged into his left wrist, already crushed by the coffin lid, hacking at the hard bone again and again!

Cutting off a hand to save his life!

The grating sound was the only disturbance in the entire alley, elevating the horror of the scene to another level!

The two remaining survivors collapsed by the roadside, completely drained of strength, watching the life-devouring coffin recede into the distance with the white-robed figures.

Ji Li was the second person attacked, but he did not die.

The price was his left hand, locked away in the coffin along with the Tall Thin Man, who had "taken his place" for unknown reasons!