Screen of the Blood Hand

Guan Ping's expression flickered under the gazes of the staff, cold light revealing a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.

He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth, trying to say a few more words. But after glancing at the staff members, he finally relaxed his hands.

"You said that as soon as I realized the danger, I would stop voluntarily."

Tong Guan nodded gravely, his face showing no trace of worry about the upcoming action.

"Yes, if you feel something is wrong, you can signal Chang Nian with your eyes, and she will get you out of danger as quickly as possible."

As he spoke, Chang Nian stepped forward, positioning herself between the two and looking around.

She didn't try to dissuade them further, instead cooperating with Tong Guan's actions and decisions as much as possible. It seemed to have become a habit.

Tong Guan lightened his stance and faced Guan Ping. At his signal, both raised their hands simultaneously, aiming them at their own heads.

This was an extremely risky move.

Actively inviting a ghost to possess them seemed like a horrifying plan on the surface, but it was also a good strategy to break the current stalemate and confirm the ambiguity of the mission's objective.

It was a shame that, up to this point, Ji Li hadn't called to share any intel.

But Fang Shenyan, who had remained silent, his eyes darting about, hesitated for a moment before dialing Ji Li's phone...

At the same time, Tong Guan and Guan Ping's actions were progressing as planned.

Their arms extended, gradually bending, mimicking the deceased staff members from midnight, reaching to grab their own heads.

Tong Guan's hands were steady, and his expression showed no panic. He even encouraged Guan Ping with his eyes, signaling him not to be nervous.

Guan Ping could be considered the most courageous among the staff. It was no small feat for him to trust Tong Guan's plan despite his doubts and lack of full understanding.

The process of the action accelerated, but as Chang Nian watched between Tong Guan and Guan Ping, she sensed something was wrong.

Guan Ping's arms were not stiff at all, and his demeanor was perfectly fine. His head was tilted slightly now only because he was slowly turning it himself.

And Tong Guan on the other side was in the exact same situation!

He had tested it on himself not long ago, and when his hands reached his head, his limbs would become numb and stiff.

But now, as they were actually carrying out the plan, he felt no strange sense of possession!

Chang Nian sighed inwardly. The action had failed from the very beginning.

The ghost had not possessed them at all, and even Tong Guan, who was a staff member, had lost that sense of possession while executing the plan.

Yet, she also felt a sense of relief. When Tong Guan had first proposed this plan, she felt something was off.

It was as if something was about to happen. She hadn't had the conditions to advise against it before, but now that the action was about to fail, she was no longer worried.

Fang Shenyan was still calling Ji Li's phone, but there was no answer.

Yu Guo saw their actions and came closer, peeking at the phone screen.

"What's going on? Did Ji Li die?"

Fang Shenyan glared at him. Before he could speak, he suddenly heard a piercing static sound from the broadcast above.

It was as if someone had deliberately turned on an old radio, causing a circuit malfunction.

But the noise didn't last long. Soon, a clear, hoarse voice emerged, carrying a unique, indifferent tone.

As all the staff members heard it, they instantly realized that the speaker was Ji Li, who had been missing for nearly three hours!

"Tong Guan, stop what you're doing, things have changed drastically!"

Ji Li didn't need to say it; Tong Guan had already begun to pause his actions. He had long suspected something had failed when he couldn't feel the expected stiffness.

His head was already twisted more than ninety degrees, almost to the limit of what he could turn it, but there was still no reaction.

This clearly indicated that his plan was not working.

Hearing Ji Li's words, he lowered his hands, looked at the broadcast overhead, and the surveillance camera slowly rotating nearby.

He already understood most of it. A moment later, he said loudly, "It seems you've discovered something."

Ji Li's clear voice sounded again, "This is our second report of action since the mission began."

Inside the first-floor lobby, only the voices of Ji Li and Tong Guan could be heard, representing the exchange of information between the two parties.

As a large amount of information was gathered, everyone's faces showed a variety of expressions.

When Yu Guo heard that the five staff members he had brought with him had all died at the same time, he almost bit his tongue and blurted out, "No wonder nothing happened on our end; they were targeting you!"

Fang Shenyan's expression was grim. He habitually pushed up his glasses, his mind calculating the other piece of information Ji Li had brought.

"Once possessed, death is unavoidable."

The conditions for this conclusion were impeccable, earned through the lives of eighteen people. Its accuracy was beyond doubt.

But now, Fang Shenyan was pondering:

Why were Yu Guo's two previous probes on him able to stop just in time...

And why, when Tong Guan and Guan Ping pushed their actions to the brink of death, did the ghost still not make a move...

These two questions were essentially one:

How did the staff and the employees get distinguished in the eyes of the ghost?

Guan Ping sighed inwardly, then informed Ji Li of everything that had happened on his end.

Ji Li was silent for a long time on his end, as if contemplating Guan Ping's guess that "the mission content is vague and may be incorrect."

A moment later, his voice echoed through the air again:

"Regarding the issue with the mission content, the simplest method of identification has actually already appeared.

Just as I said, if all of us staff members withdraw and gather all the employees on the first floor.

We'll see if there are any more casualties. That will be the best plan.

Because the pattern of cursed killings I discovered originates from ourselves. As long as we stay away from the employees, they won't be harmed.

Conversely...

If they die when they're away from the employees, and still die when they're near the employees, this is a comprehensive rescue strategy from the outside in.

If that's also unsolvable...

Then there's no doubt, the mission content we saw is wrong!"

Guan Ping's brow twitched. He was swayed by Ji Li's words. This plan could indeed be described as extremely ingenious.

It could both confirm a path to survival and identify the mission content, and it was much better than the plan he had previously proposed.

Ji Li's plan was a complete deployment and optimization from a macro perspective!

Guan Ping turned to look at Chang Nian and asked in a low voice, "Do you have any suggestions?"

Chang Nian flicked the ponytail behind her head. "No problem."

Then Guan Ping looked at Fang and Yu behind him. They both had no objections.

The action was fully initiated. The four staff members on the first floor quickly withdrew from the lobby, leaving behind a group of bewildered employees.

Meanwhile, on the eighteenth floor in the surveillance room, Ji Li was staring intently at the screen in front of him. This was his last guess.

If it didn't succeed, he would have to find "Xiao Qi," who still hadn't appeared but might be the breakthrough point for this mission!

Ji Li didn't see Li Xing, who was sitting in the corner and had overheard Ji Li and Guan Ping's speculation.

At this moment, the emotions on his face were extremely complex. In a daze, it was as if he remembered something, and as if he had forgotten something.

Especially after hearing the words "mission content," he thoughtfully reached into his pocket and felt for the hotel-issued phone.

Strangely, as he tried to grab it, the screen lit up on its own!

And on the screen, obscured by the fabric of his clothes, all the original apps and wallpapers had disappeared, replaced by a bloody hand!

Li Xing's hand was about to touch the hotel phone, and the hand on the screen was about to emerge from it!

Inside and outside the screen, two hands were about to intertwine