The Third Floor of the Hotel

Having found nothing, Jiang Qiao crossed the corridor and arrived at the stairwell.

The staircase connecting the second and third floors looked exceptionally dilapidated, riddled with potholes and cracks.

As he climbed the steps, the walls on both sides grew increasingly worn-down, and a fishy smell drifted through the air.

It was not foul, but it was distinctly fishy.

Like the mixed scent of grease and sweat emanating from some fat people in summer.

The moment he reached the third floor, he saw a figure flash past the end of the corridor.

It emerged from the wall on the left and ran into the wall on the right.

And from the instant Jiang Qiao set foot on the third floor, an eerie chill had enveloped him.

By now, the livestream on Jiang Qiao's phone had cut off.

Not only was there no signal on this third floor, but even his phone screen was flickering, as though something was interfering with it.

"Looks like the main culprit is on this floor."

Jiang Qiao recalled the scenes from the horror movie Ju-On.

The female ghost Kayako's corpse had been hidden in the attic of the house.

Perhaps something was hidden above the hotel's ceiling as well.

Through his gray pupils, the surroundings were laid bare before Jiang Qiao.

There were rooms on both sides of the corridor as well, but they looked far older and more decrepit than those on the second floor.

The doors were not only rotten, but covered in black moss.

Jiang Qiao pushed one of the doors, and his hand met something damp and slimy.

"Creak... squeak..."

A teeth-grinding sound rang out. The door was unexpectedly heavy, and it was impossible to tell how long it had been since anyone last opened it.

The moment he pushed open a crack, a frigid aura leaked out from within, raising goosebumps all over his body.

"This is—"

Jiang Qiao stared at the furnishings inside, froze for a moment, then stepped in.

A moldy smell lingered in the cramped room. The ceiling was damp, as though it leaked whenever it rained.

Every window in the room had been nailed shut with wooden boards. Jiang Qiao touched one of them; it felt powdery, so it had likely been there for a long time.

There was no extra furniture or electrical equipment in the room. Only a pitch-black coffin stood in the center.

The coffin was propped up on stools and did not touch the ground.

In folk belief, there were two explanations for a coffin not touching the ground.

One was that it was an empty coffin prepared by an elderly person for future use. Since it had not been used yet, letting it touch the ground was considered inauspicious.

The other was that someone was already inside, but had died a horrible death and carried immense resentment. People feared that once it touched the ground and absorbed the earth's energy, the corpse would rise.

Jiang Qiao did not know which it was. He touched the coffin lid and got a hand full of black grease.

The grease looked specially concocted. Jiang Qiao could smell Incense Ash, dog blood, cinnabar, and other ingredients in it.

After all, the Mad Scientist's nose was quite sharp, nearly as good as a dog's.

With a loud bang.

He directly lifted the coffin lid.

Since he was already here, he might as well take a look.

Jiang Qiao might have seemed reckless now, but during simulations, these things had been everywhere.

The simulations only recorded important information, though. They did not specifically describe what ghosts looked like or how they were killed.

There was no corpse inside the coffin. Instead, its bottom was lined with a layer of brown leather.

A broken gravestone lay on top of the leather.

The moment Jiang Qiao saw the gravestone, his eyes narrowed, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

Because the person smiling brightly in the black-and-white photo on the gravestone was Jiang Qiao himself.

For some reason, a lyric flashed through his mind.

"Your smile looks so lovely, like flowers growing on a grave."

"Fuck!"

Without another word, Jiang Qiao tore the photograph off and punched the coffin.

He blasted a huge hole straight through it.

But this action seemed to have triggered some kind of supernatural phenomenon.

The lights throughout the room began flickering on and off. A strange medicinal stench seeped from the surrounding walls.

Then, heavy Footsteps sounded from the staircase outside.

Jiang Qiao ignored the changes inside the room.

He walked to the door and looked outside, only to find that the corridor had become black as spilled ink.

Even through the gray vision of his Dual Pupils, he could not see very far.

The Footsteps drew nearer, every step identical in rhythm and force.

Even someone specially trained could not produce footsteps that were completely identical.

As long as someone was human, there would always be subtle differences.

Jiang Qiao watched the direction from which the sound came, waiting for the Vicious Ghost to appear.

Soon, as the Footsteps approached, a bizarre figure slowly came into view.

The figure wore a wrinkled shirt and filthy leather shoes. Its body was dry and gaunt, and its features could not be seen clearly. Yet it gave off the feeling that it had just crawled out of a coffin.

"This ghost isn't simple."

Lightning crackled around Jiang Qiao's fists, while the blue patterns on his body deepened further.

This Vicious Ghost had probably reached the Second Tier.

It was the strongest Vicious Ghost he had encountered in reality so far.

As for what had happened on Antique-Style Street the night before last, he could now roughly conclude that it had been a Rule-based Anomalies!

"Step—"

"Step step—"

"Step step step—"

As the man approached, the air around them became increasingly oppressive.

Jiang Qiao felt an invisible supernatural force attempting to corrode him, only to be blocked by his Invincible Body.

The surrounding walls rapidly blackened and grew mold, while the mildew stains multiplied.

"Is a Second Order Malevolent Ghost really this terrifying?"

Looking at the approaching figure, Jiang Qiao could not help sighing inwardly.

During simulations, Vicious Ghosts like this were not uncommon. To Jiang Qiao, they were nothing but weaklings.

But in reality, a ghost like this could cause a horrifying disaster.

Ordinary people were as fragile before it as wild grass, falling in swathes with a single cut.

And above the Second Tier was the Third Tier.

Above the Third Tier was the Fourth Order.

The Braided Girl in South City District was even a Fifth Tier existence!

Even a small place like Bin City was already like this.

What about everywhere else?

When Jiang Qiao had gone to nearby cities, he had discovered terrifying Hell Fairy Tales!

At the very least, that Snow White was a Sixth Tier from the start!

Then what if the scope expanded to the entire world?

Did humanity truly still have hope?

No wonder those Evolvers called themselves "New Humans."

In this supernatural apocalypse, they were immune to attacks from most Vicious Ghosts and could indeed live longer than ordinary humans.

Even Awakened could not compare to them.

But then again, could a group of things parasitized by Vicious Ghosts truly still be considered human?

As countless thoughts flashed through his mind, the Vicious Ghost had already arrived before him.

Its bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Jiang Qiao. The next moment, rage appeared on its face.

"You... destroyed... the hotel... Seeking Death!"

Its voice was shrill and bizarre, like the cry of a night owl.

Then its feet left the ground as it lunged at him.

Jiang Qiao did not hesitate against the Vicious Ghost. His fist, wrapped in black lightning, smashed viciously into its face.

Bang!

Crackle, crackle!

His fist struck something hard, followed by the sound of electricity.

The Vicious Ghost staggered back several steps, lightning crackling wildly over its body.

A burnt smell began spreading through the air.

"This Vicious Ghost is actually at Peak Second Order?"

A trace of surprise appeared on Jiang Qiao's face.

But that did not stop him from stepping forward and throwing another punch!

Thunder Art possessed powerful suppressive force. Unless this Vicious Ghost had reached the Third Tier, it had to die tonight!

Boom!

Lightning spread through the corridor, tearing apart the darkness around them.

The Vicious Ghost wanted to retaliate, but the lightning had paralyzed it, making movement difficult.

And Jiang Qiao's third punch had already arrived!

Boom!

The lightning shattered the Vicious Ghost's body into pieces, merging with the lightning produced by the previous two punches.

"Ah—"

The Vicious Ghost let out a shrill scream.

The next moment, the lightning inside it exploded, reducing it directly to ashes.

"Whew—"

"Inhale—"

After blowing up the Vicious Ghost, Jiang Qiao quickly absorbed its Ghost Qi.

The Lightning Thunder Fist was powerful, but it purified Ghost Qi, greatly reducing his gains.

But against a Vicious Ghost at Peak Second Order, relying solely on his Second Tier Invincible Body would be enough to protect himself, but there was no way he could keep it from escaping.

Jiang Qiao desperately hoped that tomorrow's simulation would give him a few offensive talents.

Meanwhile, outside Hujia Village.

Three cars were parked in the open area at the village entrance, and more than ten men and women got out one after another.

They were all Streamer's viewers who had arranged to come as a group through Jiang Qiao's livestream.

"This place does look pretty creepy."

A heavily made-up girl in a black silk skirt looked around. When she spoke, the smell of alcohol wafted from her mouth.

"We came here to explore the supernatural. If it wasn't creepy, what the hell would we be exploring?" A yellow-haired young man in his twenties beside her said with a laugh, wrapping an arm around her.

"Everyone, be careful. This place really is Evil."

"After the streamer went up to the third floor of that hotel, the livestream cut off. I don't know whether he ran into danger."

An Uncle in his thirties, whose hair was starting to thin, spoke up.

These days, it was not only young people who were curious. Even uncles were full of curiosity.

"There are still people living in this village. What danger could there be? I think that bullshit streamer is just putting on an act." The yellow-haired young man said disdainfully.

"Yeah, yeah. Maybe that streamer saw we were getting serious and got scared off." The girl from earlier chimed in with a giggle.

"Since we're already here, let's first see whether that hotel exists. I live nearby and often come to Hujia Village. I can confirm that I've never seen that hotel before."

The glasses man said, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the pale skin below the girl's neck.

"As long as we confirm whether the hotel exists, we'll know if the streamer is lying."

"Let's go. I still have a drinking session later."

"Wait, I'm starting a livestream too. Maybe I'll go viral."

The group chatted and laughed as they headed into the village, not taking it too seriously.

With so many people here, what was there to fear?

They did not see it.

In the woods beside them, several figures hung from a Big Tree, swaying continuously.