Weird Scent, Weird Head Pat! Yang Wei's Terror!

Weird Scent, Weird Head Pat! Yang Wei's Terror!

Some had paid with an arm.

Sheets of Netherworld Paper were handed out from the ticket window, which was as unwatchable as a pitch-black abyss.

Everyone clutched the Netherworld Paper in their hands as if it were treasure.

They had paid an enormous price to obtain this thing!

But to seize Nightfall's anomaly, it was worth it!

They had no idea they had just made a deal with Death.

On one side of the scales of this transaction lay heaps of bargaining chips.

On the other side, hidden behind the ticket window, was Chen Yu's icy butcher knife in the darkness!

They had paid the price.

They had traded for death!

"Quick, there's not much time left!"

As the saying went, every second felt like a year.

Here, that was truly the case.

They could not waste a single moment. Clutching the Netherworld Paper, they hurried toward the Anomaly Graveyard.

This time, they had Netherworld Paper.

That haze finally no longer blocked their vision.

They entered the Anomaly Graveyard without incident.

Mist churned thickly throughout the graveyard.

Corpse Oil refined from the bodies buried in the graves over time seeped up through the soil, giving off an unbearably pungent stench.

Everyone's nasal cavities and chests were filled with that foul smell.

The Corpse Oil gathered into streams of yellowish-brown fluid, pooling into small ponds.

Beneath those pools, rolling together with the Corpse Oil, were the corpses of unknown animals tainted by sinister liquid, along with human organs, bone fragments, and indescribable bloody chunks of flesh.

Apocalypse and the others had seen this sort of scene many times.

They immediately began searching the Anomaly Graveyard for a gravestone.

"Over here!"

Qin Ziming soon shouted, and everyone rushed over.

There, hanging on a gravestone as pale as paper, was a memorial photo.

The person in the photo was Chen Yu.

A living person's memorial photo appearing on a gravestone made everything seem so strange and terrifying.

Gao Mingqiang hurriedly performed three kneels and nine kowtows.

Then he got to his feet and walked up to the gravestone.

He directly tore Chen Yu's memorial photo off the gravestone!

[The moment you tear down a Ghost Controller's memorial photo in the Anomaly Graveyard, his anomaly becomes yours.]

[Congratulations. You have successfully stripped someone else of their anomaly.]

[He has no choice but to cry.]

[It has no choice but to submit.]

"Success!"

Ecstasy showed in the eyes of every Apocalypse member.

The Memorial Ritual was completely over.

The images in their minds twisted and vanished like a whirlpool.

Then, the Apocalypse members in reality opened their eyes one after another.

"The memorial photo has been torn down, and the Memorial Ritual succeeded. The anomaly is ours for the taking!"

The Apocalypse members excitedly looked at Chen Yu's portrait placed atop the Divine Altar.

As long as the ritual ended successfully,

the anomaly inside Chen Yu would soon be stripped away and appear in the frame, ready for them to do with as they pleased.

They could control it if they wanted, or seal it away if they wanted!

Most importantly, even if Chen Yu controlled multiple anomalies,

this ritual would only ever strip away one of them!

A group of anomalies might pose a tremendous threat to them.

But just one was nothing to the several Apocalypse members. They could suppress it with one hand.

Inside the frame,

Chen Yu's memorial photo slowly curled into a strange, chilling smile.

His teasing, mocking voice drifted over and echoed through the mourning hall. "My desire to eat... is rising..."

Inside the frame,

scarlet liquid began to seep eerily from the eyes in Chen Yu's memorial photo.

The liquid flowed out like tears, down the frame and onto the table, forming two strange little streams.

The portrait began to twist, releasing thick black mist.

Then the black mist grew denser and denser.

"It's coming, it's coming!"

All the Apocalypse members grew excited.

This was the sign that the anomaly was about to be stripped away!

The next moment!

The black mist burst out of the frame!

A Headless Ghost Shadow emerged from within the frame!

It stood atop the Divine Altar.

Everyone's expressions changed drastically!

Why had the anomaly burst out of the frame?

What shocked them even more was this!

The Headless Ghost Shadow radiated waves of powerful anomalous aura.

At the same time, a scarlet Ghost Pupil appeared in its navel!

There was no white in the Ghost Pupil, only murky scarlet.

Even its pupil had vanished!

In its place were two clock hands, one long and one short!

The Headless Ghost Shadow held a Ghost Butcher Knife wrapped in black shadows in its right hand, radiating endless anomalous aura and terrifying killing intent!

It wore a garment that only the dead wore when laid to rest.

A huge character for "longevity" was printed on the garment.

It proved that the garment was a Funeral Shroud.

But unlike an ordinary Funeral Shroud,

this one radiated an incredibly intense and powerful anomalous aura! At the same time, it was covered in deep blackish-brown Ghost Corpse Spots!

The corpse spots spread across the entire shroud and even onto the Headless Ghost Shadow's body!

Through the Headless Ghost Shadow and the Time Ghost Eye, Chen Yu looked down mockingly at the members of the Memorial Squad beneath the Divine Altar.

The Ghost Pupil on the Headless Ghost Shadow's stomach took on a humanlike, mocking gaze.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone."

What the fuck was this?!

Everyone in Apocalypse was dumbfounded with fear.

They had seen all kinds of situations.

But they had never seen anything like this!

A Headless Ghost Shadow holding a Ghost Butcher Knife, wearing a Ghost Shroud, covered in Ghost Corpse Spots, with a Time Ghost Eye in its navel?!

Every anomaly radiated its own distinct aura.

That proved they were not one whole.

They were separate entities!

Hadn't they agreed that the Memorial Ritual would only strip away one anomaly?

Why had so many anomalies come at once?!

Seeing the aura radiating from the Headless Ghost Shadow,

the Memorial Squad members regained their senses and showed no fear.

"This is bad!" Qin Ziming's expression changed. He understood at once. "This guy reverse-infected us!"

"Damn it, that ticket window was the medium he used to reverse-infect us!"

"Don't be afraid! I refuse to believe a mere Linjiang City can produce some great terror!" Gao Mingqiang, the Ghost Koutou, gave a savage grin. The bloody scabs in his mouth gave off a foul odor, making him look incomparably terrifying. "It's perfect that they all came together. Today, we'll strip every last one of his anomalies from him!"

The Memorial Squad members regained Apocalypse's usual arrogance and confidence.

With cold snorts, the Memorial Squad members each brought out their signature abilities to deal with Chen Yu's anomalies.

Guixiang Hanlan's face turned sinister. She stepped forward in two quick strides, and three sticks of incense appeared in her hand.

The incense automatically released plumes of smoke and began burning fiercely. Yet after it burned, not a trace of ash remained.

The Ghost Incense burned out in an instant.

But the way it burned out was extremely strange!

The two on the sides were short, while the middle one was long.

People feared three long and two short.

Incense dreaded two short and one long!

The smoke from the Ghost Incense was the medium.

Its killing rule was two short and one long!

The smoke began drifting toward the Headless Ghost Shadow!

Liu Tian, the Ghost Candle, was not about to be outdone.

He lit two candles.

Flames danced atop the Ghost Candles like fiery sprites, dispelling the darkness around them!

Wherever the Ghost Candle's light shone,

objects began giving off wisps of green smoke.

Pedestrians passing outside the hotel were accidentally caught in the candlelight and immediately felt the temperature around them rise!

They cried out and turned to flee.

But there were still unlucky people who got caught!

Those who were hit became like human candles, with endless heat burning inside their bodies and using their flesh as fuel.

Their scorched skin and flesh made them scream in heartrending agony.

064

In the end, without exception,

those people fell to the ground with twisted, despairing faces. Their bodies were roasted and melted by flames like candles, turning into pools of Corpse Oil and becoming offerings to the tongues of fire in exchange for its pleasure!

As for Qin Ziming, the Weird Photo, he aimed his camera at the Ghost Shadow and began taking pictures. With every shot, he captured a portion of the Headless Ghost Shadow's anomalous energy.

It gradually grew weaker!

The Anomaly Vaccine did not fall behind either. To ensure his teammates' safety, he immediately injected them with vaccines!

After receiving the vaccine, their Anomaly Abilities became even more powerful!

Gao Mingqiang, the Ghost Koutou, went mad, praying continuously as he began smashing his head against the ground with loud bangs!

He did not stop even after his head was split open and bleeding.

Every kowtow produced a dull thud.

The thuds entered the ears of those around them.

They sounded like the lingering bells of hell, dragging their souls into the underworld, condemning them to eternal damnation.

Everyone in Apocalypse attacked together!

Their anomaly levels were immediately revealed.

They were all lv7-lv8!

As they appeared at once, their powerful Anomaly Abilities spread out and enveloped the entire hotel.

All objects began to melt.

All the windows shattered in an instant.

Those who failed to escape in time were turned directly into Corpse Oil and corpses.

The anomalous energy was completely off the charts.

Even the sky over Linjiang City darkened because of it!

Only Chen Yu watched the Jigsaw Anomaly separate, observing the vastly different yet powerful fighting styles of each Ghost Controller. His scarlet Time Ghost Eye brimmed with excitement.

When combined, the Jigsaw Anomaly was powerful and could steal others' anomalies.

When fighting separately, each of their Anomaly Abilities was still outstanding.

He trembled with excitement.

He was practically drooling with excitement.

Powerful.

Very powerful.

This whole ordeal had not been in vain.

By devouring them, he would undergo explosive evolution!!

The Ghost Butcher Knife in his hand slowly tightened.

The Ghost Shadow Chen Yu controlled let out a crazed laugh tinged with fanaticism.

"Come on, come on...!!!"

"This..."

Across from the Orange Hotel stood an office building.

Inside it, someone holding a strange pair of binoculars was watching everything unfold in the hotel lobby.

This man was a member of the Investigation Bureau named Ma Bo. He controlled a Level 6 Anomaly, the Weird Ruler, and was now one of the Investigation Bureau's Orderkeepers.

The Anomaly he controlled could measure the strength of anomalous energy, making him especially sensitive to fluctuations in such energy.

What was happening inside the hotel made him feel as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.

"What's wrong? What happened? Say something!"

An extremely anxious voice came through the earpiece hidden in his ear, jolting Ma Bo out of his stunned state.

"I..."

He swallowed, unable to utter a single word for a long while.

Every member of Apocalypse had acted at once. The unleashed anomalous energy had frightened him so badly that he lost the ability to form words.

As a Ghost Controller, he knew exactly how terrifying that energy was!

"What do you mean, 'I'? Hurry up and say it, damn it! Aren't you usually a chatterbox?"

Several men in Investigation Bureau uniforms stood beside him.

Ever since the people from Apocalypse entered Linjiang City, they had been assigned to monitor these highly dangerous individuals around the clock.

Luo Mu, Li Minghai, and Wang Zhengdao, the Orderkeeper captain who controlled a Level 8 Anomaly, were burning with impatience.

After taking a while to process everything, the Weird Ruler finally calmed down. Ma Bo then stammered, "Captain Luo, Captain Wang... the Apocalypse members are using their Anomaly Abilities together to deal with Nightfall's Anomalies..."

Upon hearing that, Luo Mu and the others were utterly dumbfounded!

So many Apocalypse members were using their Anomaly Abilities together against Nightfall?

No wonder the Weird Ruler had been unable to speak for so long.

He had been scared senseless.

"Quick, measure just how powerful they are!"

Wang Zhengdao urged.

"Yes, Captain."

Having regained his senses, Ma Bo hurriedly activated his Anomaly Ability.

A ruler appeared in his hand.

It was a pale, withered ruler, long and narrow, like polished human bone—smooth yet hard.

It was absolutely not naturally formed.

Instead, it looked like something crafted by intelligent humans from some ancient surviving civilization.

Complicated black patterns wound around the ruler.

Its artistic style was extremely abstract.

This was the Weird Ruler Ma Bo controlled.

He aimed the Weird Ruler at the hotel lobby.

The Weird Ruler was highly transparent, allowing Ma Bo to see everything inside the hotel through it.

Countless dense black markings were carved into the ruler.

There were even twisted numbers marked upon it, impossible to comprehend.

The Weird Ruler could measure the height of Anomalies.

The stronger the Anomaly.

The taller the Anomaly measured by the Weird Ruler would be.

Ma Bo had previously measured the anomalous heights of Li Minghai and Wang Zhengdao.

Li Minghai measured only ten centimeters.

Wang Zhengdao measured only thirty-two centimeters!

The instant he activated the Anomaly within his body.

The Weird Ruler in his hand twisted strangely, then became a long, narrow Ghost Shadow.

There was still a scale on the Ghost Shadow's head.

It displayed the Anomaly's height!

And there was more than one. There were many Ghost Shadows.

Some of those shadows were tall, while others were short.

"How much?"

Luo Mu and the others from the Investigation Bureau asked anxiously.

Ma Bo measured while his hands trembled violently.

"Weird Photo, twenty-five centimeters."

"Ghost Candle, thirty centimeters..."

"Ghost Incense, thirty-three centimeters..."

"Ghost Koutou, thirty-five centimeters..."

As for the Anomaly Vaccine, for some reason, it could not be measured.

After hearing those results.

Luo Mu and the others' expressions changed sharply.

The atmosphere became incomparably grim.

Wang Zhengdao was only thirty-two damn centimeters.

Yet even the weakest among them, the Weird Photo, measured twenty-five centimeters.

Every one of them was equivalent to Captain Wang Zhengdao's level.

Every single one!

Nightfall was in serious trouble this time!

His Anomalies could not possibly defeat Apocalypse!

"We need to think of a way to save him."

Chen Yu was currently enveloped by the Headless Ghost Shadow. Seeing the Apocalypse members activate their Anomaly Abilities simultaneously, a mocking smile curled across his lips.

These Apocalypse people really were powerful. No wonder everyone feared them so much.

It seemed the discussions on the forum were not baseless rumors.

They had developed the Anomalies they controlled to a remarkable depth!

At the same time, their coordination was exceptionally orderly.

They could fight alone or cooperate as a group.

Today, Chen Yu had finally encountered an opponent who interested him somewhat.

As the Apocalypse members attacked together, Chen Yu not only felt no fear, but was instead stirred into battle by them.

The smoke from Ghost Incense was Ghost Incense's medium, drifting directly toward Chen Yu's Headless Ghost Shadow.

As long as it touched that smoke.

It would trigger Ghost Incense's killing rule.

Anyone who touched it would undoubtedly die.

Just as the smoke was about to touch Chen Yu, Guixiang Hanlan's lips curved into a cold smile. "Touch my Ghost Incense, and prepare to die!"

But unexpectedly, the Headless Ghost Shadow merely clapped lightly.

That smoke was instantly scattered by its clap.

It could not take effect at all.

The flames of Ghost Candle began gathering toward the Headless Ghost Shadow.

It could control the path of light, even gathering the light it released together.

When light was condensed.

Its power became even greater!

The light it emitted was its medium!

As long as one touched the light and triggered the killing rule, Chen Yu would instantly be refined into a puddle of Corpse Oil!

As the candlelight that had killed countless people converged upon Chen Yu's Headless Ghost Shadow.

Chen Yu remained unmoved, even wearing a cold, stern smile.

"Hmph, you can still smile? Die!"

The candlelight shot violently toward Chen Yu.

It crashed into the Ghost Shroud.

After the Ghost Corpse Spot came into contact with that candlelight, it began spreading fiercely, like multiplying cells, instantly covering the entire Ghost Shroud!

The Ghost Corpse Spot combined with the Ghost Shroud.

The entire shroud instantly turned stiff and icy.

The enveloping candlelight was unable to disperse the dense corpse spots.

It could not invade at all.

It posed no threat whatsoever to Chen Yu.

After all, Ghost Candle was a Level 8 Anomaly.

After absorbing that firelight, the Ghost Shroud was somewhat unable to endure it. Thin trails of green smoke rose from parts of it, and scorch marks appeared.

And those scorch marks continued spreading!

Seeing this.

The Apocalypse members were delighted!

It seemed this Ghost Shroud was Ghost Shadow's defense.

As long as they pierced through the Ghost Shroud.

Killing Ghost Shadow would only be a matter of time!

[It has already started to break down!]

[I told you not to provoke them. They are very strong.]

[They are all Level 7 and Level 8 Ghost Controllers. You cannot deal with them alone.]

[What? You say you are not afraid at all? Why would you dare say something like that?]

[At such a desperately dangerous moment, there is still a smile at the corner of your mouth.]

[I really do not know who gave you such courage. Liang Jingru?]

Yet Chen Yu was not worried in the slightest. Instead, he felt delighted, and an eerie smile curled across his lips.

The energy absorbed by the Ghost Shroud could be refined.

After being refined, the Ghost Shroud would become stronger.

The Ghost Corpse Spot had been an example before.

The Ghost Shroud had now become a Funeral Shroud wreathed in flames.

It looked as though it was about to burn away completely.

But they had coordination.

And Chen Yu did too!

The Time Ghost Eye above the Headless Ghost Shadow's navel unleashed its mighty power at that moment.

Within the scarlet eyeball, the scale began rotating without pattern.

It finally stopped at the twelve o'clock position.

Tick!

Time Reversal.

The flames on the Ghost Shroud dispersed slightly.

Tick!

Time reversed once more!

The flames on the Ghost Shroud began to vanish.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Shroud continued absorbing the energy of the flames.

Tick, tick!

The Ghost Shroud returned to normal.

But the anomalous energy it had absorbed remained permanently within the Ghost Shroud!

Even more terrifyingly...

The moment the Time Ghost Eye appeared, Ghost Koutou, Ghost Candle, Ghost Incense, and the Anomaly Vaccine were all frantically stripped of time in an instant.

Layer upon layer of time-stripping rules spread outward.

Before time, every medium seemed so utterly insignificant.

No matter how lingering the curling incense smoke was, it could not cross the gap of time and remain for ten years.

Guixiang Hanlan discovered in agony that the incense in her hand was burning rapidly, while the drifting smoke could not even travel a millimeter before completely dissipating.

What was being rapidly consumed along with it was her lifespan!!

Hanlan's face changed miserably. "What kind of Anomaly is this?! How can this be happening?! Is my Ghost Incense about to burn out?"

No matter how vigorous the candlelight was, it could not continue burning under the rapid passage of time in five-year increments.

Liu Tian of Ghost Candle also discovered in horror that his body... had gone from handling it with ease to being overloaded in an instant. His skin began melting. Ghost Candle had been used far beyond its limit, yet the candlelight was not even the size of a mung bean. The burden of the backlash was beyond imagination!

Despair filled his face. "How is this possible?! In less than a second, I was already on the verge of collapse... If this continues, the anomalies in my body will all revive!"

Ghost Koutou?

In an instant, it aged a hundredfold. Its prominently bulging forehead sagged as its skin loosened and lost elasticity, its muscles weakened, becoming such a burden that it nearly dragged Its head down, leaving It unable to raise it.

Those limp muscles could no longer support that thunderous kowtowing.

Ghost Koutou Gao Mingqiang tugged at his hoarse, aged voice. He could not even straighten his back, and even his anger seemed so powerless. "You... what did you do... Why did we become like this in an instant...?"

The vaccine's effects were easily dispersed into time as well.

Anomaly Vaccine Zhou Ying cried out in horror as she watched the syringe in her hand decay with time. The liquid inside yellowed and stank... It had completely failed.

"Time... It's time!!!"

Zhou Ying screamed desperately as if she had gone mad. "What he controls... actually includes time!!!"

Qin Ziming's Ghost Photography suffered a devastating blow as well.

All the film had yellowed and faded beneath the erosion of time's river. Everything it had captured could never be recovered again.

The greater price was...

His camera had broken!!!

Qin Ziming was finished!

"How could this happen... What is this guy...?!"

"A great terror?!"

"Or a god?!"

Qin Ziming's mental defenses completely collapsed.

All sorts of anomalous killing rules.

In Chen Yu's eyes, they seemed so tiny, so utterly insignificant!

They directly collapsed and disintegrated, effortlessly crushed by him into piles of dust.

At this point, no ornate language could describe the current situation.

Only crude words were sufficient.

They were utterly fucking useless.

Everyone was stunned senseless!

What Chen Yu had crushed was not the anomalous killing rules.

He had crushed the self-esteem of everyone in Apocalypse, and crushed their eyeballs.

At the same time, he crushed the worldview of Ma Bo, who was spying on everything in the hotel from not far away.

Ma Bo, holding the Weird Ruler, saw a massive Ghost Shadow appear inside the hotel.

It flashed by in an instant!

It moved too quickly, but in that instant, he measured the Ghost Shadow's height.

"One of [Nightfall]'s anomalies... fifty meters, and that was measured instantly. It seemed even taller, though the exact height is unknown... He apparently hasn't even fought with his full strength!"

As Ma Bo's voice came through the earpiece.

Luo Mu and the others, who had been sitting in the Investigation Bureau with despair written all over their faces, abruptly shot up from their chairs.

Their faces were filled with horror!

"F-fifty centimeters? It can get even taller?!"

Luo Mu said in horror, "Quick, take a closer look and see exactly how tall it is..."

Ma Bo looked into the hotel.

That anomalous shadow had only flashed into view for an instant when it attacked. It had already vanished.

He said, "I can't measure it anymore... It's gone."

Because the killing rules had been crushed.

The anomalies that had released those killing rules suffered an enormous backlash.

And the shadows emerging from their bodies were visibly shrinking!

"The Apocalypse members' shadows seem to have gotten shorter!"

Ma Bo cried out. Ever since he had controlled the Weird Ruler.

He had never seen an anomaly become shorter.

Normally, anomalies only grew stronger and stronger!

The Investigation Bureau members hurriedly urged Ma Bo to measure them again.

"Weird Photo, fifteen centimeters."

"Ghost Koutou, eighteen centimeters."

"Ghost Candle, fourteen centimeters."

"Ghost Incense, fifteen centimeters."

The anomalies of every Apocalypse member had decreased by an enormous amount.

They had clearly suffered devastating damage from the backlash!

As Ma Bo's words fell one after another.

Luo Mu and the others in the Investigation Bureau stood there with their mouths wide open in shock, unable to close them for a long time.

[Do you find this surprising?]

[Do you find this exciting?]

[That's right.]

[You rats have limits to your understanding that are far too low. You simply cannot comprehend what He, from a higher dimension, can do.]

[Just watch obediently.]

[The main event is yet to come.]

Scarlet words appeared across the phone screen, every line dripping with mockery.

Inside the hotel.

Under time's corrosion, the entire funeral hall seemed as though it had aged for many years. Dust had accumulated everywhere, and the objects had withered away.

The members of [Apocalypse] suffered severe injuries, each of them vomiting a mouthful of thick black blood.

They barely managed to digest the devastating damage inflicted by the Time Ghost Eye.

But the time that had been stripped away could never be recovered.

They had never expected that even joining forces, they would be unable to deal with Chen Yu's anomaly!

Just what kind of terrifying existence was Chen Yu?

"Quick, we can only use our trump card now!"

"Mm!"

"Even if we die here, we must complete the mission!"

A savage, crazed pride and self-respect surfaced on Qin Ziming and the others' aged faces.

Ever since they had controlled anomalies, joined [Apocalypse], and formed a Memorial Jigsaw, they had swept through everything in their path, inspiring fear in all who heard of them.

They had never suffered such humiliation before!

(End of Chapter)