Surviving the Aftermath

Lin Ran's heart sank to the depths. He had been in this world for some time now, but he had never felt so powerless before.

Inside someone else's domain, he was like an ant being toyed with. At that moment, Lin Ran felt both hatred and fury. He hated himself for being too careless, for getting complacent after gaining a little strength. What enraged him was that Purple Cursed Spirit seemed to be playing with him, enjoying the process.

He would never forget that ugly, horrifying face for the rest of his life. He swore that if he got out of here, he would kill this thing.

But the reality was, how could he get out?

Trapped in a place like this, even sound could not travel beyond it. The entire domain space belonged to his opponent. The ground, the sky, and everything around him were covered in crisscrossing steel rebars, sealing off every route of escape.

Black Flash was indeed powerful, but inside someone else's domain, what use would it be even if every punch could land a Black Flash? He could not even touch the other party's body.

"Whoosh!"

"Pfft!"

A thin, sharp rebar pierced through the Cursed Energy Armor and suddenly stabbed into Lin Ran's calf, pinning him to the rebar-covered ground. Strands of rebar slithered like snakes, wrapping around Lin Ran's body.

Before long, his hands, feet, and waist were all bound by rebar, with another piece tightening around his neck.

"Is this the end?" Lin Ran endured the agonizing pain as he stared at the Cursed Spirit so close before him, yet utterly beyond his reach.

Although the Cursed Energy Armor still covered Lin Ran's body, it could not withstand the constriction of so many rebars. The Lin Ran inside it ached all over.

"Right now, you're just like those humans working overtime. Their bodies are clearly already exhausted, yet they still work overtime as if their lives don't matter..."

"Shut up!" Lin Ran glared at it and gritted his teeth. "Wasn't it you who made them work overtime? Were they all doing it voluntarily? Hahaha, a Cursed Spirit like you is actually lecturing me? You think possessing people in the workplace for a few days means you understand humans?"

Purple Cursed Spirit was in no hurry to kill Lin Ran. Instead, it spoke earnestly. "That is precisely why I was born. In its early years, this company was good in every respect, and there was no overtime. Until a year ago, when the company's owner stepped down and handed it over to his son, overtime began to appear..."

"Those people could not resist the temptation of overtime pay, so they started trying it. Once they had tasted the benefits, they worked overtime every day. One person did it, then two people did it, and more and more people began working overtime."

"As time passed, more and more people worked overtime, but the health of the veteran employees deteriorated day by day. Eventually, some fell ill because of it, yet they could not turn down the income brought by overtime pay, creating a vicious cycle."

"By the time many people realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Overtime had become the norm, while those who left work early became the odd ones out. And so, many people were forced to voluntarily work overtime."

By this point, Lin Ran understood. Based on what this Cursed Spirit had said, it really had not caused this. Rather, it was the vicious cycle created by the workplace environment and system. The true culprit could not even be said to be the son of the company owner who had stepped down.

Although he had established this supposedly voluntary overtime system and offered generous compensation, the main issue was still the human heart—greed and dissatisfaction.

Some might call it ambition or perseverance, but behind that ambition and struggle was income earned at the cost of one's life. Wasn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Purple Cursed Spirit continued, "As time passed, the resentment and malice here grew deeper and deeper, until he accidentally brought back a Special Grade Cursed Object. That was how I came into being..."

Lin Ran had already guessed who the "he" it mentioned was—the current company owner. There was no need for Purple Cursed Spirit to say anything further; Lin Ran already knew the outcome.

Obviously, the company owner had been cursed by Purple Cursed Spirit and turned into a walking corpse, controlling this massive company while the employees became increasingly abnormal.

Purple Cursed Spirit seemed to have finished reminiscing. Though it had no eyes, it faced Lin Ran's direction. "Four Jujutsu Sorcerers came before you. With you, that makes five. But during that time, a Jujutsu Sorcerer capable of threatening me appeared, so I hid from him. Now, I have nothing left to fear."

While Purple Cursed Spirit spoke, Lin Ran continually used the Cursed Energy Armor to absorb the cursed energy attached to the rebars, attempting one final burst.

But unfortunately, Purple Cursed Spirit had finished speaking. Next, it would end Lin Ran's life.

The rebars tightened further and further, and Lin Ran's breathing grew ragged. His instinctive struggles had drained the last of his strength to break free, and his vision gradually darkened.

"Bang!"

At the instant before Lin Ran lost consciousness, he heard the sound of something shattering. Some light appeared, but by then, he had already passed out.

"Oh my~ It seems I wasn't too late..."

That was the last voice Lin Ran heard before he lost all awareness.

Who knew how long had passed? When Lin Ran opened his eyes, he was somehow already home.

His entire body hurt, as though it were about to fall apart.

"You're awake?"

A gentle voice sounded. Lin Ran's vision slowly focused, and only then did he see Satoru Gojo sitting beside him.

"I..." Lin Ran said in confusion, before recalling what had happened before he passed out. Cold sweat instantly broke out across his body.

Satoru Gojo rubbed his chin and looked at Lin Ran with a meaningful expression. "I've only known you for a short while, but I didn't expect you to be so bold. You dared to provoke a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?"

Lin Ran felt rather embarrassed. He was so ashamed that he could not say a word. He had not provoked a Special Grade Cursed Spirit—he had delivered himself right to its door to die.

"What happened to that Special Grade Cursed Spirit?" Lin Ran asked worriedly. He was quite concerned about that powerful Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

"It ran away," Satoru Gojo answered with a smile, though it was impossible to tell what he was feeling.

"It ran away?" Lin Ran stared at Satoru Gojo in astonishment. With Satoru Gojo's strength, he should not have let that Special Grade Cursed Spirit escape.

"The Special Grade Cursed Spirit you encountered had already taken shape. I don't know what method it used, but it was able to merge with the building..."

Lin Ran understood the rest without Satoru Gojo needing to explain. There were so many employees inside the building. If Satoru Gojo had used every means available to kill that Special Grade Cursed Spirit, many people would have died as well.

Jujutsu Sorcerers had no right to kill people, especially ordinary people already suffering so much. There was even less they could do.

"One day, I'll kill that Special Grade Cursed Spirit." Lin Ran gritted his teeth. Only after this experience did he understand that there was always someone stronger and a higher sky beyond the heavens. He could not be too reckless in anything; he had to act within his capabilities.

If Satoru Gojo had not come this time, he would definitely have died.

"By the way, Mr. Gojo, how did you come to save me?" This was what Lin Ran found strange. Had Satoru Gojo been nearby recently? And it had already been midnight then.