The Inverted Cross's God-Tier Effect

Seeing that Gao Tian had no intention of dealing with her, Ling Feifei, who had been lying on the floor throwing a tantrum, started thinking again.

Right.

Ling Feifei's eyes suddenly lit up.

How had Gao Tian killed her boyfriend? After getting on the bus, he'd done something very strange: poked the Male Corpse several times, then taken the Rusty Long Saber from its hand without triggering any Killing Rule.

Ling Feifei wasn't exactly a newcomer to the supernatural world anymore. She knew some of the most basic rules of this world. Ordinary people who wanted to survive had to collect all kinds of Supernatural Items. Some came as rewards from apartment missions, while others were dropped by Vengeful Ghosts.

Gao Tian had gotten a powerful weapon by stealing it from the Male Corpse on the bus, and then killed Zhou Yan in a single blow.

There was nothing particularly impressive about that. He'd just been especially lucky: after stealing the weapon, he hadn't triggered any rules.

If he could do it, why couldn't she?

At the same time, the Bone Flute around Ling Feifei's neck was amplifying the emotions of the nearby Vengeful Ghosts, constantly washing over her mind. It magnified every trace of negative emotion in her heart—greed, hatred, jealousy, anger—without limit.

She'd noticed the strange Inverted Cross stuck in the Old Woman's head long ago.

It was radiating waves of loneliness, decay, and despair.

Ling Feifei had keenly realized that the Old Woman's corpse wasn't the Ghost's true body, but merely something it had possessed. The Inverted Cross stuck in her head was probably a newly acquired Supernatural Item.

If Gao Tian could get the Rusty Great Saber, why couldn't she get the Inverted Cross?

Ling Feifei had no idea that Gao Tian had dared to touch the Terror Blade in the Tall Male Corpse's hand because he'd seen a glimpse of the future and knew he could safely take it after performing a certain ritual.

If just anyone who got on the bus tried to snatch the Terror Blade, they would have triggered the Tall Male Corpse's Killing Rule and died on the spot.

Trying to steal something from a Ghost without any preparation was no different from asking for death.

While Ling Feifei's mind ran wild, Gao Tian pretended to sit and rest, but kept the figure behind him in the corner of his eye.

He'd noticed every little thing she was doing.

When Gao Tian had taken the Terror Blade earlier, Zhou Yan and Ling Feifei had watched him with mocking smiles. Then, chagrined, they'd made sour remarks about how they could do just as well when their turn came.

Maybe they'd only been making sour remarks then. But now Zhou Yan was dead, and Ling Feifei had been overcome by emotion. The odds that she'd risk pulling out the Inverted Cross had become very high.

Gao Tian had expected as much.

He'd also realized that the Inverted Cross stuck in the Old Woman's head might really be a Supernatural Item, one that humans could wield.

But the Inverted Cross wouldn't be easy to take. No one knew its effect, its side effects, or its Killing Rule. Gao Tian couldn't see its future. If he tried to take it recklessly, it might kill him outright.

Ling Feifei was willing to try. Letting her test the waters and clear the mines for him couldn't be better.

If she tried to pull out the Inverted Cross, there were probably two possible outcomes.

First, she would trigger the Inverted Cross's Killing Rule and die on the spot.

That would be perfect for ruling out one of its Killing Rules.

Once he understood the Inverted Cross's rules, Gao Tian might even have a chance to get himself another Supernatural Item.

Second, Ling Feifei might really pull out the Inverted Cross, and somehow figure out its effects without seeing the future or having Human Skin Gloves.

Never mind how incredibly unlikely that was.

Even if it did happen, it would be even better for Gao Tian.

Once the bus reached the stop, he'd get off, use the Terror Blade to sacrifice Ling Feifei, and take the Supernatural Item she'd risked her life to figure out for himself.

The Terror Blade's effect on living people was outrageously powerful. It could sacrifice anyone within a certain range, without needing their consent.

In a battle between living people, Gao Tian would be invincible with the Terror Blade in hand.

From the moment Ling Feifei started plotting, no matter what happened, Gao Tian stood to gain.

Of course, some unforeseen complications could still occur along the way. But if he wanted to gain anything, he couldn't avoid taking risks.

He had to grow stronger at any cost. After completing this mission and returning to the Living Person Apartment, he'd have to explore the Fourth Floor with the administrators. In this cruel world, anyone without the ability to protect themselves didn't even deserve to survive.

Firmly blinded by the belief that "if Gao Tian can do it, so can I," Ling Feifei, seated in the last row, gave Gao Tian one final look. After killing Zhou Yan, he hadn't even turned around. He couldn't be bothered to look at her.

His silence was a kind of contempt. From beginning to end, Gao Tian had never regarded the couple as equals.

But that very contempt made Ling Feifei feel that this was the perfect opportunity. The next stop was coming up. She couldn't afford to waste another second. She had to act immediately.

She quietly crept down the steps and headed toward the space behind the Old Woman with the Inverted Cross.

The Old Woman didn't move. Red blood kept flowing from the hole in the back of her head. The enormous cross stood silently above her, as though it were alive, using flesh and blood as its support while coldly observing every passenger on the bus.

Shen Nian, seated near the front, immediately noticed Ling Feifei acting strangely.

He kept sweeping his gaze over the other passengers and Vengeful Ghosts. When he saw Ling Feifei sneaking toward the Old Woman with the Inverted Cross, he immediately turned around and warned her.

"What are you doing?

"Don't get close to any other Vengeful Ghosts, understand? Or I'll shoot you dead!"

Seeing that she'd been found out, Ling Feifei stopped pretending. She strode toward the Old Woman with the Inverted Cross and screamed hysterically.

"I don't care anymore! I'm going to die anyway, so none of you are getting out alive!

"When we left, we agreed we were all residents of the apartment and would help each other. But this Gao guy killed my boyfriend to save himself, and the rest of you just watched. You're all so heartless. You can go to hell with Gao Tian.

"Once I get this top-tier Supernatural Item, I'll finish this mission on my own. What do I care if the rest of you live or die!"

By now, Ling Feifei had both hands pressed against the cross. The veins in her arms bulged as she strained to pull it out, glaring viciously toward Gao Tian.

"Once I get a better Supernatural Item than you, I'll..."

"Once I get a better one than you..."

"Once I get..."

The moment the fool's hands touched the cross, countless blood-red eyes outlined in dotted lines opened across its black surface. Their pupils darted wildly, as though they'd just awoken from an abyss.

"Damn it! Get away!"

Shen Nian drew the gun from beneath his Trench Coat, trying to scare her off, but he didn't dare actually fire. The rules of the bus still applied.

The Ghost Eyes seemed alive. They stared fixedly at Ling Feifei, who was clinging to them with all her strength, as though assessing their new owner.

The Old Woman, whose head had been pierced through, seemed to realize someone was pulling at the cross on her head. Her neck let out a series of painful cracking sounds as she slowly turned her head toward Ling Feifei, twisting her body a full 180 degrees in a way that should have been impossible.

"Get out of there!"

Ling Feifei no longer cared about anything. With a sharp cry, she summoned some unknown wellspring of strength and actually wrenched the Inverted Cross out of the Old Woman's skull.

Good.

The blood-red phantom eyes unfurled rapidly from the top of the Inverted Cross, bathing most of the bus in a crimson glow.

Gao Tian had already retreated to the front of the bus, putting plenty of distance between himself and the cross. That way, he could observe the Inverted Cross's Killing Rule and avoid being caught in the fallout when Ling Feifei died.

Boom—

As the enormous blood-red eye descended, the surroundings went dark. The entire bus vanished, and in an instant, Gao Tian's world became pitch-black.

This place was completely different from the bus. There were no Vengeful Ghosts, no sounds, and no ground. There was nothing but pure darkness and the blood-red "sun" in the sky.

Shen Nian and Su Jiu had somehow been transported here too. Both looked bewildered.

What was this?

Had he miscalculated?

Gao Tian looked up and saw a blood-red human eye, as huge as a planet, gazing down at him from the equally dark vault above.

"57."

A vast voice rumbled beside his ear.

At the same time, Gao Tian felt the Giant Eye's gaze penetrate his body and probe his soul.

A Ghost Card, the Club 3, rested on his soul. It was the Ghost Card he'd drawn after coming back to life once.

The Ghost Eye lingered for a moment. Then Gao Tian felt his soul go hollow again. The Ghost Card engraved on his soul was pulled away just like that.

The Ghost Card's mark was gone.

How was that possible?

Gao Tian was stunned, as though caught in a raging storm.

Could this Blood Eye's ability be to pull Ghost Cards off someone's soul?

In theory, Ghost Cards couldn't be taken away. Otherwise, users could exploit a bug and revive themselves indefinitely.

If he wielded this Supernatural Item, would that mean he could combine it with a Ghost Card and revive himself endlessly, without suffering any penalty?

After pulling away the Ghost Card, the Blood Eye suspended over the dark domain blinked and let out another unintelligible growl.

"57."

Shen Nian drew his gun and aimed it at the Blood Eye in the sky, but didn't fire. With no idea what was going on, he didn't dare attack recklessly.

"Don't move!

"That damn woman pulled out the cross, causing it to unleash its Ghost Domain.

"We're inside a Vengeful Ghost's Ghost Domain now. The slightest wrong move could get us killed."

Su Jiu was pale as a frightened chick, holding her breath.

Only Gao Tian knew how unusual the Blood Eye Cross's ability was.

Just then, the scenery around the three of them shifted rapidly. They were back inside the bus, moving smoothly along as though nothing had happened.

"Next stop: Old Town.

"Passengers who need to get off, please get ready in advance."

The emotionless Mechanical Female Voice spoke again. At the same time, the bus slowed noticeably as it prepared to stop at the station.