I Really Am Useless

The Ghost Infant dodged easily.

It left a wound on Ji Wu's body.

"Giggle giggle giggle~"

The Ghost Infant bared its teeth in gleeful laughter, like a child at play, filled with both innocence and cruelty.

I can't do anything like this!

Xu Zhou realized this with painful clarity.

His own uselessness!

His own cowardice!

Huff! Huff! His ears were ringing from the Ghost Infant's cries, drowning out all sound, yet somehow his own panting grew heavier and heavier.

Gradually, it seemed to overlap with the past.

The accusations began echoing in his ears: "You're nothing but trash!"

"This guy's so skinny and short, he doesn't look like a man at all."

"Hey! Coward, you can't even go into a haunted house—what kind of man are you?"

"Trash loves eating trash."

"Kneel down, people like you are only fit to lick our toes."

"Haha! I bet he'd enjoy drinking toilet water, didn't he slurp it up with relish before?"

"Worthless! Xu Zhou is worthless!"

"Xu Zhou!"

"Xu Zhou!"

"Xu Zhou!"

The harsh scraping sounds, screeching and clattering chaotically, blurred the voices of those people along with them.

Why had he forgotten?

It hadn't been that long, had it?

"Mr. Ji Wu, I really am... a useless person!"

Xu Zhou said with a resigned smile. He unclasped the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade at his waist, drew it, and charged at the Ghost Infant attacking Ji Wu, while simultaneously controlling the Ghost Hand to intercept the other Ghost Infant.

"Xu Zhou!"

Ji Wu was saved by Xu Zhou.

Ji Wu: "What are you saying! The moment you became a Contract Anomalist, you stepped onto a path completely different from before."

Xu Zhou shook his head: "It's because I became Brother Bai's tool that I was exceptionally accepted into the organization, right?"

The Ghost Infant slashed across his arm, nimbly dodging his attacks.

Even though he held the A-rank Anomaly Artifact, the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade, if he couldn't land a hit on the Ghost Infant, it was useless.

A tool is meant to be used.

Whether a tool is useful or not depends entirely on how strong the person using it is.

He was a useless person. Even with a weapon in hand, he still couldn't unleash its full power.

"Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, following a useless master like me is truly unfortunate. Next time, choose a better master!"

Xu Zhou turned the blade toward himself.

"Xu Zhou! Stop!" Ji Wu ran toward Xu Zhou, trying to stop him.

"After the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Blade drinks blood, it unleashes a guaranteed hit that ignores defense, but only once. I think it should be able to tear through the Ghost Domain too, right?"

Xu Zhou thought to himself—maybe the organization issued such a blade to a newcomer precisely for moments like this, to use it well at the critical juncture?

Xu Zhou stabbed down fiercely.

But a figure rushing over kicked it away, and the blade fell from his hand.

Xu Zhou rolled several times across the ground before finally stopping when he hit the Flesh Membrane.

His mind was dazed.

Who?

Zhang Lin stood there, fist clenched.

That's right, it was him!

Zhang Lin smiled bitterly inwardly—he was a wounded man, after all!

But even if he wasn't under control, he couldn't just stand by and watch this kid die.

"Waa waa waa waa!"

"Giggle giggle giggle!"

The Twin Ghost Infants retreated uneasily.

A massive spider phantom gradually enveloped the entire ghost domain.

A giant mouthpart pierced the ghost domain, tearing a rift in the sky, and a huge white spider head poked through.

Bai Zuo stood atop it, waving at the people below: "Yo~ Still alive, huh?"

Ji Wu sighed in relief and cursed with a laugh: "You little bastard! Were you waiting for us to die before coming?"

The Twin Ghost Infants tried to sneak away, but Zhang Lin blocked them with a punch.

The entire Flesh Membrane began to twist and deform.

Ji Wu looked up and saw layers upon layers of white spiderwebs gradually covering the originally pink Flesh Membrane around them.

This meant the ghost domain of the Twin Ghost Infants was being steadily suppressed and taken over by another ghost's domain.

The Twin Ghost Infants resisted with all their might, but their ghost domain was no match for that giant spider; the gradual takeover of the domain was proof.

White spiders crawled all over the webs, spinning cocoons on them.

The white cocoons hung on the web, suddenly trembling a few times, and an eye emerged from each cocoon. Dense clusters of such cocoons hung on the web, countless eyes swiveling, then all turning toward the Twin Ghost Infants at once, staring unblinkingly at them.

The two Twin Ghost Infants froze in place, not daring to move.

Xu Zhou and Zhang Lin watched this scene in shock.

"So... so powerful!"

What was this? Just looking at it sent a chill rising from the soles of their feet, and they couldn't muster the slightest will to resist.

That was simply an existence beyond human resistance!

Zhang Lin felt he would probably never forget this scene for the rest of his life!

Bai Zuo jumped down from the spider's head.

He came over, sizing up the two Twin Ghost Infants. "They have physical forms! Plus an Incomplete Ghost Domain, these are two Green Face-level Twin Ghost Infants. I see, they died before being born?"

"Much stronger than an ordinary Green Face. You hit the jackpot! If it were just one, you wouldn't have struggled so much."

Ji Wu walked over, took a Weird Cage from his bag, and stored the two ghosts, now controlled by the Heart Gu.

Bai Zuo reached out to grab it, somewhat dissatisfied. "I haven't finished looking."

"What's there to see?"

Ji Wu blocked his hand and carefully put the Weird Cage away.

"Don't you think they're kind of cute, small as they are?"

Xu Zhou: ???

Zhang Lin: !!!

Ji Wu sighed. He took out another cigarette, controlled himself not to light it, and just held it under his nose, inhaling deeply. Good, the urge to punch someone diminished considerably.

Bai Zuo withdrew his ghost domain.

The giant spider, the dense spiderwebs, and the Cocoon Eyes vanished.

Everyone returned to the hospital corridor.

Xu Zhou let out an "Ah," remembering something, and ran over to Sun Chengzhi, who was lying on the floor. He felt Sun Chengzhi's heartbeat.

"He's not dead yet!"

Since they were right at the hospital, doctors quickly arrived and rushed Sun Chengzhi to the emergency room.

Xu Zhou clenched his fist. Too bad, he hadn't been able to save the other person.

Ji Wu walked up beside him. "You should know, we can't save everyone. As long as ghosts exist, such deaths are unavoidable. That's why the Aberration Association exists."

"Don't bear too much of a burden. Though I hate to admit it, you should learn from Bai Zuo on this point. Look how carefree he is."

Xu Zhou looked at Bai Zuo.

Zhang Lin had already been forced back onto his hospital bed by Bai Zuo. Bai Zuo stood beside him, cheerfully drawing on Zhang Lin's casted leg and bandaged arm with a black marker, striking poses and taking photos while Zhang Lin glared at him.

"Ah... I don't think I can learn that!" Xu Zhou scratched his head, looking utterly incapable.

"I didn't tell you to learn that!"