Face (6)

A crashing sound echoed from the bathroom again. Shen Xing didn't know what was happening inside, but something had clearly been knocked over.

At the same moment, Song Xiaoyu shuddered as if startled, jumping to her feet and staring at the bathroom with a look of terror.

"What happened? Who's in there?"

"Just now... your parents went in."

Shen Xing looked at Song Xiaoyu in surprise, seeing that she didn't seem to be faking it; she was genuinely frightened.

While scratching the back of his head, which was itching incessantly, Shen Xing asked, "Just now... what was behind your head?"

No sooner had he spoken than the hair on the back of Song Xiaoyu's head bulged again.

Song Xiaoyu shook her head. "N-nothing! You... you, don't scare me!"

Her expression turned deathly terrified, and she instinctively glanced around.

Just then, a familiar "Hehehe..." laugh rang out, emanating from her own mouth. Yet, Song Xiaoyu was still looking around in fear; the sound of that laughter coming from her in such a situation made it all the more eerie.

The sight of that terrified face paired with the horrific laughter—the stark contrast left Shen Xing stunned.

But Song Xiaoyu's fear was not an act. She was truly terrified, her body trembling, because she could not hear the strange laughter Shen Xing was talking about.

She took two steps toward Shen Xing as if seeking help, but he immediately retreated, keeping his distance.

This only made Song Xiaoyu more horrified.

Shen Xing held out a hand to stop her from coming closer, warning, "Now, reach back and touch the back of your head."

He felt as though he had touched upon another layer of Song Xiaoyu's nature that he didn't understand. If he could master this, pinning down the person before him would become effortless.

Hearing this, Song Xiaoyu reached back with a trembling hand, fearful and even more worried.

The moment she touched the back of her head, a scream escaped her lips. She jolted, her whole body shuddering, and she instinctively lunged toward Shen Xing, though she didn't know what she had touched.

Shen Xing retreated immediately until his back hit the living room door, pointing at Song Xiaoyu and shouting, "Stop! Don't move!"

Song Xiaoyu was terrified, shivering uncontrollably, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared at Shen Xing, not daring to move another inch.

A violent itch flared on the back of Shen Xing's own head. He clutched his head and scratched hard, knowing the Scalp Ghost was definitely at work. He asked, "What... what did you touch?"

As Song Xiaoyu trembled, about to answer, her body suddenly convulsed. A look of extreme pain contorted her face, and her torso seemed to be stretched by some bizarre force, pulling her rigid where she stood.

Then, a clack-clack-clack sound came from her throat, as if something were lodged there, preventing her from breathing or swallowing.

In that moment, Song Xiaoyu's features twisted together in an expression of agonizing pain.

It wasn't just her torso; her limbs were also rapidly stiffening, as if the body no longer belonged to her.

A few seconds later, a scene unfolded that left Shen Xing dumbfounded.

He watched as Song Xiaoyu's face, twisted in pain, rapidly rotated to the side with a sharp crack.

When that sound rang out, Shen Xing's first reaction was that her neck had snapped!

Looking closer, Song Xiaoyu's neck had indeed twisted to an unbelievable angle, her skin like a wrung-out rag, mirroring that eerie sight he had accidentally witnessed at the orphanage.

Song Xiaoyu's own consciousness had completely vanished by now. Her features were crushed together by pain, and she turned toward her own back without any resistance.

What shocked Shen Xing was that as Song Xiaoyu's face turned away, another strange face rotated from the back to the front.

This face was eerie because it wore a smile, and while the features were identical to Song Xiaoyu's, the impression it gave was stiff and wooden...

"Hehehe..."

The familiar laughter rang out. Shen Xing realized with a start that the strange sound had come from here!

Because it resonated from the same head, it was easy to mistake it for the real Song Xiaoyu.

But the fact that Song Xiaoyu didn't even know she had a face on the back of her head—a face identical to her own—was terrifying just to think about!

Of course, once this face took control of the body, the real Song Xiaoyu had no consciousness at all.

At the same time, seeing this wooden, smiling face, everything became clear to Shen Xing.

Now that her head had fully rotated, the skin all over Song Xiaoyu's body turned deathly pale, and her frame remained rigid. The strange face on the back of her head was partially obscured by her long hair, making it look even more sinister.

She took a step and began walking toward Shen Xing.

Song Xiaoyu was tall and thin with long legs; once she took a stride, she would reach Shen Xing in the blink of an eye.

But Shen Xing had already begun to deduce the truth.

He was now certain that after the scalp itched, it wasn't just a matter of growing long hair; the scalp mutated, eventually sprouting another complete face identical to the host.

This face usually clung to the back of the host's head, hidden by their hair. If the host's hair was too short to cover it—like his own—then once the face matured, it might... simply cover the host's original face!

The mere thought made his blood run cold. The next second, with a thud, Song Xiaoyu closed the distance, reached out with a long, thin arm, and clamped onto his throat.

Shen Xing could feel the increase in her arm strength and instinctively reached for the kitchen knife hidden at his waist.

At the same time, he clenched his right fist, his knuckles popping. A surge of powerful energy rose up, and he prepared to smash his fist into Song Xiaoyu's stiff face.

But now it seemed... that was no longer necessary!

The familiar silver text popped up in his mind.

[Skin Face, current trait understanding 95%.]

[Understanding of Skin Face's traits has reached over 80%, you can lock Skin Face. Proceed now?]

So the "Unknown Anomaly" displayed in silver text back then was actually called "Skin Face."

"Lock it!"

Without hesitation, Shen Xing immediately responded in his mind.

Just then, Song Xiaoyu, who had already grabbed him, suddenly trembled. Her strength rapidly drained, her legs went soft, and she collapsed to the ground.

The long hair on the back of her head, which had begun to be parted by an invisible force, now curled slightly, covering her again, returning to calm.

[Skin Face, locked. Please preserve its traits within 10 days, otherwise, the traits will be completely lost.]

The facade decorated with recommendation tickets yesterday was beautiful. Thank you all. We'll continue to ask for tickets on Tuesday!