Controlling Ghosts

Qiqi's seven orifices began to bleed, and simultaneously, blood seeped continuously from her skin. The thick, viscous black blood dripped down her cheeks and hair, hitting the floor and quickly pooling where she stood.

The female ghost, who had previously only been partially manifested, was transitioning toward a full manifestation.

Not long ago, on these very bleachers beside the sports field, Ye Jiu had kissed her the moment she first triggered her manifestation, successfully halting the process.

But now, Ye Jiu had another woman pinned in a corner, busy kissing her, and was completely ignoring Qiqi's existence.

This made her full manifestation proceed exceptionally smoothly.

Sharp canine teeth sprouted from her mouth, baring themselves between her lips, and her ten fingers grew claws like sharpened blades.

Her skin turned a bruised purple, and a faint, circular pattern emerged on her neck, looking at first glance like a Yin-Yang Bagua diagram.

[No way, did you guys see that pattern on Qiqi's neck?]

[Saw it, crystal clear.]

[Is that... a Ghost-Taming Mark?]

[Holy crap, Qiqi actually has a Ghost-Taming Mark?!]

[To think the streamer encountered a one-in-a-million situation like this—is the streamer the legendary Child of Destiny?]

[Looks like the tide is about to turn.]

[Is this the key to breaking the deadlock?]

[You're overthinking it, buddy. A Ghost-Taming Mark isn't something you can just use whenever you want; it requires affinity. We haven't even finished the first task yet. How much affinity do you think the streamer has? 15%? 20%? 30%? It can't be more than 30% at most. With that little affinity, he can't use it.]

[That's true. It's a pity. If Qiqi had fully manifested during the third task, I'd feel like the streamer still had a chance.]

[Stop thinking about all that nonsense. If I were the streamer, I'd hurry up and buy a [Safety Bubble] right now. Saving your life is what matters.]

[I agree. He should hurry up and buy ten [Safety Bubbles] in bulk to store in his inventory for an emergency.]

[Cloud gamer? Have you ever actually entered a dungeon? The streamer is only lv1, the lowest tier of player. He can only buy one [Safety Bubble] at a time, and they haven't unlocked the equipment backup slot yet—that only opens after the first settlement. So, if you buy one, you have to use it immediately. Storing ten? Keep dreaming.]

[Besides, the [Safety Bubble] only lasts 30 minutes. The school beauty is still sitting in the infirmary crying her eyes out, and no one knows how long her pheromones will last. If it doesn't stop all night, what good is 30 minutes of protection?]

[The key is that it's not just Little Chili and Qiqi; there's also Big Bear. Big Bear is a top-tier four-and-a-half-star female ghost. She ignores [Safety Bubbles]. Even if the streamer uses one, he can't stop her.]

[So what should he do now?]

[No solution?]

[No solution.]

[It's over.]

Wen Nan kept a close watch on the movements of the other two behind him while continuing to kiss Little Chili.

The cold air around Aunt Mei behind him grew increasingly heavy, and frost began to form on the ground, centered around her feet.

The frost spread rapidly outward, threatening to freeze Wen Nan's back.

As for Little Chili in Wen Nan's arms, although she stopped breathing fire under his kiss, her body, hot as a small furnace, pressed against his chest and placed immense pressure on him.

At the same time, Qiqi, covered in blood, walked slowly toward him, dragging a long, thick trail of black blood along her path.

As Qiqi approached, Little Chili sensed the threat and became restless again. Even though her lips were blocked and she couldn't breathe fire, scorching flames gathered in her palms. The light expanded rapidly, on the verge of exploding outward.

Qiqi looked at the gathering fire in Little Chili's palms with her empty, white-eyed gaze, then raised her arm high, her five sharp claws stabbing toward Wen Nan and Little Chili like the Nine Yin White Bone Claws.

BOOM—

SWISH—

CRACK—

Now!

Wen Nan suddenly released Little Chili, turned with lightning speed, and lunged toward Qiqi.

He spread his arms, pulled Qiqi into a tight embrace, and the two tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Behind them, the fire erupting from Little Chili collided head-on with the biting cold released by Lin Xuemei. The collision of hot and cold created a powerful shockwave that swept over Wen Nan and Qiqi.

Wen Nan shielded Qiqi with his body, blocking the external impact for her.

Behind them, the clash of cold and heat hissed, followed by a sudden, deathly silence.

...Did it work?

Had the two behind him, one ice and one fire, one cold and one hot, perfectly canceled each other out?

Wen Nan braced his hands on either side of Qiqi's head and twisted his body to look back. However, the scene before him was not exactly what he had imagined—if anything, it was the exact opposite!

The ice and fire hadn't collided and neutralized each other; instead, they were... both attacking in the direction of Wen Nan and Qiqi.

There was no other way. Wen Nan had no choice but to call out to the system in his mind: [9527].

9527: [I am here.]

Wen Nan: [Enter the shop and buy a Safety Bubble.]

9527: [Understood. The equipment Safety Bubble has been purchased for you. I am equipping it now—]

Wen Nan: [No, not for me. Put it on Qiqi.]

9527: ...

[Your account level is currently Lv. 1, and you can only purchase one Safety Bubble. Are you sure you want to use this equipment on the trial area character, Qiqi?]

Wen Nan: [Confirm. Hurry up.]

9527: [Understood. The Safety Bubble has taken effect.]

The moment the system's voice faded, a layer of iridescent light began to shimmer around Qiqi's body.

Lying on the ground, the hollow look in Qiqi's eyes was replaced by a hint of confusion. She asked in a hoarse voice, "Why... would you do this?"

Wen Nan stroked her blood-streaked cheek and smiled. "I said I chose you. Trust me, I won't let you come to any harm."

With that, Wen Nan stood up and walked toward Lin Xuemei.

Little Chili held hostility toward Qiqi; if Wen Nan didn't intervene, Little Chili would likely hurt her. That was why he had to equip Qiqi with the [Safety Bubble].

However, the [Safety Bubble] was only effective on characters of four stars or below. Aunt Mei was a four-and-a-half-star character; if she were to lash out at Qiqi, the [Safety Bubble] wouldn't be able to protect her.

Therefore, Wen Nan decided to handle Aunt Mei himself.

A four-and-a-half-star high-difficulty target...

Wen Nan had no idea what his actual odds of success were.

But he had to bite the bullet and give it a try.

With that thought, Wen Nan tightened his collar and stepped out into the biting wind.

However, he had only taken two steps when—

9527: [Congratulations, your affection level with Qiqi has surpassed 90%!]

9527: [Detected that Qiqi is an extremely rare Taming-type character possessing a Level 1 Taming Sigil. When a player's affection level with the character reaches 90%, the sigil can be illuminated.]

9527: [Do you wish to illuminate the sigil and make Qiqi your exclusive character?]