Chapter Summaries

Yang Jian investigated the Human-Skin Parchment and returned to patrol the mall, where the owner brought in a self-proclaimed master to investigate disappearances. The corpse stench returned, stronger and close by, though Yang Jian could not see its source.

• Yang Jian noticed that the red paper suppressing his Ghost Eye had developed a crack and asked the Human-Skin Parchment how Ghost Tamers could survive, but it offered no useful answer.
• Yang Jian tried to burn the Human-Skin Parchment, failed, and put it away after it suggested using it to capture a ghost.
• Yang Jian and Liu Qiang began patrolling the mall, which had been reopened and fully lit, but Yang Jian remained uneasy about the disappearances.
• Boss Tang arrived with Master Luo, who claimed he would investigate the mall and entered through a delivery entrance with the staff.
• Yang Jian smelled the corpse stench again and sensed that it was stronger and nearby.

Master Luo tried to convince Boss Tang to alter the mall’s entrance to deal with its disappearances, but Yang Jian’s laughter disrupted his ritual. The appearance of a headless corpse brought Yan Li, a specialist in supernatural incidents, into the mall and left Yang Jian wondering whether he was another Ghost Tamer.

• Master Luo told Boss Tang the mall was haunted and proposed sealing its main entrance and opening a new one on the south side.
• Master Luo’s apprentice brought ritual items, and Yang Jian helped close and lock the mall’s main doors despite warning that people might be trapped inside.
• Yang Jian laughed at Master Luo’s dancing movements twice, prompting Master Luo to abandon his ritual and Manager Li to fire Yang Jian.
• A headless, naked corpse fell from upstairs, frightening everyone in the mall.
• Yan Li arrived from the fourth floor, introduced himself as a specialist in supernatural incidents, and offered to work with Boss Tang.
• Yang Jian suspected that Yan Li might be a Ghost Tamer who had come to take the job.

Yan Li confronted Boss Tang and offered to deal with the mall’s ghost for five million, while Yang Jian recognized Yan Li as a Ghost Tamer. When the mall plunged into darkness, Yan Li rushed toward a headless figure on the fifth floor, but the corpse on the first floor vanished.

• Yan Li offered to catch the ghost in the mall for five million, and Master Luo challenged him as a fraud.
• Yan Li grabbed Master Luo and threatened him, while Yang Jian refused Manager Li’s orders because he had been fired.
• Boss Tang stalled Yan Li’s demand as Sister Li called the police.
• The mall’s lights went out, and Yan Li spotted a headless figure on the fifth floor before running up the escalator.
• Wei Xiaohong pointed out that the corpse on the first floor had vanished, though the stench of decay remained and grew stronger.

Yang Jian and the mall employees faced a ghost after the corpse vanished and the lights went out, while Yan Li encountered a headless mannequin on the fifth floor. The employees fled toward an emergency exit as Yang Jian stayed behind, and Yan Li destroyed the mannequin only to find it appeared ordinary.

• Master Luo ordered everyone to flee, but they discovered the mall’s doors were locked and Yang Jian said he did not have the keys.
• A severed head identified as Wei Xiaohong’s rolled toward the group, and Yang Jian found it looked as though it had been dead for days.
• Yang Jian told the others they could escape through the fifth-floor emergency exit; Manager Li and several employees ran there, while Yang Jian stayed to use the bathroom.
• Yan Li found a headless mannequin on the fifth floor, then saw it vanish and reappear behind him.
• Yan Li grabbed the mannequin’s arms with his blood-covered hands, causing its body to fall apart, but he found nothing unusual about it.

Yang Jian found Jiang Yan hiding in the mall restroom and learned that she had seen cashier Wei Xiaohong remove her own head. As footsteps approached the dark restroom, Yang Jian suspected Wei Xiaohong might be nearby, despite knowing she was already dead.

• Yang Jian avoided helping Boss Tang's group and went to the restroom, where he found an unconscious woman hiding in a stall.
• Yang Jian woke Jiang Yan, learned she was the mall accountant, and brought her food in exchange for information about the ghost.
• Jiang Yan said she had hidden in the men's restroom for four days after seeing Wei Xiaohong take off her own head and then wait outside.
• Yang Jian insisted Wei Xiaohong could not be the ghost because he had seen her headless corpse.
• Yang Jian heard calm footsteps approaching the restroom and suspected Wei Xiaohong was outside.

Yang Jian and Jiang Yan hid from a ghost in a restroom as it forced open the stalls and nearly broke into theirs. After noticing that turning Jiang Yan around stopped its attacks, Yang Jian photographed the ghost as it left and discovered it wore a security uniform identical to his.

• Yang Jian and Jiang Yan hid in a restroom stall while a ghost opened the other stalls one by one.
• The ghost struck Yang Jian and Jiang Yan’s stall door, but paused with the door slightly open and did not immediately attack them.
• When Jiang Yan turned around, the ghost’s renewed blows stopped, leading Yang Jian to deduce that he had identified its killing condition.
• The ghost left the restroom, and Yang Jian used his phone camera to photograph it as it went.
• Yang Jian examined the partial image and was shocked to see the ghost wearing a security uniform like his own.

Yang Jian concluded that Liu Qiang might be a ghost, but he suspected the haunting could change identities and decided to check the mall’s surveillance footage. He led Jiang Yan toward the fifth-floor surveillance room, promising to get her out alive if she followed his instructions.

• Yang Jian identified Liu Qiang in his phone photo and considered why the possible ghost had not attacked him earlier.
• Yang Jian gave Jiang Yan a sausage and left the restroom, noticing that a stall door damaged by the ghost had become intact.
• Yang Jian refused Jiang Yan’s pleas for protection until she offered to be his girlfriend, then continued searching the mall.
• Yang Jian found Wei Xiaohong’s rotten head and reasoned that the ghost might have taken the identities of several employees or visitors.
• Yang Jian asked Jiang Yan where the surveillance room was, then promised to help her survive if she obeyed him and headed with her toward the fifth floor.

Yang Jian and Jiang Yan reached the monitoring room and found Liu Qiang, whose appearance matched a suspicious figure Yang Jian had photographed in the restroom. While Yan Li and the others hid from a ghost on the fifth floor, Yang Jian watched Liu Qiang closely as he pulled up the surveillance footage.

• Yan Li sealed the storage room door with blood, warning Boss Tang and the others that the ghost outside would keep attacking.
• Yang Jian and Jiang Yan reached the fifth floor, where Yang Jian found the severed head of one of Master Luo's men by the emergency exit.
• Jiang Yan led Yang Jian to the monitoring room, where they found Liu Qiang sitting at the console.
• Yang Jian showed Jiang Yan his restroom photo, and she recognized that the uniformed figure resembled Liu Qiang.
• Yang Jian questioned Liu Qiang about the restroom and asked him to retrieve earlier surveillance footage, while suspecting he was a ghost.

Yang Jian watched the mall’s surveillance footage and discovered that Wei Xiaohong had become a ghost by switching heads, while other head-switched people were also tied to the haunting. The footage revealed a group of ghosts surrounding Yan Li’s companions, and Yang Jian realized Liu Qiang was one of them.

• Yang Jian and Liu Qiang watched footage showing an unfamiliar woman remove Wei Xiaohong’s head and replace it with her own, becoming Wei Xiaohong.
• Yang Jian concluded that Wei Xiaohong had become a ghost five days earlier and searched the recordings for more evidence.
• Footage showed Wei Xiaohong trying to take Sister Li’s head, then switching heads with her after Sister Li turned away.
• Yang Jian found footage of people gathering outside the fifth-floor storage room where Yan Li and his companions had hidden, then dispersing after the group went inside.
• Yang Jian realized the mall contained a group of ghosts and noticed a thin red line around Liu Qiang’s neck.

Yang Jian discovered that Liu Qiang had been replaced by a ghost and died when his head fell off. He left Jiang Yan in the surveillance room to track the ghosts while he went to rescue the others, as pale figures began emerging around him.

• Yang Jian showed Liu Qiang surveillance footage proving that Liu Qiang had cut the power and entered the restroom while possessed, though Liu Qiang could not remember doing so.
• Liu Qiang touched the rotting wound on his neck, realized he was already dead, and lost his head before he could call his family.
• Yang Jian checked Jiang Yan's neck, found no wound, and ordered her to identify the ghost on the surveillance feeds while he went to find Sister Li and the others.
• Yang Jian gave Jiang Yan a phone and warned her to keep him informed and never turn her back on anyone before leaving the surveillance room.
• Yang Jian headed toward Boss Tang and the others as pale, closed-eyed figures emerged throughout the mall, and Jiang Yan reported their approach.

Yang Jian crossed the mall while avoiding the ghosts and reached the storage room, where survivors were trapped. After he exposed Sister Li as a ghost and the survivors escaped, they found themselves surrounded by the mall’s many missing people.

• Yang Jian followed the rule of keeping ghosts in sight as he moved through the mall, while Jiang Yan guided him using surveillance and warned him about approaching figures.
• Yang Jian saw that people were appearing on every floor and estimated that at least twenty had disappeared in the mall.
• Outside the storage room, a ghost battered the door as Yan Li warned that he could not use his blood ability again.
• Sister Li stood up and began to turn toward the others, but Yang Jian arrived and told them she was a ghost.
• The survivors opened the door and fled, only to find the fifth-floor passageway packed with the missing people closing in from every direction.

Yang Jian confronted Yan Li about his ghost blood and explained that the trapped people could survive by lying motionless. After the ghosts killed those who fled, Yang Jian and the others who followed his instructions remained alive, and he demanded payment for saving them.

• Yang Jian introduced himself to Yan Li as a member of Ghost Tamer Headquarters and learned that Yan Li's ghost blood could restrain other ghosts temporarily.
• Yan Li explained that ghosts could be imprisoned in sealed containers made of pure gold, while Yang Jian admitted he was only an intern.
• As head-swapped ghosts surrounded the group, Yang Jian told everyone to lie face down and stay still, claiming the ghosts would not attack them.
• Several people ran instead, and one man jumped from the fifth floor while the ghosts killed others and swapped their heads.
• The ghosts stopped moving, leaving the people who had lain down unharmed, and Yang Jian asked them to pay his expensive service fee.

Yang Jian offered to lead Boss Tang, Manager Li, and Master Luo out of the haunted mall in exchange for payment. After collecting their money and valuables, he took the main door key and set off with them, requiring them to slide along the floor to stay safe.

• Yang Jian reassured Boss Tang that he could protect him and agreed to a five-million service fee, which Boss Tang paid upfront.
• Yang Jian demanded payment from Manager Li, checked his bank balance, and took more than 1.8 million from him.
• Yang Jian confronted Master Luo over locking the doors and causing deaths, then demanded eight million and accepted his money and valuables as payment.
• Yang Jian took the main door key from Sister Li's corpse and told the group to follow him while keeping their backs against the ground.
• Manager Li objected to sliding along the floor, but Yang Jian warned him that standing up could get him killed, so Manager Li began pushing himself forward.

Yang Jian led the mall survivors out by having them slide past the ghosts, while Jiang Yan stayed behind to search surveillance footage for the ghost’s location. Outside, Yan Li tried to recruit Yang Jian to capture the ghost by promising money and information about how Ghost Tamers could survive, but Manager Li then accused Yang Jian of extortion to the police.

• Yang Jian guided Tang An, Manager Li, Master Luo, and the other survivors down to the mall entrance while keeping in contact with Jiang Yan, who continued searching for old surveillance footage.
• Captain Liu Jianming’s officers broke open the mall doors and watched the survivors slide out before ordering them to stay alert.
• Yan Li offered to team up with Yang Jian to capture the ghost, explaining that ghosts could be sold for large sums and that someone in Dachang City had found a way to control a ghost’s revival.
• Yang Jian considered Yan Li’s offer because he needed a way to survive, but he did not accept or refuse immediately.
• Manager Li accused Yang Jian of extorting him and showed the officers transfer records, prompting them to ask Yang Jian to cooperate with their investigation.

Yang Jian faced Manager Li’s accusation that he had extorted more than 1.8 million yuan, while warning him not to provoke a Ghost Tamer. When Captain Liu learned that Yang Jian’s file was highly classified and that higher-ups had forbidden unauthorized investigation, he took charge of the case.

• Yang Jian told Yan Li to wait while he dealt with Manager Li, who accused him of extortion and showed the officers transfer records.
• Yang Jian denied extorting Manager Li and explained that the money was a service fee, but said the bank account belonged to his mother.
• Manager Li privately threatened Yang Jian with an extortion charge and demanded his money back, but Yang Jian challenged him to crawl back to the mall’s fifth floor.
• Yang Jian warned Manager Li that he could show him what a real evil ghost was, but Manager Li relied on the officers around him for protection.
• An officer found that Yang Jian’s file required clearance far beyond the team’s access, and Captain Liu learned that higher-ups had warned them not to investigate without authorization.
• Captain Liu recognized that Yang Jian received special treatment and took charge of the case, sending the other officers to handle separate matters.

Yang Jian had Manager Li taken in for falsely accusing him, then advised Captain Liu to seal off the mall and entered with Yan Li to capture the ghost. Jiang Yan found footage showing a shadow assembling a headless mannequin in a fifth-floor clothing store and attacking a shop owner, pointing Yang Jian toward the ghost’s origin.

• Captain Liu told Manager Li that Yang Jian could not be detained without orders from above and warned that a false accusation could lead to severe charges.
• Manager Li withdrew his accusation and begged Yang Jian to let him go, but Yang Jian asked Captain Liu to investigate, and officers took Manager Li away.
• Yang Jian warned Captain Liu that the mall was extremely dangerous, and Captain Liu sealed off the area and kept people away.
• Yang Jian and Yan Li decided to return to the mall to capture the ghost while Jiang Yan waited in the monitoring room.
• Jiang Yan showed Yang Jian footage of a shadow assembling a headless mannequin in a fifth-floor clothing store and reaching toward a female shop owner.

Yang Jian and Yan Li agreed to cooperate in capturing the mall ghost, discussed their terms, and approached the clothing store where it had first appeared. As they prepared to enter, the store’s glass door opened by itself, leaving them to face the possibility that the ghost knew they were coming.

• Yang Jian and Yan Li agreed to abandon each other if danger became unmanageable and to split the money and share intelligence if they caught the ghost.
• Yan Li explained the authority and scarcity of city persons in charge and offered to introduce Yang Jian to a club for Ghost Tamers.
• Yang Jian warned Yan Li that the mall ghosts attacked from behind and could make people’s heads appear to be swapped.
• Jiang Yan told Yang Jian that surveillance footage showed the ghost entering a mannequin in a fifth-floor clothing store, and Yan Li revealed his small gold containment box.
• Yang Jian and Yan Li reached the clothing store and saw its glass door open on its own as they prepared to enter.

Yang Jian and Yan Li entered the clothing store to confront the ghost that controlled mannequins, but the encounter escalated as they were attacked by multiple animated corpses. The chapter ended with the headless security guard Liu Qiang turning off their flashlight as more ghosts flooded into the store.

• Yang Jian and Yan Li entered the clothing store together and searched for the ghost among the mannequins.
• The mannequins turned to face them and began moving, so Yang Jian warned Yan Li not to expose their backs.
• Yang Jian and Yan Li found a corpse-headed mannequin in a fitting room, then a second mannequin attacked them from behind.
• Yan Li grabbed the mannequin with his blood-covered hand, while Yang Jian kicked a reanimated female corpse into the wall.
• Yang Jian saw Liu Qiang’s headless corpse enter the store as more people gathered outside, and Liu Qiang switched off the flashlight.

Yang Jian and Yan Li discovered that the moving mannequin was only bait and that the real ghost was hidden among the corpses surrounding them. Yang Jian used his Ghost Domain to search for it, and Yan Li appeared to restrain the corpse with a woman's head, leaving its capture uncertain.

• Yang Jian realized the real ghost was among the approaching corpses, and Yan Li stopped suppressing the mannequin with his ghost power.
• Yang Jian unfolded his Ghost Domain to protect them as the corpses passed through them without touching them.
• Yang Jian and Yan Li searched the frozen corpses, while Yan Li warned that he could use his ghost power only three more times at most.
• A corpse in a suit with a middle-aged woman's head moved away, and Yan Li identified it as the likely real ghost.
• Yang Jian let Yan Li leave the Ghost Domain, and Yan Li used his ghost power to stop the corpse as blood flowed from it.

Yang Jian and Yan Li tried to identify the real ghost among the corpses in the shop, but Yang Jian realized the corpse Yan Li had suppressed was bait. The true ghost seized Yan Li’s arm and tried to replace its own with it, before Yang Jian trapped it in his Ghost Domain.

• Yan Li used the blood in his hands to suppress the first corpse that moved, but neither he nor Yang Jian could tell whether it was the real ghost.
• Yang Jian judged that the corpse was likely bait and ordered Yan Li to retreat, despite Yan Li’s reluctance.
• The blood-soaked corpse collapsed as Yan Li backed away, confirming Yang Jian’s suspicion that it was not the ghost.
• A different corpse attacked Yan Li, tore off his arm, and tried to replace its own arm with it.
• Yang Jian used his Ghost Domain to capture the true ghost before it could take Yan Li’s arm.