First Attack

Something's not right around us.

Zhang Han, who was at the very front, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Listening to the footsteps coming from the stairwell, it seemed that a group of people were walking down the stairs, while at the same time, footsteps came from the floors below.

The voice was dull, completely lacking the lightness and variation of a normal person; it was only mechanically stiff.

Everyone present had dealt with paranormal events before, and upon hearing these footsteps, they immediately realized what was happening around them.

"Something's not just wrong, it's like we're surrounded. Could those ghosts from earlier have already woken up?" Sun Yi said, somewhat panicked.

"We can't go forward, and we can't go back. What do we do now? This is a dead end. Are these things forcing us to jump off these ten-story buildings?"

"I wouldn't mind jumping off a building, but Professor Wang might not be able to handle it."

Wang Xiaoming's expression shifted, but he remained calm. "Don't panic. The first direct confrontation is inevitable. As long as you survive this wave of attacks, the situation will reverse, and everything will change. If you can't hold out, then be prepared to die here together."

This implies they don't intend to escape, but rather to fight back.

"Professor Wang, are you kidding me? Judging from those footsteps, it's not just one or two. How can this number hold out?" Someone was dumbfounded.

"No, you're wrong. There's only one real ghost. What we're about to face are just Ghost Infant born later. I believe these derived ghosts are incomplete and can't possibly possess all the characteristics of a real ghost. The ghost child that passed by earlier is the best evidence of that."

"Furthermore, Yang Jian has already gone to retrieve what I requested. If the ghost attacks us, it proves that he is safe. As long as his operations remain unimpeded, the plan is still proceeding normally."

Zhao Kaiming said with a stern face, "What if he doesn't come? Wouldn't we just die here in vain? Professor, isn't it a bit too reckless to put all your hopes on him? I don't trust Yang Jian."

"It's not that I want to put all my hopes on him, but this is the only way, there's no other choice," Wang Xiaoming said calmly. "Besides, he will come. He's a smart man. It won't do him any good if we all die. If he's the only Ghost Tamer left in Dachang City, his chances of survival are slim."

"It's decided then. This isn't the place for a direct confrontation. Follow me. I remember there should be a ward on this floor. You can access the small platform with the air conditioner on the next floor through the window. You can go down to the next floor from there. Although it's not very useful, at least it leaves us a way out. It's better than being surrounded on three sides here."

Wang Xiaoming immediately took action after speaking.

"Damn it, looks like we have no choice but to take the risk. I should have followed Yang Jian if I had known it would be like this." Zhang Han cursed under his breath, hurriedly returned, and then followed the others to a ward on this floor.

Just as the group had walked a short distance, footsteps echoed around the corner on the dimly lit staircase below. Through the dark, bluish-green gloom, it was clear that individuals were slowly making their way up the stairs and stopping on this floor.

At the same time, footsteps from upstairs arrived on this floor.

Two figures in dark blue robes converged, completely blocking the stairwell.

From the vague outlines, it can be discerned that the number of those appearing is no longer just a few or a dozen, but at least twenty or thirty.

But that's not all.

"Ding~!"

As soon as the elevator stopped running, both of the hospital's large elevators arrived at this floor at the same moment.

The doors of both elevators opened automatically, and they were also full of people.

People from upstairs, downstairs, and the elevator—all three directions—converged at this moment. They all walked silently and stiffly through the dimly lit hospital, and their direction of movement was strikingly consistent: they were all heading in the direction Wang Xiaoming had left.

This floor became increasingly dark, and in this dimness, everything around seemed to be gradually disappearing.

It was as if it had been swallowed up, leaving only a blurry outline, and eventually even that outline disappeared.

"This is it."

Wang Xiaoming led the others to a relatively spacious ward. There were no patients there; everyone had already been evacuated, leaving only empty beds.

"Close the door first, then tie the sheets together, get a rope, and if we really can't hold on any longer, we can retreat. But in my opinion, such a retreat is just a delaying tactic. If the situation can't be reversed, any delaying will be futile."

The remaining people remained silent and quickly locked the door, then blocked it with whatever they could find that was no longer needed.

However, everyone knew very well that such measures would not affect the overall situation. You couldn't avoid those ghosts if they came; they would find you no matter what.

In crucial moments, you still have to rely on the ghosts you control.

Only the power of the demon can defeat the demon.

Even so, I still felt very uncertain.

Their use of the power of vengeful spirits is limited, while that of real ghosts is limitless.

Just as everyone was using bedsheets to untie the ropes and leave a way to escape, heavy footsteps echoed in the corridor outside. The footsteps were so dense that even through the walls, one could sense the sheer number of things outside.

"They're here," Zhao Kaiming said in a low voice.

Everyone immediately felt a chill, and all their hands involuntarily stopped moving.

The ghost has arrived.

It's right outside the door, just a wall away.

Wang Xiaoming remained silent, simply standing behind, holding a flashlight and shining it forward to maintain the surrounding lighting while remaining absolutely calm.

He was just an ordinary person, and he had no means of countermeasures in this situation. Because he came to Dachang City in a hurry, he did not bring many life-saving items, and even Li Jun, who was protecting him, was left at the laboratory.

So all he can do now is keep quiet and not cause trouble for these Ghost Tamer.

Everyone stared intently at the blocked door, their hearts pounding in their chests.

They were terrified that the door in front of them would be pushed open by a ghost in an instant, and that the ghost would rush in and kill them.

However, the situation was not as expected.

The footsteps outside the door suddenly disappeared again.

No, it didn't disappear; rather, the ghosts outside stopped and stood outside the ward.

The dense sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

This disappearance brought no relief whatsoever; on the contrary, it was incredibly heavy, because the fading of each footstep meant that a ghost was already waiting outside the door.

"Why didn't they attack directly? What are they waiting for?" Zhang Han's palms were already covered in cold sweat.

He felt this incident was far more terrifying than the Huanggang Village incident.

"Look, the wall has changed!" Sun Yi suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead in shock.

But the wall that had been blocking out the group of ghosts was now rapidly darkening, its color gradually blending into the surrounding environment, turning into a dark bluish-green gloom.

This dark blue-black color was just more intense, like darkness itself.

Even a flashlight could no longer illuminate this wall.

At this moment, everyone couldn't help but back away, no longer daring to approach the pitch-black wall.

However, the next moment, something terrifying happened.

Suddenly, a raised outline appeared on the dark wall in front of us. At first, the outline was only slightly raised, but soon it became clearer and clearer, and the outline on the dark wall quickly turned into a human face.

It has eyes, a nose, and facial features.

Soon, as the face became clearer, the darkness began to recede, revealing a dark blue-green, dead face to everyone.

At first glance, it looks like a dead person has been embedded alive into the wall.

The eyes on this dead face were empty sockets, containing eyes that were pitch black without pupils, giving off an eerie feeling. However, when those dark eyes looked at the crowd, they shifted slightly, revealing a chilling ferocity amidst the eeriness.

It felt as if everyone was being watched, instantly sending chills down their spines.

Beneath the face, a slight bulge appeared on the wall, gradually revealing the outline of a body.

A bluish-black arm, resembling lividity, emerged from the wall.

The ghost actually passed right through the wall, ignoring all obstruction.

Moreover, it wasn't just this one face that passed through the wall; the outlines of other faces also appeared one after another in other parts of the wall.

One, two, three. Dozens of faces were imprinted on the dark wall, and quickly passed through it, trying to enter the ward.

Although everyone knew that a single wall couldn't stop these ghosts, the fact that they were allowed to enter the ward in this way still sent chills down everyone's spines.

"It can even alter matter? This is beyond what a simple Ghost Domain can achieve." Wang Xiaoming frowned deeply, feeling for some reason that this operation was likely to end in a crushing defeat.

"Stop them together!" one of the Ghost Tamer growled in a low voice, filled with terror and despair.

At this point, there's no need to be stingy with the power of the vengeful spirits; if we can't withstand this attack, everyone will die.