Target Changed

"I believe you both understand the general situation. Wang Shanshan's condition will only worsen. As an outsider, my advice is that you two should probably… have another child." Yang Jian spoke.

The car stopped in a bustling area of the city.

The group got out and sat on nearby chairs, discussing what had just happened.

"How can you say that?" Wang Haiyan asked, annoyed. "Isn't there still a way to get rid of that mark?"

"They're pretty much the same. Remove one mark, and replace it with another. The end result is the same," Yang Jian said. "My words might be harsh, but they are the truth. Uncle Wang, what do you think?"

Wang Bin frowned, smoking his cigarette. As the head of the household, he was completely at a loss, feeling extremely troubled and dispirited.

He understood what Yang Jian meant.

If the mark wasn't removed, the ghost infant would continue to follow Shanshan. If the mark was removed, another one would have to be placed, and the final outcome wouldn't change; it would only buy some time.

"Dad, Mom, it's okay. I'm beyond saving. Let me face the ghost infant alone. I can't drag you down because of my own problems," Wang Shanshan said, tears streaming down her face.

Now that she knew the outcome, she wasn't as terrified.

Her mother, Wang Haiyan, was heartbroken upon hearing this, tears flowing freely. The mother and daughter embraced and wept openly in front of the passersby.

"No, absolutely not. How can I watch my own daughter be tormented to death by that thing?" Wang Bin threw his cigarette away and stood up, seemingly having made a decision. "Young man, if I agree to Shanshan getting another mark, do you have a way?"

Yang Jian replied, "There is a way, but the outcome won't be any better. It will only postpone the time of death. There's an idiom for this… drinking poison to quench thirst. It's pretty much the same idea."

"If the mark isn't removed, Shanshan won't live for more than three days, right?" Wang Bin asked.

Yang Jian said, "No, she won't even live for one day. The reason Wang Shanshan wasn't attacked before was because the mark on her hand hadn't disappeared yet, so the ghost infant hadn't attacked her. But now that the mark is gone, the ghost infant will likely find her again within an hour. It might even be faster."

"And if the mark is removed?" Wang Bin asked.

Yang Jian said, "Living and dying together with a ghost wielder would give her a few months, which is slightly better, but the outcome is still the same. And I can't be sure if there will be other side effects."

"Even if it's poison, I have to take it now. We can't give up even if there's a sliver of a chance," Wang Bin gritted his teeth. "Young man, I'd like to ask for your help. I'll pay for it. Name your price."

Yang Jian looked at Wang Shanshan and her mother, Wang Haiyan, crying in each other's arms, and said, "This isn't a supernatural event, nor is it a fight against a vengeful ghost. There's no risk involved. Considering how straightforward Uncle Wang was before, I'll do this for free this time. However, I can't guarantee anything if Wang Shanshan experiences any problems or changes afterward."

"Thank you, that's enough. I'll take responsibility for all the consequences. Even if something happens to Shanshan later, I won't blame you," Wang Bin took a deep breath.

His decisiveness and courage truly reflected the demeanor of a successful person, unlike Wang Haiyan's indecisiveness, overthinking, and petty concerns.

"If that's the case, let's start now. I'm afraid the ghost infant is already on its way," Yang Jian said.

Wang Bin said, "Shanshan, come here."

Wang Shanshan looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying, her face tear-streaked as she looked at Wang Bin and Yang Jian.

"Wang Shanshan, if you've decided, extend your hand to me," Yang Jian said.

"Go ahead. We'll deal with the future later. Let's get through this immediate crisis first," Wang Bin's face was still etched with worry. He didn't know if today's decision would harm or save his daughter.

"Yang Jian, thank you," Wang Shanshan bit her lip and extended her hand.

She wanted to live, not die, especially not at the hands of such a terrifying entity.

"We're fellow students, after all. Besides, I've already been paid," Yang Jian grabbed her wrist, just like he had done back in school.

"Take off the bandage on your neck. I need to see the mark."

Wang Haiyan said nothing, carefully unwrapping the bandage.

The skin on the young girl's delicate neck was broken and red, smeared with medicine. But in the very center of the wound, two clear, dark handprints were visible.

Yang Jian's gaze shifted. He recalled his previous actions; his palm cracked open, and an eye emerged.

The eye emitted a faint red glow, which seeped out from his fingers and began to invade Wang Shanshan's wrist.

It was in the same spot as before.

As the red glow penetrated, Yang Jian saw the dark handprints on her neck gradually fading, fading away. They began to lose their color on their own.

"It... it's working," Wang Bin's eyes widened as he witnessed this miraculous scene.

Of course, it was working.

Yang Jian felt the presence of that ghost eye within Wang Shanshan's body, as if an eye had transferred into her, yet it wasn't quite accurate to say a part of the vengeful ghost's power remained within Wang Shanshan.

After about a moment.

The two dark handprints on Wang Shanshan's neck completely disappeared.

Seeing this.

Yang Jian finally let go.

He saw a clear ghost eye imprint on Wang Shanshan's wrist, like a tattoo of a red eye, exceptionally conspicuous, and faintly emitting a red glow.

"It's gone, it's really gone! The handprints disappeared."

"Shanshan, how are you feeling now? Are you okay?"

Wang Bin and his wife became somewhat agitated.

Wang Shanshan felt herself and said, "I don't feel anything wrong. I feel good, which is a bit strange, but I can't quite explain it. In any case, I feel much better than before." As she spoke, she glanced deeply at the eye beside her.

Her gaze was very different from usual, yet she couldn't quite articulate why.

"That's wonderful," Wang Haiyan hugged her excitedly.

Yang Jian also felt the changes in his body.

There wasn't much change, it was like he'd just ejaculated, leaving him feeling a bit weak.

"Only those who can control a ghost domain are qualified to have ghost slaves. I don't know what the difference is between a ghost slave of a living person and a ghost slave of a vengeful ghost. Wang Shanshan definitely won't be like a normal person, but this change can only be observed and discovered later," Yang Jian thought to himself.

And just as he was erasing that mark.

On a street not far from here, a small child, entirely dark blue and black, was running on the ground at an eerie speed, quickly heading towards Wang Shanshan.

"Did you see a strange child run past from over there just now?" someone on the street asked, seeing the scene with some surprise.

His companion replied, "What child? You must be seeing things."

But before the ghost infant had run much further, it suddenly stopped.

The mark had disappeared, and it had lost its clear target.

If there was no primary target, it would randomly select passersby on this street and begin indiscriminate killing.

"Holy crap, what did I run into?"

At this moment, a passing young man, engrossed in his phone, accidentally bumped into the ghost infant, nearly falling.

But when he looked back, there was nothing there.

However, as he turned back and continued his stroll, he suddenly froze.

A naked child, entirely dark blue and black, stood before him with its head tilted, its eyes looking at him with an eerie expression.

The young man glanced strangely at the ghost infant, feeling that this child was a bit off. Perhaps it was a runaway, or maybe mentally unstable. He didn't want to provoke such a child, so he walked around it and continued on his way.

But he hadn't gone far.

The ghost infant moved.

It turned around, no longer heading in Wang Shanshan's direction, but continuing to follow the young man from before.

The horror continued, just with a different person.

Regarding the book title change.

The editor-in-chief simply felt the previous title didn't sound good, so he changed it for me. It has nothing to do with censorship.

Also, when the previous title was chosen, "The mortal world is like a prison" wasn't the first choice; it was just that the original title had already been taken.

The title doesn't affect your reading. Thank you all for your support.