Mystery Revival: Starting by Controlling the Person-Hiding Ghost, Part 17

The man wanted to burst into tears, but he couldn't shed a single one. He could only silently hold what was in his arms even tighter.

But he hadn't given up his last sliver of hope.

Since this was a ghost he couldn't look at, could he survive if he never opened his eyes again?

To stay alive, he would rather give up his sight and live as a blind man for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, this was a world full of despair.

Even with his eyelids squeezed shut, the image of that fierce ghost continued to surface in his mind.

That ghastly, sinister grin grew clearer and clearer, only to vanish abruptly from his mind at the moment it was most distinct.

The man fell into complete despair, abandoning all hope.

He finally opened his mouth and began to confide softly in the cat in his arms.

Perhaps his voice was too choked with tears, or perhaps he was too grief-stricken.

He could no longer even make out his own words, and his consciousness gradually grew hazy until he lost it completely.

His tearful confessions grew quieter, then faded away altogether.

A gaunt hand took his place, once again grasping the deathly pale dead hand on the ground.

"It seems we're too late."

After feeling the corpse on the ground, Yang Jian said, "This man only died recently. There's still some warmth in his body."

"There's a pitch-black handprint on his hand, but that ghost hand didn't drag him underground. Maybe he got lucky and did something to avoid its attack."

"But his luck doesn't seem to have been that good either. Judging by his condition, he should have been attacked by two ghosts at once... My preliminary guess is that he might have died to your Person-Hiding Ghost."

Jiang Li gazed at the corpse on the ground and fell into thought.

From the tearstains on his face and his still tightly furrowed brows, Jiang Li could tell that he had known the Person-Hiding Ghost's killing pattern and tried to avoid it. Unfortunately, he had failed in the end.

When humans fought ghosts, a single oversight amid a hundred precautions meant death.

"Wait, it looks like he's holding something in his arms?" Zhang Han suddenly said, reaching out to move the man's arm aside.

As the arm moved away, a plump tabby cat appeared before the three of them.

It was curled up in a ball, its eyes comfortably narrowed as though it had fallen asleep.

But when Jiang Li reached out to touch it, he discovered that it was dead too.

It probably died of old age, Jiang Li thought.

If it had died any other way, it surely wouldn't have worn such a contented expression before its death.

Of course, it was also possible that it had sensed its deceased owner's call and followed him in death, so they could remain companions on the road to the Yellow Springs.

Yang Jian walked to the window and pulled the curtains open, silently gazing at the scene outside.

The dim street was quite "lively," filled with human figures hanging in the air.

Their bluish-black skin was covered in livor mortis, and corpse fluid streamed down their ankles, dripping onto the streets of Dachang City.

Watching the corpse fluid drizzle down before him, Yang Jian couldn't help but twitch violently at the corner of his eye.

Jiang Li noticed it too, and his expression darkened.

A scene like this was horrifying to an excessive degree. If it were made into a horror movie, it probably wouldn't even pass censorship.

What was certain was that some sort of change had occurred between the Ghost Rope and the Hunger Ghost, causing all the ghost infants and ghost children in the city to be sent in the same direction.

Even his own Person-Hiding Ghost seemed to be heading somewhere; there had been supernatural traces left by the Person-Hiding Ghost all along the way.

"The source of the supernatural activity seems to be a few hundred meters ahead. Next, I'll use my Ghost Domain to teleport us closer. It'll be very dangerous when we get there," Yang Jian said quietly. "Get ready."

"Every operation feels like carrying my head at my waist. It's a really lousy feeling," Zhang Han couldn't help complaining.

A red light flashed, and the three of them vanished from where they stood, leaving behind only a man and a cat gradually growing cold on the ground.

In a residential complex not far from Dachang No. 7 Middle School stood a hill made from the piled-up bodies of countless ghost children.

The bluish-black ghost children were stacked layer upon layer. Almost without exception, their limbs were twisted, their bodies covered in livor mortis, and their mouths hung open vacantly.

Atop the hill, a terrifying figure with a hugely swollen abdomen and a hemp rope around its neck stood silently, its toes just able to touch the ghost children beneath it.

The Ghost Rope's supernatural power suspended it in the air, but it stood on tiptoe atop the countless ghost children, avoiding the Ghost Rope's supernatural attack.

At the moment, it seemed motionless, its head lowered as though pondering something.

But a closer look revealed that the outline near its jaw was moving constantly, as though it were gnawing on something.

No matter how much it chewed, it couldn't break down whatever was in its mouth, but it kept at it with relish, never stopping.

As it continued to gnaw, the hemp rope above its head gradually began to change, descending bit by bit.

Before long, the Hunger Ghost would be able to break free of its restraint entirely and even devour and control the Ghost Rope.

Meanwhile, near the entrance to the residential complex below, Jiang Li and his two companions were crouched off to one side, observing the situation.

Yang Jian tried to open the Ghost Eye on his forehead, but failed for some inexplicable reason.

"Change of plans. It seems I can't extend the Ghost Domain as far as the Hunger Ghost."

"Maybe it's because, although these ghost children aren't true fierce ghosts, they still possess a certain amount of supernatural power. With so many ghost children piled into a mountain, they've completely blocked my Ghost Domain from spreading."

"Has the plan to transfer the Coffin Nail with the Ghost Domain failed?" Jiang Li said quietly. "Then we can only go with the second plan. Help me find the Person-Hiding Ghost first. I'll use its supernatural power to get close to the Hunger Ghost and drive this Coffin Nail into its head."

"That's our only option," Yang Jian replied. "I think I sensed your ghost somewhere nearby. We can look for it, but even if we find it, how will you regain control of it?"

"Pin it down with the Coffin Nail first, then use your Ghost Domain to transfer it into my body," Jiang Li replied calmly. "That's the simplest and most efficient method. I should be able to withstand it."

"Since you've said so, I won't say any more... Where did Zhang Han go?"

Jiang Li and Yang Jian looked around, only to find that Zhang Han was nowhere in sight. Only then did they realize that he hadn't spoken for quite some time, and they didn't know where he had gone.

Even Yang Jian's Ghost Domain couldn't find Zhang Han nearby.

If he had gotten lost alone in this residential complex full of hanging ghost children, he might never make it back.

Just then, Zhang Han came hurrying out of a nearby apartment building, looking very excited.

At the sight, Yang Jian immediately frowned.

"Zhang Han, what did you go off to do?"

"Ah, I just found a resident nearby. He said he'd filmed the whole thing after the Hunger Ghost entered the complex, so I went to ask him for the video."

Zhang Han took out his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and played a video.

"So that's what happened? That's incredible." Jiang Li took only one look before his brows knitted sharply.

But Yang Jian didn't look at the phone. Instead, he stared at the apartment building Zhang Han had just come out of, lost in thought.

The apartment he had rented when he was in high school was in that very building. It was far too much of a coincidence.

Chapter 26: The eerie Father Yang

"Zhang Han, what floor did the resident you got the video from live on? Was it a man or a woman?"

Yang Jian suddenly asked.

"Uh, I think it was a man on the third floor," Zhang Han replied. "Those are all unimportant little details. Aren't you going to look at the information on the Hunger Ghost?"

"That's right, Yang Jian, you should take a look," Jiang Li added, raising his head. "The information in here is important. You have to see it."

Hearing this, Yang Jian silently took two steps back.

Having lived here for several years, he couldn't have been more familiar with the residents of the building.

The apartment on the third floor had always been unfinished and unfurnished. Nobody had ever lived there.

Something was wrong with Zhang Han, and probably with Jiang Li too.

Then Yang Jian suddenly grew alert. A fierce ghost disguised as his own father was still hiding in his home, reading a newspaper all the while.

Damn it, I was so focused on the Hunger Ghost that I forgot to warn the other two about the Newspaper Ghost!

As though sensing the change in Yang Jian's attitude, Jiang Li and Zhang Han's expressions instantly darkened, and they spoke word by word:

"Yang Jian, since you really don't intend to watch this video... then die."

Zhang Han raised his eyes and lunged at Yang Jian, his expression ferocious.

"Zhang Han, you really are unlucky. Every time something happens, you're the first one to get caught."

Yang Jian planted a foot in Zhang Han's face and kicked him away hard, while simultaneously opening his Ghost Domain over an area of several meters around him.

Zhang Han, who had been kicked to the ground, didn't pause for a moment. He immediately scrambled up and lunged again, but the Ghost Domain kept him out.

No blood flowed from the cuts on his face. Instead, they revealed the stark white pages of paper beneath.

Though he had temporarily avoided fighting Zhang Han, Yang Jian's expression grew even graver.

Jiang Li was gone...

He could clearly sense that Jiang Li was inside his Ghost Domain, but he couldn't pinpoint his location.

The moment Jiang Li's figure appeared again, Yang Jian didn't hesitate, instantly using his Ghost Domain to teleport him several meters away.

After being teleported out of the Ghost Domain, Jiang Li slowly revealed a cold smile. Then he and Zhang Han walked back into Yang Jian's Ghost Domain without the slightest restraint.

Yang Jian fell silent for a moment, then finally lowered his head helplessly. Even the Ghost Eyes on his face closed.

At some unknown point, a small scrap of newspaper had appeared on his forehead, slowly merging into his face with its Ghost Eyes.

A moment later.

Yang Jian sat up with Jiang Li and Zhang Han supporting him, and the three calmly walked into the apartment building beside them.

When they reached a security door, Yang Jian deftly took a set of iron keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked it.

"Dad, I'm home."

"There's no evening self-study at school tonight, so I brought two classmates home for a visit."

In the dim, cramped living room, a middle-aged man sat on the sofa without a word, silently holding and reading the newspaper in his hands.

In a corner of the living room stood another young man who looked like a high school student. His head was lowered, and he said nothing.

"Zhao Lei? When did you come over to my place? Why didn't you tell me before you came?"

As Yang Jian spoke, he walked over to the sofa as he was accustomed to doing in his memory, intending to take off his schoolbag.

Only when he reached the sofa did Yang Jian notice that he didn't seem to be carrying a schoolbag.

But he didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Instead, he took it for granted.

After all, ever since starting high school, Yang Jian and Zhang Wei had become the twin stars at the bottom of their class. He couldn't understand anything in lessons, so it was normal for him to forget his schoolbag when he went to school now.

"Dad, it's so dark in the living room. Reading the newspaper like this is bad for your eyes."

"Let me turn on the light for you."

As Yang Jian spoke, he walked toward the living room light switch.

Jiang Li stood where he was, feeling inexplicably muddled, yet unable to figure out what was wrong.