Chapter 38: Third-Class Ghost

Bang!

The door was suddenly flung open. Shen Fengxing turned around to see a hotel staff member pushing a cart, her head lowered as she muttered, "Cleaning up, I'm here to clean up... so much trash..."

She abruptly looked up, revealing eyes without sockets.

A chill shot through Shen Fengxing’s heart. He staggered back several steps, almost falling, then mustered his courage and cursed, "Damn it, I’ve got the jade pendant—what’s there to be afraid of?"

He shouted, "Jade pendant, show your power!"

A flash of white light erupted from the jade in his hand, and before him appeared a ghost dressed in ancient robes. The ghost glanced coldly at the staff member, sneering, "Just a level-one ghost, and yet I, a level-three, am summoned? What a waste. But if I kill her, I’ll be able to leave this place."

"Hurry, kill her, now..." Shen Fengxing urged.

The ancient-robed ghost snorted disdainfully. Black mist surged from its body as it rushed forward, mouth suddenly stretching wide.

A look of fear flashed across the once-fierce face of the staff member. Before she could even scream, the ancient-robed ghost swallowed her whole.

The ghost cast a cold glance at Shen Fengxing. "Is that all?"

Shen Fengxing nodded in terror. The next moment, the ghost turned into a plume of black mist and vanished.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Shen Fengxing caught his breath.

Ding!

Bao Lei: One ghost eliminated. Please continue.

Inside the room, Zhang Xiaofan and the others checked their phones and were all astonished.

"I can’t believe Shen Fengxing and Xu Jiaojiao managed to take down a ghost," Zhang Hua remarked.

"Yes, we should find him quickly and regroup—see what actually happened. Maybe we’ll find a way to deal with these ghosts," Zhang Xiaofan said, standing up and messaging Shen Fengxing.

Soon, Shen Fengxing replied: he was at the end of the corridor on the eighth floor.

It was quite a distance, but the group left the room and quickly met up with Shen Fengxing.

Seeing that Shen Fengxing was alone, Zhang Hua frowned and asked, "Where’s Xu Jiaojiao?"

Shen Fengxing’s face twisted in grief and anger. "She... she was killed by a ghost. I’m so useless... That ghost was too powerful. It spewed black mist, Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t dodge in time, and she was killed... I’m so useless..."

The group sighed in dismay. Zhang Xiaofan asked, "Then how did you kill the ghost?"

"I’d bought some talisman papers beforehand. I used them to suppress and kill the ghost."

It had to be said, Shen Fengxing’s story was quite convincing. But Zhang Hua and Zhang Xiaofan frowned. Having dealt with ghosts themselves, they knew that while talismans could injure ghosts, they couldn’t destroy them completely. Even with both of them fighting together, they hadn’t managed to defeat one, so how had Shen Fengxing done it?

"This time, our task is to eliminate the ghosts in the hotel," Su Qianqian said, "but we don’t know how many there are, or how to find them."

"I think we still know too little about this hotel. Let’s leave for now and make a plan," Zhang Xiaofan suggested.

"Agreed. And this time, let’s take the stairs—and hold hands," Zhang Hua said, grabbing Su Qianqian’s hand, who in turn grasped Zhang Xiaofan’s. The group formed a line, and, following Zhang Xiaofan’s previous experience, finally reached the first floor.

At last, they stepped out of the hotel. All five looked grim. The ghosts were far stronger than they’d imagined; in one encounter, they’d lost two people, and they still didn’t know how to find the ghosts.

Outside, Zhou Liping, who had been waiting, caught sight of Zhang Hua and his eyes flashed with disappointment. But he walked up and said, "You’re all safe, that’s great."

Slap!

Zhang Hua slapped him across the face. "Are you blind? Can’t you see Xu Jiaojiao and Tang Youcai aren’t here?"

"Enough, stop it," Su Qianqian tried to intervene.

Zhang Hua snapped, "This guy gets all antsy if he isn’t slapped every day. Seriously, how did I end up with such a loser?"

The words stoked Zhou Liping’s anger. Humiliated, he retorted, "Then let’s break up."

Slap!

Another blow landed. Zhang Hua yelled, "You think you can dump me after we’ve slept together? If you try, I’ll find someone to break your legs—believe it."

Zhou Liping dared not utter a word. He knew Zhang Hua wasn’t bluffing; her fierceness rivaled that of any gangster.

"Enough, we barely made it out alive. Let’s go home and think of a way to handle these ghosts," Shen Fengxing said, exhausted.

Everyone agreed and headed home. After escorting Su Qianqian to her dorm, Zhang Xiaofan returned to his own. With Jiang Jiehui away on assignment, he was alone.

He was about to wash his face and process the day’s events when he felt a small box in his pocket.

Suddenly, he remembered—the box had been given to him by the female ghost. At the time, she had taken on Su Qianqian’s appearance and slipped it to him when they entered Zhang Hua’s room.

He hadn’t thought much of it then, assuming it was a jewelry box or something of Su Qianqian’s that she’d asked him to hold onto.

The box was unremarkable: gray, wooden, the sort you’d use for small trinkets. Cautiously, he opened it and was startled out of his wits.

Inside was a chunk of raw flesh—bloody and fresh.

He slammed the lid shut and tossed the box into the trash, deciding to throw it out for good the next morning.

He messaged both Jiang Jiehui and Hu Xiaotian to ask about their missions, but neither replied. Clearly, their tasks were dangerous too.

Zhang Xiaofan sighed and checked the time—it was already past one. He decided to get some rest. But the moment he closed his eyes, he felt the temperature drop sharply around him.

It wasn’t a physical chill, but a bone-deep, eerie cold—the same sensation he’d felt inside the hotel.

Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes flew open. The dorm was dim, moonlight filtering through the window. What made his blood run cold was the sight of the female ghost—the one with her tongue lolling out—staring straight at him.

He tried to scream, but it was as if his mouth was stuffed with cotton. Worse, his limbs wouldn’t move at all. He could only stare in terror at the ghost before him.

She was here, in his dorm!

The ghost cast a cold glance at him, then her lips twisted into a smile. Her tongue, inexplicably restored, was long and snakelike as she licked Zhang Xiaofan’s face.

In that moment, Zhang Xiaofan wished he were dead. Damn it, this ghost definitely hadn’t brushed her teeth—her breath reeked…

He tried to leap up and run, but his body felt as heavy as lead, utterly immobile.

He could only stare helplessly as the ghost continued to lick her tongue. Desperate, Zhang Xiaofan fought to keep his panic at bay and forced out a question: "Why are you here in my dorm?"

The ghost, tongue lolling, flashed a ghastly smile and pointed at the little box.

In a voice like grinding teeth, she rasped, "The flesh in the box is mine."