Chapter 53: Lin Rou’s Mission

Lin Rou spoke as she slipped her arm through Zhang Xiaofan’s, the picture of intimacy.

Zhang Xiaofan pulled away, his heart skipping slightly. “Watch yourself—you’re a girl,” he said.

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re embarrassed?” Lin Rou flopped onto Zhang Xiaofan’s bed, stretching out so that her graceful curves were plainly visible. Zhang Xiaofan silently cursed himself for being distracted by such things at a time like this.

He quickly changed the subject. “How did you know I was coming back today?”

“That’s easy. I tracked you by your phone,” Lin Rou said, shaking her mobile. “You went out to do a mission, right? Catching three level-three ghosts sounds pretty tough.”

“They’re just hard to find,” Zhang Xiaofan replied helplessly.

“I might know a place,” Lin Rou said sweetly. “I did some research—there’s an old factory in the eastern outskirts, abandoned for years. A lot of people died there a few years ago. I’m pretty sure it’s haunted. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a level-three ghost there.”

What surprised Zhang Xiaofan was that Lin Rou didn’t seem frightened at all while discussing ghosts. In fact, there was a glint of excitement in her eyes.

Has this girl gone off the deep end? he wondered.

“Why are you helping me?” he asked, puzzled. “Don’t you have your own mission to worry about?”

He remembered clearly that Lin Rou’s task was to catch a zombie.

“There’s plenty of time—no rush,” Lin Rou said, getting up. “Get ready. We can’t go during the day; the ghosts will be hiding. We’ll go tonight.”

“You want to come with me?” Zhang Xiaofan shook his head, looking down on her. “Forget it—you’d just hold me back.”

“If I don’t come, do you even know the way? If you won’t bring me, I’m not taking you,” Lin Rou retorted, shamelessly.

“You…”

“What? You don’t like me anyway, so I don’t owe you any favors, hmph!”

“I get it now—you want me to come because you found a zombie there, right? So you want to use me to help you catch it?” Zhang Xiaofan said, as if having an epiphany.

“You…” Lin Rou’s face flushed crimson. “Fine, yes, there’s a zombie there. I’m taking you so you can help me catch it. Satisfied?”

Zhang Xiaofan snorted coldly. So that’s what this is about. After thinking a moment, he said, “All right, we’ll go together tonight. But I’m telling you, there won’t be any zombies. If you don’t find one, just go home and don’t get in my way.”

Lin Rou leapt up with delight. There was no denying that she’d developed quite well recently; as she jumped, the sight of her bouncing chest was mesmerizing.

“Wonderful! Xiaofan, you’re not letting me in because you’re worried about me, aren’t you?” she teased.

“Only a ghost would worry about you,” Zhang Xiaofan replied, shaking his head. With that, he dashed off, leaving Lin Rou behind in a fluster. She’s been acting more and more like a vixen lately, he thought. If he spent too much time with her, who knew what kind of trouble he’d get into—better to make a swift exit.

He headed to the sports field alone to continue his training. From experience, he knew that channeling spiritual energy into his right eye greatly increased his strength, but it consumed too much energy.

“I remember that time at the KTV, when I killed someone—my spiritual power surged all at once. How can I maintain that state? What triggered it back then?” Zhang Xiaofan murmured. “It seems like only when I’m faced with death can I unleash my power.”

He touched his eye, recalling those mysterious memories that had given him great strength. But how to wield it?

And what was the true purpose of the Demon Lord? Was it really so simple? Still, as long as he could grow stronger thanks to her, it wasn’t a bad deal.

That evening, just as Zhang Xiaofan was about to set out on his bicycle, Lin Rou pulled up in her car.

“Get in,” she called, pressing the horn.

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. “Driving yourself today? Where’s your chauffeur?”

“I fired him,” Lin Rou replied, glancing at his old, battered bicycle and curling her lip. “You weren’t really going to ride that all the way, were you? Do you know how far it is?”

Zhang Xiaofan blushed. “You could’ve told me sooner,” he muttered. He abandoned the bike and climbed in. The interior was fragrant and comfortable—so this was the world of the wealthy, he thought.

Zhang Xiaofan was quiet on the drive, but Lin Rou chattered non-stop, her words buzzing in his ears until he was thoroughly irritated. At last, they reached the outskirts. After a short drive down an overgrown road, a small building came into view, rising from the desolate lot.

Wild grass grew thick around the place, evidence that no one had been here for years. Yet what shocked Zhang Xiaofan was that the front door stood wide open, with clear signs of being forced.

“Someone beat us here,” Lin Rou murmured in surprise.

She popped open the trunk and pulled out a machete, slinging it over her shoulder with a cheerful grin. “This is getting interesting.”

Zhang Xiaofan was stunned.

Damn, he thought, this girl is going gangster now.

He blurted, “Lin Rou, can you even lift that thing?”

She replied sweetly, “You don’t want me anymore, so I have to learn to protect myself.” She beckoned him closer. “I’ve got plenty of weapons here—pick one.”

Inside the car was a veritable arsenal: swords, maces, whips, spears, even shields.

“Where did you get all this?” Zhang Xiaofan exclaimed.

“Stop asking so many questions and pick one,” Lin Rou ordered, brooking no argument.

Resigned, Zhang Xiaofan chose a machete—the most practical option, since he’d used one before to hack down a corpse.

Lin Rou giggled. “Let’s see what goodies we’ve got on us. I’ve got twenty-two talismans of all kinds, and as for my physical stats… not telling you.”

“You’d better stay out here,” Zhang Xiaofan said, shaking his head. “I’m not bringing you in.”

With that, he headed inside. Lin Rou called after him, “You dare leave me behind?”

She grabbed his arm. “You’re not getting rid of me.”

Zhang Xiaofan found her increasingly exasperating—how had he never noticed before?

“Don’t cling to me. If you start crying when we see a ghost, don’t blame me.”

“Hmph, my power now would scare you to death.”

They pushed open the iron gate, and at a glance saw a tangle of messy footprints at the entrance.

“Something’s wrong—someone’s been here,” Zhang Xiaofan murmured.

Suddenly, a light flashed in one of the office rooms. Lin Rou whispered, “I just saw someone’s shadow in there.”

Cautiously, Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Rou crept over. Peeking inside, they saw, in the pitch-dark office, three figures hunched over, writing something at their desks. Suddenly, a chill wind swept through, making Zhang Xiaofan shudder.

“Don’t be scared, Xiaofan. I’ll protect you,” Lin Rou whispered.

To his surprise, Zhang Xiaofan actually felt a sense of safety from this girl. That can’t be right, he thought.

All at once, the three figures in the office looked up…