With a loud bang, I screamed in terror as the Red Mask Agent punched straight through Grace Hu’s body. Yet Grace Hu clung to him desperately, biting into his shoulder with savage force until black blood splattered, exposing a piece of bone beneath the torn flesh.
She turned her head, her face smeared with green blood, and gazed at Cao Wanzhi with sorrowful eyes.
"Wanzhi, I’m sorry. I couldn’t save you. I’m still so useless. I’m sorry, Wanzhi..."
Cao Wanzhi whimpered, reaching out as he lay on the ground. Pain twisted his face completely, and he seemed unable to utter a sound. Gradually, Grace Hu turned to ashes and vanished into the air.
A violent wind rose. Cao Wanzhi whimpered in agony, and at that moment, a plume of blue smoke began to rise from his chest. Trembling, he pulled out the photograph.
The photograph was slowly fading, and on it, Grace Hu’s bright, cheerful smile before Cao Wanzhi was disappearing bit by bit.
"Did you see that? This is how you kill a man." The Red Mask Agent turned his head, glancing at the trembling Huang Mingfa and David Dong.
"You two have potential. Now, this is the final trial—whoever kills Cao Wanzhi first will be admitted to the Immortality Society, before Cao Wanzhi dies."
Suddenly, Huang Mingfa and David Dong exchanged glances, then instantly began to tear into each other. David Dong, not as strong as Huang Mingfa, was quickly knocked to the ground and had his throat tightly gripped.
David Dong struggled desperately, his arms and legs flailing wildly.
I watched quietly as the Red Mask Agent sat down on a nearby chair, smiling as he looked at the utterly broken, tearful Cao Wanzhi, collapsed on the floor.
With a bang, Huang Mingfa cried out, clutching his head. It was David Dong—he had finally grabbed a cup and smashed it against Huang Mingfa’s forehead.
Then, getting up, David Dong picked up a stool and swung it at Huang Mingfa’s head. Huang Mingfa quickly reached out, and with a crash, the whole chair shattered against his hand, sending him tumbling to the ground.
David Dong began searching everywhere for a murder weapon. Then he spotted a camera nearby, immediately grabbed it, and at that moment, although Huang Mingfa was dazed, he quickly got up. David Dong swung the camera down at Huang Mingfa.
Huang Mingfa immediately ran, and David Dong shouted as he chased him up to the second floor.
Soon, the sounds of fighting echoed from upstairs. The Red Mask Agent crouched beside Cao Wanzhi.
"How does it feel? This sense of powerlessness? That’s how the world is. If you want revenge on me, you can try anytime—even now."
The Red Mask Agent spoke, glancing around, then found a sharp shard of a broken bowl, like a knife. He grabbed Cao Wanzhi’s hand, pressed the shard into it, and pulled Cao Wanzhi’s hand to his own neck.
"Go on, cut me. Maybe you’ll get your revenge. Hurry up—what’s wrong, aren’t you moving?"
As the Red Mask Agent spoke, he gripped Cao Wanzhi’s hand tightly. With a sudden force, a wound opened on his neck, and black blood slowly seeped out.
"See? I wasn’t lying to you, haha."
Suddenly, Cao Wanzhi lifted his head, revealing a faint smile. His eyes were empty, staring quietly at the Red Mask Agent. Then, with a thud, Cao Wanzhi collapsed to the ground, convulsing as blood poured from the corner of his mouth.
"You two, hurry up—the last ticket is about to disappear. Cao Wanzhi is dying, and if neither of you kills him, you’ll both die together."
A series of crashes sounded. I looked over—it was Huang Mingfa, tumbling down the stairs. One of his ears was mangled and gone, his body covered in wounds. He quickly got up, grabbed the broken bowl shard from the floor, and slashed it viciously at Cao Wanzhi’s neck. Then, searching around, he found an ashtray and smashed it down hard onto Cao Wanzhi’s head.
Behind him, David Dong rushed in with a knife, still swinging furiously. In moments, Cao Wanzhi’s head became a bloody mess.
"I did it! I passed! I survived! Hahahaha..."
Excited laughter echoed as Huang Mingfa laughed madly, while David Dong, gripped by frenzy, stabbed wildly at Huang Mingfa with the knife.
"Sir, you said whoever killed Cao Wanzhi first could join the Immortality Society—I did it! I did it! You have to keep your word!"
Suddenly, the Red Mask Agent flashed in front of David Dong, grabbing his wrist.
"Give me another chance, give me another chance! I was just blinded by rage—I could have done it, I could have..."
At that moment, a cold, icy light flashed in the Red Mask Agent’s eyes.
"The truth is, you failed. I already gave you a chance. Originally, you weren’t even qualified to compete with him—I just made an exception for you."
David Dong’s eyes went dead, then panic set in. Yet the Red Mask Agent didn’t kill him, but gave him another chance.
"Fine, I’ll give you one more chance. Run—get as far away as you can. If by tonight I can’t find you, you win."
Immediately, David Dong threw away the knife and bolted out the door, running like mad for his life. Huang Mingfa sat down, panting heavily.
"Why did you let him go, sir?"
A smile crept onto the Red Mask Agent’s lips.
"The money’s already been withdrawn by that kid—it’s in a rental warehouse at the dock. Go get it later. And we need a story: Cao Wanzhi’s apprentice stole his savings, killed Cao Wanzhi and his fellow apprentice, Terry Chen. What do you think?"
"Brilliant, sir! Brilliant plan, haha."
Then the Red Mask Agent and Huang Mingfa left.
I quietly watched Cao Wanzhi, now dead, crouching beside him as an unspeakable sadness swept through every part of me.
Then, something strange happened. I glanced at the camera lying nearby—the lens moved, and suddenly, with a click, all the chaos around us vanished.
A creaking sound grew louder. I stared in surprise as everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. The creaking intensified—I looked over and saw Cao Wanzhi, seated in a wheelchair, pushing himself forward, the sound echoing. At that moment, I saw a sinister smile on his lips.
"How strange, sir. It’s as if nothing happened at all."
Huang Mingfa and the Red Mask Agent sat in a spacious, luxurious, brightly lit hall.
Huang Mingfa held a newspaper, flipping through it, but found no news of Cao Wanzhi’s photo studio. The Red Mask Agent just smiled faintly.
"Why don’t you go see for yourself?"
With anxiety and suspicion, Huang Mingfa left, took a carriage, and had the driver bring him to the photo studio. When he arrived, he was shocked to find the door open, with no sign of last night’s chaos. He distinctly remembered the windows on the second floor had been shattered.
Leaning on a cane, his body covered in wounds and his ear bandaged, Huang Mingfa stepped into the studio, curiosity in his heart. Inside, everything was untouched, no signs of damage. At the counter sat a bowl of tea, still steaming.
"Sir, I lost a photograph—have you seen it?"
Suddenly, Huang Mingfa let out a terrified scream. He turned around to see Cao Wanzhi sitting in his wheelchair, a sinister smile on his face.
"A ghost..."
Cao Wanzhi immediately sprang into action. I saw a camera appear before him. With a click, he pulled the shutter cord, and with a bang, the exposure plate in his hand burst into flames and smoke.
"Heh, time to reopen for business."
Just then, someone else arrived, warmly greeting Master Cao. Cao Wanzhi got busy, sorting through the photographs.
"Go back and tell your master I’ll be over soon to take his picture—I’ll make sure it’s a photo he never expected."
With a creak, the photo studio door closed.
Huang Mingfa ran all the way back to a grand Western-style house. As soon as he entered, he anxiously told the Red Mask Agent what he’d seen with Cao Wanzhi.
"Oh, really? Even if he’s a ghost, just kill him again."
The Red Mask Agent spoke lightly, standing on the balcony watering flowers.
"Sir, you’re fine, but now I have no strength at all—you have to protect me."
"Alright, come with me. I’ll hold your induction ceremony. Then, I’ll have someone take you to the Immortality Society headquarters for training."
The Red Mask Agent spoke, leading Huang Mingfa into a basement.
"It’s so hot down here, sir. What’s this place for?"
"Come on, this is the last hurdle before joining the Immortality Society. But first, you’d better eat this."
As he spoke, the Red Mask Agent pulled out an opium pipe and a lump of opium.