I watched all this, puzzled. It was just lunchtime, and I cooked for myself. Normally, Evan Zhao, Sandra Yu, Samantha Simons, or Yuna Ji would make food for me, but these past few days, every one of them has been acting suspiciously.
“Miss Simons, what’s really going on?” I saw Samantha Simons sitting under a cherry blossom tree.
Samantha Simons suddenly stood up, her face full of annoyance, and tried to walk away.
"Master Ethan, go stay elsewhere for a few days, then come back." With that, she left without looking back.
I sighed, planning to ask someone else. Even Lance Turner (nickname: Lantern), who usually grinned foolishly, now looked grim; he wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, avoiding me whenever he saw me.
The only one I was a bit afraid of was Helen Chen. She was the same as ever—long hair, pitch-black eyes, a pale face with cracks—sitting under a cherry blossom tree.
"Get lost..."
As soon as I walked over, Helen Chen cursed at me, glaring fiercely.
Evan Zhao passed by, and I grabbed him. Suddenly, I was startled—Evan Zhao’s chest was bloody and mangled, as if something had ripped it apart, flesh and blood exposed. His cheeks were flushed, and the scorpion that used to move on his face now looked dead, just a tattoo.
"E-Ethan, you should leave first. I’m afraid I can’t hold on much longer."
Evan Zhao said this, clutching his head as he ran off to the side. What I saw were his bloodshot eyes.
"Ethan Zhang! Ethan Zhang!" Suddenly, I turned around—it was Susan Li. Her face was pale, tied up tightly, hair disheveled, all her former dignity gone. As soon as she saw me, she called out.
Suddenly, I saw Rose Harper tear off her own skin, blood streaming everywhere. I screamed in terror. She let out a shriek, her face pale, and lunged at me, mouth open, two sharp fangs ready to bite.
Just then, Yuna Ji appeared, grabbed Rose Harper’s head, and twisted it with a crack. I was startled—Yuna Ji looked fierce, her skin dry and rough like an aging woman.
After twisting off Rose Harper’s head, Yuna Ji kicked it far away. Rose Harper’s body chased after it.
"Get out, now, Ethan Zhang!" Yuna Ji shouted. I hurried off without another word, running to the entrance of the courtyard.
A scream came from the room by Wild Duck Lake. It sounded like Quentin Yin howling. I stopped for a moment.
"I’m not crazy, Ethan Zhang, I’m not! They just labeled me as mentally ill—you have to believe me. There really are ghosts trying to kill me. After last time, I found a master who did a reading for me. Ever since I was possessed, I’ve been carrying ghostly energy. All the blessings and fortune from above have abandoned me. I’m about to go bankrupt."
"Get out now, Ethan Zhang! If you don’t, I’ll eat you alive."
"What’s wrong with them?" I squatted by the roadside—desolate, not a soul in sight. It was only noon, but I had no idea where to go.
Rachel Lan called this morning, saying she was still investigating. Apparently, there was another ghost incident, so she’d been busy these days. But this time, it wasn’t difficult, so she didn’t ask me to help—the Ghost Burial Squad could handle it.
I looked left and right, sighed, and stood up, heading toward University Town. I planned to go straight to Susan Li’s pharmaceutical company to find her. I didn’t want to drag things out, especially with the Immortality Society involved.
I spent the whole day riding the bus, already used to this routine—wandering the city by bus. Luckily, it was midday and not crowded; otherwise, rush hour would’ve been a nightmare.
I was almost out of money. After all, the Ghost Burial Squad was just a temp job, and when I had nothing to do, I could only idle in the apartment building. I wondered if there was any work I could do whenever I had free time.
At 4 p.m., I arrived at the industrial park to the west, where many factories stood. Newlife Pharmaceuticals was here. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a snack street—many shops busy with preparations. After work, lots of people would come to eat.
After asking around, I went straight to Newlife Pharmaceuticals. The factory gate was open. Inside, I asked about Susan Li. The security guard looked surprised at first, so I explained I was a junior from her university, met her during a school event, and she’d invited me to work here.
"Hey, kid, you’re too late. President Li has lost her mind and was sent to the psychiatric hospital."
I stared blankly at the security guard, stunned.
"What happened?"
"Let me tell you, after President Li came back from her appendectomy, she got paranoid—kept talking about ghosts and stuff. Plus, our company might go under soon!"
I stared, looking inside. Sure enough, such a big pharmaceutical plant, but hardly anyone around.
After asking about Susan Li’s whereabouts, I headed out. Less than ten kilometers away was Northview Psychiatric Hospital, so I hopped on a bus.
At 5:20, I arrived at a psychiatric hospital with a decent environment. I went in, asked around, and waited for the staff to arrange a meeting with Susan Li.
All around me, mentally ill patients babbled nonsense. I sat there helplessly.
"Hey, buddy, have you seen my tricycle?"
I turned my head, startled. It was a psychiatric patient, grinning foolishly and chewing his finger.
I ignored him.
"My name’s Wang Sanlun. Don’t you know me? We’ve met before, we have."
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I glanced again at the psychiatric patient beside me, a man in his forties. Just then, a few staff members came and took him away.
I woke up, my whole body aching. It was already night. My hands and feet were tied. I struggled a few times, but couldn’t break free. Then I felt something hard on my chest—every movement hurt, and I couldn’t generate any Deathbane Aura at all.
One staff member warned me that this woman had violent tendencies and told me to be careful. After watching Susan Li for a while, they saw she wasn’t acting up and left.
"Ethan Zhang, save me or I’m doomed! Didn’t you rescue me from the ghost last time? Please, save me again—please!"
I stared at Susan Li in surprise. She actually seemed lucid.
"Sir, just keep her company and talk about old times if you can. It might help her condition. She has severe paranoia—sometimes says people are out to get her, sometimes says ghosts are trying to kill her."
I nodded. Susan Li glanced around, and when the staff left, she stretched her neck and started smiling.
"I’m not crazy, Ethan Zhang, I’m not! I was diagnosed as mentally ill, but you have to believe me—there really are ghosts trying to kill me. After last time, I found a master who did a reading for me. After being possessed, I’ve been carrying ghostly energy, and all my luck and fortune have abandoned me. I’m about to go bankrupt."
"Then how do you know ghosts are after you?"
Susan Li shook her head.
"I saw it—a ghost. It comes to scare me every night. They don’t want my life, just want to drive me insane. It’s been going on for ages. I’ve been pretending to be crazy. Please, Ethan Zhang, save me!"
"Do you know about the Immortality Society?"
Susan Li suddenly screamed.
"A ghost, a ghost! Ah..." Then she went wild, trying to run. Several staff members quickly restrained her.
I turned and gasped. In a dark corner, sure enough, there was a ghost—its face horribly disfigured, maggots crawling from one eye. But with so many people around, I had to hold back, covering my mouth and clenching my fists.
Then I walked over. The ghost seemed to notice me and instantly vanished.
"Coward—bullying women but too scared to show yourself. Come out and I’ll beat you to death."
I muttered quietly.
"Who are you going to beat? Sir, are you alright?"
Startled, I forced a smile at an older woman. She looked at me in terror, and then staff insisted I take a psychiatric test. Even the security guards got involved—the woman said she saw me threatening empty air and got scared.
There was no choice—I had to go to a room for a psychiatric evaluation. Inside, a doctor asked me some questions, and I answered absentmindedly.
"Sir, based on your subconscious responses, you may have a mental illness or a family history of it."
I glared fiercely at the doctor, muttering to myself, 'You’re the crazy one. Your whole family is crazy.'
Then the doctor said I needed a detailed EEG. I followed him to a medical equipment room, lay down, and several burly staff came in. As soon as they arrived, they started strapping me down to the bed.
"What are you doing?"
"Hold him down. Based on the tests, sir, I suspect you’re a potential psychiatric patient with severe violent tendencies."
The doctor said this, and I lost my temper, struggling immediately.
"Bullshit! You’re the crazy one—let me go, damn it!"
I cursed, but the doctor just chuckled.
"Most psychiatric patients insist they aren’t ill."
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my neck. Sleepiness washed over me, and I passed out.
I woke up, aching all over. It was already night. My hands and feet were tied up. I struggled, but couldn’t break free. Then I noticed something hard on my chest—it hurt when I moved, and I couldn’t summon any Deathbane Aura.
"Damn, have I been locked up in a psychiatric hospital?"