Arriving at the third basement level, I kept hearing members of the Ghost Burial Squad complaining about Rachel Lan along the way.
One mutilated corpse after another was constantly brought down from above and thrown into the crematorium.
“Boundless holy offerings, incense rising to the heavens, infinite saints of all realms, sun, moon, and stars, ancestors of the Taoist scriptures, all immortals of the celestial court, may your great compassion descend and deliver these departed souls, with unimaginable merit...”
A gray-robed Taoist priest walked around, shaking a bell and holding a stack of yellow talismans, chanting in a sing-song manner. Meanwhile, the others tossed corpse after corpse into the crematorium.
At that moment, by the door where the revenant had come up, a crowd stood around, looking helpless. When they saw Rachel Lan, they all sneered and gathered around her.
“Rachel Lan, deal with it yourself. That thing has been out for two hours now—we’re powerless here. It’s a revenant over a hundred years old. Damn it, wasn’t the mess you caused a few days ago bad enough?”
It was the man with black-rimmed glasses I’d seen that night.
“What do the Nether Syndicate people say?”
Rachel Lan’s expression didn’t change as she asked.
“They don’t care.”
"Damn, shit, it's disgusting down there. I can't take it anymore."
As we spoke, a man wearing a protective mask came out from the door. He saw Rachel Lan, then took off his mask.
"Here, you go down and handle it yourself. Every time we have to clean up after you—can't you ever give us a break?"
Rachel Lan said nothing, took the protective mask, put it on, and was about to go down. I followed her.
"Heh, kid, better put on a mask. Otherwise, you won't last down there."
I put on the mask. There was a powerful spotlight set up on the stairs, shining brightly. Even with the protective mask, the stench kept seeping in, relentless and nauseating.
"Don't go any further."
Suddenly, Rachel Lan stopped me.
I froze. In front of me was a pool of blood and flesh, with greenish things floating on the surface. Scattered around were piles of white bones and blood-stained knives.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I turned and ran back up to the second floor, ripped off the mask, and started vomiting.
"Ha, look at this guy—turns out he's just a wimp."
The Ghost Burial Squad burst out laughing.
After a while, Rachel Lan returned too, her face pale.
"We need to move quickly. If that thing gets out, I'm afraid..."
"You go by yourself. We're not coming with you."
Almost in unison, seven or eight members of the Ghost Burial Squad spoke up.
"You guys..." I didn't finish my sentence.
"Rachel Lan, listen up. Tomorrow, you come here yourself and clean this up. Every time you cause trouble, we have to do the dirty work. How is that fair?"
It was the man with the black glasses again, and this time he looked furious.
"Aren't you guys supposed to handle things like this? Why is that zombie out there eating people? Shouldn't you catch it right away?"
"Catch it?" The man with the glasses stepped toward me.
"Tell me, how do we catch it? Huh? Ask that chanting Taoist over there—he's the expert. If he says it's possible, we'll go."
I turned my head. The Taoist who had been chanting stopped.
"Catch it? Do you even know what that thing is? Kid, that's an Ironhide Revenant. You must've seen one before—its whole body is pitch black, nothing can pierce it, not Peachwood Blades, not Octagram Mirrors, not even fire. How are we supposed to deal with that? With our heads? Huh? Tell me!"
"Enough, all of you." A sharp female voice cut in. I looked over and saw a petite girl with short hair, a cute face, wearing a white sweater and black leggings, twisting her body as she walked in.
"Vivian Ouyang, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your teammates? If a ghost comes back for revenge, they're screwed."
"Shut your damn mouth."
A familiar figure appeared—it was the Taoist who'd had a chunk bitten out by the Ghost Widow that night. Leaning on a cane, he walked in.
"Miss Lan, don't worry. We'll help you."
Rachel Lan nodded, then glanced at me. I nodded back without hesitation.
The four of us returned to the car. The Taoist was Miles Mao, said to be a direct disciple of the Mount Mason Order. The girl was Vivian Ouyang, who'd been able to see ghosts and sense their presence since childhood. Her spiritual sight was so strong that even the people of Hades Circle couldn't match her; whenever there's something evil nearby, she feels uncomfortable all over.
"Miss Lan, I heard about the situation. That Ironhide Revenant must've been growing for some time, especially after soaking in that tainted blood. Its power keeps increasing. You said before it was controlled by a Mount Mason Taoist."
Rachel Lan nodded. Only then did I learn that she'd told the Ghost Burial Squad about it while she was bathing.
"Sigh, these days, so many people with real skills use their magic to make money in the city, even dealing with ghosts for profit. If I'd listened to my master and stayed on the mountain to cultivate, I wouldn't be such a half-baked priest now."
"Is there any way to deal with that Ironhide Revenant?" I asked.
"Brother, you have no idea. That Ironhide Revenant is a real monster. Peachwood Blades, Octagram Mirrors, ordinary yellow talismans—none of it works."
"Heh, half-baked priest, didn't you brag about making blue talismans? What, were you lying to me?"
Vivian Ouyang gave a flirtatious smile, poking Miles Mao in the chest with a finger. His face turned red instantly.
"Normally, Mount Mason magic has five types of talismans, starting from yellow, then blue, purple, silver, and finally gold. If we can get a purple talisman, maybe we could subdue that thing."
Seeing my confusion, Rachel Lan explained it to me.
"Miss Lan, it might not work, but my master said that no matter what kind of zombie it is, if you can drive seven jujube pits into its spine, you can break its cultivation and have a chance to destroy it."
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Rachel Lan turned to me, smiled, and pointed at me.
"He knows a way."
I let out a surprised sound.
"Back then, I was poisoned by corpse toxin. To ease the pain, I let part of my soul out. I saw it clearly—you destroyed one of the zombie's eyes. That's why it went berserk."
The other two looked at me in confusion. Vivian Ouyang smiled, reached out, and grabbed my hand. My face flushed.
"What are you doing?"
"Heh, little brother, you seem so ordinary, but you're tougher than you look. Still, I feel like we've met before!"
After the discussion, Miles Mao got out of the car to prepare his tools. Though he still limped, he said it was no problem.
Rachel Lan started the car, driving slowly down the road. The three of us were planning to track down the Ironhide Revenant.
Vivian Ouyang plopped herself on the car window, grabbed the handle, tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and kept sniffing the air.
"It's faint, but I can smell it. Head north."
"Qingyuan, get some rest. We'll need you later."
I responded and closed my eyes. After these days, I felt like I understood Rachel Lan a little. She could be annoying—honestly, she liked meddling in other people's business.
"Miss Lan, aren't you afraid...?"
"Someone has to do it. If everyone else keeps their distance, and I know I could stop or fix something but just watch instead, I can't live with that."
"I like that. Rachel, don't worry. Everyone in Squad 17 supports you. Whatever trouble you run into, just call us."
"What about those two?"
Rachel Lan was talking about the monk and the useless guy from Nether.
"It's fine. As soon as they heard about you, they wanted to leave the hospital and come help, but they can barely walk. Ha."
"Sorry," Rachel Lan said, looking ahead, a little moved.
"What's going on?" Suddenly, Vivian Ouyang asked, puzzled.
Rachel Lan stopped the car.
I looked around. We were on Sifang Street, packed with people. The car was parked in the roadside parking area.
"Xiao Wei, how's it going?"
"No good, I can't sense it anymore. The trail ends here."
Rachel Lan called the police, asking if there were any reports in the area. There were none.
Suddenly, we were at a loss. We had no idea how to find that corpse.
But if we couldn't find it, something even worse might happen.
"Hey, little brother, what do you want to drink?" Vivian Ouyang smiled and walked toward a milk tea shop by the road.
"No thanks, I..."
"Then iced coffee it is."
The three of us waited. Miles Mao came over, having gone back to gather his tools. He'd be here soon.
I drank the iced coffee. It was refreshing, but then I noticed something odd—Vivian Ouyang was wearing a sweater in this heat, and her face showed no sign of discomfort.
"Heh, little brother, it's an old problem. I've been afraid of the cold since I was a kid, especially when there's something dirty around—I get chills all over."
Suddenly, Vivian Ouyang stood on tiptoe in the street, wrapped her arm around my neck. I awkwardly tried to push her hand away.
"But you... haven't we met before? You feel so familiar to me."
I stared at her, thinking hard. I was sure I'd never met her before.
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. I spun around.
"What's wrong, little brother?"
"I just felt... like someone was watching me."
I searched carefully. In the crowded street, I really did feel a chill—a sense of being stared at with malice.
"Miss Lan, I'm here!" Suddenly, I saw Miles Mao riding up on a motorcycle, carrying a big bag and wearing a yellow Taoist robe. He rushed over as soon as he heard.
"I've brought all my best stuff. We should be able to handle this."