"Heh, you people from the Ghost Syndicate always like to swoop in and reap the benefits, sneaking around all the time."
Hugh Thompson laughed. Helen Chen dragged Lily Qian over and placed her on the ground. Tiny green sparks began to glow, and only then did we see that the entire cave was covered in red writing.
"It's not about sneaking around. You have to use your brain to get things done. You're a smart guy, Hugh Thompson. The Ghost Syndicate holds you in high regard. The Ghost Burial Squad was on the verge of collapse, but thanks to your brains, it survived."
I leaned weakly against the stone wall. My lower abdomen was numb, and I had no strength left. My eyes never left that red Soul-Binding Altar—Rachel Lan's soul had already been cast into it.
Now, the Soul-Binding Altar was pitch black, nothing visible inside. My heart was heavy; I couldn't do anything. Waves of pain crashed over me. I cried out, staring at the altar.
"Stop yelling, Ethan Zhang. Life is always unpredictable. No matter how much you scream, that woman from the Underworld won't come back."
"Shut up," I shouted, glaring at Helen Chen.
"Looks like you're afraid of that vengeful ghost. That's why you stayed hidden by her side, isn't it?" Howard Lee said, barely hanging on.
"Hmph, I'm not scared of her. Sure, she's powerful—the ghost soul is starting to solidify and take shape. She's tough to deal with, but like I said, you have to use your brain. I don't do things that are all pain and no gain. Hugh Thompson, I have a deal to discuss with you."
"Heh, I doubt your deal is that simple."
"Tonight, I'll let you all go. But after you leave, this matter ends here. Everything the Ghost Burial Squad did today will be covered up. Chief Stone will return as director, and every member involved will receive a generous bonus—about six figures each. Think about it."
My consciousness began to blur. I'd lost too much blood. As Hugh Thompson said, the fact I wasn't dead was already a miracle. There was a fire burning in my chest—that was the only reason I hadn't collapsed yet.
"It is generous, isn't it, Howard?"
Hugh Thompson laughed.
Howard Lee looked at Hugh Thompson in surprise.
"Hugh, do you mean..."
Hugh Thompson shook his head.
"I'm not like you all, heh. A bunch of rotten people gathered together—birds of a feather flock together, right? You Ghost Syndicate types must have close ties with those big shots."
"So, the deal failed? Then tonight, you can all die here. If you won't cooperate, you'll be food for the ghosts I refine soon."
Helen Chen laughed and took out a small cloth bag. Inside were some solidified green objects. She picked up one and began drawing on the ground with it.
"I can't die here. I want revenge. I want revenge."
Helen Chen said, crawling on the ground. She looked toward the cave entrance, as if trying to escape. By now, her legs were almost gone, and the black liquid in her chest had completely stopped flowing.
"Heh, you really are a fool. Do you remember? That teacher—he was the one who was willing to help you after hearing what you'd been through. But after you found me, that teacher told the Renegade Monks about you. And you killed him without hesitation. Ridiculous. You can't tell right from wrong, and that's why you ended up like this."
Helen Chen laughed, crouching in front of Helen Chen, watching her crawl slowly.
"No, that's not true, it was you..." Helen Chen lifted her head and looked at Helen Chen, speaking in panic.
"You failed as a human, and you failed as a ghost. So, disappearing now is a kind of release for you."
"No, no..." Helen Chen screamed. Her legs had completely vanished, and she clung to Helen Chen's feet with both hands.
"Save me, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. Please save me—I'll do anything you ask."
Helen Chen's smile vanished. She kicked Helen Chen away.
"I'm not interested in such a weak ghost. You only got this far because of your resentment. Now, even your ghost soul is about to disappear. You're beyond saving. I don't do things that are all pain and no gain."
Helen Chen walked over to Lily Qian.
"You..." Helen Chen suddenly flew at Helen Chen, mouth open, her face twisted with hatred, biting toward her.
"Still have that much strength? You should just disappear."
Suddenly, the ghost that had just thrown me appeared on Helen Chen's body. It grabbed Helen Chen and tore her hands off in one motion. Helen Chen screamed as she was kicked over to my side.
A shrill wail—Helen Chen began to cry.
"That's a beautiful sound. For the ghosts that will come out soon, the resentment here is thick. Perfect, heh."
Helen Chen took out a black needle and walked up to Lily Qian. She aimed it at her forehead, ready to drive it in.
"Wait, before I die, can I ask one last question?"
Hugh Thompson suddenly spoke.
"Go ahead." Helen Chen seemed to be in a good mood.
"You need three people born on the Ghost Festival, right? Aren't there only two now? Where's the other one?"
Helen Chen stood up and pointed at herself.
"I'm also someone born on the Ghost Festival, heh."
"Did I choose wrong again? Did I? Why is my luck so bad? Why do I always make the wrong choice..." Helen Chen was down to just her head, muttering to herself.
I started laughing.
"Life isn't a multiple-choice question. Maybe I used to be just like you, heh."
Helen Chen's eyes went blank—white and hollow. She stared at me as two lines of black tears kept falling.
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"You just don't understand. You don't understand..."
"Don't make excuses for your weakness. No matter where you are—even in hell—you have to find your courage. You could've fought back, so why didn't you? I used to be just like you—weak, unable to face things. But until a ghost told me not to leave regrets in my life, I decided I wouldn't leave any regrets."
Helen Chen stopped crying and stared at me in silence. My gaze stayed fixed on the Soul-Binding Altar—no movement at all. I thought I heard something. I tilted my head to listen and closed my eyes.
It was just a faint trace, but I was sure Rachel Lan was still alive. Her soul hadn't been devoured by that ghost.
At this moment, I noticed Helen Chen's gaze shift to the cold corpse of a man in his thirties.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Helen Chen kept repeating.
"He was a good person, wasn't he? He really wanted to help you. This time, it's me instead, but what stands before us isn't human!"
I looked at Ms. Yan Chen and smiled. At that moment, I remembered what Chen Jun said—how, that night in the hospital, he killed a Ghost Syndicate member without hesitation. Now, I seemed to understand how he felt.
"Can you still enter my body, like before? As long as I can move, just one strike will finish her."
Helen Chen's hair began to move. I couldn't move at all now—the only way was to let Helen Chen possess me and make this broken body move.
Her hair slowly crawled up my body, slipping into the wound in my lower abdomen.
Helen Chen started laughing.
"Your name is Ethan Zhang, right? I'm glad I got to meet someone like you at the end."
With a whoosh, Helen Chen vanished. My head buzzed, and a surge of power flowed through my icy body. I moved my finger and looked at my lower abdomen—it was hair. Her hair had woven into a black net, sealing my wound.
I could move again. Helen Chen seemed to notice something, turned her head, and smiled.
"Finally disappeared, huh? Heh."
I waited quietly. Helen Chen in front of me didn't look easy to deal with. Power kept flooding my body—I could move now.
I hid one hand behind my back and began to gather dark energy. Helen Chen smiled. A strange green array was already drawn. She looked at the Soul-Binding Altar, and in an instant, her smile froze.
"What's going on?"
Helen Chen quickly ran to the Soul-Binding Altar and reached out her hand.
"Break—" The pitch-black mass on the Soul-Binding Altar scattered.
Now! I focused my will, and with a sudden rush, my hair grew longer—a huge wave of hair surged toward Helen Chen.
Helen Chen spun around. My hair wrapped around her hands and feet, and using the tension, I flew toward her, brandishing the sword of dark energy.
A howl rang out—it was Ms. Yan Chen's ghost, reaching out to block me, mouth wide open, trying to devour my dark energy again. But this time, I was smarter. I pulled back the sword and, with my other hand, stabbed a dark energy dagger straight into the ghost's heart.
The ghost screamed, blue smoke pouring from its body as it flew upward. Helen Chen tried to break free from the hair, biting her own lip.
At that moment, I was already in front of her.
"Wait, Ethan Zhang, I'm human..."
"You're not human—you're worse than a ghost!"
As I spoke, I stabbed Helen Chen in the neck. With a bang, her entire head exploded, blood spraying everywhere. Her head rolled onto the ground.
My hair slowly retracted. I looked again at the Soul-Binding Altar—Rachel Lan was smiling, and inside, the ghost was also smiling at us.