I slowly raised my head. It was Dexter Sun. His face was pale, and blood was still pouring from his chest. I stared at him in shock, eyes wide.
With a clang, the dagger in my hand fell to the ground. My whole body trembled violently. This character seemed able to see Dexter Sun. I watched Dexter Sun approach with a smile, squatting down before me.
"Ethan, that's enough. It's over now. No matter how many people you kill, no matter how many eyes you dig out, those memories won't leave you. It hurts, doesn't it? You're scared, aren't you? Stop this. You weren't born into this world to endure all of this!"
For some reason, tears streamed down my face.
"No, I have nothing. Absolutely nothing..."
"We are born with nothing, Ethan. When I heard you got into the police academy, I was so happy. Even after all these years, seeing your name still makes me happy. No matter what happens, no matter how difficult things get, tomorrow will still come. Nothing can change that. If you just keep running away and wait for things to come to you, you'll end up with nothing, Ethan..."
Suddenly, I widened my eyes and stared at Dexter Sun. My memories started to blur and twist.
I screamed, a cry escaping my lips, while a voice echoed in my mind.
"Don't care about anything. The world is wrong. You saw it, but no one cared. In the end, you have nothing. Don't be fooled. What you do is right. Why should others have everything while you have nothing? You did nothing wrong—the world is what's wrong..."
"Get away! Hahaha, hahahahaha..."
Laughing madly, I stood up, raised the dagger in my hand, and stabbed it toward Dexter Sun.
"Disappear! I don't need anything. I am a murderous demon, haha! If I have nothing, then I am myself—a killer ghost, hahahaha..."
Dexter Sun's shadow slowly faded and then disappeared. I carried the corpses of the two sisters to the first floor.
"I have to deal with the bodies. Heh, no one will ever know. Everything is perfectly done—has to be perfect, haha."
A memory gradually surfaced in my mind. I didn't know what had happened—it was the sisters' memory, slowly appearing in my head.
Over ten years ago, in the city, a series of cases occurred. A murderer committed a string of frenzied crimes, and after killing a couple, was finally caught.
At that time, Yvonne Liu and Rosie Liu, still children, witnessed their parents' murder with their own eyes. Yet, Rosie Liu, who was in high school, didn't sink into despair—instead, she took on the responsibility of being the elder sister, juggling school and odd jobs to care for young Yvonne Liu.
Like a mother, the sisters depended on each other for years, always together. Life was hard, but they were genuinely happy.
After Yvonne Liu was admitted to the police academy, she graduated in a few years and became an officer. During the second case, Dexter Sun went to the academy to investigate and told Yvonne Liu about my past.
Perhaps because of similar experiences, Yvonne Liu hesitated to make a judgment. When the fifth victim appeared, she and Rosie Liu took action, determined to bring me to justice. Yet now, before me, lay only two cold corpses.
With a thunderous crash, someone stood outside the door. It was Ken Wang, panting heavily, staring at me with a pen and blank paper in his hand.
"Enough. You want to collect all these disgusting things—separation, death, fear, malice. Is it fun to toy with others?"
Suddenly, I realized the Liu sisters—Yvonne and Rosie—were gone from behind me.
"Damn, kid, how is that possible?"
"Pretty twisted, Ethan. Take care of them. I already know how we're getting out of here."
Ken Wang suddenly shouted, but my body still wouldn't obey me. Suddenly, I noticed the space around us was beginning to twist and distort.
With a loud bang, an explosion erupted. I realized we were now inside a dilapidated classroom. Ken Wang was covered in blood, clutching his arm.
"I've read this story before. Heh, but that's not how it ends."
"Kid, where have you read it?" A voice came from the sky—it was the Blue Wraith, the mastermind behind it all.
"Ethan, listen carefully. This book of horror stories, these so-called tales, are all about collecting the negative emotions of those who enter them. I remember it now—all of it. Ethan, don't let anything sway your heart. You are who you are..."
In an instant, I felt my body lighten. I turned and grabbed someone, then saw a burly figure, taller than me by half a head, with a cold sneer on his face.
"You're Peter Wu, aren't you? That's your real name."
Suddenly, the chaos in my memories vanished, and everything became clear. A swishing sound echoed behind me.
I turned to see Ken Wang, whose wounds had completely disappeared.
"In the end, in this story, the killer ghost's soul was awakened by Dexter Sun, and he didn't kill the two sisters. Instead, he was shot by Yvonne Liu and died willingly at her hands. I read this story when I was little—my old man wrote it..."
As he spoke, Peter Wu suddenly knocked my hand away, his whole body radiating a green glow.
"Feels great now, thanks to you, Ethan Zhang. Second Ghost Soul, liberated..."
With a bang, the walls around us cracked, and I was flung out. Suddenly, I saw Peter Wu beside me, his hand grabbing my arm.
With a crunch, I screamed in pain.
"Hey, Xiao Ping, you just became a Blue Wraith. Don't do that—if you break our vessel, what will we do?"
The voice of the Blue Wraith echoed again.
"I won't let you succeed. Never."
Ken Wang shouted, grabbing the pen and started writing on the blank paper. My arm was ripped off and thrown into the corner, but the evil energy still couldn't escape.
Ken Wang scribbled rapidly on the paper. Suddenly, Peter Wu charged at him. With a roar, a golden tiger leapt from the page, roaring as it pounced on Peter Wu.
"Damn, kid, how is that possible?"
The tiger tore Peter Wu in half with a slash, then slowly melted away, like ink dissolving in water.
"Got you now." Peter Wu grabbed Ken Wang by the neck, then with a crunch, twisted both his arms until they broke.
"No hands left—how will you write now, haha."
"Why? Does it really mean you have absolutely nothing?"
I shouted at Peter Wu, because just now, I caught a glimpse of it—the lingering will in Peter Wu's heart, the desire to become an outstanding officer like Dexter Sun still remained.
"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm a killer ghost now. Heh, after becoming a ghost, I feel reborn. Right, boss?"
"Yeah, Xiao Ping, you're a ghost now. Soon, I'll let you go—collect as many eyeballs as you want. Gather them, bring people into the story."
"What do you want?" I shouted, feeling several bones broken in my body, my hand completely useless.
With a crack, the ground beneath me split open. Green chains shot out, binding my hands, feet, and neck, tightening around me.
"Is it over yet? You guys are too much, boss. It really hurts."
Suddenly, I saw Louis Liu grin wickedly, emerging from the wall, followed by the water ghost from the first story crawling up from the floor.
"You two are really useless. Sigh, I've become a Blue Wraith this time, heh."
Peter Wu said, while Louis Liu looked at him with contempt.
"Enough bickering. The test is over. Make Ethan Zhang the core of the horror story—trap him in it forever. Soon, he'll become incredibly powerful. Heh, me too. Well, everyone's happy."
Suddenly, the chains dragged me downward. All around was blackness, and in the center, a glowing book of horror stories. The chains emerged from the book, pulling me toward its massive pages.
Then the horror story dragged me closer, pressing me against its pages. I sank into it, my head spinning, consciousness fading.
In my memory, familiar faces slowly disappeared. I began to forget everything, as if something was devouring it all, erasing it bit by bit.
"Think carefully, brother. What you have isn't so easily erased."
A familiar voice echoed in my heart as I lost consciousness.
On the street, heavy rain was falling. My frail body, wrapped in a ragged cloth, shivered as I watched people pass by. No one was willing to spare a glance at this little beggar.
I hadn't eaten in over three days. My body was injured—beaten while digging through trash. I still remember clearly: I was searching behind a restaurant when I was attacked. And the one who beat me was a person.