After that, Hugh Thompson began to remove the Red String of Fate from his body. Lily Qian just giggled, saying nothing at all.
"I'm done playing too." Rachel Lan stood up and started to untangle the Red String of Fate wrapped around her. Behind Rachel stood a fat ghost, its entire face puffed up like it was inflated. It stretched its thick hands, about to press Rachel back down.
"Like a tiger descending the mountain, all beasts are frightened. Blood for soul, paper for body..." Rachel recited an incantation, pulling out a white paper tiger. The paper tiger burst with yellow light, roared, and pounced at the ghost behind her, pinning it to the ground and biting into it with its open jaws.
In just a short moment, the ghost was devoured by the paper tiger.
Hugh Thompson smiled at me.
I seemed to understand something. I stood up, a chill running down my spine, but I wasn't afraid at all. Raising my hand, Deathbane Aura began to gather bit by bit.
"Condense—Deathbane Butcher's Blade." The Deathbane Aura condensed into a butcher's knife. Without hesitation, I spun around and screamed. A ghost with a face crawling with maggots and oozing green fluid appeared—I nearly vomited. But with one swing of the Deathbane Butcher's Blade, I chopped its head off. The ghost whimpered and dissolved into dust.
"If you've got guts, come out here. I'll twist your head right off." I shouted, and then a wave of sharp pain tore through my body. Gritting my teeth, I raised the Deathbane Butcher's Blade.
"Hahahahaha..." Lily Qian laughed maniacally, doubling over and clutching her stomach.
"You’ve angered the Crimson Deity. You’ll face a punishment crueler than death. Enough—sit down and keep playing."
"Anyway, we're done playing. What do you say?" I said, quickly untying the Red String. The three of us removed the Red String and kicked over the candles.
With a thunderous crash, the entire dilapidated house began to shake violently.
"Everyone, scatter!" Hugh Thompson shouted. We rushed out of the house. With another crash, the building collapsed. I was still worried about Lily Qian, but it was unnecessary—she stood by the ruins, grinning wickedly.
"The Crimson Deity is truly angry now."
"You two, come here!" Suddenly, Rachel Lan cried out. Two strips of white silk wrapped around Hugh Thompson and me, pulling us to her side.
"Like an eagle soaring, the cunning rabbit fights—rise..." I saw Rachel Lan throw out three paper eagles. The glowing paper eagles grew larger, screeching and flapping their wings.
They seemed like three guardians, protecting us. Stones, like raindrops, pelted toward us. The giant eagles flapped their wings, knocking the flying stones aside.
Hugh Thompson and I were both injured and unable to move easily. It looked like we could only rely on Rachel Lan.
"Damn it, what are you all standing around for?"
Hugh Thompson shouted. The Nether Syndicate, who had been watching the show, immediately pulled out talismans and magical implements, chanting incantations.
"Thompson, are there even any ghosts here? What can we do?" After a commotion, the Nether Syndicate members realized there were no ghosts around.
"Are you all brainless? Hurry up and bring me the helmets, bulletproof vests, and shields—damn it."
After the stone rain stopped, we quietly surveyed our surroundings, unsure what awaited us next.
A series of creaks sounded. Suddenly, the iron rods supporting the tents ripped out of the ground and floated in midair.
"Thompson, catch!"
Soon, the Nether Syndicate members brought over three sets of the gear Hugh Thompson requested.
Rachel Lan looked on in surprise.
"Not good." Suddenly, the iron rods shot toward us. The three paper eagles flew up, but with a sizzling sound, they were pierced through.
"Silken threads, Heaven's net..." Suddenly, strips of white silk shot from Rachel Lan's hands, weaving into a net. But the iron rods pierced through it, clanging to the ground.
Rachel Lan manipulated the silk, wrapping every iron rod and pulling them back to the ground.
The situation was extremely dangerous. Hugh Thompson and I put on our helmets, donned bulletproof vests, and raised our riot shields.
"Ethan, are you alright?" Rachel Lan saw the strain on my face—my back was burning with pain.
I shook my head.
"You'd better focus. It looks like that thing won't be easy to deal with."
For a moment, everything was eerily calm.
The three of us just stood there for half an hour. Nothing happened.
"What's wrong? Weren't you going to punish us?" Hugh Thompson looked at Lily Qian, mocking her.
Lily Qian stood expressionless by the ruins, clutching the roulette wheel.
"Now I'm even more certain that the girl is probably being controlled by that ghost. And that ghost knows everything that's happening."
I nodded, watching Lily Qian. But as for how she was being manipulated, we had no way of knowing.
"Ordinary Taoist magic probably won't work. I think at least the purple-level Maoshan Sect spells could stand a chance."
Hugh Thompson spoke as he pulled out a blue talisman.
"I tried, in the chaos, to stick this talisman to the girl's back. She didn't react at all."
"I won't let you go, I won't let any of you go..." Suddenly, Lily Qian screamed hysterically, then threw down the roulette wheel and charged at us.
"Be careful. Don't fight her head-on—she's very strong..." Rachel Lan hadn't finished speaking when Hugh Thompson shouted.
"Alright, time to show your manliness. Go, but be careful not to hurt her."
At once, the Nether Syndicate members rushed Lily Qian, trying to pin her down. As expected, she was incredibly strong—three people clung to her, but she dragged them along, like riders clinging to a speeding car, barreling toward us.
"You two, get out of the way." Rachel Lan said, biting her finger.
"Like ants scurrying, light as a feather..." A burst of light erupted. I watched in astonishment as Rachel Lan pulled out another paper artifact, though I couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Suddenly, the artifact grew larger—it was an ant. I gasped, blinking in disbelief.
Lily Qian had already charged at us.
"If it's a contest of strength, this thing won't lose to you."
Rachel Lan smiled.
Sure enough, Lily Qian was stopped by the paper ant. Its two antennae wrapped around her, rendering her immobile.
"Grab the roulette wheel!" Hugh Thompson shouted immediately.
The Nether Syndicate members rushed over, trying to seize the red roulette wheel.
Lily Qian screamed, trying to break free from the restraint.
"She's gotten stronger lately, that troublemaker," Hugh Thompson muttered, then looked at me.
"Especially since meeting you, she's grown more powerful. The three secret techniques of Hades Circle—Ghost Garment Magic, Four Symbols Technique, and Silken Threads—are truly formidable."
Now that I think about it, I’ve seen it before—Uncle Mo, Rachel Lan’s father, used red silk, and it moved incredibly fast. That night at the Nether Syndicate headquarters, I was on the sixth basement level, and Uncle Mo got me to the surface in about a second. When I turned around, the red silk was already gone.
"Four-Eyes, stop calling me a troublemaker. This time, it looks like you brought this on yourselves—it has nothing to do with me." Suddenly, Rachel Lan turned and glared at Hugh Thompson.
"Alright, alright. When we get back, your bonus is guaranteed. I'll treat you all to seafood when this is over."
Lily Qian kept screaming. The Nether Syndicate had already seized the red roulette wheel and circled back around.
"I figured something out. Listen up—if you don't get close to her, she can't attack."
Though Lily Qian was anxious, she could only watch as the Nether Syndicate took the red roulette wheel, desperate to get it back but unable to attack from a distance.
"Thompson, look." Hugh Thompson held out the red roulette wheel. Suddenly, we all stared in shock—the writing on the wheel kept shifting, as if the mind of a restless person was racing in confusion.
Suddenly, Hugh Thompson pressed the blue talisman onto the red roulette wheel. Lily Qian cried out in pain, collapsed as if drained, and began to wail uncontrollably.
"After all that trouble, it seems this thing is somehow linked to the ghost's true body!"
As Hugh Thompson spoke, the Nether Syndicate seemed to understand. They began casting spells on the roulette wheel, and it worked—Lily Qian no longer had the strength to struggle.
"The game is over." Hugh Thompson called out. Suddenly, I saw Lily Qian faint, the madness leaving her body, her face returning to normal.
Enduring the pain in my back, I ran over.
Rachel Lan withdrew the ant, and Hugh Thompson ran over too.
"Looks like she's fine now, sleeping peacefully."
Lily Qian's eyelids fluttered, then she opened her eyes.
"Ethan... Ethan, brother." she called weakly. I was overwhelmed with gratitude—she remembered me, she must have been controlled.
"Thompson, something's wrong—the roulette wheel is melting!" someone shouted. We rushed over; the red roulette wheel was melting away like wax.
We stared in shock as the melting substance stuck to the ground, gradually turning red.
Beep beep beep—Hugh Thompson's phone rang. He looked grim. After hanging up, he looked at me.
"Four students are missing."
My heart skipped a beat—four people, the number of players in this game.