Rachel Lan and the others, including Hugh Thompson, couldn't see the app called Bing at all. (Bing: a mysterious, supernatural app on my phone that provides real-time guidance and warnings, invisible to others.) I was deeply puzzled. Here I was, on the helicopter, holding up my phone right in front of them, but they simply couldn't see it.
"Ethan, I trust you."
Rachel Lan spoke, and when I mentioned the app, Hugh Thompson nodded as well. The other members of the Ghost Burial Squad also believed what I said.
"Ethan, since it's not a problem, and since it can give you guidance, just use it. Don't worry about it for now; don't overthink it."
Hugh Thompson said this, and I nodded in agreement. He was right.
By now, the sky was starting to brighten. Dawn was almost here, and we could already see the long, straight road the Ghost Burial Squad used in the past.
Just moments ago, Old Eccentric called. It seems Lan Yin discovered something—there's been progress. The monster locked up in the prison broke through the ice I made using Deathbane Aura (Deathbane Aura: a concentrated supernatural energy wielded by Ethan Zhang to subdue ghosts and monsters), but was finally subdued by Lan Yin. We had to go back and check.
Last night, before John He died, I chose to trust Hugh Thompson. I wasn't planning to tell Old Eccentric about it.
Gradually, through the helicopter window, we could see the Ghost Burial Squad's base. In the distance, we spotted a bright light—Justin Huang, holding a signal baton, guiding us in.
The helicopter landed steadily on the Ghost Burial Squad's training ground. After we got out, Justin Huang ran over. He wasn't leading any trainees, since all the squad members were out; he could only stay here and protect Old Eccentric.
"Ethan, hurry over and check. It's in Training Room 1 over there."
After getting off the helicopter, we headed straight for Training Room 1. The others were busy transporting John He's corpse to the prison.
Inside Training Room 1, I saw the monster moving. Even wrapped in the Crimson Veil, it was still twitching, though its limbs were already gone.
Lan Yin was sitting by a small table with a wine glass, drinking and eating with Old Eccentric. They looked like they were having a lively conversation.
"You can eat at a time like this?" I couldn't help but mutter. As the monster moved, yellow, red, and black fluids kept oozing out, and it was placed inside a glass tank.
Looking into the monster's eyes again, they were still fiercely aggressive—nothing human about them.
"What happened, Old Eccentric?" Hugh Thompson asked. Old Eccentric told us that last night, the prison alarm went off. Sensing something was wrong, he woke Lan Yin. Sure enough, the monster had awakened from the black ice. Though it hadn't broken through the special prison material, it had destroyed everything inside. In the end, Lan Yin severed the monster's limbs and brought it under control.
"Lan Yin, what exactly did you find?"
Lan Yin took a big swig, bit into a drumstick, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and laughed.
"Hugh Thompson, you really are a clever guy."
As Lan Yin spoke, Hugh Thompson adjusted his glasses and then spoke slowly and clearly.
"So it's true. In the prison, Leo Lee wasn't really dead."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at them, feeling utterly shocked.
Then Lan Yin pointed at the monster, looked at me, and said:
"There's something special inside its body—something that constantly absorbs certain energies from the outside world, from the air, to promote its growth. It's strange. No matter what it is—air, water, food, even people or ghosts—if you feed it to this monster, its body will change. Of course, eating people makes it grow much faster than just absorbing air or water."
As Lan Yin spoke, Old Eccentric walked over, looking very serious. We all found it very strange.
Then Lan Yin continued:
"Leo Lee's corpse has been lying there for a whole day, and none of the usual changes that happen to a dead body have appeared. It's as if something..."
Lan Yin paused, then smiled and said:
"Revenant..."
As Lan Yin spoke, I saw a woman in a white robe, her bangs covering one side of her face, walk in. She wore white gloves and had a cigarette in her mouth. Her name was Melanie White. I'd seen her in the underground archives and a few other places; she always looked serious and cool.
"Melanie, how's it looking?"
Old Eccentric asked. Melanie White took out a syringe filled with black blood.
"This blood contains many components similar to those found in revenant bodies. What's more, the blood hasn't stopped flowing, nor is there any sign of decay."
Melanie White explained, and I was a bit surprised. I didn't know exactly what her job was. Then I saw her pull out a long knife and walk over. Lan Yin loosened the Crimson Veil a little, and I saw the monster's severed arm stump—astonishingly, it seemed to be growing, with some sticky stuff forming.
"So, it's growing back again?"
Melanie White said, then sliced off the new growth with her knife. With a squelch, yellow-green fluid splattered everywhere.
I felt extremely nauseous, watching Melanie White calmly do her work.
"What exactly is her job?"
I couldn't help but ask. Rachel Lan, beside me, told me Melanie White was the medical chief of the Ghost Burial Squad's hospital.
I let out a confused sound. Medical Department? I'd never seen it before, but after Dalton Fang brought in the monster, a bunch of doctors showed up right away.
"Ethan, you probably don't know—our Ghost Burial Squad has a hidden Medical Department. Many of the doctors and nurses are active professionals from major hospitals, but they're also members of the squad. Most of them can see ghosts, and they treat our injured members."
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I made a sound of understanding and nodded.
"I've already checked the corpse you brought back. I'll do a detailed exam later, Old Eccentric. For now, I'm heading back to sleep."
Melanie White said, yawning. Then she carefully took out a glass box, put the piece she'd cut from the monster inside, and left with it.
"No matter how you look at it, this thing is connected to the Immortality Society."
Old Eccentric said, glancing at me. Then he asked where Mr. Blackmask had gone, but I didn't know. Mr. Blackmask and Tammy Blade had been out for a long time, and no one knew where they were.
I thought about it too—if we could just ask Mr. Blackmask directly, we'd save ourselves a lot of trouble.
"Let me put it this way—the two guys from the Immortality Society share one trait." Hugh Thompson said, and we all listened closely.
"The most important thing is their hearts. Ethan, last night when you fought John He, you mentioned that his heart would beat wildly, almost like he was on stimulants. It sped up his blood circulation, causing a flood of adrenaline and boosting his physical abilities. But too much adrenaline is toxic, and if the blood circulates too fast, the heart can't handle it—it'll burst."
I thought about it carefully. Last night, John He didn't collapse because his heart was beating too fast. It was only after he used Triple Extreme three times that his heartbeat returned to normal. Then, after a series of my attacks, he fell, and his heart turned to powder.
Just then, Melanie White, who was supposed to be sleeping, came running back in, out of breath and looking utterly shocked.
"Old Eccentric, Dr. Liam Chen is dead."
I blinked, not knowing who Dr. Liam Chen was. Old Eccentric's face instantly showed deep anger.
"What happened?"
Old Eccentric immediately pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Vivian Wei, notify your people nearby to check out Memorial Hospital in the North District. Dr. Liam Chen is dead—we must catch the killer."
Melanie White's face suddenly turned pale. She seemed to be in great pain, and for a moment, even her usually blank face showed sadness. Rachel Lan quickly went over to comfort her.
Then Old Eccentric told me that the male doctor who came with Dalton Fang's medical team that day was Dr. Liam Chen—he was also a Ghost Burial Squad member.
Old Eccentric's face fell, while Hugh Thompson seemed deep in thought.
"Old Eccentric, you're the only one with the list of Ghost Burial Squad medical staff, right?"
Old Eccentric nodded, then began to explain.
"Only the director can access the list of medical staff hidden throughout the city. It's never leaked—after all, they're the squad's core, and most research on ghosts is done by them."
Suddenly, I heard crying—it was Melanie White. She had collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. I clenched my fists.
"Let's go check it out, Thompson."
Hugh Thompson nodded. I asked Rachel Lan to comfort Melanie White. A vague unease crept over me. If, as Old Eccentric said, only he knew the medical staff list, how did the Immortality Society find Dr. Liam Chen?
Just then, a phone rang. Old Eccentric answered—it was Vivian Ouyang calling.
"Got it, Vivian. I'll call Director Wei. You go straight to the police station and question the suspect."
After hanging up, Old Eccentric told us that the killer who murdered the doctor in the North District had already turned himself in.