Chapter 220: The Charred Corpse and the Phantom Fountain

“What an unusual cursed artifact. Something so large and conspicuous would be difficult to carry around normally. What exactly is its function?” Jia Cheng asked Mo Qingyan, his gaze fixed on the charred fire extinguisher.

“I haven’t tested it myself, but I can make an educated guess,” Mo Qingyan replied. “This fire extinguisher now seals a vast amount of resentment from those who perished in the fire. It can spray flames imbued with that resentment. If used against a fire, it will only make the blaze more ferocious.”

An unqualified fire extinguisher had transformed into a cursed artifact capable of spewing flames and intensifying infernos. Its function was now diametrically opposed to its original purpose, a truly ironic twist.

“Minister, a significant amount of resentment has also gathered on the fire cabinet, though it hasn’t formed a cursed artifact,” Jia Cheng said, raising his camera. “May I take a picture? I have a feeling it could become a supernatural photograph.”

“Go ahead and shoot,” Mo Qingyan instructed. “Also, put those discarded empty fire extinguishers back. Even though they haven’t become cursed artifacts, the resentment they’ve accumulated is still very potent.”

Thus, we all haphazardly moved the charred, deformed fire extinguishers back beneath the fire cabinet. We were careful not to get splashed by the blood that sprayed out, knowing that contact with such resentful, foul blood would surely bring ill fortune.

“It’s all set. You can take the picture now.” I stepped aside after arranging the last fire extinguisher.

‘This is a staged shot, in a sense.’

Click!

Jia Cheng raised his camera, focusing for a long moment before the flash ignited. All the resentment clinging to the fire cabinet was instantly sucked into the camera.

Strangely, after he took the picture, the fire cabinet reverted to its normal state. The oozing foul blood ceased, and even the bloodstains on the ground vanished. The entire fire cabinet, aside from being scorched by fire, showed no other abnormalities.

Just then, a sudden crash echoed from behind, and a door burst open.

A man, completely engulfed in flames and burned beyond recognition, charged out.

He lunged at Jia Cheng.

“Charred Corpse!” Mo Qingyan cried out. Bai Yue had already sprung into action, her large centipede lashing out like a whip.

Snap!

The flaming man was struck, slamming into the wall. The scorched wall cracked under the impact. Simultaneously, Bai Yue released more Gu insects, intending for them to swarm him.

However, the flames on the man’s body blazed fiercely, his pervasive resentment making them burn even more intensely. The Gu insects, fearful of fire, hesitated to approach.

The flaming man leaped again, pouncing on Jia Cheng with lightning speed. This time, however, Jia Cheng reacted, raising his camera and snapping a picture in the direction of the fiery figure.

As the flash illuminated, more than half of the resentment on its body instantly diminished, and the intensity of the flames also significantly decreased. It seemed to have been momentarily blinded by the flash, as it raised a hand to cover its eyes and paused.

Mo Qingyan raised her red pencil, seemingly intending to deliver a final blow to the flaming man.

But Jia Cheng exclaimed, “Don’t interfere! I’ll handle it myself!”

Mo Qingyan, heeding Jia Cheng’s command, lowered her pencil. I was curious to see what other means Jia Cheng possessed to deal with this charred corpse. He then pulled a photograph from his pocket and slid it into the side of the camera.

“Huh?” I vaguely glimpsed the image on the photograph; it looked familiar. But Jia Cheng’s movements were too swift for me to get a clear look. Moreover, it was baffling how this old-fashioned camera could even have a photo inserted into it.

Click!

The sound of the camera shutter echoed again. This time, it wasn’t a flash that lit up, but a phantom fountain that appeared in the center of the fourth-floor hall, its illusory form enveloping the charred corpse.

“Eh? Isn’t that…?!” Xiao Qing cried out in surprise. Like me, she found it familiar; this fountain strikingly resembled the central fountain at Fukang Commercial Center.

Splash!

Thick black water spewed from the fountain. The flames on the charred corpse immediately extinguished upon contact with the water, emitting a large amount of white mist.

Not only that, but several translucent ghostly figures vaguely appeared, grabbing the charred corpse and pressing him into the water, seemingly trying to drown him. Although I didn’t know if a ghost could still drown, they certainly restrained the charred corpse for a short time.

Following this, it was Jia Cheng’s turn to unleash his attack. He photographed the charred corpse repeatedly. With each click, I could see a layer of malevolent energy dissipate from the corpse. Finally, after all its malevolent energy and resentment vanished, the entire body crumbled into dust like charcoal at a mere touch, scattering into the phantom fountain.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!” Continuous use of the camera had severely depleted Jia Cheng’s stamina. He panted incessantly, yet his face glowed with excitement, having just vanquished a ghost.

At the same time, I could discern a vast disparity in strength between this charred corpse and the specters that had previously fallen from the building. This was evident in both the quality of its malevolent energy and the intensity of its resentful flames.

Those previous specters were merely manifestations of ghosts. A single photograph would reduce their malevolent energy by more than half, and their flames would instantly extinguish. If surrounded by Gu insects, they would be devoured immediately, utterly incapable of resistance.

This charred corpse, however, was different. It was a truly corporeal ghost, capable of igniting the resentment within itself, making its flames burn even more fiercely. Even insects, save for Jia Cheng’s large one, would be forced to retreat.

The fact that Jia Cheng needed to take so many photographs to completely destroy it showed that it was significantly stronger than those specters.

Moreover, even though it had been burned beyond recognition by the fire, based on its height, build, facial contours, and the illusions that had just manifested, I could still roughly guess that this was the man who had actively tried to fight the fire but ultimately failed. He had ultimately entered this room and locked the door.

I couldn’t help but lower my head, mourning for him in silence. He was a brave man who tried to lead his neighbors out of the inferno, only to be tragically killed by unscrupulous merchants and irresponsible property management.

“It was him, wasn’t it? The man who tried to put out the fire. A large portion of the resentment you absorbed from the fire cabinet was his, which is why he was provoked into charging out. Be careful when you develop the photos later; make sure it’s done under our supervision,” Mo Qingyan stated.

“Yes, I know,” Jia Cheng replied, barely concealing his excitement. “But if I truly captured his image, I might have an unexpected gain, especially since his resentment has already merged with the fire cabinet.”

“Jia Cheng, what was that just now, that fountain? Was it the supernatural photograph Xiao Qing inadvertently took earlier?” I inquired.

“Exactly! I should thank Xiao Qing profusely for providing me with a means to counter the charred corpse. Otherwise, my previous photos wouldn’t have been very effective against him. This isn’t the original, though; the original is a digital file. This is just a copy.”

Jia Cheng ejected the photo from the camera. It was precisely the haunted garden fountain that Xiao Qing and I had seen, with several figures standing in the water, gazing eerily into the lens, seemingly staring at the people outside the photograph.

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