Chapter 62: Encountering a ghost?

Lin Yu felt every drop of blood in his body turn to ice.

He’d seen monsters before.
He’d seen writhing flesh tumors, swinging tentacles, even fought gangsters high on drugs in close combat with live ammo flying.

But never—not once—had he thought he’d see a ghost… in his own living room.

(Calm down! Calm down!)
(There’s no such thing as ghosts!)
(Namo Amitabha!)
(Prosperity! Democracy! Civility! Harmony! Integrity! Dedication! Friendliness—aaahhhhhh—!)

He was desperately trying to brainwash himself with positive ideology and socialist core values, forcing his heart that was about to burst out of his chest to calm down.

(Yes! That’s it! It’s just hallucination! I’ve been too stressed from work lately. I’m tired, scared, overworked, that’s all…)

But the “rationalization” didn’t even last three seconds.

“Did you see it?”

Luo Shaotian’s voice came from beside him—low, trembling.
“…That was a ghost, wasn’t it?”

(Shut up, man!)
(Did you have to say it out loud?!)

Lin Yu’s face had gone rigid. He was torn between fight and flight.

(Magical girls can exorcise ghosts… right? No, no! I’m not Lin Zhengying! I’m not that kind of magical girl!)

And the next second—

CRASH!

Luo Shaotian grabbed a ceramic plate from the table—
—and hurled it straight at the ghost.

(Dude! Your courage is insane!)

Before Lin Yu could even finish his mental commentary—

BANG!

The plate passed right through the ghost’s translucent form, smashed into the ceiling, and shattered into hundreds of sharp white shards that rained down like deadly snow.

“Geh… geh geh geh…”

A broken, rasping laugh leaked from the ghost’s throat, like air hissing through a cracked bellows.
The rope around her neck began to sway, back and forth, faster, faster—

—and then SNAP!

The rope broke.

THUD!

The ghost fell from the ceiling like a giant bat dropping from its roost!

Luo’s instincts screamed—
He rolled sideways in a perfect tactical maneuver, narrowly dodging the falling figure by inches.

The ghost’s phantom shape tore through the space where he’d been standing and vanished into the cold wall behind him like smoke.

“Hah… hahh…”

Luo half-knelt on the floor, gasping, sweat pouring down his forehead.
His eyes darted around the room, scanning corners, ceiling, walls—everywhere the enemy might reappear.

But the apartment was dead silent.
Only their ragged breathing echoed in the suffocating air.

“…Did it leave?” Lin Yu whispered.

Before Luo could answer—

“Behind you!!!”

Luo’s shout split the silence like thunder.

Lin Yu turned around—

—and came face to face with her.

The ghost was seeping out of the wall behind him, her bloated purple face inches from his neck, her dead, hateful eyes fixed on him.

Lin Yu’s survival instincts screamed—he was about to transform and blast her with divine energy—

—but Luo got there first.

BANG!

Like a charging bull, Luo Shaotian threw himself at the ghost with all his weight.

SHHRAKK!

Five deep, bleeding claw marks tore across his shoulder—flesh splitting open, blood gushing out and soaking his shirt bright red.

“Go to hell—!”

Luo roared like a beast, his eyes bloodshot with fury and pain.
Ignoring his wound, he grabbed the ghost’s shoulders and wrenched with both hands—

—and with a grotesque, bone-grinding sound, he tore the specter out of the wall!

THUD!

Man and ghost crashed to the floor, rolling, punching, slamming.

“BANG! BANG! BANG!”

Every punch cracked like thunder, shaking the air with raw violence.
Luo fought like a maddened bear, his fists raining down again and again.

Blood splattered.
The ghost’s face—already hideous—was reduced to a pulpy blur, but still she laughed through the gore.

Her head snapped backward, mouth stretching open far wider than any human’s could, emitting an ear-splitting shriek—

“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!”

The scream hit like a shockwave, rattling Luo’s skull and stunning him for a split second.

And in that instant—

The ghost’s rigid hands snapped up like iron claws, clamping around his throat!

She squeezed.

Luo tried to resist, but the sudden attack left him off balance.

That was when Lin Yu made his decision.

(Screw it! Forget the secrecy! Forget the damn contract penalty!)

(Even if it costs me five million—I’m saving him!)

He scrambled to the sofa, yanked out a black alloy briefcase from underneath, and flipped it open.

Inside, cushioned by black velvet, lay the standard-issue psionic handgun—
sleek, cold, deadly.

Lin Yu grabbed it, the familiar weight anchoring his trembling hands, the electric hum of spirit energy racing through his veins, burning away hesitation.

He raised the weapon.

“——Taste my righteous ghost-busting justice!!!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Five psionic rounds blazed out, glowing pale blue, trailing crackling streaks like falling stars.

They slammed into the ghost’s body—

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”

The scream that followed was inhuman, sharper than steel.

Her body convulsed, twisted, and dissolved into a pool of blood that hissed and evaporated into nothing.

A faint “drip” echoed.

Then, click.

The ceiling lamp flickered twice—
and the room filled again with soft, warm light.

The power was back.

Everything… was still.

The nightmare, it seemed, was over.

“Ha… haha…”

Lin Yu dropped to his knees, drained of all strength.
The psionic handgun slipped from his limp fingers and clattered onto the floor.

Adrenaline ebbed away, leaving only exhaustion, cold sweat, and the hollow aftermath of survival.

He looked around at the wrecked living room.
Furniture overturned. Shards everywhere. Blood stains fading into air.

(So… it’s really over?)

A voice answered weakly from nearby.

“…Over?”

It was Luo Shaotian.

He was slumped against the wall, pale but alive, his face drawn with exhaustion and disbelief.

The silence that followed was suffocating—
the silence of two men whose worldview had just been violently shattered.

Finally, Luo pushed himself up, swaying, and walked toward Lin Yu.

Under the warm light, his tall figure cast a long shadow over Lin Yu, swallowing him whole.

“Ah Yu.”

His tone had changed.
Gone was the teasing, the suspicion.
Now it was something far heavier.

“Now…”

His eyes locked onto the black, futuristic handgun lying between them.

“…You owe me an explanation.”

“……”

Lin Yu’s heart dropped into his stomach.

(It’s here… it’s finally here.)
(What do I even say?!)

(It’s not like I can tell him I bought it online—he just saw what it can do!)
(Or tell him I’m a magical girl?! He’d have me institutionalized!)

Before his panicking mind could settle on a lie—

“Ugh…”

Luo’s face suddenly twisted in pain.
He bent double, clutching his stomach, and began retching violently.

“Shaotian?! Hey—what’s wrong?!”

Lin Yu scrambled to help him, all thoughts of excuses forgotten.

But before he could reach him—

“URGH—!!”

Luo’s body convulsed.
A torrent of brownish vomit poured from his mouth, splattering across the floor with a sickening stench.

“Holy—what the hell—?! You okay?!”

Lin Yu stepped back in shock—
and then he saw it.

That wasn’t vomit.
Not food.

Wriggling within the foul sludge were dozens of fat, white maggots.

“OH—MY—GOD—!!!”

Lin Yu gagged, bile rising in his throat.

Luo’s own eyes went wide in horror.
He tried to speak—
but only a strangled wheeze came out.

“Wh… what… is… this…”

Then his voice stopped.

His face began to twist.
Every muscle spasmed violently, as though something inside him was trying to claw its way out.

His eyes darkened—
the whites consumed by a spreading, inky blackness.

And then, from his mouth, came a woman’s voice.
A voice full of agony and pleading.

“…Help… me…”
“…Ah… ahh…”
“…So cold…”
“…Save… me…”

Drip.

A sound echoed from above.

POP! POP! POP—!

The ceiling light that had just come back on began flickering wildly again—its harsh, pale glow strobing across Luo’s distorted face.

Lin Yu’s blood froze in his veins.

(No… no no no no… this can’t be real…)

A despair even deeper than before clawed its way up from his gut.

(Why? I killed her! I saw her vanish! Why—why is this still happening?!)

Then—

Luo moved.

No—his mouth moved.

It was stretching open—
wider… and wider—
far beyond what any human jaw could do.

CRRRRRAACK!

The sound of bones dislocating echoed through the room.
His lips tore, blood dribbling down his chin in bright, glistening streaks.

But he was smiling.

Or rather—
the thing inside him was.

His mouth opened so wide, it could fit a grown man’s head whole.

And inside that impossible darkness—

Lin Yu saw it.

A face.

A woman’s face.
Smiling at him.

“hehe… hehe… hehehehe…”

(It’s her! The ghost—she’s not dead!!!)

And then—

Reality shattered.

The floor, the walls, the very air twisted and folded inward like a canvas being crushed by invisible hands.

The world distorted, colors melting into each other, gravity collapsing.

Lin Yu felt himself falling—
and when his vision cleared again—

he was standing in a strange place.

A room filled with canvases, paint-smeared walls, and unfinished portraits staring back at him.

“…A studio?”