Chapter 56: The Ghost Factory

Lin Rou gazed intently at the black opening. She reached out and squeezed the jade pendant at her chest, a wicked smile curling at the corner of her lips.

“Let’s see what’s inside,” she murmured.

A chill surged over her body, ice forming to envelop her completely. Without hesitation, she leapt into the mouth of the cave.

The lowest level of vengeful spirits swept toward her in droves, but before they could approach, they were transformed into frost. Lin Rou walked forward unhurriedly until she came upon a locked door.

“In those days, they claimed to be developing chemical products here, but in truth, they were crafting something much more insane. The final product should still be left behind, right?” she said, drawing out a ring of keys.

“Father, your death was so sudden. Only now have I begun to understand what you left behind. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”

A ferocious expression flashed across Lin Rou’s face. She unlocked the massive iron door, which groaned loudly as years of dust and neglect gave way.

She took a deep breath. The chamber was shrouded in darkness. She flicked on her flashlight and swept its beam across the ground, revealing a heap of bleached bones.

She strode in, unafraid.

Inside were jars and bottles, nearly all laboratory equipment. Her eyes turned to a pile of documents on the table.

Lin Rou didn’t bother reading them. White light flickered in her hand, and the stack of papers disappeared into her jade pendant—clearly, this jade was no ordinary object.

Finally, her gaze settled on a safe. Her breathing quickened. “Is this where it is?”

Following the password her father had left, she swiftly opened the safe. Inside were two vials.

At that moment, a masked figure dressed in leather burst from the darkness, lunging at Lin Rou with a punch. Her hair stood on end as a wave of chilling energy swept forth.

Bang!

The assailant unleashed a surge of spiritual force—he was clearly a master. His intention was obvious: he aimed straight for the vials in Lin Rou’s hand. She would not let him succeed. Wielding her machete, she struck, but the attacker was swift, snatching one vial from her grasp. As he reached for the second, Lin Rou cried out, and the jade pendant released an even colder aura. Frost began to form throughout the basement.

The cold slowed the man’s movements. He withdrew hastily, never uttering a word, but before vanishing at the cave’s entrance, he shot Lin Rou a cold glare.

Lin Rou, wild-eyed, hacked at the air with her machete, then carefully stowed the remaining vial. Breathing in the lingering scent, she said coldly, “Don’t let me find out who you are.”

She exited, hearing Zhang Xiaofan’s shout in the distance. Her heart stirred, and she hurried toward him.

Before Zhang Xiaofan, the ghosts revealed the manner of their deaths—bodies rotting, pus oozing, eyes dangling grotesquely from their sockets. It was revolting.

Zhang Xiaofan knew these were the workers who had died here years ago. Their grievances had deepened over time. Although he was not the same as before, there were simply too many ghosts, all lingering for so long.

Helpless, he unleashed blazing flames to burn them, but his fire was ordinary and could do little harm to the ghosts.

“Xiaofan, hurry out!” Lin Rou shouted from afar, tossing him two advanced talisman papers. Three symbols were drawn upon them.

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Having used talisman papers before, Zhang Xiaofan recognized these as level-three—quite powerful.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions tore open a path. Zhang Xiaofan brandished his peachwood sword, unleashing spiritual force. Some lesser ghosts, touched by it, shrieked horribly and vanished.

After reuniting with Lin Rou, the two dashed out, heedless of the chaos. Inside the factory, the wails of the dead echoed. Lin Rou said coldly, “This factory has no reason to exist anymore.”

Zhang Xiaofan didn’t understand her words, but he pulled her back into the car.

“Guo Bin and Sun Zhiyong are both dead,” Zhang Xiaofan said breathlessly.

“Oh.”

“You seem much braver now,” he remarked, surprised by Lin Rou’s icy demeanor—so different from the time when Huang Kai Jian had bullied her.

“People…change,” Lin Rou replied as the car sped away.

“My task is finished, though I regret not finding any zombies,” Zhang Xiaofan sighed.

“No matter, I have a way.”

“If you need help…you can ask me.”

“You mean it…”

After dropping Zhang Xiaofan at the school, Lin Rou sped off in her car, clearly in a hurry.

The next day, Zhang Xiaofan gathered Su Qianqian, Shen Fengxing, Huang Kai Jian, Zhang Hua, and others. Together, they returned to the hotel.

Under Liu Yu’s direction, every ghost in the haunted hotel was dealt with.

Zhang Xiaofan had anticipated this: Liu Yu was the strongest here, and since all the ghosts had been killed by her in life, they instinctively feared her.

The group then messaged Bao Lei.

Zhang Xiaofan also sent a message:

Zhang Xiaofan: My task is complete. Should I check in?

Bao Lei: No need. To finish in just a few days is impressive. Zhang Xiaofan, you truly are a good student. The shorter the time, the greater the reward.

Let me verify.

In a flash, the small bottle containing the ghost disappeared from his hand.

Liu Yu’s figure began to fade. Zhang Xiaofan quickly messaged Bao Lei: Where will Liu Yu and the ghosts be sent?

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Bao Lei: Don’t worry. These ghosts are useless to us; they’ll go where they belong.

Zhang Xiaofan: Hmm, don’t lie to me.

He looked up at Liu Yu. After working together for so long, their sudden parting left him with a sense of loss.

Liu Yu smiled. “Xiaofan, I’m truly glad to have met you. If you hadn’t helped me avenge myself, I’d still be a lonely wandering spirit, eventually killed by a Taoist priest. So, thank you.”

“Mm, goodbye, Liu Yu…”

The ghost vanished before his eyes, leaving Zhang Xiaofan with a faint emptiness.

Ding!

Bao Lei: Well done. The ghosts are of a lower grade, but they are indeed level three. The reward is ten thousand spirit coins.

Zhang Xiaofan checked his balance—now over sixteen thousand spirit coins.

Bao Lei: Also, the most important ghost in the haunted hotel was captured by you, so here’s an extra reward: five thousand coins.

The others had no merit, but for their efforts, each would receive one thousand.

Huang Kai Jian frowned and cursed, “Damn, that’s all?”

Shen Fengxing’s expression soured. “Are we beggars now?” He glared at Zhang Xiaofan, saying coldly, “You got all the benefits.”

Su Qianqian retorted, “Shen Fengxing, don’t be so harsh. Without Xiaofan, who knows how many more would have died.”

Zhang Hua clung to Zhou Liping. “Forget it. I’m strong even without spirit coins. Let’s go.”

She left with Zhou Liping, the scene oddly striking.

Shen Fengxing shot Zhang Xiaofan a look and left without a word, clearly still disgruntled.

Huang Kai Jian, who had once quarreled with Zhang Xiaofan, didn’t dare say anything and hurried off.

“These ungrateful people, Xiaofan, don’t they realize that without you, there might have been more deaths?” Su Qianqian said.

“Let it be. By now, everyone knows how valuable these spirit coins are—they’re more precious than money. Without my help, maybe you could have earned ten thousand, but now you only get a thousand. A little resentment is understandable.”

“Mm, but I’m fine.” Su Qianqian waved her phone and teased, “Guess what I’m going to buy?”

She handed her phone to Zhang Xiaofan.