Chapter 359 - Chapter 359: Chapter 358 The Candle That Burns Out Instantly
Chapter 359: Chapter 358 The Candle That Burns Out Instantly
Yang Jian didn’t take long to think, as making urgent decisions was not new to him, having faced similar situations several times before, he had developed his own way of judging.
At that moment, Luo Su Yi’s voice came from outside again, informing him that the ghost outside had made a move.
From what Luo Su Yi said, it was clear that the ghost outside had indeed taken action; whether this action inevitably related to Xiong Wenwen’s subsequent death was unknown to anyone.
But from the current situation, it could be inferred that Xiong Wenwen’s death was most likely connected to the ghost outside.
Because there was only that one ghost nearby.
“Luo Su Yi, there’s no need to be so tense and scared. Even if we really encounter a ghost, it doesn’t mean we have to run or hide. We are necromancers ourselves, and in essence, we’re also a kind of different ghost. If I don’t gain anything this time, that ghost outside will be our next target,”
“The source of the Head Balloon Incident in D City could also be it; it’s within our consideration.”
Yang Jian, carrying Zhao Lei’s body on his back, walked out of the room with a calm expression, not panicking at all.
When Luo Su Yi heard him say this, he was startled, “What? We’re going to deal with that ghost thing? Let’s forget it. That thing doesn’t look easy to mess with. Direct contact with the ghost might lead to death. I’ve had such an experience before, and I don’t want to go through it again.”
To become a necromancer, he had also experienced life and death.
It was precisely because of these experiences that he feared, and someone like Yang Jian, who could overcome fear and move through supernatural events, was rare in reality.
“Sometimes you might not have the option not to act. Don’t forget you’re also being targeted by the ghost. If we time it, once Xiong Wenwen dies, you will also die within five minutes of his death,” Yang Jian said as he approached, “The ghost has already set its sights on you. You just don’t know it yet.”
“It will be too late once it really makes its move.”
He glanced at the living room, where Lin Luomei was now holding a Ghost Candle that had been lit.
The green flame flickered, enveloping her and Xiong Wenwen within it.
Yang Jian didn’t need the two of them to do much on this trip, just to stay alive and help him search for the source and avoid danger, so it was especially important for the Ghost Candle to be with them for their protection.
“I need to go to another room to look for something else. Are you going to stay here and wait for my return, or will you come with me? With the Ghost Candle, you should be safe for what comes next.”
Without hesitation, Xiong Wenwen replied, “I’m not staying here with her. I’m going with you. If I stay with them, who knows, by the time you return, my body might be cold. Hurry, take me away from here.”
“In that case, let’s go together. Lin Luomei, take the Ghost Candle and lead Xiong Wenwen with you,” Yang Jian said without further ado, carrying Zhao Lei’s body and heading out.
With the Ghost Candle in hand, Lin Luomei’s palms trembled slightly, but she still followed resolutely, not understanding why Yang Jian would head outside when there was a ghost, but the situation left her no choice but to obey his orders.
If she disobeyed the orders at this time, the consequences would be dire.
“Luo Su Yi, move aside. We’re leaving here,” Yang Jian said.
“Big brother, think it through, there’s a ghost coming our way outside, and this could be deadly,” Luo Su Yi stuttered with unmistakable fear in his eyes.
“I have my considerations,” Yang Jian replied coldly, “Follow me, and you can live. If you don’t listen to me and you die, I won’t be responsible.”
Luo Su Yi had no other choice, although he regretted coming along, Yang Jian hadn’t forced him into this event; he had come voluntarily. Now he could only open the door with a forlorn expression.
Yang Jian, without saying another word, carried Zhao Lei’s body and walked out.
“Where are we going? That ghost has blocked the way,” Luo Su Yi said, shining his flashlight toward the tall figure in the distance.
That tall silhouette continued approaching slowly, with heavy footsteps.
The air grew thicker with the scent of decay.
The figure in the distance was clearly a walking corpse.
However, if it were merely reanimated, it would be better; this was unmistakenly a ghost whose Terror Level was unknown, and they might all die at its hands once certain conditions were met.
Yang Jian’s ghostly eye, through the dim hallway, glanced at that thing for a moment.
A face blackened and reeking, eyes oozing corpse fluids, wearing an old coat that matched its large and imposing stature… It was like a vengeful spirit from the depths of hell, aimlessly wandering this narrow passage, effectively blocking the not-so-wide corridor.
Moreover, it was facing this way, inching closer step by step.
“That’s right, this is the ghost I encountered on the second floor,” Yang Jian remarked upon seeing the footprints left behind by the tall corpse.
The footprints were not black, but stained with corpse fluid after decay, which had formed black footprints.
These footprints were exactly like those he saw when he first entered and exited the Caesar Hotel.
“What’s that…”
Suddenly, he noticed something in the ghost’s hand.
A kitchen knife.
No, it shouldn’t be called a kitchen knife, although similar in shape; more accurately, it was a Firewood Knife, much like those used for chopping wood in rural areas.
Rusty, full of notches, as if it had been buried in the ground for many years, with a particular kind of mud clinging to it.
“A ghost holding a knife… That’s a first,” Yang Jian thought with a shiver.
His instinct told him that the rusty Firewood Knife was anything but ordinary.
He had never seen a ghost holding a weapon before; even a Ghost Rope was essentially just a hanging rope, a common object, while a Firewood Knife leaned more towards being a special weapon.
Yang Jian, with his extensive experience in supernatural events, had only once come across a similar object in the headquarters’ archives.
It was in Dachang City, in the mysterious room of the basement of Hongfa Temple, where a Coffin Nail was used to pin down a tall figure.
The Coffin Nail and this Firewood Knife were very similar, both being rusty iron implements.
But how effective was the Coffin Nail?
The Source of a Terror Level S supernatural event, codenamed Hungry Ghost, was directly nailed to death by Yang Jian using the Coffin Nail, losing its ability to move.
“Big brother, stop looking, time’s almost up. Speak up, should we run or walk? That thing is coming this way. I’m not keen on dying, and Lin Luomei and I definitely can’t afford to be let down by you here,” Luo Su Yi was almost kneeling as he pleaded with Yang Jian, gripping his hand.
If calling him Daddy could save his life, he wouldn’t mind shouting “Daddy Yang” at all.
“Ghosts kill according to certain patterns, this thing is very special. It doesn’t indiscriminately kill nor does it kill randomly. We’ve seen it, and it keeps moving without altering its course; we, too, are still alive. From these observations, I can deduce that this ghost must meet specific conditions to kill, and it only kills one person at a time,” Yang Jian said, retreating backward with Zhao Lei’s body on his back.
He needed to observe every action of this ghost to find out its killing pattern to avoid this danger.
Looking at that rusty Firewood Knife, Yang Jian felt it was better not to mess with it.
At least not now.
“Why are you so certain it only kills one person at a time?” Luo Su Yi was both shocked and doubtful.
He had no idea where Yang Jian got the information to make such an accurate judgment.
“If this ghost had caused widespread casualties, Dachang City would have had more deaths by now. Just based on the casualties in this event, this ghost is categorized as C, restricted level,” Yang Jian continued to walk backward, “but just because it’s not very harmful doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous. This type of ghost, which often kills one person at a time, is a nightmare for ghost manipulators.”
The Dried Corpse Bride they had encountered on the supernatural bus was one such example.
It killed one person at a time.
But the person was killed within Yang Jian’s three-layer Ghost Domain, even before the Crying Face Ghost could preemptively kill the Dried Corpse Bride’s target.
This was a form of extreme terror.
“I hope it’s not as bad as I imagine,” Yang Jian said again, partly to reassure himself.
Now surrounded by a bunch of weaklings, if they encountered a ghost on the same level as the Dried Corpse Bride, casualties were inevitable.
But just as everyone followed Yang Jian deeper in, continuing to distance themselves from the ghost behind them,
the time of death that Xiong Wenwen had predicted arrived.
Ten minutes past two, it was time.
Beeps immediately emitted from Xiong Wenwen’s cartoon watch.
This was the time he had set.
“Yang Jian, my, my time of death has come,” Xiong Wenwen said with fear in his voice, gripping Yang Jian’s hand tightly, and staring at him with wide eyes.
At the same time, the tall male corpse that had been wandering in the hallway stopped.
This was an anomaly.
Yang Jian, who had dealt with supernatural events many times, immediately realized this.
Xiong Wenwen’s death was caused by this type of ghost.
“Don’t be scared. You’ll be safe inside the Ghost Candle,” Yang Jian said in a deep voice, “Trust in what Wang Xiaoming has made. As long as the Ghost Candle doesn’t go out, no ghost can kill you.”
Xiong Wenwen nodded, but the terror on his face didn’t diminish at all.
After all, he had foreseen his own demise.
At that very moment,
Yang Jian saw the tall male corpse, after stopping, slowly raised its hand holding the rusty, notched Firewood Knife.
It was raised to about waist level.
At this height, Yang Jian quickly compared it to his surroundings… which was exactly at the height of Xiong Wenwen’s neck.
“No way,” Yang Jian suddenly realized something and his face showed an expression of disbelief.
Next, the tall male corpse took the rusty, jagged Firewood Knife in its hand and swung it through the air, as if cutting through empty space.
The next moment,
the Ghost Candle in Lin Luomei’s hand erupted into flame, like a basin of cold water poured into boiling oil.
The green Ghost Flame rapidly expanded.
The entire Ghost Candle was burning in an unbelievable manner at that moment.
In just an instant, less than one-tenth of it remained.
Xiong Wenwen didn’t die.