"Ke ke ke... Are you an idiot?" The Missy Zombie laughed at her stupidity. Her hair swayed along; some tendrils floated into fan-shaped shapes, defying gravity. Without the cover of her hair, the face with one eye missing, the nose with no slope, and the chewed lips were revealed. She didn't have the bloody and disgusting aura compared to the Uncle Zombie, but her laughter and the dangerous light looming in her remaining intact eye made Minglan feel she was much more dangerous than the Uncle Zombie.
Minglan didn't know if she stepped on something evil today or offended her eighteen generations of ancestors in any way, making them send these things to her for the unfilial acts. "I'm not delicious at all. I'm lacking in so many nutrients. You're better off finding someone else. Missy Zombie, spare me today. I'm still young. I haven't even traveled around the world or even finished my studies. Missy Zombie, can you?" Minglan got up and sat on her knees. He kowtowed in front of her, imitating those palace servants saluting the Emperor in the palace dramas.
Missy Zombie? Oh, it seems she doesn't know I'm a ghost. Really stupid! The ghost zoomed in on her and sniffed around her, greedily sucking in the fragrance she deeply adored. She really wants to eat this human, regardless of the consequences.
Minglan saw Missy Zombie's face at close range and nearly collapsed. There were a thousand alpacas grazing in her heart. She squinted her eyes into a thin line until the image was not clear. The coldness chattered through her teeth. Not only can she change her molecules, she can also passively release an ice field. Are Zombies so advanced now? Minglan realized she was in deep shit. She cannot outrun this at all. Ice power in games can release a debuff of slowness. Her hidden potential cannot be activated. So much for escaping the Uncle Zombie; if she knew there would be another zombie, she would have stayed with the creep. At least she will only be trafficked and sold elsewhere.
"Why are you so fragrant? I really want to take a bite! Ke ke ke..." The Missy Zombie opened her mouth.
Minglan saw a dark, deep well full of sharp teeth near her neck. Icy breath followed the living cooler. Minglan tilted her neck to that side, wanting to reduce the gap, and Missy Zombie found herself halting. The spot she wanted to pounce on was covered. "Lift your neck!"
No, no, no, I won't. She wanted to refuse but still lifted an inch. "I seemed to have a stiff neck. Missy Zombie, I'm sorry." I won't admit it; come on, bite me! No, wait, don't bite me!
"That's okay, you still have the other side. Ke ke ke...." The Missy Zombie darted towards her other side of the neck and opened her spooky mouth once more, only to be hindered again. "You...you..."
"Missy Zombie, my neck seems to be fine again but became stiff after a second." Minglan innocently blinked.
Missy Zombie once again circled her, and Minglan moved her head again. "Do you believe me if I say I have a neck disease?"
The ghost looked at her for three seconds before pouncing on her.
Minglan had already regained some energy and ran another flight.
The feminine ghost wanted to chase her, but black tentacles emerged from the soles of ghostly feet, tangling her body and spectral limbs, constraining her movement, and stopping her on the spot. "Who?!" Her high-pitched, shrill voice echoed with great defiance. The chain-like ropes coiled around her limbs, and even when she used her ghostly power to tear them off, the chains were very sturdy, and not a scratch was created.
"Looks like I didn't inspect the area well. Some small fry still escape the net." After the sentence was said, the feminine ghost, bound by dark chains, found herself being eroded so fast. In just a matter of three seconds, her figure turned to dust. She only managed to see the corner of someone's shoe before her double death.
The man waved his hand and opened a small slit in the wall to clean up the ghost's remains. He furrowed his brows at the discovery. The hasty footsteps entered his ears, but he didn't use his powers to teleport. There were security cameras installed on every flight, making him frustrated. He looked up, and vision penetrated through walls, and he found a slender mortal figure climbing the fourth flight in bated breaths. The intoxicating aroma still lingered in the air. He massaged his brows, very puzzled about what was emitting the strong scent. Soon, he withdrew his thoughts after inspecting the other floors. He saw dark figures shrouded in miasma passing through walls from all sides, flying in the same direction. Counting, he became more agitated after the number exceeded a hundred.
The man still didn't figure out what they were after, but his duty was to eliminate these hidden dangers; investigating their purpose was only a side goal. More importantly, the figure of Minglan rushing made him very worried, and after finding out that there were also malicious entities in this building, he became anxious.
Minglan found herself shivering from the intense cold. Her thin cotton clothes could not keep her warm. With stiff limbs, she continued climbing until her breath became a puff of white smoke. Did winter suddenly come? Isn't it still the middle of summer? Who blasted their air-conditioning units and turned the building into an ice age! It so cold...so cold...so cold. She stopped climbing and rubbed her arms until they were red. The cold didn't reduce it a bit. The temperature went down another notch.
This time, the man saw the aim of the malicious ghosts. His eyes disappeared and became black holes; two flaming orbs flared turbulently; and the black shadow under his feet moved on its own and split into hundreds of small shadows.
The small shadows, like worms, wriggled and began to form into swords; their shiny tips filled with immense energy spun and pointed at the figures covered in miasmas. The surrounding energy fluctuated, and time stood still for a second. The man snapped his smooth fingers, and his levitating sword hurtled up with breakneck speed and pierced the figures rushing. Each turned into tiny speckles in the air before disappearing without a trace.
When Minglan thought she would become an ice cube, the temperature took a drastic shift and rose above 37 degrees. The sudden change startled her, but she only decided to dismiss it, after being unable to find an explanation. The earth was becoming weirder as time went by!
She climbed again and occasionally looked back, checking if the Missy Zombie was still following her. After climbing for a long time, there was no movement downstairs, and she breathed out a huge sigh of relief.
Minglan quickly found the hall and looked for the elevator. Her knees were trembling from exhaustion. She had climbed the stairs used for the emergency exit and only remembered that there was an elevator. She was scared witless before, and her IQ was turned off.
After arriving at the floor of her unit, she quickly strided and swiped her card on the door.
The man who had finished slaying the malicious ghosts followed her and rode the adjacent elevator.
Minglan opened her apartment unit with the number 1605 with joy. She can finally take a rest, take a wonderful bath, and delve into drama.
Click-
The door opened, and a figure dangled from the ceiling in the living room. Its feet swayed, and Minglan found herself closing the door.
"It seems I entered the wrong room." She muttered under her breath and lifted her confused eyes to the numbers engraved on top of the door. "1...6...0...5" She enunciated each number, making sure she didn't read it wrongly. Confirming, she swiped her card again and opened a small gap. She saw the same figure hanging on the ceiling, and there was even a sound coming inside her apartment. She leaned her ears inside and heard the sentence: "The little owner is home, and I think she became retarded." Soon after the sentence was said, a head rolled from under her couch, and a headless figure came running, trying to chase the head. Minglan found some small black spots in her vision, and she fainted. She could still have a plausible explanation for the zombies, but a body without a head running and still retaining its functions. Even a zombie couldn't do that! What happened to the earth? She felt transported to another world. This was the last thought she had before she was unconscious.
The man caught her on time, preventing her from landing on the floor. He was relieved and brought her closer to his embrace. He took the time to study her features and touch her carefully, confirming she was warm and not a cold body. He brought a finger under her nose to check her breathing. Then a tantalizing scent that had kept bothering him since entering this building rushed into his nostrils. He soon found out that she was the source of it. Greatly alarmed, he carried her inside, closed the door, and placed her gently on the sofa.
The ghost dangling in the air saw an unfamiliar man coming in with the little owner in his arms and panicked. "Put her down. Help, ghost fellows; someone is making a move on the little owner." He untied the rope on his neck and jumped down and ran towards Minglan. The headless body and its head followed suit and wanted to snatch Minglan from the man. An uncle in a Tang suit also came out and assumed a defensive stance. Another two in casual attire run behind the uncle, ready for a battle.
"Get out!" The brotherhood of ghosts shouted at him.
The man standing in front of Minglan could not sense any malice from them and lowered his guard. "I don't have malicious intentions. She's someone I know." The man explained and somehow calmed the ghostly fellows.
"Youngsters these days are not like old people. We shouldn't be too trusting!" The uncle said.
"You're right, the little owner never mentioned getting acquainted with a man, so he must be lying!
The ghostly figures nodded at these remarks and returned to their ferocious stance.
"Wait!" The dangling ghost raised its hand and interjected. "I think we forgot something!"
"What did we miss?" All the ghosts looked at him.
The dangling man rubbed the stub on his chin before remembering, "Mortals can't see us, so how come he is able to?'
The ghosts realized the problem and opened their mouths.
"Young man, can you see us?
"Isn't it a dumb question? This guy can obviously see and even hear. Nevertheless, stay away from the little owner! That girl is a good kid! Don't harm her!" The five fellows pounced on him at the same time.
The fellows only felt something hitting their stomachs, and their bodies flung in the air, passing through obstacles and landing on their buttocks on some corner.
The dangling ghost realized another big problem: "We miss another matter; he can touch us!" After saying the sentence, his fellow ghosts beat him up and flung him back to the ceiling.
After a minute passed, with battered bodies and bruised faces, the five ghostly fellows kneeled in a row and kowtowed in front of the man in great fear. "We acknowledged our mistakes; please spare us!"
"Handsome brother, please be magnanimous and understanding. We're just new ghosts and don't even have an ounce of spectral energy!"
"Handsome brother, we'll never bother you again! Just spare us!"
The man stared at them for a while before raising his hand and making a slicing gesture.
The ghostly fellows were confused but still looked back, and they were instantly petrified on the spot.
"Two choices; you will disperse on your own or I will kick you out." The man gazed at the portal, where a barren land filled with thick miasma was being shown.
The ghostly fellows gulped, and they all made a unanimous choice to get out of the apartment. They quickly flew to the front door but found that there seemed to be a barrier preventing them from passing through.
The man realized there was a problem and teleported next to them in great bafflement. He touched the doors and walls, inspecting each, and found out the room was filled with enchantments, and there were even high-level formations stacking on top of each other, preventing malicious ghosts from entering. It looks like his woman had a mysterious background.