Ever since Wang Bin hung up the phone, time seemed to drag on endlessly for him. He could hear the distinct sound of his front door creaking open, and every now and then, a soft noise from the living room suggested that something, or someone, was moving objects around with a childlike curiosity.
It was as if a mischievous child was playing just outside, but each sound sent a jolt of fear through Wang Bin's heart. The thought of that child being so close, separated only by a thin wall, filled him with an inexplicable dread.
He dared not open the door, nor could he bring himself to even approach it, for fear that the child might appear on the other side at any moment. Yet, he knew that some things cannot be avoided by simply waiting.
As the sounds from the living room ceased, it seemed the child had grown tired of the toys and ornaments within. The soft patter of footsteps grew louder, drawing closer, until they stopped right outside the door.
"It's here. It's coming in. Dad, Mom, you have to run. It's here for me. I can feel it. Please, go!" Wang Shanshan's emotions were reaching a fever pitch. She could sense the presence of the ghostly infant.
"Daughter, what nonsense are you speaking? How could your mother and I leave you alone?" Wang Haiyan wiped away her tears and said, "Honey, what exactly is out there? If it comes to it, we'll fight it together."
This reminder brought Wang Bin back to reality. Suppressing his inner terror, he searched for something, anything, to use as a weapon. He finally settled on a clothes rack, ready to swing wildly at the intruder and banish it to oblivion.
"But no, Dad, don't! That criminal officer said ghosts can't be killed. We need to find Yang Jian. Only he has a way. Only he can save us," Wang Shanshan pleaded, trying to dissuade her father.
But Wang Haiyan held her close.
"I've already called Yang Jian. I promised him five hundred thousand for his help. He should be on his way... Everything will be alright," Wang Bin said, his voice tense with anxiety.
However, at that very moment, they heard a click from the door lock, and the security latch opened on its own. The door handle turned slowly, accompanied by a sharp creak, and the door opened a crack.
That crack widened, inch by inch.
Then, a child's head peeked through the gap, its black eyes devoid of pupils scanning the room with an eerie malevolence, finally settling on Wang Shanshan.
"Ahhh!"
Screams pierced the air from Wang Haiyan and her daughter.
"Damn it, die already!" Driven by the duty of a husband and father, Wang Bin mustered all his courage, shouted, and swung the clothes rack at the ghostly child.
But the child ignored him, moving along the wall at a terrifying, unnatural speed, and lunged straight for Wang Shanshan.
Its mouth opened, stretching wider than any human's should, revealing a void without a tongue or oral cavity, a bottomless darkness that seemed to swallow all light and hope.
It aimed to consume Wang Shanshan whole.
Wang Bin's anger and fear were palpable as he watched.
Yet, at that moment, the bedroom light flickered and turned red, as if transforming into a crimson eye, casting an ominous atmosphere over the room.
"BANG!"
A loud noise echoed as the ghostly child was sent flying, slamming into the wardrobe.
Yang Jian emerged from a corner of the room, his phone in hand, his body glowing red. Crimson eyes opened on his face and the back of his hands, each one rotating slightly, fixing their gaze on the child.
"I tried calling, but you didn't answer. I thought you were dead and was about to call the police to collect your bodies. The crematorium must be busy lately. I wonder if there's a queue."
Yang Jian glanced at the ghostly child, a chill running through him. The child had grown since their last encounter at school, now able to walk on its own.
This entity was growing...
The words on the human skin were true; the thing inside Zhou Zheng's stomach was extraordinary. Who knew what level of vengeful spirit it would become once fully grown.
"Yang, Yang Jian?" Hearing his voice, Wang Shanshan looked up, her fear turning to relief and joy, as if Yang Jian had become her savior in that instant.
"You, you're Yang Jian? How did you get in here?" Wang Bin asked, still in shock.
"Can't even get through the door, and you think I'd risk it for five hundred thousand?" Yang Jian replied. "You should understand the principle of getting what you pay for, Uncle Wang. This thing has exceeded my initial assessment. To be honest, I'm not sure I can handle it now, so... it's going to cost more."
He wasn't joking.
With four eyes before, he could repel the ghostly child, but now it had transformed into something more than that, something that could be called a ghostly child no longer.
The level of horror had certainly increased.
"Better not exceed the limit of six eyes; otherwise, it's time to run," he thought, glancing at the family and preparing for a retreat.
They were only classmates, with no familial ties, and Yang Jian wouldn't risk his life for them.
Wang Bin, being a smart man, noticed Yang Jian's reluctance and quickly offered, "A million, I'll give you a million... and there will be additional rewards after this is over."
Yang Jian reconsidered, sighing, "Another detestable rich person; I've undervalued my services."
A million was indeed worth taking a risk.
Especially considering that was the going rate in the country.
With that, he turned his attention back to the ghostly child.
The ghostly realm was open, and he couldn't afford to waste this opportunity.
The ghostly child slowly rose, tilting its head, its pitch-black eyes observing Yang Jian, its cyan skin exuding an air of death.
The kick earlier hadn't harmed it in the slightest.
It was only because Yang Jian was in the ghostly realm that it had been repelled.
Ghosts couldn't be killed.
Only ghosts could deal with ghosts.
These two statements were not contradictory.
Being able to deal with something didn't mean being able to kill it.
"So, Zhou Zheng's words meant that only a ghost could repel another ghost?" Yang Jian's eyes narrowed as he considered this, having gradually overcome his fear through multiple encounters with the supernatural.
Perhaps it also had something to do with him becoming half-human, half-ghost.
"I don't know if you have any rationality, or if you can understand human language, but what I want to say is, I'm protecting this family today. Could you please give me some face and back off?" Yang Jian said.
But before he could finish, a surge of cyan-black energy suddenly enveloped the ghostly child.
This energy began to spread... affecting the surrounding area.
"This is... a ghostly realm?" Yang Jian's eyes contracted sharply, a shudder running through his heart.
Damn it, it was learning and growing.
This ghostly child was definitely not ordinary.
"This ghostly child is sinister. It's safer to send this ghost away first," Yang Jian decided.
Suddenly, the ghostly child seemed to step on air, immediately falling through the floor and dropping to the floor below.
Yang Jian also took a step forward, his red light flickering as he disappeared from Wang Bin and the others' sight.
The ghostly realm accompanied the ghostly child as it fell.
The sixteenth floor... thirteenth floor... ninth floor...
Just before the last floor, Yang Jian retracted the ghostly realm.
"BANG!"
A loud noise echoed as the ghostly child fell from the sixteenth floor, slamming onto the ground floor, its body flattened in an eerie pose.
Yang Jian watched from above as the ghostly child lay motionless.
He knew it wasn't dead.
He checked the time.
The limit of the ghostly realm was approaching.
"First, take Wang Shanshan's family and leave here. We'll figure out the rest later," Yang Jian knew his inexperience with vengeful spirits meant he had to prioritize safety.
He vanished on the spot.
Moments after he left, the ghostly child, which seemed to have been smashed into a pulp, slowly began to move its grotesque body and eventually stood up.