The male ghost's rage surged. "Playing tricks on me, huh?"
With that, his nails grew wildly, embedding themselves into Lin Feng's shoulders.
Lin Feng chuckled. Such pain didn't bother him at all. With a powerful push of his right leg, he delivered a knee strike squarely into the ghost's stomach.
Thud!
The ghost's eyes widened in shock, bile nearly spilling from his mouth. He was utterly horrified—how could a mere human cause him such pain even after he had transformed into a ghost?
But he had no time to think further. Lin Feng's fist came straight for his face.
The ghost's previously crazed expression was distorted as his face took the full impact. Lin Feng grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him against the wall. His fingers gripped the ghost's head firmly from behind.
"Let me go! Do you have a death wish?" The ghost was utterly humiliated. He suddenly realized that the young man in front of him possessed monstrous strength—he couldn't break free at all.
Lin Feng pressed the ghost down with one hand and lit a cigarette with the other.
In the dimly lit alley, the faint noises of a bar's raucous music could still be heard. The cigarette's ember glowed softly in the darkness.
Lin Feng muttered under his breath, "Even if I wanted to die, you couldn't kill me."
He spun the ghost around, grabbed him by the throat, and grinned at him.
From start to finish, it had taken Lin Feng just half a minute to subdue the ghost. The level marker above the ghost's head read 16. Against Lin Feng, who was at level 20, the ghost had no chance.
Fear finally began to creep into the ghost's eyes. He noticed Lin Feng's hand around his throat was now engulfed in a green flame, while frost began to form and creep upwards toward his head.
"Wait!" the ghost pleaded urgently. "Please, let me go! I still need to seek revenge—I can't die now!"
The ghost's face, once haughty, now showed only fear and desperation.
Revenge?
This piqued Lin Feng's curiosity. Seeing that it was still early, he released the ghost and said, "You've got 20 seconds to convince me not to kill you."
The ghost instinctively tried to run the moment he was freed, but Lin Feng's foot struck his stomach, pinning him against the wall with a scream of pain.
"You've got 15 seconds left," Lin Feng warned.
"Wait! I'll talk!"
The ghost finally yielded, his fear deepening. Who was this man, and how did he possess such terrifying powers?
"My name is Zhang Chen. I used to play drums in a local band called Sharpshooter based here in Xixiang Street..."
Lin Feng cut him off impatiently. "You've got 10 seconds."
The ghost froze momentarily before nervously cutting to the chase. "Three months ago, I started performing at the Nightmare Bar. The owner, Jiang Jianjun, took a liking to my girlfriend. One night, after getting drunk, he drugged and assaulted her. I found out and confronted him, but he beat me to death!"
The ghost's abrupt jump into the climax left Lin Feng amused. The pacing was sloppy, with a slow build-up, a sudden high point, and a rushed conclusion. Still, he understood the gist of it.
Jiang Jianjun again?
The owner of the Nightmare Bar—this guy was indeed trouble.
"You're dead. Why didn't you just call the cops? Staying dead and making society a little more harmonious wouldn't hurt, would it? Why insist on causing trouble? Do you know how much of a headache this is?"
The ghost forced a bitter smile. "Boss, I'm already dead. Can't I resolve some personal grudges before passing on…?"
"Fine. But honestly, you deserved to die. Look at the needle marks on your arm. You're a junkie, aren't you? Don't give me that look like you're some innocent victim."
Lin Feng eyed the ghost mockingly, his words laced with scorn.
The ghost's rage bubbled under the surface, but Lin Feng's strange fiery aura kept it in check. He had no choice but to swallow his anger. "You're right, boss. I deserved it. But Jiang Jianjun is a murderer! What he did was way worse!"
Lin Feng had come here tonight precisely for Jiang Jianjun. Now that he was certain the man was scum, Lin Feng felt no hesitation in his task.
"Alright, I'll take care of Jiang Jianjun for you. You can rest in peace now," Lin Feng said.
The ghost saw the flames in Lin Feng's hand vanish, replaced by a jar that looked eerily like an urn.
"Master Dao, what… what is that?" the ghost asked, shrinking back in fear.
"It's to help you pass on. Don't resist. Better luck in your next life."
As Lin Feng spoke, the ghost tried to struggle, but an enormous suction force enveloped him, pulling him inside the jar.
Ignoring the ghost's cries and pleas, Lin Feng proceeded to refine him.
Ding!
Refinement successful. Obtained: One Yin Candle.
...
The little episode didn't affect Lin Feng much.
Leaving the alley, he made his way to a nearby underground parking lot.
"Niu Meng!"
In the dimly lit parking lot, a faint shadow began to materialize until it solidified into Niu Meng.
Lin Feng pointed to a luxury car with the license plate AJ443. "Follow it later. Tonight, I need to deal with the owner myself."
Niu Meng nodded. "Brother Kun, let me bring Skinner along. Also, Smiling Ghost can guide you."
Lin Feng agreed. "Alright."
...
At 2:30 a.m., Lin Feng rode his bicycle toward the southern part of the city.
The chilly night wind stung his ears, prompting Lin Feng to curse under his breath, "Damn it, I should've bought a house on a mortgage. With the leftover money, at least I could've bought a car. Riding this damn bike is pure torture! Smiling Ghost, can you hurry up? I need to get home and sleep after this!"
The cold wind whistled. Though it was late autumn, there was already a sharp chill in the air. Hearing Lin Feng's complaint, the Smiling Ghost, who was pushing the bike from behind, felt utterly aggrieved.
"Master, you should've bought a car ages ago. Why am I always the one stuck pushing?"
There weren't many pedestrians around, but anyone paying attention would notice something strange. Lin Feng had one hand in his pocket and one hand lightly resting on the handlebars, yet the bike sped forward as if propelled by an unseen force.
Behind the bike, an eerie scene unfolded.
A female ghost, Ah Chou, sat on the back seat, looking ethereal yet serene. Beside her was a burly, headless ghost whose walking pace matched the bike's speed. Next to them was an 8- or 9-year-old ghost child, sweating and straining as he pushed the bike, creating a comically absurd sight.
"You're the rookie. Isn't it your job to prove yourself?"
The headless ghost spoke bluntly, leaving the Smiling Ghost no choice but to accept his misfortune. Among the group, Lin Feng was the master, the headless ghost was on par with him in strength at level 26, and Ah Chou was Niu Meng's rumored girlfriend. Smiling Ghost couldn't afford to offend any of them.
These days, even as a ghost, you had to watch who you crossed. Strength wasn't everything—seniority mattered too.
The bike finally arrived at a high-end residential area. Smiling Ghost stopped, exhausted from the heavy use of his ghostly energy. Though he was a fearsome ghost with a solid form, the task had drained him.
Lin Feng stashed the bike into his elastic dimension. He didn't have an access card to enter the gated community, but that wasn't a problem for him.
At 2 a.m., under the moonless and gusty sky, Lin Feng strolled in with his entourage of ghosts. The patrolling guards and gatekeepers remained blissfully unaware of their passage.
The community featured a mix of high-rise buildings and villas. After passing through a garden, Lin Feng stopped in front of one particular villa.
Ding-dong!
Inside the villa, a slightly chubby middle-aged man lay in bed. The sudden doorbell startled him awake. He glanced at the security monitor but saw no one at the door.
Hiss—
Frowning, the man thought he might be imagining things.
But the doorbell rang again.
This time, he rubbed his eyes and stared at the screen. There, a child about 8 or 9 years old stood at the doorbell, smiling with crescent-shaped eyes. The child's head slowly and stiffly turned toward the camera.
The middle-aged man broke into a cold sweat, his disbelief turning to horror. On the screen, the child's eye sockets were filled entirely with white.