In their struggle through the eerie fog of the ghostly realm, the three men found themselves relentlessly haunted by a spectral infant, a dead baby that clung to them and wouldn't be easily shaken. Despite their combined powers—using everything from the safety hammer to the haunted trench coat's suppressive effects—the creature refused to let go. It was only growing more tenacious.
Faced with no other options, Jiang Yan made a difficult decision.
"There's no choice. I'll have to activate the second stage of my ghost domain," he said, realizing that the usual first-stage ghost domain was completely ineffective in the thick mist that surrounded them. As he steeled himself for the inevitable strain, he activated it.
The moment the second-stage ghost domain enveloped them, Jiang Yan's mind reeled as though struck by thunder. His heart pounded violently, like an engine pushed to its limits, while his limbs felt on the verge of snapping. The toll was intense, but as the amber-colored aura spread around them, faintly illuminating the mist, they could see the shape of their attacker more clearly. The spectral child's grip wavered, one tiny hand releasing its hold—but still, it refused to let go completely.
"Even the second stage isn't enough to shake it?" Jiang Yan muttered with frustration. All their powers combined couldn't free them from this tenacious ghost.
"Wait—let me try something else," the man in the black hat volunteered. He reached into his coat, pulling out what appeared to be a ghostly cigarette.
Jiang Yan looked at it curiously. "What is that?"
"It's called the Ghost Cigarette," the man replied. "Its glow reveals hidden apparitions."
With a flick of his lighter, he ignited the eerie cigarette. A sickly green light emanated from its tip, casting long shadows through the fog. Suddenly, Jiang Yan and Feng An froze, horrified by what they saw behind the man.
A small, decayed child with bluish skin and hollow eyes was clinging tightly to his back, smirking with a sinister glee.
"There's something on your back…" Feng An's voice trembled as he pointed.
"What?" The man's eyes widened as he tried to look over his shoulder, but he couldn't see anything. Reaching behind him, his hand brushed against something cold and rubbery.
"Oh, hell, what is this thing?" He flinched, shuddering as his hand encountered the unnerving texture.
Jiang Yan spoke grimly, "It's a dead infant ghost."
The infant's head turned at Jiang Yan's voice, its pitch-black eyes meeting his. It let out a hollow, gurgling laugh.
Feng An's voice wavered. "This thing… it's been with us the whole time, and we never even noticed?"
The man in the black hat clenched his jaw, realization dawning. "That must have been what tripped me earlier. I should have sensed it."
"Don't panic. We need a strategy," Jiang Yan said, keeping calm. "The rule for this ghost is clear—it has to be carried."
Feng An gawked at him. "You mean… you know the ghost's killing rule?"
Jiang Yan nodded. "I think our friend here figured it out firsthand."
The man in the black hat forced a grim smile. "From what I've gathered, you have to keep carrying it and keep moving. If you stop for more than a minute, it will kill you."
Feng An, seeing an opportunity to assert himself, smirked. "That doesn't sound too bad. Here, let me handle it." He stepped forward, ghostly energy radiating from him as he reached out to seize the infant.
With an angry screech, the child twisted, glaring at Feng An as if sensing his intent. He tightened his grip, straining to pry the infant away. At first, it seemed easy enough. The infant's grip loosened, and he successfully pulled it off the man's back. But the creature's eyes shifted, glinting with sly malice.
As they watched, it effortlessly reappeared on Feng An's back.
"What? How did it…?" Feng An stammered, incredulous.
Now grown to the size of a toddler, the ghost was an even more unwelcome presence. Even through his protective ghost skin, Feng An felt its icy claws digging into him, leeching away his strength.
"This thing's rule is insidious. It won't let go unless we find another host," Jiang Yan noted, eyes narrowing in thought. "But swapping it around is just buying us time. Its strength is increasing with each transfer."
The man in the black hat shot him a wary look. "So what's your plan, genius?"
Jiang Yan took a breath, exuding a quiet determination. "There's only one rule in this world—only a ghost can counter another ghost."
Black Hat's face paled. "Wait… you're not planning to…"
But Jiang Yan was already committed. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the eerie Ghost Bus, the vehicle's door slowly creaking open with an ominous groan.
"You're using the bus?" Feng An's voice shook. "You… you can control what's inside?"
"I'll use whatever it takes," Jiang Yan said. "If I can trap it in the bus, I might have a chance to take control—or at least contain it. If I fail, just run. Run, and don't look back."
With that, he stepped through the door, leaving his companions behind. Inside, the air was thick with decay, as rows of silent passengers sat in darkened seats, heads lolling lifelessly as if awaiting his command.
As Jiang Yan moved to an empty seat, he caught a glimpse of something flickering on an old black-and-white TV mounted above it. The static faded, revealing an image of a news broadcast.
In the foggy depths of the bus, Jiang Yan made his move.
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𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 advanced chapters of this novel 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
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