"Really can't go outside?"
Of course, Chen Xuan didn't believe Grandma's warning. He took off his Ghost Top hat and put on the Ghost windbreaker and Ghost gloves, but to avoid scaring the children, he didn't wear the ghost mask.
Then he pushed open the door and stepped out.
The hallway lights were dim and yellowish. Although it was only 9 PM, the silence felt like the dead of night.
Grandma's figure had already disappeared somewhere down the corridor.
"Xiaowen should be on the third floor," Chen Xuan muttered to himself, heading in that direction.
When he reached the second floor, he suddenly realized the sound of the security guard's patrol footsteps was completely gone.
His brows furrowed.
"Could it be that I attracted the guard's attention?"
Just as the thought surfaced, a piercing scream rang out.
"Ah!"
"That's Grandma!"
Chen Xuan's expression changed instantly. Using the ability of his Ghost Embroidered Shoes, he vanished from the spot with a snap and reappeared at the entrance of the third-floor corridor within two seconds.
Under the flickering lights, Chen Xuan saw a bloody scene.
The frail and stooped Grandma was lying in a pool of blood.
Next to her, a figure dressed in an old, dark navy security guard uniform stood with its back to Chen Xuan. In its hand was a heavy, massive axe, raised high—
—and then slammed down hard on Grandma's body.
Blood, shattered flesh, and bone fragments splattered the walls under the lights.
Anger flickered in Chen Xuan's chest but was quickly tempered by caution.
He was certain the attacker was a Malevolent Ghost.
But why would this Malevolent Ghost attack?
Grandma had been safe here for so many years; why was she killed by the ghostly guard?
And what about Xiaowen's scream just now?
At that moment, the sound of a door opening came from the corridor. The children asleep on the third floor had been woken by the scream and were about to open their doors out of curiosity.
Seeing this, Chen Xuan quickly pulled the ghost mask out from his Ghost Top hat and put it on, then issued a sharp command.
"Everyone stay inside. Close your doors."
This command, empowered by the ghost mask's force, directly controlled their minds, making them obey involuntarily.
Bang! Bang!
At Chen Xuan's command, every door in the corridor shut tightly. No one came out again.
Just then, the ghost guard who was swinging the axe suddenly stopped.
It turned its head toward Chen Xuan, as if locking onto a new target.
Shhh!
Shhh!
The axe scraped the floor, leaving a long bloody trail, as it advanced toward Chen Xuan.
Chen Xuan did not move away but frowned, watching it approach step by step.
He guessed the guard's kill rule was probably to attack anyone appearing in the corridor.
"I wonder if I can hold my ground?"
Chen Xuan silently stood firm, wanting to test the ghost guard's power.
It wasn't arrogance but confidence in his own strength.
Besides, if he couldn't withstand it, he could always call out the Ghost Doll to suppress it.
Clack!
The footsteps vanished as the ghost guard stopped right in front of Chen Xuan, then raised its rusty, bloodstained axe and swung down at him.
At that moment, Chen Xuan felt a sensation of being locked on—the axe looked slow but was impossible to dodge.
An ordinary person would probably be too scared to move, let alone fight back.
However—
At the moment the axe fell, Chen Xuan raised his arm and skillfully twisted his palm to evade the blow, grabbing the handle just below the blade.
Crack! Crack!
Chen Xuan's brows tightened as a force far greater than a normal adult male's pressed down on the axe.
But the force was blocked hard by Chen Xuan—though it exploded powerfully, it could not budge even an inch.
The power was tremendous but manageable.
Chen Xuan began to push hard, preparing to wrest the axe away.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The two locked in a stalemate.
If other Ghost Tamers had witnessed this, they would probably be shocked to death.
Seriously—a human alone was struggling with a Malevolent Ghost. It overturned all conventional understanding.
Moreover, during this stalemate, Chen Xuan had the chance to closely examine the ghost guard.
Its face was that of an old man, covered with corpse-like spots, skin dark blue, looking long dead.
The security uniform was old-fashioned and clearly outdated compared to modern styles.
Suddenly, Chen Xuan noticed something sticking out from the right pocket of the uniform—a folded piece of paper with a corner visible.
"What's this?"
His face changed slightly. The note didn't seem to belong to the ghost guard but was deliberately placed there.
Seizing the moment during the struggle, he reached out to pull it out.
However, just as he was about to succeed—
His grip loosened.
The ghost guard, who had been holding the axe, suddenly vanished.
"Hm?"
Chen Xuan furrowed his brow, thoughtful.
What kind of ability was this? Running away when losing?
Impossible. Malevolent Ghosts shouldn't feel fear—they act according to strict rules.
If not that, then what?
Could it be an illusion?
No. Looking at Grandma still lying there, Chen Xuan knew it wasn't a trick.
He stepped closer and saw that Grandma had fallen facing Room 304.
The door to Room 304 was half open, as if it had been opened recently.
"Grandma must have opened the door to check, which is why she was attacked from behind by the ghost guard," Chen Xuan deduced.
"But she knew the rules. Why didn't she avoid the attack?
The ghost guard's speed isn't fast; even an ordinary person should be able to react and hide inside a room."
With curiosity, Chen Xuan pushed open the door of Room 304.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply.
Inside the room, four children lay dead.
Blood covered the floor, and it looked like they had died recently.
Their deaths were brutal—each had been stripped of all their scalp, and wherever hair had grown on their heads, the flesh was completely mangled and bloody.
"Dead without leaving the room?"
Chen Xuan stared at the scene with little emotion.
Compared to the hundreds or thousands of corpses at the artificial lake before, four children were not much—even if they were just a few years old.
"Wait, their positions?"
Chen Xuan glanced carefully.
The girl named Xiaowen was lying by the desk, which held some daily items.
Among them, a brightly colored object stood out—a large oval mirror with a stand.
The other three girls had all died on their beds.
Though in different spots, their wounds were similar.
Chen Xuan's gaze landed on the dressing mirror and he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Could the problem be with the mirror?
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。