Chapter 19

Miss Zhao and Xiao Song secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If that was all, then it would be easy. Yesterday, when Xiao Song had exposed his inability to open the door to Room 2007, and then foolishly used the excuse of going to Room 1004 in the middle of the night to cover his tracks, Miss Zhao had already anticipated the issue of Xiao Song’s flashlight.

She had devised a clever plan; she just needed a pretext. Hence, the fabricated story of Xiao Song being tricked into opening his door at 3 AM that morning. This gave him a solid reason to possess a powerless flashlight—one he’d supposedly picked up from Old Gao’s room.

Fortunately, Xiao Song had played along and, during his explanation just now, hadn’t forgotten to implant the idea that his flashlight was dead. Now it all made sense. Even if everyone thought of Old Gao’s flashlight, Miss Zhao had an excuse ready: Old Gao’s flashlight had been disposed of during cleaning. See? Even the fragments of Brother Teng’s flashlight in the living room were already gone.

But in reality, the flashlights were prepared in the rooms. They weren’t considered trash.

Miss Zhao picked up one of the flashlights. She switched it on. It glowed brightly. “This is mine,” she stated.

Then she held up the second one, announcing to everyone, “This is Xiao Song’s. It ran out of power earlier, so he tossed it aside. See, there’s still dirt on it.”

With that, she switched this flashlight on.

A bright beam shone, slightly subdued in the daylight but clearly visible inside the shaded villa.

For a moment, both Miss Zhao and Xiao Song stood frozen.

Everyone was staring at them.

Zhu Ming finally couldn’t hold back her laughter. A grin split her face, a short, contemptuous sneer. Then, she raised the bone-chopping knife and slashed it down viciously toward Xiao Song’s neck!

Squelch—

The blade bit deep into flesh and muscle. Blood gushed out in torrents. Xiao Song didn’t even have time to make a sound. His head tumbled, rolling and bouncing until it came to a stop at Miss Zhao’s feet.

Miss Zhao screamed, her face draining of all color. She fell back, sitting on the floor, staring at Zhu Ming in sheer terror. In that moment, she had no doubt the woman wanted to kill her next.

The sudden violence startled half of the people present. The severed head was horrifyingly lifelike. Blood fountained from the decapitated neck. In the blink of an eye, a pool of blood had formed at the entrance of Room 1004. The entire door and wall were splattered with droplets of blood.

Zhu Ming tossed the knife aside, wiped the blood spurting onto her face with a hand, and stood up. She nudged the corpse with her foot.

The pent-up rage finally vented, a wave of relief washed over her. Letting out a satisfied breath, Zhu Ming said, “You must be dying to know why that flashlight still had power? The answer is simple. Because Old Gao’s flashlight never ran out of juice. I just took the batteries out that morning. Are you really that surprised? In this world, it’s not just ghosts that lie. Humans do, too.”

On the morning Old Gao died, while everyone else was looking at the body by the pool, Zhu Ming had been the first to check his room.

She’d quickly found Old Gao’s flashlight, lying forgotten in a corner under the sink. It was switched off, and its battery was fully charged.

Staring at the door that could no longer be closed, an idea had formed in Zhu Ming’s mind. She removed the battery, creating the illusion that it was dead. A flashlight without power held no interest to any participant. It would be tossed into a corner and forgotten.

But a ghost would be interested. If a real ghost was hiding among them, having neither a room nor a flashlight would eventually expose him. He’d need items to maintain his cover. A forgotten flashlight was the perfect choice.

After everyone left, Zhu Ming found an opportunity to reinsert the battery. The flashlight lay quietly in Old Gao’s room. Later, Zhu Ming deliberately prodded, making Xiao Song admit he’d gone to Room 1004 with his flashlight. He and his mole were thus forced to cover all bases and take Old Gao’s flashlight to fabricate their story.

Xiao Song had claimed his flashlight had died after running all night.

Yet now, this flashlight not only had power, but was fully charged!

The facts spoke louder than words. At this point, Xiao Song’s true identity could no longer be hidden.

Seeing her boss had already made her move, Yun Zouchuan also understood that Xiao Song was the damn ghost who’d been eyeing her. Her brows furrowed in fury, she landed several savage kicks on his corpse.

The moment the majority accepted Xiao Song was the ghost, his corpse, indistinguishable from a living human, finally began to change. Body, clothing, bloodstains—everything became semi-transparent.

Tsk. Zhu Ming nonchalantly kicked the body aside, giving Yun Zouchuan a clear field to vent her anger.

Suddenly, Xiao Song’s head swiveled around, turning its face toward the door. The surprise and fear of death faded from his expression, replaced by a venomous hatred as he glared at everyone, especially Zhu Ming.

“You think this is enough to kill me?! Don’t be so naive! I’ll haunt you forever, forever, until every last one of you stays here to keep me company, hahahahahah—!”

Thump!

Xiao Song’s head went rolling out of Room 1004. Zhu Ming raised a foot, intercepted it, and stomped it to the floor.

Xiao Song: “……?!”

Everyone stared in surprise at the open door of Room 1004. Miss Zhao stood there trembling, her face so pale it was hard to believe she was the one who’d kicked the ghost’s head out. “So… so he really was a ghost! No wonder my boyfriend, who isn’t even an Awakened, ended up in this dungeon. I’m so sorry, everyone. I truly didn’t know he was a ghost. I have no idea what was going on with that flashlight. He was the one who misled me into suspecting Zhu Ming.”

Zhu Ming tilted her head slightly, her shoulder-length, choppy hair fluffy and loose from neglect. The heel of her shoe pinned Xiao Song’s head down, the toe tapping lightly. Zhu Ming asked, “Really?”

Miss Zhao said urgently, “Really!”

Zhu Ming replied, “I don’t believe you.”

Miss Zhao: “…”

But since Miss Zhao was trying to defend herself, Zhu Ming felt no need to be polite. She retorted, “Miss Zhao, there’s actually something else I’d like to ask you for your expert opinion on.”

Miss Zhao looked helplessly at the others. Yun Zouchuan was busy dancing on the semi-transparent corpse. Xiao Cheng frowned, clearly unsure whether to believe her. Old Man Xu was beaming, obviously siding with Zhu Ming. As for Xiao Xue, her expression was totally neutral; she merely offered an empty smile.

Zhu Ming kicked Xiao Song’s head like a soccer ball back into the room in front of her. Xiao Song howled in rage, and his headless body began to writhe in response. Unfortunately, Yun Zouchuan’s terrifying strength held it utterly pinned.

Zhu Ming smiled. “Miss Zhao, was playing with the ant fun?”

Miss Zhao’s face instantly changed. The fragile, pitiful look of a deceived woman seeking help vanished completely. She stared coldly at Zhu Ming, and without another word, slammed the door shut with a resounding Bang.

Seeing this, Xiao Cheng understood. Miss Zhao had been putting on an act. He couldn’t help but marvel at her quick reactions. Moreover, the acting skills of Miss Zhao and Xiao Song put some B-list celebrities to shame. He’d never once suspected Xiao Song wasn’t human these past few days, and he’d nearly been fooled again by Miss Zhao just now, thinking she was genuinely innocent.

However…

Xiao Cheng asked, “What did you mean by ‘ant’?” Why had Miss Zhao dropped the act the moment she heard those two words?

Zhu Ming flexed her fingers. Thinking that maybe Xiao Song’s tuition might actually be useful, she generously enlightened him. “Remember that metal skewer I used to stab the Female Ghost in the pool? You asked me what trick I’d used on it back then. I can tell you now. One, it was a lie. Two, it was a lie.”

Xiao Cheng: “???”

He instinctively looked at Yun Zouchuan. Sister A-Zou was close to Zhu Ming; she must know, right?

At some point, A-Zou had picked up the bone-chopping knife Zhu Ming had discarded. She was currently chopping furiously at a certain unmentionable area of the corpse. Sadly, ordinary attacks did no real damage to its semi-transparent form.

Xiao Cheng: “…” Fine. He’d ask Xiao Xue. She’d helped him figure things out last time.

Xiao Xue pondered for a moment, then said, “I think I understand what Zhu Ming means. The butler and the Female Ghost initially wanted us to believe there was only one ghost. So, after someone discovered the butler’s blood trail, the Female Ghost pretended to have a reaction to those traces to make us think they were hers. That’s the first lie.

“Miss Zhao didn’t seem as close to Xiao Song as she pretended. She was probably wary of him herself. Yesterday, she had to pretend Xiao Song had stayed over with her. Knowing her meticulous mind, she must have realized there’d be a moment she’d have to prove Xiao Song was actually in her room in front of everyone. So, she picked up that metal skewer as a backup plan—because actively inviting a ghost inside might trigger something bad.

“Of course, Zhu Ming didn’t do anything special to the skewer. She just told you she did. Her goal was for you to pass that information to Miss Zhao. That’s the second lie. So, Xiao Cheng… you did tell Miss Zhao, didn’t you?”

Xiao Cheng: “…Yes.” Everyone should help each other out, and Miss Zhao had asked out of curiosity, so he’d told her everything he knew… A profound sense of melancholy washed over Xiao Cheng. He looked at Zhu Ming in disbelief. While he hadn’t even noticed anything, she’d already been setting a trap.

Hearing Xiao Xue’s explanation, Zhu Ming’s mouth curved into a slight smile. “I didn’t plan that far ahead. I just figured someone with a guilty conscience would be more interested in that skewer. I used it and threw it away. Most people would assume I had some special ability, not that it was the skewer itself. But someone who knew the real score would consider whether the bloodstains on that particular skewer might actually affect the ghost it belonged to.”

She raised her voice a little. “What do you think, Miss Zhao? Did you give it a try? Did it work? I even skewered an ant on it just for you. Pretty noticeable, right? Thoughtful of me, wasn’t it—”

The door suddenly cracked open. A semi-transparent human head rolled out again with a gurgle. Then the door slammed shut tight.

Zhu Ming raised an eyebrow and promptly stepped on Xiao Song’s head. Xiao Song strained to turn back, cursing violently, “You kicked me out AGAIN! You’re finished!” This woman had completely abandoned all pretense.

Miss Zhao’s muffled voice came through the door. “Whatever. You’re the one who forced me into this. What’s it got to do with me?”

Xiao Song’s head was about to explode with rage. He was about to unleash another tirade when the pressure on his face suddenly eased, replaced by a sharp tug on his scalp. Zhu Ming had picked his head up by the hair, her eyes cold.

Xiao Song: “…”

Zhu Ming said darkly, “I told you I’d flay your skin off. Did you think this was the end of it?”

Xiao Song’s face twisted into a savage snarl. “Fools! You can’t hurt me at all right now! Since I’m exposed, I’ll tell you everything! That formation really can help you clear the dungeon! That was my only goal from the start! I wanted to follow you out of this cursed place! Is it so hard to understand wanting to live again?! Just complete the formation and let me reincarnate into any woman here. The barrier will break open, and you can complete your mission! It’s a win-win!”

“Of course,” Xiao Song licked his lips greedily, his gaze darting toward Yun Zouchuan, “if it could be her, that would be even better. Her vital energy is so abundant… if it’s her… Little Yan and I could both reincarnate.”

Zhu Ming sneered coldly. “A pair of illicit lovers turning from dead ghosts into siblings? How perfectly twisted.”

Even after being decapitated, he was still coveting her womb. Yun Zouchuan was practically vibrating with fury. Fuming, she stepped forward and reached out her hands. “Boss, can I have his head? I want to hit him.”

Zhu Ming tossed it to her. “Don’t lose it. Now, we need to find the thing that can actually kill him.”

A flicker of unease crossed Xiao Song’s face. Even though Zhu Ming hadn’t done anything yet, a deep sense of dread filled him.

Yun Zouchuan accepted Xiao Song’s head, delivered a hard punch to it, and nodded emphatically. “Mm!”