“That’s right, it’s exactly what you’re thinking, Mr. Security Guard.”
After noticing the shift in the security guard’s expression, Zhao Liang spoke with a tone of firm confirmation.
Hearing Zhao Liang confirm his suspicions, the guard finally understood why Yan Qi and Zhao Liang had been acting so strangely earlier. It turned out the ghost that had been haunting their residential complex was actually inside the home of Mrs. Chu and her daughter.
“Officer Zhao, so what should we do now?”
“Stay right here and don’t wander off. My colleagues and I will handle this situation.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Having said that, Zhao Liang didn’t waste any more time chatting with the guard. He turned around and headed straight for the apartment where Mrs. Chu and her daughter lived.
“Xiao Qi, any new developments over by the bathroom?”
Glancing toward the bathroom area, Zhao Liang asked Yan Qi, who had been stationed inside the Chu family’s apartment all this time, keeping watch.
“Nothing new. That entity radiating supernatural energy fluctuations hiding in the bathroom is still in the exact same spot, hasn’t moved a muscle.”
“That’s good. So, Xiao Qi, what’s your plan now?”
Relieved to hear there were no changes in the bathroom, but unsure of Yan Qi’s next move, Zhao Liang followed up with that question.
“My plan? Obviously, I’m going to charge right in, capture or eliminate whatever it is that’s giving off that supernatural energy.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yan Qi laid out her intentions to Zhao Liang.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Liang’s face went pale with shock, and he quickly tried to warn her.
“Xiao Qi, charging straight in like that is way too dangerous!”
“Brother Zhao Liang, didn’t I tell you before? The thing hiding in the bathroom giving off that supernatural energy is something even you could easily handle. We can just go right in; there’s no need to worry about any danger.”
“But still—”
“No more ‘but still.’ Brother Zhao Liang, let’s just wrap up this haunted house mission so we can get back and take on the next one.”
Thoroughly unwilling to listen to Zhao Liang nag in her ear any longer, Yan Qi finished her sentence and, without giving him a moment to react, walked straight toward the nearby bathroom. She placed her hand on the doorknob and swung the door open.
Watching Yan Qi open that bathroom door right in front of him, cold sweat instantly beaded on Zhao Liang’s forehead, and his heart started pounding wildly in his chest.
Even though he knew perfectly well that Yan Qi was a supernatural being far more powerful than himself, seeing a cute little girl get so close to danger still made him—a closet fan of young heroines—anxious beyond measure.
“Xiao Qi, come back! It’s dangerous in there!”
Just as Zhao Liang called out, trying to get Yan Qi to retreat, Yan Qi, already inside the bathroom, paid him no mind whatsoever. It took her only a moment to locate the source of the supernatural energy she’d been sensing all along.
“There you are. Take this!”
Having confirmed her target, Yan Qi didn’t hesitate for a second. She activated her mastery of lightning arts, sending a bolt of electricity straight into the ghost that had remained invisible until now.
“Aaaahhh!”
Letting out a piercing shriek, a figure clad in red, its entire body charred black from Yan Qi’s attack, suddenly materialized right before Yan Qi and Zhao Liang’s eyes.
“What a beautiful ghost… too bad she’s no longer among the living.”
Gazing at the red-clad female specter now in full view, Yan Qi couldn’t help but admire her striking, alluring features inwardly, a hint of regret flickering across her face.
Just as Yan Qi was feeling a pang of sorrow over the ghost’s untimely demise, the red-clad spirit herself was coming to a very different realization. Aware that the little girl who had appeared out of nowhere was responsible for the severe damage inflicted while she’d been resting here, the ghost’s face twisted into a mask of pure malice. She immediately unleashed her supernatural powers, intent on killing Yan Qi where she stood.
Noticing the ghost’s movements and realizing she was about to attack Yan Qi, Zhao Liang hastily shouted a warning.
“Xiao Qi, watch out! That red ghost is trying to hurt you!”
Hearing Zhao Liang’s warning from behind, Yan Qi had already seen the ghost’s intent from her actions. Showing not a trace of fear, she simply stood there and let the entity direct its supernatural force at her.
The red-clad ghost watched as Yan Qi made absolutely no move to defend against the psychic assault she’d launched. Though long dead, a flicker of confusion couldn’t help but pass through the specter’s mind.
But that confusion was short-lived. It vanished the moment she understood why Yan Qi had felt no need to put up a guard.
When the ghost’s supernatural power washed over her, Yan Qi merely felt a slight tingle on her scalp. She casually reached up and scratched the top of her head.
In that same instant, the attack the red ghost had conjured with her power crumbled and dissipated completely. And the ghost herself? She suffered a backlash far worse than the lightning strike from moments before, her very form beginning to unravel toward utter annihilation.
“A mere low-level ghost, and you actually thought you could use your meager power against a Three-Star Supernatural like me? You really don’t know your place in the world.”
Watching the red-clad ghost grow fainter by the second, its expression now blank and motionless, Yan Qi muttered the words under her breath, fully aware of the cause of the spirit’s impending dissolution.
“Xiao Qi, are you alright?”
Hurrying into the bathroom to reach Yan Qi’s side, Zhao Liang asked, his voice thick with concern.
“Relax, Brother Zhao Liang. Do I look like anything’s wrong to you?”
Although she generally disliked excessive fussing over her well-being, Yan Qi understood it came from a place of genuine care, so she didn’t brush him off. She simply spun around once in front of Zhao Liang and posed the question right back at him.
Seeing her move with such ease and confirming she was indeed unharmed, Zhao Liang let out a huge sigh of relief. He then shifted his gaze to the steadily fading ghost and asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.
“Xiao Qi… this red-clad ghost, she’s… disappearing for good, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She’s sustained irreversible damage. It’s no longer possible for her to continue existing in this world the way she did before.”
Yan Qi looked at Zhao Liang and answered with complete seriousness.
