Night.
Unable to sleep while home alone, Quinn thought of Hector, the boy living next door.
Hector was young and handsome, and there was an indescribable, ambiguous tension between them.
She took out her phone and started exchanging messages with him. Hector’s warm and witty banter brought a rare smile to her otherwise gloomy face.
Quinn raised her hand and gently tapped on the wall.
Soon, an identical response came from the other side.
Tap. Tap.
This method of communication made Quinn feel a wonderful sense of unspoken understanding and connection.
She couldn’t help but gently tap on the wall again, and just like before, the response came from next door.
The smile on Quinn’s lips grew wider as she typed on her phone.
“Did my knocking on the wall wake you up?”
“No, I’m not home right now. I’m at my grandma’s.”
The message the other party sent froze Quinn’s smile, and the previously somewhat ambiguous and romantic atmosphere was dispelled by a chilling gust of wind.
If Hector wasn’t next door, then who had been knocking back?
Goosebumps erupted all over Quinn’s body.
Her eyes scanned the room. Her bedroom, a place she had lived in for who knows how long, suddenly felt strangely unfamiliar.
In the darkness, it seemed as if something was stirring.
The more Quinn thought about it, the more frightened she became. She grabbed her laptop and video-called her best friend, Maggie…
“Hi, how’s the rest and recovery at home going?”
Maggie’s lively voice brought a bit of life to the silent, eerie space.
The familiar face and tone finally eased Quinn’s heart a little.
“I’m so bored, I can’t do anything.”
“I think you’ve got it pretty easy, actually. You know the prom is coming up soon, everyone’s preparing those ridiculous dresses…”
“And the damn issue of finding a date. I still haven’t solved it. I almost wish a car would hit me and break my leg too.”
Maggie started complaining about campus life as graduation approached.
“Okay, what about your college acceptance?”
“Don’t talk about such boring stuff, let’s talk about you… How have things been with your dad lately?”
“He hasn’t been going out to work. A while ago, I heard him on the phone with his boss discussing things. To take care of me, he can’t go anywhere…”
“That’s terrible… Wait a second, is that your brother Alex behind you?”
As Maggie spoke, her gaze suddenly shifted to a different direction.
Quinn turned her head. Both sides of her were empty.
“What are you talking about?”
“Alex! He’s right there, he’s…”
Just as Maggie said this, the video call froze.
“Maggie?”
Quinn called out to her, but got no response.
A cold draft suddenly blew past. She instinctively looked towards the window, which should have been closed.
Under the curtains, a dark human figure stood there, staring at her!
A heavy, raspy breathing sound reached her ears, exactly like the one she had heard in the dark space after her car accident!
Quinn shuddered in fear, instinctively curling backward. Across the room, the shadowy figure drew closer and closer!
Fear caused her adrenaline to surge and her heart to race. But just as the shadow was about to reach the bedside, it seemed to sink into the floor and suddenly vanished!
She saw dark footprints on the floor, extending to the bedside before disappearing.
As if compelled by an unseen force, she leaned over and looked under the bed.
Empty…
That’s right. Quinn, mentally prepared for the worst, did not see that terrifying ghostly face.
Was it a hallucination?
In her dazed state, the tension wound tight within her heart subconsciously eased a little.
However, the next second, the bed she was lying on was suddenly flung upward!
Quinn’s body was thrown into the air along with the pillows and blankets, landing on the floor face first!
A sharp pain shot through her neck; she had clearly injured her cervical spine.
With her neck and legs severely injured and immobile, Quinn was panic-stricken. She could only scream and cry, watching as a pair of feet caked in mud walked around the room.
It drew the curtains, blocking out the faint street light from outside. It closed the door, shutting out the light from the living room.
Finally, it walked over to Quinn and slowly closed the laptop lying on the floor.
Thus, the last source of light in the bedroom also disappeared…
Through tear-blurred vision and disheveled hair, she barely made out the ghostly figure above her. It slowly bent down, closer and closer to Quinn’s body!
She shouted, screamed, and twisted her body, but she couldn’t stop it.
Just as despair was spreading, a warm sensation emanated from her chest. A golden light suddenly erupted, sharp as a divine spear, aiming to pierce through the ghostly figure!
The figure’s palm was pierced, but it quickly tilted its head, dodging the attack.
Intense pain caused it to let out a muffled groan.
Seeing the golden light about to spread up its arm along the connection, the ghostly figure actually tore off its own arm with a brutal jerk!
The golden light, unwilling to relent, pressed the attack. But at that moment, a patch of dark space materialized beside the masked figure, blocking the assault!
Seizing this opportunity, the ghostly figure swiftly fled.
The severed arm, like water droplets falling on red-hot steel, rapidly evaporated and vanished without a trace!
“Quinn!!”
At the doorway, Sean, who had just returned home, heard his daughter’s terrified cries for help. He dropped the paper bag in his arms and rushed towards the bedroom!
Barging through the door, he saw his daughter lying pitifully on the floor, weeping and wailing…
He rushed over and turned her onto her back, but suddenly noticed fragments of paper falling from her chest.
————
“Dad, Mr. Jamie… I did something stupid.”
Lying on the sofa, wearing a memory foam neck brace, Quinn confessed to the two men before her.
“I thought I could contact Mom again, but I attracted something else instead.”
“Mr. Jamie, you and Ms. Elise were right. That wasn’t my mother… it was… something evil…”
“Don’t say anymore, sweetheart.”
Sean shook his head, interrupting Quinn. Looking at his bruised, battered, and haggard daughter, his eyes were full of guilt.
He had failed to protect his daughter. He was an inadequate father.
“Jamie, thank you for the talisman.”
Sean turned to Jamie.
He had already heard the whole story from his daughter.
No one could have guessed that in the end, it was the talisman, which neither he nor his daughter had taken seriously, that played the crucial role.
“If it weren’t for that, I don’t dare imagine what would have happened to my daughter.”
“Do you have any more talismans like that? I can pay a high price for it!”
Sean, who could afford an apartment in the city center, was naturally financially comfortable.
Moreover, compared to his daughter’s life, mere savings meant nothing.
“I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t help…”
Jamie looked down.
“In fact, those two talismans were given to me by an exorcism expert. He asked me to handle something, and I messed it all up.”
The evil spirit’s reappearance confirmed that the Ward Evil Talisman had indeed been tampered with. The ironic thing was, he had been guarding room 514 without knowing what had happened.
When he finally broke in, he discovered the Ward Evil Talisman had been defiled.
“The one you mentioned the other day?”
Sean quickly recalled what Jamie had said when he delivered the talismans.
“That’s right.”
“Dad, I think we should do something.”
The young boy, Alex, spoke up.
Despite his age, he was clever and had already contacted the currently most popular ghost-hunting duo online.
“You’re right, son.”
Sean made up his mind.
He would seek out the master Jamie mentioned, as well as the medium, Elise, whom his daughter had consulted before.
No matter what, they had to get rid of the haunting evil spirit!
Only Jamie remained silent.
This matter originally had nothing to do with him, but he had gotten involved voluntarily. Not only that, he had failed the task Su Fan entrusted to him, wasting one Ward Evil Talisman.
In this situation, Jamie felt he had no face left to ask Su Fan for help.
This was a consequence of his own negligence, and he had to make up for it himself.
Therefore, he politely declined Sean’s request to call Su Fan.
To ensure Quinn’s safety, the three of them stayed there until evening, when someone rang the doorbell.
Sean opened the door and saw three guests.
A guy with glasses, a fat guy eating cake and carrying equipment, and an elderly lady with blonde hair.
“I’m Elise, the medium who performed the séance for your daughter before.”
“Tucker…”
“Glasses…”
The tall and short pair introduced themselves simply.
After inviting the three inside,
Sean was about to explain the situation when Elise interrupted him.
“I already know the specifics. I was informed before coming here. Right now, Quinn is the priority.”
She then looked at the other two. The comedic duo also indicated that Alex had already explained the situation to them in detail online before they arrived.
“If no explanation is needed, then let’s get started quickly.”
“Before we begin, it might be best for the child to step away. Exposure to these things could have a negative effect on him.”
Following Elise’s suggestion, Alex was sent back to his bedroom.
“Before we start, we still need to do some preparatory work.”
Tucker showed off his gear: a full set of professional filming equipment.
After equipping Quinn with a small camera and installing monitors around the room, Sean helped her back to her bedroom to rest.
In the living room, the five adults gathered.
“May I ask who this is…?”
Glasses looked curiously at Jamie, who had remained silent the entire time.
“Jamie… Not like you all. Just an ordinary person.”
“Don’t say that. If it weren’t for you getting those talismans from Master Fan Su, Quinn probably would have…”
Sean spoke to comfort him, but was interrupted midway by Elise.
“Fan Su? You know that young exorcism master from the antique shop?”
Elise and Jamie saw the surprise in each other’s eyes.
After a brief exchange, Jamie sighed.
“As I thought… Su doesn’t want to come.”
“Why?”
The others present were somewhat confused and displeased by the attitude of this “Su Fan” that Elise mentioned.
Seeing this, Elise explained.
“You aren’t familiar with Eastern culture, so you might not understand the concept of ’cause and effect’ or ‘karmic connections’ that Eastern practitioners often speak of…”
“Ultimately, Quinn’s own actions primarily led to her being haunted by the evil spirit. After being warned by me and interrupted by Mr. Jamie, she still went ahead with it. In a sense, that can almost be considered seeking death voluntarily.”
“For such individuals, Su’s attitude is not surprising.”
“It’s my fault. If I hadn’t constantly ignored Quinn’s longing for her mother, perhaps she wouldn’t have…”
Sean fell into self-blame.
Meanwhile, Tucker and the guy with glasses exchanged glances, displaying subtle expressions.
The two of them actually had no real psychic abilities and didn’t genuinely believe in the existence of so-called evil spirits.
They just felt that, among those who made a living through mysticism and pretense, this Master Su certainly had an inflated ego.
Elise’s focus was different from the others. She was very interested in the talisman Jamie mentioned.
“Could you show me what the failed talisman looks like?”
“Of course.”
Jamie took out the Ward Evil Talisman from his pocket and unfolded it.
It was visible that the ink on the yellow paper seemed to have been stained by some kind of dirty water, causing black ink blots to spread in several areas.
Elise took the talisman. The moment her hands touched it, she immediately sensed a trace of upright, positive, and powerful energy.
“There was incredibly powerful energy on this talisman before!”
Elise’s eyes widened.
“I’ve never seen such a powerful spiritual artifact! Did this really come from Fan Su himself?”
“Absolutely.”
Jamie stated categorically, without hesitation.
Her knowledge of Su Fan’s abilities was only hearsay, forming just a vague outline in her mind.
But now, Elise realized she had severely underestimated him.
The power originally contained on this talisman could have destroyed most of the evil spirits she had ever encountered!
Was that young Eastern practitioner really this powerful?!
“Su asked me to use this talisman to suppress and destroy the Oxygen Mask Evil Spirit, but…well…”
As Jamie spoke, a look of guilt appeared on his face again.
“It’s alright, we still have a chance.”
Elise offered comfort.
“Let’s work together to eliminate that evil spirit, save Quinn, and you can also give Fan Su an account of what happened.”
Jamie nodded silently.
Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out!
The eerie situation immediately put everyone on edge!
At that moment, Tucker, who was monitoring the feeds, suddenly sat up straight!
Quinn, on the bed, was moving!
The others immediately gathered around him!
On the screen, Quinn—who should have been immobile with two broken legs—had actually gotten out of bed by herself and walked out of the room.
The group immediately headed towards Quinn’s room.
Pushing the door open, the dim room was empty of anyone.
Sean and Tucker quickly discovered that the miniature camera had somehow ended up inside the wardrobe!
And Quinn had, unnoticed by anyone, appeared standing behind them!
She suddenly attacked the group. The hard plaster cast on her leg struck heavily, and Glasses and Tucker were knocked down one after the other.
Then, she pulled out a pipe wrench, struck Sean and Jamie down, and swung it next towards Elise’s head!!
Elise dodged in time, avoiding a direct hit, but her shoulder took a solid blow, rendering her unable to move!
Quinn, possessed by the evil spirit, was no longer her usual self.
She kicked twice, shattering the plaster casts on her legs, picked up a box cutter from nearby, and walked step by step towards Jamie.
She stared at Jamie with a venomous expression.
“You son of a bitch, you tried to kill me? Die!!”
Quinn pounced fiercely towards Jamie. The sharp blade of the box cutter in her hand gleamed coldly, aiming to slash Jamie’s throat!
Yet, the next second, the cutter flew out of her hand as if pulled by an unseen force!!
This unexpected event caught the possessed Quinn off guard. Jamie took the opportunity to tackle her to the ground. Together with the others who had recovered, they managed to restrain her!
