Chapter 59: The Ghost Hidden Among Them
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Before he even had a chance to switch on his flashlight, Miles’s eyes had landed on a large gathering outside the boutique. The assemblage was eerie: their skin was ashen as if they had risen from their graves, and a sickening stench of decomposition hung in the air around them.
These unsettling figures were unmistakably the same ones who had previously trapped Mr. Calm, Master Catch, and Manager Li. Although they had mysteriously disappeared once, they now stood, menacingly blocking every potential escape route. To most people, the idea of getting past them would seem next to impossible.
Given how tightly packed and overwhelming the crowd was, it would be nearly impossible to ensure one’s safety if they were to lash out.
“We’re outnumbered… There are too many of them. Let’s crouch down and see if we can make a run for it,” Ethan proposed anxiously after a quick assessment of the pressing situation.
Miles, however, hesitated. “Hold on, don’t crouch just yet. Something’s not right here,” he cautioned. There was a fleeting look of concern on his face as he promptly activated the flashlight on his phone.
Under the glaring beam of his phone, he observed that about seven or eight of these ominous figures had already slipped into the boutique, and more were gradually making their way inside. Their pace might have been slow, but they were steadily closing the gap. In a matter of moments, they would completely surround him.
“But why not?” Ethan retorted, genuinely perplexed. “Didn’t laying low previously keep us safe from their attacks?”
Miles explained, “That was a different scenario. Back then, we weren’t contending with genuine spirits. Their attacks followed a discernible pattern: if a person went to ground, the figures seemed to lose sight of them, halting in their tracks, and then promptly retreated. They’d only reappear during their next manifestation.”
He continued, “But now, look at them. We’re upright and yet they’re still approaching. Do you understand the implication of that?”
Growing increasingly uneasy, Ethan pressed, “What are you suggesting?”
Miles studied the crowd intensely. “The true spirit, the genuine ghost, is mixed in with them. And the mannequin you’re holding isn’t it. I believe this dummy was only an initial conduit for the ghost, which has since found another host. The lifeless body in the changing room behind us is a testament to this. If the dummy in your hands was the real entity…”
Ethan finished the thought for him, “…Then these figures wouldn’t be moving, especially with the ghost’s energy being suppressed by my intervention. Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” As realization dawned on him, Ethan quickly retracted his hand, ceasing the flow of his supernatural energy.
As a result, the towering, blood-covered dummy froze in place. It tipped over, breaking apart, and lay there, lifeless.
Miles’s theory was spot on. This strange dummy wasn’t the actual spirit.
However, they were now cornered. A horde of individuals, reeking of rot, were edging closer. Their ghostly white faces, devoid of any emotion, looked hauntingly similar to the living dead. But these entities were far more terrifying than any zombie movie could depict, especially with the knowledge that the genuine ghost was hidden among them.
“We’re in deep trouble,” Ethan murmured, his face turning pale with fear. “We’ve been deceived by this ghost. This boutique was a trap, and the obvious dummy was just a decoy. This entire setup was an elaborate ruse orchestrated to trap us.”
Despite being an adept ghost tamer, it seemed improbable for him to escape this perilous situation just by harnessing the energy of an embittered spirit. Awakening such a vengeful spirit could lead to his own demise. And if that didn’t finish him off, the ghost currently menacing him surely would. It appeared as though he was trapped in an inescapable predicament.
“Why so pessimistic? We’re still alive. Stick close to me and refrain from using your power,” Miles urged, gripping Ethan firmly. In the next moment, a radiant red luminescence surrounded him as the eyes of five ghosts simultaneously flickered open.
This luminous red aura stretched out, covering a radius of about three to four meters, and Ethan too became shrouded within it. Ethan realized Miles had invoked his ghost domain—a potent ability they urgently needed to employ; otherwise, their fate was sealed. It wasn’t just Ethan who was trapped, even Miles felt equally ensnared.
Within this vibrant red zone, reality seemed to shift. The approaching ghosts began to glide right through them, no longer making tangible contact, which momentarily relieved their pressing concern.
“Is this… your ghost domain? How are you able to manifest it so easily?” Ethan inquired, staring at Miles with eyes wider than if he had seen an actual ghost.
Miles responded with a query of his own, “Is the ghost domain truly that extraordinary?”
“Extraordinary? It’s exceptionally rare. Spirits with the ghost domain are incredibly potent. The normal ghost tamer stood no chance against them; any attempts to control such spirits would result in the immediate death of the tamer, courtesy of the vengeful spirit’s awakening,” Ethan replied, his gaze fixed on Miles with a mix of awe and trepidation. For ghost tamers, the mysterious power of the ghost domain was a puzzling and feared anomaly.
Being enveloped within the ghost domain suggested there was no straightforward exit unless one could successfully imprison the spirit that held that domain. But accomplishing that feat seemed next to impossible. The majority of spiteful spirits capable of creating a ghost domain were categorized as A-disaster level entities. Such a potent ghost, possessing the ghost domain, was a nightmare scenario for ghost tamers globally.
“We can’t dwell on this now,” Miles asserted, “We have roughly three minutes to pinpoint the genuine ghost amidst this throng and lock it away in your golden container. If we falter, we must be ready to bolt.”
Although his total limit was five minutes, he wanted to set aside two minutes as a buffer for a potential retreat.
“With the power of the ghost domain at our disposal, we can indeed flee when necessary,” Ethan remarked, a glimmer of hope evident in his eyes as he started to comprehend the potential of what was at their disposal. Most ghost tamers had some basic knowledge of this mysterious ability. But any trace of elation faded quickly when he saw the sinister, crimson eyes materializing on Miles’s palms and forehead.
These eyes darted around with unsettling intent, occasionally fixing their gaze on Ethan, making his skin crawl. Ethan felt an unsettling realization that if the spirit inside Miles was roused, it would precipitate an unparalleled catastrophe.
“We need to act now.” Miles’s phone had begun its countdown, the seconds ticking away as they navigated through the labyrinth of still bodies, making their way to the epicenter of the group. Surrounded by the protective red glow of the ghost domain, they moved freely among the spirits, untouched and unhindered by the ghostly figures.
The ghost domain seemed to have a disorienting effect on the spirits. The once menacing ghosts now appeared stationary as if frozen in time, allowing Miles and Ethan to examine each of them without interference.
Inside the boutique, amidst the stillness, both men were on high alert. Their gazes flicked from one motionless body to the next, each seeming as likely a candidate as the other to be the true malevolent entity they sought.
“The real ghost has to be among these,” Miles thought with urgency. “We have only three minutes to single it out, or all our efforts will go down the drain.” They needed to capitalize on the momentary advantage granted by the active ghost domain.
But which one of these could it be?
The woman’s corpse, decaying and grotesque?
The man with an eerily misplaced head?
The headless body of Strong?
Or was it the male body that bore the unmistakable traces of Blush’s demise?
They all seemed plausible.
“We can’t simply guess, especially with so many bodies to consider. Ethan has leaned on the vengeful spirit’s power for too long. Should he call upon it again now, it would likely overpower him,” Miles pondered. To confirm his theory, he inquired, “Ethan, how many times can you still invoke your ability without endangering yourself?”
Breathing heavily, Ethan replied, “I’m close to my limit. I reckon I can safely use it three more times. Beyond that, I fear I might… well, not make it out alive.” It was a grim guess, as no ghost tamer could accurately gauge the extent of their endurance.
Miles furrowed his brow, digesting this information when suddenly, amid the sea of stationary forms, one particular figure began to shift.
The body, dressed sharply in a suit, was oddly mismatched with the head of a middle-aged woman it bore. Maybe it was the protective shield of the ghost domain, or perhaps sensing Miles’s dominance, but instead of attacking them, the entity began to turn, attempting to escape their clutches.
“That’s the one!” Ethan declared with conviction.
“Time to find out,” Miles replied, willing the protective red light to recede, allowing Ethan a clear path to act.
Gathering his resolve, Ethan swiftly lunged forward, seizing the retreating figure. As he made contact, his gloves became drenched in a dark, blood-red ooze that seemed to flow and merge with the entity. From its eyes, mouth, and neck, a torrent of blood gushed forth.
Suddenly, the corpse halted its movements as though gripped by an unseen force.
Miles’s eyes widened in anticipation, “Is it over? Did we capture the real ghost?”
Uhhhh…. Miles you just jinxed yourself. The moment one says Did it succeed or something along those lines, it’s almost guaranteed to not succeed… lol