Chapter 83

Jiao Chang took a deep breath. He secretly rejoiced that he hadn't taken out Mario's pipe wrench. If Oink had taken that fine primary weapon, he would have had no choice but to accept it.

In fact, losing the kitchen knife here wouldn't be a loss. Trading a common quality equipment, which could be easily obtained in a large instance, for a unique item in this script that could restore health was a fair deal.

Jiao Chang grabbed a bowl and quickly walked to the stove. He lifted the lids of the two pots and peered inside, stirring the soup with a ladle. The contents of the two pots were identical, with pork and pork bones visible in the soup. On the adjacent cooking counter, he also found the remaining pork fat and skin. Seeing this, Jiao Chang finally felt at ease. He couldn't help but wonder if he would have the courage to turn a fellow human's body into a dish, and what his feelings would be while doing it.

Oink walked over at this moment. It seemed to have read Jiao Chang's thoughts and coldly snorted, speaking in a casual tone, "In the place where I was born, it was full of lies and slavery. Thinking was not allowed. The priests taught us to be obedient and to endure. I have processed countless pigs in the slaughterhouse, doing the same thing every day. Cooking them is nothing special."

Jiao Chang didn't know how to respond, just nodding and acknowledging.

He quickly ladled a bowl of soup, held it in his hand, and hurriedly walked out. Before leaving the kitchen, he turned to Oink and said, "Thanks, see you."

Oink didn't respond. As Jiao Chang left the kitchen, the lights suddenly dimmed, and the large, pig-headed figure disappeared into the darkness.

[Main Quest Progress Updated]

[Explore Yie Jie High School, dispel seven paranormal phenomena, current progress: 7/7]

Siyu heard the system prompt and saw Jiao Chang return, finally feeling relieved. The past few minutes had been more difficult than the previous hour. She had been on edge, and if Jiao Chang didn't return, she would have blamed herself. In her view, the main responsibility for the current situation was on her.

However, when Siyu saw what Jiao Chang was holding, her relief and joy instantly turned to shock and confusion. She thought, "What does this mean? Is he addicted to it? Has he already had two bowls and is now taking one to go?"

Jiao Chang placed the soup in front of her on the table, pointed at Siyu, and made a gesture of holding a bowl to his mouth, indicating that Siyu should drink the soup. Since she didn't know that the soup could restore health, Jiao Chang added a few more gestures to explain.

Siyu understood and drank the soup. She checked her game menu and saw that her health had fully recovered. She gestured to Jiao Chang to indicate that she was back to full health.

Jiao Chang nodded and asked her to hand him the lantern, then led the way. As they left the cafeteria, ghosts swarmed from all directions. There were long-haired, nose-cut, and mouth-slit ghosts, as well as those wearing masks of the Hollow. This scene reminded Jiao Chang of the isolated city under Samodel's control. Before completing that script, he and his teammates were also surrounded by a large group of monsters. However, there was a difference. The monsters they encountered then mostly resembled Western legends of demons, while the ghosts chasing Jiao Chang and Siyu now were mostly traditional Eastern ghosts.

There was no time to think or stop. Jiao Chang led the way with the lantern, running forward, with Siyu closely following. Although she didn't have the "Dance of the Jazz" skill, keeping up with Jiao Chang's speed wasn't difficult.

Both of their health was full, and after more than an hour of rest, their stamina was also fully recovered. Jiao Chang and Siyu were very confident that even in the dire situation of being chased by ghosts, they could still complete the final task.

They ran and the ghosts pursued. After circling around the main building, they arrived at the open playground.

Under the moonlight, a solitary figure could be seen standing at the school gate. No... a ghostly figure.

It was a little girl in a red dress. As she entered Jiao Chang and Siyu's field of vision, the song began to play again, this time directly from the ghost's mouth.

As she sang, the surroundings began to change. The bright moon was shrouded in a dark veil, and the school buildings, plants, and playground facilities all disappeared, replaced by a scene of a mass grave.

When Jiao Chang and Siyu reached the little girl, she had just finished the last line of the song, but this time the lyrics were different: "The ghostly forest, blood-soaked, the fierce ghost chases, slow down, slow down, the path to the netherworld is hard to walk." The ethereal and sad tone abruptly stopped.

The little girl giggled, a sound that sent shivers down their spines. She then said, "Uncle, aunt, will you come and play with me?" As she spoke, black blood flowed from her seven orifices, and her body floated in the air.

[Current Task Updated, Main Quest Updated]

[Eliminate the ghost of Eiko]

[Dialogue restrictions lifted, ghost pursuit will continue until the task is completed or all players are dead]

After Jiao Chang could speak, his first words were, "Who's the uncle!" He shouted, put away the lantern, and leaped forward like a rabbit, striking the monster's face with the pipe wrench.

With a "pu" sound, he hit successfully, creating a gap in Eiko's face, and more black blood spurted out. However, as the boss of the script, she wouldn't be so easily defeated. From her continued floating, it was clear that the hit wasn't fatal.

Jiao Chang grabbed the ghost child's neck with one hand and repeatedly struck her with the pipe wrench with the other, not caring about the blood splattering on his face. As he hit, he added, "You should call me big brother!" "Hahahaha" Eiko laughed maniacally, even though her head was deformed, she didn't seem to care. The [Concussion] effect didn't trigger on her at all.

Jiao Chang's health was mysteriously decreasing. Was it the black blood, the laughter, or just the contact? He couldn't determine it and could only continue fighting, hoping his attacks would have some effect.

Siyu watched the scene, finding it somewhat amusing. She had wanted to comment on the "aunt" part, but seeing Jiao Chang's agitated and unrefined reaction made her calm down, realizing she shouldn't sink to his level. "Have you activated your Spirit Skill specialization?" Siyu asked, approaching with her sword. Her movements were unhurried, and the large group of ghosts from the mass grave seemed to pose no threat to her. Her eyes were already locked on her target.

Jiao Chang replied, "Yes, what's the matter?" A second after speaking, he realized the answer, immediately adding, "Oh, only those with Spirit Skill specialization can actively 'touch' these ghosts, right?"

"Right," Siyu said, returning to her concise style. As she finished speaking, she had already appeared beside Eiko.

Her mind was calm, her eyes cold, and her sword swift and fierce.

A cold light flashed, and before Jiao Chang could react, Eiko was cut in half at the waist, a sharp scream piercing the night sky. In the next second, black blood gushed from the cut, like someone slicing a juicy orange. Jiao Chang quickly jumped back to avoid being drenched.

As the saying goes, it's not the lack of discernment that's scary, but the comparison of quality. Jiao Chang's attacks, though brutal, were like scratching the surface for the monster. If he had been trapped in the space with the thirteen steps, he would have died three times over. But Siyu needed only one strike to solve the problem, a natural talent like the top experts in martial arts novels who can see through the "vital points" and defeat the enemy in one move.

[Current Task Completed, All Main Quests Completed]

[You have completed the script, automatic teleportation in 17 seconds]

Jiao Chang said, "No way, that's amazing... I knew you were strong, but this is the first time I've seen you directly take down a boss-level monster. Before, I saw you cut the chandelier in the House of Usher, but I didn't expect you to be so skilled at ghost-killing."

"No, you're the one who's amazing," Siyu replied. "This time, it's all thanks to you."

As they spoke, Eiko had already landed and turned into a pool of black blood. The large group of ghosts and the mass grave illusion disappeared, and the school's scenery reappeared.

The two stood at the school gate, the moonlight illuminating the ground. The "Yie Jie High School" sign appeared again. Everything seemed like a dream, so surreal yet so real. The bizarre and terrifying scenes they had just experienced were still vivid in their minds. The haunted well, the ghostly arm playing the piano, the corpse cradle, the blood-shadowed eyes, the Heaven's Butcher, and Eiko just now. If this script's horror level were to scare someone like Xiaotan, it would be more than enough to make him log out. It was just a matter of whether he would see a change in his fear value during the settlement.

"Let's talk in my meeting room later," Siyu added, implying they should leave the script first.

"Okay, I'll group you after the teleportation," Jiao Chang replied.

They said their goodbyes and were teleported almost simultaneously.

About a minute later, at the school gate, a large, pig-headed shadow pushed a cart with cleaning supplies and slowly approached the pool of black blood.

It dipped the mop in the bucket and began to mop the floor at a leisurely pace. Upon closer inspection, the mop's end was not wrapped with cloth but with black hair.