Chapter 6

Chen Hong had said that points were very important and that one needed to do everything possible to obtain them. However, if one lost their life, what use would those points be? In Zhao Zhu's view, having points should allow one to exchange for something that could increase their chances of survival in the next mission world, rather than simply pursuing points at all costs.

Given this, Zhao Zhu decided to abandon the side mission. What was the worst that could happen, failure?

Zhao Zhu walked down the stairs to the first floor, pushed open the door, and stepped out onto the street. After a brief hesitation, he chose to walk east. The town was so desolate at this time because the other ghosts had been lured away by Chen Hong. If he lingered too long, and those ghosts returned, it would be uncertain whether he could leave.

However, what Zhao Zhu did not expect was that the female ghost would also be holding Huahua's hand and following him. The female ghost's face was filled with an increasingly intense resentment, while Huahua's expression remained blank.

As he walked, Zhao Zhu felt his feet becoming lighter and his body more buoyant, as if he were about to lose his balance and start floating. Then, the same dizziness and nausea returned, and Zhao Zhu fell to the ground again. This time, when he got up, he found himself outside the town, sitting on a pile of dry grass. In front of him was a small Western-style house for the dead, the same one he had entered earlier.

All around were graves and similar small Western-style houses.

Next to him lay a girl who looked exactly like the Huahua the female ghost had been holding, who must have been the girl the villager had lost.

"Come, let's go home, little sister."

Although there were still some things he hadn't figured out, Zhao Zhu knew he couldn't stay here long. He picked up Huahua, who was still unconscious but felt unusually heavy, almost as heavy as an adult man.

After a few steps, Zhao Zhu felt he couldn't move anymore and had to put Huahua down. He then took out the small bottle again and applied some ox tears to his eyes. When he looked at Huahua again, he saw that the female ghost was still on her. It made sense why she felt so heavy.

The female ghost glared at Zhao Zhu with intense hatred but made no other move.

Zhao Zhu was at a loss. Perhaps Chen Hong had a way to deal with these spirits, but he was just a psychiatrist. He had many methods to deal with mental illness, but he was clueless about how to deal with ghosts. There was no way he could carry such a heavy Huahua back to the village.

Looking around, Zhao Zhu noticed many branches nearby, about the thickness of chopsticks. He suddenly remembered some ghost stories and movies he had read and seen, where Taoist priests or monks would use chopsticks to pinch the left ring finger of a person possessed by a ghost, which would drive the ghost away.

It was worth a try, even if it didn't work.

Zhao Zhu picked up two branches of similar thickness, squatted down, and grabbed Huahua's left hand. The female ghost, who was still on Huahua, was very close to Zhao Zhu, seemingly watching what he was about to do.

He pinched Huahua's left ring finger with the branches and twisted hard. Huahua, who was unconscious, suddenly let out a painful scream, followed by a scream from the female ghost, who then floated off Huahua's body.

It worked!

Zhao Zhu felt a sense of accomplishment. He was just an ordinary person, but he had managed to deal with a ghost. It was indeed a good feeling.

However, Zhao Zhu didn't linger. He quickly picked up Huahua again, who now felt much lighter. He started running through the forest, hoping to return to the village and complete the side mission as soon as possible.

Zhao Zhu ran fast, and his physical condition was good. He practiced kickboxing in his free time. However, what made him frown slightly was that the female ghost was still following him, but not possessing Huahua. Since she wasn't causing trouble, Zhao Zhu decided not to deal with her.

The village was in sight. At the entrance, Zhao Zhu saw the villager, Huahua's father, waiting anxiously. Beside him stood Chen Hong, who was drenched.

Seeing Zhao Zhu carrying Huahua back, the villager ran over, took Huahua from Zhao Zhu, and ran back to the village, repeatedly thanking him.

Chen Hong approached and threw a handkerchief at Zhao Zhu. The handkerchief, which had been soaked in well water, was cool and refreshing. However, Zhao Zhu didn't forget to remind Chen Hong:

"That girl is still following me."

"I saw. The talisman I gave you is a ghost-attracting talisman. The ghost it's attached to will follow you."

"Aren't you afraid I'll really be killed by that ghost? I wandered around their ghost house."

"Why be afraid? I lured away the other ghosts. It's just one female ghost, who is lonely and wants a girl to keep her company. She's not a vicious ghost. At most, she might try to charm you. The cat spirit couldn't even charm you that night. A regular female ghost can't charm you either."

"As long as you don't make mistakes or give up, returning safely isn't difficult. I had a tough time, being chased by a group of ghosts in the mountains. I almost disturbed some spirits and even a tomb with a wild zombie. Fortunately, I was careful. Otherwise, if I had provoked the spirits in the mountains, not only would we be in trouble, but the village might be wiped out."

"Fine, fine, do as you please. I'm tired. I'll go back to the mortuary to burn incense for the old men in the coffins. You deal with that girl. I don't want to find her lying next to me when I sleep."

The mortuary in the village was only occupied by Zhao Zhu and Chen Hong. The village wasn't very large, but the mortuary had many coffins. It was also strange that there were so many small cement houses for the dead, which seemed to be a recent trend in the real world.

In Zhao Zhu's view, this was a bug in the "Horror Web Novel" world. He had often found various bugs and loopholes in web novels before, but they usually didn't affect the overall story. However, these bugs might be useful.

Zhao Zhu first checked on the little zombie, who was still lying quietly in the coffin with a talisman on his forehead. He then continued to burn incense, placing three sticks in front of each coffin. After paying his respects, he saw some fruit on a table, which Chen Hong had probably brought. He wiped the fruit on his clothes and ate it, then lay down on a pile of straw. It was already dusk, and Chen Hong hadn't returned. Zhao Zhu felt sleepy and closed his eyes.

...

Zhao Zhu didn't sleep well, having several strange dreams. He eventually couldn't sleep anymore and opened his eyes, finding his clothes drenched in sweat.

Chen Hong was keeping watch. Seeing Zhao Zhu awake, she pointed to two large bowls on the ground and said:

"Drink them. One is ginger soup, and the other is talisman water. You wandered around the ghost house, and you're a living person. If you don't drink the talisman water to ward off evil, you might get sick. There are a few days left in the mission world. If you get sick, you'll have to rely on your own luck."

Zhao Zhu didn't speak, first picking up the talisman water and drinking it in one go. The taste was terrible, and he felt dizzy afterward. His sweat seemed to increase. He then drank the warm ginger soup, feeling a warm sensation spread through his body, making him feel much better.

"Thanks, your skills are good. When we return to the real world, I can come to you for a meal."

Zhao Zhu wasn't flattering; the ginger soup was indeed delicious.

"My home is in Liaoning. Where's yours?"

"Guangzhou."

"That's quite a distance for a free meal."

"Ha, after entering this cursed place, who would still want to work peacefully?"

"Still, some people continue to work. I know many people who live normal lives, work, and earn salaries. When it's their turn, they enter the mission world to complete dangerous tasks and then return to the real world to continue their family and work life."

"Damn, are those people crazy?"

"Indeed, they are a bit crazy. It's said that after completing 20 missions, one can leave this circle and return to a normal life. The people I mentioned have already completed more than 10 missions. I've only completed five, including this one. The missions get harder, and the success rate decreases."

"Don't worry, stay calm. I find it quite interesting. Zombies, female ghosts, cat spirits—these are things I never thought I'd see in my life. It's a special experience, not a life of aimlessness."

Chen Hong looked into Zhao Zhu's eyes and said, "You can check if you have a mental illness."

"Spending too much time with those mentally ill people, I'm bound to be affected," Zhao Zhu laughed.

Just as they finished speaking, all the coffins in the mortuary began to make a "rustling" sound, a terrifying scene.

Zhao Zhu and Chen Hong exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

Could it be that all the bodies in the mortuary were coming back to life?