Chapter 10

Ma Quandan, although hospitalized, had been staying in a private, high-end ward due to his private relationship with the second boss. He had no interaction with us, so I never expected him to appear here.

When I looked at him, he also lowered his head to look at me.

He was almost no different from a normal person, except for his eyes, which were like those of a rat, vicious and fierce, as if they could bite you at any moment.

Could it be that the guy who was smashing the iron door outside the morgue just now was him?

Ma Quandan's appearance was something I never expected. I instinctively took a step back and immediately leaned against the wall.

Ma Quandan, who walked into the guard room, actually smiled at me and said, "Where do you think you're running to?"

His voice was extremely hoarse, like the sound of sandpaper rubbing against glass, very unpleasant. And I knew right away that this was not Ma Quandan's voice.

In other words, he was possessed, just like Officer Lin!

I instinctively glanced at Ma Quandan's hands and saw that they were covered in fresh blood, the bones of his fists clearly visible. This confirmed that he was the one who had been smashing the door outside the morgue.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Ma Quandan took another step closer and said menacingly, "Do you think you can escape?"

With him blocking the door, I knew I couldn't escape. Thinking of how he had smashed the iron door to pieces, I knew that no matter how I resisted, I couldn't escape. At this thought, I felt a sense of relief, and my tension eased. I asked him, "Why are you trying to harm me?"

Ma Quandan smiled sardonically and said, "What do you think?"

I felt my knees go weak and barely managed to stand against the wall. I said to him, "Master, I know I was wrong. Last time, I really didn't have any money. If you let me go, I'll even sell everything I have to burn some incense for you at your temple!"

Ma Quandan sneered and said, "If you had known this would happen, why didn't you think of it earlier?"

With this, he admitted it.

I almost wanted to kneel and beg him to spare me, but remembering the death spell drawn under my bed and his willingness to use lethal force, I knew he was ruthless and wouldn't be swayed by my pleas. I begged, "Master, at least give me a way out, a chance to live?"

Ma Quandan stared at me for a while, then shook his head and said, "I didn't see through you before, but now that I have, how can I let you live?"

Seeing him stride over, I knew begging was useless. I reached out and grabbed the thermos the guard used for tea, smashing it over his head.

The plastic thermos hit Ma Quandan's head hard, shattering the inner flask and scalding him with boiling water.

I tried to take advantage of the chaos to escape, but he grabbed me.

His hands were cold like ice. He grabbed my neck, and I struggled, but he threw me to the ground. My back came into contact with the broken glass from the TV screen, causing intense pain. Ma Quandan cackled and pressed down on me, his breath foul and acidic.

"Ghost Mother's soul, you're a precious one," he muttered.

Black saliva dripped from his mouth onto my face. I struggled fiercely but was pinned down, my neck squeezed tightly, unable to move.

A few seconds later, I felt a tearing pain in my lungs, unable to breathe, my brain starved of oxygen, my eyes rolling up.

Am I going to die?

At this thought, I just wanted to cry.

If I had known this would be my end, I would have borrowed the money to pay the toll that day.

If I had, how could I have ended up like this?

Due to the lack of oxygen, my vision blurred. Just as I thought I was about to die, the hand around my neck suddenly loosened.

And soon, I no longer felt the force from his hand.

I took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and saw that Ma Quandan's face was now wrapped in a dozen or so red lines, like a fishing net, tightly binding him.

Ma Quandan's face was distorted, and smoke was rising from the red lines.

The scene was like a sauna.

This near-death experience left me dazed, but I soon realized that Ma Quandan hadn't let go out of mercy, but because someone had appeared behind him.

Someone I thought was already dead.

Luo Ping.

He was still wearing the white sheet from the morgue, but his face no longer had the disgusting corpse spots; instead, it was flushed. He held two red threads in his hands and was muttering incantations.

Not only was he not dead, but he had also used the magical red threads to restrain Ma Quandan?

I was bewildered, my mind struggling to process what was happening. Ma Quandan, who was on top of me, seemed unwilling to be captured and struggled fiercely, but the red threads held him tightly, and he couldn't break free.

The struggle was intense. After a few seconds, Luo Ping shouted, and Ma Quandan's clothes suddenly tore, revealing his well-built body.

I had seen Ma Quandan without a shirt several times in the dormitory hallway, but this time, I noticed many dark blue tattoos on his body, intricate and complex. On his chest was something I recognized very well.

This thing had appeared in my nightmares countless times.

It was the statue we had seen in the dilapidated temple near Mang Mountain. The black eyes were particularly lifelike.

After a while, Luo Ping stood up and shouted.

"Stop!"

The incredibly strong Ma Quandan fell to the ground beside me. Luo Ping, having finished his incantation, looked down at me coldly and said, "Are you okay?"

Although I didn't know what had happened, I knew Luo Ping wouldn't harm me. I pushed Ma Quandan away, stood up, and thanked him gratefully, "I'm fine, I'm fine. Thank you, Master Luo..."

He had saved my life, and I was extremely grateful, but when I thanked him, Luo Ping seemed cold.

He glanced at the limp Officer Lin at the door, then turned back, grabbed my chest, and whispered in my ear, "Listen up, kid. To be honest, if it weren't for Xue'er, I wouldn't have given a damn about someone like you, so don't thank me. Also, I warn you, I saw you holding Xue'er's hand. Kid, forget about it. A toad eating a swan? Don't even think about it..."

I was originally grateful to this man, but his contemptuous remarks extinguished all my gratitude.

He was right. If it weren't for Officer Lin, he probably wouldn't have bothered with me.

He saved me just to please Officer Lin.

What did it have to do with me?

Thinking this, I felt disheartened. Although I had many questions, I didn't dare ask, fearing he might turn on me and make me look foolish.

After scolding me, Luo Ping turned around, walked to the door, squatted down, and took out a white porcelain bottle from his waist. He carefully shook out a yellow pill, gently pried open Officer Lin's lips, and inserted the pill. Then he rubbed her face and shoulders, muttering incantations.

Although I knew he was trying to save her, seeing him touch her face and shoulders made me jealous.

Fortunately, Officer Lin soon woke up. Seeing Luo Ping, she instinctively took a step back, then looked around and asked, "What's the situation?"

Luo Ping said proudly, "Don't worry. How could I not handle it? The recent deaths are all related to this guy—actually, to the spirit tattoo on his body. Once I found the key, everything was solved..."

Officer Lin, supporting herself against the wall, got up. Seeing me, she asked about my condition. I told her I was fine, and then she asked Luo Ping to explain what had happened.

Luo Ping then recounted everything that had happened.

He had brought us to the morgue to lure the enemy out.

Once inside, he used a breath-holding technique to feign death, avoiding detection, and used us as bait to draw out the hidden threats. Finally, he stepped in to capture them all.

From their conversation, I realized that Officer Lin knew part of Luo Ping's plan, making me the only one who was completely clueless and had been in constant fear, almost dying.

Thinking this, I felt even more uncomfortable.

But he had saved me, so I didn't dare show any emotion. Luo Ping didn't bother to explain many details, only telling us that the matter was almost resolved. As for investigating the situation at Mang Mountain, that would be up to Officer Lin and her superiors.

Soon, a dozen people rushed into the morgue, and I was carried away. Before leaving, I saw Officer Lin and Luo Ping chatting, seemingly oblivious to me.

Was everything over?

I didn't know what would happen next, but two days later, I noticed my condition improving. My fever subsided, and I felt more energetic. The blood-red death spell under my bed was gone.

Everything was getting better, but just before I was about to be discharged, the doctor called me to his office after a full-body check-up.

He looked serious and asked if my family was nearby.