Chapter 8

Kill me.

He actually came to kill me.

Wu Xiaode tried to keep himself calm and asked in a low voice, "Who wants to kill me?"

"Really don't know. We just take the money and do the job; we can't ask too many questions, that's the rule," the thug said.

No wonder someone stabbed me in the heart from behind during a typical street fight.

Bullying Xia Huilan at the alley entrance was just a ruse. They knew she was close to me. So they used her to make me step forward, and then kill me in the chaos!

This was a meticulously planned murder!

—That's why fate sent me to the death pit.

Numerous thoughts flashed through Wu Xiaode's mind. He pointed at the female corpse and asked, "What's going on with this female corpse?"

"Don't know. She was already here when we set the fire."

The thug's face showed some hesitation.

"You seem to be holding back?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"… This female corpse is a bit eerie. When we were discussing how to kill you in front of her, she lifted her head and looked at us. The others were so scared they ran away, but I stayed to complete the task," the thug said, his face pale.

Wu Xiaode saw deep fear in the thug's eyes.

No wonder the thug spilled everything as soon as he was left alone.

Wu Xiaode pondered and walked back, standing in front of the female corpse, then slowly squatted down to face her.

The female corpse had a very ordinary face, with lividity already appearing on her skin. The heat from the flames made her hair start to curl slightly.

It was getting too hot to stay here.

Wu Xiaode took a deep breath, just as his phone rang in his pocket.

The phone automatically connected, and Zhao Junyu's voice came through:

"Wu Xiaode, I know this call is abrupt, but I just received some information, so I must seriously warn you:"

"Absolutely do not investigate Xia Huilan's affairs. If you do, you will die!"

"Understood." Wu Xiaode hung up the phone.

He pondered for a moment, then extended his hands to lift the female corpse's head, and said in a deep voice, "Why is someone targeting Xia Huilan?"

The thug watched from the side, almost screaming, "You're crazy! You're actually talking to this eerie corpse!"

"Shut up." Wu Xiaode frowned.

—His worldview had long been shattered.

He had even seen a one-eyed giant on a mountain of corpses.

And slapped it in the face.

What's a human female corpse compared to that?

After a moment,

The female corpse slowly lifted her head, opened her dull eyes, and stared at Wu Xiaode, her voice dry and raspy: "You… if you get involved in her affairs, your fate will be death."

"She paid my tuition." Wu Xiaode said.

"So you're doing this out of gratitude. I actually want to kill someone like you," the female corpse said.

"Where is Xia Huilan?" Wu Xiaode insisted.

"… Do you want to play a game with me?" the female corpse grinned, revealing a strange smile.

"What kind of game?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"One person answers the other's question, then the other asks a question, and so on until neither of you has any more questions to ask," the female corpse said.

Wu Xiaode was about to speak when the Book of the Dead opened in mid-air, displaying a few lines of icy text:

"This dark magic uses a corpse and evil spirits to cast a curse, which is related to death, so this book can interpret it."

"The rules of the dark magic are as follows:"

"You must take turns answering each other's questions before you can ask your own."

"Anyone who lies during the Q&A will turn into a new puppet, to be controlled by the master of the dark magic."

No lying!

Wu Xiaode's heart skipped a beat.

The room was too hot, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead, asking, "Why is there a female corpse here?"

"Because I like to scare people this way. Sometimes it really brings out the main target," the female corpse said with a grin.

She was laughing one second, and the next, her face turned cold, asking, "Xia Huilan was supposed to stay at home tonight. Why did she escape?"

Wu Xiaode said, "When I talked to my sister, I told her to be careful—Who is targeting my sister?"

The female corpse answered and asked, "The executives of the United Manufacturing Machinery Company want the technology she created—When you talked to your sister, what did she say?"

"Your sister." Wu Xiaode said.

"That's not what I asked." The female corpse glared with lifeless eyes, her voice icy.

"I didn't lie when I answered your question, so your magic can't kill me—Tell me, what do you really want?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"The company executives want to seize her technology and then kill her—When you told her to be careful, what did she say?" the female corpse asked.

"She said she would go back to the countryside—What's your relationship with the company?" Wu Xiaode said.

"Employment. They will give me a piece of tech equipment I'm interested in after the job is done—What do you mean by 'countryside'?" the female corpse asked.

"The pinyin for countryside is xiāng xià, which generally refers to areas outside the city—How will you stop hunting her?" Wu Xiaode said.

"You're dodging the question!" the female corpse said angrily.

"I'm telling the truth!" Wu Xiaode also said angrily, "—Tell me, how will you stop hunting her?"

The dark magic continued, and the female corpse had to answer:

"Unless the employer cancels the contract or is unable to pay the reward—Where was Xia Huilan born?" the female corpse said.

"Countryside—it's my turn to ask, how many people are in your group?" Wu Xiaode said.

"More than 700, including people from the Imperial Guard Bureau—Damn it, I asked where she was born, tell me the name of the place!" the female corpse asked.

"Hospital! She was born in a hospital! I can guarantee this is true—it's my turn to ask, how many people are in your group?" Wu Xiaode asked.

"11."

The female corpse's head tilted, and she became completely still.

Wu Xiaode looked puzzled.

—We were getting along just fine a moment ago.

Why did you stop?

He looked at the Book of the Dead, which displayed more icy text:

"The person controlling the corpse has abandoned this dark magic Q&A."

"Note, the other party still has the right to ask one more question. If you lie, the dark magic will take effect immediately."

The flames crackled.

Wu Xiaode fell silent.

Is the other party temporarily retreating?

The Book of the Dead trembled and continued to display more icy text:

"The one talking to you just now was not the woman's soul."

"The woman's soul is sealed in the corpse, controlled by a dark magic user. To break this curse, you must cause it great pain."

"If you fail, the corpse will become a malevolent entity, with the sole purpose of killing all living things."

Wu Xiaode was surprised.

The Book of the Dead could provide advice and explanations about death and souls, something he had never considered.

—He thought it was just for collecting souls.

The female corpse's one eye turned into a dark, lifeless void, while the other eye glowed with a spiritual light, continuously shedding tears.

Wu Xiaode took a step forward, gently stroking the female corpse's hair, and held her in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, the pain will pass soon. We can't go down the wrong path… I'll see you off, okay?" he said softly.

"Okay, thank you." The female corpse said.

This was the woman's voice, not the previous one.

In other words—

This was her soul.

She agreed!

Wu Xiaode extended his hand and gently tapped the woman's head.

Iron Wire Fist · Bursting Power!

Bursting Power can destroy the internal structure of objects. This gentle tap shattered the female corpse's entire skeleton.

Her brain turned into a mush.

The female corpse slowly lifted her head to look at Wu Xiaode, her voice sharp and raspy, "It hurts… too much… why can't you be gentler?"

—This was the dark magic user controlling the corpse!

Wu Xiaode didn't want to talk to him, but the dark magic was still in effect.

He had to answer the question!

"Girls are meant to be cherished." Wu Xiaode said seriously.

The truth!

The female corpse glared at him, opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Bang!

A light sound, and black blood flowed from the female corpse's seven orifices.

Her dark, lifeless eyes returned to normal, and a slight smile appeared on her lips, the怨气 (resentment) on her face completely dissipated, as if she was somewhat happy.

"Thank you." The female corpse said softly.

—This was a woman's voice!

Suddenly, a "clang" sounded in the air.

A bright star appeared.

The Book of the Dead immediately displayed new icy text:

"You have freed the soul from the sealed corpse. It is free now."

"The female corpse's soul is extremely grateful to you, but her power is too weak, so she can only light one star for you."

"You have gained some of her memories: Operating Manual for Cultivation Vessel 92025."

The flames entered the house.

The female corpse said, "I have been freed. Before I go, I can tell you that I was actually Xia Huilan's colleague, and we were close. I died in the company, and my body was used and ultimately sealed here, almost turning into a non-human entity."

"Understood, thank you." Wu Xiaode said sincerely.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

The female corpse slowly lowered her head.

This time, she was truly dead.

Wu Xiaode frowned.

Things were getting complicated.

The United Company was a behemoth, with immense power.

He and Xia Huilan were mere ants in front of them.

The company had already started eliminating everyone associated with Xia Huilan.

This woman was one such case, and he was another.

Wu Xiaode didn't have time to think further or to examine the new knowledge in his memories.

The flames licked the windows, trying to enter the house.

The temperature was almost unbearable.

However, there was one more thing to resolve—

The thug asked, "Buddy, do you know what's going on with this corpse?"

"I don't understand, but I'm deeply shocked." Wu Xiaode said.

The thug couldn't help but scream, "Are you crazy! You were talking to a corpse, do you know that?"

He looked at Wu Xiaode, feeling like he was going insane.

The biggest mistake of his life was taking this job.

When I had a fruit knife, this guy had two knives;

When I had a machete, he had a gun, and his fists were as hard as iron.

Now he casually tied me up and could talk to the dead—

What the hell is going on!

Wu Xiaode turned around, took out a tissue to wipe the blood from the thug's mouth, and straightened his collar, saying softly:

"Two days ago, I took the college entrance exam… I did pretty well, and I want to go to college, work part-time, and study hard to learn some skills."

The firelight cast his shadow, and the smoke boiled on the ceiling like boiling water.

"After graduation, I plan to take the civil service exam. If I don't pass, I can still work in a technical field."

"Either way, I can support myself and save some money."

"Maybe I can even get married and have children."

"In short, I'm prepared. My foreign language skills are decent, and when I'm old, I want to travel the world, see the beautiful landscapes and cultures—"

"But when you stabbed me, all of that was gone."

Wu Xiaode sighed, patted the thug's shoulder, and said, "From now on, I won't hold it against you for stabbing me."

"—We'll meet again in the world."

He tore a piece of cloth to gag the thug, turned around, and walked out of the room.

The fire spread quickly, almost reaching him, but he managed to close the door in time, slightly blocking the smoke and flames.

The corridor was full of thick smoke.

Wu Xiaode lightly leaped, passing through the smoke, and landed on a tree branch, looking back at the residential building.

The entire building was like a monster's torch, burning the corpses and souls of all living beings.