Free Web NovelChapter 597: Chapter 507: Another World
The woman numbered 24 dashed into the alley on the left, and Yang Xiao along with the middle-aged man numbered 9 had to flee toward the main road nearby. The toppled Water Ghost got up swiftly, its body turning stiffly as it staggered after Yang Xiao and the other man.
Standing on the opposite side, the girl numbered 127 also wanted to run with Yang Xiao and the others. "Don’t come over here, run for yourself!" Yang Xiao shouted as he ran.
Snapping out of her daze, the girl turned and dashed into a narrow lane on her right. The narrow lane was only a few palms wide, and she struggled even to run alone; the ghost probably wouldn’t chase her.
On the main road, Yang Xiao listened as the sounds of sea waves behind them grew nearer, the splashing noises of the Water-wading Ghost like death’s own melody. No matter how fast they ran, they could not escape the pursuit of the Water-wading Ghost. They had even tried to split up, but the lanes on both sides were filled with a strange mist that churned unsettlingly as if something lurked within.
"We can’t run anymore, we can’t outrun it!" Yang Xiao was the first to stop, "It has targeted us!"
The middle-aged man numbered 9 also stopped and turned around, taking out a topple-proof doll aimed at the approaching Water-wading Ghost, panting, "You hold it off for a few seconds, I have a plan!"
"Alright!" Yang Xiao had many ways to stall the ghost. He pulled out the Human Bone Staff, quickly gathering his strength, waiting for an opportunity to knock the Water-wading Ghost down again.
But in the next second, a malevolent thought targeting him subtly emerged behind him. Yang Xiao’s body uncontrollably swayed from side to side as if drunk, even struggling to grip the Human Bone Staff tightly. He was losing his sense of direction, his mind spinning.
With great difficulty, Yang Xiao managed to control his legs and turn around, only to see Man Number 9 with the topple-proof doll aimed at him, his face sinisterly smiling: "Getting rid of you is much easier than dealing with a ghost. Just be a good scapegoat!"
"Damn it..." Yang Xiao had been wary of the man, but the timing of his betrayal was fatal.
Furious, Yang Xiao poured his spiritual power recklessly into the Ghost Lantern. As the green light enveloped his entire body, the negative effects of the topple-proof doll quickly diminished. Seeing this, the middle-aged man at Number 9 looked flustered for a moment, then shook the doll in his hands even harder.
He didn’t need to kill Yang Xiao; he just needed to keep him in place until the Water-wading Ghost arrived, a classic case of using another’s hand to kill someone. freewebnσvel.cѳm
But Yang Xiao wouldn’t give him another chance. Seizing the moment, he swung his staff. Due to his still swaying body, his aim was off, and Man Number 9 dodged it with a swift sidestep while loudly jeering, "Hahaha, such a treasure, soon to be mine!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the man seemed to be struck hard on the back of his head, spinning through the air and crashing at Yang Xiao’s feet.
The Human Bone Staff, with its ability to track its target, had missed at first but returned, striking the man on the back of his head - a blow that could hardly be considered light. The man lay twitching on the ground, eyes rolling, with only his right eye barely able to see.
"You cur!" Freed from control, Yang Xiao stepped forward and delivered a fierce kick, knocking the man unconscious. He then picked up the half-dead man and threw him at the feet of the Water-wading Ghost before running off without looking back.
After running for about fifty meters and hearing no more splashing behind him, Yang Xiao finally looked back. By then, number 9 was completely entangled in a ragged fishing net, only his head sticking out as the Water-wading Ghost dragged the net towards the dark depths of the sea.
As the net tightened, the man’s bones snapped one by one. He let out desperate and helpless screams that lasted for less than 10 seconds before abruptly stopping. The man died from his shattered skeleton, but the tightening net continued its grim task, grinding his body in a manner reminiscent of a meat grinder, and chunks of flesh the size of fists fell through the net’s openings - a sight so gruesome it was unbearable to watch.
After killing the man, the Water-wading Ghost turned and walked back into the sea, fading away as the sea swallowed its head, followed by a rapid retreat of both the sea water and the mist, leaving behind only a vast expanse of mud.
The ground was littered with the minced remains. Just minutes before, a man full of life, now lay like unwanted meat on a butcher’s stall.
Man number 9 was not weak; having survived a full-force strike from Yang Xiao’s staff without reverting to a child showed his strength, nearly reaching the Fierce Grade. If only he hadn’t harbored so much malice, working together with Yang Xiao, they might have both survived.
Unfortunately, there were no ifs, only outcomes. The outcome was that Yang Xiao survived, while Man Number 9 died in the Water-wading Ghost’s net.
Shortly afterward, the previously scattered girl numbered 127 and the old man numbered 189 also made their way back. As the gray fog dissipated, the ghostly presence also vanished from the village, but this was certainly not the end. They needed to find a way to deal with this ghost.
This Water-wading Ghost resembled the ghosts in Nightmare World; after killing one person, it would disappear for a while, just as it had after killing Man number 40 last time.
As he watched the direction in which the ghost had vanished, Old Man number 189 spoke hoarsely, his back to Yang Xiao: "Did you see clearly? That is a Sea Girl."
"A Sea Girl?" The girl numbered 127 looked puzzled.
"It’s a Pearl Gatherer, a very ancient profession. Sea Girls have lived by the sea for generations, are excellent swimmers, and can dive deep into the sea to collect pearl shells without any breathing apparatus. To prevent accidents, they tie a rope around their waist. If they encounter any problems underwater, they pull the rope, and their husbands in small boats above pull on the other end of the rope."
"But there’s a rumor that once a Sea Girl’s husband grows weary of her, he’ll take her to remote, dangerous waters for pearl collecting. Once the Sea Girl dives in, he cuts the rope and sails back alone," Yang Xiao recalled.
