37. The Fu Couple Appears

Fu Shaohuai bit his finger and began drawing on the floor. Soon, a large, intricate talisman appeared. Once finished, he clutched his chest, a look of smug, twisted triumph on his face. He shouted, "Come out, all of you!"

Instantly, dense black mist flooded the office.

Chi You paused, her hand holding a yellow talisman as she stared at the man slumped on the floor not far away. He was now completely enveloped by the suffocating black smoke. Suddenly, a raspy, jarring, and ancient sound echoed through the room. A large, pitch-black hole tore open in front of the talisman, and a hand covered in squirming maggots reached out from within. A head followed, its cheeks crawling with the same repulsive parasites.

The three of them fell into a stunned silence. It was disgusting—truly nauseating.

"Ugh—" Jiang Pan was the first to break, turning away to lean against a sofa and dry-heave. Who in their right mind would summon something so revolting?

Meng Shuyin soon followed, standing beside Jiang Pan, both of them retching in sync. When the entity finally crawled fully out of the black void, Chi You saw the complete horror of it and joined them, retching in a line.

"It’s too vile. I think he summoned this monster just to gross us out," Meng Shuyin said, her face pale. The mere thought of that creature covered in maggots made her heave again.

Fu Shaohuai crawled up from the floor, blood streaming from his seven orifices, yet he seemed completely indifferent to his own state. Instead, he grinned maniacally at them. "Today is the day you die! Witness the true power of the spirit I have summoned!" He roared with laughter, his voice filling every corner of the office.

At that moment, the Brood Mother appeared silently behind Chi You. Her hair elongated, lashing out at the maggot-ridden monster. The monster retaliated by flinging handfuls of milky-white, black-tainted maggots at her. The Brood Mother used her hair to block them, but the parasites clung to the strands and began crawling toward her at an alarming speed. Forced to act, she shook them off, sending them flying onto the nearby living dead. The maggots burrowed into the corpses through their ears, and within seconds, the living dead—previously immobilized by talismans—jerked back to life. The deathly aura surrounding them intensified; they were beyond saving.

"Stop retching," Chi You said, wiping her mouth and straightening up with a serious expression. "If we keep this up, we’re going to die here."

"Right."

Chi You drew her chainsaw and charged at the repulsive monster. "Meng Shuyin, you deal with the minor ghosts." She gave orders even as she lunged forward. These minor ghosts could not be ignored, and this new monstrosity had to be dealt with.

"Got it." Meng Shuyin pulled out a stack of yellow talismans, many of which had been consecrated. She turned her gaze to the ghosts drifting around the room and began throwing the talismans, not even waiting to see if they hit their mark.

Chi You and Jiang Pan stood together, weapons in hand, facing the "creature" caked in filth and swarming with maggots. They knew that if those parasites entered their bodies, they would be completely controlled.

"Be careful," Chi You warned before revving the chainsaw and rushing in.

"I know!" Meng Shuyin replied.

Jiang Pan fired a shot directly into the monster's head. Fluids splattered everywhere, and even Chi You didn't escape the spray. She caught the stench filling the air and her lips twitched in disgust. "Can't you aim better?" she barked.

Jiang Pan didn't hesitate to fire a second shot. "Apologies," he replied coolly.

Just then, one of the living dead charged at them. Chi You glanced at it. "Sorry about this," she muttered, driving the chainsaw straight into its stomach. The spinning blade churned through flesh and organs, turning everything into a gruesome pulp. It was undeniably repulsive.

Leaning against the wall, Fu Shaohuai watched the scene, his confidence wavering. If those minor ghosts were destroyed, his own end would be near. He didn't want to die. He had to live! He had to find a way out.

Jiang Pan’s bullets flew in rapid succession, giving the enemy no chance to retaliate. Chi You focused on the maggot-infested living dead, while Meng Shuyin chased down the minor ghosts, determined to eradicate them all. In the heat of the struggle, no one noticed Fu Shaohuai biting his finger again, smearing his blood onto the jade pendant at his chest.

The moment the blood touched the jade, it emitted a brilliant flash of light that vanished as quickly as it appeared. Two figures materialized before him—spirits who bore a striking resemblance to Fu Shaohuai.

"Mom, Dad, save me!" Fu Shaohuai cried out, sobbing as he begged for their help.

Seeing their child in such a state, Lady Fu was consumed with rage, as was her husband. Mr. Fu knelt and asked, "My son, who has done this to you?"

Fu Shaohuai pointed a trembling finger at Chi You and her companions. "It's them! They want to kill me; they want to avenge the Director!"

The couple turned their gaze toward the three, their eyes burning with hatred. They had spent immense effort to save their precious son, even leaving him with various contingency plans before their own deaths. They never expected him to be bullied like this by three young girls.

"Husband, we cannot let them go," Lady Fu said, standing tall.

"Agreed."

The two spirits transformed into vengeful ghosts and lunged toward them. Chi You had just finished off one of the living dead when a claw shrouded in black mist suddenly appeared before her. She froze for a split second before diving out of the way.

"You mere wretches dare to harm my son? Die!" Lady Fu shrieked.

Chi You stared at her, speechless. *Where did this ghost come from?*

"Are you Fu Shaohuai's mother?" Chi You asked, steadying herself. "If you are, you should tell him to give up. It would be the best outcome for him."

Lady Fu flew into an even greater rage. "Dream on!" she screamed, charging again.

*Can ghosts engage in hand-to-hand combat?* Chi You frowned, but the black-nailed hands reaching for her left no time for idle thoughts. She dodged quickly and pulled out several talismans—the same ones they had stripped from the doors of the psychiatric hospital. She hadn't thrown them away, keeping them in her pocket, and now, they would finally be put to use.