Volume One: Phantom Tower Chapter Twenty: The Tragic Fate of Cheng Fan

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As the door opened on its own, Cheng Fan’s eyes immediately widened.

It seemed his guess was correct: not only could blood suppress the female ghost’s true form, but it could also break her sealing abilities.

However, even if blood could break the door’s seal, the effect was destined to last only briefly. This was because the ghost’s resistance to blood had greatly increased; she herself had grown stronger. After all, the ghost’s powers were subject to the same rules.

Opportunity waits for no one!

Sure enough, as soon as the door opened, Cheng Fan seized the moment and sprinted out, instantly reaching the corridor outside.

At the moment he dashed out, Cheng Fan was overwhelmed with joy.

He was free—finally escaped from what had seemed a certain death!

What was both coincidental and terrifying was that, barely a second after he ran out, the door slammed shut again.

The blood’s ability to break the seal was indeed fleeting!

Unfortunately, it was too late to close the door now; it no longer affected Cheng Fan.

Glancing back at the door, he immediately ran toward the staircase on the right.

From then on, he began a desperate run down the corridor, clutching his left arm to staunch the bleeding, staggering as he went.

Cheng Fan had lost count of how many times he had risked his life fleeing. It felt as though ever since the start of this ordeal, he’d been running back and forth. He’d narrowly escaped the ghost’s pursuit countless times. Though evading her was a matter of survival, this couldn’t continue forever.

You might get lucky and escape her once, twice, even three or four times, but it was only a temporary fix. No matter how skilled or fortunate you were, as long as you remained in the building, sooner or later the ghost would catch you. The only end was death.

Moreover, after several near-death experiences, his condition was dire: exhaustion drained his strength, his mind spun with dizziness, his spirit was fading, and worst of all, his left arm kept bleeding.

He couldn’t go on like this. He had to find a way out—truly a way out.

To do that, he needed a quiet place to think, because no one could think clearly while running.

With this in mind, Cheng Fan pulled out his phone and, confirming it was 4:17, gritted his teeth and stopped going down the stairs. Instead, he turned into a side corridor.

Once there, he didn’t immediately hide; he took off his jacket and pulled out a small knife to cut it.

In no time, he used strips of fabric from the jacket to bandage his injured left arm.

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“Phew!”

Seeing the bleeding finally stop, Cheng Fan exhaled deeply. Though it was only a simple bandage without disinfectant or medicine, it would at least keep him alive for now. Anything was better than continuous bleeding. Even if infection was inevitable, that was a problem for later.

Putting his jacket back on, he began scanning the surroundings for a suitable hiding spot.

Footsteps came echoing nearby—quick, urgent, approaching.

Instinctively, Cheng Fan turned toward the sound, looking back at the central staircase.

Under his gaze, a figure all too familiar darted anxiously into the corridor.

A slender silhouette, tall frame, long legs, and a face both beautiful and yet unwelcome to Cheng Fan’s eyes.

Zhao Linxuan.

The person approaching was none other than Zhao Linxuan, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time!

By a twist of fate, the two who had split up early had met again.

But it seemed she had just survived a life-or-death ordeal. Zhao Linxuan’s steps faltered, sweat beaded on her forehead, and her complexion was deathly pale.

Every detail was true, but none of that mattered now. What mattered was this:

As Cheng Fan saw Zhao Linxuan, she saw him too.

Seeing him standing in the side corridor, Zhao Linxuan suddenly stopped.

For a moment, neither moved; their eyes locked, and silence fell over the scene.

The gaze didn’t last long, nor did the silence. Seconds later, Zhao Linxuan’s expression darkened visibly, morphing into something fierce, even ferocious. Her eyes, once familiar, now blazed with anger.

“I found you. Finally, I found you!”

With a roar, Zhao Linxuan charged straight at Cheng Fan.

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Cheng Fan never in his wildest dreams imagined that when he met Zhao Linxuan again, her attitude would change so drastically—not just hostile, but as if seeing an enemy, her face filled with fury as she rushed at him.

“Ah!”

Startled by her fierce look, Cheng Fan screamed and turned to run.

Of course, with his keen mind, he vaguely guessed why Zhao Linxuan was so enraged upon seeing him.

As expected, she must have figured out his plan—that he had deliberately been avoiding her. The excuse he gave when leaving before was just that, an excuse. He didn’t want to be her shield anymore.

His guess was almost spot-on. His sudden flight matched the situation perfectly. To Cheng Fan, Zhao Linxuan was too unpredictable; staying near her meant the ghost would always come after him first.

Unfortunately, injured as he was, even though he chose to run decisively after seeing Zhao Linxuan, he couldn’t outrun her.

Just as he was about to round the stairwell corner, he was caught—Zhao Linxuan tackled him from behind!

Thud!

“Ah! Zhao Linxuan, what are you doing? Let me go! Let me go!”

Struggling beneath her, Cheng Fan twisted, trying to get up. But Zhao Linxuan was faster. After just a couple of struggles, she swiftly mounted him, pinning him down so tightly that he couldn’t move at all. He hadn’t expected such strength from this seemingly fragile woman—her power even surpassed his own.

What shocked Cheng Fan even more was…

“Why? Why have you been deliberately avoiding me!?”

Smack!

“Ugh!”

No sooner had she mounted him than Zhao Linxuan’s furious questions were accompanied by a punch to his face, then another, beating him mercilessly. Cheng Fan cried out in pain, utterly powerless to resist.

She punched him more than a dozen times, until blood poured from his mouth and he seemed close to being beaten to death. Only then did she stop, rising to her feet and planting her foot hard on his chest.

Still fierce and merciless, Zhao Linxuan demanded again, “Tell me—why did you sneak away?”