Volume One: The Ghost Mansion Chapter 24: The Scapegoat

Feeling the howling, icy wind behind her, Zhao Linxuan, who was chasing Zhou Cheng down the corridor, felt her expression change drastically.

Although she knew the ghost's resistance to blood would gradually increase over time, she never imagined that in less than an hour, the restraining effect of the blood would have plummeted so sharply. After being splashed, the ghost had only been frozen for five seconds!

Five seconds. Just five seconds. Such a short immobilization period had completely shattered her plan. In her original strategy, she intended to catch up to Zhou Cheng while the ghost was incapacitated, grab him, and flee to another floor, where she would be relatively safe. However, with the ghost breaking free so quickly, her plans were in tatters.

Hearing the laughter, she looked back in a panic and saw that the ghost had indeed recovered, flying through the air with terrifying speed and appearing ready to snatch her at any moment.

Two breaths later, as the ghost reached her, barely a meter away from grabbing her, Zhao Linxuan resorted to her old trick. Without hesitation, she threw her last backup bag of blood.

Splash!

As the blood splattered, the ghost was immobilized once again. Yet, Zhao Linxuan felt no relief; instead, she felt an even deeper, mounting terror.

The reason was simple: a realization had just struck her, a terrifying fact that made her soul shiver the moment it crossed her mind. In her memory, the duration of Zhou Cheng’s skill was thirty seconds.

What did this mean? It meant that for those thirty seconds, the ghost would completely ignore Zhou Cheng and focus all its attacks on her. But the ghost only needed five seconds to break free from the blood. Even if she had more blood bags, it would change nothing; it would only delay her death by a few seconds, which was nowhere near enough to help her escape the danger.

If nothing unexpected happened, she was doomed.

As if to confirm her prediction, the ghost—which had just been frozen solid—recovered and charged toward her again, shrouded in a chilling gale. Moving as fast as a storm, it closed the distance in two more breaths.

Those ghostly hands, reaching out to claim her life, were about to pierce through her.

No! I don’t want to die! I have to live, no matter what!

Seeing the ghost closing in and realizing she was on the verge of death, Zhao Linxuan’s expression shifted. Her face twisted into a savage mask, and a ruthless, murderous glint erupted in her eyes. Just before the ghost reached her, she lunged forward, grabbing Zhou Cheng.

Then, under Zhou Cheng’s look of utter astonishment, she yanked him behind her, using him as a human shield.

The next instant…

Squish!

"Ugh!"

With a shrill, agonizing scream from Zhou Cheng, the scene unfolded: the ghost’s right arm had plunged deep into his stomach.

As blood sprayed, the ghost was frozen on the spot without question. Because the blood was gushing continuously, the immobilization held. But it was meaningless; completely meaningless. Even if the ghost were frozen for a long time, Zhou Cheng’s fate was sealed. The young man with the dyed hair was done for—the only difference was that he hadn't died yet and still held a thread of life.

Trembling, Zhou Cheng managed to turn his head to look at Zhao Linxuan behind him. Staring at her vicious expression, he suddenly understood everything. He understood why Cheng Fan had slipped away alone earlier, and why Zhao Linxuan had kept him around after Cheng Fan left. So that was it.

Filled with bitter resentment, Zhou Cheng’s lips moved as he whispered to her: "You… you are so cruel… you won’t have a good end…"

Zhao Linxuan did not hear his final words. In fact, before he could finish, she had already turned and bolted toward the nearest staircase. Her plan had succeeded. By using Zhou Cheng as a perfect pawn, he had taken the ghost’s strike in her stead, and his continuously gushing blood would ensure the ghost remained frozen long enough for her to escape.

As for causing Zhou Cheng’s death?

Too bad. As long as she survived, his death was irrelevant. He was just an idiot, after all. To such a mindless fool, his only purpose was to serve as a scapegoat for others.

And so it was. While the ghost remained immobilized, Zhao Linxuan slipped away and dove into the adjacent stairwell. Then, she began to run without pause.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

Along the endless flight of stairs, she ignored the toll on her stamina and climbed upward.

Meanwhile, in the corridor, just as Zhao Linxuan had predicted, the ghost remained frozen due to the blood flowing from the fatal wound. Zhou Cheng, mortally injured, had lost all his strength. He could only watch as his lifeblood drained away, his consciousness fading fast as if falling off a cliff.

A moment later, his head lolled to the side. He was gone.

Following Zhou Cheng’s death, a bizarre scene occurred: even though blood was still pouring from the corpse’s abdomen, the ghost suddenly resumed its movements. The restriction of the blood had inexplicably vanished.

Only the cold wind, the stench of blood, and the ghost’s laughter remained:

"Hehehehehe!"

Zhao Linxuan was unaware of this. She was focused only on running, wanting to put as much distance as possible between her and the horror. But because of her frantic, non-stop pace, ten minutes later, her stamina was completely spent. Her legs felt as heavy as lead.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Gasping for air, she leaned against the wall, moving slowly upward. She didn't know how much longer she could hold on, but she kept climbing, hoping to get further away. Whether she could actually escape the building, she didn't know, but as the saying goes, disasters often strike when least expected.

Two minutes later, as the lightheaded Zhao Linxuan rounded a corner on one of the floors, she saw a familiar face.

Near the edge of the corridor, a young man was busy, hurriedly putting on his jacket. It didn't matter what he was doing; Zhao Linxuan didn't care. What mattered was his identity.

Cheng Fan! It was Cheng Fan, the man she had been searching for all this time!

The moment she saw him, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening as she stared daggers at him. Bloodshot veins began to creep across her eyes, and her rage erupted like a volcano.

"Found you! I’ve finally found you!"

With a shrill, piercing roar, she lunged toward Cheng Fan like a madwoman.