Chapter Twenty-One: The Escape

Surrounded on all sides, the crisis pressed in with chilling intensity.

“Oh hell, are we really about to get eaten?” Fang He chattered through his teeth, picking up a stone at his feet in a desperate attempt to calm his wildly pounding heart.

“Damn it, Fang He, could you shut up for once?!” Mo Han glared at him, frustration mounting as one misfortune followed another. Whenever he was stuck with this sneaky Fang He, bad luck seemed inevitable.

“Stop arguing! What do we do now? Hurry up and think of something!” Jiang Qiang huddled between the two, speaking in a trembling, panicked voice.

“Mo Han, same plan as always. You cover us, we run first. It’s all up to you!” Fang He’s throat tightened, his shifty eyes darting around, searching for the best escape route.

“You bastard, always the same damned plan! Can’t you grow a backbone? With all these ghostly things watching, you still want to set me up!” Mo Han roared, nearly choking with rage. Fang He was shameless beyond belief.

“Well, you’re the one with muscle,” Fang He muttered, feigning innocence.

A man should never be this brazen! Mo Han decided to ignore this thick-skinned scoundrel entirely.

A chorus of ghostly wails echoed from all directions, shrill and piercing like the cries of wolves and the howls of the damned.

Jiang Qiang screamed, her voice wavering in terror.

The three pressed together tightly, Mo Han and Fang He standing back to back while Jiang Qiang crouched between them, her rapid breaths betraying the overwhelming dread of impending death.

“Uh, Mo—Mo Han, can we switch places?” Fang He’s mouth was dry, and he swallowed hard. Staring at a dozen pairs of blood-red eyes, his hands shook so violently he nearly dropped the stone.

“Quiet, dammit!” Mo Han snapped, keeping his eyes fixed on a ghost much larger than the others, which loomed ahead with terrifying menace.

Three howls tore through the night. Suddenly, three ghosts lunged at them, their grotesque faces making Fang He squeeze his eyes shut and hurl his stone blindly, yelling, “Three are coming at me! What do we do?!”

“Get down!” Mo Han shouted, raising his burning scrap of wood above their heads as the huge ghost flew straight at him.

A struggle erupted—a mass of four ghosts, one large and three small, tangled together.

Growls and shrieks filled the air.

The big ghost tore one of the smaller ones in half right away, spraying thick green fluid from its body with a stench so foul it made them retch.

The remaining small ghosts, seeing their companion ripped apart in an instant, had their blood-red eyes flare with murderous light, launching into vicious bites and slashing attacks.

The three crouched on the ground were dumbstruck. The brutal, bloody spectacle before them churned their stomachs so violently they nearly vomited their guts.

“Damn, that was savage. If it had been us…” Fang He wiped cold sweat from his brow, his spine tingling with fear.

“Fang He, if you say another word, I’ll sell you out first!” Mo Han’s face darkened at Fang He’s muttering.

“Think! Hurry, think of something! I don’t want to die!” Jiang Qiang curled up, burying her head in her knees, tears streaming down her face.

The two small ghosts were torn almost to pieces by the big one, thick green liquid spurting from their wounds like fountains—gruesome and horrifying.

It was a clear case of the strong bullying the weak; the big ghost held absolute dominance.

“Damn, it looks like they’re fighting over food!” Mo Han frowned, clenching his fists so tightly his knuckles turned wh