Chapter 51: I Am the Slit-Mouthed Woman (Please Vote)

Zhao Kai and the others were still focused on the rambling Feifei Liao. They could not understand why the two investigators from the Paranormal Investigation Bureau were pressing this question at such a moment.

Yet, in the very next second, a chilling draft of air pierced through everyone's backs. Turning their heads to look, they saw that the woman in white on the windowsill did not jump down this time, but instead turned around to gaze right at them.

At that moment, it was as if everyone suddenly understood something.

Shrinking their necks in terror and trembling all over, they instinctively retreated behind Wu Feng and the other investigator.

Ji Yun had seen the photograph of Kexin Lin; that face was an exact match to the young girl in the picture. The only difference was that beneath the pale green moonlight, that delicate face was overflowing with the aura of death unique to a corpse.

It just stared straight at the crowd.

Gazing upon the once-familiar face of her former best friend, Feifei Liao had long since been scared out of her wits. Collapsing limply onto the staircase, she scrambled backward and tearfully offered a defense for herself: "You... you... you jumped to your death yourself! It has nothing to do with me! Don't come looking for me!"

Clearly, however, this sophistry did not appease the vengeful spirit; instead, it further incited the fierce malice boiling within the ghost.

The soft, gloomy aura of death around "Kexin Lin" abruptly transformed into a blood-like crimson. In the blink of an eye, she turned into a terrifying, vicious specter.

Feeling a murderous intent as sharp as needles, Ji Yun felt his scalp go numb as well. He quietly stepped sideways to position himself behind the two experts from the Paranormal Investigation Bureau.

This vicious specter was about to kill.

......

This was the plan Ji Yun and the other two had discussed beforehand.

The facts had made Wu Feng and his companion realize that the "masked yin spirit" they had previously eliminated seemed to have no connection to the source of the resentment in this Ruins Realm. Rather, the several women in white who had jumped from the building were much more likely to be the true source. Theoretically, eliminating one of the key vengeful spirits might also provide a way to leave the realm.

However, the previous women in white had jumped the moment they saw them, giving no opportunity at all. They could only wait for a vengeful spirit to show its face before discussing anything further.

Thus, they had figured that by bringing Feifei Liao—the "involved party"—along, the lingering resentment would inevitably manifest and stay.

And so it had happened.

According to Ji Yun's initial thoughts, every debt had its debtor, and every grievance had its perpetrator. If Feifei Liao was truly linked to Kexin Lin's death, then no matter what happened, she was only getting what she deserved. If she were truly killed by an evil ghost, it would simply be retribution.

However, Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan were, after all, official personnel. While they also believed in cause and effect, they still had to act in accordance with laws and regulations.

Ghosts had the judges of the Underworld to judge grievances. The mortal world had the law to administer justice. But ghosts were not permitted to harm human beings.

This was precisely the duty entrusted to the investigators of the Paranormal Investigation Bureau.

Therefore, their true plan leaned more toward destroying the vengeful spirit!

According to their perspective, although they sympathized with Kexin Lin's遭遇 and grievances, the vicious specter was no longer Kexin Lin. A ghost was simply a ghost.

Once again, Ji Yun witnessed the rigid, textbook mentality of the Paranormal Investigation Bureau in the two of them. Though he did not agree with it in his heart, he found himself powerless to refute it.

Fortunately, the situation was developing in the best direction they had anticipated.

The vengeful spirit had stopped.

Although Ji Yun did not know what kind of influence Feifei Liao or the "Senior Brother Lü" she mentioned possessed that allowed the school administration to cover up such a vile truth, this directly proved that Feifei Liao had a direct hand in the death of "Kexin Lin," and might even be one of the murderers.

Living people could lie. But a ghost's obsession never did.

The sight of "Kexin Lin" transforming into a vicious specter upon seeing Feifei Liao explained everything.

......

Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan knew better than anyone that for a human to turn into a "vicious specter," they must have suffered extreme and profound grievances during their lifetime.

Cause and effect had its retribution, and Feifei Liao would have to bear the karma of her own actions.

Yet, bound by their duties, while the two transcendental beings appeared unconcerned about offering immediate protection, they were already secretly preparing for battle.

Feifei Liao, however, remained completely oblivious.

By this moment, she had been driven to utter despair by the needle-like malice radiating from the vicious specter. Her earlier performance of playing schemes during the livestream, backstabbing others, and stealing traffic had long since squandered any lingering goodwill from the others. At this juncture, everyone avoided her like the plague. Even when she fell, no one was willing to lend her a hand.

She sat alone and desolate on the staircase, weeping bitterly.

Watching the vicious specter descending from the windowsill draw ever closer, with no one willing to come to her rescue, the escalating despair finally shattered the last shred of Feifei Liao's courage, frightening away her wits entirely.

When fear reaches its extreme, reason collapses.

Suddenly, she stopped crying.

In that instant, her gaze grew abruptly hollow, and her terrified expression slowly faded into a blank mask. As though frightened out of her mind, she just sat blankly on the stairs.

Her helpless expression stirred a natural sense of sympathy among the college students, who briefly felt an urge to pull her up.

Yet, after a moment of silence, a scene that none of them could have anticipated unfolded!

Feifei Liao's dilated pupils suddenly refocused, and not a trace of fear could be seen within them anymore. Acting as though possessed by a madman, she instead glared viciously at the vicious specter before her, bursting out in a furious roar: "I did nothing wrong... I did nothing wrong! It was all your own fault!"

These words seemed to unleash a demon hidden deep within her heart. Casting aside all remaining reservations, she gnashed her teeth and hissed, "Why is it that because you're pretty, everyone likes you? Why is it that because your grades are good, everyone has to revolve around you? Why?! I worked hard too, so why don't I ever get anything?!"

With her reason shattered, Feifei Liao seemed like a completely different person, exposing the darkest and most hideous side of her soul.

Staring with terrifying eyes, completely devoid of fear toward the vicious specter before her, she ranted maniacally: "You deserved it! I couldn't stand your hypocritical, bitchy act long ago, and I wanted to ruin you! You deserved to be gang-raped! You deserved it! Hahahahaha..."

Having uttered these words, as if finally venting the deep-seated malice she had harbored for so long, she threw her head back and laughed heartily.

The laughter echoed through the corridor, sounding extraordinarily grating to the ear.

"Jealousy" had materialized into a hideous, ferocious ghost upon her at this very moment.

......

Hearing these words, everyone present was left dumbfounded and slack-jawed.

Only now did they realize what a terrifying mask of jealousy had been concealed beneath Feifei Liao's usual facade of feigned modesty and easygoing friendliness as a junior schoolmate.

Xia Li finally understood why tonight's livestream had turned out the way it did. This Feifei Liao had not only wanted to steal her traffic, but also to utterly ruin her.

Jealousy had long since twisted her soul; she wanted to destroy anyone who was better than her.

As these words spilled forth, the red baleful aura surrounding the "Kexin Lin" opposite her grew even more piercingly sharp.

Looking at the frenzied and manic Feifei Liao, the others could not suppress the fear in their eyes. It felt as though they were no longer looking at just one evil ghost, but two.

Feifei Liao's reaction caused cold sweat to break out on the bodies of the two transcendental beings, Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan. They had never expected that the involved party herself would provoke the ghost's resentment to such an extreme degree.

Watching the vicious specter on the verge of losing control, Ji Yun used his peripheral vision to quietly survey the corridor, mentally planning which direction to flee once the fighting broke out.

Yet, just as everyone thought the vicious specter was about to launch a massacre, a twist that no one could have foreseen occurred.

Before the ghost could kill anyone, another individual turned into a ghost instead.

......

"Hehehe..."

The manic Feifei Liao suddenly quieted down.

With her head lowered and her shoulders twitching, she emitted a chilling, sinister chuckle from her throat.

Everyone assumed she had been frightened out of her mind.

However, only the two transcendental beings, Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan, detected that something was amiss. Ji Yun, too, noticed the anomaly a beat later.

They sensed a wisp of... ghost qi rising from Feifei Liao's body?

How could a living human possess ghost qi?

Gazing at the "Kexin Lin" gradually closing in on her, Feifei Liao wore a sneer of disdain. She showed not a shred of fear, nor did she care to pay attention to the spirit anymore.

Instead, she turned her head to look at Jiang Tian, who had been pressed against the wall with a pale, ashen face, and asked with a chilling, sinister tone: "Senior Jiang Tian... why do you only like Senior Sister Xia Li? Is it because I'm not pretty enough?"

Watching her erratic behavior in bewilderment, the others felt a mixture of terror and incomprehension: *At a time like this, she still has the mind to ask about this?*

Only Jiang Tian knew what those words meant. This woman had confessed her feelings to him in private. Compared to Xia Li, how could he possibly choose an ordinary and unremarkable person like Feifei Liao?

Initially intending to ignore her, Jiang Tian felt his teeth chattering from the lingering terror of that ghost qi, causing him to instinctively blurt out: "Pre... pretty."

He felt that at this moment, it was best not to provoke the other party.

Hearing this, Feifei Liao finally revealed a satisfied smile: "I knew it... Senior would like me after all."

It was as if an obsession had finally been gratified, and she broke into a wide grin.

Only, the arc of that smile was somewhat exaggerated—so exaggerated that the corners of her mouth stretched all the way up to her ears.

And then, a scene that made one's scalp crawl unfolded.

Having received a satisfying answer, Feifei Liao suddenly fished a utility knife out of her pocket and, without the slightest hesitation, slashed it fiercely across her own face.

The blade pierced her skin, instantly causing the flesh to split open.

Exerting fierce force once more, with a sharp rip, the sound of the blade slicing through skin made everyone's back teeth ache.

Before their eyes, gushing streams of crimson blood flowed down her cheeks.

Having cut herself once, Feifei Liao did not stop. A bizarre smile still hung upon her face as she looked at the crowd.

*Rip!*

Another slash.

Following the opposite corner of her mouth, the utility knife carved out a symmetrical second cut.

*Drip... drip...*

Fresh blood splattered onto the stairs.

Acting as though she felt no pain at all, Feifei Liao continued to drive the sharp utility knife deep into her cheeks, until her entire mouth formed an exaggerated crescent-shaped arc, revealing her blood-stained white teeth along her gums.

Tilting her head with a grin, she looked toward Jiang Tian once more, her entire mouth drenched in blood as she asked: "Then, Senior... do you think I'm still pretty now?"

As the crowd gazed upon the gory and bloody scene before them, an icy chill gripped their backs. Amidst the rising tide of terror, they all simultaneously recalled a terrifying urban legend—the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

This Feifei Liao had turned into the Slit-Mouthed Woman!