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Bonus chapter! Thank you to Fray for the donation! ^^
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Ren Yanqing looked at the fragile and pitiful figure before him, his mouth opening as if to explain, but no words came out.
Because everything was true.
It was true that he had heartlessly blocked the call, true that he had wanted the young man to die, and even true that he had planned to seal him completely within this neighborhood after his death, ensuring he would never see the light of day again—all to protect himself from the consequences.
This was also the purpose behind building this neighborhood.
This neighborhood was a tomb, a grave meant to bury the eerie power and the part of his soul that had been largely corrupted.
But it was also true that he had abandoned his plans for the young man, risking his own death to save him.
The moment he had heard the young man's voice, Ren Yanqing had already regretted his decision, and that regret had haunted him every day since.
Even though he knew that the young man's soul and power were immortal, that as long as he wasn't sealed away, he would be fine, Ren Yanqing couldn't bear to imagine the young man dying helpless and afraid.
After all, when he had separated the young man, he had given him no memories and no strong body.
Even when that power began to spiral out of control, it would destroy both body and soul, causing unbearable headaches—a pain that came from the soul itself, something no one, no matter how strong, could resist. Only a specially made suppressant could slightly alleviate the agony.
And the medicine that the kidnapper had stolen... was only enough for three days.
After three days, the young man would die in excruciating pain, a fate ten thousand times worse than being blown to pieces.
Just the thought of it made Ren Yanqing's heart feel as if it were being crushed by an invisible hand. Even though he had become a vengeful spirit and no longer needed to breathe, he felt suffocated, the torment of drowning and asphyxiation driving him to the brink of madness.
Ren Yanqing looked at the young man, who seemed as though he had been abandoned, his hand trembling slightly before he finally spoke in a stiff voice, "I didn't abandon you."
"I went to save you, I just..."
But before Ren Yanqing could finish his sentence, Xu He immediately attacked, and Duan Ming quickly followed suit.
Clearly, these two had no intention of giving Ren Yanqing a chance to explain.
No matter how heartless Ren Yanqing had been before, if he were to say that he had died trying to save the young man, the young man would undoubtedly be moved.
The bond between the two of them had always been the closest, and when the young man had lost his memory, they had already seen just how dependent he was on his so-called father.
If their relationship had truly been one of familial love, they might have reluctantly addressed Ren Yanqing as "father-in-law."
But it was clear that Ren Yanqing didn't see the young man as just a son, and they certainly weren't going to let the young man find out that Ren Yanqing had died on his way to save him.
The figures clashed once more, and the air was again filled with an atmosphere of terror and dread.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but the sky was beginning to lighten, and the dark, dangerous atmosphere had faded slightly.
Due to the unique nature of the neighborhood, malevolent spirits during the day were almost indistinguishable from "living people," eerily reverting to their appearance before death.
They had bodies, heartbeats, and even breath.
They could also die, and if a malevolent spirit died during the day, its strength would be greatly diminished. By nightfall, it would likely be devoured by other spirits, becoming nourishment for them.
Yet, the individuals fighting showed no regard for this. Even though they had reverted to their human forms, they were solely focused on killing each other.
Moreover, Ren Yanqing was stronger than all of them, and only during the day was there a chance to kill him.
Ren Yanqing thought the same—these people had kidnapped Ruan Qing, and they deserved to die.
Ruan Qing, watching the chaotic brawl, was terrified by the overwhelming aura and retreated to a corner.
This time was different from the last. Previously, Ruan Qing had been far from the door, completely cut off by the others, but now the room's door was not far from him.
Ruan Qing glanced sideways toward the door, his long eyelashes trembling with unease. He bit his lip and finally began to move silently toward the door.
Perhaps because the others were too engrossed in their fight, they didn't notice Ruan Qing slipping out of the room.
Once he escaped the terrifying room, Ruan Qing let out a sigh of relief, his body now weak and trembling.
Avoiding the malevolent spirits, he found a relatively safe room and, inside, located a mirror. He returned the body to 'Ruan Qing.'
And he himself retreated back into the mirror.
'Ruan Qing' looked at the fragile figure in the mirror, his gaze lingering on Ruan Qing's pale, thin lips, his eyes carrying an indescribable darkness.
A fragile body couldn't contain two souls, and his own soul had an uncontrollable corrosive nature. He couldn't allow it to touch Ruan Qing's soul in the slightest.
So, every time they switched bodies, one of them had to enter the mirror.
It was precisely because there had been no mirror that he couldn't switch back with Ruan Qing earlier.
But that didn't mean 'Ruan Qing' was unaware of what had just happened.
'Ruan Qing's' eyes were dark, filled with a dangerous glint.
These people... they all deserved to die.
The live-stream audience had been watching intently, but one viewer's gaze accidentally fell on the progress bar at the side and noticed that it had stopped at 23%.
[Hey? Did anyone notice? The mutation progress bar has stopped!]
[It really stopped. What’s going on? Why did it stop when the streamer left his own body? Isn’t the mutation supposed to be because of the dungeon boss inside him?]
The live-stream audience was puzzled because this was completely contrary to their assumptions.
The increasing mutation level didn’t seem to be due to the dungeon boss being inside the player’s body, but rather because the player himself was inside his own body!
The audience quickly realized this because they remembered something.
The player… is a ghost!
The player died in that kidnapping incident and was classified as a vengeful spirit by the dungeon. So, even though it was his own body, returning to it would mean a vengeful spirit possessing a living person.
A living body cannot withstand the possession of a vengeful spirit. The streamer returning to his own body is essentially killing himself.
And the streamer doesn’t seem to realize this yet. Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter.
Because if he doesn’t return to his body, the dungeon boss will remain inside it, and he’ll still be classified as non-human by the dungeon.
It seemed there’s no way for the streamer to clear the dungeon now.
The live-stream audience frantically spammed the chat to warn Ruan Qing, but all messages related to the dungeon were thoroughly blocked by the game system.
‘Ruan Qing’ lowered his eyes, concealing the dangerous glint in them. He spoke in a tone filled with grievance and sadness, “I don’t like Ren Yanqing.”
Ruan Qing let out a soft “Hmm” in agreement. “I don’t like him either.”
‘Ruan Qing’ didn’t expect Ruan Qing to answer so bluntly and fell into a suspicious silence.
Because, in a way, he was also Ren Yanqing.
The next second, the corners of ‘Ruan Qing’s’ eyes curved slightly, his gaze filled with happiness and delight.
It didn’t matter. From a few days ago, he was no longer Ren Yanqing but the ghost-fearing ‘Ruan Qing.’
However, before that, he had to deal with those few insolent individuals.
Using his fear of ghosts as an excuse, ‘Ruan Qing’ switched places with Ruan Qing again.
But this time, ‘Ruan Qing’ didn’t stay quietly in the mirror. Instead, he disappeared without a trace.
