As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Liang leapt forward and tackled Hao Zhengyi to the ground. The two of them wrestled like street punks, using the most primal of moves to brawl in the dirt. Gao Liang had the upper hand with his size advantage, quickly pinning Hao Zhengyi beneath him. His massive fists, like oversized teacups, rained down without mercy on Hao Zhengyi's face. After just a few punches, Hao Zhengyi's face was completely disfigured.
I had planned to help the Director finish off this cornered rat, but something changed on Yang Jun's side. Lin Feng, whom Yang Jun had kicked away earlier, was staggering back toward him. With injuries like that, only someone with his half-human, half-ghost constitution could still move. Perhaps he was too eager, because his neck hadn't fully snapped back into place. He was charging at Yang Jun, but his twisted head was staring at me.
Lin Feng's crooked-neck appearance was almost comical, but I couldn't laugh no matter how hard I tried. His entire face and body bulged with dark veins like squirming earthworms. His head hung to the side, and even his torso was starting to twist. Due to the shift in intracranial pressure, his eyes were bulging from their sockets as if they might explode at any moment. With his hideously contorted face, he looked absolutely grotesque.
I reached Yang Jun at the same time Lin Feng did and thrust the Blade of Sin toward Lin Feng's chest, forcing him back a few steps. But now Lin Feng was getting desperate. Every second that ticked by brought Sun Fatty and the two Yangs closer. Who knew—maybe Wu Rendi would be the next to return.
Letting out a strange howl, Lin Feng lunged at me. At the same time, a string of garbled syllables spilled from his mouth. Before I could react, a gunshot rang out with a sharp crack. Lin Feng's twisted head snapped back, and he stumbled backward. When he raised his head again, I saw that two of his front teeth had been blown out. The bullet had pierced his left cheek, taking half of his tongue with it.
Lin Feng could no longer speak. Spraying black blood from his mouth, he let out a furious roar and charged toward the hole where Sun Fatty was hiding. No need to ask—the gunshot just now, and the one before it, were definitely his doing. Worried Sun Fatty might be in trouble, I dashed after Lin Feng, ready to strike from behind the moment he slowed down.
But before I'd even taken a few steps, Gao Liang's voice rang out: "Don't chase! Help Yang Jun!" I instantly understood his meaning: with Xiao Siyang down, Lin Feng and the rest were finished. That wasn't just a reminder for me—Lin Feng stiffened too, suddenly realizing the same thing. As he turned around, I thrust the Blade of Sin diagonally into his chest.
The moment the sword pierced him, Lin Feng's body froze. His mouth gaped open, but no words came out. In my experience, this was the body's reflex before death. Once the nervous system shut down, he'd be completely finished.
I was about to pull out the blade to give him another jab when Lin Feng suddenly grabbed my sword-wielding arm. He said something, but with his tongue half gone, I couldn't understand a word. He clutched my arm in a death grip, refusing to let go. With no other choice, I began pounding his crooked skull with my free hand. After four or five strikes, Lin Feng's head was misshapen—but still, he wouldn't release his grip on my arm.
Just as I continued hammering his head, a sudden disturbance behind me made my blood run cold. It felt like a group of massive creatures was charging straight at me. Before I could even turn my head, a familiar fat face appeared at the collapsed wall where Yang Jun had emerged earlier. Sun Fatty shouted, "Lazi! Run!" As he yelled, he raised his handgun and emptied a clip in my direction.
Before the gunfire even faded, I heard the rush of air behind me. A massive fist slammed into my back, and the sheer force of it sent both Lin Feng and me flying seven or eight meters. I finally saw who had attacked—those obedient Soul Husks who'd stayed quiet since the two Yangs showed up were now all charging straight at us.
Even after the fall, Lin Feng still clung to my arm. As the Soul Husks closed in, I felt a sudden jolt in the seed embedded in my chest. With no time to think, I let go of the sword and instead grabbed Lin Feng's wrist. Still lying on the ground, I gave him a sharp yank upward. I had only intended to throw him off me—but to my shock, the force of it actually hurled Lin Feng into the air.
His face was frozen in astonishment mid-flight. He tried to let go, but I had locked onto his wrist with an iron grip. As one of the Soul Husks lunged, Lin Feng collided head-on with it. Boom! The Soul Husk was knocked flying, and Lin Feng coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
I was stunned for a moment, but quickly regained my composure. Using my momentum, I jumped back to my feet and swung Lin Feng again at the second charging Soul Husk. The result was the same—the Husk was launched, and Lin Feng was left battered and bloody, his skull caving in.
Then came the third, the fourth, the fifth…
Each time a Soul Husk rose, it was knocked away again by Lin Feng. Meanwhile, things on Yang Jun's side had changed as well. He had both of Xiao Siyang's hands pinned and was forcing the half-severed bone shard in Xiao Siyang's grip straight into his abdomen. No matter how Xiao Siyang struggled, he couldn't stop it—he couldn't even drop the damn thing.
The tip of the bone was now pressing into Xiao Siyang's stomach. One more push from Yang Jun, and he'd have an extra belly button. In that moment, Xiao Siyang opened his mouth wide and spat a blast of black vapor at Yang Jun.
But Yang Jun had been expecting this final act of desperation. Just as the black mist emerged, he slammed his forehead downward into Xiao Siyang's open mouth. The impact knocked out both of Xiao Siyang's rows of front teeth and forced him to swallow the black vapor back down. At the same time, Yang Jun drove the shard deep into Xiao Siyang's gut.
"Gah-gah…" Several of Xiao Siyang's teeth lodged in his throat, distorting his howls into screeches. Yang Jun showed no intention of showing mercy. He lifted Xiao Siyang upside down like a curled-up shrimp, then smashed him headfirst into the ground with brutal force.
An ordinary person, struck like that, would've had their skull shattered like a melon. But after the impact, Xiao Siyang merely curled up on the floor, clutching his head and screaming in pain. Other than a stream of blood gushing from the top of his head, there didn't appear to be any other visible injury.
Yang Jun moved to pick him up again for another slam, but just then, I was swinging Lin Feng like a weapon, aiming to hurl him into another charging Soul Husk. A cold and familiar voice suddenly rang out: "If I were either of you, I'd hold off for a second…"
Yang Jun and I turned at the same time toward the source of the voice—and saw that the situation between Gao Liang and Hao Zhengyi had reversed. Unfortunately, Gao Liang was the one who had been reversed.
Not far off, Yinbai lay collapsed on the ground, his entire body covered in frost. He was frozen in place, still maintaining his previous stance, as if he had been struck by a petrifying spell. The Crow, who had been locked in a deadlock with him moments ago, was now standing beside Hao Zhengyi. Gao Liang, like Yinbai, was not down yet—but frost now coated his massive frame. Clearly, he too had fallen victim to the Crow's power.
Hao Zhengyi positioned Gao Liang's bulky body as a human shield. He'd chosen his position wisely—there was no good angle to shoot without risking Gao Liang's life. From behind Gao Liang, Hao Zhengyi called out, "Deputy Director Sun, why don't you come out and say hello? Even if you've got a bead on me, you've got no line of fire from where you're hiding. Besides, it'd be a shame to accidentally shoot the Bureau Chief."
As Hao Zhengyi spoke, I pulled the Blade of Sin out of Lin Feng's chest, trying to find an angle to throw it. But every attempt came up short. Meanwhile, Yang Jun shot me several warning glances, hinting that Hao Zhengyi still had a weapon on him—if I missed, Gao Liang would be the first to die. I had no choice but to give up.
After a few seconds of silence, Sun Fatty's voice came from behind the broken wall: "Director Hao, come on, this is all about the Heavenly Principle Diagram, isn't it? I'll make the call—you can take it! Seriously, you should've just said something earlier. I would've personally sent it to Taiwan for you. No need for all this drama…"
As he spoke, Sun Fatty stepped out from behind the wall. First, he tossed his handgun far out ahead of him, then grinned and ambled slowly toward Hao Zhengyi.
He hadn't gone far when Hao Zhengyi added, "That's far enough, Director Sun. How about you take out your other gun as well? You carrying heat makes me uneasy."
Sun Fatty gave a sheepish smile, then pulled a second Bureau-issued pistol from behind his back and tossed it to the ground. "I told them I didn't need another one," he said. "But that damn Bear insisted I bring his gun back. Said the sights were off and needed Director Ouyang to adjust it…" I'd known Sun Fatty for years and never realized he was packing two pistols. Turns out Hao Zhengyi had figured it out.
Before Sun Fatty could finish, Hao Zhengyi cut him off with a smile. "That's not all, is it?"
At this, Sun Fatty's expression finally changed. He squinted toward Gao Liang's stiffened figure. A moment later, his usual grin returned. He nonchalantly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled out a third pistol from beneath his belly. "This one's a Ximen chain-fed," he said cheerfully, and chucked it far away.
Even Yang Jun looked at Hao Zhengyi with disbelief—none of us could figure out how he knew.
Seeing the third pistol tossed, Hao Zhengyi paused before speaking again: "Shen La, why don't you also get rid of yours? Even if it comes back to your hand at will, give me a little time to react, will you?"
I glanced at Sun Fatty, who gave me a subtle nod, signaling me to throw the short sword away. After all, I could recall it instantly. Still, my pride wouldn't let me give in so easily. I thrust the Blade of Sin back into Lin Feng's chest, then flung his body toward Gao Liang's feet. Yang Jun followed my lead and tossed Xiao Siyang on top of him.
Sun Fatty still wore his trademark grin as he said, "Really, Director Hao, isn't that enough? As long as you let Chief Gao go, you can take the Heavenly Principle Diagram and anything else you want. I guarantee the Bureau won't pursue it." But Hao Zhengyi didn't answer, as if he were waiting for something else.
As Sun Fatty spoke, the Crow stepped up to Lin Feng and Xiao Siyang. Without even moving, both of them were instantly coated in a layer of white frost. But the frost vanished just as quickly—and Lin Feng staggered back to his feet.
A moment later, Xiao Siyang also stood, clutching his head. Yang Jun sneered, muttering something under his breath—I only caught a few words: "…Great Ghostwarden… even the dead… can be saved…"
I didn't quite follow. Lin Feng might be half-dead, but Xiao Siyang didn't look like one of those undead types. Still, it wasn't the time to ask questions. I just gave them a glance and kept quiet.
Xiao Siyang's face was a bloody mess, but his condition was clearly better than Lin Feng's. Lin Feng's whole body was disfigured—especially his chest, where the Blade of Sin was still embedded. Thick, black blood continued to drip from the hilt. He couldn't pull it out, couldn't even touch it. His expression was twisted with pain.
Despite their revival, Sun Fatty kept smiling as he stepped up beside Yang Jun and me. He looked at Lin Feng and said, "Director Lin! It's been what, two years? You're looking more… spirited than ever. Though I gotta say, that complexion of yours—pale as a ghost! People who know you know you're technically not alive anymore. But those who don't… they might think you've got terminal cancer or something. Hey, since you're one of the dead now, does your kid burn joss paper for you every Qingming and Ghost Festival? Just paper isn't enough, though—you gotta burn him some paper ladies too, right? But can those paper girls even do anything for you? Wouldn't you just get frustrated watching them? Ha!"(Note: This is a traditional practice in China. During certain festivals, people would burn items for the deceased, usually paper money or items such as houses. This is to hope that the deceased can also have money to spend and a house to live in in the afterlife.)