Chapter 485: The Grim Reaper’s Arrival
Chapter 485: The Grim Reaper’s Arrival
Fang Cheng and Ye Yuqing took a taxi back to their hotel, intending to find a longer-term rental.
That massive truck earlier couldn’t have been mere coincidence—the Grim Reaper’s influence was clearly at work.
Neither Fang Cheng nor Ye Yuqing feared this power itself, but collateral damage to others would be troublesome.
They resolved to relocate somewhere remote, avoiding harm to bystanders when the Reaper inevitably struck.
“Hey!”
The taxi driver called out as they exited the vehicle. “You forgot something!”
Ye Yuqing initially checked for her missing phone before freezing. Her voice wavered. “Ah Cheng… look.”
Fang Cheng turned to see a grimy doll sprawled across the backseat through the window.
The Evil Spirit Doll had manifested.
Fang Cheng’s pulse quickened. He’d confirmed nothing was there when they’d disembarked. Yet this thing had materialized undetected.
“Take it already!” The driver’s knuckles whitened on the wheel. “Gives me the shivers.”
Sharp instincts served people well in this demon-plagued world.
As Fang Cheng retrieved the doll, the driver screeched away before his door fully closed.
Ye Yuqing edged closer. “Toss it.”
Though a Proxy Goddess, she remained human—and human girls dreaded creepy dolls.
“Useless. It’ll keep haunting us.” Fang Cheng studied the filthy toy resembling Syrian battlefield debris. “Worth trying though.”
He dumped it in a street bin before they returned to the hotel.
Ye Yuqing’s shriek greeted their room.
There on the living room sofa sat the discarded doll, facing the entrance like some unwelcome host. Its oversized eyes and twisted smirk radiated silent mockery.
Fang Cheng swept the room. Ghost Shadow Stealth revealed no spirits, nor did his Out-of-body experience uncover threats. Julia had warned the doll summoned evil spirits to slaughter households—but none lurked yet.
“Scissors,” Fang Cheng ordered.
When Ye Yuqing pointed out the room lacked any, he growled “Forget it” and shaped blood into blades. The crunch of tearing fabric echoed through the room.
Ye Yuqing watched with anticipation, but gradually her gaze turned strange.
Instead of destroying the doll, Fang Cheng tore its clothes and cut them into a bikini before redressing it.
The doll transformed from a war-torn Syrian relic into something that would make the FBI kick down doors.
Ye Yuqing slapped Fang Cheng’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“Making it spicy. Can’t you tell?”
Fang Cheng admired his work. “See? Not scary anymore.”
Ye Yuqing glanced at the doll again. Its tangled long hair now sported a Mediterranean balding style, paired with the makeshift bikini.
The once-haunting doll had become utterly ridiculous.
Fang Cheng punched two holes in the doll and secured it with turtle shell binding ropes, hanging it in the living room.
“Let’s leave it like this and check tonight.”
Though Ye Yuqing wanted to chop the doll into pieces and flush it down the sewer, she agreed to keep it hung for now.
They ignored the doll and browsed online for long-term house rentals.
The doll hung motionless but slowly rotated, its glassy eyes fixed on the room’s occupants.
Night fell.
Fang Cheng found a suburban rental that appeared meteor-proof in photos. They promised to visit the landlord tomorrow.
After dinner, Ye Yuqing kept gaming while Fang Cheng headed to shower.
He pushed open the bathroom door with his clothes in hand.
The door’s vibrations knocked a soap bar off the shelf. It landed perfectly under his foot.
He slipped and fell backward.
CRACK! His skull smashed into the marble bathroom threshold.
Ye Yuqing came running. “Ah Cheng! You okay?”
“Fine.”
Fang Cheng stood up and turned. The threshold lay dented and cracked.
An ordinary person’s skull meeting that sharp marble edge would’ve been fatal.
Ye Yuqing frowned. “This wasn’t clumsiness. The Grim Reaper’s messing with us.”
“Maybe we should stick together for safety.”
“Sure.” Fang Cheng offered her a towel. “Join my shower? You can polish my Battletank too.”
While Asaka Akihime might’ve agreed, Ye Yuqing rolled her eyes. “Wash yourself.”
Fang Cheng showered cautiously alone, emerging unscathed.
Returning to the living room, he went for joy in the fridge but found liquid pooling on the ground – the unsealed fridge had let melted ice leak out.
This was a common situation, but Fang Cheng sensed something more.
He squeezed his head into the gap behind the fridge and found rat-gnawed wires half-submerged in water.
The coffee table ahead held porcelain tea sets.
A deadly trap lay exposed before Fang Cheng.
Only his sharp observation caught the danger – most people would’ve missed it.
Touching the fridge carelessly meant electrocution, crashing into glass shards, and a slit throat.
To test his theory, Fang Cheng deliberately touched the appliance.
Electricity surged through his arm, hair standing upright, limbs tingling.
“Hiss~”
He gasped dramatically, eyes sparkling. “So good!”
The dangerous current felt like an invigorating full-body massage to him.
The lights abruptly died as circuits blew, cutting his enjoyment short.
Ye Yuqing tumbled off the bed mid-game, rushing out her bedroom door.
Moments after she left, a woman’s shadowy outline formed on the bedroom curtains.
When the blown fuse was traced to Fang Cheng’s electrical experiment, Ye Yuqing facepalmed and called hotel maintenance.
Waiting for repairs, they discussed the Grim Reaper’s traps in the darkened living room.
“If traps stay this weak,” Fang Cheng smirked, “surviving seven days will be easy.”
“But will difficulty spike later?”
“Ah Cheng!”
Ye Yuqing hugged herself, scooting closer. “Doesn’t it feel colder suddenly?”
Untroubled by temperature changes, Fang Cheng grinned and pulled her close. “Cold? Let’s generate some friction heat.”
Though she’d flirted eagerly last night, Ye Yuqing shoved him off now. “Seriously!”
Goosebumps prickled her skin.
BANG!
The bedroom door slammed shut.
“Burglar?”
“You think?”
They’d been alone in the living room. No third person existed.
Eerie silence swallowed the apartment. Even city-center noise vanished.
The Evil Spirit Doll now faced them, beady eyes gleaming.
Ye Yuqing clung to Fang Cheng. Though armed with Tsukimi Narumi’s power against evil spirits, primal fear gripped her.
Fang Cheng activated Tactical Master, sniffing – only cold emptiness, no life smells.
The doll had summoned its spirits.
“Checking the bedroom,” Fang Cheng stood.
“Wait for me!”
Ye Yuqing koala-clung as they approached.
Faint blood footprints trailed to the bedroom door. Red smears stained the knob.
Ye Yuqing’s heart raced. Alone, she’d have armored up immediately.
Unfazed, Fang Cheng turned the knob. Ghosts didn’t scare him anymore.
Their night-adjusted eyes saw dim city light through curtains.
Ye Yuqing stifled a scream – a stiff female shadow projected on the drapes.
Fang Cheng yanked the curtains open. Nothing.
Relieved, Ye Yuqing followed his stare to an empty corner.
But Fang Cheng saw her – long-haired, scar-covered female ghost bleeding from limbs.
Hair veiled her face, but eyes glinted through.
Three seconds.
Fang Cheng teleported fist-first into her face.