Chapter 64: The Gathering Storm (2)

At this moment, Wu Zui and his companion, having left the mall, were already seated in the Soaring Dragon One. Wu Zui drove toward the Binhai City Central Hospital, not far from their current location, where two audience members from the Tiansheng Cinema had also gone.

As they drove,

"Master, you're amazing!"

Xiao Ke'ai, without hesitation, raised both thumbs in admiration toward Wu Zui.

"Mm," Wu Zui responded, his mind still preoccupied with the shadow ghost's true intentions.

By now, ominous clouds had gathered above Binhai City, and the sky had dimmed; it seemed rain was imminent.

Binhai City Central Hospital.

At the reception desk by the entrance, their identities allowed them to quickly find the rooms of Zhang Ping and Zhao Xue. Both had sustained injuries while fleeing Tiansheng Cinema: Zhang Ping's arm was cut, and Zhao Xue had suffered a fractured foot.

“How could she run out with a broken foot?”

Wu Zui found this increasingly suspicious. Even if the pair were devoted lovers, two ordinary people enduring such excruciating injuries should hardly have been able to escape before those less hurt. It simply wasn't normal! The shadow ghost wasn't a fool.

With this in mind, Wu Zui led Xiao Ke'ai directly to their hospital room.

Outside the door,

Wu Zui discovered it was a four-bed ward, and realized others were inside. He cautioned Xiao Ke'ai, "Let Commander Cat guard the door. Let's avoid acting rashly—test the waters first."

"Understood!" Xiao Ke'ai nodded, knowing exactly what Wu Zui was concerned about.

She released Commander Cat to stand guard at the entrance; in its ethereal state, only magnetic awakeners and ghosts could see it—ordinary people could not.

They pushed open the door and entered. Zhao Rou and Zhang Ping's beds were adjacent; Zhao Rou was absorbed in her phone, Zhang Ping watching funny videos, both seemingly using entertainment to ease the terror from the supernatural events.

On the other side of the room was a single patient; the other bed was empty, its occupant likely out for tests.

"Who are you?" Zhang Ping, still on edge from the paranormal ordeal, instantly looked up and asked as they came in.

"Spirit investigators. We're here to conduct a magnetic energy check on you and Zhao Xue," Wu Zui announced, all the while remaining vigilant.

"Magnetic energy check? We already had the stationed spirit investigator at the hospital check us. We're not possessed by any ghosts, you can rest easy," Zhang Ping said, pushing his glasses up nonchalantly.

The other patient shrank back upon hearing this, unsettled by the implication of the pair's experiences.

“Stationed spirit investigator?”

A spark of inspiration flashed through Wu Zui's mind, rapidly expanding.

Two red flames erupted from his body, rushing toward Zhang Ping and Zhao Xue.

He had suddenly realized: perhaps the shadow ghost was targeting spirit investigators. After all, the vengeful spirit from the car accident attacked Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai because it coveted their magnetic energy. This proved that magnetic energy was highly attractive to ghosts.

Similarly, outside Tiansheng Cinema, the spirit investigators who should have been patrolling were nowhere to be found. It was likely the shadow ghost had dealt with them; otherwise, they would surely have checked the group who escaped from the cinema.

This suggested that Zhang Ping and Zhao Xue, who claimed to have seen the hospital's stationed spirit investigator, might be problematic. Wu Zui decided not to waste any more time and acted directly to test them. If they weren't possessed, all was well; if they were, he needed to find the missing investigators and report the situation immediately.

As expected, the moment the red flames touched their shadows, a large mass of black shadow mist exploded from their silhouettes.

Unlike the half-possessed cinema audience, the instant the shadow mist erupted, Zhang Ping and Zhao Rou lost all signs of life. Their bodies stiffened and blackened, being assimilated toward their shadows.

"Oh God!"

The remaining ordinary patient scrambled away on all fours, ignoring his own injuries in sheer terror. Wu Zui blocked his escape with his sword.

“After spending so much time with two possessed people, who knows if he’s human or ghost now!”

"Let... let me out!" the patient cried from the floor.

"You'll have to wait here for a magnetic energy check. Only when it's confirmed you aren't possessed can you leave," Xiao Ke'ai explained.

Wu Zui, meanwhile, raised his golden longsword and charged into the shadow mist that had consumed Zhang Ping and Zhao Rou's bodies. Seeing the thickening shadow mist, Wu Zui prepared to finish it quickly. Zhang Ping and Zhao Rou were beyond saving; rescuing the missing investigators was now more important.

Intense red flames surged along the golden blade, and Wu Zui, disregarding the cost in magnetic energy, quickly incinerated the shadow mist. The shadow ghost made no attempt to communicate through its avatar.

Once discovered, it simply fought back.

The commotion soon attracted the hospital authorities. After Wu Zui finished, and Xiao Ke'ai checked the last patient for magnetic energy, a doctor in a white coat knocked on the door.

After a brief explanation, the hospital supervisor was informed of Zhang Ping and Zhao Xue’s situation, and, following Wu Zui’s request, swiftly led them to the exclusive office of the stationed spirit investigator.

"This is the place," the supervisor said, pointing at the door.

Even without his guidance, Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai could feel a strong fluctuation of vengeful energy and magnetic energy confrontation. The vengeful energy, though not strong, was at the level of a two-star ghost, while the magnetic energy was steadily declining.

"Break down the door!"

Wu Zui dared not hesitate; the stationed investigator was at least three-star. If they acted quickly, the person might still be saved.

Boom—

Xiao Ke'ai’s dual hammers smashed the wooden door in two or three blows.

Inside, a man was radiating magnetic energy, resisting a force from above. Beneath him, his shadow was gone, replaced by a mass of black mist resembling him, pouring into his body from his head. His magnetic energy could not harm the shadow, only slow its entry.

While the shadow and the investigator were deadlocked, Wu Zui swiftly conjured a prison of red fire with his magnetic energy, enveloping both the man and the shadow mist.

"Shadow ghost, what are you scheming?!"

Having trapped the shadow, Wu Zui addressed it sharply, hoping to extract information. He knew this was only an avatar, not the true body, but any knowledge would help.

“Unlucky! What little magnetic energy remains—take it and be damned!”

The shadow mist, resembling the three-star investigator, looked up and cursed under its breath at Wu Zui. It then separated from the investigator, hurtled into the red fire prison, and with a sizzle, burned away some vengeful energy but managed to break through a gap and escape, vanishing from the room.

A prepared shadow ghost gave Wu Zui no chance to detonate the red fire prison.

Wu Zui fell silent, but the avatar’s escape made it clear: the shadow ghost’s plan was at a critical stage. It did not want complications, so it fled without giving Wu Zui any opportunity to question it.

According to Wu Zui’s deduction, the shadow ghost was most likely targeting spirit investigators everywhere. Judging by the investigator’s pale face and trembling body—his magnetic energy reduced to less than one star—it was evident how much the shadow ghost had siphoned off!

"Yan Sheng, thank you both!"

After a brief recovery, the investigator sat up and thanked Wu Zui and Xiao Ke'ai.

"Wu Zui. No need for thanks," Wu Zui replied calmly.

"Xiao Ke'ai. This is my master," Xiao Ke'ai introduced herself proudly, gesturing to Wu Zui.

(*^▽^*)

"Master Diviner! I’ve heard so much about you!" Yan Sheng was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed.

In fact, Wu Zui’s nickname had recently changed from "Ruthless Detective" to "Ghost-Slaying Maniac Duo." Everyone in Binhai knew Wu Zui and his apprentice hunted ghosts across the province. Wherever danger lurked, they went—like the currently sealed Haishan…

Even for spirit investigators, facing ghosts of their own rank was a cautious affair. But this pair, aside from soaking in magnetic energy chambers, tirelessly took on assignments, never deterred even by injury; the hospital couldn’t keep them confined—a true ghost-slaying maniac…

Truly deserving of the title.

Of course, Yan Sheng wouldn’t be foolish enough to use such nicknames in their presence. Everyone knew Wu Zui strongly objected to any nickname but "Master Diviner."

"Did the ghost that tried to possess you have any special traits?" Wu Zui skipped the pleasantries and questioned Yan Sheng directly, hoping that as the shadow ghost's target, a three-star investigator would have noticed something.

"Well… its attack was very sudden. I had no idea when it got near me. I’d just finished checking the hospital environment, went to Room 1405, checked two people there for magnetic energy, confirmed they were fine, then returned here to rest.

As soon as I closed the door, my shadow suddenly separated from me, and my body stopped responding. Even with magnetic energy enveloping me, it did nothing. I struggled with it for a long time, and then you saw what happened."

Yan Sheng recounted the events, his expression still fearful; a ghost immune to magnetic energy was unimaginable to him.

Wu Zui fell into contemplation. The shadow ghost’s mist was stealthy, but not immune to magnetic energy—otherwise, its avatar wouldn’t have fled at the sight of him, fearing Wu Zui might detonate the red fire prison.

Apparently, it could only be immune to the magnetic energy attacks of spirit investigators whose shadows it had entered.

Wu Zui shared his thoughts with Yan Sheng and Xiao Ke'ai, who both agreed with his assessment.