38. The Death of Meng Shuyin

"How dare you hurt my son! All of you, die!" Mrs. Fu was truly protective of her own; as soon as she emerged and saw the state her son was in, she flew into a rage. Her resentment had already been immense, and now, it had surged even further.

Chi You dodged left and right, all while having to occasionally dispatch the living dead possessed by maggots. It was quite a handful. The ghosts in this hidden dungeon were indeed difficult to deal with. However, as Chi You maneuvered, she scanned the room. Spotting a momentary opening in the ghost's defense, she whipped out a yellow talisman and slapped it onto Mrs. Fu.

The power of this talisman was immense; five of them placed on a door could suppress all the ghosts inside, so dealing with a single spirit like Mrs. Fu was a trivial matter.

"Ah—!" As soon as the talisman made contact, Mrs. Fu let out a sharp, piercing shriek. Within moments, the telltale signs of her soul beginning to dissipate appeared. Mrs. Fu stared at her hands, a look of pure shock on her face.

"What kind of talisman did you use on me!" Mrs. Fu shrieked at Chi You, her refusal to accept defeat evident. She didn't just scream; she lunged at Chi You, hoping to drag her down before she completely vanished. But unfortunately for her, every movement of her soul only accelerated its dissolution. Like dust caught in a gust of wind, Mrs. Fu dissipated right before everyone's eyes.

Fu Shaohuai knelt on the floor, watching his mother vanish. "No—Mom, come back, come back!" Fu Shaohuai lost control, rushing out and screaming into the empty air.

While he was howling, Meng Shuyin was locked in a bitter struggle of her own. The remaining minor ghosts were cunning; every time they saw Meng Shuyin, they would scatter and hide. Some would even pop up right beside her just to startle her, leaving Meng Shuyin feeling incredibly irritable.

"See if I don't finish you all off!" Meng Shuyin redoubled her efforts, but she neglected her rear. Behind her, a maggot teeming with dark energy slowly crawled toward one of the immobilized living dead. Once it crawled inside, the motionless corpse suddenly jerked to life. The living dead locked its gaze onto Meng Shuyin, twisting its body as it shuffled toward her.

While Meng Shuyin was busy calculating how to eliminate the minor ghosts one by one, and before she could notice the threat, the creature raised its hand and plunged it directly into her lower abdomen.

"Squish—"

Meng Shuyin spat out a mouthful of blood, the yellow talisman in her hand stained crimson. She looked down slightly at her stomach, where a hand was gruesomely protruding from her torso.

The living dead pulled its hand back with a sudden yank. The movement caused Meng Shuyin to vomit another mouthful of blood, her body swaying as she teetered on the brink of collapse. Chi You turned around to see her teammate, who had been fine just moments ago, now on the verge of death.

"Jiang Pan, the special medicine!" Chi You rushed over, catching her and shouting. Jiang Pan turned at the sound and immediately began fumbling for the medicine.

Watching this scene, Fu Shaohuai let out a loud, triumphant laugh. "Good! It serves her right! Since she's dead, you two are next!"

Chi You pressed her hand against the wound, her heart racing with anxiety. "Hold on, you'll be fine soon. Just hold on."

Meng Shuyin felt her body growing deathly cold, her eyelids becoming impossibly heavy. She reached out, grasping Chi You with difficulty, and wheezed, "The hidden objective... it's up to you two now." She pulled out all the remaining talismans from her person. "He gave you the bell, so I will give you these talismans. You... you must survive."

By the time Jiang Pan managed to force the special medicine into her mouth, it was already too late. Meng Shuyin's injuries were too severe; blood was pouring out, and the medicine was spat back out almost as soon as it touched her lips.

"You... keep going," Meng Shuyin whispered. With those final words, her hand, which had been clutching Chi You’s clothing, went limp.

Seeing that the woman was truly dead, Fu Shaohuai let out a jarring, shrill laugh. "Hahahaha— Good! That's one down; you two are next."

Because no one was left to stop the maggot-filled monster, it released even more maggots, fully controlling the remaining living dead. Mr. Fu stood beside his son, his eyes filled with manic excitement. The minor ghosts drifted in the air, equally delighted. Some of the more playful ones hovered around Chi You and the others, their faces twisted in smug expressions. One ghost pressed itself against Chi You's back, giggling, "She's dead~ She's dead~ Hahaha."

Chi You looked at Meng Shuyin, who had died in her arms, her ears filled with the various jeers and taunts of the ghosts. The mockery was sharp and grating. Jiang Pan, unable to take it anymore, drew his pistol and fired repeatedly in the direction of Fu Shaohuai. He tilted his head, his voice icy. "Shut your mouth."

The shots missed Fu Shaohuai, who was as cunning as a fox; the moment he saw the gun, he had scrambled under the desk.

"She's dead, she's dead!" the ghost continued to shriek, but before it could finish, Chi You slapped a yellow talisman onto its forehead. The ghost didn't even have time to finish its sentence before it vanished into thin air.

The hidden Fu Shaohuai suddenly vomited another mouthful of blood, suffering from the backlash once more. "Damn it!" he roared in frustration. Where did these people come from, and why were they so strong?

Chi You picked her teammate up from the floor and laid her on the sofa. Her expression was devoid of emotion, her face set in a cold, angry mask. Chi You turned her gaze toward the living dead in the distance, pulled the starter on her chainsaw, and charged at them.

She had been too kind. If she hadn't been so soft-hearted earlier, believing these creatures could still be saved, perhaps Meng Shuyin wouldn't have been ambushed and killed. In a dungeon, one could never afford to be too kind.

Chi You thrust the chainsaw into their guts, taking them down one by one. Jiang Pan also drew his shotgun, but this time, he swapped his ammunition. He loaded a shell inscribed with runes into the chamber, raised the weapon, and fired at the monster.

The shot struck the creature in the head, and the bullet began to take effect. Countless dark red scriptures poured out from the bullet hole, wrapping around the monster. "Hrrgh... hrrgh..." The monster raised its hands to touch the scriptures burned into its flesh, making gurgling sounds. Soon, the runes flared with light, igniting the monster like a torch.

"Aaaaaah—!"

The fire was impossible to extinguish; the monster could only writhe in agony as it was consumed. Moments later, it was reduced to nothing but ash. Seeing the monster defeated, Jiang Pan turned around, only to come face-to-face with a ghost that had drifted right behind him.