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Chapter 34: The Thirteenth Step

I have seen many corpses, and I have also seen forensic autopsies, but those were all done with protective measures, such as wearing sterile gloves and isolation suits. Carrying a corpse around barehanded is something I think even a professional undertaker would find difficult to do.

Do I have to carry it? I asked.

If you feel uncomfortable, you can hold it in your arms, but remember not to let the body touch the ground under your feet. This place has been contaminated by the malevolent energy of Yuan Chen for too long, and its easy for other changes to occur, warned Daoist Master Wan.

I had a foreboding feeling about the other changes that Daoist Master Wan mentioned, and blinked my dry eyes. Its probably safer to carry it then.

Its better to follow someones directions than to wander around aimlessly like a headless fly. I decided to do as Daoist Master Wan said.

Sakurako and Hideki stayed far away, not daring to approach. This indicated that the Yuan Chen talisman posted on the window was not as harmless as Daoist Master Wan claimed.

I took a deep breath and adjusted my mindset. No matter what I see inside, I must remain fearless and determined to achieve my goal. I will not give up until I succeed.

I tore off the talisman paper from the window and flipped into the single-story house. The smaller room outside was where the workers rested, and it appeared normal with no obvious abnormalities.

However, just one door away, the room inside was covered with talisman seals, and there was a sign hanging that specifically stated No Entry for Unauthorized Personnel.

Now that I have removed the talisman, theres no turning back. As I stepped into the inner room, a strong stench hit my nostrils. Even after five years, the smell had not dissipated, but instead, due to the sealed environment, it had fermented into an even more putrid odor.

Furrowing my brows, holding my breath, I recalled the words of Daoist Master Wan, You require a determination to take risks and climb upwards in the face of adversity, only then can you find a glimmer of hope amidst the brink of death!!

Ill give it my all! I exclaimed.

I forcefully tore off the talisman from the door, pushed open the wooden door that separated the inner room, and was met with a scene of hell that had been sealed for five years.

There was a raging fire, with gasoline splashed on the corpses, and resentment condensed into dark clouds that covered the ceiling.

My body trembled, my teeth chattered, and everything in front of me was too real and cruel. Despite having seen so many crime scenes, I still felt extremely uncomfortable. My fingers spasmed, and I didnt know what to do.

As I touched the first piece of charred remains that resembled a human body, I felt like I had entered another grimy world. My deduction was correct, but the difficulty of taking action was immense.

I cant give up, I cant be afraid! Find him! Find him! My human emotions were tormented and interrogated, and I desperately used my last shred of sanity to stay alert and search the room like a machine.

I didnt know what Guo Junjie looked like, and there were no images of him left at the school. But I had a crucial clue in my possession.

A piece of skin the size of a palm was peeled off from the front of his chest, where his heart was!

I needed to find a body with an exposed left rib without any skin adhesion, and during this process, I couldnt show any fear or hesitation.

The timeline seemed to stretch infinitely, and my thoughts became muddled. I couldnt distinguish whether I was alive or dead, as I kept repeating the same actions, consumed by an obsession that seemed to take root in my heart.

Find him!

My hands were blackened, and I had lost track of how many bodies I had examined, and how much time I had spent. When I reached the corner of the room, my eyes fell upon a well-preserved skeleton of a small-framed body, as if guided by fate.

I dragged the body out, its face charred beyond recognition, with nothing discernible. But as my gaze lowered to its chest, one side of it had blackened flesh clinging to the bones, while the other side was empty, with no trace of a heart.

I found him!

In that moment, as I lifted the body onto my back, the whole room shook, and resentment seemed to churn, as if something was about to awaken. The talismans on the walls moved on their own, some of them emitting a faint red glow.

The windows rattled as I heard the sounds, but I couldnt afford to pay much attention. Once I made sure the body wouldnt touch the ground, I strode out with determined steps, carrying the body on my back. Stepping out of the burning trench, all the windows of the nearby houses shattered, the talismans turned to ashes, rendered useless.

The place with the clear moonlight is the safest spot. Hurry! Lets go to the top floor of the teaching building! I sprinted with all my might, time of life and death ticking away, every second counting.

Soon, Guo Junjies transformed celestial apparition would likely sense our presence. By then, Sakurako and I would have no chance of surviving.

Thick black smoke billowed from the incineration pit, forming various shapes of grudges. I could hear Hidekis alarmed cries in my ears, but I dared not look back, not even a glance, as I ran straight towards the teaching building.

Boom! A loud bang echoed behind me, and the smoke rose from the house as Guo Junjies celestial apparition broke free.

Its over, Hidekis face turned pale, Im afraid my soul will scatter now.

We still have a chance! The corpse is his only weakness! I gritted my teeth and finally made it into the teaching building, climbing up the dilapidated stairs.

A chilling wind howled behind me, as if a pack of wolves was chasing me. The body on my back grew heavier and heavier, my legs trembling, dizziness overwhelming me. It felt like being trapped in a water tank again.

Hold on! I bit my tongue hard, blood filling my mouth, the pain keeping me conscious at the critical moment.

First floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor!

Only a section of stairs from the fourth floor to the top floor lay ahead of me. These last twelve steps would be a race between life and death against the vengeful spirit.

One step, two steps, my legs felt as heavy as lead, and I turned my head to see the lingering grudge forming into a hideous ghost, crawling on all fours, rapidly chasing after me.

Only ten steps left Blood from the corner of my mouth dripped down to my chin as I struggled to lift my leg.

As I took my steps, the discordant voice of Hideki echoed in my ears. His body was torn into pieces by the vengeful spirit, scattering like snowflakes.

One step, two steps, three steps

The vengeful spirit roared, and a small figure stood in front of it. Sakurako let out a piercing scream, her face as white as paper, with only a pair of dark, hollow eyes left.

Incredible grudges emanated from her small body, as if a blood-stained butterfly had flown out of a broken cocoon.

The vengeful spirits footsteps were blocked by her, and they were locked in a stalemate.

I didnt know what was happening behind me at this moment, but I felt like I was carrying a mountain on my back.

I lifted my leg, took a step, but my footsteps became heavy and slow.

Four steps, five stepseight steps, nine steps!

Only one step remained on the twelve-level staircase, and Sakurako was still holding off the vengeful spirit.

I can do this,

As I stepped onto the twelfth step of the staircase, I exerted all my strength to move forward, but when I looked down, there was unexpectedly a thirteenth step!

Its impossible, I counted clearly. I have already passed twelve steps, why is there an extra one?! I exclaimed.

I stood still, feeling as if countless arms were grabbing at me from below. Beads of sweat dripped from my forehead, and I stared at the extra step, unsure whether I should take the final step.

The crashing sound from below gradually diminished, and Sakurako was thrown away like a ragdoll, unable to stop the vengeful spirit anymore.

The grudges transformed, and the black smoke dispersed, revealing a thin and weak boy in place of the ferocious vengeful spirit.

His features were blurred, just like his experiences in this school, where no one cared about him and no one remembered his appearance.

Only one step left

The ones who killed me are all of you, the ones who drove me to my death are all of you. You should pay the price. The boy repeated similar words incessantly, as his grudges grew stronger. The corpse on my back seemed to come to life, as it tightened its grip around my neck.

They bullied you and that was wrong, but killing is something you did on your own. Im curious, how much grudge do you have to keep killing and not stop? Knowing that my fate was sealed, I stopped struggling.

You all deserve to die! You deserve it! Its all your fault! Its all your fault! The boy approached step by step, and darkness completely covered my eyes.

He walked past me, but instead of killing me immediately, he stepped onto the thirteenth step. In that moment, the path to the rooftop was blocked, and a pitch-black cave seemed to hang in mid-air.

Looking inside, I saw pale-faced souls in school uniforms weeping. They were forever trapped here.

So, stepping onto the thirteenth step really does allow you to see another world. This was the only thought in my mind as breathing became difficult, and I felt myself tilting towards the opening of the cave.

When half of my body was about to enter the dark cave, a clear and familiar voice suddenly rang out from a distance, Gao Jian!

Whos calling me? I asked weakly.

I groggily opened my eyes and could only see, at the end of the dark night, a red dress blooming like a blazing fire.

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