Chapter 17: The Day of Severed Souls

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With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I unknowingly fell asleep. The next day, I pushed everything aside and continued pondering the question: Should I go help him or not? Time slipped by, and before I realized it, night had fallen.

Seeing there was no time left, yet unable to decide, I figured that if I kept hesitating like this, I probably wouldn’t come to a conclusion even tomorrow. So, I took out a coin and let fate decide—heads meant going, tails meant staying. I flipped the coin, and it landed on heads.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but curse at the sky, “Your eyesight must be blind! You want me to save a person like him?” But the result was final; it seemed I had no choice but to go.

After gathering my things, I quickly arrived at Zhao Yong’s house. Unexpectedly, the door was locked tight from the outside, though light spilled through the cracks, clearly indicating that Zhao Yong was home.

I hesitated for a moment before finally ringing the doorbell. After a while, the door opened—but only a crack, still chained from the outside. Zhao Yong’s face appeared in that narrow gap.

“Li Xi?” Zhao Yong sounded surprised.

I forced a grin and said, “Don’t say anything. I’m pathetic, shameless.”

I expected him to lash out at me, but instead, he waved me in. Confused, I stepped closer, and suddenly, Zhao Yong slipped an axe through the crack. I startled and took a step back. “What are you trying to do? Kill someone?”

He quickly shook his head. “No, hurry and cut the chain so I can get out.”

I paused, eyeing the axe and the chain. Finally, I took the axe and swung it a few times until the chain fell apart. At that moment, Zhao Yong suddenly burst out of the house and knocked me down.

“My parents locked me in here. Sorry, Li Xi,” he said before raising the axe and striking my head. I didn’t even have time to react; pain exploded in my head, and I blacked out.

When I woke, Zhao Yong’s door stood open, but he was nowhere to be seen. My head throbbed painfully. I glanced at the clock—it was exactly midnight. It seemed all hope was lost.

Yet I couldn’t understand why his parents had locked him in, or why he had knocked me out.

Something was wrong—something was definitely wrong.

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Worry gnawed at me as the clock struck midnight. Tonight was the seventh night after Zhao Yong’s girlfriend’s death—the traditional time when spirits return. Usually, such hauntings happen precisely at midnight. I could only hope she hadn’t found him yet, or else all would truly be lost.

I hurriedly called Zhao Yong, but after several rings, no one answered.

Frustrated, I called repeatedly, but still no answer.

Damn it. Could it be that his girlfriend had already killed him?

In a panic, I rushed downstairs. As I stepped onto the street, the wail of sirens filled the air. I turned to see a fire truck racing past, a gust of cold wind hitting my face.

At the same time, I faintly heard screams coming from down the street and ran toward the commotion.

Ahead, a crowd had gathered, alternating between screaming wildly and scattering in panic.

Curious, I pushed through the crowd, only to be shocked by the scene before me: in the center lay two bodies, and beside them stood a figure drenched in blood, gripping an axe, exuding a murderous aura.

When I looked closer, I gasped—it was Zhao Yong.

I drew a sharp breath and instinctively backed away with the crowd, my eyes fixed on him. Zhao Yong seemed to notice me as well; he turned coldly to glance in my direction before returning his gaze to the two corpses.

“Zhao Yong, what the hell are you doing?” I mustered the courage to shout.

He looked back at me. “What am I doing? Taking revenge. You better get lost.”

His mind seemed clear, but what had happened? This was the same guy who hadn’t dared to kill even a chicken before. Now he’d killed people? Was he possessed by his girlfriend’s spirit?

I called out her name, but Zhao Yong didn’t respond, his icy gaze fixed on the bodies.

Hesitantly, I took a couple of steps forward and whispered, “Zhao Yong, put down the axe. You still have a future. Don’t ruin yourself.”

He turned, raising the axe and pointed it at me. “Get lost. One more step, and I won’t be so polite.”

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I quickly stepped back to give him space, hoping he would calm down. But he seemed unsatisfied, so I retreated two steps further. Then, Zhao Yong turned his back and resumed staring at the bodies.

With his back to me, I saw my chance. Gritting my teeth, I took a deep breath and lunged forward, aiming to wrest the axe from his grip.

Suddenly, the crowd erupted into chaos, screams echoing all around. Forced to stop, I looked around in confusion—everyone was staring upward, screaming.

I followed their gaze to the sky and nearly collapsed from fright.

Above me, a person was plummeting wildly through the air, clawing at nothing. On that person’s back was another figure, whose head was craning out from the falling body’s shoulder.

My skin crawled instantly. The person clinging to the back was none other than Zhao Yong’s girlfriend, clad in red, her face pale and bluish, streaked with vivid blood.

Bang.

Before I could fully register the sight, the falling figure slammed to the ground less than a meter away. I felt something warm splash onto my face. Touching it, I realized with horror—it was brain matter. My stomach churned violently.

The fallen was a middle-aged man. At the moment of impact, I glanced back at his back, but Zhao Yong’s girlfriend had vanished.

Terrified by the sudden turn of events, I turned and fled a few meters away.

Then something unbelievable happened. Zhao Yong suddenly let out a shout and swung his axe at the fallen man’s body.