Chapter 259

241. Chapter 241: Despairing Emotions

Feeling the gaze of countless eyes, Tao Yuan and Zhang Jing were overwhelmed with pressure; the ordinary courier beside them was even worse, trembling all over, his face etched with deep terror.

Yet even so, they had no intention of fleeing.

The burden of the delivery mission weighed on them—even if they ran now, they would have to return soon after; fleeing was meaningless. Only by completing the delivery mission would this ordeal end.

"They're just watching us, not attacking. Li Yi was right—we're only targeted when we meet some condition. As long as that condition isn't met, even if the ghosts have seen us, they won't act. The question is, what exactly is that condition?"

"Zhang Jing, stay put. I'll go investigate. If the ghost leaves the pool, run immediately—don't hesitate."

As Tao Yuan spoke, he cautiously circled along the spectator stands, trying to ensure his own safety this way.

But as he moved, the eyes of the corpses in the pool shifted with him—as if he alone had become the target, while Zhang Jing and the courier were now ignored.

"All eyes on me? Good." Tao Yuan actually welcomed this outcome.

He was a spiritual sense expert, unharmed, and far more mobile than Zhang Jing.

Though it was broad daylight, the swimming pool had no lights on; the few lamps flickered dimly, casting a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere. Yet Tao Yuan's eyes glowed faintly, unaffected—he now began searching for the recipient's location.

There were too many corpses in the pool; each one could be Wang Fei.

But Tao Yuan found no clues about any of the bodies, and as he moved, he sensed the air growing increasingly damp. Thick beads of water clung to the walls, and puddles had begun forming in places. This change made him realize he should leave—staying longer would only increase the danger.

Step!

Perhaps his focus had been too fixed on the corpses in the pool—he stepped onto a small puddle on the floor. It was tiny, barely a patch, but in that instant, a surge of intense danger flooded his mind, forcing his tense body to react instantly.

He snapped backward.

The next moment.

Tao Yuan's face darkened—he saw a wet, pale white hand emerging from the puddle, reaching for him. He barely dodged it.

"Zhang Jing, avoid the puddles—don't touch them, or the ghost will attack." He shouted, passing on this vital warning.

Don't touch the puddles?

Zhang Jing immediately replied: "Tao Yuan, pull back! Stop searching for the recipient—you're in extreme danger."

"I know. I'm leaving." Tao Yuan realized his mistake. Staying longer would only make things worse. Better to retreat and regroup.

But at that moment—

Through his spiritual sense, Tao Yuan's body twisted sharply to the side.

A drop of water fell from the ceiling, grazing his body.

The water was murky, radiating a chilling aura. As it passed before his eyes, Tao Yuan glimpsed through it countless eerie figures haunting the swimming pool—some terrifyingly close, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Zhang Jing, our eyes can't see hidden ghosts here, but through the puddles, we can. These puddles might be useful to us." Tao Yuan seized this critical insight and shouted it out again, relaying the information.

After speaking, he retreated at blinding speed.

Faster than imaginable.

And Tao Yuan was extremely cautious—he avoided every puddle, even perfectly dodging water droplets falling from the ceiling.

At this moment, he danced like a blade's edge, his form a blur of motion.

The advantage of an Evolved One was clear now.

These supernatural entities could be easily avoided by him. A normal person would already be soaked by those droplets—no one knew what would happen then, but it certainly wouldn't be good.

While dodging, Tao Yuan didn't retrace his steps—he charged straight for a glass window, intending to break through and escape.

It was the fastest, most effective method.

Crash!

With a burst of force, Tao Yuan shot through the air, water droplets trailing behind him as he slammed into the glass. That much power could shatter not just glass but even a wall. Yet Zhang Jing was horrified—Tao Yuan didn't break through. Instead, his entire body sank into the glass.

Tao Yuan instantly realized something was wrong—he halted and retracted his momentum.

But the next moment—

Wet, pale white hands shot out from within the glass and seized him. In an instant, he was dragged completely inside.

As if plunged into water.

"Tao Yuan!" Zhang Jing screamed—but she could do nothing, helplessly watching him vanish from view.

He had been entirely swallowed by the glass.

Only then did Zhang Jing notice—the entire swimming pool's glass surfaces were coated with a thin mist of condensation, perfectly fused with the glass. Unless one looked closely, it was easily overlooked. Tao Yuan had been so focused on avoiding puddles and droplets that he'd missed this detail.

Just this one tiny oversight cost him dearly.

Boom!

Suddenly—

The swimming pool's main door shattered under a surge of blood qi and martial energy. In the next instant, Li Yi and Qin Bing burst inside.

"What happened? What went wrong?"

They'd heard Zhang Jing's cry and realized something was amiss. Earlier, they'd heard noises, but assumed they were normal.

"Tao Yuan vanished—swallowed by a piece of glass." Zhang Jing's face was pale, her expression dazed.

What?

Both men were stunned.

A piece of glass can swallow a person?

Yet as they looked around, there was no trace of Tao Yuan—he had truly disappeared.

And in a haunted place like this, disappearance meant only one thing everyone understood.

Tao Yuan was almost certainly dead.

Even if he weren't yet dead, they couldn't save him. They weren't Ghost Handlers—they had no supernatural power, no way to fight what lurked here. Even if they wanted to rescue him, it was useless.

"Damn it!" Qin Bing roared in fury, his remaining fist slamming toward the wall to vent his rage.

But Zhang Jing reacted instantly, blocking him: "Don't touch! Don't touch any water! Tao Yuan was attacked because he stepped in a puddle. He tried to escape by breaking the window—and the window had a film of condensation. That's what swallowed him."

"Something like this can happen?" Qin Bing was both shocked and terrified.

A film of condensation can swallow a person?

Is the supernatural power of this world really this irrational?

"Withdraw. Get out of here."

Li Yi ordered sharply, then led everyone away in haste, leaving the swimming pool without a backward glance.

Zhang Jing stared at the sports center and laughed bitterly: "Looks like none of us will survive this world. In just a few days, our captain is dead, Xu Qiumei is dead, and now Tao Yuan too. Li Yi, I don't want to continue this delivery mission anymore. I'd rather find a place to cultivate, gamble on whether I can condense my soul."

"If I break through to the Soul Condensation realm, I might attempt soul out-body travel, cross over to another realm. It's risky—but at least it's something I control. Not dying like this, senselessly, without meaning."

At this moment, Zhang Jing, the spiritual sense expert, emotionally collapsed—despair took root within her.

"That's not a bad idea," Qin Bing muttered, smoking, his expression bleak.

A good teammate, gone in an instant. What good was Spiritual Sense?

Against the ghosts of this world, they remained as fragile as ever—no resistance at all.

Li Yi stayed silent. He didn't know what to say—but he silently agreed with Zhang Jing. She was right: if things continued like this, their team would inevitably be wiped out. Surviving three months was impossible.

But he knew giving up was not an option. As long as there was a chance, they had to find a way to survive.

"Maybe we should seek out the official in charge of Zhongyang City. Perhaps we can get some help—just like we did in Dazhuang City, when we met their official." He spoke at last.

"That makes sense. Let someone who handles supernatural incidents help us—it might work. But they might not want to help. They might even kill us," Qin Bing said.

¤￠O

Li Yi smiled bitterly: "We're already at this point—what else can we do? We'll treat a dead horse as if it's still alive. Wait here. If I'm killed, you decide what to do next."

Saying this, he pulled out the yellow letter and placed it on the ground, then walked away without looking back.

The others didn't stop him. Perhaps it was worth a try—after all, from some perspective, their goals weren't in conflict.

"This shouldn't be possible. How could this happen?" Guo You, the ordinary courier, stared in disbelief.

First-floor deliveries were never supposed to be this difficult.

If even this expert died, how could he possibly survive?

He'd delivered first-floor letters before—dangerous, yes, but never this deadly.

Could team delivery missions really be this hard?

Guo You didn't know—but he still felt this delivery's difficulty had exceeded all bounds. Even second- or third-floor couriers might not survive it.