[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-becoming-a-god-through-horror":3,"chapter-becoming-a-god-through-horror-becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-68":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Becoming a God Through Horror",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273611,4441,"Chapter 68: Night Raid: Kicking the Tombstone","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>Cemetery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshh… ssshh…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of soil loosening and falling, like someone digging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness, a man swung a shovel, digging one scoop at a time, his gaze as resolute as a warrior’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him lay a doll, its eyeballs tilted sideways, staring straight at him as he dug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hit the coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jamie didn’t hesitate—he flung open the lid. Inside was empty. “Of course. It really was Billy. Who dug you up? Is that nursery rhyme true?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The killer is a ghost?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at the empty coffin and the name “Billy” carved on the tombstone, Jamie fell into confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the doll in hand, he had to start his investigation here. Legend said Mary Shao was buried with her doll. Now, he had opened Billy’s grave—and found it empty—confirming this doll was indeed the one Mary Shao held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the question arises.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does this mean the ghost nursery rhyme is real, and the spirit actually exists?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jamie’s gaze turned to the nearby tombstone marked “Mary Shao.” After a brief flash of fear and hesitation, determination replaced it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted the shovel. One strike—and everything might be revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only wanted the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his footsteps, the wooden doll Billy, discarded nearby, began to turn its eyeballs!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fixedly staring at Jamie, its face slowly twisted into a grotesque snarl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shovel plunged into the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flashlight suddenly flared on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Hey! Hey!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look what I’ve found—a suspect in his wife’s murder, carrying evidence, digging up a grave in a cemetery. Are you insane? Oh~ That’s a real problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Detective Warwick, who suspected Jamie of murder, shone his flashlight and shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jamie took a deep breath. “Listen, Detective, I didn’t kill my wife, and I’m not insane. I’m searching for the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Digging up graves at midnight is your truth?” Warwick stepped forward, snatched the shovel from Jamie’s hands, and glared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, don’t do this!” Jamie groaned, clutching his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then tell me the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The truth? The truth is I suspect the spirit from our town’s nursery rhyme killed my wife!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That doll belonged to her, you know? When I dug it up, the doll wasn’t inside. Do you know what that means?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It means you’ve been planning this for a long time. And what does it prove? A ghost? How old are you? Should I call a priest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the detective’s skeptical expression,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jamie grew more pained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t even know if Mary Shao was a spirit—but he wasn’t the killer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the bushes, Louis, who had just arrived to destroy Mary Shao’s corpse, watched this scene in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A classic materialist hero from a horror film?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever. Jamie’s temperament is calm—he won’t fall easily to Mary Shao’s tricks. Leave them for now. The priority is Mary Shao’s doll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mary Shao can possess and transfer through the dolls she made in life. Unless every single doll is destroyed, she can escape by possessing another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Billy is one. There are also many others—at the grand theater where Mary Shao performed and lived?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally, the protagonist’s stepmother—the perfect doll Mary Shao painstakingly crafted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Destroy all of them, and Mary Shao will have nowhere to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, before that, see if I can destroy her corpse first. If she became a spirit, her body must hold some unnatural power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Jamie and the detective argued and left to seek other witnesses about Mary Shao, Louis stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swung the shovel. Not bad—his current physical strength was formidable. He dug fast and steady, and soon the coffin appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Louis didn’t rush to open it. Instead, he flipped his sleeve, revealing a bottle no bigger than a perfume vial. Two drops fell into his eyes. Then he scanned the surroundings warily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Mary Shao cares about her body, she’ll appear. Must be prepared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He blew gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A ring of flame spiraled around Louis, illuminating the area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As proven, fear weakens under light. Louis felt instantly more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis stared at the coffin lid. Now, let’s see what you’ve got, Mary Shao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked open the lid. A stale odor rushed out—but inside, there was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the rustling of wind through leaves ceased. Even the familiar chirps of insects fell silent. Everything slipped into an eerie stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Woof! Woof! Woof!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Blackie in his arms suddenly barked furiously toward one direction. The high-pitched, puppy-like yelps shattered the unnatural silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bead of blood on his wrist spun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three peachwood needles shot violently from beneath Louis’s tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like bullets, they streaked toward the direction Blackie barked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The needles exploded against the tree trunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Blackie kept barking, his little head spinning wildly—as if the filth was everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Missed. Expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But where was her form? Why couldn’t he see her? Too fast? Too well hidden? Too high a rank?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blood curse didn’t work—likely because she was a spirit. Looks like I’ll have to rely on the Willow Blade now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Louis scanned the area, he gently pressed Blackie’s head. The little thing was nearly dizzy—but good. The creature was useful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He brushed his palm, where the Willow Blade waited. Faintly, dimly, he finally saw it—just a flicker of white shadow behind the bushes. Too well concealed. Impossible to lock on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coldness intensified. The flames encircling Louis began to dim slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who… are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who… are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who… are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A 3D surround-sound chorus echoed from all directions—male and female, old and young, layered and chaotic. All identical in words:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who… are you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the question, Louis smiled. “Old thing, don’t you recognize me? Don’t worry—you’ll remember me soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’ve got guts, follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked over Mary Shao’s tombstone. She didn’t lunge at him with a ghostly surprise. Blackie fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Louis snorted. With the flames still swirling around him, he walked toward town. Earlier at dusk, he’d learned Jamie’s address.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orange flames burned fiercely as Louis moved with the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The layered ghostly voices vanished. The ghostly shadows disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustrated by the detective, Jamie took him to find townspeople who could confirm the nursery rhyme was real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But sadly, no one would admit it. They wouldn’t even say “Mary Shao”—they just slammed their doors shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh. You didn’t make up the rhyme, did you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Shit, don’t you get it? They’re terrified. They won’t even say her name.” Jamie sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warwick fell silent, frowning. Indeed, the townspeople’s behavior had been odd—tinged with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could someone have used the nursery rhyme to kill?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for ghosts? Warwick still didn’t believe. He’d handled too many wife-murder cases. Killers invented any excuse to escape guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh. Let’s go. Maybe I can ask my father. I don’t want to see him—but at least he won’t lie to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Family testimony isn’t admissible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the detective followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt that the nursery rhyme \"Mary Xiao\" might conceal a major case, worth investigating further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1180,"2026-06-19T23:34:28.869Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e2f789fabcebc3446e956e10a4e69db34826d0ab01503022ee37929866c9fd31","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-69","becoming-a-god-through-horror-chapter-67",253,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbecoming-a-god-through-horror-cover.jpg"]