[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heavenly-official-bestows-evil":3,"chapter-heavenly-official-bestows-evil-heavenly-official-bestows-evil-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heavenly Official Bestows Evil",{"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},2316631,4530,"Chapter 12: The Second Victim","heavenly-official-bestows-evil-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>3:00 a.m.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud, thud-thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy footsteps came from outside, drawing nearer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi gripped the crowbar tightly; the plastic bag over his face hid his expression, but his trembling hands betrayed his true state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This patient differs from the previous one—he has mutated due to the virus and is highly aggressive. Subdue him before treatment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was kicked open by a massive foot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A huge hand seized Fang Zhi’s head and easily pinned him to the ground; no matter how hard he struggled, the giant spirit remained unmoved, yet he still pounded its skull with the crowbar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He yanked open the cabinet door and saw his parents’ twisted bodies forcibly crammed inside, leaving not a single gap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped away the palm print on Yue Mei’s door, then smeared his hand across the still-wet cement imprint on the floor, pressed it onto the door of Room 402 where Qi Zhiyong lived, and made a few quick scribbles with a pen—it now resembled Yu Yinghua’s palm print nine out of ten times!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A terrifying figure appeared before Fang Zhi; according to Qi Zhiyong’s account, such a thing was no weak wandering spirit, but a great spirit impervious to mortals!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi shook like a sieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian pondered for a moment, then began his scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hua’s Agarwood Incense: calms the spirit, reduces swelling and disperses bruising; three sticks per set, suitable for offerings to deities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meant that before dawn, the corridor would be safe and hidden!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guess wasn’t 100% accurate, but for greater gain, Wu Xian could only take the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian first surveyed all the rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flashbacks even passed through his mind—scenes from his life that had left deep impressions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian spread his hands in a mocking tone: “I just remembered something happy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Otherwise, wouldn’t it become my fault?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that day…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His family love, his romance, the honors he had earned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why me? I’ve been careful enough—wasn’t it because that woman found me that I was marked? Did I make a mistake somewhere?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great spirit lifted its hand, shook it slightly, looking slightly puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this image appeared in Fang Zhi’s mind, his trembling stopped; he roared like a furious beast, raised the steel crowbar, and smashed it down upon the great spirit’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi’s door had been broken open, covered with over a dozen palm prints—Yu Yinghua clearly held deep resentment toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back and get some sleep. Rest up—we’ll have some fun with Qi Zhiyong soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian didn’t find any statue this time, but beneath the mattress he discovered three brown incense sticks emitting fragrance; after taking them, new content appeared on his item page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was profit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This period was the best chance to monopolize the benefits of Fang Zhi’s room!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering Room 407, Wu Xian saw Fang Zhi’s shattered skull; his hand still clutched the crowbar, clearly trying to fight back until his final moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the natural fear of a low-tier creature toward a predator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If death was inevitable, Wu Xian preferred to die like Fang Zhi, not suffer like Lu Yuzhu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tch…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corridor was gloomy, the floor stained with still-damp mud prints; the dim yellow lights flickered incessantly, creating a suffocating, terrifying atmosphere. Merely opening the door sent a chill straight to Wu Xian’s heart, as if every pore on his body had opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian frowned in disappointment—he’d thought the three incense sticks could be used three times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing this, Wu Xian did not return to his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two faces, crushed and deformed, revealed strange smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had three purposes in doing this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression shifted unpredictably, anger smoldering beneath the surface like a volcano about to erupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian exited last, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and upon seeing Qi Zhiyong’s ugly face, burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi is dead—now comes the crucial part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian swiftly searched the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Zhiyong cursed and turned away, refusing to look at Wu Xian—he had neither the mood nor the time to argue with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Fang Zhi’s roar, he shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What courage did this meal have to charge at him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Zhiyong ordered Wu Xian to investigate Lu Yuzhu’s room precisely to make Wu Xian bear the risk while he gathered intelligence; Wu Xian suffered the curse, yet received no compensation afterward, and was even deliberately treated differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though deeply unsettling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—I’ve always known it’s all true… but I must believe ghosts don’t exist, otherwise…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the door of Room 408, a fresh, still-wet palm print had appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the giant hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attitude confirmed to Wu Xian that if someone had to be sacrificed, Qi Zhiyong would unhesitatingly sacrifice him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wu Xian felt it was only fair that Qi Zhiyong gather intelligence and bear some risk for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Yue Mei’s room—this timid nurse had been targeted by the evil spirit early on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merely testing the spirit’s behavior pattern wasn’t enough to justify Wu Xian risking so much; what truly drove him to venture out before dawn…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wu Xian didn’t care about Fang Zhi’s family background; he tossed the photo aside carelessly and finished searching the room thoroughly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian straightened his back; since last morning, he had deduced from the drying time of the cement prints that Yu Yinghua had left half an hour before dawn. Since dawn was at six, he set his alarm for 5:30.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a meal is just a meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he went to Fang Zhi’s Room 407.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi’s skull was crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Zhi’s face twisted in agony, tears and blood streaming down continuously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waiting a while, Lu Yuzhu’s phone vibrated; Wu Xian had pre-set an alarm on it—without this phone, he’d have had no way to track time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While searching, Wu Xian saw a photo: a family portrait of Fang Zhi and his parents; the faces of father and mother had been rubbed so often they were blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Zhiyong turned and glared: “What are you laughing at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His parents didn’t come out to greet him as usual; he searched in confusion, and finally discovered a small cabinet in the house oozing blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with courage mustered, it’s only a bit more chewy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That night, he returned home as usual and opened the door of his newly purchased, low-cost apartment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Son, you’re back—this house is a great buy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian had always thought Fang Zhi was just a loudmouthed coward; he never expected him to make such a commotion before dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian sat by the wall, listening to every sound from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, Yue Mei was a decent girl—he wanted to try saving her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Zhiyong was furious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the corridor was empty—no people, no spirits!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s how it is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Died cleanly—good, lucky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian rose from the ground and cautiously opened the door; because he’d greased it with pig intestines, the sound was negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, he wanted to try deciphering the great spirit’s killing logic—to understand how it chose targets: by palm prints? By doors marked with prints? Or by marking the room itself—or even the person?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, Wu Xian deeply resented Qi Zhiyong and wanted to give him trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Xian’s mockery was intentional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being treated like that by Qi Zhiyong, if he didn’t rejoice at Qi Zhiyong’s misfortune, he’d seem too calculating—and might arouse suspicion from others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1237,"2026-06-20T14:31:06.102Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5a17f008fa5eb02df03e85a64d32725172ef48f896e06619837087f8315fc487","heavenly-official-bestows-evil-chapter-13","heavenly-official-bestows-evil-chapter-11",556,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheavenly-official-bestows-evil-cover.jpg"]