Chapter 114: The Bride's Transformation, the Uncontrolled Ghost Lake

Within the world of ghost paintings.

After another hour of waiting, the ghost bride quickly took the next action.

The ghost bride, who had been hugging Zhang Hao's neck with her head resting on his, suddenly lowered herself further, her head sliding down along Zhang Hao's face to rest on his neck.

In this scene, they looked like a loving couple.

When the husband faced a vexing matter, the wife sensed his inner distress and silently embraced him, soothing his agitation.

"Indeed, there is still a next move."

"Just don't know whether there will be other actions later."

Zhang Hao still remained motionless; now it could be confirmed.

Connecting the ghost bride with He Yuelian indeed enhanced the ghost bride's thinking.

Don't think these are merely intimate gestures with no effect; they also offer no help in the supernatural confrontation.

But this indicates that the ghost bride is actively trying.

She is attempting behaviors she previously could not comprehend.

Perhaps in the future, as she comes to understand the meanings behind more actions, true wisdom will be born.

Another hour passed.

This time the ghost bride let go of Zhang Hao's arm and sat down beside him.

She rested her head against his chest, her hands on his heart, as if feeling Zhang Hao's heartbeat.

Unfortunately, Zhang Hao's heart was dead, so leaning on his chest yielded no heartbeat sound.

Seeing the ghost bride's posture, Zhang Hao dared not move, fearing his actions would disrupt the logic of her attempts.

Soon, another hour passed.

This time the ghost bride lowered her head slightly, resting it on Zhang Hao's knees, looking as if she had fallen asleep.

Zhang Hao continued waiting for the next move.

However, after another hour, the ghost bride showed no further behavior, simply leaning quietly beside Zhang Hao, remaining motionless.

At the same time, beside the ghost bride, a stack of paintings appeared at an unknown moment.

Seeing the ghost bride cease moving, Zhang Hao realized that, while he sat in his chair, the bride could only exhibit these four behaviors.

"Spend some time engraving these actions into the lady's habits."

Thinking this, Zhang Hao reached out and picked up the stack of paintings beside the ghost bride.

There were a dozen or so paintings, depicting mainly the ghost bride's previous actions.

However, the paintings were drawn from various angles, and the figures within differed.

Although the actions were the same, some paintings showed the ghost bride wearing a veil, while others did not.

Moreover, the paintings were half black‑and‑white and half colored, looking extremely eerie.

After examining the paintings, he looked at the ghost bride leaning beside him.

Zhang Hao, who had originally planned to try a different location to see if the ghost bride would exhibit more behaviors, ultimately gave up.

That feeling was very reassuring and comfortable.

The last time he felt this reassured was when he lay in the Ghost Coffin as it reshaped his body.

As a ghost, Zhang Hao rarely experienced pleasant emotions.

So, after sensing a fleeting pleasure in his body, he hugged the ghost bride beside him and sat motionless on the chair to savor it.

Anyway, time mattered little to him.

Time drifted slowly, and when the ghost bride habitually tried to return to the room to paint for herself, Zhang Hao finally rose from the chair.

While plotting how his upcoming affairs would proceed, Zhang Hao also observed the ghost bride's current changes.

Now, besides the four behaviors when Zhang Hao sits, the ghost bride has acquired several additional actions.

After Zhang Hao stands dazed for a long time, the ghost bride will proactively come from behind and hug him.

Sometimes the ghost bride will take Zhang Hao's hand and stand in front of him, blocking his path, behaving as if she were being coquettish.

When Zhang Hao lies down, the ghost bride also comes to lie beside him.

After lying for a while, the ghost bride, as if tired and wanting to turn over, changes to another posture beside him.

Sometimes she lies in Zhang Hao's arms, sometimes she proactively hugs him, and occasionally she rests her head on his abdomen.

Beyond that, there are no other actions.

At the same time, in the red room of the Republic Era mansion, many photos appeared, giving a more wedding‑room feeling.

Of course, this assumes ignoring the faded half of each photo.

During Zhang Hao's study of the ghost bride.

Reality World.

While everyone was drawn to the Red and White Double Evil, contemplating what the other would do next, some horror began to spiral out of control.

Along a river in Dachang City, Yang Jian was strolling on the adjacent pedestrian street.

The Ghost Post Office had previously gone out of control; he had inspected it, and now it was difficult to manage—at least he alone lacked the ability to restore it to its former state.

Besides the hassle, the people of Dachang City also wanted to unwind, so Yang Jian tagged along with them.

Abnormal beings have lost human feelings, but precisely because of that, those who still see themselves as living abnormal beings need even more contact with the living.

Otherwise, staying alone too long would make them forget they are still a person.

However, at that moment, a splash of someone falling into the water echoed from the riverbank.

The splash was loud, as if someone had jumped in, startling Liu Xiaoyu.

"Yang Jian, come quickly, I think I just saw someone jump into the water," Liu Xiaoyu shouted hurriedly.

Yang Jian walked over and said, "I issued the order to block the riverbank, and I haven't lifted it yet; all riverbanks in Dachang City are empty except for us."

"I told you, no wonder it's so quiet here," Feng Quan said, nodding thoughtfully.

Although the square by the riverbank was lit, it was completely empty.

At first he thought few people came here, but now it seems that isn't the case.

"But I really think I just saw someone fall into the water. Wait, block off the riverbank? That Ghost Lake Incident."

Liu Xiaoyu's eyes widened, and she only realized then; instantly frightened, she hurriedly stepped back, grabbed Yang Jian's arm, and hid behind him.

"So, the one who fell into the water wasn't human?" Feng Quan walked to the riverbank, looking thoughtfully at the lake bottom.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen; I'm watching from the side," Yang Jian said calmly.

"Moreover, I haven't received any reports of deaths from paranormal incidents at the riverbank recently, so I consider this place safe; at least the paranormal influence isn't that strong. I blocked it only as a precaution."

"The source of Ghost Lake isn't in Dachang City; the rivers here have at most suffered some paranormal contamination."

"Feng Quan, keep an eye on them; I'm going over to check the situation," Yang Jian let Liu Xiaoyu release his hold and said to Feng Quan.

"Don't worry, it's just some paranormal influence; I can still handle it," Feng Quan nodded.

Yang Jian nodded, approached the riverbank, and walked toward the spot where someone fell into the water.

Soon.

His steps halted.

He saw a series of wet footprints on the ground near the water's edge.

Moreover, the prints clearly showed toes, indicating someone had come ashore barefoot.

Yet the footprint area spanned only about a meter along the riverbank, unable to go farther.

Yang Jian's complexion shifted slightly as he stared at the calm river surface before him.

In the dim water, something seemed hidden that even he could not see through.

Soon.

He opened his Ghost Eye.

The river water could not block the Ghost Eye's gaze; finally, Yang Jian saw a corpse deep within the water.

The corpse was bizarre, neither floating nor sinking to the riverbed.

Instead it stood in the water, neither up nor down, and the body swayed with the river's flow as if walking within the water.

Soon.

He withdrew his gaze, ignoring the corpse.

Because the corpse wasn't a Fierce Ghost; it must have been an unlucky victim.

However, the person who died in the river seemed tainted by the paranormal, forever trapped in the water.

The body was oddly unrotted, not swollen from soaking, yet it lacked any color, appearing starkly pallid.

Similar cases weren't limited to Dachang City; many riverine cities also reported the same phenomenon.

A-Class Paranormal Event, Ghost Lake further out of control.

"I don't know how great the impact will be this time."

Yang Jian stared at the water's surface, his heart sinking.

Ghost Lake's loss of control affected the city's water resources; many riverside plants mutated, and some vegetables became inedible.

This is a paranormal incident whose danger rivals that of a ghost painting; if unsolved, even Ghost Tamers might survive, but ordinary people would lose hope.

Yang Jian collected his thoughts, turned back to the group. "Nothing much, just a slight anomaly in the water; it seems my order to block the riverbank was correct."

"It's getting late; let's all go back. In the future, when you're alone, don't approach the water's edge; it's still somewhat dangerous for ordinary people."

"Can this be resolved?" Liu Xiaoyu asked.

Yang Jian said, "It's not that easy; the scope is too large. For now, don't intervene; Headquarters will make arrangements."

"Feng Quan, you've been working hard lately; when you have time, pay more attention to the riverbank situation."

"During this period, I will focus on the riverbank," Feng Quan nodded.

"Let's go." Yang Jian left quickly.

He didn't want to deal with the Ghost Lake Incident for now; it could very well be an S-level Paranormal Event.

The Ghost Post Office is already troublesome enough, let alone a Red and White Double Evil lurking in the shadows.

Now he doesn't even have a teammate capable of handling the Ghost Post Office's loss of control, let alone dealing with Ghost Lake.

However, some things, the more you try to avoid them, the more they tend to connect with you.

Yang Jian didn't want to handle Ghost Lake, but in the end he still had to.

There is no other reason.

Two captains have already fallen in the Ghost Lake Incident.

Captain Silver Leader disappeared, Cao Yang investigated Ghost Lake and also went missing.

At the same time, Li Leping of Dachuan City was still troubled by personal issues, seemingly needing more time to resolve; coming out now only adds to the chaos.

Wang Chaling, because there were traces of Red and White Double Evil in Da'ao City, has recently been monitoring that area.

And now two captains at Headquarters, due to the special nature of their duties, cannot step forward for now.

Suddenly, half of Headquarters' captains cannot participate in this paranormal incident.

Of the remaining six captains, unless absolutely necessary, Headquarters always needs one captain to guard the already imprisoned Fierce Ghost, so Wei Jing also cannot be deployed.

As for Han Mo, he recently fought the Red and White Double Evil and was left half‑crippled, his strength greatly reduced.

He is now busy searching for the half of the paranormal he lost, or trying to master a new one, and cannot take part.

Therefore, the ultimate responsibility for handling the Ghost Lake Incident can only fall on Yang Jian and the few captains who are still relatively free.

In Zhongzhou City, Zhang Hao, after noticing Ghost Lake's loss of control, arrived here early to wait.

Looking at the lake that exists in the Black and White World but not in Reality World, Zhang Hao couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Under that lake, one corpse after another floats inside; those are all single Fierce Ghosts.

"Ghost Lake is still too terrifying; my current Terror Level, I fear, cannot be compared with a fully revived Ghost Lake."

The ghosts inside Ghost Lake are not like the Fierce Ghosts imprisoned in the Ghost Domain; these are Fierce Ghosts suppressed by Ghost Lake to the point of being completely immobile.

Although now, within the Dry Corpse Bride's Ghost Domain, many Fierce Ghosts are also confined, most of them are merely restricted to a certain area.

Even Zhang Hao, when looking at Ghost Lake, cannot help but instinctively feel a sense of unease.

Now that Ghost Lake has reached its limit, it may no longer be able to suppress itself; if the Fierce Ghosts in the lake water are cleared, once Zhang Hao sinks into the lake, he will definitely be suppressed.

However, Zhang Hao's goal is not Ghost Lake; the reason he appears in this city is merely to wait.

Soon, under Zhang Hao's gaze.

A special helicopter arrived in the high skies over this city.

Accompanying the helicopter's landing.

A man and a woman, two special individuals, entered a park Square in this city.

After dropping off the two, the helicopter swiftly withdrew, not lingering for a moment.

"Did we arrive first? I didn't see Liu San, nor did I see Shen Lin or Yang Jian."

Li Jun's expression remained calm, revealing an odd numbness, devoid of any living human emotion.

Looking around, the surroundings were empty, with not a single person.

In this unobstructed Square, one could see everything around at a glance.

This is the Headquarters-designated rendezvous point, also a relatively safe place.

"Let's wait a bit longer; it's not yet nine o'clock, still ten minutes away," the woman beside him said.

She is called Ah Hong, codename Ghost Makeup.

Ghost Fire Li Jun, Ghost Makeup Ah Hong.

Don't be fooled by the combat power being on Li Jun; outsiders only know Li Jun's name.

In fact, the key core of this pair is Ah Hong, not Li Jun.

"Yang Jian won't be late; he's still very punctual. As for the others, that may not be the case," Li Jun said.

He has no good feeling toward the other captains; on the contrary, Yang Jian's senses are better.

After all, Yang Jian has concrete merits.

"Li Jun, don't say it like that; I arrived much earlier than you."

However, at that moment, a voice echoed from all around.

Suddenly.

Several directions around the Square had people approaching, but upon closer look, it was astonishing.

"Liu San? I hope this time you come in your true form," Li Jun, beneath his sunglasses, had a grim green Ghost Fire flickering.

Liu San smiled and said, "I won't tell you."

Li Jun stepped forward a few steps, "Ghost Lake is such an important matter; be serious with me."

"I'm very serious, okay?" Liu San shrugged.

"No matter how many Paper Persons you bring, I must verify that your real self is here; if you dare treat this lightly, I will definitely not let you go."

Li Jun said coldly, displaying an inexplicable authority.

"Everyone has their own secrets; I won't tell you, but I will do my best," Liu San said.

"Li Jun, if you don't trust me, it's fine for everyone to act separately," Liu San said.

With those words spoken,

It seemed to anger Li Jun; he already disliked Liu San, and his face darkened instantly as he raised his hand to grab Liu San.

"Li Jun, you wouldn't try to attack me, would you?" Liu San stepped back to avoid.

"Bang!"

But the next moment,

A sudden deafening roar erupted over the park Square.

A golden, fissured Long Spear shot upward, plunged deep into the Ground, cracking the surrounding Ground.

"Not bad, all very spirited, Li Jun; your temper seems more impulsive than before. Acting now would be unwise, even if you despise Liu San, it won't do."

A voice sounded, and a flash of red light streaked forward.

Yang Jian appeared on the Square, but after saying that, he did not continue to look at Liu San and Li Jun; instead, he turned his head toward a distant spot.

He didn't know why, but he seemed to feel a sense of being watched, as if an invisible pair of eyes were staring at him.

If not for Ghost Eye's keen perception of Gaze, Yang Jian might not have noticed this feeling of being watched.

Thinking that, a flash of red light flickered by.

The next moment, a golden Long Spear was thrust into a pavilion hovering above the center of the lake surface in the park.

"What's wrong?" Li Jun looked at the pavilion on the lake surface.

"Nothing, just felt a sense of being watched."

Yang Jian retracted the golden Long Spear, and, looking at the empty pavilion, said,

"Perhaps it's a ghost in the water," Liu San said.

Meanwhile,

After discovering Yang Jian's arrival, Zhang Hao had already left Zhongzhou City and arrived at Dazhuang City.

The loss of control of Ghost Lake occurs when Headquarters' power is most vacant.

Now, there are few captains on the Headquarters side who can act; if an unsolvable Supernatural Incident occurs near Dajing City,

The only captain Headquarters can dispatch for support is Wei Jing.

At this moment, on a street within the city.

A person exuding a cold aura, whose steps are Ghost's Stiffness, is walking through the city.

As he kept moving forward, it seemed that someone caught his attention; that person lifted his head, revealing a pallid face.

"Ghost!"

The moment that person raised his head, a wave of terrifying, chilling aura instantly appeared around him.

But soon, that chilling aura seemed to solidify; starting from the spot beneath his feet, the Ground began to show a layer of icy debris.

A blast of cold, centered on that person, began to spread outward.

Soon, the street was completely shrouded by the cold, and everything within seemed to turn into ice sculptures.

However, the area covered by the cold kept expanding, spreading toward other streets.

(End of Chapter)