Chapter 98: Urban Legend of the Island Nation: The Ghost Who Controls Clothes

After successfully completing the corpse‑wrapping cloth, Zhang Hao did not stay in the country and continued searching for the bride's puzzle.

He chose instead to go abroad to find his own puzzle.

Mainly because neither Ghost Blood nor Red Bed can be handled by the current bride.

As for Ghost Makeup, that thing is not urgent.

Regarding Wei Jing, Zhang Hao is also not in a hurry.

In the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting there are many Fierce Ghosts; as long as the Ghostly Servant is completed, these can be fed to him at any time.

Mainly, Zhang Hao's departure from the country is also to lay low.

After Liu Qingqing leaves the old mansion, Zhang Youhong's consciousness will awaken again, begin to merge with Liu Qingqing, and become Hong Jie.

Given Zhang Youhong's attitude toward herself in the old mansion, once Hong Jie appears she will inevitably try to deal with herself.

The reason why Zhang Hao, before his growth had taken place, …

He first went to Daji City, to the old mansion, to face these Republic Era old monsters, mainly because there was no time for his development.

Whether it's the Ghost Painting or the Red Room, there was only that one chance to wield them.

Now the Red Room and the Ghost Painting are already in hand, she naturally has no need to stay in this extremely dangerous country.

In this country, old monsters from the Republic Era pop up at any moment, making development impossible in peace.

If Hong Jie appears and tells the last of the Seven Elders of the Republic Era, Zhang Baihua, about her affairs, and the other decides to kill her, there will be no way to escape.

Zhang Baihua can at least live several more years; his lifespan is enough for him to use Ghost Power against her without hesitation.

Facing a Seven Elder of the Republic Era who does not worry about his own depletion, Zhang Hao does not have that confidence.

"Well, the first target is to go to the island nation first, to see whether that wardrobe is actually something from the Red Room."

Zhang Hao, with the Ghost Bride, left the Caesar Grand Hotel and headed toward the seaside.

This time, he has no intention of hiding his whereabouts.

The massive Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting floated in midair, with grayish ash constantly falling, drifting toward the distance.

Occasionally, one or two pedestrians stained with ash would be targeted by the Ghost Bride, who would spawn a new painting to kill them.

"It's easy to ask for a god, hard to send one away—are you finally leaving this country?"

A bleak, colorless city.

Wang Chaling stood on the top of the tallest building in the city, watching the grayish Ghost Domain, constantly shedding ash, pass over Da Dong City toward the distance, and he let out a sigh of relief.

"That direction… should be that country, I guess."

"Never mind, it's none of my business."

Wang Chaling took out his phone, compared the direction of the Ghost Painting's departure, and sighed in relief.

"What? The Red and White Double Evil have left the country?"

At Headquarters, Cao Yanhua received a call from the Red and White Double Evil as they passed through the city, and his face showed excitement.

"Not bad, I saw that thing's Ghost Domain cross the sea, heading toward the island nation."

Wang Chaling spoke on the phone; the captain's statement further confirmed the credibility of the news.

"Good, very good, this supernatural incident has finally left."

Cao Yanhua let out a sigh of relief.

Earlier, news that the Red and White Double Evil had appeared in Dachang City startled Cao Yanhua, fearing that Dachang City might become, after Da Dong City, a second lifeless Ghost City.

"Hello! This is San Dao."

In the island nation, inside a luxurious villa, San Dao was lazily lying on the sofa.

Earlier, the Knocking Ghost ravaged the island nation; none of the new generation of Ghost Tamers could handle it, and the old generation of Ghost Tamers only had one chance to act.

In such a situation where only a trump card could solve it, he invited Yang Jian to help, successfully resolving the Knocking Ghost incident, and now feels triumphant.

"Nani? Say that again? Are you sure you didn't receive the wrong information?"

San Dao did a somersault like a carp and jumped up, his face full of astonishment and disbelief.

"Yes, President San Dao, I didn't say it wrong," a serious affirmation came over the phone.

"According to our overseas informants, the supernatural incident that the Hua Nation has classified as a beyond‑S‑level event is now rushing toward our country."

"Based on the Ghost Domain's speed, it will probably reach our country in about an hour."

Hearing that, San Dao hurriedly got up and paced back and forth in the room.

"In an hour, the Red and White Double Evil will arrive."

San Dao kept pondering the current situation of the island nation.

Because Liu Dong, who could control the head of the dead, had been eliminated by Zhang Hao, Yang Jian did not bring that head to the island nation.

Therefore, the island nation has not experienced the bizarre incident that occurs after completing the Head Balloon, and back in the country there are still many top Ghost Tamers they call 'Jade'.

However, no matter how San Dao thought, he did not believe those 'Jade' could defeat the Red and White Double Evil.

Now the news about the Red and White Double Evil is almost globally public, except for a few special pieces of information.

Details such as the Red and White Double Evil being composed of those Fierce Ghosts and what supernatural aspects they possess are basically known worldwide.

"Ghost Painting, Ghostly Servant, Red and White Double Evil—sigh."

"Even Mr. Yang Jian, together with several top Ghost Tamers from the Hua Nation, cannot stand against them; what should we do?"

San Dao paced back and forth and soon made a decision.

"Your Majesty the Emperor, the Red and White Double Evil are about to enter the island nation; facing such a beyond‑S‑level supernatural incident, we fear we cannot resist. I would like to request that you act immediately on something right now."

"Immediately arrange ships and aircraft to evacuate our country's youths aged fifteen to twenty‑five, as well as some special priority groups."

San Dao took out his phone and spoke to the island nation's Emperor.

"Red and White Double Evil? You mean that supernatural incident?"

The Emperor, upon hearing this, showed a look of terror in his eyes.

"Yes, we expect to arrive at the Island Nation in at most an hour," San Dao said in a low voice.

"Is that so? Understood, I will immediately arrange personnel to evacuate teenagers first."

The Emperor of the Island Nation did not ask why teenagers were evacuated first, nor why the elderly, children, women, and infants were not.

In this era, the elderly and infants are merely burdens; once they leave the homeland, they have no right to survive elsewhere.

Only the physically strong, more adaptable teenagers are the hope.

Soon, under the arrangement of the Supernatural Society and the Emperor, the Island Nation began to act.

Whether ships, airplanes, or submarines, at this moment they all became transport tools.

While the Island Nation was fervently transporting people outward, on a lighthouse in the sea…

A man about 1.5 meters tall held a telescope, gazing far into the distance.

"Report, signs of Red and White Double Evil Ghost Domain observed ahead."

"Prediction: ten minutes until landing on land."

Upon first seeing that grayish Ghost Domain, the man immediately lowered his head, shut all doors and windows of the lighthouse, and crouched motionless on the ground.

At this time, a coastal city of the Island Nation.

Its streets are desolate, empty, a stark contrast to its former bustling liveliness—as if two different cities.

Sometime, a terrifying urban legend began to spread here.

It is said that whenever darkness falls, a long‑dead old man appears at your doorstep, knocks on your front door, and anyone who hears the knock meets a bizarre death.

At first, many dismissed it as a laughable rumor with no credibility.

But as time passed, more and more people died mysteriously.

At the same time, some witnessed the terrifying old man standing at others' doors, knocking, and even boldly captured a Photo.

Yet despite this, skeptics remain the majority.

Until one morning, floating heads of the long‑dead began to drift in the sky, and the city fell into panic.

Some were lucky enough to escape and survive.

But a less fortunate portion, though still residing in Kobe City, have already vanished.

Because they were drawn into a bizarre world, a realm without any light, where the waiting was the ever‑present knock at the door. Their disappearance and escape caused this once‑prosperous city to die completely.

Fortunately, the nation's leader eventually resolved the issue, restoring peace to the country.

And the title of President San Dao also spread at that time.

However, recently the country has seen a new urban legend emerge.

It is an urban legend called "The Eight Forbidden Acts."

The first rule: one must not kneel; kneeling draws the attention of an incomprehensible terrifying entity, and you will die no matter where you are, who you face, even before an Immortal statue.

The second rule: one must not Cry; whether day or night, no crying, no sad expression, no sorrow, no tears, no Crying sound.

The third rule: one must not hold funerals, must not wear white garments, must not send off the dead; otherwise, when the funeral reaches a certain point, all participants will die.

The fourth rule: one must not hang portraits of the deceased at home, lest inexplicable terrifying events occur, such as sudden Footsteps.

The fifth rule: one must not marry, must not wear red clothing; from some unknown day onward, marriage was prohibited. Those who walked in red clothing later vanished without a trace.

The sixth rule: one must not make eye contact with people in paintings or Photos; it is said someone tried to look at a painted figure, and the figure eerily stepped out of the painting.

The seventh rule: one must not look up at the sky; when walking outside, everyone must keep their heads down, or be targeted by incomprehensible entities.

The eighth rule: everyone must not imagine or recall those they do not remember, or whose memories are vague.

After the lesson of the previous Kobe City incident, people this time are obedient, though some still refuse to obey.

In the end, either people forget that person's existence, or that person ultimately dies.

At this moment, in Kobe City, a red and a white—two individuals who completely defied the Island Nation's urban legend rules—appear here.

Standing before a two‑story wooden house, Zhang Hao lifted his hand, drawn like a picture, and pressed the doorbell beside the main door.

In this unusually quiet Kobe City, the not‑loud doorbell sounded hollow, echoing softly down the street, reaching far away.

The bell rang repeatedly, without stopping.

It seemed to be an empty house, uninhabited, or perhaps once lived in, but now the occupants are dead.

"No movement? Isn't that his Killing Rule?"

Zhang Hao looked up; he attempted Ghost Summoning, but could not draw anything out from within.

"Fine, let's go in and take a look."

Zhang Hao looked at the bride beside him; the two of them are abroad, so they should rarely encounter any Supernatural Incident worth fearing.

A country the size of a single city, like the Island Nation, likely has only a few Supernatural Incidents that could threaten Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao entered the room; the dimly lit house felt unusually calm.

After Zhang Hao entered, nothing abnormal occurred, no sounds came, just like an ordinary room.

He passed the hallway and arrived at the first sliding door inside, presumably the living room.

The sliding door bore dried blood stains forming a handprint, likely left by someone.

Moreover, the handprint faces outward, indicating that at some point a blood‑stained hand opened the door, trying to escape from inside.

But that escapee apparently failed.

Because Zhang Hao saw no corpse, only a strong stench of decay sealed inside the house.

He entered the living room, surveyed it, found nothing strange, saw no source of the stench, and no corpse.

"Is it on the second floor?"

Having explored the entire first floor, Zhang Hao looked up; the house is a two‑story building.

He reached the stairwell, quickly ascended, opened the second‑floor sliding door, and entered.

This appears to be the family's master bedroom, fairly spacious and tidy, with no signs of disorder or damage, as if the owner had deliberately tidied it before leaving.

But the stench of corpses lingering in this room is stronger than elsewhere.

It seems this is the source, and all the smell in the house spreads out from here.

Zhang Hao surveyed the room, and soon his gaze fell on the wardrobe.

It was an old, pitch‑black wardrobe.

"Isn't it Hong Bai Shuang Sha?"

Zhang Hao saw this and felt a bit disappointed.

He came to the island nation specifically for this wardrobe; before arriving, he had imagined it as a Hong Bai Shuang Sha wardrobe with some strange supernatural presence.

He didn't expect it to be something that wasn't Hong Bai Shuang Sha.

But now that he's here, Zhang Hao can't leave empty‑handed.

The Ghost Bride's Hong Bai Shuang Sha is useless; at worst, he can keep it for later, place it in the spirit hall, and it would be fine for storing Funeral Clothes.

He immediately went to the wardrobe, and his cold Palm pulled open its door.

"Thump!"

In an instant, an adult male corpse fell out of the wardrobe; the man was rotting, foul‑smelling, had been there for many days, and his features were unrecognizable.

Strangely, the male corpse wore no clothing at all; its body was stripped clean.

It wasn't just a single corpse.

The entire wardrobe was packed with many corpses, recognizable by limbs and exposed heads.

There were already six or seven, both male and female, with varying degrees of decay.

The newest corpse seemed as if it had died just yesterday, its skin still bearing a hint of healthy color.

"Is this male corpse a Ghost? So weak feeling?"

Zhang Hao stared at the first corpse that fell, initially thinking it was a Ghost Slave, but unexpectedly it turned out to be the Source Ghost of this wardrobe.

"Forget it, it has no salvage value at all."

Zhang Hao glanced at the wardrobe, tossed it into the Ghost Painting's world to fend for itself, and then left.

Its Terror Level is too low, and it has no connection to Red Affair or White Affair, so there's no need to control it.

Come to think of it, since arriving in the island nation to find this wardrobe, Zhang Hao has lost count of how many Ghosts he has dealt with.

But they were mostly useless Ghosts, all eventually tossed into the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain.

These Ghosts are too weak, their Terror Level too low; even with bizarre abilities, they cannot affect sufficiently terrifying beings.

So Zhang Hao had the Ghost Bride isolate these Ghosts into a separate area; any unwanted Fierce Ghosts are thrown there.

Anyway, these Fierce Ghosts have all sorts of bizarre powers; perhaps only after obtaining the Puzzle can they truly reveal their terror and strangeness.

Given that, Zhang Hao, as if raising insects, dumped all these Ghosts together.

When these Ghosts find suitable Puzzles and grow to a certain stage, Zhang Hao will use a separate Ghost Painting to isolate them in a specific area.

"Hm?"

But at that moment, Zhang Hao suddenly turned his head toward another direction in the room.

There, a wardrobe stood.

After Zhang Hao tossed the wardrobe into the Ghost Painting, the wardrobe suddenly opened on its own.

A pair of legs protruded from the wardrobe; he couldn't tell if they were human, only seeing the shape of two human legs.

They were wrapped in various foul‑smelling old clothes, as if stripped from a corpse; most garments were stained with blood, making it look more like a rag doll.

The Ghost's upper half was a rotting corpse, cold and reeking of foul odor.

Yet it was also dressed in several different garments—shirts, coats—tightly covering its body.

The next moment, Zhang Hao sensed something odd: an unusual cold pressed against him, not invading his body but enveloping his Funeral Clothes.

At this moment, the Funeral Clothes, though originally a Ghost, lacked any ability to act.

It seemed cursed, becoming oddly strange, as if it had come to life.

"A Ghost that can control clothing?"

Zhang Hao's eyes lit up as he looked at the Fierce Ghost emerging from the wardrobe.

(End of Chapter)