Chapter 496: This Life Is All Fierce Ghosts

Ji Bai slammed into the Alloy Door.

The entire Corridor shuddered backward.

The rule patterns on the wall lit up in rows, six sets of interlaced chains contracted, white Purification sigils crawled up the door panel to cover half the wall, as if to grind the intruder's flesh and bone to ash.

Ji Bai did not retreat.

His shoulder bone misaligned against the door.

The red‑clad totem on his chest burned hot, his skin split, blood ran down his collarbone onto the floor, instantly vaporized into white smoke by the Purification sigils.

His jaw clenched until it went sour.

Behind the door, the broadcast kept counting down.

"Feeding protocol initiated."

"Taotie adapter engaged."

"Material ID: S17."

Ji Bai's pupils contracted briefly.

Hong Jie.

Those two characters lodged in his throat, unable to swallow or spit out.

"Ji Bai!"

Su Xiaoya clutched the Old Black Umbrella, her throat hoarse.

"Step aside!"

Meng Wan's Black Water slithered through the floor crack, trying to corrode the rule lock, but as soon as it touched the door surface, it recoiled from the scorching white light.

She cursed in pain.

"This door's rigged, right? Whose lab security is built to apocalyptic fortress level!"

A Jie floated behind Ji Bai, a fragmented resentful spirit pressing onto his back.

"No nonsense."

Her palm pressed against Ji Bai's shoulder blade.

"We'll push."

Fierce Ghost after Fierce Ghost latched onto him.

The one with a severed arm.

The one missing half a face.

The one whose body was nearly vaporizing.

They uttered no slogans.

Nor did anyone speak pretty words.

Resentful energy piled layer upon layer onto Ji Bai's back, forcing the skinny boy's body to harden into the final battering ram.

Inside the door.

The scraping of descending mechanical arms grew increasingly rapid.

Ji Bai's forehead pressed against the door, blood seeping from his lips.

"Hong Jie."

"Wait for me."

The next second.

He stepped back half a pace.

Just half a step.

The floor bore two blood streaks from his shoe soles.

Then he lunged forward again.

Click.

The first rule lock snapped.

The lights atop the Corridor erupted in a spray of sparks.

Ji Bai's shoulder collapsed, flesh blackened by the rule sigils, yet he did not stop.

Second strike.

Third strike.

Fourth strike.

Each blow carried the fate of a swarm of Fierce Ghosts bearing down.

The Alloy Door caved inward from the center, its frame twisting into a bizarre curve, white sigils scrambled toward Ji Bai's face, as if to inscribe his features into the Purification process.

Su Xiaoya surged forward clutching the Old Black Umbrella, its ribs sweeping sideways, scattering a string of sigils.

Her palm smoked from the burn, her shoulder trembled in pain, yet she gritted her teeth and cursed.

"Write your dad, write!"

Meng Wan froze for a beat.

"Fine, Xiaoya, your insult skill improves quickly."

"Shut up!"

"Alright, emotion on point, full marks."

A Jie did not smile.

She poured all lingering resentment into Ji Bai's body.

A red‑clad phantom lifted its head behind him.

That is the power left behind by Lin Zhi.

That shadow had no complete face, only an old red robe that flapped loudly in the white light.

Ji Bai's shoulder flesh split open, exposing a bone‑white face.

But the fire in his eyes was even deeper.

"Open."

He let out a low growl.

"Open it for me!"

The final impact.

The half‑meter‑thick blast door let out a teeth‑grating cracking sound.

The door panel's center was forcibly pierced.

The alloy sandwich layer flipped outward to both sides, the rule‑binding chains snapped one by one, rebounding into the walls and leaving scorched black marks.

Thick smoke billowed out.

Cold white light poured out from behind the door.

Ji Bai passed through the broken door opening, staggered a step, and fell to one knee.

His knee struck the clean floor, blood splashing out.

He lifted his head.

The top‑secret experimental chamber finally revealed its full form.

This place is cleaner than all the containment zones outside.

So clean it makes one nauseous.

The four walls were lined with silver‑white isolation panels, the floor had no dust at all, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, burnt odor, and the sweet‑sour scent of resentment that had been pressed out.

In the center was a round experimental table.

Twelve mechanical arms hung above the experimental table, each holding a different tool.

Cutting arm.

Injection arm.

Sealing arm.

Sampling arm.

Those things were arranged in an orderly, professional, calm manner, like an upgraded hospital operating room.

But here, they do not save people.

Here, they devour people.

More precisely, it consumes ghosts.

A few white‑coated researchers hid behind the transparent isolation chamber, faces whitened, hands still on the control panel.

They did not anticipate the door being broken through.

They also did not expect that the intruder would be a teenager covered in blood, with a group of fierce ghosts about to disintegrate trailing behind.

Meng Wan glanced around, letting out a cold chuckle from her throat.

"Wow, this setup is pretty high‑end. Capital would weep at the sight, and even Hell would have to apply for further training."

Su Xiaoya did not speak.

Her gaze swept past those machines and came to rest at the center of the experimental table.

Then she gripped the old black umbrella hard.

Ji Bai saw it too.

The central position.

A fourteen‑year‑old boy stood there.

Clean school uniform.

Soft black hair.

His build was so thin it resembled the most ordinary student of Qiu Ce Yuan.

Lu Yu.

One of his hands was gripping the throat of the red‑clad female ghost.

Red Sister Lin Zhi was lifted by him into midair.

The red robe was tattered.

Long hair hung down.

A fierce ghost that could once kill three ghost‑wardens on its own, now a quasi‑A‑rank, its resentment feeble like ash about to burn out.

The edges of her body were fading into nothingness.

It was not worn away by the rules.

But was being devoured.

A small black vortex floated before Lu Yu's palm.

The vortex emitted no sound, yet it drew out the red resentment clinging to Lin Zhi strand by strand, pulling it deep into his palm.

Lin Zhi's toes hovered above the ground.

She struggled to lift her eyes.

Upon seeing Ji Bai at the doorway, her cracked lips twitched.

She uttered no words.

Yet Ji Bai comprehended.

Go.

She let him go.

Ji Bai stood in place, blood dripping from his chin into his collar.

The world shrank into a tiny patch before his eyes.

There was no experimental chamber.

There were no researchers.

Only that woman in red clothing.

Back then, in the abandoned chemical plant, it was also this red garment.

He lay on the ground, his legs broken, his throat filled with blood.

Three devious ones teased with his parents' hard drive, saying the kid ran fast, but his legs weren't very durable.

Later, the red garment fell.

That night the rain was heavy, covering the wailing.

Later still.

She taught him to use an umbrella.

She taught him to hide his wounds.

She taught him not to see himself as a savior.

She also taught him that when he sees someone abandoned, he should give them a hand.

Ji Bai saved many Fierce Ghosts.

But the one he most wanted to save is now being choked, placed on the feeding platform, like a serial number, like supplies, like a grab‑and‑go snack.

Lu Yu tilted his head.

Those well‑like eyes fell on Ji Bai.

No panic.

No surprise.

Not even the irritation after a secret was exposed.

He merely sized up Ji Bai, then glanced at the group of Fierce Ghosts behind him.

That look was far too familiar.

Hunters browse auction items at the Black Market.

Researchers examine experimental material.

Gluttons eye the dishes.

A slight curve formed at Lu Yu's mouth corner, a thin, wicked smile.

"You're the one in legend who protects Fierce Ghosts?"

His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly through the experimental chamber.

"At times a murderous Fierce Ghost, this whole life a murderous Fierce Ghost."

"Your deeds are nothing but opposing humanity."

Meng Wan's face darkened.

"You kid talk is really begging for a beating,"

Lu Yu didn't even glance at her.

"B Ji water‑type vengeful entity, loss rate over sixty percent, many impurities."

Meng Wan's eyebrows twitched.

"Are you being polite?"

Lu Yu looked again at A Jie.

"Psychic‑interference type, Core damaged, low consumption value."

A Jie said nothing, only let her Nail grow a little longer.

Finally, Lu Yu's gaze settled on Su Xiaoya.

"A freshly formed Fierce Ghost, memory fully intact, the texture should be fine."

Su Xiaoya clutched the Black Umbrella tightly, stepping back half a step.

Ji Bai raised his hand, blocking in front of her.

Lu Yu withdrew his gaze, looking back at Ji Bai.

"Don't worry."

"I'll proceed in order."

When those words fell, the red‑clothed totem on Ji Bai's chest flared blindingly.

A suppressed, distorted low growl forced out of his throat.

"Release her."

Lu Yu tilted his head slightly.

"On what grounds?"

Ji Bai didn't repeat it.

He snatched the Old Black Umbrella from Su Xiaoya's hand.

The canopy was torn beyond repair, the ribs missing half, the handle drenched in blood.

It was something Lin Zhi had left him back then.

It was also a token recognized by every Fierce Ghost at the Ferry Port.

Ji Bai grasped the Old Black Umbrella with one hand, pulling his arm back.

His muscles tensed.

Fine lines on the ground spread out beneath his feet.

Su Xiaoya shouted urgently, "Ji Bai, don't act rashly; he's not right!"

Meng Wan also scolded, "This kid is clearly not a normal version; pull him back, don't let him go!"

Ji Bai heard it.

But he couldn't stop.

Some things can't be counted.

If you count it, it's no longer a human.

"Let her go!!!"

A roar tore through the experiment chamber.

Ji Bai swung his arm out.

The Old Black Umbrella flew from his hand, dragging a harsh blast of air, its tip heading straight for Lu Yu's skull.

The strike was so fast that the researcher behind the transparent isolation pod couldn't react at all.

The black umbrella cut through the air, its canopy ragged, the resentful aura of the red‑clothed woman coiled around its ribs, as if countless hands were pushing it forward.

It wasn't a prop.

It was all the fate Ji Bai hadn't spoken of over the years.

Lin Zhi lifted his eyes, his pupils trembling slightly.

Lu Yu, however, didn't dodge.

The umbrella tip was only half a foot from his brow.

He raised his empty left hand.

Palm facing forward.

A palm‑sized black vortex appeared.

Very small.

Quietly Weird.

The Old Black Umbrella slammed into it.

No explosion.

No rebound.

No stalemate.

That high‑grade Weird device, infused with Hong Jie's resentful aura and having accompanied Ji Bai through countless rainy nights, disintegrated into fine black ash the instant it touched the vortex.

The canopy vanished.

The ribs vanished.

The old marks on the handle that Ji Bai had left also disappeared.

Not even a speck of residue remained.

Ji Bai's hand still held the post‑throw posture.

Blood filled the gaps between his fingers.

Su Xiaoya was stunned.

Meng Wan's half‑spat words got stuck in her throat.

A Jie's fragmented resentful spirit flickered.

Inside the experiment chamber, only the mechanical arm kept operating.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

On the control console, the Taotie compatibility rate jumped from 92.7 to 96.3.

Lu Yu lowered his head, glanced at the data, and his tone gained a hint of satisfaction.

"Not bad."

"This umbrella's age is higher than I estimated."

Ji Bai gave no reply.

His gaze fell on Lu Yu's hand.

The Old Black Umbrella was gone.

Hong Jie was still in his palm.

Lu Yu looked at Ji Bai's expression, as if he had finally found something interesting.

"Don't look at me like that."

"You treat her as a person; I respect that."

"But here, she's material."

"I need to become stronger."

"You need her alive."

"Unfortunately, the requirements conflict."

Su Xiaoya's eyes were blood‑red.

"She has saved people! She hasn't harmed the innocent!"

Lu Yu said plainly, "I've also saved people."

He lifted his eyes.

"Many."

Those words blocked Su Xiaoya, leaving her unable to utter a single sentence.

Ji Bai stepped forward.

Lu Yu's fingers tightened.

Hong Jie let out a broken hissing sound from her throat, and the edge of the red garment faded another layer.

Ji Bai stopped.

Lu Yu whispered, "Don't move recklessly."

"My hand is slipping now; she'll disperse."

Ji Bai stared at him.

"Are you also a monster raised by them?"

Lu Yu's eyelid twitched.

That title seemed to hit an uncomfortable spot.

But he quickly regained that hollow, cold expression.

"The word 'monster' depends on who defines it."

"You lead a group of Fierce Ghosts to raid the shelter; in the Investigation Bureau files, you are also a monster."

Ji Bai's voice became hoarse.

"I didn't eat them."

Lu Yu smiled.

That wasn't happiness.

It was more like hearing an overly childish answer.

"So you're weak."

Ji Bai leaned his body forward.

The red-clothed resentment surged wildly from his chest.

After losing the Old Black Umbrella, the portion of power that Hong Jie left inside him began to go out of control, burning along his vessels toward his limbs.

His skin cracked further.

Yet his aura instead rose.

Ajie hurried, "Ji Bai, don't force it! Your body can't bear it!"

Meng Wan also grew anxious.

"Hey hey hey, you really want to fight the Taotie with a mortal body? That's not bravery; that's sending your brain to a courier station!"

Ji Bai ignored it.

He stared at Lu Yu.

Each word came with a pause.

"Take her."

"Return her to me."

Lu Yu loosened his wrist.

Lin Zhi was thrown onto the ground.

The red-clothed female ghost fell by the experimental table, her resentful form so thin it was nearly transparent.

Ji Bai's pupils contracted sharply; just as he was about to rush forward, Lu Yu had already stepped to block him.

The boy's school uniform was clean.

His shoe soles stepped over the red resentment as if treading scattered petals.

He moved his wrist slightly, and his knuckles clicked softly.

The light at the top of the experimental chamber reflected on his face, making that clean boy's visage look especially unfamiliar.

Lu Yu looked at Ji Bai, then glanced at the group of crippled Fierce Ghosts behind him.

"Sigh… it's time for the main meal."