Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Battery

Shen Lin’s eyes widened abruptly. He focused all his attention on locating the source of the ringing, finally fixing his gaze upon the mottled stone steps.

The incident had returned to square one. The silence surrounding him was terrifying; Shen Lin could even hear the harsh, heavy sound of his own breathing.

Why was Li Meng’s phone ringing from that ghastly thing?

Shen Lin pondered instinctively.

What did this mean? Had Li Meng been swallowed up when he wasn't looking, vanishing without a trace, with his phone left behind near the ghost staircase?

Or did this ghost possess some unknown ability, simulating Li Meng’s phone call to lure him in?

The mottled stone steps stood there still, stained with blood and scattered with fragments of broken corpses—eerie and ominous.

Li Meng was inside that ghastly thing.

A horrifying conjecture formed in Shen Lin’s mind.

Just like a grave burying the dead, just like a tombstone suppressing a corpse, just like the stiff bodies that had emerged from this bizarre staircase moments ago—he suspected that this ghost was suppressing more than just one person.

Gritting his teeth, he approached the steps cautiously. Wu Qiu’s documents had been a great help; even if the patterns derived from the experiences of several ghost controllers were not entirely comprehensive, they were still valuable.

Shen Lin stood just one meter away from the steps, scrutinizing the mottled marks with meticulous care.

Within his chest, the "Inverted Ghost" manifested through his ghostly aspect bloomed with radiance. A strange power emanated from his body, tentatively washing over the stone steps.

Nothing happened. Relieved, Shen Lin took a step forward, closing the distance.

If he were to connect the dots, if this bizarre ghost staircase was indeed the root of it all, then he had every reason to believe Li Meng was right here.

The phone in his hand had not stopped; the ringing continued, right here, on the very first step within arm's reach.

More than thirty steps—did that represent more than thirty people?

Shen Lin’s pupils constricted. If his guess was correct, this bizarre staircase had the ability to devour people to grow. It had consumed over thirty people throughout the Longhu residential compound, which was why it had over thirty steps.

But what about before that? It shouldn't have only triggered its patterns in the Longhu compound; there should be more than just this.

His thoughts hit a wall. They still knew too little about the mysteries of the ghost staircase.

Shen Lin narrowed his eyes. Activating the power of the Inverted Ghost, he struck. The mottled stone steps reacted as if they had encountered something, producing fine cracks before finally shattering into pieces.

It could be destroyed? Shen Lin was startled.

What was this? Could the Inverted Ghost’s power even affect ghosts? Or did this bizarre object belong to a specific category of ghost, like the Ghost Cabinet, which could be physically damaged?

Inside the cracked steps, a plump, disheveled figure lay in a deep, unconscious sleep.

Li Meng!

He was indeed here.

The crumbling steps seemed like a creature having its bones snapped. Shen Lin saw crimson liquid flowing from the fine debris, carrying an incomparable stench of decay.

Moving with all his might—his physical constitution as a ghost controller far exceeding that of an ordinary person—he easily hauled Li Meng out and tossed him aside.

The bizarre staircase shuddered, as if Shen Lin had jolted it awake. He seemed to hear a trace of music, like the mournful wailing of an evil spirit.

The next second, the power of the Inverted Ghost was unleashed again, and the second step shattered into layers.

Before he could even look at the figure within, Shen Lin hauled them out as well.

Retreat! He didn't know if he had disturbed the ghost, nor if doing this counted as triggering its patterns in some sense.

Run! Just run first.

The distance between Donghua Park and the residential entrance was not far. The moment Shen Lin used the Inverted Ghost to invert the world, accompanied by a wave of vertigo, he felt as if he had arrived in another world.

There is nothing more agonizing in the world than waiting, but Chen Zuo waited. Official forces had sealed off the compound, doing everything in their power to evacuate pedestrians. After ensuring a safe distance from the complex, Chen Zuo stood guard on the front line alone.

He stared fixedly at the entrance of the compound.

As a professional who frequently handled the aftermath of such incidents, Chen Zuo understood exactly what this situation represented, which was why he dared to sit there alone.

If the ghost disaster within truly erupted, there was no essential difference between one person sitting there and ten thousand.

A call from Headquarters had just come through; the woman with the pleasant voice had detailed the current situation, and he was ready to provide support at any moment.

On that drowsy afternoon, his subordinates had just finished asking about lunch. Chen Zuo was responding casually, intending to greet them and tell everyone to eat, when he saw a blood-stained figure inexplicably appear at the entrance.

"Stretcher! Medics! Contact the hospital!" Clear-headed and concise, Chen Zuo roared.

He rushed forward immediately.

"Mr. Shen, what is this?"

Shen Lin handed Li Meng and the other person to the waiting medical staff.

It was a child, appearing to be only about ten years old. Both of their vital signs were very weak; it was uncertain if they would survive.

Shen Lin did not answer Chen Zuo.

Looking at the fading breath of Li Meng and the child, he thought of the desolation at Donghua Plaza.

He began to develop some grim associations.

Much like the legendary S-class "Ghost Messenger" from the original records, which needed to consume ghosts to expand its quota, any human or ghost below that quota would trigger a fatal pattern.

Shen Lin guessed that this bizarre ghost staircase fed on humans or ghosts. It was like an old machine, and the humans or ghosts it consumed acted as fuel.

Like a battery!

Used to influence evil spirits!

It all connected; everything clicked! The ghost staircase had the ability to influence evil spirits, and this ability required the consumed humans or ghosts to act as something like storage batteries. Once the people or ghosts within the steps were exhausted, the steps would vanish.

Therefore, the ghost staircase itself was not infinitely long.

Wait, Shen Lin was stunned. Headquarters' records showed that this bizarre object had appeared at least several times, with several ghost controllers lost to it, yet the staircase he saw had only thirty-some steps.

The rest had been consumed!

How many ghosts had this thing influenced? The thought alone was terrifying.

"Find a way to save them. Tell me the moment they wake up; I have some questions to ask," Shen Lin said to Chen Zuo. His thoughts were racing, and he looked at the entire Longhu compound with deep apprehension.

"Seal off a two-kilometer radius around this compound," Shen Lin commanded.

Chen Zuo was slightly startled. He said, "But, Mr. Shen, our orders were only to seal off this compound."

The order of normal society was still in operation; it was difficult for them to intervene without permission, especially with such a large-scale blockade. In the internet age, it was inevitable that someone with ulterior motives would leave behind evidence.

"You only need to seal it. I will handle your superiors; I won't say this a second time." Shen Lin had no time to explain the stakes. His mind was filled with various extreme, negative possibilities. The current Longhu compound was like a ticking time bomb; no one knew how many ghosts were inside or what consequences they might cause.

"Yes, Mr. Shen." Chen Zuo responded. The voice was so chilling that he dared not offer any resistance. He heard something amiss in those words, and the keen intuition of a long-time front-line operative told him that this blockade was imperative.

This incident could be considered a total failure. It was incredibly difficult for Shen Lin to have survived; he had wasted most of a ghost candle obtained from Wang Xiaoming, which made his heart bleed.

"Mr. Shen, do you need to stay here? Or?" Chen Zuo asked.

Frowning slightly, Shen Lin looked in the direction the ambulance had departed. The matter of the ghost staircase was like a nightmare he couldn't shake. If Li Meng could wake up in a short time, he could obtain information about what he had encountered, which would be quite useful to him.

He was still unsure if he had triggered the pattern and been targeted by the ghost staircase.

"Help me arrange a hotel near the hospital, as close as possible. I need to take a shower and clean up," Shen Lin said. "Notify me the moment there is news. Also, use your resources to look into the identity of that child; the more detailed, the better."

"Very well, Mr. Shen." Chen Zuo replied. This was simple enough for them; or rather, part of their cleanup work included such tasks.

Soon, the official personnel who had surrounded the Longhu compound widened their perimeter. As night fell, inside the pitch-black Longhu compound, the music, sounding like wind chimes, continued to play.