Chapter 89: Death Foretold Once More

Zhou Shen quickly opened his laptop, and Fang You and Zhang Shengnan also hurried over to watch. Sure enough, under Fang Meiqi’s works, a new chapter had just been posted. The chapter read as follows:

A man was smoking a cigarette inside a funeral parlor as he arranged the appearance of a female corpse. When some ash accidentally fell into the woman’s nostrils, he simply brushed it away carelessly. The man stared intently at the body; it was clear from the burns covering her that she had died in a fire—her entire body was charred beyond recognition, her face unidentifiable. He exhaled a smoke ring, which circled above her before fading away. Toying with the corpse, the man finally said mockingly after a long silence, “In all my years as a mortuary makeup artist, I’ve never seen a woman with such a figure. If you were alive, you’d be a beauty.” Even as he fondled her breast—which was almost completely burned away—it was obvious that, in life, she must have been well-endowed. Turning to his desk, he reached for his brushes, surrounded by all kinds of cosmetics. Suddenly, the lights flickered. He glanced up at the bulb above his head. “Damn, this ancient thing should’ve been replaced ages ago.” He picked up his tools and turned back to the corpse, only to find her eyes wide open, staring directly at him.

Frightened, he nearly fell over. “Damn it, can’t you stay dead properly?” he muttered, slapping her face twice. He grabbed a brush, about to apply makeup, when her left hand suddenly gripped his wrist. He recoiled in terror, shaking free. “Screw you, scared me half to death,” he cursed, kicking the corpse. Then he noticed something: her left middle finger was missing. Suddenly, memories flooded back.

He was a mortuary makeup artist, working at the funeral home. It wasn’t a respected job—dealing with the dead was considered unlucky, so few people cared to associate with him. After work, he’d often smoke by the funeral home entrance. There was a woman who passed by every evening after work, and she’d always taunt him, flipping him off with her middle finger, mocking him with a sneer. He felt humiliated.

He decided she had to stop and apologize. One night, he followed her home. Knocking on her door, he explained himself and demanded an apology. But she dismissed him, sneering that a man like him was only fit to deal with the dead. Enraged and humiliated, he lost control, stormed into her apartment, and with a fruit knife, cut off her offending middle finger. The woman clutched her bleeding hand, screaming that she would call the police. Panicked, he knocked her out and set the apartment on fire to make it look like an accident.

Back in the funeral home, he stared at the corpse beside him and felt a wave of fear. “Damn it, damn it, this is going to kill me,” he muttered while gathering his things. Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. He fumbled around frantically. After a moment of silence, the lights came back on.

“Aaaah!” he screamed, for the female corpse was now standing right in front of him. She lunged and wrapped her hands around his neck, and he struggled helplessly...

Reading the chapter, Zhou Shen suddenly recalled a funeral home nearby. “Hurry, or we’ll be too late!” he shouted, calling Zhang Shengnan and Fang You as they rushed to the car and sped toward the location. Fang Meiqi, seeing their anxious faces, was puzzled by their sudden urgency.

After the three left, Fang Meiqi sat at her desk, reading the latest chapter of her novel. Unbeknownst to her, countless spirits were gathering around her, reflected in the mirror behind.

The night was eerily silent as Zhou Shen and the others arrived at the funeral home. As soon as they entered, they heard a man’s anguished screams from one of the rooms. They hurried toward the source.

Inside, a man was strangling himself with his own hands, nearly asphyxiated.

“Hey, calm down!” Zhou Shen rushed forward, grabbing one of the man’s wrists to prevent him from choking himself to death. Zhang Shengnan seized the other hand, but the man’s strength was terrifying, as if he wouldn’t stop until he’d killed himself.

In Fang You’s eyes, however, a female ghost was controlling the man’s hands, forcing him to strangle himself. The woman’s eyes burned with hatred, making it clear to Fang You that the man had committed some unforgivable crime against her in life.

Without hesitation, Fang You drew a talisman and chanted, “Ghost-Slaying Talisman, grant release!” A golden spell shot out, striking the female ghost, who burst into flames. Yet even as she was consumed, she clung to her vengeance, using her last ounce of strength to make the man strangle himself to death. Only when he was dead did she dissipate into black smoke and vanish.

Such was the depth of her hatred. But this ghost had become a vengeful spirit, and if left unchecked, she would have harmed more people.

Zhou Shen looked at the man who had just strangled himself, sighed deeply, then took out a cigarette and lit it. “Bring Fang Meiqi to the station. She can’t keep writing, or more people will die.”

Meanwhile, in her secluded cabin, Fang Meiqi took her laptop to a bridge. A dark shadow drifted behind her, but she showed no fear, instead drawing closer. “Come, tell me your story,” she whispered. The shadow leaned in, whispering incomprehensible sounds, but Fang Meiqi understood every word.

She opened her laptop, pressed the power button, and began to type:

A young police officer was chasing a thief. The thief was swift, and the officer could barely keep up as they dashed through the streets, a fierce pursuit unfolding...