Chapter 10

Chapter 10

As it turned out, I was jolted awake in the middle of the night by a series of high-pitched screams.

That guy had plucked up the courage to go to the bathroom on his own, only to end up locking himself inside once he was done.

“Bro! The door won’t open!”

This small two-story building was quite old, with dated renovations. The bathroom still used one of those old-fashioned latches.

It was likely rusted, and once it clicked into place, it got stuck.

“Don’t be scared. I’ll go find some pliers.”

“No! Bro, don’t leave! I feel like there’s someone behind me!”

I could hear the sob in Wang Ming’s voice, so I stayed put. “Fine, I’ll shake the door. Try to open it when you see the latch loosen.”

“Got it.”

I gave the bathroom door a few violent shakes and heard the lock rattle loose, but Wang Ming suddenly went silent.

“Wang Ming? Wang Ming?”

Separated by only a single door, and with less than thirty seconds passing, there was no way Wang Ming couldn’t hear me.

Sensing something was wrong, I took a step back and delivered a heavy kick right to the lock.

With a loud bang, the latch behind the door was forced out of its socket.

I yanked the bathroom door open, only to see Wang Ming standing there, stiff as a board.

The look in his eyes shifted from a blank stare to something gradually sinister and malevolent.

That was definitely not Wang Ming’s gaze!

“Fuck you! Whatever the hell you are, get off my brother!”

I grabbed Wang Ming by the collar and dragged him out of the bathroom.

To my horror, as I pulled him along, he seemed unable to walk upright. Yet, no matter how he was dragged across the floor, his head remained strained upward at a sharp angle.

His eyes remained fixed on me, unblinking.

Right then, the lights that had been on in the room went out with a sharp pop.

In reality, power outages were common in these urban villages. However, happening at a moment like this, anyone else might have been scared out of their wits.

But I wasn’t afraid. Wang Ming had stayed behind to keep me company; I couldn’t let anything happen to him.

I didn’t stop for a second, even as the hand gripping Wang Ming began to feel increasingly stiff.

I couldn’t see, but I felt as if something was crawling up my arm from that hand.

“Dammit, if I’m going to die here today, I’m taking you down with me!”

I didn’t even know who I was cursing at as I forced myself to drag Wang Ming back into the bedroom.

The moment I entered the room, I heard the Soul-Striking Whip vibrating.

At that same instant, something icy-cold wound itself around my neck.

I dropped Wang Ming and took two large strides toward the bed, grabbing the Soul-Striking Whip and swiping it across my own neck.

The sharp peach wood cut into my skin. The stinging pain was intense, but it cleared my vision instantly.

I saw the moonlight filtering in through the window, and I saw Wang Ming swaying as he stood up.

I swung the Soul-Striking Whip and lashed out at Wang Ming.

With a sharp crack, Wang Ming let out a scream.

“Ah! Bro, why did you hit me?”