“Go.”
Shen Ye commanded.
The giant skeleton raised its massive bone sword without hesitation.
The man roared angrily, “You think you can defeat me?”
Countless steel wires emerged from the void, slicing toward the giant skeleton.
But it was useless.
Before they could even reach it, they were blocked by the pale flames surging from its body.
“Too weak.”
The giant skeleton sneered.
“Now—”
“Let the undead be freed. They have been bound for far too long.”
The giant sword trembled.
Invisible ripples spread out from the blade, instantly permeating the entire building.
—The undead revived!
Corpses began to rise, moving as if they were alive.
From the top floor down to the ground level, every railing, every wall, even the ceiling, was now crowded with countless corpses.
The man looked up at them, his fingers manipulating hidden steel wires.
But it was useless.
All the corpses were out of his control.
Their souls were no longer bound by him.
“I… I was dead,” one corpse murmured.
“You are undead now—prepare yourselves. Capture the one who killed you,” the giant skeleton declared.
It opened its mouth and spat out a ball of pale flame.
The “Skinner” reacted instantly, dashing to the side.
Without warning—
Corpses leaped down from above, one after another, all pouncing toward his escape route.
The man tried to evade, but the flame suddenly burst into a dazzling light, illuminating him.
In that instant—
His body froze.
The giant skeleton leisurely remarked, “Relax, it’s just a simple soul-binding technique. It makes a living being’s soul and body tremble in discord, so—”
“You can’t move.”
A corpse suddenly grabbed the man’s ankle.
“Damn it.”
His expression changed, and he immediately tried to pull free.
But it was too late—
Countless corpses swarmed him, pinning down his limbs and head.
Boom!
The pale flames struck him.
A shrill scream rang out, soon drowned by the roars of the dead.
“Some say killing a man ends him, but I tell you—”
“The vengeance of the dead is the true end of everything.”
The giant skeleton spoke coldly.
On the far end of the corridor, the undead had completely engulfed him.
The man was held down, devoured by countless undead, unable to move.
Suddenly—
He let out an enraged roar and shouted:
“Oh great deity—”
Dark shadows appeared in the void.
They swept the corpses aside.
The man, barely alive, knelt on one knee, his fingers forming shifting seals.
His flesh had been almost entirely devoured, leaving behind nothing but blood and exposed bones, yet he continued chanting:
“I am willing to pay that price, please—”
Before he could finish, the shadows around him suddenly shattered his hand seals.
The spell dissipated.
The shadows all withdrew behind him.
The man froze in place.
—That existence had refused his call?
Shen Ye roared,
“Finish him off while he’s weak!”
The giant skeleton raised its massive bone sword and pointed from a distance.
A blazing pale flame erupted in the void, engulfing the man.
Shen Ye drew his pistol, aimed at the man, and asked,
“Any last words?”
The man, his flesh in tatters, for the first time, showed a trace of fear in his eyes.
Bang.
A gunshot.
The man’s body trembled violently.
—But to his surprise, he wasn’t dead.
“Sorry, I’m not very good with guns, so I missed.”
Shen Ye apologized sincerely.
“You messing with me?” The man snarled.
Shen Ye gave no reply. Instead, he drew the dagger from his back.
Nightfall Dagger.
“Come on, let’s settle this once and for all!” The man roared, secretly reaching into his own body to pull something out.
But Shen Ye didn’t step forward. He didn’t use any sword techniques.
He simply swung his dagger in the air—then sheathed it again.
“I’m done here.”
“What are you waiting for? I’m not stupid enough to take risks just to look cool—finish him off already.”
He spoke indifferently.
The giant skeleton grumbled, “I thought you were going to pull off something flashy…”
It raised its bone sword high and swung down—
“No!”
The man screamed in despair.
A boundless wave of pale flames erupted from the sword, sweeping across the hall and engulfing him.
—He howled in agony, his cries weakening, until they finally ceased altogether.
He was dead.
The giant skeleton pressed its sword into the ground and suddenly shouted:
“Bone Embrace!”
Four massive bone shields erupted around them, revolving continuously around Shen Ye and the skeleton.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Ye asked.
“In that last moment—you were very close to being assassinated. He was connected to some powerful existence,” the giant skeleton warned cautiously.
“Look!” Xiao Mengyu shouted.
From the ground, several dark shadows emerged, instantly wrapping around the remains of the man’s corpse and flying into the distance.
Xiao Mengyu’s figure flickered, shooting forward like lightning in pursuit.
Only Shen Ye remained among the ruins.
He became even more vigilant, pressing his back against the door and shifting into a defensive stance.
“They’re gone,” the giant skeleton said.
“Why not chase after them?” Shen Ye asked.
“I can’t carry you while running at full speed. If I leave you here and that thing circles back to kill you, I won’t be able to save you in time.”
As if afraid of being misunderstood, the giant skeleton patiently explained, “In this situation, my priority is ensuring your survival.”
Shen Ye fell silent.
What exactly was that shadow just now?
“Let’s go over everything again—I arrived at the hotel just as Xiao Mengyu was at a disadvantage. The hotel building was blasted apart, and she fell down. Was that your doing?” Shen Ye suddenly asked.
“It wasn’t me,” the giant skeleton immediately denied.
“Was it Xiao Mengyu?” Shen Ye asked.
“Doesn’t seem like it. After all, she was sent flying, and that attack clearly came from outside the building—wait, I get it!”
The man and the skeleton spoke in unison, “There was someone else here!”
A chilling sensation crawled up their spines.
Shen Ye forced himself to stay calm, rapidly analyzing the situation.
—The “Skinner” initially thought I was the one who blasted the building apart, which is why he didn’t come down in pursuit.
But I know for a fact that I didn’t do it.
Was it that shadow just now?
If it was the shadow, why did it create an opening for Xiao Mengyu to escape?
If the shadow was on Xiao Mengyu’s side, then why did it just save the “Skinner” now?
It doesn’t make sense.
Logically, this contradicts itself!
Could it be…
There’s someone else involved?
Shen Ye cleared his throat and picked up a microphone:
“To the friend who lent a hand earlier, please show yourself!”
His voice echoed far into the night, but there was no response.
After a few moments—
A familiar roaring sound rang out.
The ghostfire motorcycle streaked into the lobby like an afterimage and stopped in front of Shen Ye.
He didn’t find the person hiding in the dark, but his motorcycle had returned.
“Was the little girl safely delivered to the Martial Arts Tower?”
Shen Ye asked.
“The mission was not completed. The target has been lost,” the motorcycle replied.
“What? Did she get into an accident?” Shen Ye’s expression changed drastically.
“The target left me midway, landing safely on the street. I don’t know where she went.”
Shen Ye was stunned.
The ghostfire motorcycle was incredibly fast—even he had to be cautious when jumping off mid-ride.
Not to mention, the little girl had been strapped in with a safety belt.
Yet she managed to land safely?
Shen Ye felt as if he were trapped in a dense fog, with the truth hidden somewhere deep within it.
Calm down.
Stay calm.
Think. What exactly is wrong with this picture?
Suddenly, Shen Ye recalled a detail.
He sprinted back to Room 707, crouched down beside the nurse’s corpse, and softly spoke:
“Before the fight broke out, we were talking about your daughter.”
“Yes,” the corpse responded.
“I said I would sponsor your daughter’s education and living expenses, but you seemed hesitant. I was going to ask why, but didn’t get the chance—what were you trying to say back then?”
“I wanted to tell you—I don’t have a daughter.”
Shen Ye froze.
Outside the room, the giant skeleton crouched, keeping watch while chuckling mockingly.
“I told you, blindly helping a complete stranger will only lead to trouble—now look, you don’t even know who she really is.”
Shen Ye ignored it and continued questioning: “Did Xiao Mengyu say anything to the assassin? Were you there at the time?”
The corpse replied woodenly, “I was there.”
“What did they say?” Shen Ye pressed.
“They agreed that if the assassin revealed the true mastermind, the girl wouldn’t use her family’s power against him.”
“If the assassin defeated her, he could have her corpse.”
“And then? Did the assassin reveal who hired him?” Shen Ye asked anxiously.
“He didn’t say it outright—he took out his phone and sent something to the girl.”
“What did the girl say?” Shen Ye asked.
“She said, ‘I understand. Our agreement starts now.’”
Shen Ye suddenly realized something.
He pulled out his own phone—
Before entering the hotel, he had set it to silent mode and hadn’t checked it since.
Now, he turned the sound back on and looked at his messages.
Sure enough, there was one from Xiao Mengyu.
