Chapter 88: Ghosts and Monsters Within the Prison (3)

The entire process of relocating the monster with the spatial singularity took less than a second. Yet the creature's immense body drained Wang Liang's magnetic energy almost completely, leaving him on the verge of collapse.

Just as Wang Liang had hoped, the black tubes once embedded in the captives' skulls began to shatter and crumble after the monster vanished. Those ghost slaves, freed from the monster’s control, swiftly dissolved into black liquid that seeped into the floor.

The dreamers, who had been lost in blissful illusions, started to awaken. Memories once blocked by the energy of resentment returned, reminding them of the horrors they had just endured.

A chorus of anguished wails echoed through the depths of the pit.

The newly awakened were devastated—the beautiful dreams woven by the monster starkly contrasted with the harshness of reality. Many wished they could return to the illusion, preferring its emptiness to waking pain.

Among them, one spirit investigator and Yan Junhao were the first to break free from the enchantment. As clarity returned, they noticed Wang Liang sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.

They recognized him—a five-star spirit investigator stationed at the prison. Though his name was unknown, meeting him in such dire circumstances felt like a stroke of fortune. If they didn’t seize the chance, they’d be fools.

Both hurried to Wang Liang’s side, just as he managed to gasp, “Quick… run! That monster… it could come back at any moment!”

Without hesitation, Yan Junhao hoisted Wang Liang onto his back and the three fled swiftly, distancing themselves from the area. The others remained mired in the sorrow of their lost dreams.

Soon after their departure, a massive black figure reappeared. The monster’s crimson eyes, once as bright as a waning moon, had dulled—a sign Wang Liang’s interruption had hurt it.

As the monster’s body once again enveloped the remaining captives, its beautiful snare drew them back into illusion. This time, there would be no rescue.

While the monster resumed absorbing the black liquid, its sinister eyes watched Wang Liang and his companions flee. That direction held the only path out, but also led to certain death.

On the other side, Yan Junhao carried Wang Liang at a sprint, his breath steady—his background as an athlete and mercenary served him well.

Suddenly, a flash of white light flickered before Wang Liang’s eyes.

He urgently tapped Yan Junhao’s shoulder. “Cough… stop! Stop now!”

“Why stop? Who knows when that monster will catch up? We should keep running!” The remaining spirit investigator spoke anxiously. Facing such a powerful ghost for the first time, he was terrified.

Wang Liang pointed to a shadowy corner. “There was a light there! In this pit, it’s the first light I’ve seen—maybe it’s the exit.”

Without delay, Yan Junhao and the investigator rushed in the direction Wang Liang indicated.

They soon arrived at a glowing spot at the bottom of the pit. A small building, its exterior shrouded in white mist, emitted the light. Oddly, the glow was visible only when one faced the building directly.

Yan Junhao was unfamiliar, but Wang Liang and the investigator knew it well. It was the execution building—most prison guards knew it, and Wang Liang often came here to handle newborn ghosts.

“Let’s… go in and see,” Wang Liang suggested.

Though the building appeared gloomy, it was a beacon in the darkness of the pit.

Yan Junhao, uncertain, followed Wang Liang’s lead—there was no better option.

They approached the door, where the light seeped through a half-open crack.

Yan Junhao grabbed the edge and pulled it open. Blinding white light forced them to squint.

When the glare faded, the prison appeared before them—a sky dim and hazy, but infinitely brighter than the pit below.

“We… we’re out?”

Joy, unimaginable, flooded the trio. Escaping the pit meant putting distance between themselves and the monster—making them safer.

“Hurry, take me to the main gate! Once we’re there, we can leave,” Wang Liang said with delight. Even the aftereffects of moving the monster and the explosion from the golden bomb faded—he was no longer stumbling over his words.

“The gate’s like a maze—you can’t find your way out. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have risked coming here,” the investigator replied.

“No matter. I can break the wall of resentment. Once we’re out, I can report above, and stronger spirit investigators will come to deal with it!” Wang Liang urged Yan Junhao, patting his shoulder.

He was sure the monster knew they’d escaped. Once it finished feeding in the pit, it would pursue them. Though his magnetic energy had recovered slightly, he was still no match for the creature.

“Oh, okay!” Yan Junhao responded, running toward the gate, with the investigator close behind.

Not far along, a figure appeared unexpectedly, blocking their path in the mist.

“Wang Liang, you made it out? What happened? Hurry, I have some medicine here!”

As the figure drew closer, they realized it was the Warden. Apparently, he had left his office out of concern and come to check the northern section, only to encounter the fleeing trio.

“It’s you? Don’t ask—the ghost in the building in the north is horrifying! Both a ghost and a monster, with no obvious weakness. I barely escaped by sheer luck,” Wang Liang said, his face still pale with fear.

“That bad? Never mind, let’s treat your wounds first—they’re serious!” The Warden stepped forward with medicine.

“All right, but make it quick. That monster could catch up any moment. We have to leave!” Wang Liang didn’t refuse; he was bleeding heavily and could use some first aid. Besides, the Warden carried equipment—enough to delay the monster, if needed.

The spirit investigator suddenly recalled the image of the Warden waving to them when their group arrived at the warehouse in the north. A chill ran down his spine.

This man might not be the real Warden!

[If this five-star investigator dies, no one can break the confinement here. Without a report, things will spiral out of control… I’d better find a way to warn him.]

“Warden, let me handle the medicine,” the investigator stepped up, planning to take the medicine and warn Wang Liang.

The Warden deftly avoided his grasp, his face twisting into a cruel, eerie smile. “So eager to walk the road to the underworld? Then… die together!”

Before the words were finished, three thick black tubes shot from the Warden’s body toward their heads.

Wang Liang, already wary after the investigator spoke, was prepared. With a slap to Yan Junhao’s right hip, the two rolled aside, dodging the fatal blow.

In midair, Wang Liang tossed all his high-powered weapons—golden bombs, magnetic grenades, spirit nets—at the “Warden.”

The Warden’s corpse, long dead and occupied by the monster, was torn apart by the barrage. Black substance oozed from his shattered remains.

Faced with so many single-use ghost-fighting weapons, the monster’s avatar was temporarily pinned down.

Wang Liang and Yan Junhao were safe for the moment. The spirit investigator was not as lucky—the black tube blew his head apart, scattering flesh and bone across the ground.

Wang Liang, collapsed on the ground, knew that with the monster so close, their deaths were imminent. Better to secure a chance for Yan Junhao to escape. If the information was delivered in time, the monster would eventually be dealt with.

Wang Liang slapped Yan Junhao's waist, magnetic energy surging. He shoved his golden blade into Yan Junhao’s arms. Yan Junhao’s body twisted rapidly, converging toward a point at his core.

Wang Liang spoke swiftly: “When you get to the wall of resentment, use magnetic energy to cover the blue mark on your right hip—you’ll get out. Then run east, don’t stop! It can imitate those it has consumed—anyone outside will kill it on sight!”

With his final words, Yan Junhao transformed into a blue spatial singularity and vanished.

Wang Liang glanced at the Warden’s corpse, pierced with golden fragments and entangled in the spirit net, still oozing black matter. He spat, “Want to feed on me? Don’t you know I cultivate the inner elixir?”

Magnetic blue light flared from Wang Liang’s head, dazzlingly bright. Though his energy was nearly spent, he felt an unprecedented surge of strength.

Then—

Boom!

Yan Junhao, just released from the singularity and barely holding back nausea, heard a thunderous explosion. Blue light pierced the prison’s mist not far away.