The drunkard kept muttering, “I’ll eat whatever I want; what’s it to you?” The moment the words left his lips, a glimpse of what he’d vomited onto the ground caught his eye—a writhing mass of insects. This sight instantly destroyed what little appetite he had left, and he began dry-heaving again with agonizing retches.

Zhou Huan stepped forward and patted the drunkard’s back. “Brother, tell me, where did you get those steamed buns?”

The drunkard kept vomiting, and only after a long spell of retching did he manage to regain some composure. His tongue felt stiff as he managed to say, “A few shop assistants from the supermarket just left, laughing and chatting with a beautiful woman. I overheard them saying they were going out for steamed buns—to make them together, to eat them together. Not long after, that beautiful woman came back alone. I glanced at her, and she handed me a bun. It smelled delicious, so I kept it.”

“Did that woman have any distinguishing features?” Zhou Huan pressed urgently.

“A scent of cucumber! Wherever she walked, there was this lingering smell of cucumber!”

The drunkard’s words confirmed Zhou Huan’s worst fears. He had been terrified that his earlier intimidation of Dongzi and his gang might have attracted some kind of malevolent spirit, and it seemed they had indeed stumbled into trouble.

Zhou Huan stood still for a moment, casually withdrawing a talisman and handing it to the drunkard. “Keep this paper safe; it will keep you alive!”

The drunkard snatched the talisman and tucked it into his pocket. “Thanks!” He then pushed Zhou Huan away slightly, swaying unsteadily as he steadied himself against the wall and shuffled toward a shadowed spot.

Zhou Huan glanced back at the supermarket one last time. Suddenly, every light inside the store blazed to life.

This sudden illumination made a tremor run through Zhou Huan’s heart. He couldn’t help but peer into the supermarket, where several hazy figures flickered within the harsh glare of the lights. As Zhou Huan focused his gaze, it seemed as if every one of those figures was looking directly at him.

Abruptly, the supermarket door swung slowly open, releasing a wave of fragrant cucumber mixed with a foul, putrid stench that washed over Zhou Huan.

“Master Zhou, it’s so late. What brings you here for shopping?” At that moment, a young woman emerged slowly from the store.

Zhou Huan scrutinized her carefully. Wasn't this the girl named Xiao Mo, whom Dongzi had been mocking earlier? Why was her face now deathly pale? And through her open mouth, he could clearly see that her teeth were packed with something dark and chunky. It looked like countless moving things were popping out one after another near the corners of her lips. What were those?

“Corpse worms!” Zhou Huan muttered under his breath.

Xiao Mo seemed to have heard him. She spoke stiffly, her voice unnaturally level. “Corpse worms? Master Zhou likes those too? I have some here, would you like some?” As she spoke, Xiao Mo reached a hand into her own mouth and pulled out a handful of squirming, lively corpse worms!

Sensing immediate danger, Zhou Huan lunged forward and delivered a sharp slap to the side of Xiao Mo’s neck. The blow caused a massive lump to balloon on her neck, as if an unseen force was crushing the swollen flesh. Immediately, Xiao Mo opened her mouth wide and spewed forth a torrent of thick, black mucus. Within that viscous slime, countless corpse worms writhed and crawled everywhere.

After that strike, Zhou Huan immediately followed up with a kick directly to Xiao Mo’s abdomen. Another wave of corpse worms erupted from her mouth, many landing directly on Zhou Huan’s leg. Zhou Huan whipped several sheets of talisman paper from his waist. With a single flick of his wrist, all the papers ignited. He flung one onto the writhing mass of worms, tossed another directly into Xiao Mo’s mouth, and threw the rest onto the pile of worms covering the ground. The burst of talisman fire incinerated the plague of corpse worms Xiao Mo had unleashed.

“Master Zhou, what’s wrong with me? I felt so dizzy just now, and now my body feels completely weak…” Xiao Mo, in the midst of vomiting, seemed to regain her senses, and her speech was nearly normal.

Zhou Huan gently patted her back, repeatedly asking, “What exactly happened just now?”

“We were just… I don’t know why, Li Zhi came back and called us to help tidy up a room. That was the person pretending to be Yu Qiu. She said the room was essential for this game—without that room, everything would be wasted. She also promised to treat us to dinner after we finished cleaning. So, we all agreed to close the store for an hour tonight when there were fewer people around. Who knew that after going there and coming back, this would happen? I don’t know what we ate that made us sick.” At that moment, Xiao Mo seemed completely unaware of what she had been spewing onto the ground, speaking with a strange lightness.

Zhou Huan pointed a finger at the mess Xiao Mo had thrown up. “Take a good look at what you vomited, and then tell me carefully how you got back. That is extremely important; you must try to remember.”

Upon hearing Zhou Huan’s words, Xiao Mo looked down at the residue she had expelled. A wave of sheer panic washed over her. Her previously vacant expression instantly twisted into one of terror. “What is that? How could I vomit up these things? This…” Xiao Mo couldn't comprehend it. What had just happened? She tried desperately to recall anything about her manager’s instructions, but the only thing that truly stuck in her memory was the moment Zhou Huan struck her.

Just as Zhou Huan was about to press Xiao Mo further, he heard a flurry of frantic footsteps behind him. He spun around sharply. Several familiar shop assistants from the supermarket were staring blankly at him, their faces pale and tinged with blue. With stiff, unnatural voices, they all asked Zhou Huan, “Master Zhou, I have some fresh-out-of-the-oven steamed buns right here. Would you like one?”

Zhou Huan stared intently at the buns in their hands. They looked terribly familiar. Could his suspicion be correct? Did this bun truly carry an inexplicable secret? Had all these people fallen under a spell?

These questions made Zhou Huan pause for a crucial second. When he finally snapped back to reality, several large steamed buns were being thrust right up to his face. “Master Zhou, please have one! These buns are delicious; we made them with such care!”

Zhou Huan was not falling for their routine. He lashed out with a flurry of kicks and slaps. After a brief exchange, all the assistants collapsed to the side, beginning to vomit just like Xiao Mo.

Now, Zhou Huan questioned them one by one. “Where did your buns come from? What exactly happened?” But their answers were all identical. Finally, Zhou Huan, forced to triage the situation, scribbled out a ghost-warding talisman for each person and tucked it securely into their clothing. He then set off toward the place they mentioned making the buns—the two-story building where Dongzi had collapsed. He realized one person was still missing: Li Zhi, the one who had been masquerading as Yu Qiu. Zhou Huan sensed this situation was far more complex than just a few cursed individuals; there were likely tragic stories connected to some lurking spirits here as well.

Zhou Huan didn't have time to walk. He hailed a taxi and immediately instructed the driver, “North District Shantytown!”

The driver’s eyes widened, and his expression turned nervous. “Brother, are people still living there? Haven't they already marked the numbers for demolition? I heard they’re tearing it down soon, right?”

“Yes, I know. I have some business there,” Zhou Huan replied evasively.

The driver continued, “Sir, they say that place is haunted all the time. We usually don’t drive in there. You should find another ride!”

Hearing this, Zhou Huan’s temper flared, and his tone grew sharp. “What are you afraid of, you’re a grown man! I am Zhou Huan, and I catch ghosts. Take me there, and I’ll pay you double!”

“Fine, brother. Just for that statement, I won’t take double. I’ll drive you right up to the edge of the settlement.” The driver paused, then added, “But we have an agreement: I’ll only take you about a li away from the community entrance. You walk the rest of the way yourself!”

Zhou Huan didn’t want to waste any more time arguing. He agreed, paid upfront, and the driver navigated smoothly to the boundary of the North District Shantytown. As soon as he stepped out, a thick, sweet cucumber scent assaulted his nose, mingled with the damp, earthy air being whipped in from the dilapidated settlement.

Following the path Dongzi had described that the girl Li Zhi took, Zhou Huan soon arrived beneath the two-story building. He looked up. A banner still hung from the second floor, but the characters written on it had now changed to: “Meat-Filled Steamed Buns!”

Thump-thump-thump! Zhou Huan rushed up the stairs and found that one room on the second floor, tucked towards the back, was illuminated. In the surrounding darkness of the tenement area, this single light seemed intensely bright.

Zhou Huan crept closer to the window and stealthily peeked inside. He saw only a solitary woman sobbing. She was clutching her legs, and dark, slightly sticky blood was slowly oozing between her fingers.

Zhou Huan gently pushed the door open. “Li Zhi, get up. Look what you’ve become.”

Li Zhi was crouched on the floor, her legs drawn up tightly, staring vacantly at the ground. Her body was trembling uncontrollably, and drool trickled from her mouth. When Zhou Huan spoke to her, Li Zhi slowly lifted her head, her neck rotating stiffly and mechanically toward him. “Hee-hee, Master Zhou, I know you. I’m tired; I was just sitting here sleeping.”

Looking at the figure before him, Zhou Huan realized the woman had been possessed. Just as he was about to step forward to intervene, Li Zhi slowly pushed herself to her feet. She pulled a kitchen knife from behind her back, baring her teeth, which were stained with black, foul-smelling blood. She murmured hoarsely, “Master Zhou, are you hungry? I’ll go make you some buns!” With that, Li Zhi advanced toward Zhou Huan, clutching the knife.

Zhou Huan backed away repeatedly, trying to reason with her. “Girl, don’t be rash! Put down the knife. You’ll hurt yourself! This isn’t good, quickly put it down!” As Zhou Huan finished speaking, he reached out to try and wrest the knife from Li Zhi’s grasp. But at that very instant, he heard a thwack! followed by a moan: “Ah! So satisfying! This piece of meat must be very fragrant!”

Zhou Huan froze on the spot, watching the nearly frenzied Li Zhi, his mind already racing to formulate his next move!