Bai Ru was ultimately a step too late. As she burst into the room, bringing her demon-subduing rod to bear on Principal Hao's wrist, which was pressed against the talisman, the Principal merely lifted his hand, tearing the charm from Li Jin's forehead.

The instant the talisman was ripped away, **it whipped up a cold vortex, a dense cloud of black mist at its center. In a flash, miscellaneous objects in the room flew about wildly, the wind carrying a grating shriek, like sharp metal scraping across glass.

Bai Ru immediately retracted her attack. When she had first aimed her rod at Principal Hao, she had intentionally not activated the runes on the weapon for fear of harming the Principal’s body. Seeing the situation now, the ghost attached to Li Jin had clearly evacuated his body. Without the demon-subduing rod, there was no way to deal with it.

The demon-subduing rod suddenly pulsed with a silver light in Bai Ru’s hand, while the mass of black mist hovering over Li Jin solidified into a human form. Simultaneously, the debris swirling in the wind began to hurl itself toward Bai Ru.

With a sharp cry, Bai Ru swung the rod, instantly manifesting a silver shield of light that deflected the incoming objects, even as she lunged toward the bedside.

Because the power was out, the room was dark, and she could only vaguely see Principal Hao slowly backing toward a window after removing the talisman. Suddenly, with a crash—the sound of shattering glass—Principal Hao threw himself through the window and leaped outside.

Bai Ru’s whole body tensed; she had rented the apartment on the third floor.

Just as she reached the bedside, the humanoid black mist let out a string of sharp, piercing laughter, dissolved into vapor, and shot out through the window Principal Hao had just broken.

The laughter faded into the distance, and the room gradually calmed down.

Bai Ru stamped her foot in frustration. Principal Hao’s sudden appearance had thrown everything that had been nearly successful into chaos. She couldn't help but suspect that Principal Hao, worried about what she and Kuang Feifan were doing at the school that night, had sneaked over to check, only to fall victim to possession himself. His motive was obvious: to save the ghost she had sealed within Li Jin.

The room now looked as if it had been ravaged by World War II.

As for what to do next, Bai Ru was momentarily stumped. She desperately wanted to pursue them, at least to catch Principal Hao, but Li Jin lay inert on the bed like a corpse; she couldn't just abandon him.

She suddenly found herself missing Kuang Feifan. Sometimes, one person truly couldn't solve every problem. Although she possessed the ability to capture ghosts, she was still just human, lacking the power of duplication, and unable to manage two simultaneous crises.

She felt disheartened, but she couldn't stop now. Bai Ru retrieved a calming talisman from the backpack she had left in the outer room, placed one on Li Jin’s forehead and another over his heart, then affixed two more charms to prevent evil energy from entering his body. Exhausted, she sank onto the edge of the bed and pulled out her phone to call Gu Yi.

“Damn, that’s wicked. Wait up, I’ll be there as fast as I can,” Gu Yi exclaimed with exaggerated alarm after Bai Ru recounted the night’s events.

“Be careful. Your eyesight isn't great; don't let anything happen to yourself,” Bai Ru cautioned.

“Don’t worry, my roommate is driving. I’m not that dense,” Gu Yi replied casually over the phone.

Bai Ru paused, asking instinctively, “Roommate?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s someone I accidentally saved who’s now my roommate. He already knows what I can do, and he’s tight-lipped,” Gu Yi explained breezily.

Bai Ru shook her head helplessly. Gu Yi was certainly capable, but he was often careless in his methods.

Originally, when she received a call from a friend asking her to handle a ghost at this middle school, she had considered recommending Gu Yi since he lived nearby. However, Gu Yi’s reputation among those in the ghost-exorcism circle was poor, with far more negative reviews than positive ones. Thus, Bai Ru had hesitated, only to find herself seeking Gu Yi’s help in the end.

This was because Gu Yi specialized in “exorcism”; when dealing with a possessed person, ensuring the safety of the host was far more critical than brute force.

“I’m worried about Principal Hao, who is now possessed,” Bai Ru said, knowing Gu Yi wasn't driving, so she decided to discuss the matter openly.

Gu Yi paused in thought. “To resolve this, we still need to investigate the circumstances, reason, etc., behind the student deaths that occurred at the school years ago. Only by figuring out what triggered the haunting can we fundamentally cure the ghosts in the school.”

Bai Ru considered this. “I have the password to access the archives on the school computers.”

Gu Yi let out an amused “Ha.” “Then it’s settled. Find a safe place to settle the student who was just possessed, and I suggest you head back to the school right now to check those files. Also, that Principal might very well return to the school.”

Bai Ru murmured an “Mm.” Generally, the duration a ghost can maintain possession depends on its power level, and ordinary ghosts cannot stray too far from the location of their death or remain away for too long unless they are exceptionally powerful.

Considering the school was only twenty years old, even if the ghost had manifested when the school was first built, it shouldn't have been more than two decades.

However, there was one suspicious detail Bai Ru hadn't mentioned, and she didn't have time to elaborate to Gu Yi now; investigating the archives was the top priority.

With that realization, Bai Ru stopped chatting with Gu Yi, hung up the phone, packed up, and carried the still-unconscious Li Jin out of the thoroughly wrecked rental room.

Fortunately, the cash she had left with the landlord should cover the damages to his property.

Placing Li Jin in the back seat, Bai Ru sat behind the steering wheel, hesitating about where to safely leave him, when her phone suddenly rang.

Bai Ru glanced at the caller ID—it was Kuang Feifan. She quickly answered the call.

“Feifan, what is it? Is something wrong?” Bai Ru asked with immediate concern.

“Huh? No, I was just calling to check on you. Are you alright?” Kuang Feifan sounded startled. He had dozed off briefly in the car and woken up feeling a strong pull toward Bai Ru as he touched his prayer beads, prompting the call. He was too shy to admit he just wanted to hear her voice.

Bai Ru hadn't intended to share the sudden turn of events, but she couldn't help herself and recounted the entire experience of being ambushed by Principal Hao.

Kuang Feifan was shocked and blurted out, “Wait there, I’m turning the car around right now.”

“No, don’t,” Bai Ru called out instinctively, stopping his plan.

“Why not?” Kuang Feifan asked, confused.

Bai Ru took a deep breath. She truly wished he would come back, but remembering that He Shaoqing’s situation still needed resolving on his end, she managed to suppress the words that would have asked him to return.

“Don’t worry about me; I can handle it. Don't forget He Shaoqing is still missing; you can’t delay things over there either,” she urged him.

“But…” Kuang Feifan hesitated.

“No buts. I’ll be fine; don't forget I have the skills to deal with all this,” Bai Ru managed a strained smile.

Kuang Feifan deliberated for a moment longer before letting out a long sigh. “You… you must be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You need to be extra careful, got it?” Bai Ru instructed.

“I know. So… what are you planning to do now?” Kuang Feifan asked.

Bai Ru related everything she had discussed with Gu Yi over the phone.

Kuang Feifan listened intently, and when she finished, he fell silent for quite a while.

Bai Ru asked worriedly, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Is everything okay?”

Kuang Feifan finally spoke after deep thought. “I think there’s something slightly off…”

“What’s wrong?” Bai Ru asked.

Kuang Feifan considered for a moment, then asked, “That student, Li Jin—the ghost possessing him has already left, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Can a person who has been possessed be possessed again?”

“With my talismans blocking it now, he should be safe from re-possession.”

“What if you aren’t watching him? Didn’t Principal Hao run away too?”

A thought sparked in Bai Ru’s mind; she seemed to grasp Kuang Feifan’s meaning. “You’re worried they might come back for Li Jin?”

Kuang Feifan affirmed with an “Mm.” “I can’t quite explain it, but it just feels strange that the incidents have always involved student deaths, and this is the first time a student has disappeared, or rather, been possessed. Why hasn't a possessed student shown up before? Why did it happen to Li Jin? Even though I can’t pinpoint the reason, it feels odd.”

Hearing Kuang Feifan voice it, Bai Ru also found the situation suspicious.

“I understand. Better safe than sorry. I’ll wait for Gu Yi to arrive before doing anything else,” Bai Ru decided.

Although Kuang Feifan was worried about Bai Ru, things had already developed this way, and he felt his presence back there would have limited effect, especially with He Shaoqing’s disappearance weighing heavily on his mind.

After a few more brief, perfunctory words, they hung up.

Bai Ru then informed Gu Yi about the conversation with Kuang Feifan. Gu Yi nodded immediately after hearing Bai Ru relay Kuang Feifan’s concerns. “You know, he might be right. A ghost, and a possessed Principal—if you don’t have a secure location to protect Li Jin, you really can’t leave him. Otherwise, no matter where you are, those two might team up and break in.”

Having confirmed this possibility, Bai Ru reluctantly abandoned the idea of immediately investigating the school and focused on waiting for Gu Yi to arrive. She started the car, intending to leave the housing complex and find a spot closer to the school to save travel time.

After driving for a while, Bai Ru suddenly felt that the scenery outside the windows was abnormal. They had turned onto a dirt road not long ago, and the main road should be just ahead. But now, she could clearly see the wide main road not far in front of them, even spotting the streetlights lining the sides, yet no matter how the car advanced, the distance to the main road seemed unchanging.

And before she could even register her surprise, the car suddenly, without any warning, stalled and died.