Xu Hui's eyes snapped wide open, his gaze locked onto that patch of gore. Only now could he distinguish that the clump of flesh was actually a nascent, but fully formed, fetus, only it was so slick with blood that he hadn't recognized it immediately as it writhed on the floor.

The fetus slowly raised its head, its tiny hands and feet stretching out, pressing its limbs onto the ground as if preparing to push itself upright.

A human head, a body, a fetus.

A chilling cold washed over Xu Hui, his mind a chaotic jumble, utterly incapable of rational thought regarding the scene before him. His sweat-slicked hand gripped the gun, but it offered no comfort, no sense of safety.

The fetus tilted its head back, a pair of intensely bright, black eyes fixing on Xu Hui. A slit suddenly opened where a mouth should have been on its mangled face, curving upwards at the corners—it was clearly smiling at Xu Hui, though the expression was steeped in profound malice.

It slowly lifted one delicate arm, pressing it onto the floor ahead of it. Immediately, the other arm followed. It looked as though it was preparing to inch its way toward Xu Hui, little by little.

Xu Hui stared at the bloody, squirming little thing as it dragged itself across the floor on its fragile limbs, its soft, heavy head lolling—like a thick, reddish worm made of flesh.

Slowly, he raised the gun in his hand, pointing it squarely at the fetus.

The shot rang out. The fetus's head instantly exploded into a spray of pulp. Its small body tumbled twice on the ground, its four limbs twitching uncontrollably.

Then, Xu Hui shot up, kicking out instantly towards Tao Juan's head on the floor. Unexpectedly, just as his foot was about to make contact, she suddenly gaped her mouth wide, the opening stretching impossibly wider than her entire head, and clamped down onto his ankle.

An excruciating, drilling pain shot up his leg, eliciting an involuntary cry from Xu Hui. His brain was entirely devoid of thought; it was pure reflex now—one foot planted on the ground, the other kicking wildly, trying to shake off the head locked onto him. Yet, no matter how Xu Hui kicked, pulled, or stomped, Tao Juan’s jaw remained locked, refusing to let go. He even slammed his foot repeatedly against the door and the wall; her head deformed grotesquely under the impacts, like a piece of taffy being stretched, but she wouldn't release its grip.

Xu Hui screamed frantically, kicking against the wall like a madman. He could see, just beyond his toes, Tao Juan's hair flying wildly, her face contorted into that eerie, exaggerated grin while biting his foot, the corners of her mouth pulled high, as if silently mocking him.

Suddenly, Xu Hui’s screams cut off mid-shout. He distinctly felt something wrap tightly around the leg that was supporting him.

He looked down and saw, with stark horror, that the headless fetus—wherever it had come from—had somehow wrapped its limbs tightly around his calf and was beginning to climb up his leg.

Xu Hui was momentarily thrown into confusion. In his panic, he reached out to steady himself against the wall, but the floor was slick with pools of blood. His foot slipped, and before he could find purchase, he crashed heavily onto the floorboards, the gun skittering out of his grasp.

Fortunately, his physical training had given him decent resilience; the fall didn't injure him bodily. He scrambled to push himself up using his hands, and as he looked up, he saw the wall opposite him. The crimson numeral there had just changed to forty.

Staring at those massive, bloody crosses, he felt momentarily lost. Images flashed through his mind, but they were ephemeral, impossible to grasp.

Propelled by his elbows, Xu Hui pushed his upper body up and frantically retreated backward. He could feel Tao Juan’s head steadily consuming his foot, while on the other leg, the headless fetus was slowly ascending. He felt both legs gradually losing sensation.

However, the fall had paradoxically cleared his head somewhat. Lying almost flat on his back, he strained to push himself backward using his elbows while constantly twisting his head to look behind him. Soon, he backed up until he reached the Bāxiān table he had previously shoved against the far wall.

Gritting his teeth, Xu Hui shoved hard, his hands gripping the edge of the table. Using the table's weight for leverage, he hauled himself up, pressing down with both hands, and with great effort, managed to pull his torso onto the tabletop.

Taking a ragged breath, Xu Hui painfully maneuvered himself over until he was awkwardly sitting on the table. He glanced at the things gripping his legs, then yanked the talisman from his neck, bent over, and pressed the jade charm onto the bloody body of the fetus.

With a sharp hiss, the fetus emitted a plume of grayish-blue smoke. Its limbs slackened, and the entire body—now truly just a pile of rotten flesh—dropped from his leg.

Xu Hui exhaled in sudden relief, then shifted his gaze to the head that was still devouring his foot. Ignoring the waves of numbness, he aimed carefully and tossed the jade charm directly at Tao Juan's head.

Unlike the fetus, the moment the talisman touched Tao Juan’s head, it adhered instantly, like a piece of iron pulled by a magnet. Where it stuck, thick plumes of grayish-blue smoke erupted, accompanied by a piercing shriek. Her mouth suddenly unhinged, and Xu Hui watched the part of his foot that had been swallowed slowly slide out of her jaws. In moments, her head tumbled to the floor, though it remained stuck in that wide-open, biting posture, rolling aimlessly.

Xu Hui let out a breath, forcing his turbulent, chaotic mind to settle. He slowly closed his eyes and began to chant the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra, softly at first.

As he repeated the mantra over and over, minute changes began to occur in the room. The icy atmosphere that had permeated the space gradually dissolved into the air. The rolling head, the bloody flesh, the headless fetus, and the vast swathes of gore vanished without a trace.

The entire room seemed to tremble slightly. When Xu Hui felt sensation return to his legs, he involuntarily opened his eyes, only to find the room returned exactly to the state it was in before he opened the door.

"It really was… an illusion…"

He whispered the words softly, releasing a long, heavy sigh of relief.

Xu Hui slowly slid off the table, bent to retrieve the jade talisman. It seemed that while the charm could protect his body from evil spirits, it offered no defense against illusions.

Clutching the talisman, he glanced up at the wall marked with numbers. Seeing those blood-red crosses, now including the newly added forty, he couldn't help but offer a wry smile.

Frankly, he never wanted to endure an experience like the one he’d just had again. For one terrifying moment, he felt he truly was on the brink of collapse. Though he tried to convince himself it was merely an illusion, that was just self-soothing; everything had felt too real. The fact that he had nearly lost his rationality was the most terrifying part of all.

Xu Hui picked up his gun and holstered it. Just as he was about to hang the talisman back around his neck, a sudden flicker of insight sparked in his mind. He quickly strode to the door. If the immovable door had also been part of the illusion, perhaps this talisman could help him leave this room.

Reaching the door, he slowly extended the hand holding the charm towards the doorknob. He wrapped his fingers around it and gently twisted.