Kuang Feifan’s fall was rather severe; held tight by the hand gripping his waist, he didn't even manage to brace himself with his hands. When he finally came to his senses, he realized he was still sprawled on the floor, his nose stinging fiercely, and something warm and wet trickling down from beneath it, dripping steadily. A dull ache permeated his entire body; he couldn't even pinpoint where the pain was worst.

He raised a hand to wipe under his nose and discovered he was bleeding. As he did, he suddenly realized the arm that had been encircling his waist was gone. He took a breath and felt his breathing ease immediately.

He flipped over and scrambled up, one hand clamped over his still-gushing nose. He carefully surveyed the room; the bloodstains on the walls and floor had vanished. Moreover, the oppressive gloom that had filled the space moments before was gone, and the sound of wind and rain outside could now penetrate the room, the tapping of branches against the window glass swallowed up by the roar of the storm.

Recalling the sudden burst of light from the rosary on his wrist, Kuang Feifan couldn't help but wonder if everything that happened after he collapsed in a dizzy stupor had merely been a dream.

To confirm this thought, Kuang Feifan began searching everywhere. As expected, the backpack was still leaning intact against the wall. Along with it, he found his collapsible baton and his flashlight, which was now off.

He tucked the baton into his belt and tested the flashlight; thankfully, the switch had simply been turned off.

It was clear then: ever since He Shaoqing entered, he had been trapped in an illusion.

He glanced at the rosary on his wrist. Had the drop of blood from his tongue activated the spiritual energy within the beads, thus breaking the hallucination?

He pressed his tongue lightly; it was indeed bitten. It seemed that even while immersed in the illusion, his actions had been real.

Kuang Feifan let out a soft breath and wiped the lingering traces of blood from the beads. He stretched his limbs, decided to sling the bag onto his back, walked to the door, and began contemplating how to get it open.

He placed the flashlight on the floor, bent over, and leaned close to the original position of the doorknob, trying to see the extent of the damage to devise a suitable tool for repair. Just then, he noticed beads of moisture slowly seeping out from under the peeling paint of the door. It wasn't just in one spot; tiny water droplets were emerging from the fine wood grain all over the door, dripping down and pooling together toward the lower half.

Simultaneously, a faint chill washed over him, seemingly emanating from within the door itself. Kuang Feifan vigorously shook his head, fearful this was another hallucination. But since illusions weren't dispelled by a mere shake, he backed up two paces, pulled out a Five Elements Thunder Talisman, recited the incantation, and threw it onto the door.

Electric sparks instantly struck the wood, and the blinding blue light assured Kuang Feifan that he was not currently hallucinating—at least the talisman was working.

However, it seemed his talisman was thrown slightly late. The puddle formed by the water droplets at the bottom of the door had already slid onto the floor before the talisman activated, and it didn't move toward Kuang Feifan; instead, it seemed to seep into the floorboards.

Kuang Feifan didn't understand what was happening. Seeing that the talisman on the door had vanished, he was about to return to studying the lock when he suddenly sensed something. He snapped his head around, looking toward the corner of the room diagonally opposite him.

Kuang Feifan vaguely heard a grinding sound from inside. As he looked toward the corner, his flashlight beam followed. The LED light illuminated the area, revealing nothing but a few patches of mold on the wall; it was empty. Yet, the grinding sound seemed to grow clearer.

He held that position for about a minute before coming to his senses. That sound was unsettling, easily inciting irritation. He swept the flashlight beam across various parts of the room but found nothing. Involuntarily, his breathing grew shallow. He licked his dry lips, feeling an increasing internal turmoil—the frustrating sensation of having forgotten something vital, racking his brain fruitlessly.

Suddenly, he felt something above his head and instinctively looked up at the ceiling, his flashlight beam following.

Kuang Feifan sucked in a sharp breath. He saw the Big-Headed Monster infant hanging upside down from the ceiling. When the light hit it, it didn't move, just stood there, its blood-red eyes open, its pitch-black mouth gaping. A droplet, looking like saliva, dripped from its lips.

Drip...

It landed on the floor with a soft sound.

"Damn it!" Kuang Feifan fought to steady his mind and reached for a talisman, but the Big-Headed Monster immediately retreated rapidly. As Kuang Feifan tried to follow, he found his legs inexplicably glued to the floor. He looked down and saw a pair of small hands, slick as water, gripping the soles of his shoes tightly.

At the same moment, from behind him, a pair of charred, withered hands shot out from the door and clamped onto his shoulders, clearly preparing to choke him next.

Kuang Feifan knew well that if his neck were firmly grasped, he would soon lose the ability to move any part of his body. He quickly pulled out a talisman, intending to stick it onto those two ghostly claws.

Unexpectedly, the ghostly claws didn't reach for his neck. Instead, they slid down his shoulders and locked tightly around his arms, instantly sending a surge of violent pain through him, rendering his limbs immobile.

The attack was so sudden that Kuang Feifan couldn't reach the talismans in his back pocket. The pain in his arms also momentarily muddled his thoughts, preventing him from devising a countermeasure.

He instinctively struggled with all his might, but the grip of the ghostly claws was immensely strong; he couldn't break free quickly. Meanwhile, not far ahead, the Big-Headed Monster was slowly descending from the ceiling, landing softly on the floor.

Kuang Feifan watched as a malicious grin spread across the monster's small, wrinkled face. It braced itself on the ground with its four limbs and began crawling slowly toward him, tilting its head as if greatly appreciating the sight before it.

In desperation, Kuang Feifan decided to gamble everything. While continuing to strain against the grip, he tried to bend his arms, slowly attempting to clasp his hands together in front of his lower abdomen.

The Big-Headed Monster was already crawling to his feet. Kuang Feifan could clearly see the features on its face: its nose had devolved into two dark little holes, and behind the row of sharp, thin teeth in its wide mouth was a cavity of rotten flesh.

Reaching Kuang Feifan, the Big-Headed Monster wobbled to a standing position, suddenly opened its arms, and wrapped them around one of Kuang Feifan’s thighs, beginning to climb slowly upward.

Kuang Feifan desperately tried to shake his legs free to dislodge the creature, but both legs were immobilized by whatever was holding his feet. As the monster was about to reach the crease of his thigh, he looked down and spat out a mouthful of blood.