The first thing Kuang Feifan registered was the muzzle of a gun aimed squarely at him, black and ominous. Watching the slightly trembling barrel, Kuang Feifan spread his hands wide. He could clearly see that Xu Hui was in a state of extreme tension, one wrong move away from pulling the trigger.

“Xu Hui, it’s me…” Kuang Feifan said, deliberately keeping his tone relaxed.

Xu Hui paid him no mind, keeping the gun firmly trained on Kuang Feifan’s head.

“Damn it…” Kuang Feifan cursed inwardly, guessing at the situation, and spoke softly, “Look clearly, it’s me, Kuang Feifan. Xu Hui, you need to focus. Whatever terrifying thing you’re seeing right now is an illusion. I am standing in front of you, your partner…”

Xu Hui’s eyebrows flickered. The tension on his face eased slightly, and the finger resting on the trigger hesitated before slowly moving away. Kuang Feifan moved his hands excruciatingly slowly towards his back, his fingers instantly wrapping around the telescoping stun baton.

He saw Xu Hui’s expression alternate rapidly between grimace and confusion. The gun in his hand seemed to droop slightly. Seizing this moment, Kuang Feifan slid abruptly sideways, simultaneously whipping out the baton and extending its two retracted sections with a flick of his wrist. The tip of the baton landed squarely on Xu Hui’s arm. The sequence of movements was fluid and swift as lightning. Before Xu Hui could even react, the current from the baton jolted his entire body violently. He involuntarily let go, the gun clattering loudly onto the floor as Xu Hui convulsed from the shock.

Fortunately, Kuang Feifan had never set the stun baton’s intensity to maximum, and he had only tapped Xu Hui’s arm. Seeing the gun drop, Kuang Feifan released the switch controlling the current, lunged forward, and caught Xu Hui, shaking him hard while shouting, “Wake up, Xu Hui! Xu Hui…”

After a long moment, Xu Hui’s unfocused gaze finally snapped back into clarity. He blinked dazedly, turning his head to stare blankly at Kuang Feifan, then glanced around before asking, “Kuang Feifan? Are… are you a hallucination?”

Seeing that Xu Hui could speak and his eyes were clear, Kuang Feifan couldn't resist slapping him. “Did that hurt?”

“Damn…” Xu Hui instinctively raised a hand to cover his face and rubbed it.

Kuang Feifan released his grip, bent down to retrieve the dropped gun, and handed it back to him. “You nearly got yourself killed by your own weapon. A slap is the least you deserve.”

Xu Hui took the gun and let out a dry chuckle. “Well, since you’re talking like that, you probably aren’t a hallucination after all.”

Then he looked toward the door again. “A wall suddenly appeared outside the door just now; I couldn’t get out at all. How did you get in? Where is the wall?”

Kuang Feifan waved his hand dismissively. “That was probably an illusion too. While I don’t know what it looked like, one thing is certain: the more real you perceive these illusions to be, the more real they feel. Unless you can firmly believe they aren't real.”

The riddle-like statement momentarily confused Xu Hui. But now that he saw Kuang Feifan, he couldn't be bothered to dissect his recent experience further. Xu Hui now deeply loathed, perhaps even feared, this small building from the bottom of his heart. Without a second thought, he blurted out, “Let’s get out of here, fast.”

Kuang Feifan wholeheartedly agreed with the suggestion. They didn't even bother to glance back into the room, bolting out simultaneously.

Perhaps because Kuang Feifan had disrupted the exit, the "ghost wall" phenomenon that had appeared in the hallway seemed to have vanished. Stepping out of the room, the staircase leading to the first floor was just ahead.

However, before either of them could take a step forward, they heard the distinct clack-clack sound of footsteps ascending the stairs.

The steps they had just started forward paused momentarily. Soon, a figure materialized at the top of the landing.

The rain outside seemed to have eased. The sky was no longer as pitch-black as it had been, gradually brightening and casting more light into the otherwise gloomy building.

Whether due to sunlight filtering through the window on the landing or the natural light now available inside, the two men could vaguely make out the appearance of the person coming up.

“He Shaoqing!” they both exclaimed almost in unison.

He Shaoqing stood at the stairwell entrance, half-obscured by the shadow he cast, facing them motionless, like a statue.

“Where’s your flashlight?” Xu Hui instinctively lowered his voice to ask.

“In my pack. Yours?” Kuang Feifan replied without turning his head.

“Broken,” Xu Hui said, quietly retrieving the flashlight from the pack on Kuang Feifan’s back, clicking it on and shining the beam directly onto He Shaoqing’s face. The dazzling column of light struck him squarely.

Clearly, He Shaoqing was no longer an ordinary person. Even under the blinding glare of the flashlight, he didn't blink once, continuing to stare straight ahead. Only the black of his pupils remained visible; the whites of his eyes were almost entirely gone. His face bore no expression—he looked like a walking corpse.

Xu Hui couldn't help but whisper, “Is he… still alive?”

Seeing him like this, Kuang Feifan’s thoughts churned into utter chaos. His voice trembled slightly as he said, “I… I don’t know either, but… don’t use the gun.”

Xu Hui responded with a low “Mn.”

Kuang Feifan thought for a moment. “I have a peach wood sword in my bag. You take it.”

Xu Hui reluctantly pulled out the wooden sword that looked like a toy, whispering, “What good is this thing against He Shao?”

Kuang Feifan managed a wry smile, flicked his stun baton, and said, “I don’t know either, I just want you to try. Be careful, and if you can, don’t break it.”

“You first, then me,” Xu Hui said, and together, they charged toward He Shaoqing.

The moment their bodies moved, He Shaoqing moved too, lunging at them like a wild animal, reaching out with both hands toward their faces.

His speed was more than double that of Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui. In the blink of an eye, he was upon them. Kuang Feifan felt a strong gust of wind rush toward him and instinctively dodged sideways and ducked his head, but he thrust the baton directly toward He Shaoqing’s palm. Although they hadn't exchanged words, their intentions were identical: subdue He Shaoqing, and if possible, get him out.

Kuang Feifan dared not use the Five Elements Thunder Talismans. He didn't know if using talismans on the current He Shaoqing would endanger his life, even though he couldn't be certain if He Shaoqing still possessed a life.

Xu Hui pulled his body back, narrowly slipping under He Shaoqing’s arm. He intended to circle behind him, hoping that a pincer attack from front and back could take He Shaoqing down.

Although this was the first time Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui had coordinated, their movements were surprisingly synchronized. However, He Shaoqing was clearly no easy opponent. The hand that grabbed for Kuang Feifan twisted its wrist, evading the tip of the baton, and clamped firmly onto the shaft. With a yank and a pull, Kuang Feifan’s body was helplessly dragged forward, stumbling into his embrace.

Before Kuang Feifan could close the distance, He Shaoqing lashed out with a kick toward his abdomen. Startled, Kuang Feifan desperately twisted his body and blocked the incoming kick with his non-baton-wielding fist from the side.

Meanwhile, Xu Hui, before he could get behind He Shaoqing, was met with a horizontal elbow aimed at his face. Xu Hui dared not hesitate, raising both hands to protect his face and taking the blow head-on.

To his surprise, the immense power contained in that elbow felt like a heavy impact. Xu Hui was thrown backward uncontrollably, stumbling until he lost his balance and fell hard onto the ground.