"Zezai hurriedly spoke, 'Is that Chu Xuan? Where are you? What was that giggling sound from yesterday? Hello?' '...If you are hearing this message, it means I am dead. This recording will be released twelve hours after my death, as a final testament... Meeting all of you... thank you.'

'Let me confirm my final hypothesis...' 'Physical force doesn't work? An illusion? Or perhaps... Arno, attack!' 'As expected... no reward points, and it requires the cumulative damage of a large number of spiritual bullets to destroy a spirit body...' Chu Xuan's voice came through the communicator, accompanied by the sound of heavy gunfire. Zezai quickly placed the communicator on the coffee table in front of everyone.

'Arno, watch your back. The spirit entities will likely attack the person who harms them first.'

'...Can't be touched, or we lose control of our bodies?' 'Every part of the body must be hit...' Following this, another volley of gunshots rang out, punctuated by the dull thud of an object falling heavily to the ground.

'Still no reward points. Does the hint about 'seven' mean...' 'After every wave is eliminated, the next wave of ghosts becomes stronger... We've dealt with three waves so far, so does this one represent the fourth wave?' 'The fourth wave!' 'No! No reward points, no hint, it will continue...' Silence descended over the communicator for a long time. The group could vaguely hear a man and a woman arguing about something, followed by the woman's sharp scream. Not long after, only the sound of a cleaver chopping meat could be heard.

'An illusion? Or perhaps...' 'The attacked part disappears and enters my gut—how is that possible? It’s not physical, nor is it some kind of mental attack... It must be a ghostly form of attack that science cannot explain.'

'It can't not exist. In other words, ordinary attacks are useless; it only works the moment you attack it...' 'Ugh... such a bloated feeling. I still prefer food with vibrant colors...' 'The fifth wave... finished!' As Chu Xuan uttered these words, a series of gurgling sounds suddenly erupted from the communicator, sounding exactly like a ghost pressing against the device, eerie and terrifying.

'Is it invisible? Or... is it inside me?' 'Is this the sixth wave? Attacking the internal organs from within...' With several sharp cracks of gunfire, the sound of a heavy object tumbling over came through the communicator.

'Zezai, this is my final hint... Thank you...' The connection abruptly ended, replaced by a hissing electronic signal from the device.

'Chu Xuan...' Zezai sighed, taking a deep breath before turning to Zhan Lan, 'Zhan Lan, can you roughly piece together what happened during this exchange? I remember every line of dialogue; can you try to analyze it?' Zhan Lan glanced at Zezai with surprise before nodding gently, 'Initially, Chu Xuan must have encountered the Onryō. And since the Onryō was likely still quite far from him, he could talk while firing. The first time, he must have used normal ammunition, which is why he said physical force couldn't harm the spirit. He then instructed Arno to attack the Onryō, and that time he probably used spiritual bullets...' 'And then?' Zezai sat down, pondering, 'Did Arno perhaps destroy the spirit form? No, if he destroyed the Onryō, then what attacked him afterward? Another ghost entity?' Zhan Lan also considered this, 'Perhaps it was only temporarily dispelled, and each time, a stronger, more terrifying Onryō body manifested. That might be the meaning... Afterward, Chu Xuan warned Arno to watch his back, but Arno was likely already too close to the ghost by then, which is why he said 'can't be touched.' Then...' 'Then Chu Xuan shattered Arno along with the spirit entity, didn't he?' Zezai sighed as he finished the thought.

Zhan Lan nodded, 'Then came the following sequence. During this period, besides the constant sounds of gunfire and gurgling, Chu Xuan didn't utter a single full sentence. He was continuously firing. I believe he encountered so many ghosts that he couldn't even speak beyond firing his weapon—that was the fourth wave of Onryō attack.'

'Next was the fifth wave, the argument between the two unfamiliar people. That scene also appeared in the movie, concerning the origin of the Onryō: the husband suspected his wife of infidelity, murdered her in a rage, and hid her body in the attic. I imagine Chu Xuan witnessed an illusion of this event unfolding, and then either Kayako or her husband must have begun attacking him.'

'Chu Xuan was likely firing then, but discovered that the spiritual bullets were ineffective. So, he simply waited for the ghost to approach until, after being struck, he realized the struck flesh vanished and that part of his body entered his intestines... Ugh, what a repulsive method of attack. But if the ghost can attack us, then conversely, at the moment it attacks, we must also be able to attack it. Chu Xuan probably dispersed the ghost that way...' Zezai murmured, 'And then the sixth wave of attack—did the ghost enter his internal organs directly? Then... he's already...' Zhan Lan touched her forehead, 'Yes, Chu Xuan might already be...' Zezai let out a deep sigh, suddenly feeling a sense of melancholy, like losing a friend with whom he shared an adversarial relationship—a feeling of profound regret for that calm and intelligent Chu Xuan... (Farewell, Chu Xuan... I should be the one saying thank you.

) More than ten seconds later, Zezai regained his focus, 'Let's summarize this information. Chu Xuan kept mentioning the number seven. He said the 'Main God' wouldn't casually assign us a number; this seven is very likely the hint for defeating the Onryō. I have some ideas on this, Zhan Lan, you must have thought of what I'm thinking, right?' Zhan Lan nodded, smiling sweetly, 'You thought of my idea first, actually... Ahem, regardless, based on the information Chu Xuan left, every time the Onryō spirit form is dispersed, the next one becomes stronger, especially the sixth time, which seemed almost completely unavoidable and lethal... So, that seven must refer to the Onryō repeating seven times. The seventh time...' Zezai took up the thread, stating fiercely, 'The seventh wave of ghosts is likely the main body of the Onryō! If we destroy the ghost in the final encounter, we will definitely defeat the Onryō!' Regardless of Chu Xuan's ultimate goal, this message was as valuable to the group as those Buddhist scriptures. It not only confirmed that the Onryō spirit could be defeated but also gave them hope... The Onryō wasn't something that demanded only desperate evasion. Sometimes, terror isn't frightening; what's frightening is the absence of any will to resist. Perhaps when you raise your weapon against fear, it is merely a slightly stronger monster, and you can defeat it!

The entire afternoon was spent discussing how to deal with the Onryō. Based on the six types of attacks they had deduced: the first wave involved the ghost appearing at a distance and constantly moving toward them. At this stage, attacking with spiritual bullets was sufficient. While terrifying to ordinary people, this ghost, as long as it could be hit by their spiritual bullets, could be easily defeated by those few who possessed them.

The second and third waves likely involved the ghost suddenly appearing behind a person; in these situations, one had to attack both the person and the ghost simultaneously, otherwise, that person would almost certainly die.

'Body armor. We need five sets of body armor. Besides that, we absolutely need six steel helmets to defend against stray bullets. Zero Point, can you get these from the criminal element?' Zezai suddenly asked after a moment of thought.

Before Zero Point could reply, Zhao Yingkong spoke up, 'If it's body armor and steel helmets, I think I can acquire them through the police network, but it will likely take until tomorrow noon to get them.' Zero Point considered this and added, 'I can get those items around the same time.'

Zezai nodded, 'Alright, I'll rely on you two for that. Please ensure you have the body armor and steel helmets by noon tomorrow. Next is the fourth wave of the Onryō attack. If we are attacked by numerous ghosts simultaneously, I think we will need a more spacious area. Encountering a large number of ghosts closing in on us in a room or hallway is highly disadvantageous. I suggest we camp out in a nearby public square starting tonight—preferably one where you can see a hundred meters in every direction. Does anyone have any objections?' Except for Zhan Lan, whose face twisted slightly in discomfort, the others nodded in agreement. At this point, Zhang Jie suddenly asked, 'What about the fifth wave of the Onryō attack? How are we supposed to deal with a ghost that is immune to spiritual bullets? We can only counterattack the moment it strikes, and any part of us it hits will end up in our intestines... How do we handle that?'

'That's why,' Zezai said with a faint smile, 'That's why I will serve as the decoy for the fifth wave! When I release my Genetic Lock, my premonition of danger is extremely acute, allowing me to evade and counterattack the instant it strikes. Furthermore, you all seem to have forgotten the ultimate weapon I possess against ghosts: the Nascent Soul Ring (Na Jie). A close-range engagement is the perfect time to use it.'

'Therefore, I will take on the role of the decoy for the fifth wave attack. This is the most responsible arrangement for the entire team's safety!'