To avoid his classmates having to witness that terrifying scene from under the bed at night, Kanagawa Yume once again braced herself and threw herself into the task of organizing the boxes.
Li Mo stood aside, indifferent to Kanagawa Yume's personal toil.
"Li Mo, can't you be a kind soul and help me out? It's tiring walking around all by myself."
"I strongly protest your indifference."
"My heart is cold. True heartbreak isn't about making a big fuss... True disappointment isn't about shedding tears... it's about short words and cold gazes..."
"You're unmoved by my words, I'll no longer ask about your affairs, sniffle sniffle~~"
Kanagawa Yume placed her hands over her eyes, wiping away nonexistent teardrops from their corners, putting on a pitiful act.
Just as Li Mo was about to speak, a vibration came from his bag, and a pleasant ringing sound, crystal clear, echoed.
His phone was ringing.
Li Mo froze, paused, but didn't take the phone out of his bag, standing there stunned like a wooden man.
Seeing this, Kanagawa Yume couldn't help but ask, "Hey, your phone's ringing. Someone's calling you, aren't you going to answer? Maybe it's your companion, worried about you, giving you a call."
Li Mo was silent for a few seconds, then replied in a slightly strange tone, "My phone can't be called."
"Can't be called?" Kanagawa Yume's mind didn't immediately process it, wondering why it couldn't be called.
If the battery was dead, she could lend him a power bank. If he was out of credit, she could top it up. If Li Mo asked, she certainly wouldn't refuse.
Suddenly, a glimmer of light flashed in Kanagawa Yume's eyes. Realizing something, she raised her hand and pointed at Li Mo.
"Could it be... a ghost?"
"The one calling you is a ghost?"
Li Mo calmly took out his phone and nodded. "Yes."
Kanagawa Yume quickly dropped what she was doing and ran to Li Mo's side, saying anxiously, "Then what are you waiting for? Hang up! Based on my knowledge of supernatural novels... oh no, of ghosts, once you answer this call, the ghost will immediately come for you. That would just be adding frost to our already thin ice."
"I know. The number on it is also very strange. I have no memory of it. Hanging up is the best choice."
Li Mo didn't deny Kanagawa Yume's judgment. A strange number, undoubtedly a ghostly rule was at play.
Because his phone number and model couldn't possibly exist in this world. It was unique, with no carrier to transmit signals for him.
So connecting was unrealistic.
But a number could still get through, which meant the caller couldn't possibly be a living person.
"You want to answer it?" Kanagawa Yume saw through Li Mo's thoughts.
"Yes."
Li Mo admitted it without hesitation.
Kanagawa Yume was stunned at first, looking at Li Mo suspiciously for a long time, then finally shook her head helplessly and sighed.
"You're the boss. I trust your judgment."
"Since you want to answer it, then answer it. You must have your own reasonable thoughts, clues to survival that I don't know about. It doesn't matter if it attracts a new ghost."
"I would have been dead long ago without you. If you attract a ghost, I'll just consider it repaying my life to you."
Kanagawa Yume said nonchalantly, no longer trying to persuade him.
It was as if she really didn't care about her own life.
In fact, both Kanagawa Yume and Li Mo were very clear that no matter how seriously Kanagawa Yume tried to persuade him, Li Mo would do what he had decided to do.
Since the process of struggling couldn't cause a single ripple in the final result, it was better to just give up from the beginning and save the trouble.
Li Mo took out his phone and stared at the mysterious number displayed on it. The phone grew colder and colder.
Answering a ghost's call was not a reckless act.
If it was an attack on the consciousness level, the Misfortune Ghost in his sea of consciousness could completely block it.
The Misfortune Ghost's level of completeness was superior to many ghosts.
Plus, the first page of the notebook had predicted that he would die on the fourth day, so after triggering the phone ghost's rule, Li Mo didn't have to worry too much about his safety today, he just needed to be a little careful.
Of course, there was also a possibility that the notebook predicted he would die on the fourth day precisely because he answered the ghost's call on the third day.
There was also a more important point. Before Li Mo entered the haunted manor, he and Hua had gone their separate ways.
Li Mo was responsible for dealing with the source of the Bizarre in the haunted manor, while Hua was responsible for dealing with the ghosts that came out of the haunted manor.
If he guessed correctly, from the third day onwards, the black fog would gradually spread to the major cities of the human world, and the ghosts would also hide in the black fog, silently entering human society.
The haunted manor during the day was relatively safe, as long as one didn't court death and explore some taboo areas.
So the ghost calling was from the outside world.
Li Mo had no connection with the ghosts of the outside world. For a ghost to be able to call him could only mean one thing.
Hua was involved in this.
Kanagawa Yume walked to Li Mo's side, watching intently as Li Mo pressed the answer key.
Ding—
The call connected. Call duration: 00:00.
"...It's me, Hua."
Hua's voice came from the other end of the line, incredibly real.
But Li Mo didn't answer immediately. Because he had almost been deceived on Mount Taixuan, he was extra cautious about this kind of truth transmitted through a bizarre medium.
Not answering was the best answer.
If it was the real Hua, then she would surely understand his silence.
Sure enough, after not hearing Li Mo's voice, Hua took the initiative to describe her situation.
"Mo, it's three in the afternoon on the third day."
"I'm in Nanfeng City, the city closest to you. The black fog has already enveloped the entire city. Every night at eight, many ghostly figures appear in the black fog, and they kill with high efficiency."
"But it's still within my ability to handle. I've obtained 'Her' power and can temporarily borrow Bizarre power to fight them. On the first day, I dealt with almost all the ghosts, at least making them unable to wake up for a short time."
"But since the second day, the number of ghosts has far exceeded my imagination. The ghosts are no longer limited to the night; they can also descend during the day and possess complete rules. But they're very ordinary, with simple killing methods."
"Please rest assured, this call won't harm you, and you haven't triggered any certain-death rules. The reason I can call you is because I modified the cognition of a phone ghost. Using its ability, I made this call to you, but it can only be used once."
"The situation now is probably not optimistic. I estimate at most two days. After two days, the ghosts in the black fog will completely walk out of the black fog and descend upon the world. By then, I won't be able to handle it even if I want to."
"How is your progress over there? Are you... alright?"
Without rushing to prove herself, Hua first told Li Mo the general intelligence. In the end, she didn't prove her identity, but asked a concerned question.
At this, Li Mo's guard lowered considerably.
This speaking style and habit, it was almost certain that it was Hua herself.
Plus, with the Bizarre Hua's cognitive modification, Hua was indeed capable of doing such a thing.
But Li Mo guessed it wouldn't last long. When humans fight ghosts, humans always lose in the end. It was just a matter of time.
Hua had obtained some of the Bizarre Hua's abilities, but she absolutely couldn't use them extensively for a long time.
It was just... Li Mo still had some doubts and confusion.
So Li Mo asked, "I'm halfway there. It'll take another two days to completely solve it. My condition is very bad. I only have one last chance."
After hearing Li Mo's reply, Hua on the other end of the line was silent for a long time.
One last chance, but it's only been half the time.
"..."
"I'm coming to find you," Hua said.
"It's useless. Even if you enter the haunted manor now, you'll be two days behind me. Forcibly going up to the third floor will only destroy the ritual. At that time, the Bizarre will lose control, and all our efforts will be in vain."
"What you need to do is to guard the outside world. I will handle the ritual in the haunted manor."
"..."
Hua didn't answer, seemingly very dissatisfied with Li Mo's idea.
If she accepted the "Him" in her heart, perhaps she could modify the rules of the haunted manor... But that would undoubtedly cause trouble for Li Mo, adding an S+-level uncontrollable Bizarre entity.
No confirmation, no denial. Hua was like a mute, silently protesting.
She had always been like this, quiet and reserved.
"Also, it was a mistake for you to call me. Besides confirming that I'm still alive, you won't get any useful information from me."
"If I were you, I would use the phone ghost's ability to call MEI, tell her all the known intelligence, and let her analyze it for me."
Li Mo's cold words were almost a reprimand. The ability of cognitive modification could not be used recklessly.
Hua herself had said that modifying the phone ghost's cognition to create a special communication channel to contact a designated target could only be done once.
Even if there was another chance later, she should have called MEI first, then him.
So precious, yet only used to confirm his safety.
Not worth it.
"I was just... worried about you."
"Thank you for your concern, but dealing with the Bizarre is more important. You should have some other important intelligence over there."
Li Mo didn't exchange too many pleasantries with Hua. He just wanted to know the secrets behind the haunted manor.
The ghosts in the black fog, the ghosts playing games on the third floor, the ghosts in the dream, Kanagawa Yume.
Li Mo faintly felt that there was some special connection between the four, perhaps it was the key to breaking the stalemate on the fourth and even fifth floors.
He already knew about the ghosts playing games on the third floor. They were identical to the ghosts Kanagawa Yume had encountered in her dream. It was certain they were the same kind.
But why would the ghosts from the dream come to reality? And be able to return to the dream?
Was it related to the black fog?
And Kanagawa Yume, why could this girl loosen the seal of the ninth room?
"...Wow."
Kanagawa Yume listened to the conversation between Li Mo and the girl named "Hua" on the side, listening with great seriousness, thoroughly enjoying the drama.
From the brief conversation, the personality of the girl on the other end of the line jumped out at her. She was reserved and restrained, seemingly very good at hiding her feelings.
Well, but occasionally she had a bold side, just like now.
It was just that this guy was cold as ice, completely unlike a normal man, unmoved by the girl's concern.
She didn't know what kind of love potion Li Mo had given "Hua" on the other end of the line, or was "Hua" a masochist? Did she like this feeling of being ignored and neglected?
No, her tone clearly had disappointment, not the performance of a masochist.
Hua on the other end of the line took a deep breath, composed herself, and explained carefully: "I used 'Her' ability to peek into the memories of many ghosts that came out of the black fog. There are two common points among them."
"Which two?" Li Mo perked up. He vaguely felt that the truth was in it.
The common points of the ghosts...
"First, they were killed by a girl."
"Second, they were all eaten by a man. Many, many more than you can imagine. At least... many more than the ghosts in the town at the foot of Mount Taixuan."
"..."
"Who is it?" Li Mo asked.
"I don't know the girl, but the latter... looks similar to you."
"I ate the ghosts?"
Li Mo briefly summarized the key point and fell into a long silence.
This was almost impossible.
A living person's body could barely stand the cold of being near a ghost, let alone eating one.
Ghosts are immortal and unkillable. Eating them in the conventional sense is not killing them.
It's more like a kind of absorption, absorbing their rules and contamination.
But he wasn't the Head Ghost, he couldn't do that. The contamination in one ghost was enough to make Li Mo fall instantly, let alone thousands...
Li Mo had only obtained the Stove's ability for ten minutes and had gotten a permanent Primordial Bizarre Rule. If he had completely eaten a ghost, the consequences would be unimaginable.
While Li Mo was still thinking, Hua added: "Mo, there's one more thing I think is necessary to tell you."
"You know, ghosts have many similar rules, abilities, forms, concepts, but they will never be identical."
"In these two days, I've encountered very many 'completely identical' ghosts."
"Although they're a little easier to deal with, this seems to have broken Dr. MEI's conclusion that no two ghosts are the same."
"Or perhaps, completely identical ghosts are themselves a special rule, an unknown Bizarre phenomenon."
"..."
Li Mo's gaze grew darker. Countless small pieces of information surged like a tide, plus the hints given by the Bloody Newspaper.
Many seemingly unrelated clues were connected by an invisible thread.
[This is a forbidden place for the living, possessing the greatest taboo of resurrection.]
Li Mo remembered this sentence.
He had also made conjectures about various methods of resurrection. The conclusion was always that the price was extremely high.
An overly expensive price made the act itself unrepeatable and basically impossible to achieve.
"Restart."
"No, it's reincarnation."
Just like the five-day ritual of the haunted manor, after the challenger died in the first two days, the haunted manor would rewind to the very first day.
Perhaps there were still differences in the details, but the nature wouldn't be too different.
But Li Mo had never heard of a large-scale restarted ghost being able to be completely preserved in the restarted space-time.
Completely identical ghosts, the ghosts in the dream, the ghosts in the black fog, the ghosts playing games.
If the soul is unique, then completely identical ghosts.
Soul summoning and soul ferrying, whose soul are they summoning, whose soul are they ferrying?