Furious Jack! A Vow to Kill Yi Bai?!

"Deceived! Quails and Lina Fall into Jack's Trap"

Quails was deceived.

Lina was deceived.

Yi Bai's Insight Eye level was too low to gather detailed feedback, much like how he couldn't perceive Lina's true identity as a Red Ghost. So, at first, he didn't realize that Jack was nothing more than a puppet body.

It wasn't until the Insight Eye feedback caught a shift in Jack's psychology—something along the lines of "If it doesn't work, I'll have to abandon this puppet body"—that Yi Bai finally understood.

It became clear to him why Jack dared to threaten him in front of Quails, despite being in hostile territory.

A puppet body capable of wielding Red Ghost-level power was indeed precious, but it was still just a puppet, not Jack's true form.

Jack's species explained a lot.

A parasitic scarecrow—one who could infest other beings with its puppet-like power. That ability was rare, but not impossible to use.

Yi Bai suspected this Red Ghost-level body was likely a result of Jack's parasitic powers. It was a power to be feared and avoided.

"Director, I believe it's time you explain a bit more about Jack and his species. His parasitic abilities seem... particularly unusual."

Yi Bai didn't answer Jack's question directly. Instead, he turned to Quails, subtly implying that he had special methods to see through his enemies and was hinting for more information.

Quails, being a centuries-old fox, certainly understood Yi Bai's unspoken words.

"Jack—the infamous Parasitic Scarecrow—his Black Raven Hospital has always been at odds with my Third Hospital, and much of the reason for that is because of him."

"Despite being a scarecrow-formed monster, he possesses the strange ability of parasitism."

"No patient would ever want to risk becoming one of Jack's puppets during a diagnosis."

"And that's why... Black Raven Hospital remains in business with shady dealings, unable to rise above the lowly trade."

Without holding back, Quails tore into his old rival.

"As you can see, Doctor Yi Bai, this Red Ghost-level puppet is undoubtedly the result of Jack's parasitic powers."

"If you join such a hospital, you won't be able to guarantee you'll still be yourself much longer."

His mocking tone conveyed a chilling truth.

As Quails spoke, his eyelids twitched—he had forgotten to mention this earlier. If he had, he wouldn't have needed to offer Yi Bai a raise or a custom-made, high-level Red Ghost puppet.

But alas, even in the horror world, there was no such thing as "a second chance."

Once the words were said, they couldn't be unsaid. Quails could only curse himself for losing his composure when Jack arrived.

Meanwhile, Jack's mask twisted into a terrifying grin.

The long-dead straw within his torn coat wriggled, moving like a living thing.

Although Jack stood motionless, Yi Bai grew more cautious. In his heart, he had already sentenced this eerie scarecrow to death.

Yi Bai's Insight Eye allowed him to clearly track Jack's every move.

For example... Jack was now contemplating whether to plant a "puppet seed" inside his own body, attempting a desperate gambit.

That malicious thought alone fueled Yi Bai's growing desire to kill.

A Red Ghost with sinister intentions and strange abilities was far too dangerous to leave alive.

"You know, Quails, it's considered quite rude to share other people's secrets like that," Jack's voice grew increasingly sinister and dry, like two pieces of dry wood rubbing together.

Despite being rigid and motionless, Jack's presence felt even more suffocating.

Lina, sensing the dangerous aura, stood coldly in front of Yi Bai, guarding him.

Quails wasn't foolish. He had sensed Jack's malicious intentions and used his eight metallic tentacles to seal off Jack's escape routes, preventing him from getting anywhere near Yi Bai.

"You're trying to turn me into one of your puppets?"

The tense atmosphere was broken by Yi Bai's cold voice, his gaze locked on Jack.

"Kehehe... You're really pushing my buttons, aren't you?" Jack's mask cracked into a twisted grin, revealing a patch of reddish straw. "What gives you, a mere human, the courage to lose all fear and respect when facing a Red Ghost?"

By the end of the sentence, Jack's calm demeanor had dissolved into an angry roar. Yi Bai's indifference to him had completely triggered his rage.

The massive body beneath Jack's windcoat burst apart.

A human corpse, completely rooted in straw, reeked of a nauseating stench as it was exposed to the room.

The bloodied straw inside the corpse writhed, moving like a grotesque and unnatural creature.

Crack! Crack!

The joints of the corpse twisted, making horrifying sounds. Its rotten, maggot-infested face glared directly at Yi Bai, its hollow eyes fixed on him.

It seemed to be waiting for Yi Bai's reaction, expecting to see a human's terrified expression upon seeing the monster before him.

Unfortunately for Jack, Yi Bai wasn't the one to disappoint him.

"Are you trying to provoke me? You want to frighten me into losing control and give you the chance to parasitize me?"

Yi Bai's tone remained eerily calm, but his eyes held a chilling coldness, like they could freeze the air itself.

"Heh... Hahahaha..." Jack laughed manically, his body creaking as if the bones were breaking. "Provoke you? A human like you is provoking me?"

"You filthy creature, a worthless insect! How dare you speak of the great Parasitic Scarecrow Jack in such a way?!"

"You're looking for death, human! Looking for death!!"

"I'm going to kill you! You will die at my hands—definitely!"

"Kehehe..."

Jack howled in rage, his body contorting, as if it was going to rip Yi Bai into pieces.

The fury—ignited by Yi Bai's provocation—burned through Jack's heart, and with it, the desire to kill.

Even with the protection of a Red Ghost.

Even with the favor of the Rose Count.

Jack swore to kill Yi Bai. No one—human or otherwise—would stand in his way.