Chapter 6: The Ghost-Faced Men

Outside the Old District.

The man who had just set up the "Forbidden Zone" stood by the sign, looking back at the still and silent half of the Old District. With a helpless shake of his head, he pulled out his phone and started playing a puzzle game.

"Hey, bro, what are you doing sitting here playing with your phone at this time of night? Don't your butt get cold?" A passerby from across the street noticed him and grinned.

The man glanced at him briefly before lowering his head to continue tapping on his phone. "Nothing else to do, just killing time."

The passerby chuckled, pulling out a cigarette and offering it to the man.

The man waved his hand dismissively. "It's work hours. I don't smoke."

"Ha, you're squatting on the street playing with your phone, and you call that work?" The passerby laughed.

"Yeah."

"Okay then." The passerby shrugged and started to walk toward the street behind the man.

"Where are you going?" The man suddenly called out.

"Home."

"You can't go home—not yet, anyway."

The passerby raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"This road's closed for now. Once it's open, you can go back," the man pointed to the "Forbidden Zone" sign behind him.

The passerby looked at the sign and was about to ask something when he saw the words "Forbidden Zone" flash faintly for a moment.

His expression froze.

A few seconds later, he turned around stiffly, walking back the way he came, his eyes full of confusion...

The man seemed unperturbed, about to continue his game when suddenly, a voice crackled in his earpiece.

"Zhao Kongcheng!!"

The moment the voice sounded, the man shot upright, his previous laid-back and sleepy demeanor vanishing instantly, replaced by absolute seriousness!

"Yes! Captain, what happened?" he asked urgently.

"We've encountered an issue. One of the Ghost-Faced Men has been promoted to a Ghost-Faced King. While we were dealing with the others, this one ambushed and severely injured Hong Ying before escaping through the sewers, outside the Forbidden Zone's boundaries."

"A Ghost-Faced King?" Zhao Kongcheng's face changed. "Which way did he go? I'll intercept him!"

"No. Kongcheng, you're not good at combat. You won't be able to defeat a Ghost-Faced King. I'll handle it."

Zhao Kongcheng was stunned. "Then... what about me?"

"After the Ghost-Faced King escaped, two more Ghost-Faced Men slipped into the sewers. The rest of the team is busy dealing with the remaining ones and can't spare the manpower."

"Which direction?"

"Southeast."

"Got it."

The glint in Zhao Kongcheng's eyes sharpened as he dashed toward the other side of the street, leaping into a black van. He slammed the accelerator, and the vehicle roared to life, speeding off into the night.

On the passenger seat, a red-and-black cloak was neatly folded, and a sheathed straight blade rested beside it.

...

"Alright, I'm going to turn here. I'll head off now," Wang Shao said, stopping and turning to the four behind him.

At that moment, Li Yifei suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up. "Wang Shao, if I remember correctly, doesn't your house lie right next to the Old District?"

"Yeah, why?"

"... Never mind. Just be careful when you're heading back."

Wang Shao raised an eyebrow, looking at him, then rolled his eyes. "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't leave me hanging—it makes me uncomfortable."

Li Yifei hesitated for a moment. "I heard that the Old District isn't safe lately. There's a psycho killer on the loose!"

"A psycho killer? Is that for real?" Jiang Qian looked skeptical.

"Of course it's true!" Li Yifei glanced around and lowered his voice. "You probably haven't heard about it. A few days ago, over ten people have died in the Old District."

"Over ten people? That's impossible. If there was that much commotion, it would've been all over the news," Wang Shao shook his head.

"Ha, don't be so sure. This is strange. The authorities are suppressing the story. If my dad didn't work in the police station, I wouldn't know anything about it either."

"Strange? What's strange about it?"

"Well..." Li Yifei paused for a moment, lowering his voice even further. "I heard... the faces of the victims were completely peeled off. All that was left were chunks of bloody flesh and their bulging eyeballs. The method was... brutal!"

The cold evening breeze swept through, and when the others heard this, a chill ran down their spines!

"Li Yifei! Are you crazy, telling ghost stories at this hour?" Jiang Qian shuddered, her face turning pale. She instinctively glanced around at the quiet street, irritation mixed with fear.

This area was already close to the Old District, a relatively remote part of Cangnan City. With it being nearly 10 PM, there wasn't a single person on the street, and coupled with Li Yifei's words, the atmosphere was truly unnerving.

It wasn't just her. Even Wang Shao and Liu Yuan, both of whom were tough guys, had their courage shaken. Wang Shao glanced at the narrow alley he was about to walk into, suddenly feeling uneasy...

If Li Yifei's words were unsettling, then Lin Qiye's next comment would send a shiver down their spines!

Lin Qiye paused for a moment, his voice low as he spoke. "Are you sure... these things were done by humans?"

"Seven Nights, you..." Jiang Qian trembled slightly!

Wang Shao and Liu Yuan exchanged glances, their expressions turning strange.

So it was you, Lin Qiye. The quietest one of all, hiding the deepest, huh?

Li Yifei stared at Lin Qiye, surprised. "You think so too?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jiang Qian couldn't take it anymore. She reached over and pinched Li Yifei's arm hard. He yelped in pain, hopping away from her.

"Stop telling ghost stories in the middle of the night! I still need to go home!"

Li Yifei winced and rubbed his arm, mumbling to himself, "This is not a ghost story..."

Wang Shao shrugged. "I'm not going to keep talking nonsense with you guys. I don't believe in any of that supernatural stuff. I'm leaving."

His figure quickly disappeared into the narrow alley.

Jiang Qian shot Li Yifei another glare, walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped.

She sniffed the air, her brow furrowing slightly, confusion crossing her face.

"Do you guys smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"That... rotten smell."

"Nope, I don't smell anything. Liu Yuan, how about you?"

"I don't smell it either... Ugh!!"

Before Liu Yuan or Li Yifei could say another word, their faces suddenly changed. They clutched their noses, frantically looking around in fear.

Just as Lin Qiye was about to say something, a nauseating stench suddenly hit his nostrils. It was like a decaying piece of meat that had been rotting for days, thrown into a sewer and mixed with rotten eggs. Just one whiff made his stomach churn.

This was the worst smell Lin Qiye had ever encountered.

Jiang Qian, with the sharpest sense of smell, immediately crouched down and began vomiting.

"Dammit, what the hell is that smell?!" Li Yifei shouted, holding his nose.

"I don't know," Lin Qiye murmured, his brow furrowing. After a moment, he pointed toward the alley where Wang Shao had disappeared. "But from the direction the smell's coming from, it seems to be coming from there."

In the next instant, a blood-curdling scream echoed from not far away, reverberating through the quiet night sky.