Chapter 19 I am saving you.

Wu Dahai, having received the signal, responded immediately—after all, he had always followed Wang Zitong's lead.

Bang!

With his massive body, Wu Dahai rammed into Zhao Hao, sending him crashing to the ground.

Then, working together with Wang Zitong, he shoved Fang Xiu out of the room and slammed the door shut with great force.

At that moment, the space inside and outside the door became two separate worlds.

Outside, Fang Xiu stood alone, his solitary figure cast against the dim corridor.

Inside, his colleagues huddled together. Through the small window on the door, Fang Xiu could clearly see their expressions.

Zhao Hao, having hit a table or chair in his fall, writhed on the ground, crying out in pain.

Wang Zitong and Wu Dahai braced themselves against the door, their faces contorted with tension.

The last person in the room lowered his head, not daring to look toward the window.

"Hold the door shut!" Wang Zitong barked at Wu Dahai. "No matter what, don't let Fang Xiu in!"

"Don't worry, Young Master Wang," Wu Dahai assured him. "This flimsy wooden door may not stop an entity, but it sure as hell can stop a person."

However, after a while, the two realized something strange—no force pressed against the door from the outside. There was no pounding, no kicking, not even the faintest rustling of movement.

Exchanging uneasy glances, they hesitated, then slowly lifted their heads toward the window.

A pale face, smiling ever so faintly, was pressed against the glass, gazing at them in serene silence.

A chill crawled up their spines.

"I always thought I had lost interest in people," Fang Xiu murmured, his voice light, almost amused. "But sometimes, humans can be far more fascinating than the entities… Haha…"

"Thank you." His voice was eerily calm, yet the words carried an inexplicable weight. "You've rekindled my curiosity about this world. Next time… I'll be sure to repay you properly."

His words seeped through the cracks of the wooden door, slithering into Wang Zitong and Wu Dahai's ears. Though they couldn't quite grasp his meaning, an ominous premonition settled in their chests.

And then—

Crack. Crack.

The chilling sound echoed through the dimly lit space.

She had arrived.

The female doctor.

The all-too-familiar sound was akin to Death's whisper, making everyone in the storage room hold their breath, frozen in fear of attracting her attention.

Even knowing the entity's killing pattern, they couldn't suppress their primal terror in her presence.

Fang Xiu heard it too.

Yet, he didn't even turn his head.

He simply maintained his smile, his gaze still locked onto Wang Zitong and Wu Dahai, as if trying to etch their faces into his memory.

And then—

Slash!

A silver gleam sliced through the air.

Fang Xiu's head tumbled to the ground.

"Now! Run!" Wang Zitong roared from inside, shoving the door open and sprinting for his life.

As he fled, instinct compelled him to glance back—

Fang Xiu's severed head lay on the floor, his face still adorned with that enigmatic smile, his unblinking eyes quietly watching him.

Wang Zitong's heart nearly stopped.

He didn't dare look again.

He ran.

—

—

A cold, slick sensation spread across Fang Xiu's palm.

Pale, slender thighs entered his vision.

"I'm back," he murmured.

A slow, unsettling smile crept onto his lips—so fleeting that even Zhao Hao, standing beside him, failed to notice.

Having just returned from death, Fang Xiu didn't alter his actions in the slightest.

Like an actor replaying a scene, he flawlessly replicated every step he had taken before.

Touch the leg.Run.Descend the stairs.

The dimly lit stairwell loomed before them, shadows drifting like tangible specters in the thick air.

Fang Xiu led Zhao Hao in a frenzied descent.

One floor.Two.Three.

Footsteps echoed from below.

Then—screams.

"The entity! It's caught up!"

Just as before, Fang Xiu vaulted over the stair railing, landing gracefully on the next level, where he once again encountered Wang Zitong's group.

"It's Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao!" One of their colleagues gasped in relief. "Damn, I thought it was the entity!"

Zhao Hao frowned. "Why are you guys so slow?"

"Slow? We've gone down at least twenty floors already! How the hell did you two get here so fast?"

"…"

Just like before.

Wang Zitong started explaining the phenomenon of the "Entity Maze," but before he could finish—

Bang!

The door swung open.

And there stood Fang Xiu.

Wang Zitong froze.

The others stared in disbelief.

What happened to the endless looping? How did he find the exit so effortlessly?

Still, they wasted no time questioning it and bolted toward the door.

Upon reaching a fork in the corridor, the group came to an abrupt halt.

Wang Zitong's gaze turned sharp as he looked at Fang Xiu. "You… did you awaken your spiritual sense?"

At his words, all eyes fell upon Fang Xiu.

Throughout their escape, Wang Zitong had drilled into them that only Spirit Tamers could fight against the entities—and only those who had awakened their spiritual sense could become Spirit Tamers.

Now, hearing him suspect Fang Xiu of possessing this rare ability, hope ignited in their desperate hearts.

It wasn't an unreasonable assumption. The first time, Fang Xiu had navigated through trial and error. But this time, he had walked straight to the exit, as if he had sensed its location.

Under their expectant and wary gazes, Fang Xiu remained silent for a moment.

Then, he pulled out his phone, glanced at the time, and calmly spoke:

"One minute. The entity will appear in exactly one minute."

A wave of panic swept through the group.

"You can even predict the exact time the entity will show up?" Wang Zitong's voice trembled. "You really did become a Spirit Tamer! Fang Xiu, if you can lead me out of this domain, I'll pay you five million! Five million, cash!"

"Fang Xiu, please, get us out of here!"

"You must know the right path! If you lead us to safety, we'll owe you everything!"

But Fang Xiu merely shook his head.

"No rush."

That single phrase nearly drove them to madness.

"What could possibly be more important than escaping?!" Wu Dahai fumed.

And then—

A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air.

Everyone froze.

Their eyes slowly turned to see Wang Zitong curled on the ground, his face contorted in agony, his body writhing like a wounded animal.

The air seemed to reverberate with the sickening crack of something fragile shattering.

"You… You…!" Wang Zitong gasped between screams, unable to form a coherent sentence.

Wu Dahai snapped out of his daze and roared, "Fang Xiu! What the hell are you doing? Why did you—"

Before he could finish—

Another scream rang out.

Wu Dahai collapsed, curled up identically to Wang Zitong, his face twisted in unendurable pain.

His cries were brief—he lost consciousness almost immediately.

Every man instinctively understood where Fang Xiu had struck.

It was a direct, merciless blow.

Silence engulfed the corridor.

Everyone stared at Fang Xiu in horror.

Even Zhao Hao instinctively took a few steps back, his hands unconsciously shielding himself.

One of their colleagues finally broke the silence. "Fang Xiu, what the hell are you doing?! You said you attacked Wang Zitong to save us, but why Wu Dahai?!"

Fang Xiu met their bewildered, fearful gazes with perfect composure.

Then, he gave a simple answer.

"I needed a spare."