Chapter 80: Time to Act

Ryan's face flushed crimson with anger. "Weren't you the ones who told me to shut up?!" he roared at Pietro. His glare then shifted to Saiki, still lurking quietly in the corner. "Threatening to sew my mouth shut if I said another word?"

Pietro rolled his eyes. "...Since when are you suddenly so obedient? Besides, weren't you running your mouth non-stop just a minute ago? Cut the crap and answer the question: are you or aren't you?"

Ryan spoke through a stiffly clenched jaw. "Of course not! Who the hell is still a 'wizard' in their twenties?!"

"I... I am..."

Both Pietro and Ryan whipped their heads around in astonishment. Abel stood there, blushing furiously, looking deeply embarrassed and finding it incredibly difficult to speak.

Pietro: "???" Ryan: "???" Everyone Else: "???"

Perhaps finding the collective stunned silence too much to bear, Abel bristled like a flustered cat. "Look, I just practice self-respect!" he stammered defensively. "I haven't met the right woman yet! I don't believe in messing around indiscriminately, understand?"

Pietro and Ryan exchanged identical, knowing, mischievous grins. Pietro clapped Abel heartily on the back, his own grin stretching into maximum smugness. "Bro," he began, his tone dripping with fake sympathy, "you look like you're at least twenty-five, maybe twenty-six? Surrounded by beautiful women day in and day out, and you still manage to keep your composure? Should we praise your incredible willpower... or maybe question if you've got some... performance issues? Or perhaps," Pietro leaned in conspiratorially, "you're always hugging these beauties to hide something?" (All show and no go, huh?) Pietro added mentally. (No wonder your girlfriend couldn't resist temptation and cheated on you.)

Hearing the conversation swerve rapidly into deeply uncomfortable territory, Abel quickly held up his hands. "Alright, alright! Let's stop focusing on my personal life! The important thing right now is figuring out how to deal with this ghost and get out of here, right? We have the final ingredient – the virgin boy urine. Let's just get on with it!"

Easier said than done. The resulting slurry – a mixture of burnt talisman ash and Abel's contribution – looked and smelled utterly foul.

Finally, under Pietro's relentless, unblinking stare, Ryan stepped forward grimly. Steeling himself, he plunged his hands into the noxious mud. He managed to coat his arms and legs but clearly lacked the fortitude for anything more extensive. Throughout the disgusting process, enduring waves of nausea triggered by the stench, he glared murderously at the Black rapping man.

"You had better pray this actually works," Ryan snarled between clenched teeth. "If it doesn't, I swear to god, I will personally slaughter you."

The rapper trembled under the intensity of Ryan's glare but forced himself to sound confident. "It'll definitely work! Trust me! I've studied this book extensively! Most of the methods described are highly practical!"

"Fine," Ryan grunted. Then, with a final gesture of spite, he wiped the remaining slurry from his hands directly onto the rapper's face.

"Oh! SHIT! That stinks! Oh god, I think I'm gonna puke!" the rapper shrieked dramatically, staggering back, turning, and promptly vomiting all over the floor.

"Truly disgusting," Pietro muttered, deftly sidestepping the mess. He eyed the reeking slurry with profound reluctance, then took a deep breath. "Ah, whatever. Get it over with quickly, I guess. If this turns out to be useless, I'll just personally detach the rapper's 'third leg'."

He reached for the bowl, but Wanda, looking impeccably stylish even while pinching her nose in disgust, flatly refused to subject herself to such vileness. "Pietro," she declared firmly, "if you put that stuff on yourself, don't even think about coming near me for a week. No, scratch that – make it a month."

Pietro hesitated, then launched into earnest persuasion mode. "Wanda, come on! This might be the only way we can fight the ghost and escape this hellhole! Don't be difficult now! Sometimes, we have to endure unpleasant things to survive!"

However, Wanda's inherent vanity seemed to snap her out of the collective descent into this "ridiculous game." Her expression turned coolly logical. "But Pietro, we have Saiki. If we really wanted to leave, all it would take is one instant teleport."

Pietro paused, considering her point. "You're right," he conceded. "But... I still kinda want to see how this plays out. Okay, new plan: how about Saiki just uses his powers to brainwash everyone else into thinking I applied the smelly stuff?"

"I refuse!" Saiki interjected instantly and decisively. What do they take me for? he thought, irritated. Some kind of servant who comes when called and leaves when waved away? Absolutely not...

"Unlimited desserts at the sweet shop for one month," Pietro offered casually, leveraging his status as one of the heirs to Stark Industries.

Saiki, previously immovable in his principles, immediately folded. "Leave it to me."

After everyone had either applied the concoction or been mentally persuaded that they (and Pietro) had, the rapper nervously eyed Pietro. Pietro glanced back. "What is it?"

The rapper quickly waved his hands, looking terrified. "N-nothing! Nothing! I just... well, okay, I was just wondering... what happens if this method doesn't work?"

Pietro answered with deadpan seriousness. "You'd better pray fervently that it does. Because if it doesn't, you'll likely die horribly, and frankly, I probably won't even need to lift a finger." He subtly gestured towards Ryan, who was practically radiating murderous energy.

The rapper flinched away from Ryan's direction, shivering visibly despite himself. "N-no worries!" he stammered, quickly averting his gaze. "It'll definitely work! Definitely!"

With preparations finally complete, and working off Peter's information that the ghost primarily haunted the pond area outside, the designated 'ghost hunting' party prepared to head out towards the "enemy's main camp." This group consisted of Saiki's foursome (Saiki, Peter, Pietro, Wanda), along with Abel and Ryan. The others – Lin and Julian – adamantly refused to leave the lounge. Abel decided to leave the rapper behind to "take care of them."

Overjoyed at being excused from confronting the ghost, the rapper beamed. Seeing his bright smile, Pietro clapped him heavily on the shoulder, his tone laden with faux gravity. "Bro, we're leaving this place in your capable hands. Just... try to hope that ghost doesn't get bored hanging out by the pond and decide to come in here looking for someone new to 'play' with."

The rapper's smile instantly froze, replaced by a look of pure, horrified accusation. Why would you even say that?!

Before Pietro could traumatize their only remaining guard into catatonia, Abel stepped in, cutting him off. "Alright, Mr. Pietro, let's not waste any more time. We need to go find that ghost."

Saiki initially started to follow the group out of the lounge, but just as his foot crossed the threshold into the hallway, he abruptly stopped, changing his mind.

"What's wrong, Kusuo?" Peter asked, turning back in confusion.

(I'm not going,) Saiki transmitted directly into Peter's mind. As he sent the thought, his gaze subtly shifted towards the back of the lounge, where Joan was currently occupied soothing Abel's two nervous mistresses.

Peter understood immediately. He nodded almost imperceptibly, clapping Saiki briefly on the shoulder and whispering, "Okay. Got it. Leave this to me." He then turned and quickly concocted a plausible excuse for Saiki staying behind to Abel and Ryan. Given Saiki's generally frail appearance, neither Abel nor Ryan objected; they likely viewed him as a liability who would just slow them down anyway.

Saiki turned and walked back into the lounge. He didn't share the easy camaraderie that Peter and Pietro seemed to have developed with the others, and his naturally quiet, expressionless demeanor tended to make him seem unapproachable. Even the outwardly friendly Joan made no effort to engage him in conversation.

He settled into a chair in a quiet corner, closing his eyes as if intending to rest. In reality, he focused his powers, discreetly monitoring Joan's every word and action.

His change of plans had been impulsive. Just as he was about to leave, he had clearly overheard Joan's whispered intentions: she planned to somehow utilize the remaining people in the lounge (the rapper, Lin, Julian) to help her reach her true destination, her actual objective within this resort complex. Normally, Saiki had zero interest in meddling in such affairs. However, Joan's intricate scheming, combined with the lingering mystery of the ghost, had genuinely piqued his curiosity. So, he decided to stay behind and observe.

Joan moved casually towards one of the grimy windows, lifting the edge of the curtain slightly to peer out. She watched the departing group until they disappeared from view. Then, in a place she thought was unobserved, the barest hint of a cold, calculating smirk touched her lips.

She turned away from the window and began walking slowly, deliberately, towards Julian and Lin, who were huddled together nervously on one of the sofas.

Saiki, watching her every move, felt his own expression harden imperceptibly.

This woman... she's about to make her move.

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