Chapter 82: Give It Up

The atmosphere froze in awkward silence for several seconds. Then, Ryan shoved the still-dazed female ghost away forcefully.

There was no scream, no roar of anger. Ryan looked eerily calm. However, his twisted expression and violently trembling body betrayed the utter collapse and despair raging within him.

Immediately after, the ghost, snapped back to reality by the shove, let out a hysterical shriek.

"Aaaaaahhhh! You damn pervert!"

SMACK!

Without hesitation, the ghost delivered a hard slap across Ryan's face, knocking his jaw askew. Yet Ryan, normally so arrogant and overbearing, didn't fly into a rage. He simply stood there, stunned, clutching his face.

Seeing this, Abel, still on the shore, anxiously tried to pull him out, assuming Ryan was paralyzed with fear. If Saiki Kusuo had been present, he might have quipped, Don't worry, it's just that Ryan's spring has finally arrived.

The ghost flew around in the air, livid. Peter glanced at her reflection in the pond and asked in surprise, "You have a shadow? You're not a ghost?"

The ghost snapped back irritably, "You're the ghost!"

As she spoke, she lunged towards Ryan again, diving straight into his body.

"Ryan!" Abel, deeply concerned for his subordinate, paced frantically.

Ryan's body convulsed a few times. He then grabbed Abel's outstretched hand and hauled himself onto the shore.

Abel was just about to ask if he felt alright when Ryan reached to his side, pulled out the dagger he carried for self-defense, and pressed it firmly against his own throat.

"Take me to that shameless, big-chested woman! Or I'll kill him!"

Hearing such a shrill, high-pitched voice emerge from the tall, brawny muscleman that was Ryan felt incredibly bizarre. Not just Peter and the twins, but even Abel, despite his worry, felt goosebumps prickle his skin.

He rubbed his arms. "B-Big-chested woman? Who's that?"

Abel, despite juggling two mistresses, truly was a pure-hearted 'magician.' He looked deeply embarrassed just saying the words.

However, the ghost misinterpreted his discomfort as an attempt to shield the woman. The knife pressed harder against Ryan's neck. Ryan's willpower seemed strong; the ghost didn't have perfect control over his body. Her hand trembled, accidentally drawing a thin line of blood on his neck.

"Hiss," Ryan hissed through the ghost's control, frowning. But Abel didn't notice this flicker of Ryan's own reaction, solely focused on calming the ghost down and saving his companion.

"Don't get agitated! As long as you don't hurt him, whether it's a big-chested woman or a big-assed woman, I'll find her for you. But you have to tell me…"

Before Abel could finish, Pietro cut him off. He eyed the suddenly effeminate Ryan with undisguised disgust.

"We're not taking you to find any 'big-chested woman'. Give it up."

Abel: "???"

The Ghost: "???" She raised an eyebrow, then gritted her teeth and increased the pressure on the knife. "So you don't care if this guy lives or dies?" she threatened.

Wanda, proving herself Pietro's twin, instantly grasped her brother's tactic and chimed in smoothly, "We don't really know him that well. Dead or alive, do whatever you want."

"Hey," Abel interjected, feeling they were taking it too far. "Ryan's words can be harsh, and his attitude is terrible, I apologize for him. But deep down, he's not a bad person. Teaching him a lesson is fine, but there's no need for him to lose his life over this."

"Not our problem," Pietro said, flashing a classic villain's smirk. He pointed at Abel. "Hey, Ghost! There's another one right here. Might as well get rid of him too while you're at it."

The Ghost: "..."

Abel: "..."

The ghost waved the knife uncertainly a few times. She lowered her head. When she looked up again, the softer expression was gone from Ryan's face. He glared furiously at Pietro. "Son of a bitch. What did you just say?"

The indignant, challenging tone was unmistakably Ryan's. Abel's worry turned to relief. "Ryan, you're back?"

But the next second, Ryan's expression did a complete 180. The ghost's simpering voice returned. "Hmph. Trying to get rid of me? It's not that easy."

Pietro tske'd from the sidelines, muttering, "Seems like the harsh words weren't quite enough."

Abel immediately understood. Pietro's comments had been a deliberate attempt to provoke Ryan, hoping Ryan's own anger would force the possessing ghost out.

Thinking quickly, Abel decided it was time to drop a bombshell.

He shouted, "Ryan!"

The ghost glared at him coldly through Ryan's eyes. "Give it up! He won't answer you!"

Abel ignored her. "Do you know why your fiancée, the one you were ready to marry five years ago, suddenly broke up with you?" He took a deep breath, affecting reluctance to dredge up the past. "Because she said you couldn't satisfy her! That you were just a useless, pretty-boy pillow – all show and no go! The thought of spending her whole life with you filled her future with despair!"

Ryan: "..."

The ghost felt control slipping. Ryan's head snapped up, his face contorted. "What did you say?"

Seeing it was working, Abel pressed on. "But she felt terrible breaking up with you, couldn't cope, and decided to end her life by jumping into the sea. I arrived just in time to save her."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "So, you're saying she fell for you? Because you played the hero saving the damsel?"

"Of course not." Abel shrugged with an air of regret. Though Ryan's ex was quite beautiful, and Abel admitted to some envy, he understood the principle of not messing with a friend's partner.

Ryan visibly relaxed. But Abel wasn't finished. "However, she was in a really bad state emotionally and absolutely refused to go home. I was worried something might happen, so I took her back to my place. My sister happened to be home then. I figured women find it easier to talk things out, so I asked my sister to comfort her. Unexpectedly… comforting eventually led to them… rolling around together."

Hearing this, only one thought crossed everyone else's mind: Their circle is seriously messed up.

Yet Ryan, bizarrely, seemed relieved again. "Okay, good. As long as it wasn't you who stole my girl, it's not embarrassing."

Everyone else: "???" Isn't getting dumped for another woman even more embarrassing?

The realization seemed to hit Ryan a moment later. He froze for a few seconds, then completely exploded.

"AAAAHHHHHH!! Damn it! She dared steal my girl!" He gripped the dagger tightly, looking ready to dismember someone as he lunged towards Abel. "Tell me! Where are that damn couple— no, those damn bitches now?! I'm gonna kill them!"

"Uh…" Abel shuddered, facing Ryan's bloodshot eyes. He didn't dare confess that he'd just made the entire story up.

The ghost could no longer control the utterly enraged Ryan. She struggled, attempting to burrow deeper into his consciousness, which only fueled Ryan's fury further.

Ryan roared, a primal sound torn from his lungs, "GET OUT!"

There was another sharp cry – this one not Ryan's. With a final, violent expulsion of will, Ryan forcibly stripped the ghost entirely from his body.