“She should still be here, but she probably sensed a large amount of human presence and temporarily hid away. It's only been two days since this all started, and the curse takes time to transmit. Let's conduct an experiment.”
After Qin Zi sent a message to the people outside, all personnel began to withdraw completely.
“Now it's just the two of us left. Let's see how long she can hold out.”
“How does the Gap Woman kill?”
“The Gap Woman isn't particularly strong. Once you are being watched, your spirit will gradually weaken. When the time is right, she will drag you into her gap world through the crevice to kill and parasitize you. But if she continues to grow, she will be able to kill directly through the curse.”
“The moment you lock eyes with her for the first time, the curse will be planted. The second time you meet her gaze, you will die.”
Lin Ze was listening intently when he suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation of being watched. “Qin Zi Jie?”
Qin Zi nodded without speaking and pointed towards the floor-to-ceiling mirror ahead.
The mirror was facing Lin Ze and Qin Zi, and behind them, the storage cabinet had been deliberately pushed open by Qin Zi, who had torn off the tape to create a gap.
The image in the mirror made Lin Ze feel a chill run down his spine, not out of fear, but because the sensation was quite tense and unsettling.
An eye suddenly appeared from the black crevice of the storage cabinet, bloodshot and wide open, its pupils darting left and right as it stared at the two below, as if Lin Ze and Qin Zi were her sworn enemies. Through the gap, a faint glimpse of a bluish face marred with blood could be seen.
If it were an ordinary person, they would surely feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, but Lin Ze was carefully scrutinizing the figure through the mirror, while Qin Zi merely glanced and then turned her gaze away to light a cigarette.
Qin Zi exhaled a puff of smoke and then quietly said to Lin Ze, “She is the daughter of this house.”
“What should we do?”
“Don't rush. Her gap world cannot prevent Hachi from descending through the contract item. Once inside, just call for Hachi and let her do her thing. You don't need to be afraid; with me here, nothing unexpected will happen.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Ze stood up and slowly retreated towards the back, while Qin Zi turned to look at the mirror.
As Lin Ze slowly approached the storage cabinet, the Gap Woman couldn't hold back any longer. “Too close... too close... I can grab and kill him directly, then leave that woman to slowly wait for death in despair.”
A dark blue hand slowly reached out from inside, moving towards Lin Ze. In an instant, the Gap Woman lunged forward, pulling Lin Ze into the storage cabinet.
She glared at Qin Zi, hoping to see her scream in fear and collapse to the ground, but instead, she saw Qin Zi reveal a cold smile.
The door of the storage cabinet was fully opened, and half of the Gap Woman's body protruded out, blood staining Lin Ze from head to toe, yet Lin Ze showed no signs of struggle.
“Looks like I'll have to change clothes again later. What a hassle. Thankfully, Qin Zi chose this cabinet with a big door. I'm not fat, so my shoulders should fit, right? I hope I don't get stuck.”
The Gap Woman couldn't hear Lin Ze's thoughts, but she vaguely felt that something was off. Both that woman and this man were too calm. She had encountered those who didn't struggle before, but they were all too scared to react. These two didn't seem frightened at all.
But it was too late; she couldn't spit out the meat that was already in her mouth. Lin Ze was pulled inside, and the storage cabinet door closed instantly.
At the moment the cabinet door closed, Qin Zi raised her hand, and a talisman was swiftly affixed to the door. She then placed another talisman on the mirror in front of her and took out a bronze mirror to reflect against the mirror.
Before leaving Lin Ze's house today, Qin Zi had given Hachi a yin-yang copper coin.
“Hold onto this.”
“What do you want me to do with this?”
“If Lin Ze calls you to act today, I want to see how he performs. I have a good idea of your strength, but Lin Ze... I want to see how he faces off against ghosts.”
“Huh? You want to spy on Lin Ze through me?”
“Don't put it so harshly; it's just a little test. You'll have to return it to me afterward. This thing is connected to this bronze mirror and will reflect what you see through your eyes onto it. Hachi! You should know about those ghosts too. Lin Ze is lucky to encounter you and Hanako, but what about the other ghosts... do you want Lin Ze to die because of them in the future?”
“...I understand.”
Indeed, watching Lin Ze and Hachi's combat abilities was merely an excuse. Educating Lin Ze about curses was just a side note; the real purpose was to temper Lin Ze's character.
Whether it's Kayako or Tomie, they are still human. Hanako is a urban legend born from people's mouths, bound by rules, and can only kill to exist, but at least they possess wisdom and can weigh pros and cons, making them susceptible to being subdued. Hachi is even more of an exception; she is a living being who has become a legend.
Though they are all referred to as ghosts, curses and vengeful spirits are different from them.
“Lin Ze... don't blame me; this is the only way you can see clearly enough.” Qin Zi placed one hand over her left eye, where the scar seemed to throb faintly.
“Hachi!”
As Lin Ze fell into the gap world, countless eyes turned towards him. He felt something brush against his feet and turned to look, only to see a mountain of corpses piled up, with the Gap Woman glaring at him from the top of the mound with a face full of resentment.
The Gap Woman was waiting, waiting for Lin Ze to scream in fright, waiting for his inner terror. She relished this fear, but instead of that, she was met with a tall woman.
“Something's not right! He is an exorcist!” Without further ado, the Gap Woman lunged downwards, wanting to strike first.
“Lin Ze, are you okay?” Hachi didn't even spare her a glance, her hand gripping the Gap Woman's neck tightly.
Once Lin Ze shook his head to indicate he was fine, Hachi turned her gaze to the Gap Woman, her face gradually twisting into a sickly smile. She was still the same Hachi; even after becoming a shikigami, her millennia of combat habits were not so easily changed. “Want to lay a hand on Lin Ze? Did you ask me first?”
The Gap Woman's pupils dilated; she couldn't break free! Hachi's presence felt far more lethal than her own, and the bloodlust emanating from her was overwhelming. Why? Why would such a being willingly become her shikigami?
Feeling the grip on her neck tighten, the Gap Woman tried to use the power of the curse to disorient Hachi, but how could Hachi be affected? She was immortal and unafraid of death; would she fear that strange sensation of being watched? “Amplifying the fear in one's heart? Interesting. It might work on humans, but not on me!”
The eyes around them began to slowly close, and the mountain of corpses on the ground all opened their eyes and began to rise, then lunged towards Hachi all at once.
Hachi threw the Gap Woman away, sending her crashing into countless corpses, and then charged towards the dead bodies, resembling a wolf among sheep, tearing them apart one by one.
Countless corpses were beaten and torn apart, and the Gap Woman couldn't do anything to Hachi, so she turned her gaze towards Lin Ze and rushed towards him.
But Hachi was faster. No corpse could stop her, and just as the Gap Woman was about to reach Lin Ze, Hachi was already standing in front of her.