《①horror ②mystery》 Chapter 1: The Fungus Chapter 1: The Fungus When the emergency call came in, Lin Xiaotang was staring blankly at the mold stains on the wall of the duty room. The dark green streaks resembled the creeping ivy in the corridors of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, always reminding her of the urban legends she had heard during her training. "Hello? Is this 911? I need to report something!" The man''s voice exploded through the headphones, carrying the distinct lazy drawl of a Beijing native. In the background, there was the faint sound of metal scraping. Lin Xiaotang glanced at the surveillance screen, where the red light of the storm warning cast blood-like streaks on the glass. "There''s a foreigner lying on the road faking an injury, probably high on something," the caller whispered. "Yeah, yeah, his skin''s as black as coal, and he''s holding a controlled knife..." Suddenly, there was the sound of fabric tearing, followed by a dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground. "I bet fifty cents he''s an illegal border crosser!" Lin Xiaotang''s goji berry tea rippled in her thermos. From the monitoring room, Old Zhang let out a snort. "That damned 13th Ye Xie Alley again? Last Wednesday, Team Three went to check it out. The whole street is just bubble tea shops." "Thank you for your contribution to public safety," she said, biting her lower lip to keep from laughing, her nails leaving crescent marks on the duty roster. "Can you tell me the exact location?" "This place is freaky..." The sound of glass crunching under shoes came through the phone, and the man''s breathing suddenly quickened. "13th Ye Xie Alley, that''s what the navigation says." The lid of her thermos clattered onto the keyboard. Lin Xiaotang remembered the case file photos she had seen on her first day: the scene of a 1998 serial murder case. The victim''s skull was caved in like a walnut gnawed by a beast, and even the tabby cat at the alley entrance was frozen in a bristling, arched-back posture. The most horrifying part was that on the night before the case was closed, the reclusive old man with a limp had smashed his own skull with a polished cane¡ªand the cane tip contained the DNA of all the victims. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Officer? Are you still there?" The line was now filled with static. When the call-back prompt indicated the phone was off, she suddenly noticed the surveillance footage flickering: in the live feed of the food street, the character "а" (evil) on a bubble tea shop''s sign was bleeding like ink. ... Ji Tian took a half-step back, his nose catching a strange mix of rust and decaying organic matter. The black man curled up on the ground was foaming at the mouth, his right hand still gripping a knife¡ªif the twisted lump of metal could still be called a knife. "Money! Give me..." "Bro, your broken English with that ancestral skin is such a stereotype, you know?" Ji Tian nudged the man''s twitching wrist with the tip of his shoe. "No money, but if you want a life..." He suddenly froze. On the man''s hand was a tattoo of a counterclockwise mandala. Three years ago, on a rainy night, he had seen the same pattern on the wrist of a corpse floating by the moat. His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket, and the sweet voice of the navigation system chimed in: "Turn right ahead, I''ve been waiting for you~" Ji Tian felt a chill run down his spine¡ªhe had thrown that SIM card into the moat long ago. Even more bizarre was the sound of a cane tapping against the brick pavement behind him, the rhythm precise, like some kind of Morse code. "Young man, do you know how to get to 13th Ye Xie Alley?" A hoarse voice crept into his ear, carrying the scent of formaldehyde from a funeral home. Ji Tian turned slowly, his pupils contracting sharply. The bald old man''s head was covered in rapidly growing "misfortune mushrooms," their black fungal threads piercing through the rain and embedding themselves into the brick walls on either side. From the moss-covered cracks in the walls, countless pairs of blood-red eyes suddenly opened. "Your way of asking for directions is quite unique," he said, reaching for the baton at his waist, his fingers brushing against the sticky secretion of the fungal threads. The old man grinned, revealing tiny mushroom caps wriggling between his gums. "Twenty-three years... Finally, someone who can see the mushrooms..." In the distance, police sirens wailed. Ji Tian suddenly noticed that from the missing tip of the old man''s left pinky finger, a crystal-clear death cap mushroom was blooming. Chapter 2: The Horrifying Night of Mycelium Chapter 2: The Horrifying Night of Mycelium The night was as dark as ink, and the dampness in the alley carried a putrid, sweet - fishy smell that hit the nostrils. Ji Tian stood on the small path paved with blue bricks, gazing at the old man in front of him by the dim light of the streetlamp. The old man''s face, covered with wrinkles, seemed to have been over - carved by time, resembling a clay Buddha enshrined in a temple, with a strange sense of mercy. Faint green lights flickered in his cloudy pupils, like bubbles rising from the depths of a swamp, sending chills down one''s spine. Ji Tian''s gaze involuntarily shifted to the old man''s right hand - at the stump of the severed little finger, several clusters of white - fluffy parasol mushrooms opened and closed slightly with the old man''s breathing rhythm, as if some living thing was secretly peeking. "Comrade Good Samaritan, would you be so kind as to show me the way?" The old man''s voice was hoarse and low, as if squeezed out from the depths of his throat. Each word carried the sweet - fishy smell unique to mycelium. Leaning on a walking stick, when the tip of the stick struck the ground, it made a sticky, gurgling sound, as if there was something wet hidden in the brick joints. Ji Tian felt a chill run down the back of his neck. Looking down, he saw that the black mycelium seeping out from the gaps between the blue bricks was quietly weaving into a spider - web, firmly sticking his and the old man''s shadows to the mottled wall. "Go this way," Ji Tian tried his best to suppress the unease in his heart and crushed the Amanita phalloides that suddenly sprang up beside his foot with the heel of his shoe. The mushroom let out a soft "pop" when it was crushed, emitting a faint stench. He tried to make his tone sound natural. "Go straight for three hundred meters and turn left. There''s an old - fashioned traditional Chinese medicine doctor who specializes in treating osteoporosis." Before he could finish speaking, a strange noise suddenly came from above the old man''s head - the sea - urchin - like mushroom on his head suddenly burst, black mist gushed out, and dozens of barbed mycelium shot out like tentacles towards Ji Tian. Ji Tian instinctively took out his phone to confirm the direction, only to find that the navigation interface had somehow switched to a crosstalk mode, and a rough voice shouted, "You scoundrel! Turn right!" Without thinking too much, he darted into the right - hand fork. The rear - view camera of the phone swept across behind him, and the old man''s figure appeared on the screen - he was twisting his neck in an anti - joint posture. The mycelial membrane growing in the sunken part of the back of his head was wrapped in soy - sauce - colored pus, thick and sticky like over - fermented natto, exuding a disgusting smell. Ji Tian gasped for breath. He had originally thought that this fork would lead to the familiar food street, but what appeared in front of him was a scene beyond his imagination. The entrance of the alley was completely sealed by a mycelium - woven cocoon. Embedded in the wall was a foreign man, fixed in a "big" shape. A crack split open at the back of his head, and fluorescent mycelium protruded from the crack, slowly burrowing into his nasal cavity, as if sucking something out. Ji Tian lowered his head and groped in his trouser pocket, wanting to take out a telescopic baton for self - defense, only to find that the handle of the baton was already wrapped in a layer of mucus. When his fingertips touched it, a strange smell of the sour stench of luosifen mixed with the cold fragrance of a mortuary in a funeral home wafted up. "You have deviated from the path of cultivating immortality." The phone navigation suddenly switched back to a soft, loli - like voice, with a hint of mockery in its tone. Just then, a slight tearing sound came from the shadow at the base of the wall. Ji Tian looked in the direction of the sound and saw a chubby girl squatting there. She had been playing with a stray cat before, but now she had changed into a different appearance - her index finger had been completely eroded by mycelium, becoming long and soft, and she was slowly picking her ear. Every time she dug, spore dust fell in a rustle, glowing with a strange fluorescence in the dim light. The bun on her head, which had originally resembled a cloud of merit, was now hollowed out by mycelium, turning into a broken lantern hung with cobwebs, swaying precariously. The air in the alley became heavier and heavier. Mycelium mucus gushed out from the cracks in the wall, wrapping the entire space into digestive - tract - like folds like a flood. Ji Tian looked around and found that all the shop signs had turned into the shape of mushroom caps, hanging wetly on the doorframes, exuding a putrid smell. The number 13 house number loomed in the mycelium wave, like a signpost guiding some kind of fate. The old man''s figure somehow split into three, approaching from different directions. A few scallions stuck to the hem of his trousers had, under the nourishment of the mycelium, blossomed into bright red Amanita muscaria, dazzlingly bright. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Just when Ji Tian felt that there was no way out, a dilapidated bus suddenly crashed through the mycelium wall. The tires made a harsh screeching sound as they rolled over the mycelium. On the windshield of the bus was pasted a yellowed missing - person notice. The printed words were a bit blurred, but the words "Wanted: Zhang Degui, a hallucinogenic murderer due to mushroom - eating" were still clearly visible. The young man in the photo had a pale face, and the incision of the missing little finger was eerily flat, as if it was a mark left by some kind of ritual. Ji Tian''s heart skipped a beat. This detail made him feel an inexplicable sense of familiarity. "The vehicle is about to mutate." The countdown of the navigation sounded in sync with the sound of the mycelium cocoon breaking, with a rhythm so urgent that it seemed to be urging for one''s life. Ji Tian gritted his teeth and leaped onto the bus the moment the old man pounced. The mycelium - covered face was inches away, and the five fingers snapped shut like a Venus flytrap. The fluorescent spores at the fingertips brushed past the back of his neck, leaving plum - blossom - shaped burn marks that stung painfully. The situation inside the carriage was even more¹îÒì. A layer of mycelium carpet wriggled on the floor, like the skin of a living thing. Five passengers were frozen in their seats in stiff postures. A burly man in black had a cluster of mushrooms growing on his head, and the QR code on the surface was actually refreshing automatically, as if transmitting some data. The glasses of the bespectacled man next to him had been eroded by mycelium, and the constantly deforming and recombining chemical formulas on the lenses glowed faintly. The double - ponytail girl by the window was lowering her head, and at the ends of the mycelium hanging from her hair tips were miniature skulls, making a crisp sound like wind chimes as the carriage jolted, clear but ear - piercing. Only a girl wearing a peaked cap seemed relatively normal. She suddenly pulled out a military knife from her waist and stabbed it hard into the seat. The blade picked up a ball of mycelium, inside which was wrapped half a human finger bone with dried blood still remaining on it. "Newcomer, do you know why this bus is called 404?" She said in a calm tone, pointing to the flowing mycelium galaxy outside the window. "The personal information of all the unlucky people who get on this bus will completely disappear from the world." The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile. Ji Tian followed her gaze and looked out of the window. In the reflection of the glass, he saw that the yin - yang mushrooms on his head were splitting, and black mycelium was quietly winding around the veins on his wrist, as if invading his body. The alley outside the window had been completely wrapped by the mycelial membrane, wriggling like a huge stomach sac. Under the number 13 house number, a pitch - like substance seeped out, gradually condensing into a familiar pattern - the mandala tattoo on the wrist of the floating corpse in the moat three years ago. At that moment, a vague picture flashed through Ji Tian''s mind, but he couldn''t quite grasp it. "Special reminder," the girl in the peaked cap suddenly leaned close to his ear and whispered. Her exhaled breath carried the sweet fragrance of truffle chocolate, faintly tinged with a hallucinogenic smell. "Remember to leave your last words before getting off the bus." She pushed aside the bangs on her forehead, revealing a wriggling patch of skin. The mycelium under the skin spelled out the words "Zhang Degui," which was shocking. Before Ji Tian could react, the bus suddenly rushed into the number 13 house number. All the passengers suddenly started humming a Yunnan folk song in unison. The tune was melodious but full of strangeness. The mycelium drilled into his ear canal, bringing a sharp pain. At that moment, he seemed to hear the crisp sound of the mycelium tearing through the skull and his father''s dying whimper overlapping into a roar in that rainy night twenty - three years ago, making him dizzy. The carriage began to shake violently. The mycelium galaxy outside the window distorted into a huge face, blurred yet familiar. Ji Tian tightly grasped the armrest of the seat, his fingernails digging into the mycelium - transformed leather. He didn''t know where this bus No. 404 was going, nor how long he could hold on. The only thing clear was the pain from the plum - blossom - shaped burn mark on the back of his neck, as if reminding him that this was just the beginning. Chapter 3: The Mycelium Cage Chapter 3: The Mycelium Cage The moment the bus crashed through the No. 13 house number, time seemed to stretch. Ji Tian felt as if his eardrums were wrapped in some viscous liquid, and a faint "sizzling" sound came from his ear canal, as if something was slowly seeping in. He suddenly coughed, his throat itching from a fishy - sweet smell, and a faint smell of blood welled up in his nasal cavity. Squinting his eyes, he vaguely saw a pair of hands - withered, trembling, and the wrinkled fingers scratching bloody marks on the infusion tube. It was the appearance of his father on his deathbed, so thin that only skin and bones were left, but his eyes were filled with an indescribable obsession. When the wheels rolled over something soft, there was a dull "poof" sound, and the entire carriage was suddenly engulfed in a blinding green light. The boundary between reality and memory blurred at this moment. "Wake up!" A burning pain came from the back of his neck, and Ji Tian suddenly opened his eyes. He found that he had slumped on the seat at some point. The girl in the peaked cap was pinching the acupoints on his neck with her fingernails, exerting ruthless force. He gasped for breath and looked down. The blood beads oozing from his nasal cavity were dripping onto the floor, being greedily devoured by the wriggling mycelium. The white mycelium, which was originally as thin as a hair, was now as thick as a finger, slowly crawling between the seat cracks, very much like the out - of - control mold growing in a petri dish in a biology laboratory, exuding a damp, putrid smell. "Welcome to the Gu World," the girl took off her peaked cap, revealing a pale face. The skin on her forehead twitched slightly, and the words "Zhang Degui" under the skin wriggled like a living thing. She quickly tied up her black hair with a hairband, and a patch of dense pinholes was revealed behind her ear, as if left by something piercing repeatedly. "My name is Zhang Xiaoyue, the daughter of one of your father Ji Wenshan''s partners back then." Her voice was low, tinged with a bit of fatigue, yet also firm with an air of authority. Ji Tian opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but the carriage suddenly shook violently, interrupting his thoughts. The double - ponytail girl by the window, who had been sitting stiffly, now had a "click" sound as a crack split open in her neck. Countless black beetles swarmed out from the wound, buzzing and gathering in the air to form a distorted human face. The face had blurred features but carried a strange sense of familiarity.½ô½Ó×Å, there were successive cracking sounds coming from under the mycelium carpet. The chests of more than a dozen passengers in the carriage almost burst open simultaneously. Countless gu worms, mixed with pieces of internal organs, splashed onto the car window. Scarlet and dark - brown liquids flowed down the glass, and a strong smell of blood filled the air. "Run!" Zhang Xiaoyue grabbed Ji Tian''s arm and almost used all her strength to smash through the car window. The putrid air rushed in, with a wet and cold touch. Ji Tian stumbled and landed, his legs weak, almost falling. Looking around, he found that the so - called street was not the ground at all, but a huge net woven from countless semi - transparent mycelium. When stepped on, it sank slightly, as if walking on the skin of a living thing. In the distance, the shop signs wrapped in the mycelial membrane loomed. Vaguely, words like "Li Ji Noodle Shop" and "Wang''s Roast Goose" could be recognized - these were clearly the old - established stores inаҹÏïtwenty years ago, but now they had been devoured by the mycelium beyond recognition. A clear and ethereal copper - bell sound came from the distance, breaking the silence. Ji Tian looked in the direction of the sound and saw that a ancient pagoda wrapped in mycelium suddenly glowed with a faint light. The cocoons of countless gu worms on the surface of the pagoda trembled simultaneously, and the vibration rippled through the mycelium network, as if some kind of signal was being transmitted. He instinctively reached into his trouser pocket, only to find that the telescopic baton had become scalding hot. Taking it out, he saw that a pattern had emerged on the metal surface - it was the pattern on his father''s relic, complex and ancient, like a fragment of some kind of spell. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Is this... a Gu tool?" Zhang Xiaoyue''s voice was tinged with shock. Her pupils suddenly constricted. "Your father refined his life - bound Gu into a telescopic baton?" She stared at the pattern, her eyes complex, as if recalling something. Before Ji Tian could answer, the mycelium ground under his feet suddenly bulged, as if something was about to break through. Three mycelium tentacles as thick as a bowl suddenly drilled out of the ground. The suckers at the ends split open, filled with barbs and dripping green mucus. He instinctively swung the telescopic baton, and the moment the pattern lit up, the tentacle let out a scream like a baby crying, splashing out a stinking liquid and covering him all over. The sound was sharp and piercing, drilling straight into his eardrums, making his scalp tingle. "Run towards the ancient pagoda! These are the tentacles of the Gu mother!" Zhang Xiaoyue ran while tearing open her sleeve, revealing the spreading black marks on her forearm. The marks had climbed to her elbow, like a net expanding under the skin. "The mycelium network can sense emotional fluctuations. The more afraid you are, the more excited they get!" Her voice was a bit hurried, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. The two of them ran wildly in the mycelium jungle. From time to time, a "patta" sound came from under their feet, which was the sound of gu worms falling from the "trees" wrapped in the mycelial membrane and bursting on the ground. Ji Tian was out of breath, as if his lungs were filled with cold and damp air. When he passed through an area where the mycelium was thinner, he suddenly caught a glimpse of dozens of frozen corpses under the mycelial membrane - they were dressed in modern clothes with stiff expressions. The man on the outermost side, wearing a faded courier uniform, was still clutching a worn - out safety helmet in his hand, and on the name tag on his chest, the words "Wang Jianjun" could be vaguely seen. Ji Tian''s heart skipped a beat. That was the deliveryman who had gone missing three months ago, and there had been a missing - person notice in the newspaper. "Watch out!" Zhang Xiaoyue suddenly pounced on him, pressing him to the ground. A strange bird with a wingspan of three meters flew over their heads. Rotting feathers hung with mycelium, exuding a strong stench. In the bird''s beak were rows of human teeth, uneven, as if yanked out from a living person''s mouth. Ji Tian fell to the ground, and his palm pressed against something hard. Looking down, he saw that half of a rusty police badge was embedded in the mycelium - covered asphalt road, with dried blood on the edge. "This was my father''s back then..." Zhang Xiaoyue''s voice trembled. Her fingernails dug deep into the mycelium ground, her knuckles turning white. "The police car of the special case team twenty years ago disappeared right here." A flash of pain crossed her eyes, as if stabbed by a memory. The ancient pagoda was already close at hand, but black mucus suddenly oozed from the tower door, slowly flowing down like blood. Countless gu worms swarmed out from the crack of the door, gathering in the air to form a vague human figure, exuding a sense of oppression. Zhang Xiaoyue suddenly covered her chest and knelt down. The black marks had climbed all over her neck, wriggling under her skin like a living thing. "Quick... use your Gu tool to cut open the tower door... the sub - Gu in my body is about to wake up..." Her voice was intermittent, with moans of pain. Ji Tian tightly gripped the scalding telescopic baton and rushed towards the tower door. Behind him came Zhang Xiaoyue''s suppressed gasps, as if she was struggling with something in her body. He gritted his teeth and stabbed the telescopic baton hard into the crack of the door. The moment of contact, the pattern burst out with a blinding light, and suddenly, his father''s dying whisper rang in his ears: "Tian''er... the third layer of the cabinet..." The voice was low and weak, but it exploded in his mind like a thunderclap. Chapter 4: The Labyrinth of the Gu Heart Chapter 4: The Labyrinth of the Gu Heart The night was thick, the air stagnant before the ancient pagoda, carrying a damp, rotting stench that clawed at the back of the throat. Ji Tian stood at the entrance, his grip tight on the telescopic baton, his knuckles white and his palms slick with sweat. Behind him, Zhang Xiaoyue¡¯s face was pale as paper, her breathing ragged and uneven. The poison of the Gu was already taking hold, and her eyes flickered with a mix of despair and resolve, as if she were fighting some internal battle. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Ji Tian asked, his voice low and rough, masking the unease that churned within him. Xiaoyue nodded weakly, her lips trembling as she whispered, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ we have no other choice.¡± Her hand pressed against her chest, nails digging into her skin as if to suppress some unbearable pain. Ji Tian took a deep breath, the oppressive weight of the pagoda pressing down on him. He raised the baton, his gaze lingering on the intricate patterns etched into its surface¡ªpatterns left by his father, the only relic he had. The designs seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light, as if alive. He closed his eyes, and for a moment, he was back in his father¡¯s hospital room. The shrill beep of the monitors, his father¡¯s frail hand clutching the sheets, dragging three deep gashes into the fabric with his last ounce of strength. The marks on the sheet mirrored the arc of the baton as it struck the pagoda door. **¡°Boom!¡±** The baton slammed into the door, sparks flying as the wood splintered with a deafening crack. A foul wind rushed out, carrying with it a swarm of Gu insects, their buzzing filling the air like a tidal wave. Ji Tian grabbed Xiaoyue, and they tumbled inside just as the door slammed shut behind them, sealing them in. The air inside was thick and cold, and Ji Tian felt a chill crawl up his spine. The interior of the pagoda was a nightmare. The walls were covered in vein-like tendrils of fungal growth, pulsing faintly as if alive. The floor was littered with modern artifacts: a shattered smartphone, a backpack tangled in fungal threads, and a half-rotted fashion magazine from 2021, its cover model¡¯s smile now a blur. These were the belongings of the missing, their fates now intertwined with the pagoda. ¡°Are these¡­ the recent disappearances?¡± Ji Tian muttered, using the baton to lift the magazine. The fungal tendrils immediately lashed out, wrapping around the metal, but as the patterns on the baton glowed faintly, the tendrils recoiled as if burned. The walls trembled, and blood-red words began to form on the surface, scrawled as if by a finger dipped in blood: The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. **Zhang Degui¡¯s Experiment Log** **March 17, 1999, Midnight** **Failed to breed the Mother Gu using wife and daughter as vessels** **Fungal outbreak** Xiaoyue¡¯s body shuddered as she read the words. She doubled over, coughing violently, and several wriggling Gu insects spilled from her mouth onto the floor. Her face was ghostly pale as she pointed a trembling finger toward the top of the pagoda. ¡°Back then¡­ my father¡­ he sealed my mother¡¯s ashes¡­ into the Gu Heart at the top¡­¡± Ji Tian¡¯s heart sank as he followed her gaze. A spiral staircase wound its way upward, each step slick with a viscous fluid and embedded with fungal growths that resembled human faces, their hollow eyes watching silently. He swallowed hard, supporting Xiaoyue as they began their ascent. Every step squelched underfoot, and Xiaoyue grew weaker with each passing moment, her breath coming in shallow gasps. On the third floor, Xiaoyue froze, her eyes locked on a display case at the end of the hallway. It was encased in fungal tendrils, and inside was a police uniform from the 1990s, the nameplate reading ¡°Zhang Degui¡± in faded letters. Black liquid seeped from the edges of the nameplate, as if bleeding. ¡°This is¡­ my father¡¯s lingering obsession¡­¡± Xiaoyue whispered, her fingers brushing the glass. As she touched it, the uniform stirred, and six crimson compound eyes opened on its chest, staring directly at them. ¡°Run! His consciousness is¡ª¡± Xiaoyue¡¯s warning was cut off as the entire floor tilted violently. The walls sprouted hundreds of bloodshot eyes, their gazes piercing and malevolent. The air filled with a low hum, like countless voices whispering in unison. Ji Tian grabbed Xiaoyue, dragging her up the stairs as the fungal tendrils surged behind them. They stumbled onto the seventh floor, only to be met with a horrifying sight: hundreds of desiccated corpses in modern clothing knelt in a circle, their withered faces frozen in expressions of terror. At the center of the circle floated a black heart, its surface bearing the face of a young woman¡ªXiaoyue¡¯s mother. ¡°So¡­ my mother became the vessel for the Gu Heart¡­¡± Xiaoyue¡¯s voice broke as she staggered forward. She snatched the baton from Ji Tian and raised it to her own chest. ¡°Kill me! The core of the Gu is inside me¡­ it¡¯s the only way¡­¡± ¡°Stop!¡± Ji Tian lunged for her, but the baton flew from her grasp, drawn toward the black heart as if by an invisible force. As the patterns on the baton made contact with the heart, a blinding light erupted from above, and the spectral figure of Zhang Degui materialized. His gaunt, disheveled form hung suspended by fungal threads, a broken police baton embedded in his chest¡ªidentical to the one Ji Tian carried. ¡°Ji Wenshan¡­ so he left his lifebound Gu to his son¡­¡± the specter rasped, his voice dripping with bitterness. ¡°All those years ago, I leaked the secret of 13 Nightshade Lane¡­ just for this moment¡­¡± Memories flooded Ji Tian¡¯s mind: the case files hidden under his father¡¯s hospital bed, the torn records from 1999 in the police archives, the mysterious calls from ¡°Unknown¡± that always came in the dead of night. The pieces fell into place, revealing a truth he had never imagined. He stood frozen, his father¡¯s dying words echoing in his ears: ¡°Tian¡¯er¡­ be careful¡­¡± The voice was faint but clear, a needle piercing his heart. Chapter 5: Escape from the Gu Pagoda Chapter 5: Escape from the Gu Pagoda In the beam of light, the Gu Heart pulsed violently, its black surface writhing with distorted faces, as if the trapped souls within were struggling to break free. The spectral figure of Zhang Degui hovered in midair, the broken baton embedded in his chest glowing faintly, resonating strangely with the one in Ji Tian¡¯s hand. The air inside the pagoda grew heavier, each breath feeling like inhaling thick, viscous liquid. ¡°Your father¡­ Ji Wenshan¡­¡± Zhang Degui¡¯s voice was hoarse, dripping with resentment. ¡°He thought he could stop me¡­ but he was wrong¡­ we were all wrong¡­¡± His six compound eyes narrowed, a grotesque smile twisting his lips. Ji Tian tightened his grip on the baton, his knuckles cracking under the pressure. He took a step forward, his gaze locked on the specter. ¡°What did you do to my father?¡± His voice was low and trembling, a mix of anger and confusion. The specter let out a low, guttural laugh, as if the sound were being forced from the depths of his throat. ¡°What did I do? Your father¡­ he was the one who started all of this! He discovered the secrets of the Gu arts but refused to share them with me¡­ I had to find my own way to power¡­ using my wife and daughter¡­ using my own life¡­¡± His voice grew more frenzied, a crimson light flickering in his six eyes. Zhang Xiaoyue shuddered at his words, her eyes filled with pain. She stumbled forward, her voice choked with emotion. ¡°Father¡­ why did you do this¡­?¡± Her hands clutched at her chest, nails digging into her skin as if trying to claw out the agony within. The specter¡¯s gaze shifted to Xiaoyue, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. ¡°Xiaoyue¡­ my daughter¡­ you carry my blood¡­ and the power of the Gu¡­ You are destined to become the vessel of the Gu Heart¡­¡± His voice was low and eerie, a mix of temptation and sorrow. ¡°No!¡± Xiaoyue shook her head violently, her voice filled with despair. ¡°I won¡¯t become your tool!¡± She staggered back, her back pressing against the fungal-covered wall, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes tightly. The specter¡¯s laughter grew more manic. ¡°You have no choice¡­ the core of the Gu is consuming your life¡­ Only by becoming the vessel of the Gu Heart can you survive¡­¡± His form twisted and wavered in the beam of light, like a fading illusion. Ji Tian clenched his teeth and charged at the specter. ¡°I won¡¯t let you win!¡± He swung the baton, the intricate patterns on its surface bursting with blinding light. As the baton made contact with the specter, the beam of light exploded, and the entire pagoda began to shake violently. The fungal tendrils on the walls writhed madly, and the black heart of the Gu cracked open, releasing a flood of Gu insects that surged forward like a black tide, their buzzing deafening. ¡°Run!¡± Ji Tian grabbed Xiaoyue and bolted toward a hidden compartment at the top of the pagoda. Behind them, the bloodshot eyes on the fungal walls watched their every move, as if countless unseen observers were tracking their escape. The Gu insects followed relentlessly, the air thick with their foul stench. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. They stumbled into the compartment just as the cracks in the Gu Heart spread throughout the pagoda, the walls beginning to collapse. Inside the compartment, half of a charred diary lay on the floor, the name ¡°Ji Wenshan¡± barely visible on the cover. Ji Tian bent down to pick it up, his hands trembling slightly. He flipped to the last page, where his father¡¯s handwriting was barely legible on the scorched paper: **¡°Brother Degui used his body to buy time¡­ I must pass on the lifebound Gu¡­¡±** The writing ended abruptly, as if cut off by some external force. A mix of emotions surged through Ji Tian¡ªanger, confusion, and a deep, unnameable sorrow. He looked up at Xiaoyue, her face pale as paper, her lips devoid of color. The Gu poison was rapidly consuming her life. ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t have much time¡­¡± Xiaoyue¡¯s voice was faint, her body swaying like a leaf on the verge of falling. Just then, the roar of an engine echoed from outside the pagoda. Ji Tian peered through a crack in the fungal wall and saw a vintage police car speeding down the fungal-covered street. The window was half-open, and the profile of the young officer behind the wheel bore an uncanny resemblance to his own. The man¡¯s sharp features and determined gaze reminded Ji Tian of his father in his youth. ¡°Is that¡­ Father?¡± Ji Tian¡¯s heart clenched, as if he were witnessing a hallucination born of time and space colliding. He stood frozen, the diary trembling in his hand. Xiaoyue suddenly grasped his hand, her fingers cold and weak. The moment their hands touched, the collapse of the Gu realm slowed, and the remnants of the fungal tendrils began to reform in the air, creating a new path that led to a swirling blue vortex. The vortex hovered in midair, its edges rippling like an unknown exit. ¡°Is that¡­ the way out?¡± Ji Tian asked softly, his voice tinged with uncertainty. Xiaoyue nodded weakly, a glimmer of resolve in her eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­ we have to leave¡­¡± Her voice was faint but firm, as if she were summoning the last of her strength. They stepped onto the fungal path, the faint rustling sound beneath their feet the only noise in the eerie silence. Behind them, the pagoda crumbled into dust, the black heart of the Gu emitting one final, mournful cry before being swallowed by the ruins. As they stepped into the blue vortex, the world seemed to tear apart, time and space losing all meaning. Ji Tian¡¯s ears rang with his father¡¯s voice, distant and faint: ¡°Tian¡¯er¡­ be careful¡­¡± It was as if the words had traveled from another world, carrying an endless weight of concern. --- When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing in a desolate wasteland. The ruins of broken walls surrounded them, the air carrying the faint scent of earth. In the distance, the last rays of the setting sun painted the horizon in hues of orange and red, as if everything had been a dream. Ji Tian tightened his grip on the baton, murmuring under his breath, ¡°Father¡­ what secrets were you hiding¡­?¡± His voice was low and hoarse, heavy with exhaustion. Xiaoyue leaned against his shoulder, her breathing faint, almost imperceptible. ¡°Can we¡­ still find the truth?¡± Her voice was as light as a breeze, on the verge of disappearing. Ji Tian didn¡¯t answer, only silently tightened his hold on her hand. Her palm was cool but real, a small comfort in the chaos. He looked up at the distant horizon, where the sun was sinking below the edge of the world, and darkness began to envelop the land once more. He knew this was only the beginning, and the truth still lay hidden in the endless shadows.