Mysterious Awakening-Chapter 563 - 560

Chapter 563: 560

The dim, silent corridor was graced by the figure that had emerged from the haunted painting, standing rigid at the entrance of the dormitory room, motionless as if it were a corpse whose life had ceased, seemingly waiting for the next victim after having killed the last qualified person. But currently, no new target was in sight.

The atmosphere at the scene was particularly heavy.

Neither Wang Quan and his companions nor Yang Jian made a sound.

All were waiting.

Wang Quan was waiting for Yang Jian’s move, while Yang Jian was waiting for any movement from the ghost.

In the absence of certainty about the true source, the best course of action for Yang Jian was to wait and see if the ghost would continue to kill.

...

If the killing continued, then it was highly likely that the source of the event wasn’t the haunted painting Yang Jian was currently holding, but the ghost from within the painting. The painting might just be a vessel, much like the face-covering cloth he had encountered before, where the cloth itself wasn’t the issue but rather the bizarre crying face on it—the ghost.

Conversely, if there was no further disturbance, as was currently the case, then it could be conjectured that the painting was the source, and he wouldn’t need to take any action.

Besides, Yang Jian had one more drastic measure up his sleeve.

He could give up his absolute control over Ghost Shadow and free up a slot to suppress the ghost, tackling both the haunted painting and the ghost within it in one fell swoop.

But this approach came with risks.

Though Ghost Shadow no longer posed the risk of revival, its instinct to switch bodies remained, and if it were to incorporate something else into itself in the moment it encountered the ghost, the balance would be thrown off.

And once that balance was lost, the Ghost Eye, teetering on the brink of revival, would swiftly claim Yang Jian’s life.

Yang Jian was well aware of the risks and wouldn’t gamble on it; the current situation didn’t warrant such a risk in his view, especially since Miao Xiaoshan was already safe. There was no need to risk his life for a bunch of strangers.

Probably more than a minute passed.

The ghost remained still.

It seemed that in this building, it could no longer find a target that met its criteria, and thus the ghost fell into a quiescent state, maintaining the same posture.

"What exactly is the pattern to this thing’s killings? It’s not touch, nor seeing it,” Yang Jian’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to discern more clearly.

He had previously thought that one would be attacked by the haunted painting upon seeing it. Yet not only had he seen it, but so had others, and yet they had not become targets of the painting. Now, with the painting in his grasp and having made contact with it, the ghost from the painting still showed no interest in him.

It didn’t even turn in his direction.

From what had happened earlier, there must have been a student lingering in dorm room 402 who met the killing criteria of the haunted painting, hence the ghost from the painting had come.

"It’s not sound either. Wang Quan was loud when he spoke earlier, and yet the ghost didn’t go after him to kill him,” Yang Jian eliminated another possible condition.

"But from the international files we saw, it’s clear that those killed by the haunted painting definitely had some contact with it.”

Yang Jian attempted to analyze the information; if he could figure out the killing pattern in advance, he would have a high chance of survival when facing this ghostly entity in the future.

Another minute of stalemate passed.

Seeing the ghost still hadn’t made a move, Yang Jian decided not to wait any longer.

Delaying might also be one of the ghost’s traps. Faced with a haunted painting that could become an S-class supernatural event upon revival, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

"Wang Quan, you should have something to contain this haunted painting, bring it over. Let’s deal with the one I’m holding first. We can’t keep waiting; I can’t be sure if continued delay might lead to other anomalies. So, you’re going to have to take a risk,” Yang Jian concluded, after determining that speaking was safe, he directly addressed the issue.

Indeed.

As his voice echoed down the hallway, the ghost standing by the dormitory entrance didn’t react at all.

Upon hearing Yang Jian’s words, Wang Quan’s expression tightened, and he quickly signaled his teammate, “Give me the bag for the haunted painting, I’ll go deal with that painting with Yang Jian first.”

"Captain, the ghost is standing right there, are we really going over?” another teammate clearly panicked.

Approaching a ghost at close range was extremely risky, and they were well aware of this from their training.

"Of course, we’ll go around. We must take the risk at this moment. The ghost is inactive, and Yang Jian can’t decide which one to deal with first, so the best approach is to resolve one side first. His decision is correct, the safest. I believe that once the haunted painting is dealt with, Yang Jian will be able to handle this thing,” Wang Quan replied as he prepared to act, taking the bag, “You all stay here, I’ll go by myself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward without hesitation, heading toward the ghost in front.

There was only one way to Yang Jian, with the corridor blocked by the ghost; the only option was to skirt past it.

For him, an ordinary person, getting targeted by the ghost at close range was certain death, beyond anyone’s saving.

So Wang Quan was gambling with his life.

But he seemed to have come to terms with this resolve.

Wang Quan’s steps were firm, though his face was pale and his body tensely wound, he did not flinch.

As the ghost drew nearer, even with a strong threshold for fear, he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat as dread filled his heart.

That was a real ghost, after all.

Any slight action from the ghost could mean his end.

"Impressive courage,” Yang Jian noted the scene with a touch of admiration.

To dare approach the ghost, knowing full well the danger, was not something an ordinary person could do.

"Run, now that you’ve chosen to act, speed it up and don’t keep me waiting,” he urged.

Courage is momentary, and Yang Jian did not want him to lose his nerve.

With teeth clenched, Wang Quan glanced at the ghost just three to four meters away and without another word, steeled himself and ran towards Yang Jian. His hands were tightly clutching a folded bag, big enough to encompass the haunted painting.

Soon.

He had bypassed the ghost.

Close to a genuine ghost, Wang Quan felt a chill akin to that emanating from a corpse, but other than that, everything was normal.

The ghost did not attack him.

Wang Quan successfully passed by the ghost.

His head felt slightly foggy, as if he hadn’t expected things to be this easy, that the ghost would really just let him brush past.

He couldn’t help but look back, and seeing that the ghost had made no move, he suddenly felt somewhat relieved.

Watching him, the two teammates also took a deep breath of relief.

It was a close call without actual danger.

"Mister Yang, mission accomplished,” Wang Quan said, unable to hide his relief as Yang Jian approached.

At that moment, Yang Jian’s expression suddenly changed, his gaze fixed on something behind Wang Quan.

The ghost, at this very moment, started to move.

The ghost, which had been standing motionless, suddenly turned its head. Its indistinct face looked towards Wang Quan and then slowly walked toward him.

Had the ghost’s killing trigger been activated?

Wang Quan noticed Yang Jian’s abruptly altered gaze, and his body stiffened.

Could it be… A terrifying conjecture formed in his mind.

"Keep walking, don’t stop, leave it to me to handle,” Yang Jian said with a cold face, staring down the ghost that was drawing nearer.

Upon hearing this, Wang Quan’s face was covered in cold sweat, his back already chilled.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

Indeed, his guess was right; the ghost had followed him.

While others were afraid, Yang Jian was not; for him, this was the best opportunity.

An opportunity to ensure that the Ghost Painting was dealt with without fail.

Very soon.

Wang Quan was close now; he walked to where Yang Jian was.

The ghost from the painting had also completely come over, its pale, porcelain-like hands raised as if about to grab Wang Quan’s shoulders.

Feeling the familiar chill at the back of his neck, and catching a glimpse of the hand that was about to reach his shoulder, Wang Quan felt a sense of despair.

The ghost was right behind him.

However, at that moment, Yang Jian reached out and grabbed the pale hand first, preventing the ghost from touching Wang Quan.

The ghost froze.

Because suppression had been formed.

The spot for suppressing ghosts that Yang Jian had freed up was given to this ghost.

As long as it wasn’t the ghost that was the true source of the painting, it should be no problem to suppress it.

The next moment.

The ghost’s body from the painting began to disappear, dissolving directly into grey ash, carried away by the air and scattered in every direction.

Yet the surroundings remained dark, the lights still dim.

The Ghost Domain was still present.

"I knew it, nearly got fooled by this thing,” Yang Jian sharply turned around, looking at the Ghost Painting behind him.

The environment around the painting started to change, the frame vanished, turning into a smooth wall.

But this wall was uneven, slightly trembling, with a tall, headless shadow cast upon it, leaving a distinct mark.

He released the Ghost Painting from his suppression, but left a mark on it with the Ghost Shadow.

Since the painting wouldn’t run away, the Ghost Shadow should be able to watch over it.

The deduction was correct.

The next instant, Yang Jian’s Ghost Hand directly touched the wall.

The wall disappeared, and the Ghost Painting was revealed once again.

But now the previously blank space within the painting was no longer empty; there was a figure drawn on it, a woman in red with a vague face and a pair of pale, porcelain-like hands extending out of the painting, hanging mid-air.

This was identical to the previously suppressed and dissipated ghost.

Only now, this ghost was about to step out of the painting once again.

"A reset?” Yang Jian’s expression darkened.

In that case, the painting itself was the source; the ghost that came out could be suppressed countless times, but the Ghost Painting could always form a new ghost.

Further, once the ghost comes out of the painting, even if you suppress the painting, you can’t completely resolve the supernatural event; you must wait until both the ghost and the painting are together to suppress it.

Because only when they are together does the Ghost Painting become whole.

Merely suppressing one side wouldn’t completely resolve the incident with the Ghost Painting.

Having understood this, Yang Jian felt a mix of happiness and a new layer of shadows forming in his heart.

Because this was going to be extremely difficult.

The next moment, as Yang Jian once again applied his suppression to the now-complete Ghost Painting, the lights around them flashed suddenly, becoming brighter. The sounds from downstairs could be heard, and the chilling sensation was no longer present.

The Ghost Domain had disappeared.

The pair of hands that had been reaching out from the painting were gone, turning back into hands within the painting.

The oil painting had once again reverted to its previous, ordinary appearance.