Gao Tian had only acted on a gamble.
After all, he had been pushed to a dead end. Even if he failed, the situation couldn't possibly get any worse.
He had bet right. This headless corpse truly belonged to Xu Yuan. Naturally, the Sealed Artifact Xu Yuan had given him worked perfectly.
A single strike of the spear had simultaneously completed the missions for both the Galan Society Chat Group and the Living Apartment. Only someone who had experienced it could understand the sheer thrill of coming back from the dead.
An ordinary spear tip naturally couldn't pin down a Fierce Ghost, but this was the main weapon Xu Yuan had used for half his life. Even after death, his body still reacted to its aura.
The female celebrity's head that had grown out of nowhere seemed unwilling to give up. The glamorous face struggled and roared continuously, driving the body to thrash and tremble violently, seemingly wanting to rip the piercing spearhead right out of its chest.
But no matter how she struggled, the corpse's strength gradually waned. Finally, the woman's head began to melt away. The corpse itself—its six severed parts losing their unnatural connection—slowly started to split apart once more.
Witnessing this indescribable scene, Jin Daxiang, Su Jiu, and the others were still immersed in the terrifying aftermath of their near-death experience. Right at that moment, the mobile phones of all four task participants simultaneously pinged with a text message.
Xia Ta, the most experienced among them, only turned around to speak after confirming the female corpse could no longer cause trouble.
"That's the notification for completing the Green Text Mission and receiving your reward," she reminded them."Check your rewards. But pay attention—do not tell anyone else the effects of the Supernatural Item you received.
"Otherwise, the item's effects will very likely be nullified."
As someone who had been inexplicably dragged into his second Green Text Mission, Gao Tian naturally received a reward as well. He opened his mobile phone and checked the voice message sent from an unknown number:
Congratulations on completing your second Green Text Mission.
As compensation for the Living Apartment temporarily pulling you into a second Green Text Mission, it has been automatically defaulted during settlement that both your first and second missions are complete. This reward is the combined total for both missions.
The reward you have received is—
Ghost Card.
Ghost Card Effects:
The Ghost Card is a standard deck of 52 playing cards, without the Jokers, featuring four suits numbered from 1 to 13.
Every time you die, you will be resurrected on the spot. Then, as a penalty, the Ghost Card will randomly draw one card and place it upon your soul.
When two cards of the same number exist simultaneously on your soul, you will instantly die. No defensive Supernatural Item can save you.
...
To make it easier for the user to understand, here is an example.
Suppose you are killed by Ghost A for the first time.
The Ghost Card activates, you resurrect on the spot, and you draw a 5 of Clubs.
The second time, you are killed by Ghost B.
The Ghost Card activates, you resurrect on the spot, and you draw a King of Hearts.
The third time, you are killed by Ghost C.
The Ghost Card activates, you resurrect on the spot, and you draw a 5 of Spades.
Since the 5 of Spades and the 5 of Clubs share the same number, you will die on the spot. Furthermore, this death directly obliterates the soul; no matter what defensive Supernatural Item you activate, or even if you attempt to enter the Living Apartment to suppress the supernatural power, nothing can prevent this death from arriving.
...
...
Reading the description of his new Supernatural Item, the Ghost Card, Gao Tian felt a flicker of surprise. As expected of a combined reward for two Green Text Missions, this thing's effect was completely overpowered.
In theory, the Ghost Card had thirteen possible numbers. That meant he could resurrect up to thirteen times.
But in reality, his luck couldn't possibly be that good. After resurrecting around seven or eight times, it would be extremely easy to draw a matching card and instantly die.
Moreover, this Ghost Card had one fatal weakness.
It forced an on-the-spot resurrection. He would revive exactly where he died, with no way to change the resurrection location.
This created a very awkward situation.
If Gao Tian encountered a particularly vindictive ghost—like the Shattered Face Ghost, for example—and it noticed this kid suddenly resurrecting right after being killed, the Fierce Ghost would definitely kill him again and just camp his corpse.
It wouldn't matter how many times he revived; the ghost would kill him every single time. If he resurrected a hundred times, the ghost would kill him a hundred times.
Under those circumstances, the Ghost Card's ability would be completely wasted.
Fortunately, Gao Tian had another item in his hands that perfectly covered the Ghost Card's flaw.
That was the Black Card.
Upon resurrecting via the Ghost Card, if he found the Fierce Ghost that killed him still camping his body nearby, Gao Tian certainly wouldn't give it a second chance. He would instantly activate the Black Card and flee back into the Living Apartment.
Combining these two Supernatural Items achieved an effect far greater than the sum of their parts.
Overall, Gao Tian was highly satisfied with the Ghost Card's effects. Even without the Black Card's support, it significantly increased his margin of error. In this supernatural era where every step felt like walking on thin ice, it provided a massive sense of security.
Regardless, snagging a godly artifact right off his first two Green Text Missions was a fantastic start.
He didn't know what items Boss Jin and the others had received, but Li Jin looked utterly crestfallen, and Jin Daxiang didn't say a word, simply putting his mobile phone away after reading it. Could it be they weren't satisfied with their Supernatural Items?
Whatever the case, this mission was now officially over.
Since the dust had settled, Gao Tian walked over to the dismembered corpse and reached out to yank the Ghost Transformation Spear's tip free.
While this weapon's supernatural effect was overpowered, it was, in truth, incredibly sharp, making it quite handy in certain situations.
Furthermore, Xu Yuan had promised that as long as he completed the mission, this weapon—the one he and his teacher had spent their entire lives studying—would be given to him.
As long as he treated the Ghost Transformation Spear as an exceptionally sharp ordinary blade, it was quite useful. He just had to be careful never to use it to kill a person.
Besides, if he kept this spear by his side and used it for a while, he might actually uncover a secret hidden within it.
Though that possibility was as slim as winning the lottery.
The surrounding crowd of onlookers was still frantically snapping photos. So many people in the first-floor plaza had witnessed this bizarre scene. There were far too many eyewitnesses. Even though Gao Tian had harnessed the Memory Ghost, altering their memories one by one was absolutely impossible.
Still shaken, Su Jiu half-covered her face and tugged at the corner of Xia Ta's clothes.
"So many mobile phones took our pictures. Is everything that happened in the mall today going to trend online soon?"
This wasn't Xia Ta's first Green Text Mission, and she was long used to this.
"Don't worry, they won't be able to post it," she said.
"Supernatural incidents are reawakening in every corner of the globe. The reason the vast majority of society hasn't realized what's truly happening to the real world...
"...is because any posts related to this are instantly deleted from the internet. By tomorrow, no one will remember what happened at the Sapphire Mall."
Back during her fifth Green Text Mission, an even bloodier and more absurd scene had unfolded at a superstar's concert packed with a massive sea of people. Yet after the mission ended and Xia Ta retreated to the central district of the Living Apartment amidst the chaos, she found the internet dead silent. There wasn't a single discussion regarding the incident.
Humans and ghosts coexisting in the same world was simply too terrifying a truth. Governments across the globe shared a tacit understanding on this single issue, doing everything possible to delay the public from learning the truth of the world.
Furthermore, now that the mission had ended and the white fog had dispersed, the people trapped in the mall were terrified. Fleeing like frightened birds, everyone rushed for the mall's exits. Afraid that moving too slowly would trap them in the fog once more, very few dared to approach and inspect the corpse that had returned from the dead only to die again.
Boss Jin stared at the Ghost Transformation Spear in Gao Tian's hand. Curiosity getting the better of him, he voiced the question the other two newcomers had wanted to ask but didn't dare to:
"Is that spear of yours a Supernatural Item you obtained before entering the Living Apartment?
"Its effect is that overpowered? It can directly suppress a Fierce Ghost?"
In reality, it could only suppress Xu Yuan's corpse.
It was a highly specific item. Its normal effect... was genuinely the trashiest effect Gao Tian had seen so far.
Faced with Boss Jin's questioning, Gao Tian didn't explain much. Instead, he asked in feigned surprise, "Suppress what?
"I don't understand.
"An antique-collecting friend sold me this spearhead. I usually carry it for self-defense. Sometimes I use it to hack at people or whatever.
"It has absolutely nothing to do with this supernatural incident."
Watching him lie through his teeth, the timid Su Jiu couldn't hold back anymore. She leaned in and interrupted, "That's not right. I just saw you suddenly stab the spear into that body's back. The moment it took the hit, it collapsed to the ground, lying completely still before breaking apart.
"I was scared to death back there. I thought I was a goner for sure because Xia Ta told us ghosts couldn't be killed. I never expected you to save my life so effortlessly. Even now, it feels like I'm dreaming."
Faced with Su Jiu's insistence, Gao Tian looked into her amber eyes.
"You must be confused from the scare.
"I really did save you just now. But I'm just pretty strong—I kicked the corpse away, and its time just happened to be up, so it automatically stopped.
"It has nothing to do with the spearhead in my hand."
How could a human possibly compete with a ghost in pure strength?
Even Xia Ta would only dare claim she could stall the corpse for a moment; she would never claim to be able to subdue it. Gao Tian kicking away a Fierce Ghost wouldn't even fool a child.
But at that moment, the Memory Ghost's ability activated once again. Jin Daxiang, Su Jiu, Li Jin, Jiang Yang, and the others began to be influenced. The more they recalled the event, the more they felt that was exactly how it happened. Perhaps the corpse's time truly had run out, and combined with Gao Tian's perfectly timed kick, he managed to save Su Jiu in the nick of time.
Whatever the case, the second Green Text Mission for Jin Daxiang and the others was finally complete. No one wanted to stay in this cursed place any longer than necessary.
Xia Ta and the others gathered the scattered body parts from the floor, re-wrapped them in black garbage bags, and prepared to leave the Sapphire Mall.
After all, if they left them here, these pieces could recombine at any moment and turn back into a Fierce Ghost.
Only by taking them back to the Living Apartment and containing them would it be absolutely safe.