Chapter Two: Parasitism, the First Host

Ruan Qing stared at the departing figure of the girl, a chill spreading across her skin, goosebumps rising in waves. According to what she'd read, if someone quit the Spirit Dish game halfway through, the Spirit would become enraged, and none of the participants would meet a good end.

As expected, a gust of sinister wind snuffed out the candle placed at the very center, leaving behind a wisp of white smoke. Not only that, but the four saucers filled with blood began to shake violently again. In no time, the word "Death" appeared on each plate, drawn in blood, exuding an oppressive force that made it hard to breathe.

Everyone was frozen in terror. The two girls, aside from Ruan Qing, didn't hesitate—they turned and fled. With one already gone, what did it matter if two more left? This, she thought, was the very definition of unreliable teammates.

[Terror Value +80]

[Terror Value +60]

[Terror Value +70]

Glancing at her four hundred terror points, Xiao Zi smiled.

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed Mission 1. Reward: Skill Unlocked – Soul Parasite.]

[Soul Parasite: Current Level LV0. Upgrade available for 300 Terror Value. Proceed with upgrade?]

“Yes!” Xiao Zi answered without hesitation.

The moment he replied, a peculiar energy surged within him. Guided by this force, the world before his eyes changed instantly. What had once been a world of vibrant colors now turned stark black and white. Everything was monochrome save for Ruan Qing, who stood stunned, a red glow flickering around her like flames.

He understood—this was the so-called human soul.

Guiding the energy within him, Xiao Zi fixed his sights on Ruan Qing and activated the skill. In an instant, his figure darted at high speed, and in a breath, he found himself inside Ruan Qing's body, attaching himself to her soul like a parasite.

At that moment, Ruan Qing’s pupils contracted sharply, her dark irises instantly turning blood-red. Her expression shifted from terror to a strange, unsettling smile—if one had to describe it, it would be "bloodthirsty."

With just a thought, Xiao Zi swiftly suppressed Ruan Qing’s consciousness, taking control of her body. He flexed her limbs, dissatisfied; after all, this was just an ordinary girl’s body, lacking in strength.

What mattered now was to quickly amass more terror value, to grow stronger.

But just then, a discordant voice broke the silence.

“Well, well, looks like there’s a little beauty left here!”

He turned toward the sound to find three men had surrounded him. One was gripping a girl—the very first who’d tried to escape.

“Big brother, you promised me! You said if I told you where the others were, you’d let me go!” The girl pleaded desperately.

“Get lost, then. With a real beauty here, who’d bother with the likes of you?” The third man shoved her to the ground, laughing crudely. “But if I let you go, that doesn’t mean my buddies will.”

They were three local thugs who, after a few drinks, had come to this wild graveyard to test their courage. Being men, none wanted to admit to fear, so all had followed along. They’d stumbled upon a girl and, emboldened by alcohol, started harassing her. Upon learning she had other classmates, their lecherous intentions only grew—they’d decided to have some fun tonight.

Two of the men immediately lunged after the other girls, chasing them into the night, while the third strolled toward Ruan Qing alone. His face was lecherous, and he couldn’t stop swallowing. Though she faced away from him, her silhouette alone revealed she was an extraordinary beauty. He just hoped she wasn’t the kind of beauty only lovely from behind.

“Hey, gorgeous, don’t turn your back on me. Spin around, let me see your handsome brother’s face!” he said, grabbing her shoulders and trying to turn her.

But something strange happened—no matter how hard he tried, Ruan Qing didn’t budge, as if rooted to the spot.

Immediately, the third man sensed something was off. For such a petite girl, how could she possibly resist his strength?

Xiao Zi wasn’t ignoring him; he was simply distracted by the system’s voice ringing in his mind.

[Mission 1: Scream of Terror. Scream once. Reward: Level +1]

[Mission 2: Vanquish Evil. Evil Souls x3. Reward: Unlock three random skills.]

Looking at the task, then at the three thugs, wasn’t this exactly what villainous blood referred to? It seemed the system issued missions tailored to his circumstances.

“Hey! What’s your problem, girl?” the third man grumbled, his words slurred with drink.

But the moment he finished, he witnessed a sight he would never forget: Ruan Qing, still facing away, suddenly twisted her neck a full three hundred sixty degrees, blood-red eyes and a grotesque grin staring directly at him.

[Terror Value +120]

“Aaah… aaah!”

He collapsed, landing flat on his backside, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

But Ruan Qing merely turned fully around, dropped her head, and stared at him blankly, muttering under her breath.

“What… what do you want?” he stammered.

[Terror Value +40]

“I… I was just joking, just saying hi,” he forced a laugh.

But before he could finish, Ruan Qing suddenly erupted in mad, uproarious laughter.

“Hahaha, hahahaha.”

The sound was impossibly eerie, not like anything a human could produce—more like the legendary laugh of a vengeful ghost.

[Terror Value +90]

Now the third man was completely sober. He remembered the girls had been playing some Spirit Dish game here just moments ago. A terrifying thought struck him—could this girl have been possessed by the Spirit?

No longer daring to hesitate, he scrambled to his feet and tried to flee. But before he could get far, a tremendous force struck his back, accompanied by that same bone-chilling voice.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Instinctively, he looked back. Ruan Qing’s neck was bent at an impossible angle, her smile saturated with malice, two rows of razor-sharp fangs glinting from her mouth.

But that wasn’t the most terrifying thing—the true horror floated behind her. A blood-red figure, over two meters tall, hovered in the air, its eyes hollow, its entire form radiating a dreadful aura.

“Aaah!”

[Terror Value +120]

[Congratulations, Host, you have completed Mission 1. Reward: Level +1]

[Current Host Level: F]