Bai Yi murmured, "Still... leaving behind... something..."

Lynn wiped his eye sockets and said, "It's all gone."

Bai Yi moved his lips, lying there dazedly, his eyes reflecting the ceiling, feeling like his entire world was collapsing before him.

In that instant.

He thought of his parents.

He thought of his girlfriend.

He thought of those good buddies who compared sizes in the bathhouse...

And all of that dissipated before his eyes like the wind.

...

A few minutes later.

Bai Yi stood up in a dazed, bewildered state, and under Lynn's comfort and encouragement, he temporarily gave up on thoughts of suicide.

Because just as Big Brother said, in this Dark World, life is filled with infinite possibilities.

Yes!

It's just a matter of an inch or two!

As a passionate young man, should he really care about that?!

Compared to that inch or two, isn't life the most precious thing that should be cherished!

"Big Brother... you promised me... afterwards you'll definitely install a stainless steel one for me, that's what you said! Don't lie to me... sob sob..."

Bai Yi wiped his tears with reddened eyes, looking at Lynn beside him with a wronged expression.

Lynn adjusted his Monocle, his expression calm, saying:

"Don't worry."

"Even barbed ones are fine!"

"But before that, we have more important matters to attend to. I won't let off any of those who dared to bully my fellow countryman!"

"Let's go!"

Saying this.

Lynn's expression turned gloomy as he carried his chainsaw, bringing along the weak and helpless Bai Yi, and kicked open the freezer door with one foot.

What they didn't notice was that at the moment they left, pairs of eyes slowly opened on the freezer walls.

Covering the entire wall.

...

Carefully leaving the busy kitchen, the Pig-Headed Butcher was still busy at the stove, the kitchen filled with rich aromas. Lynn didn't disturb him.

He brought Bai Yi all the way to the corridor outside.

Bai Yi trembled as he hugged his chest, saying, "Big Brother, are you going to settle accounts with that girl? She... she's not someone to mess with, she's a fierce ghost! She's the one who personally stuffed that Evil Spirit into my brain!"

"Maybe... maybe we should just run away?"

Lynn adjusted his glasses, saying firmly, "Don't be afraid. I'm a doctor. Since the owner of this place hired me, I won't leave until I've completely cured her."

"Because doing otherwise would be too unprofessional."

Lynn coldly cracked his neck.

"After I cure her, I'll kill her."

And almost the moment his words finished, the candle flames in the corridor ahead of them suddenly began shaking violently.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Candles abruptly extinguished one after another.

The surrounding walls cracked with numerous fissures.

Then, under Bai Yi's terrified gaze, large amounts of sticky blood and hair came flowing out from the cracks in the walls.

Buzz—

A chilling wind blew past.

Without any warning, a pale little girl with disheveled hair appeared before Lynn.

"Ghost!!" Bai Yi screamed in terror, immediately hiding behind Lynn.

Almost simultaneously, a status panel for the little girl appeared before Lynn's eyes.

[Alice]

[Race]: Earthbound Spirit

[Attribute]: Neutral Evil

[Combat Ability]: Strong obsessions and hatred grant her unparalleled abilities.

[Introduction]: Body being cut, will being shattered. Father, mother, brother, they should all love her properly, right? They shouldn't abandon her, right? They shouldn't cut her up, right? They shouldn't bury her, right? Shouldn't we be a harmonious family? Shouldn't we be happy?

Lynn suddenly extended his hand, calmly reaching out to block Bai Yi behind him.

"Are you Alice?"

The little girl stared at him with hollow eyes, not speaking.

Her body was extremely eerie, covered with fine black patterns on her cheeks, arms, and ankles, but upon closer inspection, they looked like densely packed cracks.

She appeared to be only about ten years old, wearing a pure white dress, but one could faintly see what seemed like washed-out bloodstains on it.

Eerie silence spread wantonly.

After a long time.

Crack crack crack—

She mechanically raised her head, her hollow, cracked eyes reflecting Lynn's image.

"Become... my... family..."

She mechanically, twistedly extended her hand toward Lynn.

Like an invitation.

"Not turning you... into a puppet... you stay... keep me company..."

Hollow and intermittent, giving people an indescribable eeriness and horror.

Bai Yi trembled, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Ghost!

She was the most ferocious evil spirit in this place!

She was also the one controlling those two puppets, who pulled out his internal organs and turned him into that terrifying state.

[Bai Yi SAN -10]

Lynn calmly confronted the little girl, saying, "What's the reason?"

Alice moved her lips hollowly, saying, "You... not bad..."

She mechanically, stiffly turned her head, her hollow gaze falling on the trembling Bai Yi hiding behind him, mechanically moving her lips.

"You... cured... old brother... you have... good heart..."

"So... didn't disturb you..."

Lynn instantly remembered the abnormal chill he felt earlier in the freezer.

He also recalled that while cutting the Tumor in Bai Yi's head, he had been constantly vigilant about what might happen.

Because he knew that the resentful spirit filling Bai Yi's head was this Earthbound Spirit named Alice.

And when he was cutting that Evil Spirit, she couldn't possibly not sense it.

But the progress was unusually smooth.

Apart from the Evil Spirit's own resistance and struggle, the potential interference from Alice that might have occurred didn't happen.

And this was what puzzled him.

Alice hollowly raised her head, saying, "Alice... wants... loving brother..."

Eerie silence rumbled as it spread around them.

Was it because of this reason?

Just because she saw him helping Bai Yi heal, so she didn't interfere?

Was it kindness?

No.

Or rather.

Obsession.

Lynn narrowed his eyes, calmly looking at her, and smiled, "If I agree, what price would I have to pay?"

Alice said hollowly and mechanically, "Stay here... with Alice..."

Earthbound Spirit.

Indeed.

Lynn had some understanding of these spirits bound to one place after death.

And when she said "stay here," it probably meant never being able to leave this castle's grounds for a lifetime.

Lynn curled up the corner of his mouth.

"Sorry, little girl, I can't agree to that, because I can't possibly stay in one place forever."

"But I can help you."

Lynn smiled slightly, extending two fingers to adjust his lens.

"My teacher has researched Earthbound Spirits, and since you hired me, my primary goal is naturally to cure you. Of course, if you're lacking love, Big Brother can occasionally show you some affection a few times."