105 The Black Handprint

Having successfully survived a day in the ghost village, Feng Qian was no longer as terrified as before. Both he and I had received notifications on our apps, just as Sun Cheng had predicted.

Each suit was tasked with eliminating the other three, a mandate clearly designed to incite infighting among us contractors. Feng Qian looked at me awkwardly, as his Diamond 9 belonged to the Corpse Ridge of Tibet, while my Spade 2 belonged to the Artifact Temple. I offered him a few words of comfort, assuring him that, for now, our alliance would not turn on itself.

However, we had to be wary of other contractors. Awakened ones like Zhang Yisheng would undoubtedly begin a killing spree upon receiving such news. The notification included one crucial detail: once all contractors of a specific suit were eliminated, clues regarding the Great and Small Ghost Kings would be revealed. This served as a convenient pretext for everyone to slaughter one another.

Feng Qian’s ability had manifested the previous night. His Diamond 9 power allowed him to manipulate blood. He had even tested it on himself, finding he could draw blood from his body to form various weapons for combat, or force an enemy’s blood out of their body until they bled to death. Fortunately, Feng Qian’s power was not yet strong enough to fully extract blood; at most, he could agitate the blood within my own body, which was enough to disrupt my movements.

By noon, we finally encountered Chen Hao and Lin Xiayue. Their clothes were tattered, as if they had been through a grueling battle. Chen Hao rushed toward me as if I were his savior, and Lin Xiayue’s eyes brightened as well. Though she said nothing, she did not seem as composed as before; her gait was unsteady, and she frequently held her abdomen, her lips pressed tight as if concealing something. The boorish Chen Hao likely hadn't noticed, so I pulled him aside and whispered, "Has Lin Xiayue been with you the whole time?"

Chen Hao scratched his head foolishly. "Yes, but she wasn't with me when she went to the restroom."

I called Lin Xiayue over and asked directly, "Miss Lin, are you in some kind of trouble?"

She glared at me, retorting, "What could possibly be wrong with me?" Yet, her hand kept brushing against her abdomen, and I could sense an invisible force being exerted. I activated the phantom ability of my Ancient Mirror; sure enough, a dark aura was swirling on the left side of her waist.

"If nothing is wrong, why do you keep using your ability?"

Lin Xiayue’s lips twitched, but she remained silent.

"Using the power of your Heart 7 to act on your own flesh to soothe pain?"

Finally, she stopped hiding it. "Actually, when I went to relieve myself in a corner yesterday, I was ambushed by something strange."

She pulled me to a spot hidden from Feng Qian and Chen Hao, then secretly lifted her shirt to show me. On her abdomen was a strange, black handprint—clearly, someone had gotten the better of her. Seeing me staring intently, she blushed and quickly pulled her shirt down. "Have you seen enough?" She pouted, losing her usual "boss" persona and appearing like a delicate maiden.

I licked my chapped lips. "Does it still hurt?"

To her, the gesture must have seemed lewd, for she glared at me again. "This handprint emits a bone-chilling cold. I’m using my Heart 8 ability to alter the local gravity, forcing my muscles to vibrate and heat up to counter the icy aura."

Lin Xiayue was indeed a brilliant woman; I hadn't realized gravity could be manipulated that way. "Has the symptom eased?"

"The cold hasn't been completely purged, but it’s much better. However, because of this mark, I can’t use my powers to fight." Her expression was heavy; having lost her combat capability, she was forced to rely on our protection, stripped of her usual commanding aura. I patted her shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry. It will be over in a couple of days."

The four of us decided to stay in that courtyard, and the day passed without incident. As night fell, I heard the footsteps of the Yin Soldiers in the street again, but this time they were chaotic, accompanied by the sounds of doors being kicked in. It seemed they were still hunting for the escaped soul, which spelled trouble for us, especially since I was partially responsible for that incident.

Feeling the footsteps drawing closer, we each hid in an inconspicuous corner. Before the soldiers even arrived, I heard Chen Hao cry out in pain, and a figure quickly fled the courtyard. The silhouette looked remarkably like Wang Shaowei, who had been traveling with us. I rushed to Chen Hao, who was clutching her back and trembling uncontrollably. Pulling back her clothes, I saw a black handprint branded onto her skin—the same injury Lin Xiayue had.

"Chen Hao, bear with it for a moment." Although I could heal her, doing so would exhaust my combat strength. In the face of unknown dangers, preserving my power was the best way to protect everyone. Wang Shaowei must have been a contractor of a suit other than Hearts or Diamonds; otherwise, he wouldn't have attacked them. Given the yin energy left by the wound, it certainly wasn't a Spade ability.

There was only one conclusion: Wang Shaowei was a Joker contractor. His orders were to eliminate the other three suits. However, his power didn't seem fully unleashed; in my memory, Joker abilities were overwhelmingly lethal—like Zhou Tongtong’s reality distortion or Zheng Wei’s shadow ghost. Right now, Wang Shaowei could only use that black handprint to temporarily suppress our abilities. His strategy was likely to strip us of our fighting strength and let the Yin Soldiers finish us off.

Minutes later, two people charged into our courtyard. The man had several lacerations on his body, oozing black mist. The girl’s clothes were torn, but she appeared uninjured, likely protected by him.

"Li Yuan, what do we do? These Yin Soldiers attack everyone they see!"

The two were Jiang Linlin and Li Yuan, who had split off from us earlier. Li Yuan said nothing; he had been quiet back at the university, and I had barely heard him speak since.

"What do we do? The soldiers are closing in!" Jiang Linlin said nervously. Although she was a contractor, she seemed unable to use her powers and relied entirely on Li Yuan.

Li Yuan shielded Jiang Linlin and retreated quickly. At that moment, the courtyard gate was smashed open, and a group of fierce Yin Soldiers brandishing spears surged in. Li Yuan glanced toward my hiding spot and offered a sinister smile, then flicked several thin silver needles in my direction.

I had no choice but to jump out of hiding. Jiang Linlin gasped when she saw me. "It’s you!"

"Li Yuan," I said, "are you trying to drag me down with you?"

Li Yuan remained silent, his needles aimed at the aggressive soldiers.

"Lin Zijian, can you handle this?" Jiang Linlin said disdainfully. "Li Yuan is a master of acupuncture points; he can kill with a single needle. Besides your ability, what can you even do?"

"Shut up," I snapped. "Useless baggage, stay out of the way."

Jiang Linlin turned red with anger, but Li Yuan pushed her aside with one hand. He looked at me, signaling for us to attack together. Facing over a dozen soldiers, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and charge. I coated my fists in light energy, hoping the Taekwondo Chen Hao had taught me would be useful.

I swung my fist at the nearest soldier. Li Yuan moved simultaneously; his long legs allowed him to reach the enemy in a flash, and he drove his needles into the soldier with lethal precision. I didn't know which acupuncture point he had hit, but the soldier let out a roar and collapsed limply. Seeing this, the other soldiers abandoned me and swarmed toward Li Yuan.