It wasn't a large building.
Hyatt itself wasn't large either.
At this moment, on the passageway from the third floor to the fourth floor, there were more than a dozen floating souls blocking the way.
"Your army of ghosts?" Qin Ye raised his eyebrows.
"... How's that possible … My entire team is in Northrend … Hang on, why do I have to answer such a stupid question?"
Qin Ye could sense that Arthis had changed.
He wanted to ask - Who could have turned a former provincial official into such a wretched state?
What happened to the noble and aloof aura?
"These are vampires."
Arthis responded with some measure of bewilderment, "Strange … vampires … Have you ever heard of an idiom?
Serving the tiger as an accomplice. "
"That's what vampires are.
Legend has it that a tiger that has been around for a long time will transform the people it devours into ghosts to lure other travelers to its lair.
Why would something like that appear here? "
Qin Ye frowned, "That's not the point … The point is, how strong are they?"
"Very weak. They have almost no means of attack. At best, they can create some illusions."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Ye shot forward like an arrow.
Arthis pouted her lips. She couldn't understand his strength. She had clearly seen him holding onto his saber, but as soon as she heard him say that he had no means of attack, he immediately became like a wild horse with a prolapsed anus.
What kind of person is this …
Whoosh. There was a flash of saber light, and the demonhead saber lit up with green flames, sucking in one soul after another.
Wherever the saber light passed, the dozen or so vampires melted like snow under the spring sun.
Waves of dissipating Yin energy rushed back at him like a tidal wave. With a soft cry, he unleashed another dazzling saber light, and the Yin energy dissipated in all directions.
Emissaries of Hell were dispatched, and Hell was officially established. Naturally, these wandering ghosts were the bane of their existence.
Whoosh … The passageway to the fourth floor opened up.
He immediately rushed forward.
The entrance to the fourth floor looked as though a typhoon had passed through it, almost as though someone had been searching for something.
The desks that should have been neat and tidy were toppled over, while the computer equipment was scattered all over the place. The lights were all extinguished.
As soon as Qin Ye set foot on the fourth floor, the doors and windows of the emergency passageway immediately slammed shut.
Rumble!!
A bolt of lightning flashed through the window, illuminating the entire place.
Qin Ye held onto the hilt of his saber without moving.
He could sense that there was a source of Yin energy on this floor that was completely different from that of the vampires.
It was unknown how much stronger he was.
Perhaps it was not as good as him, but he had to treat it seriously.
This was where That Amorous Affair's true body was!
"So fast?" He moved his lips slightly, vigilantly watching everything around him as he asked.
Arthis was also somewhat puzzled, "To be honest, there's nothing wrong with her speed. She's only been in possession of the shard of King Yanluo's Seal for a few days now, and she hasn't fully matured yet. How many tricks do you expect a weakling like her to have up her sleeves?
But … she was actually able to capture Chui Chui in broad daylight. That should be more than that. There's no need for her to reveal her true form so early. "
Drip … Just then, Qin Ye felt a chill run down his spine.
He touched it. It was blood.
Cold blood.
It was right above his head.
"Urghhh … urghhhhh …" A series of strange, mechanical sounds echoed from the ceiling. The doors and windows of the fourth floor were tightly shut, and a nethergale suddenly picked up. Qin Ye's Hell's Emissary robes fluttered wildly. Simultaneously, the demonhead saber in his hand struck out once more, drawing a brilliant arc of light in the air.
Bang!!
With a muffled sound, Qin Ye had already retreated two meters. Then, with a flash of lightning, he finally saw the true face of the evil ghost on the ceiling.
"This is …" Even though he was already prepared for this, he still couldn't help but gasp in horror.
Arthis was also taken aback. After a long time, she finally spoke with great emotion, "So that's how it is … I understand now …"
It wasn't in human form at all.
All ghosts would maintain the form they had when they were alive after their death. However, That Amorous Affair was different.
She was still in an ethereal form, and her face was incredibly pale and devoid of any trace of blood.
Her long, disheveled hair obscured her bloodshot eyes, while her mouth was wide open, revealing rows of pitch-black fangs.
She wore a black dress, and her body was contorted to the limits of what was humanly possible. And right beneath the dress … was the lower body of a tiger!
Furthermore, her entire body wasn't complete. Her entire body was riddled with finger-sized holes!
The holes were pitch-black, almost as though … she had undergone the punishment of an "iron maiden" in ancient times. She was truly riddled with holes and looked incredibly terrifying!
"Urghhh … urghhh …" The tiger's lower body clung tightly to the ceiling. It wasn't her hands that had attacked Qin Ye earlier. Rather, it was the tiger's tail.
Her hands were wrapped around a foot-long safe.
"Kid, I'm afraid things aren't as you think they are." Arthis' voice sounded distant, "I've seen this form before."
"Half man, half tiger, accompanied by a haunting ghost. This is … three men make a tiger."
"The holes on her body … were the result of the condemnation of the masses. They were created by the words and fingers of others.
They can't be dispelled even after death.
Furthermore, you've heard Wang Zemin's voice over the phone. This must have been the work of the haunting ghost, luring others to come and investigate. "
"Unless there's a great grievance that can't be redressed, there's no way she would end up in such a state after death.
Not bad, CEO Wang … How dare you try to play tricks on us even after summoning your soul? "
Death of injustice?
Qin Ye stared at the vengeful apparition on the ceiling with some measure of surprise. In that instant, he recalled the post he had read earlier, and how terrifying the condemnation of That Amorous Affair had been after the verdict had been handed down.
It was overwhelming.
Those who felt that their intelligence had been made a fool of had doubled their attacks on Hyatt after scolding her earlier!
The unforgettable curses … the torrent of insults and threats … had finally poked holes in her body, causing her to be condemned by the masses?
But … there's still more to this old case from five years ago?
"Ugh … ughhhh …" The vengeful apparition stared intently at Qin Ye. Qin Ye calmed himself down and muttered, "Regardless of whether you died of injustice or not, you've killed someone."
"Nothing can be accomplished without rules.
Since you've killed someone, you deserve to be punished.
Follow me obediently, and you'll be spared the pain. Do you … understand me? "
ROAR!! With a ferocious roar, the vengeful apparition descended from the ceiling and pounced straight towards Qin Ye.
Fast.
Very fast.
So fast that Qin Ye didn't even have the time to dodge.
The attack was already right in front of him.
"You're courting death!!"
There was no way to dodge. With a loud cry, the demonhead saber in Qin Ye's hand began to tremble violently. His clothes began to flutter wildly, and the veins on his hand began to bulge.
Boom!!
The Yin energy in the surroundings began to converge wildly on his body, instantly forming a cyclone that was several meters large!
Just as the vengeful apparition pounced right in front of him, Qin Ye slowly drew his saber.
Very slowly.
So slowly that it appeared as though it hadn't moved at all.
In fact, it was so fast that it was difficult for the naked eye to capture its movements. It was almost as though it hadn't moved at all.
Whoosh … Time seemed to freeze in that instant. The vengeful apparition's hair and dress fluttered wildly before falling back to the ground.
Her bloodshot eyes continued to stare intently at Qin Ye.
That was when he heard the sound of a saber being sheathed.
Clang.
"Do you know …" Qin Ye gasped for breath. His face was somewhat pale, "The official establishment of Hell is completely different from that of a bunch of wandering ghosts like you …"
"The Hell's Emissary uniform and the Buddhist Abstinence Violation Saber are both treasures of Hell … Each of them possesses a divine ability that allows them to instantly kill ghosts of the same level.
Ah … it's just like how human police officers carry guns. Do you understand? "
"I'm actually used to calling it the Soul Slasher. As for this technique … its scientific name is Ghost Slash, and I've named it Crescent Moon Heavens.
Unfortunately, I can only use it once a day … "
The tiger's claw formed from Yin energy was only ten centimeters in front of him, yet it was unable to advance any further.
The vengeful apparition trembled slightly like a statue. Then, with a soft rustle, her spiritual body began to dissipate like a gust of wind, transforming into specks of green light that scattered into the air.
The safe in his arms fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the door of the safe burst open.
Crash!!
As soon as the vengeful apparition dissipated, all of the glass windows on the entire floor exploded outwards!
A thin circle of blade marks appeared on the walls of the room, with Qin Ye at the epicenter.
"I've never done anything that I'm not confident in."
Qin Ye heaved a long sigh of relief. The proof of identity as an Emissary of Hell flew out from his bosom, and a line of words appeared on its surface.
"Expiation of one vengeful apparition. Full 20 merit points."
"Distance to the Soul Hunter level: 180 merit points."
Is this what they call merit points … Qin Ye glanced at it and was just about to shift his gaze away when he suddenly paused and turned to look at the proof of identity as an Emissary of Hell.
Something's not right …
Something's wrong!
"Expiation?"
Arthis could tell that something was amiss as well. She muttered, "That's not right … Hell has a strict hierarchy. Furthermore, the records of merit points and the transmission of orders between superiors and subordinates are probably even stricter than in the mortal realm!
After all, there are only a billion or so people in the mortal realm, while the number of souls in Hell since time immemorial is far greater than that. "
"Therefore, purging and expiation are two completely different concepts.
There's no mistaking these two terms. "
She continued, "Purging refers to when an evil spirit refuses to accept conversion, and has no choice but to be executed by a civil servant to prevent it from wreaking havoc in the mortal realm.
Expiation, on the other hand, refers to when the other party willingly accepts conversion, and even fulfils their final wishes.
There's no need to leave behind any future troubles.
The merit points awarded are also much higher. "
Qin Ye nodded. To draw an analogy, this was the difference between surrendering and being arrested.
The arrested person might continue to exact revenge on society, but the surrendered person would be treated with leniency.
His current situation … was clearly purging a vengeful apparition, so why was he purging it instead?
Furthermore, this vengeful apparition was clearly hostile to him, so why was it so easy for him to purge it?
After deliberating for some time, Qin Ye finally responded, "You've once said that the only way to truly expiate is to unravel the knot in a spirit's heart. This is the starting point for any ghost."
As soon as he finished speaking, both of them turned to look at the box at the same time.
It was a very ordinary safe.
The door had already been split open by his earlier slash.
But what was unusual was the fact that it was covered with claw marks.
These weren't animal marks.
They were slender … and they were the marks left behind by a woman's claws.
"The only difference earlier was that I'd cut open the box. In other words … the knot in her heart was most likely related to the opening of this box.
There's something of utmost importance hidden in here.
Even after her death, she continued to work hard … Unfortunately, she didn't succeed in the end. "
"This box contains her final obsession."
… … …
PS: As soon as this storyline is over, I'll temporarily stop updating for a few days and wait for the recommendations. As you all know, new books have to be updated in conjunction with the recommendations. I'm an unshakable 3000, so I'll probably resume updating once the next storyline is over. I hope you'll forgive me.