Chapter 146: Leave a line blank, and those with OCD will suffer.

Chapter 146: Leave a line blank, and those with OCD will suffer.

There's no snow in winter at the harbor city.

Chi Shen strolled along the coast, with the rhythm of the tide echoing in the background. Up ahead, a light shone brightly—it was from a car's headlights.

A little girl sat atop a coastal rock—it was Huang Lingling, who had run away from Dongshan Town. She tilted her head and swung her legs, gazing curiously at Chi Shen.

A pair of blood-red eyes emerged behind Chi Shen. Seeing this, Huang Lingling chuckled, made a funny face, and jumped off the rock, running away.

The thick clouds above the sea dispersed and then regathered. Chi Shen continued on, moving further from the dim lamplight and deeper into the encompassing darkness.

It was a night where the coastal rocks were obscured by darkness, with only the distant sounds of waves crashing on the shore. Yet, Chi Shen walked as if it was broad daylight, taking light and graceful steps towards where the car lights shone.

Passing one rock, after just a few steps, several points of light suddenly appeared in front of him.

Beneath the cloak of night, on the pitch-black beach, a single candle emerged, placed on a relatively flat spot, with grains of sand beneath it.

On the beach, the candles illuminated only a small area. Flickering under their light, a cold iron ring encircled by a chain stood out. Eight candles, positioned in all directions, weighed down on chains all converging to the center where a massive, square shadow loomed.

It was a coffin.

Even without a clear view, Chi Shen knew its appearance. The coffin was pitch black, its ends adorned with intricate designs, and its lid was plastered with yellow talismans.

This was the coffin from his neighbor at the Bai family's old mansion. He wondered how it ended up here.

As Chi Shen approached, the candles fluttered dramatically. The flame danced unpredictably, the sounds of nails scratching emanated from the coffin, the lid creaked, and the chains began to jingle.

These sounds, though subtle, were glaringly evident on this dark beach. Even the continuous sound of waves couldn't drown them out. They echoed in the heart, making the scene all the more terrifying.

Well-traveled and experienced, Chi Shen wasn't easily frightened. He hesitated, thinking of walking away due to his pressing matters, but then thought it impolite to ignore a neighbor he'd lived beside for half a month. Greeting was the least he could do.

Thus, he headed straight towards the eerie coffin on the beach.

With each step, the coffin trembled more violently. As he crossed the boundary marked by the candles, the coffin lid cracked open slightly. The chains rattled, and a withered pale hand reached out, gripping the lid and slamming it shut.

Chi Shen realized, "Ah, a neighbor with social anxiety."

It was also his responsibility to help the neighbor fit in!

With renewed urgency, Chi Shen quickened his pace, symbolizing his eagerness to help his former neighbor.

But his faint shadow, cast by the candles, didn't follow. Instead, the shadow revealed two bloody eyes, which quickly disappeared and moved in a different direction.

Standing in front of the coffin, Chi Shen politely knocked thrice, "Greetings, elder."

The coffin trembled uncontrollably, as if two forces were battling: one wanting to burst open and the other sealing it shut.

Observing the situation, Chi Shen cautiously took a step back.

The next second, the chains binding the coffin snapped and slid off like startled snakes. The talismans covering the coffin were caught in a gust, fluttering in the night like ceremonial paper.

As the last chain fell, the coffin lid was flung open, revealing a figure sitting upright—an ancient Qing Dynasty zombie dressed in official attire with a feathered hat.

Accompanied by a putrid smell, the zombie jumped out, revealing a ghastly pale face, two elongated fangs, and dull, desiccated eyes staring blankly.

Chi Shen waved, trying to be casual, "Good evening… long time no see?"

The old zombie paid him no heed, instead letting out a guttural roar. His voice was peculiar, like a dry kettle hissing. In the time Chi Shen greeted him, the zombie flailed wildly in the air, even grabbing a chain, seemingly wanting to return to his resting place but soon tossing it aside.

No sooner had Chi Shen spoken than the old zombie swiftly turned its head to gaze at him.

A gust of wind blew, but the candles from all directions did not extinguish. Instead, they burned brighter in the gust, their flames dancing wildly, abruptly turning into eerie green ghost fires.

His face underwent a transformation. Fangs grew longer, piercing through his chin. His other teeth became sharper, his pale and lifeless complexion intensified, and his eyes bulged even larger, revealing bloodshot redness. With a leap, he lunged straight at Chi Shen.

If initially, when the old zombie crawled out of the coffin, he appeared terrifying but emotionless, now his expression was decidedly frenzied.

— Don't question how Chi Shen could read emotions from a corpse. After all, with his vast experience, he has his ways.

Chi Shen didn't immediately react. He sidestepped, evading the old zombie's attack. With a swift motion, ghostly energy swirled around his arm, materializing a dark, spectral blade in his grip. Rather than striking, he used the long handle of the blade to pin the zombie's head.

Catching sight of the jet-black blade, the zombie's rigid eyes flinched, hinting at a momentary hesitation. But that lasted less than a second before madness overtook him again, and he roared, attempting to pounce once more.

Yet, with Chi Shen's blade barring the way, the old zombie resembled a stumpy-legged cat being held back by its forehead—frustratingly swinging its arms but unable to get closer.

"Zombies, whether living or dead, are infected by a nefarious toxin. Typically mindless, they act on instinct, drawn to the living's life force," Chi Shen murmured. "But a particularly formidable, higher-ranked zombie retains some personal consciousness... Clearly, you are such a zombie, even able to resist your own instincts—yet someone has forcefully summoned you."

Having said that, while still holding his blade, Chi Shen turned to peer into another direction shrouded in darkness.

From behind the scattered rocks, a shadow, which turned out to be Ji Xingchen, threw a man into the open. The elderly man, familiar to Chi Shen, was none other than the previously missing gatekeeper of the Bai residence, He Lianhai.

"Mr. He, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Under the dim candlelight, the old man, He Lianhai, tumbled clumsily on the sandy ground, clutching some talismans. Instead of addressing Chi Shen, he turned in terror towards the pair of red eyes lurking in the shadows.

"I—I don't know anything! It was all done by your father. Please, don't kill me!"