Bizarre: Forced into an arranged marriage, his wife turns out to be a demon emperor?

The armored vehicle drove through the gray fog. The interior was quiet, save for the low rumble of the engine. Lin Che closed his eyes, sensing the flow of ghostly energy within his body.

After a few hours, the bumps in the car lessened. A loud commotion came in from outside.

"Report, Captain! We've entered the outer perimeter of Jiangcheng's first security zone!" came the voice of the driver.

Yan Feng's facial muscles tensed as he put his mask back on.

"Lin Che, we've arrived." His voice came from behind the mask, revealing no emotion.

Lin Che opened his eyes. In his world, besides black and white, there were also some mottled gray patches. Those were remnants of strange energy, like oil stains, clinging to every corner of the city. He saw the white blood flames flickering on the bodies of the vigilant Dragon Group members, weaker than when they were in Fengmen Village.

The car door opened. A smell mixed with disinfectant and rot rushed into the carriage.

Outside, towering metal walls pierced the gray fog, covered with bright searchlights. Below, a dense crowd thronged. Families and children lined up, waiting to enter the safe zone. Their faces were etched with numbness and unease. Soldiers in Dragon Group uniforms stood guard, guns at the ready.

Yan Feng got out of the car and said a few words to an officer in charge of providing support. The officer kept glancing at Lin Che.

"Lin Che, you are now a legal resident of the safe zone." Yan Feng walked up to him and handed him an identity card with his photo on it. There was a faint energy fluctuation on the surface of the card.

"This is your identification. The safe zone is currently operating on a rationing system; you can collect supplies using this card," Yan Feng said. "The Dragon Group will have people monitoring your situation. If you discover anything or have any needs, you can contact this number." He handed Lin Che a satellite phone.

Lin Che took the card and phone, gripping them tightly.

"We will arrange for someone to take you to your residence," Yan Feng said.

Lin Che nodded without speaking. He thought to himself that the Dragon Group still wanted to keep an eye on him.

A soldier drove up in a military jeep, taking Lin Che through several checkpoints. Along the way, he saw some abandoned shops with their shutters tightly shut. Garbage was piled up on the street, and occasionally a few thin stray dogs could be seen rummaging through it.

People hurried by, their faces expressionless.

"Mr. Lin, your original residence is still there. However, due to... special circumstances, the government temporarily requisitioned your property." The soldier's tone was somewhat cautious. "But now that you're back, you can take it back as long as you complete the formalities."

Lin Che's heart skipped a beat. His house? Had it been requisitioned?

The jeep stopped in front of an old residential building. This was the old town of Jiangcheng, and Lin Che's apartment was on the third floor of this building.

The soldier parked the car and said, "Mr. Lin, I'll leave you here. Please go upstairs and check things out. You can go to the district administrative center to complete the formalities tomorrow."

Lin Che got out of the car. Su Hongyi silently followed beside him, still holding up her red umbrella.

He looked up at the window of his house. The windowpane was clean, and new curtains were hanging. It didn't look like it had been "requisitioned."

Lin Che walked to the entrance of the building, and a faint smell of cooking oil wafted out. He went up to the third floor and took out his keys.

The key won't go in.

His heart sank. The keyhole had been changed.

Lin Che took a step back and looked at his front door. A brand-new couplet was pasted on the door frame. A red "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character hung on the door.

He took a deep breath.

[Ding! Your wife has sensed her husband's anger; her emotional stability has decreased by 5!]

[Ding! Your wife is starting to pay attention to her surroundings and is showing aversion to unfamiliar "smells".]

Lin Che reached out and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice came from inside, tinged with impatience.

"Open the door," Lin Che said in a deep voice.

It was quiet inside for a while.

Then, footsteps were heard. The door was suddenly pulled open.

A middle-aged woman stood in the doorway. She wore a floral apron, her hair was slightly disheveled, and she held a spatula in her hand. Her face was round, and her eyes and brows revealed a shrewdness.

This is his second aunt, Chen Huifang.

The moment Chen Huifang saw Lin Che, she froze. The spatula in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

"You...you..." Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. From the living room behind her, the sound of a television could be faintly heard.

"Second Aunt, this is my house." Lin Che pointed to the door.

Chen Huifang's face quickly went from shock to ashen. She looked Lin Che up and down, as if trying to confirm whether he was alive.

"You jinx! You're not dead?!" Chen Huifang's voice suddenly rose, sharp and piercing.

She rushed out without hesitation and pushed Lin Che's chest directly.

"You dare come back! What are you doing back here?! Weren't you eaten by the ghosts in those mountains?! Why are you back?!" Her grip was strong, and Lin Che was pushed back a step.

In the living room, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen peeked out; he was Lin Che's cousin, Lin Xiaoqiang. Upon seeing Lin Che, he trembled and immediately shrank back inside.

"Second Aunt, this is my house," Lin Che repeated. His tone was calm, but anyone could hear the coldness in it.

"Your house? What do you mean, your house!" Chen Huifang, hands on her hips, her voice drowning out the television, "You're long dead! The village even held a funeral for you! The master said you were married by a ghost and can't come back! This house, of course, belongs to our family!"

As she spoke, she poked Lin Che's forehead with her finger.

"Your parents died young, and your second uncle is your only relative! If you don't die, who will?!" Chen Huifang cursed. "Out of so many people in the village, you're the one with the worst luck! Giving you a ghost marriage is a favor, helping you accumulate merit! And what do you do, come back to scare people!"

Chen Huifang got more and more excited as she spoke, and her voice grew louder and louder.

"Listen to this! Everyone in the village knows you're dead! Your death certificate is already issued! This house has always belonged to Xiaoqiang! What makes you think you're here?!"

Her voice attracted the neighbors. Several heads peeked out from under the door, their gossipy eyes scanning Lin Che and Chen Huifang.

Lin Che didn't speak. He simply stared at Chen Huifang, activating his Ghost Eye ability.

He saw that on Chen Huifang's body, a faint layer of black was swirling within the white flames of her blood and qi. Those were traces left by greed and resentment. Behind her, Lin Xiaoqiang's flames were even dimmer, shrouded in fear.

[Ding! Your wife is emotionally agitated, and her energy is showing signs of going out of control!]

[Warning! Please calm the host down immediately!]

Lin Che's scalp tightened instantly. Su Hongyi was beside him, and he could indeed sense the fluctuation in her emotions.

He knew that Su Hongyi disliked Chen Huifang's noise and even more so her offenses towards him.

"Second Aunt, you've said so much," Lin Che interrupted Chen Huifang's incessant chatter, "but some things, once they're mine, will always be mine."