I have a ghost diary

Moreover, when the sound rang out, the skinny man, Zheng Xiaodao, turned pale for a moment, his mind went blank for a second, and he paused for a second.

But that's all; the skinny man didn't die.

Although he hadn't died, the skinny man still felt a lingering fear. If he still had a human body, he would probably be sweating profusely by now.

The skinny man shouted without turning his head, "Be careful, this is the kind of supernatural phenomenon that guarantees death if triggered! It seems like the moment your name is called, you will die instantly."

The skinny man's feedback filled Chu Jiang with lingering fear, but he was also thankful that he hadn't been reckless and insisted on letting the other man go first. Otherwise, he might already be dead, and even Ghost Diary wouldn't have been able to save him.

Chu Jiang gestured and called out Paul's English name, making the firefighters realize what kind of supernatural phenomenon this was.

The firefighter nodded repeatedly, and his grip on the child tightened.

Chu Jiang turned his gaze back to the crows, birds known in the West as "death birds," symbolizing misfortune and death.

In the East, there is a saying that "crows bring bad news, magpies bring good news," and there are even folk proverbs such as "when a crow flies over your head, misfortune is sure to follow."

The supernatural phenomenon before us is truly a death knell; if your name is called, you will die.

Chu Jiang had seen a similar supernatural phenomenon at the Lin Clan Ancestral Hall: a "name-calling ghost." However, this ghost called your nickname from behind, making you feel a sense of intimacy and prompting you to respond involuntarily.

The killing pattern will be triggered only after you answer, resulting in instant death.

These death birds are ridiculous; they don't even need you to respond. They just fly over and yell, and you're dead.

I don't know if plugging my ears or being born deaf would help.

Despite his shouts of "Undying Skinny Man," the crow continued to fly above his head, cawing "Zheng Xiaodao," "Zheng Xiaodao."

Moreover, each time it called out, it had a certain effect on the thin man, making his movements somewhat sluggish, which shows how terrifying this supernatural phenomenon was.

The most troublesome thing was that as the skinny man took two more steps forward, the remaining thirteen crows actually flew over together!

"Zheng Xiaodao! Zheng Xiaodao!..."

Fourteen birds, seemingly intent on killing, surrounded the thin man and chattered incessantly.

This suddenly became serious. The skinny man could barely hold on with just one crow. But with fourteen crows attacking at once, his whole body came to a standstill. Every movement he made was followed by a pause, like an old, wind-up robot.

"Quick...come...to...help...me!"

Hearing the thin man's cries for help, Chu Jiang did not go forward; he continued to observe the crows.

According to the research institute's records, there are no two ghosts in the world that are exactly the same; at least, no one has found any so far.

Therefore, these fourteen crows are very likely a complete ghost.

However, they appear in a scattered form, just like the dark left hand that Chu Jiang saw in the Yulong Community. There is only one real left hand; the others are all differentiated.

After the thin man called for help a second time, Chu Jiang led the firefighters and retreated at least twenty meters.

Then he calmly shouted, "I can't help you. In this situation, if I go up there, I'll just die."

Chapter 256 Exposing

The thin man felt aggrieved and angry; he had intended to blame Chu Jiang.

But thinking about it carefully, Chu Jiang really couldn't go up against them. The other side was a human, not a ghost. A single bird could probably kill him, let alone fourteen birds attacking at once.

"Then...you...shouldn't...just...watch...it."

"Okay, you fight back with all your might first, to create an opportunity for me. Then I'll see if I can help you shoot those birds down one by one."

The skinny man sensed something was subtly wrong, but he was too deeply mired in the situation to think about it. Even if Chu Jiang hadn't said that, he would have resisted anyway.

A pair of pale hands emerged from under his armpits, and then another pair of pale hands emerged from the palms of those hands.

And so, with his hands reaching out indefinitely, the skinny man actually waved two strange, pale palms, constantly slapping at the crows circling above his head.

Chu Jiang was somewhat surprised to see this. "Nicole Robin? That Flower-Flower Fruit is quite something."

Robin is a character from One Piece, but the skinny man clearly didn't understand. He growled, "Chu...Jiang...do...it!"

The skinny man's slapping could cause some disturbance to the crows, since those hands were the power of a demon, not some physical human hand.

However, these swattings had little effect; instead, they attracted crows to fly down and peck at the thin man, while the cries of Zheng Xiaodao's name continued unabated.

Just then, a huge tombstone suddenly appeared in front of the thin man!

He finally decided to use the power of that card; he had been holding back all along.

The inscription on the tombstone was blurred and eerie. It slammed down as if trying to knock down the birds that were swooping down to their doom.

But this was of little use; the crows were incredibly fast, each flap of their wings almost like teleportation. The tombstone had no effect on any of the crows, not even as much as the pale hand.

Seeing this, Chu Jiang finally took action. He still used the Ghost Domain to shroud himself and the firefighters, then went far away from the frontal battlefield of the skinny man and the Death Bird, trying to reach the door of Room 6 from the side.

The skinny man was completely dumbfounded by what he saw. He wanted to curse Chu Jiang, but the crows' attack became more and more ferocious. Although he wouldn't die, he might be torn to pieces if they kept pecking at him, so he didn't have time to be distracted and speak.

Chu Jiang wasn't in a hurry. He moved forward slowly and explained, "These crows seem to not choose their next target until they have killed their current target, which is different from the killing pattern of the idol."

"So I am very grateful for your dedication and sacrifice."

"Of course, I know you must be very dissatisfied, and even Mr. Paul next to me feels somewhat sorry for you."

Chu Jiang was right. From the firefighters' perspective, the skinny man had at least helped them scout the way earlier...

“But Paul doesn’t realize that you’re just using him as a tool to save your life.”

Chu Jiang looked at the door of room number 6. "If I'm not mistaken, your scapegoat's ability doesn't necessarily only activate when you're facing death, right?"

"After all, ghosts themselves can't die, so doesn't that mean that before it possesses you, this substitute ghost is completely powerless?"

"I think that's not the case. A scapegoat should be someone who is injured or in danger, and a designated target can be chosen to take their place."

"If the substitute dies, then it will be reborn from the soul of the substitute. If the substitute does not die, then the substitute remains a substitute."

"Now that you have fully mastered the ability of the scapegoat, if it can only be activated when you are about to die, then wouldn't you be completely powerless, possessing only the characteristics of a ghost?"

"If that's the case, I think you definitely wouldn't dare to stand up to me. Since you have stood up, then you must still have a trump card up your sleeve."

"Let me guess, the reason you took the initiative to scout ahead is that you hope to leave me, the firefighter, and the policewoman alive, right?"

"Because you want to be able to designate any one of the three of us to die in your place when you are in danger."

"This risk is much lower than having someone else take your place."

"Especially if a female police officer is assigned, it's almost risk-free, because she's just a helpless baby right now, and she can save your life one hundred percent."

Chu Jiang shook his head as he spoke, "So someone like you wouldn't be a loss at all if you died. Don't even compare to Li Yuhan and Michiko who sacrificed themselves; you can't even do the job of not scheming against your teammates."

The skinny man was furious. He couldn't refute it, and he never expected that Chu Jiang had seen through his little scheme.

Or perhaps he was too hasty. If, after becoming a ghost, his words still leaned towards "pleasing" Chu Jiang, Chu Jiang might not have realized his plan.

As Chu Jiang advanced away from the battlefield, he said, "Even at this point where the truth is revealed, you still haven't used your abilities against us."

"Then let me guess, the scapegoat's ability has a limit, right?"

"I don't know how far away it is, I can only try to stay as far away from you as possible."

"Oh right, if you don't start it soon, we'll have to go to the next room," Chu Jiang pointed to the door of room number 6 not far away.

"Use it quickly, you can only use it on the Deathbird now. Otherwise, once we leave, you might be trapped here forever because of the supernatural loop."

"Chu...Jiang...please...don't...force...me."

Chu Jiang led the firefighters all the way to the door, but instead of opening it, he stopped.

He turned around and said calmly, "Use your abilities, or we'll really be gone."

The skinny man felt like vomiting blood. He realized that Chu Jiang wasn't afraid of him using his abilities at all; in fact, he wanted him to.

In reality, Chu Jiang wasn't certain that the fourteen crows would relentlessly pursue the thin man. If the crows returned the moment he opened the door, even just one would be in danger.

Therefore, Chu Jiang needs the skinny man to activate his scapegoat ability to help them hold off the Deathbird.

Anyway, getting a ghost to die in your place isn't that simple. Ghosts won't just obediently comply. In the process, there will be a battle between supernatural beings. Whoever wins the battle will be victorious.

Once the outcome was decided, Chu Jiang and his group had already moved to the next room; they certainly wouldn't stay in room 5 to watch the show.

Seeing that the thin man still hadn't made a move, Chu Jiang cautiously walked to the door and placed his withered, bluish-black hand on it.

At this moment, his whole body was extremely tense. He even took out his ghost diary and held it against his chest to prevent this man from being unable to "save" him in time.

In short, as long as it's not an instant death, the Ghost Diaries should be able to react...

To Chu Jiang's surprise, nothing happened after he placed his hand on the door. It seemed that the fourteen crows were the biggest danger in this room...

Chapter 257 The Ghost Diary's New Prophecy

Seeing that Chu Jiang was trying to open the door, the skinny man gritted his teeth and used his [Substitute Death] ability on the crow in front of him.

He had no choice. If he waited until Chu Jiang and the others left before using it, the loss of a third-party variable would mean that this vicious cycle might truly be unsolvable.

Even if there is a solution, as Chu Jiang and the others enter the next room, the skinny man will be judged as a "fallen one" or even a "deserter." What will happen then is completely unpredictable to him.

Although the skinny man only used the substitute on one crow, hoping to change the situation of being besieged.

But all the crows were stuck at that moment.

The skinny man didn't take the opportunity to escape because he was also stuck.

This is the process that must be experienced for someone to die in place of another. If the chosen target struggles and resists, a confrontation between supernatural forces is necessary.

If the skinny man wins, the crows will attack him, allowing him to escape.

But if he fails, he will temporarily exhaust his strength and face further siege...

On Chu Jiang's side, he discovered that starting from the previous portal, these doors became extremely difficult to open and had to be "unlocked" using supernatural powers.

However, because Chu Ji was extremely strong, Chu Jiang managed to twist the doorknob open with a forceful twist.

Realizing that the skinny man had already started, Chu Jiang didn't dare to delay. He pushed open the door, called the firefighters, and prepared to rush in first.

But as soon as the door opened, Chu Jiang froze.

Although it was pitch black on the other side and he couldn't see anything, Chu Jiang could sense the presence of ghosts, and there were many, many... What kind of ghostly realm lay behind the door?

Gritting his teeth, Chu Jiang knew he couldn't afford to delay any longer. If he continued to drag things out, either the skinny man or the dead bird could win and pose a threat to them.