Chapter 18: Possession

They had already asked about the "rules" on their way to the practice zone this morning. Director Qin, who was in charge of the project, had personally stated that this practice would only trigger one event corresponding to each object.

Moreover, when they killed the zombies, they had received official notification from the research institute that the practice was over. Everything should have ended there, and the rest of the time was supposed to be for celebration.

Yet, what was happening now was completely off course.

When Anna clicked her tongue, everyone immediately thought of the object she had originally found—the metal box embossed with a hexagram and a goat's head.

Seeing Anna’s condition, everyone instantly connected it to the textbook concept of “possession.”

This meant a second event had been triggered.

Without any buffer, rest, or preparation.

Without any warning, this sudden incident had occurred.

The team leader, Wu Wen, the core of the group, was seriously injured and might even be facing life-threatening danger.

An “accident” was the first thing Roddy thought of.

But on second thought, the practice was backed by a vast research team.

The institute was capable of creating various objects to correspond to abnormal events, and they had quickly reconstructed the ancient manor based on the object chosen. All these facts proved the institute’s strength.

Such a capable research team, combined with the team leader’s ties to the institute, meant they should have been very careful with this practice. They absolutely could not have made such a rookie mistake.

Since the institute as a whole was not at fault,

Roddy quickly considered the greatest possibility: that someone within the institute had gone wrong. Perhaps this person had developed a “corner” in their heart, even planning all of this in advance, and the four had just happened to run into it.

But there was no time to dwell on these thoughts now. The key was how to handle the immediate situation.

Should they first control Anna or tend to the seriously injured Wu Wen?

Before Roddy could decide, the answer came on its own.

The team leader, the axe still lodged in her shoulder, took advantage of the brief moment to inject adrenaline from the first aid kit into the side of her thigh. Enduring the sharp pain, she propped herself up and retreated toward the front door.

“Whew… something went wrong with the practice. I need to get down the mountain quickly… The institute must have noticed by now. The response team should already be on their way up.

I’ll go meet them and try to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

You two hold Anna back. If you can, try not to kill her. Once the institute’s people arrive, this will all be resolved.”

She did not pull out the tactical axe but pressed hard on the wound with her other hand. The adrenaline had already started to take effect, dulling the pain.

As she prepared to leave and seek help down the mountain,

Anna, standing by the wall inside the house, emitted a sinister voice that was not her own:

“What a pity. If it weren’t for Takao blabbing, I could’ve split your pretty face in two with one swing just now, Wenwen.

Then no one would ever say you looked prettier walking down the street again.

Once I kill those two, I’ll come down the mountain to find you. Run, my Wenwen! I will tear you apart so everyone can see your true self.”

The team leader’s expression did not change as she pressed down on the wound and turned to leave.

That left only three people inside the house.

The possessed Anna was unarmed and vulnerable—a perfect chance to subdue her.

If they could restrain her, once the institute’s personnel arrived, this incident might finally end.

Roddy and Takao exchanged a glance, preparing to flank her from both sides.

Their focus sharpened back to the level they had when fighting the zombies, ready to dodge or defend at any moment, since Anna’s physique and strength surpassed theirs.

But as they approached Anna, the unexpected happened.

Her head suddenly drooped, then lifted again. The sinister expression vanished, replaced by fear and panic. Her voice trembled as she spoke:

“I… I heard the tongue-clicking noise after the zombies died. In the forest, I saw a demon without a head, only a tongue hanging. I just glanced at it, and it came right up to me, slithering its tongue into my body.

How did I get back to the room? Wenwen, where did you go?”

Seeing the bloodstains on the floor, Anna’s panic deepened, as if she had realized something. Her emotions began to unravel.

The strong emotional shift made the “thing” inside her, previously suppressed beneath her skin, flicker and writhe, threatening to seize control at any moment.

Suddenly—

A hand grasped Anna’s arm.

Rough, warm, strong.

The touch from a man pulled her back from the edge of hysteria and toward the master bedroom’s large bed.

Roddy, towering above her in a commanding tone, ordered:

“While your mind is clear, lie down on the bed! Takao, bring the bandages!”

He seemed to have taken over the team leader’s role, becoming the temporary commander and urging everyone into action.

Anna quickly understood the situation. To survive, she had to comply.

She lay down on the bed, spreading her limbs as far as possible to reach the four corners. The massive bed in the ancient manor was solidly constructed, with sturdy pillars at each corner.

Roddy and Takao immediately divided tasks, using as many bandages as possible to bind Anna’s limbs.

Takao prepared another weapon: the silver needles they had used against the zombies. He pierced several key acupuncture points on Anna’s body:

The outer thigh—“Wind Market” point.

The inner thigh—“Yin Wrapper” point.

The inner arm—“Chize” point.

Additionally, Takao planned to give a needle to the “Baihui” point at the crown of her head for alertness and calm, hoping to keep Anna conscious longer.

As he held the silver needle, eyes fixed on the scalp beneath Anna’s golden hair,

A squelching sound emerged—

Something wriggling beneath the skin.

Just as Takao prepared to insert the needle, the writhing flesh formed half a human face, bulging out, and the grotesque tongue stretched toward his finger, as if to lick it.

If it licked him, even Takao himself could be in danger.

He had no choice but to retreat instinctively, stepping back beyond the edge of the bed.

However, with the limbs’ acupuncture points sealed and the bandages binding her, they should have enough time to hold out until the institute’s team arrived.

Bound on the bed, Anna’s face had changed completely.

Gone was the youthful vibrancy of a high school girl.

She looked at least a decade older.

Veins of bluish-purple, like marble veins, showed beneath her skin, along with unnatural creases and wrinkles that no high school face should have.

Her mouth was opened far wider than normal, or rather, her lips had shrunk, exposing more teeth and gums, revealing her entire oral cavity.

The infinitely flexible tongue inside slapped against the mouth’s walls, producing disturbing sounds.

Only Anna’s eyes looked normal, suggesting the possession was incomplete.

Suddenly, the tongue ceased its slapping, and a demonic voice echoed from within:

“Hahaha! You touched me just now, didn’t you? Can you hear me? My voice…”

As the voice faded,

Click—

Roddy and Takao simultaneously heard the tongue-clicking sound, unable to locate its source. It did not come from outside but existed within their own minds.

At the same moment, the master bedroom of the manor changed.

The walls peeled away like skin, revealing scorched, earth-like rock beneath.

Ashes drifted through the air, making every breath burn with searing heat.