Chapter 37: The Wedding

After slaying the two-headed paper doll, perhaps due to the contamination of another's blood or a certain resonance between the fluids, the Zombie Blade became active; every nerve covering it began to writhe.

Luo Di had no time to ponder this. He rushed toward the living room at top speed. However, trouble arose as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs. The corridor, which had been only a dozen meters long, had now extended to over a hundred. The cramped and oppressive passage was hung with dense red lanterns and black-haired spider silk, while the walls and floor were crawling with venomous spiders—a clear attempt to restrict his movement.

Yet, Luo Di did not hesitate for a second. Wasting time could cost the class monitor her life. Summoning the speed he had demonstrated during his physical exams, he stomped spiders into pulp while slashing through the black-haired webs, forcibly carving a path to the living room.

Even so, he had lost significant time. Before he had even fully traversed the corridor, he could hear the chattering of voices; the entire living room had become boisterous. As he stepped out, a paper doll suddenly darted toward him—not to attack, but to offer a fresh red envelope.

The living room had been expanded to three times its original size. Festive red knots hung from the rafters, offerings were already laid out on the Eight Immortals table, and a paper doll wearing a white wig sat beside them.

"Bow to heaven and earth!"

A shrill voice echoed through the hall. The newlyweds were conducting their wedding ceremony. The groom was the paper doll he had seen earlier in the bedroom. The bride, judging by her attire, was the spider-mimic; the class monitor was nowhere to be seen. The bride had also donned a bridal headpiece, which obscured the back of her head.

As an intruder, Luo Di’s movements were not restricted; he seemed to be regarded as a guest. He did not act recklessly, instead moving slowly, attempting to catch a glimpse of the bride's face from the side while keeping a tight grip on his blade, wary of the surrounding paper dolls.

He shifted his perspective, but the bridal headpiece made it impossible to see her face. He needed to move closer. Luo Di sensed a disastrous outcome looming. Just as he shifted his position and was about to see the bride's face:

"Bow to the parents!"

The groom and bride both lowered their heads. Luo Di’s brows knit tightly, and he waited in silence.

"Rise!"

The bride slowly lifted her head. A pair of bewitching, puzzled eyes locked onto Luo Di, seemingly surprised that this youth had managed to arrive so quickly. Luo Di froze; he was looking at the face of his class monitor. Yet, upon closer inspection, there were no signs of stitching or adhesive; it did not appear as though her skin had been grafted on.

Observing the bride's posture further, it was clearly the class monitor's body. Luo Di let out a sigh of relief—at least she was still alive. But his expression soon soured. While the class monitor had not been skinned, this was the [Possession] he had encountered before. The old woman had possessed her in some way, and time was running out; once the "Complete Possession" occurred, there would be no chance for reversal.

Based on the current situation, once the wedding ceremony concluded—that is, when the third bow was completed—it would likely mark the moment of "Complete Possession." Time was dwindling.

The spider-woman was surprised that Luo Di had managed to dispose of the "maiden" she had discarded and reach this place so quickly, but she was confident he could not handle [Possession]. This was the final stretch, and as the bride, she was fully immersed in the performance; she could not be interrupted. One final bow, and everything would be settled. Furthermore, all the paper dolls in the living room were watching Luo Di's every move.

Standing in the corner, Luo Di took a deep breath, his aura turning grim. He slowly raised the Zombie Blade, but instead of swinging it, he pressed the blade horizontally into his own mouth, slicing his cheeks wide open.

[Five Months Ago]

A month after the simulation exercise, he had gone to the Municipal Research Bureau for a check-up. The results showed that, despite using the "Zombie Blade" for over half an hour daily, all his tests were normal—aside from a slight nutritional deficiency—indicating that he was not being influenced by the corner-world artifacts.

Director Wang, a man with a square head and a mole on the corner of his mouth, was quite satisfied with his condition. "Keep it up!"

The usually reticent Luo Di took the initiative to ask a question, still troubled by what had happened during the practice. "Director, if I encounter another possession event, can I use this weapon to handle it? Or is there another way?"

Director Wang, who held the youth in high regard, explained with relative patience. "Possession? That is far too early for someone still in training. However, since you wish to know, I can tell you. Do you know the essence of [Possession]?"

"Not entirely."

Director Wang tapped his forehead with a finger. "Possession is rare. The mimic itself must possess the ability of 'Essence Projection,' projecting itself into the host's body in the form of a pituitary body. There are many ways to do this, the simplest being having the host swallow the pituitary body. What you encountered during the simulation was a more advanced form of curse projection, which can act directly on a single target, exerting influence invisibly. It is very hard to prevent.

"Once possessed, the mimic's 'pituitary body' gradually erodes the host's brain, eventually occupying the hypothalamus to achieve 'Perfect Possession,' at which point the host dies completely. You cannot undo this at your current stage; it relies primarily on the possessed individual. If their willpower is strong enough, or if they have undergone rigorous cognitive training, they can break free from the state, but that is nearly impossible for a student.

"So, in this year before you advance, you had best stay in school and not stir up trouble. Let us hope your luck isn't so bad as to encounter another anomaly with possession capabilities."

Luo Di pressed for an answer. "But what if I do? If I see someone else being possessed, what can I do?"

"You must abandon the possessed person immediately and flee. In the current situation, running away is not a bad thing; those who can escape from absolutely dangerous environments are often valued by the state. If you truly cannot escape, perhaps your weapon can provide minor 'external assistance.' Injecting zombie venom near the brain of the possessed can cause a certain level of interference, as the zombie attributes also originate from the corners. But it is only interference; to break the possession, the host's own willpower is essential."

"Understood."

...

"Bow to each other!"

The high-pitched voice echoed through the hall. The possessed class monitor lowered her head again. Once this bow was completed, the possession would be absolute. The efficiency was so high because she was in her own territory, and because from the moment Wu Wen stepped into the house, she had been bombarded with suggestions of "marriage"—the embroidered shoes, the lanterns, the "Double Happiness" posters—compounded by the final invasion of fear, which had created vulnerabilities in her mind.

"Rise!"

As the final bow was about to conclude, the spider-woman felt someone standing behind her, accompanied by a faint, unnatural heat that did not belong there.

Just as the spider-woman started to lift her head, she felt her body being embraced. Before she could utter a threat or resist, something struck her neck. *Slash!*

It was not a blade.

It was a pair of sinister fangs biting into her artery, injecting the zombie venom perfectly. Luo Di’s dark, cracked lips were pressed firmly against her neck. By slicing his own mouth with the Zombie Blade, he had sacrificed a portion of his own body to grant half his face the attributes of a zombie.

Though it was merely the bite of teeth and the touch of lips against skin, it felt as if the two were engaged in a conversation.

"Class monitor..."

A voice resonated into the depths of her mind.