Evil People Have Their Own Evil Mothers [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 26: The Most Ghostly Episode

Chapter 26: The Most Ghostly Episode

Cao Weidong walked along the roadside as the distance between streetlights visibly widened, allowing darkness to claim more territory.

When they first left the pet hospital, the area had been brightly lit with lingering students and locals strolling about. Now, glancing around, only a few couples remained—hand in hand, deliberately seeking secluded spots, shoulders pressed together as they whispered shyly into each other’s ears.

A few more steps would bring them to the outskirts of the urban village. From afar, it resembled an anglerfish in the deep sea—its ugly outline and dangerous fangs concealed within the profound blackness, deliberately obscuring its peril.

A lone streetlight hanging above the village entrance served as the anglerfish’s lure, enticing unsuspecting souls to approach through the night.

Cao Weidong suddenly halted beneath the last streetlight before the urban village.

Pale light fell straight down from overhead like a white shroud draped between them, chasing away all murky grays.

Thus, white became purely white, and black turned utterly black.

Click— A lighter’s flame ignited behind him.

Xu Jiu had lit a cigarette at Cao Weidong’s back. He took a drag and exhaled leisurely, the smoke drifting like ethereal gauze under the white light’s illumination.

Xu Jiu wasn’t in a hurry. He smoked his cigarette, waiting for Cao Weidong’s next move.

Walk slower later. Don’t let me lose you, the stalker declared his intention unabashedly, with unshakable confidence.

Cao Weidong slowly turned to stare at the cigarette in Xu Jiu’s hand. A small, distinct indentation marked the filter—imprinted by Xu Jiu’s sharp canine.

Noticing his turn, Xu Jiu relaxed his posture completely. He raised his wrist, revealing a pale stretch of skin where a deep red leather collar circled, spinning back and forth until it chafed a glaring ring of raw pink into his flesh.

Deliberately, Xu Jiu curled his lips to expose a pointed canine at the corner of his mouth.

The first thing I’ll do when I follow you home is—kill your dog.

As he spoke, Xu Jiu used his cigarette-holding hand to point accusingly at Cao Weidong. Plumes of smoke from the slender cigarette swirled around Cao Weidong’s neck in the wind before rising upward, blurring the interest in Cao Weidong’s eyes.

Fine, Cao Weidong responded.

Lead the way.

Cao Weidong shifted direction, gazing toward the dim guiding light in the darkness as he stepped out from the pale protective circle of the overhead streetlamp.

Wait.

Xu Jiu strode forward and yanked Cao Weidong back from the brink of darkness.

Cao Weidong’s expression suddenly turned unnatural. The eerie aura around him seemed dispelled by the glaring streetlight above, his brows furrowing tightly as a palpitation of panic inexplicably surfaced in those pitch-black eyes.

Before Xu Jiu could speak, he asked unprecedentedly first: Having regrets?

As the words fell, Cao Weidong’s hand slipped into his pocket.

Regrets? I’m cold!

Ignoring Cao Weidong’s opinion, Xu Jiu’s hands were already clutching his coat, tugging at the collar.

Take off your jacket and give it to me.

Xu Jiu’s wardrobe followed aesthetics, not seasons—none of his clothes were theoretically suitable for winter wear in H City. In the ten-degree Celsius chill, because Cao Weidong insisted on walking home, Xu Jiu had no choice but to follow.

Xu Jiu had made it this far purely through sheer willpower, his body long numb from the cold and stiff all over, giving his jaw muscles a rigorous workout.

As Cao Weidong set down what he was carrying, before he could even take it off, Xu Jiu’s hands shot out, snatching the coat and wrapping it around himself in a few quick motions.

Xu Jiu sniffed the left side, then the right, his face full of disgust, yet he had no choice but to pull it tighter and bury himself in the coat to shield from the wind.

It reeks of cheapness. Rather than smoking that low-grade stuff, you might as well pick up my cigarette butts, Xu Jiu grumbled, catching the scent of cheap tobacco on the coat.

Alright.

Cao Weidong breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Jiu took a cigarette butt and pressed it deliberately onto the back of Cao Weidong’s hand, leaving a charred black mark. The wind scattered the bitter brown tobacco shreds, revealing blackened flesh where the skin had been burned away.

A tiny spot, fleeting as the wind blew—the pain, like the warmth, lingered only for a moment.

You freak.

Hmm.

Cao Weidong’s reaction was indifferent. Once Xu Jiu’s act of cruelty was over, he picked up his things and walked back into the darkness.

This time, as he stepped forward, it was utter darkness until he reached the lure light atop the anglerfish.

The surroundings were too unfamiliar. In the time it took Xu Jiu to glance left and right, Cao Weidong had already moved far ahead, leaving only a speck of a figure in the distance that held Xu Jiu’s gaze.

Xu Jiu hurriedly strode forward to catch up, actively grabbing hold of Cao Weidong’s hanging right hand. Cao Weidong’s right arm pressed tightly against Xu Jiu’s chest, the leather collar caught between them making a faint creaking sound.

Wait! Where are you taking me?! Don’t you live in the dorm?

To a place with no one around… Cao Weidong’s words trailed off halfway, leaving the rest for Xu Jiu to imagine.

Xu Jiu played along perfectly, lowering his voice but raising his tone: To kill me?

Cao Weidong, who had been replying with alright and hmm all evening, suddenly chose to stay silent this time, letting Xu Jiu’s imagination run wild.

So far, Cao Weidong hadn’t needed to use any unspeakable drugs to forcibly take Xu Jiu away.

Xu Jiu would follow him, willingly walking into the darkness he knew was dangerous.

Cao Weidong passed under the streetlamp at the entrance of the urban village and plunged into the maze of buildings. Xu Jiu, beside him, trembled more and more violently—whether from fear, cold, or excitement, it was hard to tell.

But just as they rounded a corner, the weight that should have been on his right arm suddenly vanished.

Cao Weidong turned to look—the person who should have been clinging to his arm had disappeared, as if snatched and swallowed by a ghost in the darkness.

From behind, Cao Weidong heard Pan Yu’s voice blasting from a phone receiver.

Xu Jiu? Where are you? Didn’t you say you’d come see me tonight?!

Xu Jiu stood in the darkness, the phone screen’s light illuminating his face. Before he could speak, Pan Yu’s firecracker-like voice erupted again in a rapid, scolding burst.

Are you with Cao Weidong?!

Xu Jiu’s breath hitched. He quickly glanced up at the person in front of him, then lowered his head to the phone, defending himself guiltily: No! Nothing like that!

But when Xu Jiu looked up again, Cao Weidong was nowhere to be found.

I’m busy right now, I’ll come find you later.

Xu Jiu hastily ended the call just as his phone chimed with a low battery warning below twenty percent. Guided only by the faint moonlight, he swept his gaze left and right, tightened his jacket, and began shuffling cautiously between the buildings.

Cao Weidong? Cao Weidong, where are you?

Xu Jiu called out in a hushed voice.

The urban village lay in deathly silence at night. Due to lack of maintenance, gusts of wind would occasionally send roof tiles clattering down without warning, shattering on the ground before being followed by faint rustling sounds of unseen movements.

Windows missing panes, doorframes gaping without doors—every building stood like a soulless corpse, its hollow cavities resembling greedy ears, noses, and eyes maliciously fixed on the mouse-like figure of Xu Jiu scurrying below.

His steps unconsciously quickened, shifting from cautious exploration to panicked flight as he sprinted while shouting Cao Weidong’s full name.

All evening, Cao Weidong had responded to his words whenever possible, or at least acknowledged him with a nod.

But now, there was only silence.

It was as if Cao Weidong had joined the aggressive stares lurking in the darkness, concealing himself in the deep black alongside the malice dwelling within the hollow buildings.

Finally exhausted, Xu Jiu stopped in a small patch of cold gray where moonlight barely managed to reach.

In the dim light, he could vaguely make out that he stood at the center of a crossroads, surrounded in all directions by narrow alleys swallowed by impenetrable darkness. In his frantic escape, he had completely forgotten where he came from or which way to go.

Wind funneled through the alleys like countless invisible hands swarming from all sides, creeping through his sleeves and pant legs against his purpling skin, leaching away what little warmth remained in his body.

Summoning courage under the moonlight, Xu Jiu decided to call Cao Weidong. Before dialing, he sharply turned to stare down the narrow, deep alley behind him, straining to peer into the darkness.

Only after confirming no one was following his path did he feel secure enough to make the call.

Ring-ring—

Ring-ring—Ring-ring—

An outdated, staticky mechanical ringtone abruptly pierced the silence.

Xu Jiu’s breath hitched as he clamped both hands over his mouth.

It came from behind him.

Could it be that when he was staring into the blackness earlier, he had actually been looking into Cao Weidong’s eyes? And what posture had Cao Weidong taken while watching him?

The thought sent a wave of intense, hair-raising terror crawling up his spine like a ghostly hand pressing against his back.

Swallowing hard, Xu Jiu gripped his phone tightly and whispered into it, Why aren’t you answering?

The ringing ceased abruptly. The call connected, and Xu Jiu could clearly hear breathing—whether from the phone or directly behind him, he couldn’t tell.