The rain outside was getting heavier, the sound sizzling like roasting meat.

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"Ghosts and spirits, you know, it's better to believe they exist than not."

Old Li honked the horn and suddenly said mysteriously, "Mr. Chen, do you want to hear a story?"

"Here we go again."

Zhang Ruobing rolled her eyes and covered her ears, "Not listening, not listening, like a turtle reciting scriptures."

Who asked you?

Chen Feng nodded, "Sure, go ahead, I'm listening."

"Next, I'm going to tell you an absolutely true story, believe it or not," Old Li's voice suddenly lowered, "Back in the day, there was a very wealthy businessman who married a stunningly beautiful woman, like someone who walked out of a painting."

"They didn't enjoy their wealth for long before strange things started happening. The businessman's health deteriorated day by day, and it was clear he was going to collapse. Neighbors said his wife was a jinx, a curse on her husband!"

"But the businessman was blinded by love and refused to believe it... until one day!" Old Li's voice suddenly rose, "The businessman came home early and guess what? He caught his charming wife cheating!"

Damn, that's intense.

Chen Feng's heart skipped a beat, thinking this was just like the story of Wu Dalang and Pan Jinlian.

Old Li seemed to read Chen Feng's mind and laughed, "Are you thinking that the businessman's declining health was because that vicious woman was poisoning him every day, and after being caught, she and her lover killed him?"

Chen Feng instinctively nodded.

Old Li said, "No!"

Chen Feng was taken aback, "Huh? Did the businessman fly into a rage and kill his wife and her lover instead?"

Old Li showed a few yellowed, smoke-stained teeth, "Nope, that's not it either!"

Fing hell, could there be a third possibility?

Chen Feng was baffled, could it be that the businessman got excited and joined them?

Old Li revealed the answer, "When the businessman opened the door and saw two people embracing, he thought they were lovers. But upon closer inspection, he found his delicate wife hugging a corpse, drained of all blood, just skin and bones!"

Chen Feng let out a scream.

Seeing Chen Feng's big reaction, Old Li laughed, "Have you ever seen human skin?"

Not only had he seen it, but he had also worn it.

Chen Feng quickly asked, "What happened next?"

"Next, the businessman was so terrified by that hellish scene that he fainted on the spot!"

As he spoke, Old Li pointed ahead, "When he opened his eyes again, he had been thrown off Cihang Bridge by his wife, the icy river water filling his mouth and nose, drowning him alive!"

"And with the businessman's death, things got worse."

Old Li told Chen Feng, "Those who die unjustly in the water, whether by suicide or accident, are filled with resentment, unable to ascend to heaven or descend to earth, doomed to wander the icy depths forever."

"Moreover, the businessman's death was so tragic, a mouthful of resentment stuck in his chest, unable to swallow, so he turned into a vengeful ghost!"

"It's said that people passing by the bridge at night can hear the Water Ghost saying that one day, he will crawl out from the riverbed and take his wife's life!"

Chen Feng understood, "So, there's a Water Ghost under the bridge?"

Old Li nodded affirmatively, "That's right. If it weren't for the Water Ghost, why would so many people have accidents or commit suicide on this bridge in recent years?"

"It's clearly looking for a substitute to free itself and seek revenge on that woman!"

As soon as Old Li finished speaking, a mechanical voice rang in Chen Feng's ear.

It turned out the Great Philanthropist System had issued a new task:

[Under Cihang Bridge, a Water Ghost is causing trouble. This creature is entirely transparent, its face indistinguishable. Whenever someone falls into the water, it uses its chilling aura to drag them into the depths to drown.]

[Task Objective: Eliminate the Water Ghost]

[Task Reward: Depending on completion, earn 1-3 system points]

Chen Feng's scalp tingled instantly.

A tall woman, a human-skin lover, a Water Ghost husband.

Piecing these clues together, Chen Feng seemed to know what that ghostly thing sneaking into the internet cafe was!

Seeing Chen Feng a bit distracted, Old Li reassured him, "Don't be afraid. No matter how fierce the Water Ghost is, it can't leave the water or come ashore. As long as you don't do anything foolish like swimming in the river or fishing by the shore, you'll be fine."

That's a big problem!

Chen Feng stammered, "Uncle, did you know that Water Ghosts can actually come ashore?"

Old Li said, "Oh? In some places, there's indeed such a saying, that during rain or floods, Water Ghosts can come ashore. Mr. Chen, I didn't expect you to know so much."

How could I not know? I've seen it with my own eyes.

Chen Feng just wanted to park and run away, "Uncle Li, I'm suddenly not hungry anymore. Can you let me off here?"

"Don't worry, we're almost there."

Old Li gently applied the brakes, slowing the car down.

By now, the rain was pouring down, and through the brief moment when the wiper cleared the windshield, Chen Feng vaguely saw a blurry figure sitting on the slippery railing, legs dangling.

"That's him."

"You wait in the car."

The car door opened, and two police officers rushed out into the torrential rain.

Old Li shouted, "Don't do anything rash! Come down and talk!"

But before he could finish, the person dived down.

Zhang Ruobing cried out, "No! Don't jump!"

"Save him!"

There was no time to hesitate. Old Li immediately took off his gear and shoes, starting to climb over the railing.

Zhang Ruobing's face turned pale, "Master! I can swim too, let me go down!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Old Li knew that being able to swim didn't mean being able to save people.

After all, a drowning person will grab onto any rescuer desperately. If the rescuer lacks experience, no matter how good a swimmer they are, it's useless.

So he shouted, "You go get the rescue rope from the trunk, quick!"

With that, Old Li leaped into the river.

Meanwhile, Chen Feng had already sneaked into the driver's seat, ready to flee at any moment. Seeing Zhang Ruobing return with red eyes, Chen Feng quickly asked, "What's going on, where's your master?"

Zhang Ruobing tried to stay calm, but her voice trembled uncontrollably, "My master jumped in to save him."

What?

Chen Feng was shocked.

He jumped in? Didn't he know there was a Water Ghost below? Is he crazy?

Zhang Ruobing opened the trunk and took out the rescue rope.

Chen Feng hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, "Wait, I'll help too."

Zhang Ruobing glanced at Chen Feng, "Thank you."

As soon as they stepped out, Chen Feng felt the intensity of the rain, unable to see the road ahead without wiping his face.

The two reached the bridgehead, and Chen Feng looked down for a long time before spotting the two in the water: Old Li was struggling to swim towards the shore, pulling a girl with him, but the girl was fighting back, even pushing Old Li's head underwater at one point.

This isn't good.

The rain was too heavy, the water too fast, and they had to save someone.

Chen Feng's heart sank, seeing that under such unfavorable conditions, Old Li's movements were becoming distorted. If this continued, exhaustion and failure were inevitable.

Meanwhile, Zhang Ruobing quickly tied one end of the rescue rope to the bridge's steel beam, securing the anchor point.

"Throw it!"

Aiming carefully, Zhang Ruobing tossed the rescue rope down.

Seeing the rope, a glimmer of hope ignited in Old Li's previously desperate heart. He swam towards the rope with all his might, while beside him, the girl suddenly started struggling violently, seemingly choking on water.

Hurry! Hurry!

Old Li no longer conserved his strength, skillfully wrapping the rescue rope around his chest, then reaching for the girl.

Chen Feng wiped the rain from his face, ready to guide the two to shore with the rescue rope.

But at that moment, an unexpected change occurred!

The girl suddenly reached out, grabbed the rescue rope, and with her other hand, pushed hard against Old Li's chest.

That push was fatal.

Caught off guard, Old Li inhaled a mouthful of water, but even so, he still pushed the girl towards the shore.

He pushed her towards life, but she pushed him towards death!

Watching Old Li disappear from view, never resurfacing, Zhang Ruobing's mind went blank, completely breaking down, "No!!! Master!!!"

"Bastard."

Chen Feng immediately saw the problem.

From the start, the girl in the water had been flailing and pushing, depleting Old Li's strength like a clueless landlubber. But once Old Li was swept away, the girl immediately calmed down, conserving energy, floating on the water's surface.

Without a doubt, this bitch could swim!

Seeing the girl clinging to the rescue rope in the water, Chen Feng grew angrier, rushing to the railing, ready to unhook the rope and let that beast die.

But Zhang Ruobing stopped him, "I know you're angry, I'm angry too, but saving people is our duty. What you're doing is wrong."

Chen Feng was amused, "That, counts as a person?"

While they argued, the girl below suddenly let out a distorted, twisted scream, "Something's grabbing my foot in the water, pulling me, pull me up!"

Still causing trouble?

Chen Feng shouted down, "Stop playing tricks!"

But the girl didn't stop screaming, instead struggling even more violently, splashing huge waves, "I'm not lying! There's really something down there, help! I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong! Pull me up, please... sob."

The girl's cries for help abruptly stopped.

Something had pulled her into the water.

Zhang Ruobing felt the force on the rope become extremely strange, this was definitely not the weight of a girl.

Chen Feng wiped his face, looking down the taut rescue rope, seeing nothing at the end, but the whole rope was jerking rhythmically!

Some ghostly thing was climbing up the rescue rope!

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Proofreader: Peter Pan