Wen himself disliked solving ghosts by talking to them and fulfilling their wishes.
That might send the ghosts away, but it also risked dragging himself into an abyss.
He preferred to destroy ghosts directly and decisively, regardless of their grievances or obsessions.
Wen had considerable experience dealing with ghosts before, and before Qin Shuang's advancement, he had also briefly learned about ghosts from Qin Shuang.
Many ghosts with grudges were indeed pitiable, but once they had achieved revenge and lingered in the real world, they were no longer pitiable.
This was because ghosts who were still attached to the mortal world almost invariably resorted to indiscriminate killing. At that point, what sustained their existence in the real world was no longer hatred, but a naked desire to kill.
And a hatred for the living!
If Wen had still been interested in playing the game of "you complain, I'll help you get justice, and then self-righteously persuade you" with these ghosts.
After seeing his mother in the illusion, he had lost the mood for such games.
Zhou Xun stabilized herself and let out a piercing shriek, her eyes widening as she stared at Wen. A strange power surged directly towards Wen's brain, causing him a moment of dizziness!
Seizing this opportunity, Grandpa Zhou Laogen lunged at Wen, attempting to possess his body.
But he failed, as Wen easily dodged his lunge, grabbed him by the collar, and pinned him to the ground.
Wen was only momentarily dazed; it was the ghosts' only chance. They had missed it, and would never have another opportunity to deal with Wen.
“Hmm… the one with special abilities is her, so she's the target. The rest of the ghosts will be nourishment!”
Wen drew another dagger and sliced Zhou Laogen's shoulder. His arm, just like a real person's, fell to the ground.
“This dagger can harm the ethereal bodies of ghosts. The effect is quite good. I wonder what the effect would be if I cut a ghost's neck with it…”
This dagger was the only antique dagger found in Gong Bao Ding's room that still retained spiritual energy.
After personally testing it, Wen discovered that the dagger was indeed extraordinary. Ghosts were merely energy bodies, yet this dagger could cause energy bodies to lose limbs and bleed.
After the test, Wen put the dagger away, then inserted the Disaster Gloves into Zhou Laogen's back, directly absorbing him.
Seeing Wen kill two ghosts consecutively, the remaining three were panicked. However, they were sealed by the Hunter Association and couldn't escape. Moreover, the strongest among them, Zhou Xun, possessed abilities that had no effect on Wen.
Soon, Zhou Xun's parents were both turned into nourishment by Wen, leaving only Zhou Xun alone, trembling as she looked at Wen.
When their ethereal bodies became ineffective, ghosts were actually quite fragile, not much stronger than ordinary people. Dealing with them was as easy for Wen as slaughtering chickens and dogs.
“You… don't come any closer!”
“Heh, do the bad guys you see in TV dramas ever stop when you tell them not to come closer?” Wen had already immersed himself in the role of a villain.
“Don't worry, I still have questions to ask you, and you have abilities that other ghosts lack. I won't kill you!”
Wen approached Zhou Xun, speaking villainous lines.
Seeing that she had no escape, Zhou Xun gritted her teeth and lunged at Wen. As a ghost, she was stronger than her elders, surely she could inflict some damage on Wen.
But unfortunately, as she charged, Wen caught her like a little hen.
Looking at Zhou Xun, who was lying on the ground kicking her legs wildly but unable to break free from his grasp, Wen gasped.
“Hiss… Breaking into someone's house in the middle of the night, killing their grandfather, grandmother, father, and mother, and then forcibly taking away the only remaining beautiful daughter. Why does my image feel so unflattering?”
Zhou Xun ignored Wen's complaint and opened her mouth, fiercely biting at Wen's Disaster Gloves.
“That's not being good.”
Wen's left-hand black fingernail appeared, and he flicked Zhou Xun on the forehead. The blow left her disoriented, and her struggles weakened considerably.
“Subduing her is easy, but getting her into the facility doesn't seem to be easy.”
With Wen's methods, killing Zhou Xun would be easy, but getting her into the facility was not. She had been resisting all along.
“Alas, even though you're a ghost, you're still a beautiful girl. I didn't want to treat you like this, but I have no choice…”
Then, Wen punched Zhou Xun in the eye socket, followed by a barrage of blows. After about ten minutes of this, she was on the verge of death.
“This should be enough to put her away.”
Zhou Xun, with disheveled clothes and vacant eyes, was slowly dragged into the facility, devoid of any hope.
Without the ghosts, the steamed bun shop remained dilapidated, but the sinister atmosphere was gone.
Even in the same environment, the presence or absence of ghosts made a world of difference to the feeling it evoked.
Wen did not return to the facility but stayed to test Zhou Xun's abilities. As he tested them, he was stunned.
Her ability to create illusions was actually a combined effort, achieved by mixing the ghostly powers of the five ghosts, with her as the leader!
She alone could no longer recreate such an illusion!
“Hiss, this means… I actually lost out. I should have kept the whole family together.”
Wen's expression was dejected, almost to the point of tears. He felt like he had lost a hundred million.
However, Wen was not truly at a loss this time.
He had come to capture ghosts primarily to wait for Xu Hai to create仿真娃娃 (simulated dolls).
Capturing four slightly stronger ghosts would also help expand the black portion on his left hand.
Furthermore, the female ghost's ability was quite practical in itself.
Wen had mental defenses, yet her mental shock could make him momentarily dazed. If Wen could utilize this ability effectively, it would become a very practical one among his abilities.
After all, in a real battle, even a momentary daze could be enough to determine the outcome of the fight.
But if not for the mistake, Wen could have gained even more, and thus felt that he had lost out.
After adjusting his emotions, Wen closed his eyes, switched to Disaster Warden mode, and black energy surged around him.
Outside the facility, this mode had no power, but it possessed a special aura that could conceal Wen's identity.
After changing his state, Wen began to leave the aura of the Disaster Warden as much as possible within the steamed bun shop. This was his disguise.
After setting up the aura, Wen exited the steamed bun shop, then carefully re-attached the seal, leaving no trace of anyone having been there.
Wen did not conceal his aura because he had previously inquired about these ghosts and the fact that he had taken measures to deal with them could not be hidden from others. If it seemed like he had never been there, it would arouse Lin Zheyuan's suspicion.
So, the script he prepared was that he had been there, made a simple probe, found that he couldn't deal with these ghosts, and then left.
As for why the ghosts were eliminated by someone else, he was unaware…