Thump… thump… thump…

The knocking never ceased from dawn to dusk. Unlike ordinary knocks, this was ghostly—plugging your ears wouldn’t block it out.

Annoyed, Dr. Chen cranked the TV volume to max. It didn’t help. Instead, downstairs neighbors yelled at him. When they stormed up, they seemingly saw no trace of that Malevolent Ghost.

“Fine! You win. If I can’t fight you, I’ll just leave!” Knowing the ghost waited outside, Dr. Chen resolutely hugged the jar holding the young lady, pushed the door open, and stepped out.

The Malevolent Ghost with a rotting face stood hunched at the threshold. Seeing Dr. Chen emerge, it gave no reaction—just stared blankly.

No hostility shown. So the crimson-robed Malevolent Ghost wouldn’t strike.

“What are you staring at?” Dr. Chen nearly threw a punch. But gazing at its pus-dripping, decaying face, his stomach churned. He forced the urge down.

Slap… slap… slap…

No more knocking—now it slapped its own body. The Malevolent Ghost trailed behind Dr. Chen, noise relentless, fraying his nerves until his head felt ready to burst.

Finally reaching a restaurant, Dr. Chen sat and ordered a set meal. Yet the ghost loomed beside the table, thick slime dripping from its face, reeking foully.

When a drop landed in his plate—Dr. Chen snapped.

“You insane?! You’re a ghost—can’t you just *scare* people normally?!” His roar drew stares. To onlookers, a seemingly unstable man raged at empty air.

“Come on! Strangle me! Do it! Aren’t you a ghost? Love choking people, huh? STRANGLE ME! AAAAAH!”

Dr. Chen ripped open his collar, stood, ignored the revulsion, seized the Malevolent Ghost’s hands, and jammed them against his neck. Still—no move.

Slowly, it withdrew its hands… and resumed the slapping.

“AAAAAAAH! I’M LOSING IT!” Dr. Chen clutched his head, face twisted in agony, pounding the table.

“Sir… please keep the noise down?” The waitress approached cautiously, voice trembling. If he *was* unstable, she wouldn’t be liable if hurt.

“Noise? Can *my* noise compare to *its*? Oh right… you can’t see it. Keep talking, and yeah—they’ll think I’m crazy.”

He slapped loose change onto the table and stood. People instinctively parted. A ten-meter void opened around him.

“Escaped from that asylum? Heard a massacre happened—director, nurses, all dead. Horrific. Limbs severed, turned into human trunks… lingchi… every torture imaginable. Patients did it. Most fled. Investigation’s still ongoing…”

“Really? Never heard that.”

“How could it be reported? My cousin delivers veggies there. He said that day…”

Dr. Chen was already gone. He never heard them.

“Alright, alright! Big sis? Big bro? I surrender! You win! It’s just signing, right? Get this ghost OFF me—I’ll sign NOW!”

[“Heh heh~ Too green to challenge me. A package will arrive soon. Drip your blood on it. Then you’re under my watch. Don’t end up like the last ones. Oh—I’ll give you the toughest paranormal cases. Generous, huh? See that thing haunting you? Previous user. Pity… ended up like *that* during a Level-2 mission.”]

Slipped up. Dr. Chen now knew the price: after death, his soul enslaved—no peace even as a ghost.

But he’d never give them the chance.