Beside the mouse lay a cheap pack of cigarettes, the carton soaked and crumpled, a few unsmoked cigarettes still inside.
Tunzuo lowered her head and sniffed her fingers, a faint scent of tobacco lingering in the creases.
She let out a soft laugh and shook her head.
“I’d even forgotten I had this bad habit…”
Then, Tunzuo rummaged through the computer desk drawer, fished out an old USB drive, plugged it in, and saved her unfinished book.
Although Tunzuo knew this might be unnecessary, still—
“If I knew I’d get a second chance, I’d still want to save my book.”
After the transfer completed, Tunzuo pulled out the USB drive, slipped it into her pocket, turned around, and flopped onto that messy, unkempt bed.
The spring mattress let out an overburdened groan, and the pillow kicked up a layer of dust, but Tunzuo didn’t care in the slightest.
“I’m tired, I want to sleep. Surely no witch will object this time, right?”
Tunzuo buried her face into the pillow, her voice muffled and thick with drowsiness.
“Woof woof!”
The golden retriever excitedly jumped onto the bed, found a comfortable spot on Tunzuo’s left, and lay down, its fluffy head resting beside Tunzuo’s shoulder.
The red fox let out a huff, padded lightly around to the other side of the bed, curled up on Tunzuo’s right, and draped its tail over Tunzuo’s stomach like a warm, cozy blanket.
Feeling the two bundles of fluff beside her, Tunzuo broke into a smile, then closed her eyes.
“Good night, Mommy.”
“Good night, Olivia.”
Where am I?
Dazed and disoriented, Tunzuo opened her eyes, and all she could see was a blur of gray.
Tunzuo struggled to force her eyelids open, her pupils focusing, peeling the gray shape from the haze—it was a cheap cement ceiling, eroded by years of neglect.
A damp, rotting smell, air that hadn’t circulated in years, rushed into Tunzuo’s nostrils along with the dust, making her cough and wave her hands.
“Cough, cough… what the hell is that smell…”
Tunzuo dry-heaved twice and instinctively raised her hand to cover her nose and mouth, but then, as if remembering something, she froze in place.
Wait, this smell, and this ceiling…
Just a second ago she’d been feeling nauseous, and the next, her pupils suddenly dilated.
This nauseating smell was actually something Tunzuo knew all too well.
It required no recollection, no recognition—just contact, and it would precisely tear open the most painful scar deep in Tunzuo’s memory.
Trembling, Tunzuo raised her head and looked around.
Broken sports equipment was piled haphazardly in the corner, dusty basketballs, soccer balls, and volleyballs stacked in a huge iron cage, and the entire room had only a narrow window in the ceiling, allowing just a sliver of faint light to trickle in.
And Tunzuo was sitting on a yellowed, blackened, worn-out mat.
“No, no… this must be an illusion Mommy made… or maybe I’m just tired and having a nightmare. Yes, that’s right, it has to be that…”
Tunzuo hugged her knees, slumped on the mat, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
This place that terrified Tunzuo like a nightmare was none other than the sports equipment storage room where Tunzuo—no, Jiyu—had often been locked in during her middle school bullying.
“…I have to leave this place.”
“No, I can’t stay here any longer… I, I have to leave!”
Tunzuo struggled to her feet, legs trembling, stumbling toward the door, but just then, footsteps sounded from outside, growing closer and closer.
The blood in Tunzuo’s veins froze instantly.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the floor with a dull thud.
To Tunzuo, that was the sound of hell itself.
With a creak, the door to the equipment storage room swung open, harsh light flooding into the dim room, and three figures stepped in against the light.
Two men and one woman.
The faces of demons.
“Yo.”
The girl at the front spoke first.
She wore a neat school uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail, her features sweet, her smile bright and charming—but in Tunzuo’s eyes, it was utterly repulsive.
“You’re looking pretty energetic today, huh? Not curled up in the corner crying, but trying to make a run for the door?”
The girl’s words came out light and airy, as if teasing a cornered little snake.
She tilted her head, her smile growing even sweeter.
“What, you wanna get out?”
The boy on the girl’s left immediately chimed in, his face the very picture of a sycophant trying to please her.
“Pah! I say she needs a good lesson! Sis, we gotta teach her a lesson, make her know what she should and shouldn’t do!”
The boy on the girl’s right said nothing, hands in his pockets, standing aside with an amused expression, his ugly grin showing that his thoughts were no different from the other two.
Them again.
Why them again!
These three had been the nightmare that haunted Tunzuo her entire life.
They were the ones who’d bullied her from the start, tormented her, and then rallied others.
If they weren’t ostracizing Tunzuo, they were acting as accomplices.
The whole class, even the whole grade, everyone thought bullying Tunzuo was just a matter of course.
After all these years as a witch, Tunzuo had a temper too.
There was no way she’d let these three push her around again.
Tunzuo gritted her teeth, the words squeezing through the cracks, turning into a roar:
“I’m not a wild child without parents!”
Tunzuo’s words made the girl’s smile freeze.
Clearly, she hadn’t expected the pushover who only ever curled up in a corner and cried to actually talk back.
But she only froze for a second.
The next moment, an even more venomous taunt spilled from her lips.
“Oh? Learned to talk back, have we?”
The girl crossed her arms, her voice dripping with condescending contempt.
“A thing without manners is a thing without manners. Did you pick up that mouth from the flies in this storage room, or from your rat of a wild mother, wherever she is?”
The girl’s mockery successfully drew synchronized laughter from the two boys.
Their laughter echoed through the cramped storage room, stacking one on top of another, like countless needles stabbing into Tunzuo’s ears.
The vicious words snapped Tunzuo’s sanity completely.
Blazing rage drove her to swing her fist at the girl’s pretty face.
The sudden attack startled the girl back two steps, her smile twisting into panic.
Unfortunately, Tunzuo’s fist never landed on the girl’s face.
The instant Tunzuo swung, the boy on the left had already stepped forward, his rough hand clamping tightly around Tunzuo’s wrist, then a tremendous force yanked her and flung her away.
“Bang!”
Tunzuo traced a clumsy arc through the air and slammed hard onto the ground.
The searing pain made her let out a pained grunt she couldn’t suppress.
Only at this moment did Tunzuo realize that her body was no longer that of the Ghost Witch, with its magic and special powers, but had reverted to that frail, undernourished frame named Jiyu.
After steadying herself, the girl’s panic quickly gave way to fury, her voice sharp, laced with the sting of being offended.
“Damn it, you actually tried to hit me?!”
“Teach her a lesson!”
The girl walked to the ball cage, pulled out a basketball, and raised it high above her head.
“Let this bitch’s head clear up and learn how a wild child should behave!”
Before she even finished speaking, the basketball came flying hard at Tunzuo with a whoosh.
The two boys followed suit, grabbing soccer balls and volleyballs from the cage, hurling them all at Tunzuo where she lay on the ground.
In an instant, countless balls rained down like a storm.
Frail and weak, Tunzuo couldn’t fight back.
She could only cover her head, curling into a tiny ball in the corner, enduring every hit.
She couldn’t even slip into the shadows.
Tunzuo was no longer the Ghost Witch.
She was just Jiyu.
A Jiyu who could do nothing.
A basketball slammed into her shoulder, a volleyball crashed into her back, a soccer ball struck her knee, one after another, the dull thuds echoing through the storage room, mixed with Tunzuo’s sobs.
“Ugh…”
It hurts.
It really hurts.
Why… why do you bully me…
This wasn’t a nightmare.
This was reality.
Bloody reality!
The past she’d tried so desperately to escape—she’d really come back to it.
Back to those darkest days.
Back to that agonizing reality.
The pain in her body made Tunzuo understand this was no illusion.
“Waaah…”
The cruel reality shattered Tunzuo’s defenses completely.
She became that weak, helpless orphan again, covering her head, curled up in the corner, crying her heart out.
Someone, please save me.
Just as Tunzuo’s vision blurred with tears, a fierce bark suddenly burst into the room, and the relentless barrage of attacks stopped dead.
“Olivia, Mommy, where are you? I’m in so much pain…”
“Woof—woof woof woof!!!”
Tunzuo dazedly raised her head, looking ahead through blurred vision.
A golden retriever, appearing from nowhere, was viciously clamped onto the girl’s pant leg, shaking and tearing.
Its fur bristled all over, a low growl rumbling from its throat.
The girl was being dragged and stumbled about, her screams echoing through the entire storage room.
“Ahhh! Where did this stray dog come from! Get it off me! Get it off!”
The two boys scrambled to rush over, one trying to pry the dog’s jaws open, the other yanking the girl’s arm.
The three of them fell into chaos.
But no matter what, the golden retriever wouldn’t let go.
Even as the two boys kicked and beat it, the dog’s body trembled with effort, showing no sign of backing down.
Tunzuo stared blankly at the golden retriever.
She saw its eyes—brilliant gold.
Like molten gold.
Like warm sunlight.
Exactly like a certain witch she knew.
“Olivia?”
In the gap between the golden retriever and the girl’s tug-of-war, one of the boys seized an opening, raised his leg, and delivered a heavy kick to the dog’s belly.
“Yelp—”
The golden retriever let out a pained whimper and was forced to release its grip, but it didn’t flee.
It staggered back a few steps, then turned around and firmly planted itself in front of Tunzuo.
The golden retriever lowered its body, baring its teeth at the three, a low growl rolling in its throat, its four paws digging into the ground like an unbreachable line of defense.
“Damn it! Where did this wild child get a stray dog from!”
The girl looked down at her torn pant leg, shaking with rage.
“My pants are ruined! Throw! Throw everything at them! That damn animal too! Kill it if you can!”
Before she even finished, even more balls came flying in a deluge—more numerous, denser, and harder than before.
Seeing this, the golden retriever frantically turned around, tackled Tunzuo down, and shielded her completely beneath its body, taking every single hit for her, refusing to let her suffer a single injury.
Tunzuo sobbed, hot tears rolling from the corners of her eyes, splashing onto the cold cement floor.
“You idiot…”
Tunzuo stared at the golden fur so close before her, at those familiar brilliant golden eyes, at the golden retriever clenching its jaws and enduring the pain.
Tears burned away drop by drop, replaced by hatred.
By rage.
Endless hatred and fury left only one thought in Tunzuo’s mind.
Kill!
Kill them all!
Make them pay!
Blood for blood!
As Antuxi had said—love or hate, pure and intense emotional surges were the perfect amplifier for spiritual power.
And so, with Tunzuo’s breath, invisible threads began to spread densely from her body.
Centered on Tunzuo, the threads extended in all directions, climbing the walls, crawling over the equipment, burrowing into every crack in the floor.
In the blink of an eye, the countless balls flying toward Tunzuo came to an eerie halt, suspended motionless in midair.
Then, the entire storage room began to tremble violently.
The rusted equipment racks let out shrill groans, and years of accumulated dust fell from the ceiling in fine streams.
“W-what’s going on…?”
The girl staggered back, her face shifting from shock to fear, while Tunzuo, still lying on the ground, silently raised her hand—then clenched her fist.
The ground split open instantly.
A huge chasm yawned beneath the girl’s feet, swallowing her legs whole, then sealed shut a second later.
“Ahh—!!!”
Heart-rending screams echoed through the storage room, the crisp crack of breaking bones clearly audible.
The girl collapsed forward, her lower body trapped in the sealed ground, blood gushing from the cracks, quickly staining the cement floor dark red.
The girl clawed at the ground, thrashing wildly.
Her nails broke, blood dripping, but no matter what, she couldn’t pull herself free.
“M-monster!!”
The two boys finally seemed to realize what was happening.
Terror drained the color from their faces.
They spun and bolted for the door, stumbling and nearly crashing into each other, leaving the girl behind.
“Hey! You two! Save me! Save me!!”
The girl reached out a bloody, mangled hand toward the direction the boys had fled, her voice filled with despair.
Crash—
The sound of shattering glass came from nearby, making the girl whip her head around in terror.
Tunzuo rose from the ground, walked over to the fire extinguisher cabinet against the wall, punched through the glass, and pulled out a heavy fire axe with her bloodied hand.
Tunzuo dragged the fire axe, slowly advancing toward the girl, the heavy blade scraping against the cement floor with a grating screech, like a death knell tolling.
Tunzuo’s eyes were icy cold, her face like a demon’s.
“No, no! I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Please spare me…”
Her pretty face twisted in terror.
The girl’s exposed upper body struggled desperately, snot and tears streaming down.
“I… I really won’t do it again! Please, please spare me, I…”
Tunzuo stopped in front of the girl, raising the fire axe high.
“No, please no!!!”
Thud!
Blood and brains flew together, splattering across Tunzuo, dyeing her crimson, but the swinging axe didn’t stop.
Thud!
Thud!!
Thud!!!
The axe fell again and again, hacking into the girl’s corpse.
All the suppressed hatred, all the unbearable past, were shattered in this moment of catharsis.
“Ha, haha…”
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
After who knows how long, Tunzuo suddenly threw her head back and laughed, wild and manic laughter echoing through the storage room, while raging spiritual power swept outward like a tsunami.
In an instant, the storage room, like a cage, was utterly crushed to dust.
Brilliant sunlight poured down onto Tunzuo without obstruction, making the blood gleam even more blindingly.
In front of Tunzuo now lay nothing but a pulpy mess of flesh and blood.
“Woof woof!”
The golden retriever ran out from the ruins, affectionately rubbing against Tunzuo’s pant leg, its tail wagging like a propeller, its brilliant golden eyes sparkling as if it were happy for Tunzuo.
Tunzuo bent down slightly, gently rubbing the golden retriever’s fluffy head, her voice hoarse and calm.
“Let’s go, good dog. We still have debts to collect.”
“Woof!”
Tunzuo straightened up, her gaze sharp and piercing ahead.
Just as she took a step, she suddenly froze.
On the road in front of the storage room, a large pit had appeared out of nowhere—a pit that, in Tunzuo’s memory, shouldn’t exist at all.
Tunzuo gripped the axe handle, slowly walked to the edge of the pit, and looked down.
The bottom of the pit was densely packed with countless sharpened bamboo spears, points facing upward, gleaming with sinister cold light.
The two boys who had just fled were both lying at the bottom, their bodies impaled by the spears, already a mess of flesh and blood.
Seeing this, Tunzuo felt something stir in her heart and turned to look to one side.
There, on a nearby slope, sat a cunning red fox, head tilted, watching Tunzuo with a smiling expression, its eyes curved into lovely crescent moons.
Tunzuo froze for a moment at the sight of the red fox, then smiled with understanding.
“Really… what a nasty prank, Mommy.”
To this, the red fox said nothing.
It simply rose gracefully, flicked its fluffy tail, and walked toward the other side of the slope.
Tunzuo hefted the fire axe and followed close behind the red fox, while the golden retriever strode proudly at Tunzuo’s side.
And so, with the red fox leading and the golden retriever guarding, the snake bared its fangs.
[Hatred is born of loneliness, and endless malice ferments it into growth]
[Hatred tempers venom, giving the kind snake its fangs]
“Student Jiyu, what are you doing in the office?”
“I told you, don’t bring these matters to the teacher. Also, have you done today’s duty? That’s your own responsibility—”
“Wait, what are you—?! No, the teacher is just doing her—”
Thud!
[The snake repays every grievance, beyond good and evil, beyond right and wrong]
“Oh, if it isn’t Jiyu? How come you didn’t stay for ‘unpaid overtime’ today? Let me tell you, you better do your share of my work well, and maybe I’ll put in a good word for you with the team leader.”
“Grr—woof woof woof!”
“Don’t, don’t bite me! I have my reasons, let me explain—”
Thud!!
[The snake lurks in the shadows, never forgiving, never letting go]
[The snake strikes silently, and the venom it injects leaves no chance of survival]
“Jiyu? Do you know it’s work hours right now?! Get back to your post! I said, no matter what, you’re turning in that report today! If you can’t, then get out!”
“No, please, I was wrong, spare me! I have a daughter! I’ll give you a raise! I’ll give you comp time off! I’ll give you anything you want, just—”
Thud!
[Run, run, the snake’s vengeance will chase you to the very end of death]
[Nothing can rob the snake of its rest, for hatred keeps the snake from ever sleeping]
Each time the fire axe fell, Tunzuo’s body grew a little taller, her hair a little longer.
The frail, weak frame gradually transformed—from Jiyu back to Tunzuo, back to the Ghost Witch.
Finally, Tunzuo arrived at the end of everything, which was also the beginning—Room 502, the rental apartment Jiyu had once lived in.
Tunzuo stood at the door, gazing at the familiar iron door.
She didn’t use the axe, didn’t use a key.
She simply reached out and used her telekinesis to unlock the door.
With a click, the sound of the latch springing back echoed through the silent hallway.
Tunzuo took a deep breath and slowly pressed down the door handle.
Everything inside was exactly as Tunzuo had left it.
The cramped room, the shabby furniture, the table piled with clutter, and the messy bed.
The only difference was probably the corpse on the floor.
A damp, decayed odor drifted into Tunzuo’s nostrils, and the furnishings inside were exactly as she’d left them.
A gaunt young man lay flat on the ground, eyes closed, as if asleep.
His skin was ashen gray, life long gone, the wound at his wrist already clotted into dark red.
Tunzuo set the fire axe by the door, knelt beside the corpse, her movements so gentle, as if afraid of waking the young man.
Then, Tunzuo reached out, stroked the head of the golden retriever that had come close, and spoke softly.
“Hey, Olivia, you know what? That pathetic loser lying on the ground? That’s me.”
“That’s… me.”
Big, heavy tears rolled down Tunzuo’s face.
She was still smiling, but the bitterness in it couldn’t be hidden no matter what.
Tears mixed with the not-yet-dried blood on Tunzuo’s face, streaming down, splashing onto the corpse’s clothes, leaving dark spots one after another.
The golden retriever silently burrowed into Tunzuo’s arms, wrapping her in its soft fur and warm body heat, trying to make her feel better, while the red fox padded gently to Tunzuo’s side and extended its tongue to lick away the tears on her face.
“Alright, alright~ I’m fine.”
Tunzuo sniffled, smiled, waved her hand, and wiped her face haphazardly with her sleeve.
“It’s just… a little nostalgia, that’s all.”
Tunzuo looked at the corpse lying on the ground, slowly reaching out her hand.
The moment her fingertip touched the body, it dissolved into countless fine specks of light, scattering like fireflies, merging drop by drop into Tunzuo’s body.
When Tunzuo opened her eyes again, the two wisps of ghostly green soul fire deep in her pupils had reignited.
Tunzuo had fully become the sleepy Ghost Witch again.
Tunzuo stood up, surveying the room she’d lived in for so long.
Her gaze swept over the cracks in the walls, the half-eaten cup of instant noodles on the table, the mountains of crumpled paper balls stacked on the floor, and finally stopped at the computer desk.
The monitor was still on.
Tunzuo walked over.
On the screen was an unfinished draft, the cursor blinking steadily at the end of a period, as if waiting for its owner to return.