"This is my jurisdiction! You parasol ghost are being too arrogant!"
Amidst the chaos, a voice, calm yet tinged with a trace of anger, stood out distinctly among the cries for help.
Many people instinctively turned to look at the owner of the voice, none other than the white-clothed man on the podium, the Awakened from the Paranormal Handling Department!
That's right! This year's graduation ceremony invited an Awakened!
A surge of hope welled up in everyone's hearts.
The clamoring crowd suddenly became much quieter, eyes full of hope watching the white-clothed man leap from the podium, quickly dashing toward the Oil Paper Umbrella as soon as he saw it.
Perhaps sensing the threat, the Oil Paper Umbrella attempted to float higher to evade the white-clothed Awakened.
But unexpectedly, the white-clothed Awakened pushed off the ground with a powerful force, causing the smooth tiles to crack like a spider web.
With the aid of the momentum from his feet, he leaped nearly four meters into the air, leveling with the Oil Paper Umbrella that was trying to float away.
With a cold gaze, he extended his right hand, pressing down on the top of the Oil Paper Umbrella, and said coldly, "Get down!"
As soon as he spoke, a seam opened in the center of the white-clothed Awakened's right palm, slowly revealing a bizarre eyeball that stared unblinkingly at the Oil Paper Umbrella.
With just a casual glance, the Oil Paper Umbrella abruptly stopped moving; not only that, but it also folded up and weakly fell to the ground.
As the Oil Paper Umbrella folded and fell, the eyeball in the white-clothed Awakened's hand filled with blood streaks, even seeping a hint of blood-red from within.
It's evident that suppressing the parasol ghost even briefly had placed a significant burden on him; once the eyeball closed, the Oil Paper Umbrella would again spring forth to kill.
But the white-clothed Awakened wouldn't give such a chance!
He immediately drew a dagger and a thumb-sized bottle from his waist, smashing the bottle and smearing the strange red liquid inside onto the dagger, releasing a nauseating blood scent.
The liquid moved like it was alive on the dagger.
He plunged it toward the Oil Paper Umbrella.
Unexpectedly, the body of the Oil Paper Umbrella, which was a ghost itself, was easily pierced, while the white-clothed Awakened rapidly wielded the dagger, turning the umbrella into scattered pieces on the ground in moments.
Clearly, that unknown liquid played a crucial role.
"Saved... we're saved!"
"Is this what an Awakened is?!"
"Boohoo! That umbrella nearly touched my head! He's a lifesaver!"
As everyone saw the pile of umbrella fragments on the ground, their tension was relieved, joyful cheers erupted, full of praise and thanks to the white-clothed Awakened.
The thrill of escaping from death even brought many to tears.
"Everyone, rest assured! The ghost has been..." the white-clothed Awakened turned to comfort the surrounding crowd.
Before he could finish, an unexpected change occurred!
The corpses affected by the Oil Paper Umbrella began to float slowly into the air as if moved by an invisible wind.
Then came an even more horrifying scene.
Bang—
Just like the sound of an umbrella opening, the corpses underwent a drastic transformation, turning limbs into umbrella ribs and skin and flesh into umbrella fabric.
In an instant, they became Oil Paper Umbrellas that continuously dripped blood.
The eerie umbrellas numbered at least a dozen, floating higher and moving toward the crowd.
Not only did they obstruct the light, casting a wide swath of shadow, but they also clouded the hearts of the people with dread.
The white-clothed Awakened immediately looked at the shattered umbrella pieces on the ground, only to find them completely gone.
He glanced down at his palm, seeing the fully closed eyeball, despair creeping in.
Who could have guessed the parasol ghost had such a contingency!
"My head! I can't control my head! Help!"
Cries of horror rang through the crowd once again.
Drip—
The white-clothed Awakened felt something wet drop onto his shoulder and reflexively turned to look.
Red droplets appeared on his previously pure white clothes.
He looked up in despair, seeing three to five ghostly parasol umbrellas above him, dripping blood that stained his white clothes red.
An unstoppable force rushed into his mind, causing his head to tilt uncontrollably to a ninety-degree angle.
Crack—
A column of blood shot skyward.
......
"Ah!"
With a fearful cry, the white-clothed Awakened abruptly stood up from the podium.
He looked around at the normal graduation ceremony, the confused expressions of those nearby, and the untouched dagger and precious blood vial in his pocket.
Sweat drenched him.
"Was it... just a dream?" His hands still trembled as he instinctively touched his head to make sure it was still attached to his neck.
It all felt so real.
Thankfully, it was just a boring graduation ceremony nap that triggered a dream; if a terrifying ghost indeed caused supernatural events here, it would have been a disaster!
But after a few moments of relief, the white-clothed Awakened still looked below the auditorium with concern.
Awakened individuals don't often dream, and when they do, it's usually a warning of some impending danger.
In the dream, that parasol ghost turned this place into a living hell in mere minutes.
What if that dream came true?
He wouldn't stand a chance against that parasol ghost!
He peered toward where the supernatural event initially occurred in his dream and actually spotted a peculiar large red Oil Paper Umbrella leaning against the wall by the exit.
Nearby, a petite girl looked curiously at it, ready to reach out and pick up the umbrella for a closer look.
"Don't touch that umbrella!"
The white-clothed Awakened shouted, disregarding his exalted image, in an instinctive warning.
At that moment, the overpowering dread from the dream rushed back, making him feel as if his head might start twisting, with a phantom pain twinging in his neck!
Was it really going to happen?
Step by step, someone approached the Oil Paper Umbrella, and the blood-stained tension in the Awakened's eyes was visible, but he was too far from the eastern exit to prevent the parasol's opening.
However, a clean-cut young man casually stepped forward and blocked the girl's path.
"Sorry, but this is my umbrella," he said apologetically, grabbing it without regard for the girl's curiosity, attaching a piece of paper to it, and heading out of the venue.
The girl, unable to admire the umbrella, felt a pang of disappointment and was about to ask where he got it, but all she saw was his retreating figure.
"Ah?" The white-clothed Awakened on the stage was even more stunned watching the boy's departure.
The dreaded confrontation with the fierce ghost didn't happen.
Was the Oil Paper Umbrella just casually taken away?!
His fluctuating emotions nearly made him stumble from his seat.
Now he suddenly doubted whether he was overly nervous; perhaps it was just an ordinary Oil Paper Umbrella?
After all, the fierce ghost didn't appear!
But once calmed, the white-clothed Awakened still uneasily patted the principal who had just returned from giving a speech.
In an ostensibly casual manner, he asked, "Principal Xu, do you recognize the boy who just left through the eastern exit?"
It was a rhetorical question; perhaps he'd need to investigate post-ceremony since a school has so many students; how could the principal know them all?
But to his surprise, Principal Xu, feeling honored to be addressed, did glance and gave a reply!
"That boy with the umbrella? Of course, perhaps half the teachers and students recognize him. Did he offend you somehow?"
"Hmm? What's meant by 'also'?"
The white-clothed Awakened was taken aback, noticing Principal Xu's somewhat gritted teeth when mentioning the boy.
But recalling something unpleasant, Principal Xu sighed and said, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a student with peculiar habits and a tendency to offend with his words."
"Just give me his name," the white-clothed Awakened shook his head, indicating he hadn't been offended.
Principal Xu replied word by word:
"Journalism graduate—Wu Liang."