Hearing this, though incapable of verbal response, the ghost hand expressed its meaning through a five-fingered splay followed by two rolling circles on the floor.
"Nope nope nope, can't can't can't, impossible impossible impossible."
Ye Xing looked disgusted.
"Stop acting cute, it's disgusting."
Of course, he'd only been joking.
Soul Materialisation, an ability belonging to the realm of idealism, shared many similarities with evil spirits.
For instance.
His ghost hand and Miko Yotsuya's Hyakume both followed one rule.
They first had to be "seen" by someone - manifested before them - before being able harm that person.
Otherwise, like ordinary evil spirits and humans, they'd be unable to interact, simply passing through each other.
According to Rio Futaba's intelligence analysis, what could harm evil spirits wasn't any weapon.
It was psychics like Ye Xing and Miko Yotsuya themselves.
A simple example.
Ye Xing could harm evil spirits with silver nails, but ordinary non-psychic humans waving nails would only amuse the spirits.
Miko had once raised a question.
"Why not just use explosives to level the area where a Gate is located?"
Leaving aside how violent the idea was, it did have feasibility.
The premise was that the process of placing and detonating the explosives had to be carried out personally by either Ye Xing or Miko Yotsuya.
If an ordinary person ignited the explosives, even if the abandoned building was destroyed, the Gate hidden within wouldn't be affected in the slightest.
In short, just as Rio Futaba had said, this was an ability born from "perception" and "observation."
"Looks like I'll have to use that move," Ye Xing muttered to himself. Under Hachishaku-sama's puzzled gaze, he strode openly and unhesitatingly into the clubroom.
"Hello, everyone."
At the sound of footsteps and Ye Xing's cheerful greeting from the doorway, the kidnappers inside instantly raised their firearms. Over twenty pitch-black muzzles locked onto him.
"Who the hell are you!?"
Not just the kidnappers—even the kindergarten staff and children held hostage were startled by Ye Xing's appearance.
Imagine this:
The pale golden light of dusk streamed through the windows, spilling onto the floor.
Standing bathed in that light was a mysterious figure clad in a black overcoat, face concealed by a full black mask, long black hair tied back—revealing only a pair of dark eyes.
It was practically the setup for a deranged killer about to strike!
Facing the tense kidnappers, fingers poised on triggers as if ready to fire at any moment, Ye Xing feigned surprise and sighed helplessly.
"Eh? Don't you recognise me?"
Without pausing for breath, he rattled off a string of names.
"It's me! Sato-kun, Kobayashi-kun, Takahashi-kun, Suzuki-kun, Ito-kun, Yamamoto-kun—you lot really do have short memories, huh?"
As he listed the names, he observed the reactions of the kidnappers.
At the surnames Sato, Takahashi, and Yamamoto, three of the kidnappers visibly hesitated, confusion flickering in their eyes.
"Ah, really don't remember?"
Unfazed by the guns trained on him, Ye Xing stepped forward with a chuckle, greeting one of them warmly.
"Hey, Yamamoto-kun, we had drinks together last time, remember? There was that guy too—we had such a blast, even promised to go drinking again next time."
The kidnapper surnamed Yamamoto, swayed by Ye Xing's confident tone, lowered his gun slightly, hesitation creeping onto his face.
"D-drinks? That... happened?"
"Eh? You really forgot? Then I'll just have to spill all the embarrassing stuff you did when you were wasted."
"N-no, don't! Please don't!"
By now, the Yamamoto-named kidnapper was fully ensnared.
The people of Japan were just too naive.
As a transmigrator who'd lived two lives, Ye Xing naturally had to give them a little taste of classic scam tactics.
Hey, hey, it's me—don't you recognise my voice?
Yeah, yeah, that's right, it's me—I'm in a bit of a tight spot right now, could you lend me some money?
Even the surnames he'd listed were carefully chosen—some of the most common in Japan.
Unless his luck was abysmal, among so many kidnappers, there were bound to be a few with those names.
No need for Ye Xing to say anything more.
The kidnapper, Mr Yamamoto, had already begun recalling which drunken episode had led him to do something utterly humiliating, automatically associating someone present at the time with the Ye Xing before him.
"Oh, oh, aren't you that guy? What are you doing here today?"
Ye Xing flashed a mysterious smile and beckoned to the kidnappers.
"Come closer. I've got some big news to share."
Of course, thanks to the full-face mask, no one could actually see his expression.
But!
Just because they couldn't see it, did that mean he could slack off?
Absolutely not!
This was the professional integrity of a dedicated actor!
Hearing his tone, and with one of their own seemingly recognising him, the kidnappers instinctively leaned in, eager to hear what Ye Xing had to say next.
Ye Xing chuckled, sweeping his gaze over the kidnappers gathered around him, then spoke softly.
"Kill them all. Leave none alive."
The moment the words left his lips, before the kidnappers could react, their pupils reflected the towering figure of a woman in white.
And the pale ghost hand hovering above their heads like the sword of Damocles.
Hachishaku-sama's ink-black, silky hair instantly stiffened into needle-like spikes, her elegant and beautiful face now revealing the true visage of an evil spirit.
With just a few strands of hair extending, she effortlessly pierced the throats of seven kidnappers.
Meanwhile, the massive pale ghost hand, its five fingers moving like a human crushing ants, pressed down on five kidnappers from above. With the sickening crunch of shattered bones, they were reduced to bloody pulp in an instant.
Humans were fragile creatures.
Even if manipulated and lured by evil spirits, that didn't mean they gained an evil spirit's power.
The moment the condition of "seeing" was met, the kidnappers technically gained the ability to harm the pale ghost hand and Hachishaku-sama.
The problem was.
Watching their comrades, who had been standing mere seconds ago, turn into unrecognisable, gory paste smeared across the floor in less than a second—the sheer terror of the sight left them utterly dumbstruck.
Ye Xing, of course, wouldn't miss such an opportunity.
Moving like a phantom, he flashed before one kidnapper, clenched his right hand into a fist, and struck the man's Adam's apple.
With a crisp, cracking sound, the kidnapper collapsed stiffly to the ground, the light in his eyes extinguished.
"I may be a professional exorcist."
"But I'm also quite skilled at killing humans."