In the instant the Pseudo-humans were stunned by the Specter's attack, Richard also used brute force to break free from the Pseudo-human's assault, turning the wooden stick to its sharp end and plunging it into the ground.
With a sound of flesh being pierced and blood splattering, the Pseudo-human whose shadow was stabbed developed a penetrating wound from the wooden spike in its chest, but unlike previous injuries, it could not heal.
"Cannot... understand..." The Pseudo-human let out a dying whisper, its entire body first shriveling, then suddenly expanding, and finally exploding into a paste-like substance similar to what was seen in the room.
"Heh." The other Pseudo-human seemed to hear a sinister chuckle. Looking up, it saw the human who had just personally killed one of its kind, displaying a fanatical expression with a face covered in the Pseudo-human's bodily fluids.
The Pseudo-human shivered. This was just an ordinary expression; they, the Pseudo-humans, could even create more twisted and unnatural looks. But for some reason, such a simple smile triggered an urge to flee.
This human... is not right!
"Don't let it escape," Richard said softly. The folding stool and animal doll immediately flew out of Howard and James's hands, pouncing on the Pseudo-human.
Perhaps the Pseudo-human had never seen such a peculiar Anomaly as a ghost. It cried out and cursed wildly as it was chased.
Howard and James watched as a terrifying monster was killed on the spot. Shock temporarily overshadowed fear, but soon, recalling some details, they couldn't help but feel a chilling sense of dread upon closer thought.
"Chade, that folding stool and doll..."
"They are consecrated artifacts from the East," Richard emphasized with a straight face. "They are definitely not some spiritual oddities. Trust me, haven't they protected you?"
"This... this is true." The two old uncles looked at each other. But they could also hear the hidden meaning in Richard's words, telling them not to delve too deeply into the truth behind those two items, but to focus on their actions.
Suppressing their pounding hearts, the two men and Richard ran out of the room, beginning actions completely opposite to before.
The situation reversed; the positions of hunter and prey had changed. The monstrous Pseudo-human, which should have been slaughtering humans, now became prey that could be killed by the combined efforts of Specters and humans if it didn't try to escape.
Tonight, both Pseudo-humans and humans felt the situation was quite surreal.
Richard activated Spirit Vision, able to capture the traces of the Specters left in the space as they frantically pursued their prey. Following these traces, he led the two old uncles through corridors and passageways, stepping over countless broken glass and ceramic shards, finally arriving at the bedroom of Old Master Harrington on the first floor.
"Oh, thank God, guns!" After entering the old master's room, the two uncles, Howard and James, immediately eyed the two hunting rifles hanging on the wall with sparkling eyes. Each took one and a string of bullets, their smiles widening and their tense shoulders relaxing considerably.
Richard gave the two uncles a strange look. Was human fear really just a result of insufficient firepower?
The room was a mess, with traces of struggle everywhere. Cotton from dolls, broken materials from the folding stool, and the Pseudo-human monster's bodily fluids were scattered among overturned furniture. The expensive carpet was clearly beyond saving; even Richard, with his A-rank All-around Housework, stated that it couldn't be repaired without damaging it.
Richard swept aside the bedsheets and table, revealing the entrance to a secret passage hidden beneath the bookshelf.
"Your villa has a basement?" Richard curiously asked the uncles.
James gripped his hunting rifle with both hands, "Of course it does, but the basement is just a storage room and wine cellar, and the entrance isn't here. It seems this is a secret passage only known to the family master."
"It seems Pseudo-humans might have some kind of sensing ability," Richard said, pulling out the small flashlight from his pajama top again and illuminating the dark underground passage. "Most likely, it sensed that it has companions down here and is seeking aid."
"Father, Steve, and Jenny might also be down there." Howard also deduced this. He took a deep breath, "Let's go down too."
"The passage is a bit narrow. For safety, let's proceed single file with some distance between us," James said, looking at Richard and Howard with a cold sweat on his brow. "I'll lead the way."
Richard did not refuse. Since this was Mr. James's personal choice, he would respect it.
The three entered the secret passage, facing complete darkness. The flashlight's illuminated range was limited, with clear visibility extending about five meters. Beyond that, it would be difficult to see.
It was not quiet below. The secret passage was filled with sounds of intestinal peristalsis and ghostly wails, and human voices could faintly be heard.
"Is that Steve's voice?" James, who was at the front, immediately recognized the owner of the voice, but he dared not act rashly. The thought that the Pseudo-humans might be luring them with voices forced him to remain rational and not act impulsively.
Continuing to slowly descend the stairs, they finally reached flat ground. Ahead was a spacious corridor, like a dungeon, illuminated by lights, but the wiring was poor, causing the lights to flicker.
Haaah—
In a place James and Howard couldn't see, two blue spiritual entities floated beside Richard. After whispering something into Richard's ear, they entered a black hole, visible only to spiritual entities, that Richard had opened, entering Richard's mental space.
These two Specters were clearly the ones previously residing in the folding stool and animal doll, but they evidently failed to stop and kill the Pseudo-humans. Instead, the Pseudo-humans completely shattered their host items, preventing them from fighting in physical form.
At the same time, James and Howard noticed the streetlights ahead dimming, and the world grew quiet, with only the sound of fast-moving footsteps, similar to human ones, audible.
"Be careful, the folding stool and doll that chased them out were defeated. Those Pseudo-humans are no longer restrained," Richard said.
Hearing this, James and Howard immediately held their breath, not expecting the situation to reverse so quickly.
Thump thump thump thump thump—
Suddenly, a rapid series of footsteps approached. James and Howard's expressions hardened. Aiming at the several shadows illuminated by their flashlights, they fired two shots at their feet.
After two gunshots, the running Pseudo-humans continued to run, but screams came from behind them.
"Ah!!!" A heart-wrenching scream was followed by other people's frantic comforting and cries for help.
James and Howard, however, were somewhat bewildered, because they had heard their respective wives' screams. For a moment, they didn't know if they had accidentally shot their wives.
Seeing the Pseudo-humans about to charge, Richard pushed them both aside from between them, brandished the wooden stick in his hand, and rushed forward, striking Mrs. James and Mrs. Howard, who were running like Abnormal Types, twice.
"Ah!" Two more screams erupted. This time, Richard clearly heard the source of the sound: it came from a cubicle at the end of the corridor.
This time, Steve's voice came from inside the cubicle: "Stop! Chade! Is that you fighting the monsters outside the door? Don't attack the monsters before they revert to their original forms; they can transfer damage to the original person they copied."
"Oh my God..." Hearing this, James and Howard were on the verge of collapse. Could it be that their previous two shots had hit their wives?
Richard looked at the wooden stick in his hand, silently. He had also struck twice... This... they shouldn't be dead, right?