Chapter 163: Ecstasy
“This is no longer a rare or common problem…”
“Being able to probe the situation inside the room directly across the doorway doesn’t seem possible no matter how you think about it.”
The Mannequin looked at the map that was constantly refreshing with some apprehension.
It had stayed in the corridor here for more than ten years, yet it had never encountered such a strange thing.
This was equivalent to bypassing the mechanism of the Ghost Ship, so how could such an existence be imprisoned by the Ghost Ship’s Room?
“You don’t know either?” Zhang Qian muttered, not paying it much mind.
After all, he had attempted it many times before. The Ghost Map couldn’t be said to be one hundred percent safe, but holding it temporarily showed no drawbacks.
This map was the crucial item for whether he could leave the aisle, so those side effects of unknown existence could be temporarily ignored.
That doorway banging noisily was gradually left behind, and as a thick darkness devoured past, the entire aisle fell into silence again.
The map was still refreshing, with more and more rooms appearing, including no lack of rooms with lighter colors.
At least they still couldn’t meet Zhang Qian’s requirements.
Having the map did make selecting rooms much more convenient, but in this situation, it also made it harder to make a decision.
Because there was always a feeling that there were better choices ahead, so facing those ordinary paths made them somewhat unappealing.
“The aisle is just the first layer of Supernatural Space on the Ghost Ship. I don’t know how deep a place I still need to go to find the Captain…”
“Although my time isn’t pressing, it’s not advisable to waste too much time here.”
Comparing with the map in his hand, Zhang Qian set a standard for himself.
Based on the current progress, finding a continuous blank room wasn’t impossible, but the difficulty was definitely high.
A route composed of Seven Rooms, as long as the concentration didn’t exceed half, then it could be tried.
“Don’t you think our current posture is a bit awkward?”
The Mannequin’s bald head suddenly turned slowly, its pitch black eyes staring straight at Zhang Qian.
Ever since coming out of the room, Zhang Qian had no intention of putting down the Mannequin. His right hand always gripped its neck, and even the wooden stick was just clutched in his left hand together with the map.
Although being held in hand didn’t make the Mannequin feel any shame, it always felt that Zhang Qian had other intentions, making it somewhat uneasy.
“So what do you want to do?”
Zhang Qian observed the surrounding environment while casually responding.
The Mannequin thought for a moment, then proposed considerately: “With you holding me in one hand right now, it’s equivalent to wasting half of your combat power. Actually, it’s not that troublesome. I can completely crawl on your back.”
“Better not. This is quite comfortable.” Zhang Qian rejected decisively.
The Mannequin’s ability was to control Fierce Ghost, but it wasn’t necessarily limited to controlling Fierce Ghosts.
Putting such a thing directly on his body without restrictions, Zhang Qian believed he wasn’t that bold yet.
However, the Mannequin’s suggestion wasn’t meaningless. If they encountered a Fierce Ghost, one hand to grab the Mannequin and one hand to hold the map, it did seem a bit hectic.
“How about you walk down by yourself for a couple steps?” Zhang Qian asked.
He wasn’t worried about the Mannequin escaping, because with the Ghost Map’s guidance, leaving the aisle was almost a sure thing; it just depended on how much time it would take.
This thing had been here for so long without being able to leave the aisle, so it was impossible for it to give up this chance right at hand.
“In my current state, I’m afraid I can’t keep up with your speed.”
The Mannequin tried to lift its arms, but unfortunately, except for the arms moving slightly, there was no reaction anywhere else.
“Then you should just stay put obediently.”
After responding, Zhang Qian finally noticed that the Mannequin’s limbs seemed to have some problems.
The upper halves of its hands and feet were still normal, but below the joints, they all seemed reversed.
Moreover, this inversion was very discordant, and at the connection points, spiral-like traces could be seen, as if someone had grabbed the Mannequin’s arms and twisted them with brute force.
Cracks, burns, severed limbs… how many attacks had it encountered?
If not for the Fierce Ghost’s undead body, probably any one of those attacks would have flattened it.
With no ideal route found yet, Zhang Qian started communicating with the Mannequin.
“How long have you been in this corridor? How many times have you attempted according to that escape pattern?”
It was a very simple question, yet it made the Mannequin fall silent.
Hanging motionless in Zhang Qian’s hand, just like a real doll.
After a long time, the Mannequin’s head tilted, seeming somewhat confused.
“Don’t know?”
“My memory seems to have some problems. I can’t remember many things, not even my own name.”
“Hm?”
Zhang Qian’s footsteps stopped immediately, looking at the Mannequin with suspicious eyes. “Since your memory has problems, how do you know the pattern for leaving from here?”
He originally thought the Mannequin was the crew member or passenger he had guessed before, and knowing the escape pattern was normal too, but now it seemed off.
Moreover, this didn’t look like being affected by that musical sound either, since the music would erase self and supernatural-related memories, yet the Mannequin clearly knew how to use Fierce Ghost abilities.
“I don’t remember, but I know.” Seeing Zhang Qian didn’t believe it, the Mannequin couldn’t think of a good explanation for the moment.
“This feeling is very strange, like knowledge that appeared out of thin air in my mind. I don’t know where it came from, but I just know.”
“Just like I don’t know how I turned into this ghostly appearance, but I know how to use my own ability…”
The Mannequin was still reminiscing on its own, its facial expression starting to distort, the corners of its mouth curving into a not-too-big or small arc, forming a stiff and eerie smile.
The cracks on its body were also gradually deepening, the colors inside becoming more vivid, as if blood would seep out the next moment.
But the Mannequin seemed oblivious, its voice gradually lowering, its breath becoming increasingly icy cold.
Gradually transforming from a “human” toward a Fierce Ghost.
Zhang Qian watching this scene beside it had a somewhat serious expression, harboring more guesses about the Mannequin’s identity.
Probably some whimsical Ghost Controller who actually completed the leap from living human to Fierce Ghost and successfully retained his consciousness, becoming some anomaly-like existence.
But this method had many limitations too.
“Using human consciousness to directly control Fierce Ghost body, once successful, there’s no need to worry about the Fierce Ghost’s corrosion of the body, considered escaping the harassment of Fierce Ghost Revival.”
“But human consciousness seems inadequate in the face of the supernatural. It’s fine usually, but once certain taboos are triggered, it collapses in an instant.”
