A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1516 - 1023: Night of the Demon’s Descend

Chapter 1516: Chapter 1023: Night of the Demon’s Descend

"Ohhhhhhhh!!"

Inside the dimly lit hotel room, a figure frantically twisted and thrashed. The spicy girl, her uniform in complete disarray, was wildly flailing her arms and gripping the bedsheet tightly, struggling like a dying beast.

"Stop, please! Little baby’s room is going to be destroyed! It’s breaking—! It’s breaking, ahhhhhhh!!!"

Amidst her screams, the spicy girl’s eyes rolled back, and saliva dripped down her mouth as she violently twisted her body, trying to escape. Suddenly, a large hand emerged from behind and grabbed her head firmly.

"Where are you trying to go, girl?"

Duanmu Huai sneered, looking at the trembling spicy girl in front of him. A glint of menace flashed in his eyes as he broke into a grin.

"Weren’t you the one who came looking for me? What’s with dropping to the ground right away? That won’t do. We’ve got a long night ahead of us. Now, taste my Demon Subdual Cudgel Technique!"

"Ohhhhh nooooo nooooo nooooo nooooo!"

Upon hearing Duanmu Huai’s words, the spicy girl struggled even harder, but in the next moment, Duanmu Huai’s Golden Cudgel swung upward. With one strike of the "Yellow Dragon Stirs the Waters," her resistance was utterly crushed. All of her gear fell away, and she collapsed, as limp and still as a corpse.

But this was only the beginning.

At that moment, a faint glow appeared on the spicy girl’s body. Suddenly, a semi-transparent demon burst forth, leaping toward the nearby window—only to be instantly obliterated by a devastating punch from Duanmu Huai.

"Didn’t think the techniques I learned during the Journey to the West would work so well for banishing demons."

Glaring at the shattered remnants of the monster under his fist, Duanmu Huai snorted coldly. Truth be told, he’d sensed something was off the moment the girl approached him. Ordinary people searching for a hookup would surely target someone easy—why him? They’d have to be blind.

The saying "excessive kindness hides ulterior motives" had proven true once again.

Sure enough, the spicy girl had been possessed by a demon.

Although... Japanese demons don’t seem as committed as Chinese ones.

Looking at the unconscious spicy girl who had collapsed before him, Duanmu Huai rubbed his chin. Back during his time in the Journey to the West, fox spirits and the like would actively lure scholars into their traps. "You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb"—at least those demons put in the effort, right?

Japanese demons, on the other hand, wanted to absorb the essence of others but wouldn’t act directly. Instead, they relied on possessing others—how typical of Japanese sensibilities, always unwilling to suffer a loss themselves and eager to outsource the effort.

Chinese demons, at least, observe the code of the Jianghu by doing their own work. Japanese demons? They hide behind facades and eschew the rules entirely.

Oh, and their judgment leaves a lot to be desired. Even though I didn’t manifest my Fearful Aura, regular people would instinctively avoid me—why would a ghost still approach? Clearly tired of living.

Fox spirits, female ghosts... Hmm, so this one’s another female ghost.

Thinking this, Duanmu Huai glanced disdainfully at his fist.

"Japanese female ghosts aren’t impressive at all. I was hoping for a conversation with someone like Sadako."

But with this? Really?

Are you joking with me?

Well, for now...

"Eh, whatever. Let’s chalk it up to doing a good deed."

Sighing softly, Duanmu Huai looked at the unconscious spicy girl before him.

"............"

It wasn’t clear how much time had passed before the spicy girl slowly regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open as she blankly stared at the ceiling.

"Oh, you’re awake?"

At that moment, Duanmu Huai’s voice came from beside her. Turning her head, the spicy girl saw Duanmu Huai seated next to her. Seeing him, she let out a shriek and scrambled to her feet.

"Who... Who are you?! What did you do to me?!"

"Take a guess. I was about to ask if you remember anything."

"I... I..."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s question, the spicy girl pressed her hand against her forehead. Then she lifted her head again and stared at Duanmu Huai.

"Wait, you’re that guy... I remember... Ugh..."

"Feeling clear-headed now?"

"I remember!"

The spicy girl suddenly jumped up, screaming loudly—before clutching her stomach and crouching back down.

"Ugh... I feel awful..."

"Alright, calm down."

After a while, the spicy girl finally composed herself and began explaining her situation to Duanmu Huai. She admitted she was an impulsive, fun-loving girl named "Aiko" (which was obviously a fake name). According to her, she had gone with some of her rowdy friends to explore an abandoned building earlier that day but ended up encountering ghosts.

After being possessed by a ghost, Aiko found herself stumbling out of the derelict building in a daze, overwhelmed by the urge to seek out a man. That’s when she spotted Duanmu Huai—under normal circumstances, encountering a tall, muscular man like him would’ve sent her running, but her body was completely beyond her control. She initiated a conversation, watched as if in a dream while she flirted with him, checked into a hotel, and then...

"How did you do that?"

Aiko looked at Duanmu Huai in astonishment. He let out a chuckle.

"I know a bit about exorcisms; it worked well this time."

Though it was originally intended for fox spirits.

"Can I ask for your help with my friends?"

"Your friends?"

"That’s right."

Aiko stared intently at Duanmu Huai, nodding emphatically.

"My friends were with me in the building. I only remember us encountering ghosts, everyone screaming, and then... nothing."

"Hmm... fine."

Duanmu Huai thought for a moment and nodded.

After all, he wasn’t busy; why not check things out?

Led by Aiko, the two left the hotel and ventured deeper into the red-light district. Along the way, Aiko peppered Duanmu Huai with questions, her curiosity evident.

"Uncle, is this your first time here? I’ve never seen you before."

"That’s right."

"So you came here to have fun, huh?"

"Yeah, not going very well—good thing I ran into you."

"I think so, too... but Uncle, you’re amazing!"

As she spoke, Aiko occasionally rubbed her stomach.

"Ugh... feels like it’s all shaped like Uncle now."

"That’s not so bad, is it?"

The two chatted idly as Aiko led Duanmu Huai to the end of a narrow alley in the red-light district, where a dilapidated three-story building stood, evidently abandoned for years.

"This is the place."

Seeing the building, Aiko immediately cowered behind Duanmu Huai, whispering timidly.

"I heard the Yakuza used to run this building. They drugged numerous schoolgirls to make them ’serve’ some big Yakuza bosses. Then the place caught fire, killing many. Ever since, no one’s used it."

"Yet you dared to come here?"

Duanmu Huai turned to look at Aiko, who withdrew her head in fear.

"We were... just curious..."

"Haha, not so curious anymore, huh?"

"Ugh..."

Faced with Duanmu Huai’s sarcasm, Aiko had no response.

"Alright, since we’re here, let’s take a look."

Speaking nonchalantly, Duanmu Huai walked into the building. Seeing his complete lack of caution, Aiko hesitated for a moment before hurriedly following him.

The interior was pitch dark. Duanmu Huai took out his phone to light the way, revealing a soot-covered hall with scorched marks everywhere. The entire building was eerily silent, devoid of any sound. Aiko clung tightly to Duanmu Huai’s coat, refusing to let go.

"Where did you go last time?"

"The basement..."

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s question, Aiko hesitated briefly before replying.

"You guys have guts."

Descending the stairs, the two reached the basement, equally marked by burn scars. They hadn’t taken many steps before hearing laughter from deeper inside.

"Heeheehee..."

"Come on... let’s play together..."

"That’s right, just like this... good... again..."

Following the voices, the two reached the end of a corridor with what appeared to be a private room door. Duanmu Huai reached out and pushed it open.

What greeted them inside left both stunned.

The room, gutted and blackened from the fire, was inhabited by a group of men and women entangled in debauched revelry.

Under normal circumstances, this might resemble a wild party. But here... it was downright uncanny! Watching them indulge in carnal pleasures amidst the ruins—a cacophony of screams and moans—it left one feeling... well, indescribably disturbed.

"Sakura, Otani! What are you doing!"

Aiko caught sight of her companions and immediately screamed out, but her shouts were ignored as they remained deeply immersed in the obscene, movie-worthy chaos unfolding.

"Alright, leave this to me."

Duanmu Huai placed his hand on Aiko’s shoulder and pulled her back, before turning to face the crowd. Among them, aside from girls in spicy attire like Aiko, he noticed several office workers—probably lured here by girls possessed by ghosts. Seemed like these spirits were thorough in their work, sticking to their ghostly hustle even in death.

One thing was clear: Duanmu Huai had a job to do.