Ghost Exorciser: Is Loved By All
Chapter 668: Water Ghost

Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Water Ghost

Yu Holea stared at the message on her phone, the sharp glow of the screen cutting through the early morning dimness of her room.

Xin Zhi was dead.

It was such unexpected news that Yu Holea couldn’t believe it.

After all, according to the timeline, Xin Zhi should have lived for 5 months more.

So...why did Xin Zhi die?

Was it because of the ghost she had faced yesterday?

Yu Holea didn’t know. But she knew one thing. She has to report to the special force.

Since she was the officer, who had reported the news yesterday and the incident happened today, she will have to lead the case.

As for the approval? Well...it wasn’t needed anymore.

Sliding out of bed, she quickly dressed.

She called the special forces headquarters, her voice calm but firm. "Yu Holea, reporting. I need all available data on Xin Zhi’s death. Location, time, and any abnormalities at the scene."

The operator’s response was prompt. "Acknowledged, Officer Yu. Dispatching the information now."

Within moments, her phone buzzed with the incoming report. Scanning the contents, Yu Holea noted the cause of death: sudden cardiac arrest, an anomaly for an actress in her mid-twenties.

The time of death aligned disturbingly close to the ghost’s vanishing act from her home.

"Coincidence? Unlikely," she muttered to herself. She tapped on the location coordinates provided, Xin Zhi’s house.

Xin Zhi’s house stood in an upscale part of the city, its modern facade stark against the backdrop of blooming jacaranda trees.

A line of police tape cordoned off the entrance, and a few officers stood by, their expressions grim.

"Officer Yu," one of them greeted her, lifting the tape. "The scene is undisturbed. Forensics just wrapped up their preliminary examination."

Yu Holea nodded and stepped inside.

The house was eerily quiet, as though the air itself mourned its occupant.

She moved through the spacious living room, her eyes scanning for anything out of place.

It wasn’t long before she reached the bedroom where Xin Zhi had been found.

The body was already removed, but the heavy imprint of death lingered.

The bed sheets were rumpled, a faint scent of lavender hanging in the air.

On the nightstand lay a half-full glass of water and a pill bottle labeled Melatonin.

Yu Holea’s eyes narrowed as she spotted faint scorch marks on the carpet near the foot of the bed—traces of spiritual energy.

She knelt, brushing her fingers lightly over the marks, feeling the residual heat.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her concentration.

"Yu Holea speaking," she answered.

"Officer Yu, this is Zhang Wei from Forensics. We’ve found something odd in Xin Zhi’s autopsy. No physical signs of trauma, but her heart showed signs of severe strain, as though she’d been running for hours right before she died."

Yu Holea’s grip tightened on her phone.

"What about her spirit? Any signs of tampering?"

"That’s the other thing," Zhang Wei continued.

"The spiritual residue on her body was unusually strong. It matches the pattern of a possession attempt, but there’s no evidence that it succeeded."

Yu Holea thanked him and ended the call, her jaw clenched.

A failed possession?

That would explain the ghost’s appearance last night—but it didn’t explain the accelerated timeline of Xin Zhi’s death.

Also, why did the ghost even come to haunt her, in the first place?

She stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the quiet street below.

Something about this case wasn’t adding up. Her instincts told her she was dealing with more than just a rogue spirit.

She started to go through the photos of how Xin Zhi was found.

One of the reasons why the case was transferred to the special force instead of the normal police was how Xin Zhi was found.

A normal cardiac arrest patient should have been found sprawled on the bed or the floor, however, Xin Zhi was found in a strange position.

Her spine arched backward at an impossible angle, her head tilted as if frozen mid-scream. Her hands were clenched, fingers clawing at the air as though fending off an invisible assailant.

Even more unsettling was the faint but undeniable trace of a shadowy handprint encircling her neck—a mark that glowed faintly under UV light.

Yu Holea studied the photos intently, her brow furrowing.

She zoomed in on the handprint, her mind running through possible explanations.

Was it the ghost? Or something darker? Ghosts rarely left such distinct marks unless summoned through powerful rituals.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

An officer stepped inside, his face grave.

"Officer Yu, we’ve gathered information on Xin Zhi’s recent activities. You’ll want to see this."

He handed her a tablet. On it were logs of Xin Zhi’s calls, messages, and locations.

One entry stood out: her last recorded visit was to a remote Taoist temple three nights before her death.

Yu Holea’s eyes narrowed. "Did she go alone?"

The officer shook his head. "No. She was accompanied by her manager Coco. He claimed it was for a ’spiritual cleansing’ to prepare her for an upcoming role."

"Li Wei again," Yu muttered. "What’s his current location?"

"He’s under surveillance at his apartment. No signs of unusual activity so far."

Yu Holea asked everyone to leave, touched the position where Xin Zhi had died, and closed her eyes.

The room shimmered, and Yu Holea found herself as an observer within the scene.

She saw Xin Zhi enter the bedroom, and her movements hurried.

The actress shut the door behind her, locking it with trembling hands before pacing in a tight circle.

Her lips moved rapidly, muttering to herself, but Yu could only watch in silence, reading her lips with practiced precision.

"This cannot happen... I won’t let her ruin everything," Xin Zhi muttered, her eyes darting toward a small drawer beside the bed.

She retrieved a piece of chalk and a vial of dark liquid, her hands shaking as she worked swiftly.

She dropped to her knees and began drawing a summoning circle on the floor, the chalk scraping in jagged lines against the hardwood.

Symbols and runes took shape, intricate and precise, glowing faintly as she poured the contents of the vial over the circle.

Once the circle was complete, Xin Zhi sat back on her heels and closed her eyes, her lips moving in a chant. Within moments, the room grew colder, the air thick with an unnatural chill.

The summoning circle flared to life, and a shadowy figure began to materialize within its boundaries.

The ghost was grotesque, its translucent form shifting between human and monstrous. Its hollow eyes locked onto Xin Zhi, and it inclined its head in a mockery of a bow.

Xin Zhi’s lips moved again, and Yu concentrated on deciphering her words.

"I need you to eliminate Yu Holea. She knows too much. If she continues her investigation, everything I’ve worked for will fall apart."

The ghost regarded her with an eerie stillness before nodding. With a flicker, it vanished, leaving the room in darkness once more.

Yu Holea watched as Xin Zhi slumped against the bed, her breathing ragged. She muttered to herself, her fingers clutching the edge of the mattress.

"This has to work. It has to..."

Roughly half an hour later, the ghost reappeared, its form flickering erratically, its presence more oppressive than before. Xin Zhi bolted upright, her eyes wide with alarm.

"What are you doing back so soon?"

The ghost’s lips moved, but Yu couldn’t hear its words. She focused on Xin Zhi’s response, her eyes scanning every movement of the actress’s mouth.

"What do you mean you failed? She’s still alive?" Xin Zhi demanded, her voice rising.

The ghost loomed closer, its expression growing more menacing.

Yu Holea could read its intention even without sound—it was not accustomed to failure, and it demanded payment for its efforts.

"I told you, I don’t have much life force left to give!" Xin Zhi snapped, her hands clenched at her sides.

"That’s why I summoned you in the first place! You’re supposed to bring me more, not take what little I have!"

The ghost’s form pulsed, the air around it distorting as though it were preparing to attack.

"Hey! Water ghost! Wait! You told me you will help me as long as I don’t come in contact with water for more than two times a day, and do a 50-50 for the life force you suck. In exchange I will provide you with humans! You can’t ruin everything now!"

The ghost drew closer, its translucent fingers outstretched toward Xin Zhi. The actress backed away, her lips trembling as she spoke.

"You can’t take it! You’ve already failed once. Leave me alone!"

But the ghost had no intention of leaving. It lunged, its spectral hand wrapping around Xin Zhi’s throat.

She struggled, her body thrashing as she clawed at the empty air, her mouth forming desperate, silent pleas.

Xin Zhi’s resistance was futile; the ghost’s grip tightened, drawing the last remnants of life from her body.

Her movements grew weaker until finally, her body collapsed, lifeless and contorted in a grotesque arch on the floor.