Chapter 174: The Brainless Lan Zhu

Gao Tian realized that Lan Zhu seemed to come equipped with her own Black Tie. She was incredibly hard to kill.

On the fourth floor, no matter how hard she tried to get herself killed, she just wouldn't die. She had used her Dog Leash to lasso the two corpses on the sofa and had willingly followed the Mirror Ghost into the Mirror World.

At Longshu Temple, she courted death by poking into the holes of the giant Buddha. She had been dead as a doornail, yet a time loop had forcibly dragged her back to life.

During the massive battle in Minghai City, she had once again escaped a close call unscathed.

Lan Zhu picked up a small spoon from the bar and shoved it into Gao Tian's hand. Then, she leaned forward, presenting her scalp to him. "Seriously, I'm not joking around. You know me—I never joke. I'm a very serious person.

"Tap my skull and you'll see."

Gao Tian really didn't want to humor the lunatic, but he couldn't outstubborn her. He knew that if he didn't knock today, she would never drop it.

He regretted it the moment he delivered the first knock.

Lan Zhu's skull let out a distinct, hollow thud—the sound of empty space.

It really was empty beneath her scalp. She was missing a chunk compared to a normal person.

Gao Tian's hand froze in midair.

'Holy shit, it's real?'

He had always thought Lan Zhu was just using a figure of speech when she said she'd lost her brain. Or perhaps it was just another delusion, a quirky backstory she had invented for herself.

He never expected there to literally be no brain beneath her skull. She meant it in the strictest literal sense.

People always said Lan Zhu had no brains, and now he realized they were right.

No wonder he had always felt she possessed a certain "missing-brainstem" kind of charm.

Calling her brain-damaged would be a compliment.

In sheer disbelief, Gao Tian found another hard object and knocked it against her head twice more. Thump, thump.

It still gave off that same vibrating, slightly echoing sensation of empty space.

This was too absurd.

How could a person survive without a brain? Had Lan Zhu already become a ghost?

That didn't make sense either. If she were a ghost, it would be absolutely impossible for her to enter the Apartment.

Gao Tian only knew that the world was full of bizarre wonders. In a certain small African country ravaged by parasites, there were actually cases of children surviving after bugs ate half their brains.

No wonder the Memory Ghost and all forms of mental control had zero effect on Lan Zhu. It was simply because she didn't have a brain.

"What did you remember?

"Where did your brain go?" Gao Tian had no choice but to ask.

Lan Zhu glanced up at the ceiling and pondered seriously. "Something very bad.

"Once, while exploring a haunted house in the United States, I saw something I shouldn't have seen.

"My mind suffered a massive shock. To keep from going completely insane, I voluntarily removed a portion of my brain and sealed it in a safe deposit box at an insurance company.

"That caused me to lose a massive chunk of my memories. I'm often delirious, and I don't even know how to use my abilities anymore.

"While I was swimming, I finally remembered. I still have a piece of my brain locked up in an insurance company's freezer."

Gao Tian desperately wanted to retort, 'So you actually know you're delirious?'

He asked, "Do you remember who you were before your brain was removed?"

Lan Zhu slowly shook her head. "I don't. I only remember a bunch of useless fragments.

"When I was very young, I was sent to a massive, all-white room. I had a Dog Leash around my neck—here, this exact one—and every day I had to follow the teachers in meditation exercises along with the other kids. The slightest hint of disobedience meant punishment by electric shock.

"Getting shocked hurts so much. Have you ever been shocked?"

Gao Tian said, "No."

Lan Zhu said, "I suggest you try it sometime. You'll definitely hate the feeling."

She continued, "Later on, during lunch one day, I said I didn't want to eat an apple. The teacher told me I had to. I said I wouldn't, and the teacher said I had no choice, threatening to shock me if I refused. I got mad. I thought, 'You adults in white coats are so annoying. It would be great if you all just died.'"

Gao Tian faintly sensed where this was going. "What happened after that?"

Lan Zhu rubbed the back of her hollow head, a sudden look of wisdom gleaming in her eyes. "After that? After that, I fell asleep. I just felt really sleepy, really tired. In my dream, it kept raining. The rain was very warm, and it smelled awful, pungent and metallic.

"When I woke up, the old teachers were gone. I had been moved to another room, a much larger and more luxurious one, and new adults were in charge of my education.

"I asked them where the adults in white coats went. A very gentle old grandpa told me I would never see them again. He said they would send me to a better place, where I'd receive a better education and enjoy more freedom. I only had to complete a few small tasks every day.

"I asked if I could skip eating apples. The grandpa and a few soldiers holding guns all burst out laughing, saying of course I could. I was free to eat whatever I wanted.

"After that, time flew by. I moved into a huge manor. Every day I just played video games and slept in. Occasionally, I'd listen to the new teachers and explore haunted houses to retrieve the things they needed. Those days were so easy and carefree.

"Back then, everyone praised me for being smart. I wasn't nearly as crazy as I am now.

"The reason I forgot so much is because, in a certain haunted house, I saw something I shouldn't have. To keep from being corrupted by it, my only option was to carve out a part of my brain and store it away, waiting for the contamination to clear up."

Listening to Lan Zhu's disjointed rambling, Gao Tian pieced together a general idea of what had happened.

Since childhood, she had been an esper with superpowers.

The white room was a psychiatric hospital dedicated to training children with superpowers. The doctors there wore white coats and used electroshock therapy to control them, conditioning the children from a young age to reflexively follow orders and prevent their powers from running rampant.

The Dog Leash in Lan Zhu's hand—which spelled doom for anyone it collared—had originally been used on her.

Later, during a training session, a doctor enraged the young Lan Zhu, triggering a violent rampage of her abilities.

Gao Tian didn't know exactly what transpired. But judging from the new teachers' descriptions, it must have been horrific. The entire hospital was completely wiped out.

That so-called "new home" was no cozy haven, either. It was highly likely a for-profit ghost hunter organization much like the Black Cross Exorcism Company. They used Lan Zhu's immense supernatural powers to handle various haunted houses, retrieving whatever items and Supernatural Items their bosses desired.

Lan Zhu's superpowers were tremendously strong. While exploring haunted houses meant dancing on the razor's edge of life and death for ordinary ghost hunters, to her, it was like playing house. That was why her past life felt so carefree in her memories—she had never even perceived the danger.

What was Lan Zhu's personality like with a fully intact brain? Gao Tian had no idea.

Based on her descriptions of the haunted houses, she likely hadn't been this insane, and her true strength must have been overwhelming.

However, true invincibility didn't exist in the supernatural world. During a mission assigned to her by the organization, she ultimately met her match. She saw something she shouldn't have seen, suffering a Meme contamination that even she couldn't handle.

After returning to the organization, she had part of her brain excised and survived by relying on special technology or a Supernatural Item. The price was becoming the way she was now, losing the vast majority of her memories and forgetting who she truly was.

That organization still hadn't come looking for Lan Zhu to this day.

Since she had become a cripple, she could no longer bring in profits for the organization like she used to.

Pointing to her hollow head, Lan Zhu looked at Gao Tian and said earnestly, "I came back this time to say goodbye to you and Sister Ta.

"I've decided to go back to the United States. I still remember the insurance company storing my head. It's time to take my brain back.

"The next time we meet, I'll probably have a complete brain and remember who I am.

"Hehe."

Gao Tian replied, "Then I wish you the best of luck."

The United States also had ghost hunters and various organizations, but their system was entirely different from Xia Country's.

Their assorted companies were all profit-driven. As long as you had money, you could live in extremely safe zones and enjoy the protection of top-tier ghost hunters. Children of the wealthy practically lived lives indistinguishable from those in the normal world.

The biggest paranormal incidents there also revolved around all sorts of haunted houses.

Once entangled with a haunted house, a person was forced to execute terrifying missions and explore supernatural locations. The slightest misstep would result in death.

Back in the Jinhai Building, a foreign ghost hunter squad had tried to recruit Gao Tian and given him a brief overview of it.

Right before she left, Lan Zhu hesitated slightly. "Where's Sister Ta?

"Is she not drinking coffee in the first-floor lobby today?"

It was clear that despite Lan Zhu's delirium, her feelings for Xia Ta were incredibly genuine.

Looking at Lan Zhu's earnest expression, Gao Tian couldn't bear to tell her the truth. There was a high probability that Xia Ta was already dead.

That night, she could have easily stayed inside the Living Apartment and waited safely for dawn.

Yet she still chose to leave the safe haven. During the darkest hour of the night, she went out to help as many ordinary people as she could.

"Xia Ta went back to her hometown again. You should get going; when she gets back, I'll pass on your message."

Lan Zhu cast him a suspicious look. "Really?"

Gao Tian nodded. "Really.

"It's the absolute truth.

"When you come back from the US next time, you'll bring back a complete brain. Xia Ta will definitely be very happy.

"She'll stay right here in the Apartment, waiting for you."

A look of regret crossed Lan Zhu's face.

Checking the time, she said, "I have to get going. I need to catch my flight.

"It should take about a week. As soon as I get my new brain, I'll fly straight back to Xia Country and tell Sister Ta."

Gao Tian nodded. "I'll be waiting for the good news."

In high spirits, Lan Zhu turned around, ready to leave.

Just as she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back, her eyes frighteningly profound. "By the way.

"You can leave the Apartment now.

"Just be careful out there. Try not to smile too much."

In an instant, Lan Zhu's tone and aura completely shifted. It was an utter departure from her earlier delirium—she was suddenly extraordinarily calm and mature.

Even the light seemed to dim around where she stood. The shadows perfectly obscured the upper half of her face, making her expression impossible to read as she spoke.

For a fleeting moment, Gao Tian felt as if he were looking at a stranger. It was as if someone who wasn't Lan Zhu at all had possessed her, using her body to speak.

"Who are you?" he asked instinctively.

Lan Zhu ignored him. Skipping and bounding away, she pushed open the glass doors and left the Apartment.

At 10:12 PM.

A line of green text slowly surfaced on the Apartment's wall. Gao Tian's sixth Green Text Mission had arrived.