Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

[The Head Ghost needs to devour all the Blood of Decay to progress further and then devour the room. The room needs to kill the Head Ghost through the various Bizzare Entities within before it can digest it.]

[The Blood of Decay is endless. As long as the room remains active, the Blood of Decay will continue to flow.]

[The Head Ghost cannot devour the room.]

[The stove, the painting, and the Blood of Decay within the room have all been devoured by the Head Ghost, granting it the ability of Blood of Decay.]

[The Head Ghost continuously consumes, also constantly producing Blood of Decay, which mutually suppresses and cancels out the Blood of Decay produced by the room.]

[The room cannot devour the Head Ghost.]

[8:48 pm, the Head Ghost and the room's rules are still clashing.]

[8:49 pm, the clash between the Head Ghost and the room's rules is about to end.]

[8:50 pm, the clash has ended. The Head Ghost has entered a dormant state, ceasing consumption and falling silent. The room has also entered a dormant state, no longer digesting anything inside, falling silent. Neither will recover within three days.]

[My name is Li Mo. 10:30 pm, I am dead.]

"???"

Li Mo stared at the last sentence on the first page, puzzled. He would die at 10:30 pm?

What was the cause of death?

The room and the Head Ghost were both dormant, posing no threat to him for three days. So how would he die?

This contradicted the earlier statement, Three days from now, I will die.

The contradiction brought confusion, but Li Mo quickly regained his composure.

This was the classic style of the first page, unadulterated.

"I know the nature of the first page. Its predictions are very accurate, almost never wrong, and it doesn't lie. But the premise is that its predictions will only come true if I do nothing after knowing the future."

"And after receiving its hints, I almost always take action to avoid the predicted outcome."

Li Mo was beginning to understand the first page's logic.

Whenever he was in mortal danger, it was happy to provide him with a trap he had to jump into to survive.

"It specifically stated that I will die at 10:30 pm. It wants me to continue relying on it."

"But continuing to rely on it will only make me more and more dependent, because…"

If he followed the notebook's hints, every step he took would lead to a dead end. This was the first page's cunning.

"It's best not to ask any more questions, not even about the cause of death or how to survive. I can only rely on my own deductions and exploration to find a way out of this dead end."

"10:30 pm. The Bizzare surge will have been active for an hour and a half by then."

"This means the room's protective ability is still active; otherwise, I wouldn't last an hour and a half."

"What I need to do is simple: prevent ghosts from entering the room. The death at 10:30 pm is most likely due to my own mistake, letting a ghost into the room, triggering a rule and killing me."

Li Mo slowly took out his special phone. Unlike ordinary phones, this one had been custom-made for him by MEI.

Schicksal was the main sponsor.

It had all the necessary functions, plus an incredibly long battery life.

When turned off, it barely consumed any power, lasting for a month. Even when on, it could last for three days.

Li Mo usually kept it turned off, turning it on only when necessary.

The time on it wasn't accurate, only serving as a reference.

The notebook was the only objective standard.

He would unlock the Head Ghost's seal at 8:38 pm. He would also adjust the phone's time then, allowing him to track the time afterwards, making it easier to prepare for danger.

9:00 pm and 10:30 pm, these two times were particularly important.

The former was the time of the Bizzare surge, and the latter was the time of his predicted death according to the first page.

With the phone to help him keep track of time, Li Mo's chances of survival were much higher.

"I hope you won't disappoint me."

Li Mo took out his phone and set the time to 8:37 pm.

Then he aimed his Bizzare Handgun at the Head Ghost's forehead.

The loud gunshot was particularly jarring in the silent night. Blue-violet flames engulfed the Head Ghost, still trapped in its pseudo-dead state.

The flames gradually consumed the bloody head, eventually turning it to ash.

But just as it was about to turn to dust, the Head Ghost rapidly regenerated, returning to its original form at a visible speed.

8:38 pm, the Head Ghost restarted, fully restored.

It opened its eyes, its Bizzare gaze scanning the surroundings, finally settling on Li Mo.

This was the only body it could see.

Its own rule urged it to devour Li Mo, but it was caught and held firmly in Li Mo's grip.

Although its devouring ability was incredibly powerful, the Head Ghost itself wasn't that strong. Without overwhelming numbers, Li Mo could easily restrain it with his grip strength.

The Head Ghost was active from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. 8:38 pm was right in the middle of its active period.

"So eager to devour me? You're not qualified yet. You need to call your master."

"Now, go and devour the Bizzare Entity inside."

With that, Li Mo threw the Head Ghost into the room.

The Head Ghost, shifting through space, re-evaluated its surroundings.

Just as predicted, after the Head Ghost entered the room, the brazier on the stove reignited without warning, illuminating the entire enclosed space.

Although it was fire, it carried a chilling aura, clinging to the light.

The Head Ghost moved, staring intently at the portrait on the wall, pressing itself against the wall.

8:40 pm, the portrait on the wall began to move. The figure distorted, its eyes darkening, a cunning expression appearing on its face.

The portrait's killing rule required four conditions to be met simultaneously: physical contact with a wall, unconsciousness, nighttime, and within its field of vision.

Now, the Head Ghost, wanting to devour the portrait, leaned against the wall.

Nighttime and field of vision were satisfied.

But the most important condition, unconsciousness, wasn't met. The portrait's rule couldn't be triggered, so it could only watch helplessly as the Head Ghost hopped around.

Each jump brought its sharp, bloody teeth closer, tearing off a piece of the portrait.

8:41 pm, the figure in the portrait showed a terrified expression, its face contorted in silent agony.

It was being devoured bit by bit, with no way to stop it.

The Head Ghost hadn't fulfilled the conditions of its rule, so the portrait couldn't possess it.

After repeated attempts, the Head Ghost finally managed to bite into the portrait during one of its jumps, tearing it from the wall.

Now, the Head Ghost could devour the portrait freely, its efficiency greatly increased.

In less than half a minute, the Head Ghost had swallowed the entire portrait whole, absorbing its rules and abilities.

8:42 pm, the room, seemingly sensing the threat, began to drip Blood of Decay from the ceiling.

The Head Ghost was drenched in the Blood of Decay, its skin and bones corroding.

The viscous, scalding blood was like lava, eroding every inch of the Head Ghost's flesh and bone.

However, Bizzare Entities couldn't be killed. The Head Ghost felt no pain. Compared to the incomplete Blood of Decay, the Head Ghost turned its attention to the burning stove.

A complete stove was more enticing than the incomplete Blood of Decay.

8:43 pm, the Head Ghost devoured the stove, along with the flames and firewood.

8:44 pm, the room, sensing that the Head Ghost was a greater threat than anticipated, began to spew Blood of Decay frantically, trying to kill it.

"Next is the tug-of-war between the Head Ghost and the ghost stomach, then both will be weakened and fall into dormancy."

"Since the previous steps went smoothly, let them play by themselves in the final stage."

"Now that I know the exact time, I need to get the others out."

Li Mo hadn't warned them earlier because he couldn't determine the time. He had to prioritize the most important tasks.

Considering the first page's traps, even after knowing the exact time, Li Mo didn't rush to leave. He would wait until the final stage before warning the others.

The rooms were only a few meters apart, and he could clearly see the general situation. If something unexpected happened during the final stage, he could quickly return and deal with it.

If things became irredeemable, he could always kill himself and restart.

Helping the others survive wasn't about Li Mo seeking a sense of security, but about creating a margin for error.

Anyone could die, including Li Mo himself.

But death should have value, have meaning.

Meaningless death should be avoided whenever possible.

Li Mo walked to the nearest room and paused.

Who was staying inside?

It didn't matter. Whoever it was, he would pull them out!

Li Mo took a deep breath, standing at the doorway, having already mentally rehearsed his actions.

The room was brightly lit, indicating the occupant hadn't realized the flame in the brazier was the ghost stomach's eye.

The good news was that the occupant wasn't asleep yet; otherwise, they would have extinguished the flame.

Li Mo planned his explanation: first, identify himself, then explain his intentions and reasons, all in one go, smoothly and convincingly.

Having decided on his approach, Li Mo pushed open the heavy door.

"I'm Mingyue. Come with me, this place is dange…"

Before he could finish, an ear-splitting scream almost shattered his eardrums.

He swore he had never heard a man scream so shrilly and loudly in his life.

A scene of unexpected intimacy met his eyes. Changle, soaking in a wooden tub, was barely covered by his clothes. The soft firelight illuminated his smooth skin, his white body gleaming like porcelain.

But in just 0.01 seconds, Li Mo's gaze was captivated by… prominent feminine features.

A woman?

He didn't remember any women in the group that climbed the mountain.

Instantly, Li Mo judged that this person must be a Bizzare Entity!

Such a rookie mistake. Even a newcomer wouldn't fall for this.

"You think I wouldn't dare to attack just because you're disguised as a woman taking a bath?"

Li Mo regarded the bathing Changle as a shapeshifting Bizzare Entity.

Changle grabbed a small wooden basin from the water's surface, slowly raising her hand.

Before Changle could throw it, Li Mo drew his Bizzare Handgun and fired without hesitation.

Having grown up in an imperial family, Changle was familiar with firearms. The moment she saw Li Mo draw his gun, she instinctively channeled her True Energy, reinforcing her body.

Then she swatted the bullet away with her hand.

The Bizzare Handgun's power was very low. Unless fired at point-blank range at a vital spot, it posed almost no threat to a normal person.

Firing from several meters away, even if the bullet hit the heart, it wouldn't penetrate due to the cushioning effect of flesh and bone.

But this didn't mean Bizzare Entities dared to touch bullets.

Therefore, Li Mo was stunned when he saw Changle swat the bullet away with her bare hand.

Changle, noticing Li Mo's reaction, blushed even deeper, her entire face crimson. She covered her chest with one hand, although she had already been seen.

"A Bizzare Entity with suppressive abilities?" Li Mo wondered aloud.

Before he could finish his thought, he was hit in the head by the wooden basin thrown by the "Bizzare Entity with suppressive abilities," and he hissed in pain.

What kind of attack was that?

What rule had he triggered?

Was she no longer bothering to hide her true nature?

Li Mo was clearly confused. This Bizzare Entity was well-disguised, even imitating a living person's reaction to being seen while bathing.

Her expressions, demeanor, and flustered appearance were all very lifelike.

If he hadn't clearly remembered that there were no women in the group that climbed the mountain, he would have been fooled.

"I don't believe you can block every shot."

Li Mo's eyes hardened. He raised his gun, aiming at the now-covered Changle, preparing to fire repeatedly.

Since this Bizzare Entity had already targeted him, there was no escaping. Suppressing it first was the right course of action.

At least until he secured the room, he had to keep this Bizzare Entity occupied.

As long as one shot hit, the blue-violet flames would suppress some of its rules, making it safer to deal with.

Before Li Mo could fire, three figures suddenly appeared behind him, a strong killing intent washing over him.

"Again?!"

Li Mo dodged the sudden projectiles.

Seeing the three black-clad guards, Li Mo relaxed slightly. He had thought it was another Bizzare Entity, but it turned out to be them.

"You're just in time! Something's wrong with her. Help me…"

Li Mo wanted to say help me subdue Changle, but three spears were instantly pressed against his neck, immobilizing his head.

They held him perfectly still, the three of them coordinating seamlessly, as if they had trained for decades.

If Li Mo moved his head even slightly, the spear tips would pierce his neck, causing him to bleed to death.

"Your… Your Highness… we're late," one of the guards said, his voice trembling. Hearing Changle's scream, they had rushed out and straight to the room without hesitation.

Outside, they had seen Li Mo pointing a firearm at Changle. If it weren't for Li Mo's tendency to forget Changle, the spears would have already pierced his skull.

"Your Highness?"

Li Mo's mind went blank for a few seconds. He tried to turn his head to look at Changle, but the spear tips pierced his skin, blood trickling down the shafts and onto the red tassels.

"Get out… all of you," Changle said in a muffled voice from inside the tub, her face dark, her eyes terrifying.

"..."