Logically, technological weapons should be largely ineffective against ghosts and other supernatural entities. How could a gun possibly kill a ghost, for example?
Precisely because most conventional weapons struggle against spectral foes, Scholar had developed a specialized Anti-Ghost Weapon—the compact pistol she held in her hand.
This weapon had been rigorously tested and proven effective. In the real world, at least, any ghost-like entities emerging from Dimensional Rifts could be instantly annihilated by a single shot from the Anti-Ghost Gun. It functioned like a genetic weapon, its special ammunition disrupting the ghosts' bodily structures at the microscopic level, causing them to disintegrate completely.
Earlier, Elysia had speculated that the female ghost in the bedroom might be a clone of some central entity, or that the house could be teeming with ghosts. Now, Scholar hypothesized that either the ghosts in this world were fundamentally different from those in her own, not the same type of being, rendering her weapon ineffective, or that these "ghosts" were actually "rule-based" monsters—Fakes rather than true ghosts.
The Scholar released her grip, and the miniature pistol dissolved like mist, scattering into a cloud of silver powder. The powder swiftly coalesced, transforming into a gleaming silver-white Desert Eagle.
No wonder Elysia hadn't seen the Scholar draw her weapon earlier—it had been formed on the spot by nanorobots, Shi Jun realized.
Without even aiming, the Scholar raised her hand and fired.
"I told you, ordinary firearms are useless against these Ghosts—" Shi Jun began, having just regained his composure. But before he could finish, a massive fireball erupted before him, as if the sun itself had risen from the ground, bathing the surrounding area in blinding daylight.
The explosion that followed was deafening.
"Boom—!!!"
One pistol, one bullet, and the terrifying house had been completely vaporized. Shi Jun felt as if an intercontinental ballistic missile had detonated right in front of him. Flames soared skyward, slowly coalescing into a miniature mushroom cloud.
If the Scholar hadn't expanded her Protective Field the moment she fired, enveloping everyone in its protective embrace, the shockwave alone would have been enough to kill all the Trial Arena participants.
Absolute destructive power—this was precisely where technological weapons excelled.
"Uh, wow..." Everyone except Elysia was stunned by the outrageous power. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and one member of the Stone Army Squad muttered, "Did it... did it actually wipe it out?"
"Yep, it's gone~" Elysia nodded, looking slightly surprised herself. It seemed the Scholar's Anti-Ghost Weapon had failed, yet an ordinary technological weapon had succeeded?
She could clearly sense that the voyeuristic presence emanating from the house had completely vanished. And what about the pink crystal in the bedroom, the one sealing away the female ghost?
In Elysia's perception, the crystal itself remained unscathed by the explosion, but the ghost inside had disappeared.
Suddenly, she recalled a type of ghost: the Earthbound Spirit. These entities were bound to specific locations, their very essence intertwined with the land itself. If the land to which an Earthbound Spirit was attached were completely destroyed, would the spirit cease to exist?
In a typical horror story, the protagonist must uncover the ghost's past, understand the circumstances of its death, and learn about its lingering grudges and obsessions. Only then can they attempt to resolve these attachments and potentially avert the crisis.
But for the Scholar, the solution was entirely different. "What's this? An Earthbound Spirit in the school? Fine, let's just blow the whole place sky-high!"
As the mushroom cloud climbed higher, a notification suddenly appeared in Elysia's mind:
Evil Spirit "The Xiao Hong Family" successfully eliminated. You have been awarded 500 Points based on your contribution.
"Huh? Only five hundred? That's barely anything!" Elysia immediately turned to the Scholar, sidling up to her and asking curiously, "What about you~?"
"Five thousand," the Scholar replied calmly.
Good heavens, that's some efficient point farming! At this rate, the Scholar could accumulate the 50,000 Points needed to return to the real world after just ten more random bombings.
Gulp! The entire Stone Army Squad swallowed hard. Even Shi Jun, the team's most seasoned member with three Trial Arena survivals under his belt, had only amassed a total of just over 7,000 Points. Yet the Scholar had nearly caught up to him in a single strike. He couldn't even begin to describe his current state of mind.
Finally, Shi Jun spoke up, his voice dazed, "Big Boss... what do we do now?"
There was no shame in sucking up to someone stronger. If you knew they were more powerful and still acted cocky, constantly picking fights and opposing them, you were either nursing a blood feud or just plain foolish.
Elysia surveyed their surroundings. It seemed to be nighttime, but the moon was absent, plunging the area into deep darkness. The only sources of light were the Scholar's recent explosion and the eerie green lanterns hanging from every doorway.
They appeared to be on an ancient street, each house adorned with a lantern above its entrance and two coffins beside the door—one black, one red.
The uneven dirt road vanished into impenetrable darkness, punctuated only by scattered green lanterns that resembled sinister eyes peering from the void, their eerie glow creating a deeply unsettling atmosphere.
Faced with this surreal landscape, Elysia honestly couldn't think of any better suggestion than to simply wander around.
Why not just knock on a random door and ask if there are any ghosts? If not, we go in. If there are, we kill them and then go in.
But just as Elysia was about to suggest this, the Scholar crouched down, opened his briefcase, and tapped on it. A metallic sphere popped out.
He tossed the sphere into the air, and it rapidly expanded and morphed before their eyes. Within seconds, a massive, streamlined aircraft over 20 meters long materialized and hovered before them.
"Air Fortress X3," the Scholar announced.
"Whoa~" Elysia exclaimed in awe. After staring at the incredibly cool aircraft for a moment, she turned to the Scholar. "Are you Doraemon? How do you have everything?"
Or, more accurately, How is this like entering cheat codes in GTA? You get whatever you want!