The upper state bunker was a concrete skeleton, half-buried in weeds, two hours north of the city. Rui's SPU team had cordoned it off with yellow tape, and Mike stood at the entrance, holding a clipboard.
"Bodies are inside—five of them," he said, handing Rui a photo. "All male, mid-20s to 30s. Coroner says they were drained of blood, but no bite marks. Just… holes in their necks, like something sharp punctured them."
Ye leaned in to look at the photo, his face serious. "Corpse Fiends. Feng Xinyu's soldiers. She's been feeding them—using the blood pool to keep them strong."
Rui glanced at him. "How do you know so much about this?"
"My master—Qingyunzi—taught me. He fought Corpse Fiends in China. Said they're the hardest spirits to kill—you need more than talismans. You need something that burns their Yin core."
They entered the bunker, flashlights cutting through the darkness. The air smelled like iron and rot, so thick Rui had to cover her nose. The tunnel stretched ahead, concrete walls covered in graffiti from teenagers who'd broken in.
At the end of the tunnel was a large chamber. Its floor was covered in a thick, dark liquid—blood, old and congealed, forming a pool that stretched to the walls.
"This is it," Ye said, pulling a pouch of glutinous rice from his bag. He sprinkled it on the pool's surface—the rice sizzled, turning black instantly. "Yin energy's off the charts. She's been building this for years."
Rui's ears buzzed. The ghost whispers were deafening now, overlapping and desperate. Help us… the Fiend is coming… don't let it get you…
A roar echoed through the chamber. A figure stumbled from the shadows—tall, covered in matted white fur, its nails like black claws. Its face was a mess of rotting flesh, one eye hanging loose. A Corpse Fiend.
It lunged at Ye, who dodged, swinging his peachwood sword. The blade cut the Fiend's arm, and black blood oozed out, smoking when it hit the ground.
"Rui! Find the lost spirits!" Ye yelled, parrying another attack. "They're here—trapped by the Fiend!"
Rui closed her eyes, focusing on the whispers. They cleared, forming three distinct voices: a teenager, a young man, and a woman. We're in the corner… by the pipes…
She ran to the far corner, where rusted pipes jutted from the wall. Three faint, glowing figures huddled there—two boys and a girl, their faces terrified.
"I'm getting you out," Rui said, her hands glowing blue with medium energy. She reached out, and the light wrapped around the spirits like a blanket. "Hold on."
The Fiend turned, abandoning Ye to charge at Rui. Ye tackled her to the ground, the Fiend's claws scraping his back. Rui gasped, pushing Ye off. His hoodie was torn, blood seeping through the fabric.
"Are you hurt?" she said, her voice shaking.
Ye grinned, wincing. "Just a scratch. Nothing fatal." He pulled a small, glowing pill from his bag—four colors swirled inside it: red, black, white, and gold. "Four-Blood Exorcism Pill. Made it myself—uses rooster blood, black dog blood, glutinous rice, and my own blood. Burns Yin energy like gasoline."
He threw the pill at the Fiend. It exploded in a burst of light, and the Fiend screamed, dissolving into black smoke. Ye collapsed against the wall, his back bleeding heavily.
Rui ripped off her blazer, pressing it to his wound. "We need to get you to a hospital."
Ye shook his head. "No time. Look." He pointed to the blood pool. Something silver was floating in it—half-submerged, glinting in the flashlight's beam.
Rui leaned over, her breath catching. It was a whisk—silver, with thin, flexible bristles. Dao Feng's whisk, from the photo.
She reached in, carefully pulling it out. A fragment of the handle was missing, but it was definitely the same one.
"My dad was right," Rui said, holding the whisk. "Dao Feng was here. He fought Feng Xinyu too."
Ye took the whisk, running his fingers over the bristles. "He's alive. This whisk—if he was dead, it would've lost its energy. But it's still glowing. Faint, but it's there."
Rui's phone rang. It was her father again. "Lengyu, Feng Xinyu knows you have the whisk. She's coming for it. The Yin Nest opens tomorrow night—Chinatown's underground bunker. You need to be ready."
Ye stood, wincing. "We need to go. Now. She'll send more Fiends."
Rui helped him to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulder. As they walked out of the bunker, she glanced back at the blood pool. The water rippled, and for a second, she saw a face—Feng Xinyu, smiling coldly.
"We're coming for you," Rui whispered.
Outside, the sun was rising, painting the sky pink. Ye looked down at her, his eyes soft. "Thanks. For having my back."
Rui smiled. "Always. Partner."
Ye's grin returned. "Partner. I like that."
As they drove back to the city, Rui held the whisk in her lap. It hummed faintly, as if Dao Feng was trying to send a message. She looked at Ye, who was dozing in the passenger seat, and knew they'd find him. No matter what.