It is common knowledge that the Contract Doll with Individual Number 520 is no match for the Ghost Reaper with Individual Number 100. It is something written in textbooks and is part of the training that every ghost story teller undergoes.

The World Association of Ghost Stories does not impose any requirements on the numbered individuals beyond the 101st; the discoverers can number them as they wish. However, the World Association of Ghost Stories has compiled statistics and singled out the 100 most powerful ghost creatures discovered so far, which are the top 100 ghost creatures by individual number!

This is why Akabane Tsukasa's first thought was whether there was something wrong with his own abilities, rather than whether there was something wrong with Gwen.

However, this is only a temporary blind spot for those involved. If we carefully review the situation, we can easily figure out the key points!

"Surprised? Your ability has failed."

Akabane Tsukasa raised his head warily, only to see Jiang Ran smiling at him.

"So your ability in this world is to disable other people's abilities?"

"Ineffective? No, no, no, you're underestimating SSS-level abilities!" Jiang Ran stared at Akabane Tsukasa, causing him to subconsciously take a step back. "I'm not afraid to tell you, my ability is called [Stripping]. As long as you appear in my field of vision, I can strip away your talent directly!"

"In other words, you no longer have any talent."

Do you think I'd believe your nonsense?

Akabane Tsukasa remained outwardly defiant, but inwardly he was in turmoil. He had used his ability twice in a row, but nothing had happened. Gwen was still alive and kicking, and the Shadow Reaper he had imagined had not come!

Even if it wasn't stripped away, it's at least ineffective!

Thinking this through, Akabane no Tsukasa decided not to get entangled with Jiang Ran any longer. Killing Jiang Ran would feel great, but if he died along with him, that would not be so great.

"You've lost your talent, do you still want to continue?" Jiang Ran sneered. "Aren't you afraid of dying here?"

Akabane Tsukasa's expression was rather grim. This instance was indeed very different from the previous ones. It could be said that danger lurked everywhere, and there was not a single place that could be considered absolutely safe.

If he lost his abilities, I really wouldn't have the confidence to survive the first day!

The gloomy environment, the terrifying atmosphere, and the pressure Jiang Ran exerted on him caused Akabane Tsukasa to swallow hard. Without saying anything more, he immediately jogged away from there!

"The seeds of fear have been sown. How long can you live with such a paranoid attitude? I'm looking forward to it."

Outside the live broadcast room, high-ranking officials from many countries wrote the word "stripping" on a piece of white paper, and then crossed it out shortly afterward.

Jiang Ran placed the moldy fruit in his hand on the altar, then leaned against a tree trunk to wait.

After a full half hour, the fruit on the altar had disappeared, replaced by a tattered book.

Pandora's Box has been refreshed with a random item for you: Silver Lance.

[Silver Gun: You start with one bullet, enough to kill a strange creature. One bullet is refreshed for you every day.]

The gun's effect was slightly stronger than an A-level talent, but it still didn't qualify as an S-level talent. After putting it away, Jiang Ran turned his attention to the book on the altar.

"The Magical Art of Ascension to Immortality"

Huh? What kind of weird name is that?

Jiang Ran opened the tattered book. Fortunately, only the cover was damaged, and more than 90% of the contents were still intact. However, the more he read, the more outrageous the contents became.

At first, there were only some so-called "cultivation" methods that Jiang Ran couldn't understand. But as he flipped through the pages, he could see phrases such as "self-immolation to draw heavenly fire" and "abandoning the physical body to attain ultimate bliss."

Isn't this just a cult book?

Many religions in the world, such as Taoism, Buddhism, and Christianity, may have deviated in their doctrines during their transmission to later generations, but their essence is to guide people towards good. However, cults are different; they not only want the money of their followers, but also their lives!

"So what does this cult book have to do with the villagers?"

Just by observing the relationship between the altar and the books, one can tell that this cult must hold a high position in the village!

Jiang Ran put away his books. He had come from the village gate, and the straight path he took almost crossed the entire village. It was time to explore it again along the edge in a circular route.

After walking for another ten minutes, a field that had been abandoned came into view.

Because no one takes care of it, the field is overgrown with weeds, and you can only vaguely tell from the outline that it used to be a field.

"That was...a person?"

A small, thin figure stood in the middle of the field, but from a distance, his movements looked so strange that he seemed...inhuman!

"It looks like a scarecrow! But... never mind! I can't describe it at all, go and see for yourself."

Gwen, with her superior eyesight, was able to tell that it was a scarecrow.

Jiang Ran stepped through the weeds and came to the scarecrow. The scene before her made everyone in the live broadcast room gasp!

Beneath the scarecrow's tattered straw hat was a blood-stained face, its mouth forcibly torn open into a grotesque grin. Its limbs were ripped into pieces and forcibly pieced together onto a torso made of wire, and its remaining clothing was covered in dark red bloodstains.

A wire pierced through his right palm and was tightly bound to a rusty sickle.

The scarecrow had a black and white photograph hanging on its chest, which appeared to show two boys, one big and one small.

"This thing gives me a strong feeling of murderous intent!" Jiang Ran carefully examined the scarecrow's face. That's right, the scarecrow in front of him was the murderer who killed Gu Poluo!

Suddenly, while Jiang Ran was still observing the scarecrow, the scarecrow raised its head, its red eyes fixed on the distance!

"Looks like some unlucky guy is going to be in trouble again."

Before the scarecrow could disappear in an instant, Jiang Ran yanked off the photo necklace from its chest!

Is this thing useful?

"It may not be useful, but I have to make sure I can use it when it is useful."

Jiang Ran felt like he had a treasure trove in his pocket, containing all sorts of things.

"Let's go, Gwen."

In the center of the village, Sakura's two buddies, He Shui Sai Ya and Akabane Tsukasa, embraced warmly in front of the toilet!

"We've finally met!"

"Yes! But could we find another place to catch up? I feel like this place has some bad luck about it..."

Both of them hadn't seen any clues and had inexplicably missed two chances to use their talents. They were incredibly frustrated. He Shui Sai Ya didn't even know why she had died twice...