Lin Que dimmed the studio lights to their lowest setting.

Only a floor lamp remained, casting a solitary light in the corner.

He stared at the author backend on Hongguo Novel Network, where the cursor blinked quietly on the title bar.

Wang Shouyi, holding high the banner of "profound insight," called on the literary world to learn from him.

This comical scene put Lin Que in a very good mood.

Since we're going to learn, we need to come up with something new for everyone to "learn" from.

His fingers landed on the keyboard, typing the title of the new chapter.

[Bet on the ghost, gamble for a way to survive]

This time, he no longer pursued pure sensory stimulation.

Instead, they decided to uncover a corner of this cruel world.

The unfathomable premise is thrown to all readers.

The words flowed swiftly from his hand.

[...]

Professor He is dead.

His death taught all the survivors a bloody lesson: in this resurgence of the supernatural, knowledge, morality, and integrity are all worthless. The only thing that can fight against ghosts is ghosts themselves.

Yang Jian looked at the ghostly figure that had turned Professor He's tongue into a bookmark and slowly raised his left hand.

That hand was pale, cold, and devoid of any color, as if it didn't belong to a living person.

"You...your hand..." Among the survivors, a girl pointed at him in terror.

"This is the price," Yang Jian said, his voice completely calm.

"I control a part of the Knocking Ghost. That rusty golden hand is the Knocking Ghost's hand."

As a price, my left hand is also turning into a ghostly hand. It gives me the ability to touch and suppress other ghosts, but at the same time, it is also eroding me.

"People like us have a name: Ghost Tamers."

"We are vengeful ghosts walking among humans, gambling our lives for temporary safety."

Every time I use the power of the demon, I'm hastening my own death. But if I don't use it, I'll die now.

"As for that ghost that uses its tongue as a bookmark..." Yang Jian's icy gaze fell upon the ghostly figure from the Republican era.

"It's not unsolvable. Its killing pattern is that it hates noise."

To the animal, Professor He's recitation was nothing but noise. Therefore, it killed him.

"And the price of mastering it, I guess... is becoming a mute who can never speak again."

"You choose. Do you want to be killed by the demon right now, or do you want to become a monster like me and be slowly devoured by the demon?"

Lin Que paused after writing these paragraphs.

He knew that these few paragraphs would completely overturn readers' understanding of horror novels.

It is no longer a simple ghost story.

It is a completely new world with strict rules and a brutal system.

The concept of "Ghost Tamer" was a bombshell he dropped.

Without the slightest hesitation, he uploaded all 30,000 words he had written in one go.

This time, the book review section wasn't immediately overrun by wailing and howling.

Instead, it fell into an eerie, long silence.

All the readers were stunned speechless by this grand and despairing premise.

More than an hour later, the comment section exploded.

Holy crap! A demon tamer! Using demons to fight demons! What kind of god-like setting is this?! My scalp is tingling!

So that's what the golden hand meant! The author is amazing! The logic is so complete!

Every ghost has its own rules, and controlling it comes at a price! This worldview is unparalleled!

[Don't get excited, upstairs! Didn't you guys notice the scariest part? Becoming a demon tamer only delays death!]

In other words, everyone in the book is doomed to die! That's the greatest despair!

I understand now! The book title, "Human World is Like Hell," doesn't mean there are ghosts on Earth like in hell.

Rather, it means that in order to survive, people are forced to become ghosts—this is the true meaning of "humanity is hell!"

This is no longer a horror novel; it's a post-apocalyptic philosophical work disguised as a supernatural story!

Dream Weaver, I bow down in utter despair!

The readers have gone crazy.

For the first time, they discovered that horror could be written in such a "sophisticated" and thought-provoking way.

This frenzy sparked by "The Ghost Tamer" quickly spread from book review sections to major social media platforms and forums, forming a phenomenal cultural discussion.

...

The next day, at Jiangcheng No.1 Middle School.

The atmosphere on campus has changed again.

If "ghosts knocking on the door" and "ghosts under the bed" bring about collective panic...

The "ghost tamer" brings a sense of exploration mixed with fear and excitement.

During breaks, the corridors are filled with students discussing things in hushed tones.

"Hey, if I were to control the Ghost that turns around and kills, wouldn't the price be that my neck would always be able to face forward?"

"If you were to control sleep paralysis, wouldn't the price be permanent paralysis? You might as well be dead!"

Wu Di's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Lin Que's arm and shook it frantically.

"Brother Que! Brother Que! Have you seen it? The latest update of 'Human World is Like Hell'! The Ghost Tamer is so cool!"

Lin Que felt dizzy from being shaken and impatiently grunted in response.

"Brother, do you think such a thing really exists in this world? Using the power of ghosts to fight ghosts?"

Wu Di's face was filled with longing.

Lin Que glanced at him and said calmly:

"Yes, I have."

"real?!"

Wu Di's eyes widened like copper bells.

"The price is that you will always get a zero on your exams."