Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World
Chapter 58 The Influx

"After you?" Michael glanced at Ethan.

"No way, you're the detective. You go first," Ethan shot back.

"I'm only eighteen, man. I'm basically an intern. I can't handle the detective title yet. You go," Michael insisted.

"Your skills are top-notch. I'll just follow your lead and do what you say," Ethan said.

"You've been dealing with ghosts longer than I have. I still have a lot to learn from you," Michael said.

They both stood in front of the clothing store, neither wanting to step inside.

The glass door swung open on its own, revealing a dimly lit interior that felt heavy with tension.

Knowing there was a ghost inside only made them more uneasy.

They were supposed to team up to catch the ghost, but neither had the guts to go in first.

One wrong move could be deadly.

Being a Ghost Handler gave them the tools to deal with vengeful spirits, but it didn't mean they could be reckless.

After a long pause, neither budged.

Finally, Michael suggested, "Since we're both chicken, how about we just leave?"

Ethan was speechless.

"If we miss this ghost, the next one might be even scarier and harder to catch."

Michael rubbed the back of his hand. "True. This ghost isn't that powerful, or it would've killed more people by now. Let's stop stalling and go in together."

"Alright, together it is," Ethan agreed.

He didn't want to miss this chance. His situation was worse than Michael's, with the time until the Vengeful Ghost's revival getting shorter. He needed to give it one last shot. "Let's do this." Michael took a deep breath, eyed the open glass door, and cautiously stepped forward.

Ethan followed, tense and ready to use his ghost powers at any moment.

The store wasn't huge, maybe a bit over a thousand square feet. With mannequins and piled-up merchandise, it felt cluttered.

"The ghost is in one of those mannequins. You've seen the picture. Let's replace it and take care of it," Michael whispered.

He turned on a flashlight and placed it on a shelf by the door.

The light cut through the darkness, illuminating the store just enough.

"I remember that mannequin. It's pretty unique, we won't miss it," Ethan said.

Michael didn't reply, just slowly moved into the store, scanning the area.

No movement, everything seemed normal.

It looked like a regular store closed for the night.

Except for the faint smell of decay spreading through the air.

A soft noise broke the silence.

The glass door, which had been open, slowly closed again. The sound wasn't loud, but it was crystal clear in the quiet store. Michael and Ethan turned to look.

Nothing there.

Just like before, the door seemed to close on its own.

"Nothing," Ethan whispered.

"I know, but with everything going on, I'm sure the ghost is here," Michael said.

Everything else seemed normal, but the store felt off. Plus, Jane had reviewed the surveillance footage and confirmed the first paranormal event in the mall happened here. "Does it matter if the door closes?" Ethan asked.

"We're not planning to run, so it doesn't matter. And if we do, it won't be through the front door," Michael said.

"Wait, listen. What's that sound?" Ethan looked alarmed.

A series of faint, strange noises echoed in the store, like something turning and rubbing against something else.

"Michael, look at those mannequins," Ethan suddenly exclaimed.

Michael had already noticed. The mannequins in the store were slowly turning their heads.

Not just one, but all of them were turning their heads, mechanically facing Michael and Ethan. Their fake eyes had a sinister look, as if saying, "I've got my eyes on you!"

"Don't turn your back on them," Michael warned. "Be careful, or you'll lose your head."

He saw a legless mannequin on the floor lift its head to look at him. Its fake hands started moving, reaching toward him.

Other mannequins also began to move, their actions becoming more frequent.

It seemed like the ghost was waking up.

But as Michael and Ethan quickly adjusted their positions, not exposing their backs to any of the mannequins, the commotion gradually died down.

"Can the ghost control even these mannequins?" Ethan asked, his voice shaky.

"Looks like anything with its head replaced by the ghost can be controlled," Michael replied. "But I still can't figure out exactly how this ghost operates. Whether it's mannequins or beheaded corpses, these aren't the real ghost. The real ghost is hiding in the shadows. We need to force it out."

"Got any ideas?" Ethan asked.

"Not really," Michael admitted.

He thought about using his Ghost Realm to trap the ghost, but if he was wrong and the ghost wasn't in the store, he'd waste a valuable opportunity. "Better to save the Ghost Realm for when the ghost actually shows up," he muttered to himself.

"Michael, look at that fitting room. The door's open. Could the ghost-possessed mannequin be in there?" Ethan pointed to a slightly ajar fitting room.

"Could be. Let's check it out together," Michael said as they cautiously approached.

With the flashlight's beam, they slowly opened the fitting room door.

Inside stood a woman with closed eyes and a pale face. Michael hadn't seen her before; she was likely one of the mall's victims. Her face was that of a woman, but her body was a mannequin's. Had the ghost attached a human head to a mannequin's body?

The woman's head had been there for some time, with the skin and flesh already discolored, emitting a strong smell of decay.

"It's not this one," Ethan whispered.

Just then, the door of the adjacent fitting room slowly opened.

A nearly seven-foot-tall mannequin with long arms and legs silently walked out, blocking the flashlight's beam. Its hands reached for Michael and Ethan's heads.

Seeing the change in the shadow on the floor, Michael realized something was wrong.

His already tense nerves made him react instinctively.

A crimson eye appeared, stretching the skin on the back of his head.

As soon as the demon's eye appeared, the scene behind him was transmitted to his mind.

At some point, the mannequin from the phone picture had already stood behind him, reaching out its hand.

"Behind us!" he shouted.

Michael growled and quickly stepped forward, dodging the attack.

But Ethan didn't react in time, feeling a cold touch on the back of his head.

A chilling sensation spread through his entire body from his scalp.

Ethan reacted quickly, his hands already covered in his ghost blood. Instead of dodging, he reached for the mannequin. "Got you," he said.

His blood-soaked hand grabbed the long arm without hesitation, the blood seemingly merging into the mannequin.

Soon, blood began to seep from the mannequin's joints, eyes, and neck.

"My ghost blood can suppress any ghost's abilities. Let's subdue it now," Ethan shouted.

But before he could finish, the female corpse behind him suddenly moved.

A rotting, bluish-black arm reached for Ethan from behind.

Just stopping the mannequin wasn't enough.

"Grabbing one won't help, look at the others around you," Michael said, seeing the suddenly moving female corpse. Without hesitation, he kicked it.

A faint red glow emanated from his foot.

The female corpse was kicked into the wall behind it.

Its legs still struggled, but it couldn't get out.

Ethan glanced back, fear in his heart.

Luckily, he was with Michael this time. If he had been alone, he would've been dead when he turned around.

But then, something even more terrifying happened.

As Michael stepped out of the fitting room to help Ethan deal with the special mannequin, he glanced around and froze.

At some point, the entire store was filled with people. They blocked the entrance, and one of them walked into the store, picking up his flashlight from a nearby shelf. This person had no head but wore a security guard's uniform.

"Nico?" Michael recognized the corpse.

"Michael, something's wrong. I saw Nico's corpse walk out earlier. I was too scared to make a sound. Be careful," Jane's voice came through the satellite phone.

"I know," Michael said seriously.

With a faint sound, the headless security guard turned off the flashlight.

The surroundings plunged into darkness.

In the darkness, Michael heard the rustling sound of people entering the store.

More and more ghosts were flooding in, as if to fill the small clothing store to the brim.