Chapter 9: The Paper Army Arrives
“Where are the other two?” the paper man asked, his voice muffled and hollow.
“Oh—oh! They’re probably still trapped in the bedroom upstairs,” Xiao Han replied, lifting her phone to continue streaming for her viewers.
Under the moonlight, the audience could just make out the figure of the paper man pulling out... a paper-made Gatling gun from somewhere.
Eerie Moonlight: “Holy crap! It’s really a paper man!”
Sour Lemon: “666!”
I’m the War God: “Wait—isn’t that thing gonna get flattened in one hit?”
“…”
The viewers became lively again.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed down the stairs.
“It—it’s Gao Han!” Xiao Han shrank behind the paper man, her hand holding the phone trembling.
Squeak… squeak…
The grinding of bones and slow, deliberate steps crept closer.
At some point, Gao Han’s head had caved in, his eye sockets sunken deep, and an intense aura of malice radiated from him. His hands had become long and blade-like, fingernails several centimeters long, scraping together like steel.
His lips split all the way up to his temples, and a crimson tongue snaked out, licking the corners of his mouth.
“You're all going to die,” the corpse ghoul rasped.
The paper man didn’t flinch. His left hand raised the Gatling gun and opened fire with blazing flashes.
“Find a chance to get upstairs and rescue the others!” he ordered.
Xiao Han looked horrified but nodded. “Got it!”
Bullets riddled the ghoul’s body, causing it to twitch. A black, greasy substance oozed out and quickly coated it, forming a slick armor.
I’m the War God: “I’ve seen it all now!”
Sour Lemon: “Paper man is amazing! I love him!”
The ghoul, enraged, sprouted green tendrils that lashed out at the paper man. The slime flung in all directions, burning everything it touched.
The paper man dodged nimbly and kept firing. His bullets exploded on the tendrils, splashing green goo everywhere. Everything it hit began to corrode.
With a swift slide, the paper man escaped the trap and pulled out a handheld rocket launcher.
BOOM!
A massive blast rocked the villa. Dust and splinters flew everywhere. A huge crater now marked the ghoul’s last position.
007: “Paper bro, you're insane!”
Eerie Moonlight: “Master Lin’s helpers are OP!”
Eerie Moonlight sends you a Carnival Gift.
…
Taking the chance, Xiao Han dashed upstairs.
The viewers were clamoring to see more of the fight.
007: “Guys, quiet! Let Xiao Han rescue them!”
Everyone: “Right, right!”
Moments later, three girls stumbled to the stairwell.
But what they saw downstairs made their blood run cold.
The once-dominant paper man was now being torn apart. His Gatling gun lay in pieces. His rocket launcher was shattered across the floor. His once-smooth body was now crumpled and limp.
The corpse ghoul crouched on top of him, claws shredding his form until all that remained was dust.
The girls looked at each other, panic mirrored in their eyes.
“Your turn now, little morsels,” the ghoul grinned, turning toward them. Slime dripped from his chin as he licked his lips.
“Live blood might not be as tasty… but it’s better than none!”
“Run!” Xiao Han shouted, grabbing the others and sprinting upstairs.
“I’m coming for you,” the ghoul hissed, voice slithering into their hearts like a venomous snake.
They slammed a bedroom door shut behind them and locked it, huddling together in fear.
“Xiao Han-jie… are we going to die?” one girl asked, curling into a corner as tears welled in her eyes.
Heavy footsteps approached like a death march, pounding against their hearts.
007: “I can’t watch this!”
Poppy Girl: “My poor paper man!”
I’m the War God: “Please let them stay hidden!”
“I found you,” the ghoul whispered as his hands smashed the door open.
“AHHH!” the girls screamed in terror.
“Foul creature, causing havoc among the living—your end is here!”
My voice echoed from the doorway.
Xiao Han peeked out—her eyes widened.
A squad of yellow paper men stood behind me, each with a Gatling gun in one hand and a flamethrower in the other.
“Oh my god,” Xiao Han whispered.
The other two girls realized what was happening. Hope flickered in their eyes.
No One Calls Me Fat: “Master really knows how to put on a show!”
Poppy Girl: “Am I hallucinating? Is that an army of paper men surrounding the ghoul?”
007: “Is the fight back on? I’m too nervous—what do we do?!”
At my command, the entire paper army launched their attack. Gatling fire and flamethrowers raged in unison.
The ghoul screamed, its green tendrils whipping toward me.
I snorted coldly, swinging my peachwood sword in a downward arc, slicing them into shreds.
The ghoul shrieked in pain as the fire finally burned through its oily armor. Black smoke rose from its melting flesh.
“Now!” I shouted.
With a single leap, I drove the peachwood sword straight into its heart like a spear.
The paper men kept firing, relentless.
The ghoul howled one last time—then finally, crumbled into ashes.