Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World

There was a ghost in the house, and no matter how tough you were, staying there was a no-go.

But Michael, desperate to get his hands on that red newspaper again, decided to take the risk. This was his shot at keeping the ghost from coming back. 'Wait here for the ghost and see if it shows up,' Michael thought, hesitating for what felt like forever before finally deciding to stick around and face it. Knowing there was a ghost and still waiting for it to come back took some serious guts.

Michael was definitely brave, ready to face death if it came to that.

Staying alive now felt like a slow death anyway.

If the eyes on his body got out of control, he'd have to be put down.

Meanwhile, in another fancy neighborhood where Sophia lived.

Since the haunting at school, she hadn't left the house. She'd been hiding out for the past two days because she felt something was off at home.

In the bathroom, Sophia's eyes were filled with fear and a touch of madness. She clutched a toilet brush, scrubbing a spot next to her neck like crazy in front of the mirror.

Her soft skin turned red from the intense scrubbing.

Normally, no one could handle that kind of pain.

But Sophia seemed numb to it, scrubbing even harder, her eyes showing more terror.

Soon, a piece of skin next to her neck split open, oozing crimson blood.

The blood mixed with the warm water in the bathroom, staining the floor red.

No matter how much she scrubbed or how much blood flowed, the two bluish-black handprints on her blood-stained skin stayed clear, like they were part of her flesh and couldn't be washed away.

Meanwhile, Sophia's mom, Seraphina Cruz, sat on the living room sofa, glancing at her watch with a worried look.

"Sophia's been in the bathroom for over two hours, and she already took a bath this morning. Could she be sick or something?"

Sophia's dad, Declan Delacroix, looked worried too. "She hasn't been herself since she got back from school yesterday morning. She barely eats, stays in her room all day, and insists on keeping all the lights on, even during the day. If this keeps up, we should take her to the hospital tomorrow."

"Honey, did you find out what happened at school the other night? I can't get ahold of any of the teachers," Seraphina asked.

Declan answered, "I went to the school yesterday, and something definitely went down. The place is locked up, and all the students are on forced leave until further notice. I ran into a lot of other parents there too."

Declan took a drag from his cigarette, frowning deeply, looking serious.

Then he went on, "Other parents said their kids didn't come home after evening classes the night before, and they can't reach them. A lot of students are missing." Seraphina gasped, "How could this happen?"

"Something definitely happened at the school, but we don't know what yet. I wanted to ask Sophia, but seeing her like this, I didn't want to push her," Declan said, putting out his cigarette. "Sophia must've gone through something. She looks terrified."

Seraphina speculated, "Honey, do you think Sophia ran into some bad people and got bullied? I once saw a news story about a girl who was dragged into a bathroom and raped by a gang. She came back mentally unstable, constantly feeling dirty, and kept bathing until she eventually committed suicide."

"That's impossible. This is a massive student disappearance. The school's definitely hiding something. By the way, wasn't Sophia brought back by her classmate yesterday morning?" Declan asked.

"Yeah, I've seen that boy. His name's Michael," Seraphina replied.

"He must know what happened to Sophia. We should call him," Declan suggested.

"I thought about it, but I don't have his number," Seraphina said.

Just then, a hysterical scream came from the bathroom.

Their faces changed instantly, and they rushed to the bathroom door, but it was locked.

"Sophia, open the door! What's happening? Mom's right here," Seraphina knocked anxiously.

But Sophia's screams kept coming from inside.

Declan realized it was serious. He stopped knocking and forcefully broke down the bathroom door.

With a loud bang, the door flew open.

Seraphina rushed in first. The bathroom floor was covered in blood, making her face pale. Then she saw her daughter, naked and huddled in a corner, her neck covered in blood, looking terrified and burying her head as if she'd been scared out of her mind.

"Sophia, what's wrong?"

Seraphina was heartbroken and almost cried. She tried to calm down and covered her daughter with a towel.

"The ghost is here. It's here, right outside the window. It's here for me," Sophia said in terror. "Don't, don't come near."

"What is it? There's nothing outside the window, Sophia. Don't scare yourself," Seraphina looked at the bathroom window but saw nothing.

"No, it's right outside the window, watching me."All rights © NôvelDrama.Org.

Sophia grabbed her mother's arm in panic, "Michael, I want Michael. I want to go to Michael's home. I don't want to stay here, Mom. I don't want to die. Everyone is dead. They are all dead. Sarah and those classmates, they are all dead." "I don't want to die," she cried, burying her head in Seraphina's arms.

"Sophia, it's okay. You won't be harmed. Mom is here," Seraphina comforted her with tears.

"The ghost has already found me. It's right outside the window. I'm going to die soon," Sophia said.

Seraphina looked at the window again, "There's really nothing outside. We live on the sixteenth floor. There's nothing outside. Look if you don't believe me."

"Mom, it's really here. I want to stay at Michael's home. I don't want to die," Sophia cried, trembling all over.

At this moment, Declan said, "Let's take Sophia back to her room to get dressed, then go to the clinic downstairs to treat her wounds. Tomorrow, I'll find a way to contact Michael and ask him." Seraphina nodded and helped Sophia out of the bathroom.

After they left, Declan turned off the hot water and cleaned up the blood on the floor.

As he was about to leave, he glanced at the bathroom window.

The window was closed.

Declan leaned out to see if there was really something outside.

Living on the sixteenth floor, how could there be anything outside?

Sure enough, he saw nothing outside.

But as he was about to close the window, he froze.

The window was covered in a layer of steam, and a clear handprint was visible on it.

The handprint looked small, not like an adult's, more like a four or five-year-old child's handprint.

And the handprint extended from outside the window into the bathroom.

On the steam-covered bathroom walls.

Even on the ceiling, where Sophia couldn't reach, there were handprints, densely packed and clearly visible.

Upon seeing this, Declan felt something was very wrong.

That night, Sophia's family didn't sleep at all.