"Let me enquire about the ward numbers in the reception," Jacob said but Lionel stopped him immediately.

  "There's no need. I know where they are." Lionel sensed faint dark energy when he entered the hospital, and his legs moved instantly without him giving much thought.

  Jacob didn't doubt him and followed him silently and soon, they were standing outside a private ward.

  Lionel sensed a familiar dark energy from inside and glanced at Jacob before knocking on the door.

  From the small window on the door, he noticed the man sitting by the bed, get up and approach them.

  "Yes?" the man asked, confused to see.

  "I'm Lauren's brother and this is my friend. You may have spoken to one of my family members," Jacob introduced, having no idea who the man was or which kid they had reached first.

  "Ah... I spoke to someone mature. You don't..."

  "That's my father. He spoke to you." Jacob didn't know if his father or Mr. Carlson had spoken to him. But he didn't explain.

  "May we take a look?" Lionel asked, looking behind the man, at the unconscious teenager whose face was covered in thin cadaveric qi.

  The man nodded and moved away, allowing them to enter the ward.

  "What happened to him, Sir?" Jacob questioned while Lionel examined the boy.

  "We don't know what happened to Dave. He didn't wake up this morning. So, we brought him here," the man said, devastated. "The doctors are trying. But they don't know what is wrong with him. I..."

  "Sir, I'm going to do something now. But please don't interrupt me. It's for your son's well-being," Lionel said and glanced at Jacob, who stood by the door.

  "What are you trying to do?" The man looked at him warily and moved to shield his son from him.

  "Sir, I promise your son will be awake once I am done."

  "But..."

  "Sir, your son is being haunted by a ghost," Jacob informed before Lionel did.

  "What? How..."

  "Sir, my sister Lauren too was in a similar state. If not for Lionel," Jacob pointed at Lionel, "she would have died."

  "I..." The man was perplexed. He didn't know whether he could trust them.

  "Sir, I'm Jacob Wallace, Brian Wallace's son. We'll never do anything to hurt you or your family."

  The man knew who Brian Wallace was and his suspicions reduced quite a bit.

  Noticing that the man was slightly convinced, Lionel got to work immediately.

  "Sir, irrespective of what happens next, don't interrupt me," Lionel warned and pressed two fingers on the unconscious teenager's forehead.

  Like Lauren, the ghost had marked him too.

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  Not wasting time, Lionel smacked a Cleansing Talisman on his forehead and waited.

  The teenager started thrashing immediately as he shouted in pain.

  Although Jacob had witnessed this scene once, he was still frightened when he saw it again.

  But the man's state was different. He was beyond speechless and terrified when he heard his son's shout. What made his blood run cold was, he heard a dreadful scream that didn't seem human.

  Lionel used the Blessing Talisman which started devouring the cadaveric qi before throwing a Cleansing Talisman in the air.

  The man was stunned to see the talismans vanish one by one and slowly, Dave stopped moving. His face was pale and drenched with sweat.

  Nothing happened for a few seconds.

  But soon, Dave's eyeballs moved a few times before his eyes fluttered open.

  "He's safe now," Lionel reported before stepping aside for the man to check. "Sir, we're going to leave now. We still have a few more kids to save."

  Lionel stopped when he recalled something and handed a Cleansing Talisman to the man. "Sir, keep this for your son's safety."

  Without waiting for the man to speak, Lionel and Jacob rushed out of the ward, looking for the next boy to rescue.

  "Dave, how do you feel?" the man asked, baffled by the turn of events. He looked at the talisman in his hand blankly.

  "I feel fine, Dad. But I'm tired."

  "Let me call the doctor." The man pocketed the talisman, understanding the power it held. After all, it had saved his son's life.

  Although the man started believing Lionel and Jacob after seeing Lionel's flashy moves wake his son up, he still wanted to ensure everything was alright.

  The doctors were stunned. When they saw Dave looking at them wearily, their minds went blank.

  Dave's case was an anomaly. He had fallen unconscious suddenly and they had been unsuccessful in finding the reason behind it.

  But what was even more intriguing was, Dave wasn't the only one. There were Ryu and Noel as well who showed similar symptoms.

  The doctors at the hospital had been cracking their heads, pulling their hair to find out what might have caused them to faint suddenly. Who knew one of them would gain consciousness all of a sudden?

  "Did something happen to Dave while we weren't around?" one of the doctors asked Dave's father and the man pursed his lips immediately, not knowing how to answer him.

  'Should I reveal the truth to them or keep it a secret?' the man thought in a dilemma.

  The doctors noticed the man's strange expression and they looked at each other in wonder. Something strange had happened for sure.

  "Sir, would you mind telling us what happened? It will help us save the other kids."

  The man wasn't convinced. He wasn't heartless to push his son's savior in danger. Lionel's heaven-defying actions were still etched in his mind. He was still in disbelief that ghosts did exist and his son had encountered one.

  "I can't tell you about it. I'm sorry," the man apologized immediately, refusing to disclose anything. He didn't know if the young men wanted to keep their abilities a secret. He would never reveal anything without their consent.

  The doctors were disappointed. But they didn't force him to speak and continued to check Dave.

  Meanwhile, Lionel and Jacob looked for the next kid to save.

  "He's is the one." Lionel knocked at the open door and entered the ward.

  "Who are you two? Wait a minute..." The woman stopped when she recalled something. "Are you the one who called me?"

  "Noel's mom?" Lionel asked, recognizing her voice.

  The woman nodded.

  "That's us. We are the ones who called you," Lionel agreed and looked at Noel. Surprisingly, there wasn't any cadaveric qi around him.

  "Ma'am, we don't have much time. But if you trust me, I can save your son," Lionel said not beating around the bush. He couldn't comprehend why he was feeling ominous all of a sudden.

  The woman looked back and forth between the two. Although she was dubious, she still gave them a chance. Anyway, she would be in the ward; she wouldn't allow them to do anything to her child.

  Lionel glanced at Jacob and pointed at the door and the man closed it instantly.

  Lionel repeated his actions and placed his fingers on Noel's forehead. Unlike Lauren and Dave, there wasn't a ghost mark on him. His symptoms were closer to Nia's instead.

  Relieved, he pulled out two Cleansing Talismans, smacked one of them on Noel's forehead, and threw the other in the air.

  Noel started twitching immediately. But he stopped moving within seconds and the dark energy in the ward vanished when he opened his eyes.

  Lionel sighed in relief. Even Jacob's tense muscles relaxed.

  "Ma'am, he's safe now. We still have some matters to attend to. Use this if something happens to Noel." Lionel handed a Cleansing Talisman to the lady and rushed towards the door.

  "We're leaving, Ma'am. Take care."

  And Lionel and Jacob were gone before Noel's mother could even digest what she had just witnessed.