Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 144: Story?

She paused briefly before continuing, "But they also want students to learn about different kinds of people in society. Some are selfish, some elegant, some refined... and some have no class at all and will resort to anything just to gain an upper hand."

Hearing this, Mr. Crow couldn’t help but mutter,

"The university is taking a big risk letting men like this... or that woman from the previous case... issue missions."

Lana smiled faintly. "You don’t understand. But since we’re here, let’s properly examine the case. From what I’ve observed so far, I’ve connected a possible story... though I’m not sure how accurate it is."

Mr. Crow asked, "What kind of story?"

Lana explained calmly,

"The man has bruises all over him. He hears women crying. And earlier, the ghost in the elevator was a female ghost. Not to mention, I saw the guard’s vision. He’s supposed to die at the hands of that ghost. But from what I sensed earlier, that ghost didn’t seem malicious. She seemed... confused. As if she didn’t even know she was a ghost. Yet she killed the guard. That means the guard may have been hiding something punishable or something he should have told people but didn’t."

She continued,

"And this house has a strong alcohol smell. But if you smell carefully, there’s another scent underneath... something pungent. Ezra may have drenched the entire apartment in alcohol to hide it."

Mr. Crow sniffed the air, and his eyes widened. "There’s... a metallic smell."

Lana nodded. "From what I can sense, Ezra is hiding something. And that woman we saw earlier was most likely his wife, whom he killed. The guard may have known about it and stayed silent. So the ghost attacked him."

Mr. Crow frowned deeply.

"But there are loopholes. Why wait so long to kill the guard? And the guard seemed very honest. He didn’t look like someone who would hide such a thing."

Lana shook her head gently.

"It’s not about personality. It’s about circumstances. If the man was threatened to remain silent, he might have had no choice but to hide the truth. The ghost wouldn’t understand that. She only knows her own pain. To her, the guard was someone who saw and said nothing."

Her reasoning left Mr. Crow stunned. "Your intelligence keeps surprising me..."

However, he quickly added and said, "Even if that’s the case, we still need more evidence before concluding anything."

Lana nodded. "Of course. This is just a rough outline. There’s definitely more to the story."

Just then, Ezra came out and forced a smile. "You can check now."

Lana nodded and walked toward the room, but before entering, she casually opened the apartment door. Ezra frowned deeply.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Lana pointed behind her with a calm expression. "The two ghosts behind me said they were suffocating because of the smell, so I opened the door to let fresh air in."

Ezra’s expression stiffened noticeably before he reluctantly nodded. Lana smirked internally but didn’t comment.

She entered and began her investigation. Instantly, she noticed that the entire house was filled with black gas... but there was no ghostly presence at all.

No wandering spirit. No trace of a lingering soul. Only heavy, suffocating negative energy.

Suddenly remembering the cobwebs she had seen earlier, Lana turned toward Ezra and asked in a calm voice, "How long have you been living here?"

Ezra looked slightly panicked before answering, "I’ve been living here for about three months. Before that, I was busy with some work."

Living in an apartment but having cobwebs in the house... hm... interesting.

Lana nodded. "Do you have any relatives or family members you used to live with?"

Ezra shook his head. "I had a wife three months ago. But she died because of an illness."

Lana nodded slowly. "Then the voice you’ve been hearing might be hers."

Ezra quickly shook his head and explained, "No. I invited a priest. He cleansed the entire apartment and performed a calming ritual. So the voice isn’t my wife’s."

Seeing him so certain, Lana smiled and said,

"If that’s the case, then I’ll investigate the elevator next. I saw a woman there... her eyes were extremely large, and she had a creepy smile that looked like it was stitched with thread."

Hearing those words, Ezra’s expression shifted instantly. Surprise flickered, followed by a brief flash of panic.

That single reaction confirmed to Lana that the woman from the elevator was connected to him. However, she did not reveal a hint of suspicion on her face. She simply turned and began walking out.

Ezra suddenly shivered, as if he could already feel the presence of the ghost lingering in the elevator. He quickly reached out and stopped Lana.

"If you’re the one completing my mission and helping me exorcise the ghost... shouldn’t you give me some kind of charm or equipment? Something to keep me safe? So the ghost can’t harm me?"

Lana smiled politely. "Of course, I can give it to you. But it’ll cost money. The university allows charging fees."

Did he think that she would let him mooch off her?

Hearing this, Ezra clenched his fists. He had paid a hefty amount to a middleman just to issue this mission directly to Shadowridge University.

He had hoped to lure students from the weapons department, talisman division, or ideally, some superhuman student who could exorcise the ghost instantly without digging into his backstory.

His plan was simple: spend money to get the mission accepted, but avoid paying for expensive protective equipment.

Now, hearing he needed to pay extra, it felt like someone slapped him across the face. All his schemes had gone to waste.

Taking a deep breath, he forced an awkward smile.

"I was just joking. You don’t need to take that seriously."

Lana nodded calmly. "I never took you seriously in the first place."

Ezra’s jaw tightened, and a hint of something dark flashed in his eyes.

He slowly lifted his hand as if intending to strike or grab her.