Ghost Exorciser: The Oust Fake Heiress Strikes-Chapter 302: Trick?

Garrison laughed.

He reached out, pulled her gently onto his lap, and held her hand. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"You’re truly one of a kind," he said warmly. "I’ve never seen anyone as dignified as you."

Cassandra gave a tight smile.

Later that night, after returning home, Cassandra lay awake for a long time, staring at the ceiling.

In the end, she still sent Lana a message.

"I want to meet you. There’s something we need to discuss."

Meanwhile, Lana was busy with her practical training.

The trials for the Haunted Grounds had finally begun.

As the name suggested, the Haunted Grounds were a gray zone, neither safe territory nor a full ghost zone.

Over the years, countless people had trained there: civilians, public and private police forces, and institutes responsible for grooming superhumans for mercenary teams.

It was immensely popular.

Yet it wasn’t open freely. The government owned it, and anyone who wished to enter had to make a formal booking.

That alone spoke of its value.

Shadow University securing it for training spoke volumes about their foresight.

Lana stepped onto the grounds and felt herself slow.

She was mesmerized.

Compared to her expectations, the Haunted Grounds were breathtaking.

Lush greenery stretched endlessly, dew clinging to every leaf. Shallow streams reflected the dim sky, and the air smelled fresh, as though rain might fall at any moment.

It felt untouched.

Perhaps humans had abandoned it.

Perhaps even ghosts had turned away.

Standing there, Lana felt as though she were gazing upon a fragment of heaven left behind on earth.

Meanwhile, her teammates were tense, their gazes constantly sweeping the surroundings, alert for any sign of a ghost.

Just as Lana stood there, quietly admiring the view on her own, a soft voice drifted behind her.

"Is the scenery so beautiful that you can’t look away?"

Lana’s heart lurched. She instinctively clutched her chest and turned around, eyes wide with surprise.

What she saw was not a normal human.

A woman stood there, her head bleeding profusely.

Dark red blood slid down her hairline, dripping onto her pale neck.

Lana immediately understood, this was a ghost. Strangely enough, she didn’t feel fear this time, only surprise.

Maybe it was Mr. Crow’s nonchalant reaction or maybe it was because of her own strength, but fear didn’t linger in her heart at all.

After the initial shock faded, Lana muttered irritably,

"If you want to greet someone, don’t just jump out of nowhere."

The woman froze.

She had clearly expected Lana to scream and flee.

Instead, she stared at Lana in disbelief, then slowly pointed at herself.

"You... you can see me?"

Lana rolled her eyes. "Of course I can. I see ghosts."

Hearing that, the ghost was stunned.

She was dressed in a beautiful blue cropped top paired with charcoal pants, clothes that looked oddly modern.

Realizing that Lana could both see and hear her, excitement flooded her expression.

She rushed toward Lana so quickly that it looked as if she might collide with her.

Lana remained calm, standing still.

But when the ghost stopped right in front of her, Lana instinctively flinched.

The woman’s right eye socket was completely empty. Blood continuously seeped from it, staining her cheek and teeth.

Her face was deathly pale, her lips cracked, and her smile carried an unsettling eeriness.

In an excited voice, the ghost asked, "Then... will you help me?"

Lana blinked. "That depends on what I get in return."

The ghost’s excitement faltered. She drifted back slightly, her shoulders drooping.

"I don’t have much to offer," she admitted.

Lana raised a brow. "Who are you?"

"My name is Diana," the ghost replied quickly. "I came here with my boyfriend for training. I was a very powerful superhuman back then."

Lana waited quietly, her gaze sharp.

Diana continued, "At first, everything was fine. Then a ghost portal opened here."

Lana frowned.

Diana’s voice trembled.

"My boyfriend abandoned me when it happened. I barely survived. But when he realized I was still alive, he panicked. To hide the fact that he had betrayed his own teammate, he threw me off the cliff."

Lana narrowed her eyes.

"From what I know, no ghost portal has opened in this haunted ground for nearly a century."

Diana let out a bitter laugh.

"That’s a lie. Since I arrived here, five or six ghost portals have already opened."

Lana’s expression hardened. "Are you telling the truth, or are you trying to trick me?"

Diana laughed hollowly.

"I’m already dead. What good would lying do me? Do you think misleading a group of Shadowridge University students taking their practical exam would benefit me in any way?"

Lana nodded slowly. "I’ll take your case, on one condition."

Diana leaned forward eagerly. "What condition?"

"Tell me my real name."

Diana smiled immediately. "Your name is Lana."

The warmth instantly vanished from Lana’s face.

In the next second, she flicked her finger.

A violent wave of mystic energy surged forward, slamming into Diana. The ghost shrieked in agony.

"What are you doing?!" Diana screamed, her voice suddenly sharp and malicious.

Lana chuckled coldly.

"From the moment we arrived here, we were never allowed to call each other by our real names. We were given code names."

Her eyes glinted.

"Yet you knew mine. Unless someone sent you to target me, there’s no reason you should know my true name."

Diana’s expression twisted with rage. She lunged forward, as if she wanted to tear Lana apart.

She had never expected Lana to be this cautious, or this intelligent.

Mr. Crow, watching silently, couldn’t help but admire her sharpness.

Moments later, the mystic energy intensified.

Diana’s form cracked, then shattered completely, turning into ash that scattered into the air.

Lana slowly withdrew her hand.

Mr. Crow moved closer, but Lana shook her head lightly.

"What if she is telling the truth?" He asked.

She continued calmly, "Shadowridge University might be strict, but they never gamble with student safety. If a ghost portal had opened here in the last decade, they would have canceled the trials immediately."

Just then, a voice sounded in her earpiece.