After an unknown amount of time, I arrived at a pitch-black mountain wall and found the prison we had left before. With a surge of excitement, I searched everywhere for the broken opening. After a while, I found it.
Once again, I returned to the Ghost Prison. Looking around the narrow corridor, I saw no one from the Ghost Syndicate. I entered the hallway through the damaged spot and walked to the left. After a long walk, I still didn't see Ethan Zhang and the others.
I returned to the original cell, but Ethan Zhang and the others weren't there. Panic set in, and I kept moving forward, but my body suddenly felt feverish. I had no idea what was happening.
Blood-red flashes appeared in my mind. I stopped, my chest felt unbearably uncomfortable, and waves of heat kept surging from within me.
I screamed in pain. At that moment, footsteps echoed—the Ghost Syndicate's people suddenly appeared before my eyes, about twenty or thirty meters away.
"Ethan Zhang is here."
I was shocked and wanted to run, but my body grew more and more uncomfortable. Whimpering, my mouth gaped open as streaks of red poured out. In my mind, a bizarre scene unfolded: John Chou, the evil ghost, hovered in the air above a vast sea of blood. I stood at the edge of the blood sea, both feet already submerged, staring blankly.
The sensation inside me grew more unbearable. I screamed, and a green chain snapped around my neck with a clatter.
"Damn it, you actually dared to run."
The sound of whipping echoed. The Ghost Syndicate thug lashed at me with a leather whip, but the pain inside my body was even worse.
I was terrified, utterly stunned. But at that moment, a bizarre black pattern appeared on my chest. Suddenly, a black hand shot out, and with a ripping sound, the chest of the person before me was torn open, leaving a gaping hole. I screamed, and in an instant, flesh and blood splattered everywhere.
With a thud, the man collapsed to the ground. The unbearable sensation in my body vanished, and the images in my mind faded away as well.
"Oh yeah, finally made it in! Ha, the plan worked, Scarlet."
A guttural sound echoed. I heard the voice of Ghost Fiend Star, and then my chest swelled up. With a bang, it burst open. I retched, collapsing onto the ground, black blood pouring endlessly from my mouth.
It was Ghost Fiend Star and that female ghost—both of them emerged from my body.
"Hurry up, Ghost Fiend Star. If Dreadstar finds out, things will get ugly."
Ghost Fiend Star burst into laughter and glanced at me.
"Oh, I'm truly sorry, Ethan Zhang. You probably won't make it, but honestly, someone as weak as you, not even worth a flicker of hope, is better off dead. It's still better than being tortured by those maniacs."
Ghost Fiend Star raised a hand, black light swirling above it. With a ripping sound, the ground cracked open; the surrounding cells were utterly destroyed. I fell down below.
It hurt—my whole body throbbed with pain, and my consciousness began to fade. Below was a spacious chamber. At that moment, I heard the clanking of chains, and Ghost Fiend Star and Scarlet stood before my eyes.
Am I going to die? I muttered, but more than anything, I wanted to say sorry to Lily Wu. I don't want to die. I really don't want to die. I whimpered, hoping someone would come save me. That desperate wish filled my mind.
Just then, an image flashed in my mind—me, in the apartment building, happily eating and drinking with a few friends, a smile blooming on my face.
"Have you truly been abandoned, Ethan Zhang?"
I whimpered, fat tears streaming down my face.
"Enough already, Scarlet. Finish him."
Ghost Fiend Star spoke, and the female ghost swooped over to me, her crimson nails pointed right at me.
"Death is a kind of release, isn't it?"
As she spoke, with a ripping sound, her red nails pierced my body. I spat out a mouthful of blood, and gradually, my consciousness began to blur. I watched as my body slowly turned to ash, dissipating into nothing.
"This must be the evil ghost left behind by the boss, huh? Heh, Dreadstar never lets me in, but now I'm taking this thing for myself."
In a daze, I saw a towering, hulking ghost, at least two or three meters tall, its body pitch black, muscles bulging, eyes glowing red. Chains wrapped around its hands, feet, and neck, and white vapor billowed from its mouth.
Slowly, I raised my hand—now nothing but dust—staring at that ghost. I don't want to die. Not at all.
Suddenly, with a roar, the chained evil ghost before me began to shout, mouth wide open. With a rush, a stream of black energy surged toward me.
"What's happening?"
Ghost Fiend Star stared in astonishment at the ghost, then looked at me. The black energy flooded into my body; I screamed. In an instant, I floated up, and the ghost's gaping mouth swallowed me whole.
"So you were hungry, huh? Listen, big guy, there are plenty of ghosts in the cages above for you to feast on."
I was stunned, seeing Ghost Fiend Star standing before me. And then, I realized—I had become that ghost. But my body brimmed with power. I swung my arm, and with a whoosh, a powerful gust swept out. Ghost Fiend Star clutched his forehead, while Honghong held onto him tightly.
"So strong—just a single swing unleashes such force. No wonder you're the strongest ghost left behind by the boss, the mightiest in the Ghost Syndicate."
I stood still, feeling the overwhelming strength inside me, unable to make sense of what was happening.
But then, an image appeared in my mind—a towering figure from the Ghost Syndicate, wearing a bamboo hat, eyes razor sharp.
It was that three-meter-tall, powerfully built ghost, trailing right behind the Ghost Syndicate member.
"I think I might be leaving soon—I can feel it. Old friend, you should sense it too. The darkness is pulling me in; I'm about to head to the dark banquet. This time, the Ghost Syndicate may be destroyed. Those two evil ghosts, Ji Yun'er and John Chou, didn't just come here to talk—they're likely under orders from the Underworld Court, planning to wipe us out."
"So what do you plan to do?"
The towering ghost spoke, its voice harsh and unyielding.
"It's already unstoppable, old friend. You'll have to stay here—remember this, I'll strip away your consciousness, turn you into a shell. You won't be left alone for centuries. It's dangerous, but you must remain. I'll do everything I can to hold off those two evil ghosts, so the Ghost Syndicate isn't wiped out. You, as the guardian, must protect whoever survives."
"Then how can I be awakened?"
"Just inject the ghost into your body, and you'll awaken."
The memory cut off here. At that moment, I felt a consciousness in my head, trying to force me out. I was in agony, no longer in control of the ghost. With a rush, my vision spun—I fell to the ground.
I gasped for breath, while Ghost Fiend Star turned, staring at me in disbelief.
"How is this possible? Your ghost soul should've been wiped out—how can you still...?"
"I have no idea what's happening."
But just then, the ghost that had brought me back from death suddenly spoke.
"Little ghost, you're Ghost Fiend Star, right? Hurry up and finish off that guy over there. I want you to make sure not even a scrap of him remains."
I stared at the ghost in terror. He'd just saved me, but now he wanted to kill me.
"Why? And how do you have consciousness? I remember you used to be controlled by the boss. How are you aware now?"
"No more nonsense, little ghost. Get to work."
But at that moment, Ghost Fiend Star advanced toward me. I shook my head, backing away step by step.
"Why? Big guy, Ethan Zhang is just a regular nobody."
"I can feel it—it's the power of destruction. This guy's body holds terrifying strength. Just now, he accidentally entered my body and broke the restriction your boss set. I sensed an incredibly powerful force forming in the void."
"Oh, then I'll be sure to take him back for a thorough study."
Ghost Fiend Star didn't plan to kill me. Meanwhile, the evil ghost roared and struggled, but couldn't break free from the chains. The walls around us, the whole ghost prison, collapsed. Honghong grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up, while Ghost Fiend Star dodged falling stones with a playful grin. Not until the entire prison was destroyed, with nowhere left to stand, did a buzzing sound fill the air.
Swarms and swarms of flies surged toward us, merging into a humanoid shape—Dreadstar had arrived.
"What exactly are you trying to do, Ghost Fiend Star?"
"Dreadstar, look—the one the boss left behind has regained consciousness."
"Ghost Syndicate, kill that Ethan Zhang immediately!"
The ghost kept shouting, while Dreadstar noticed me and flashed a smile.
"As expected, this one can become a formidable evil ghost. Heh."
No matter how the chained ghost screamed for them to kill me, neither Ghost Fiend Star nor Dreadstar moved. It seemed they'd become deeply interested in me.
"Take him back, keep studying him. This time, I'll help."