"That was way too careless."
Agent Seven kept chattering on. I looked at her awkwardly as she crossed her arms, clearly annoyed with me.
"Enough, 001. Give it a rest. There was nothing we could do in that situation—only you can control these robots, and even Ethan Zhang couldn't see clearly at the time."
I didn't offer any explanation. In that blinding flash, my vision was blocked, but I could still sense something—just not fast enough. Now, Entity 001 was lost in thought beside me.
Agent Seven muttered something. I found it strange too—normally, if the enemy were that powerful, they'd just crush us with force instead of bothering to say anything.
Agent Seven muttered something. I found it strange too—normally, if the enemy were that powerful, they'd just crush us with force instead of bothering to say anything.
Agent Seven said, "The water level below keeps rising, but the concentration and quality of curse power have dropped a lot."
Entity 004 spoke from the edge. We walked over, and Entity 001 began to float.
Agent Seven said, "You all can handle the rest. I'm heading back over there."
She shot upward, looking anxious. Entity 004 seemed to notice something and chuckled. Immediately, Entity 001 turned back, her expression suddenly shy as she looked at Entity 004.
Agent Seven said, "What's so funny?"
Entity 004 shook his head.
Agent Seven was told, "Hurry up and go. These troublesome things aren't your specialty. If you can enjoy a day, make the most of it."
Entity 004 continued speaking.
"Let me go down and take a look myself."
Agent Seven and I watched as Entity 004 reached the water's surface, about 500 meters away. We couldn't see clearly, but 004 sat on a cloud, floating above the black water, then started circling the forest along the water's edge. The sunlight was already fading.
"I've checked. The curse power quality around here is low. Even if we jumped in for a bath, nothing would happen."
I let out a sound of surprise. Entity 004 chuckled and swished his ceremonial whisk.
Agent Seven said, "I see. It looks like only when the curse power reaches a certain quality can Mimics be produced. If the Mimics are too strong, their numbers drop; if there are too many, they're weak. So it's not entirely hopeless."
The three of us sat on the edge of the Timber Rampart, watching and waiting for the sun to set. I glanced at the other two, then, for some reason, asked a question.
"Are you in the real world connected to the consciousness of this world?"
Entity 004 fell silent. Agent Seven looked a bit helpless, then nodded.
"Our consciousness here is indeed linked to our real selves. You could say it's another form of our existence."
"What do you all do? When we get back, I'd like to invite you for a drink, no matter what happens."
I muttered, and Entity 004 shook his head.
"Let's skip that. Everyone has sides they don't want seen. I'm going to do another round of patrol, then rest."
I responded, but Agent Seven just smiled, gazing quietly into the distance with a hint of resignation on his face.
"Just a regular office worker, really. Out early, home late, living like a dog. Four hours commuting every day, shuttling between big and small cities."
I made a sound of acknowledgment, watching Agent Seven. He seemed to want to say something, but couldn't quite get the words out.
"A long time ago, when I was a kid, the teacher assigned us an essay: What do you want to be when you grow up? Guess what I wrote?"
Agent Seven squinted and smiled, then I thought for a moment and replied.
"A scientist, maybe a boss or something like that."
Agent Seven looked only a few years older than me, so there wasn't any generational gap. He nodded.
"I wrote that I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up."
"And then? You never became one?"
"There was a brief moment of glory, I suppose. I always believed science was the key to human progress, and I took great pride in being a scientist. But later, because of certain things, I failed—not only losing everything, but also my qualification as a scientist. Maybe I'm just a demon now, or perhaps just a ghost wearing human skin."
I stared at Agent Seven in a daze as he stood up and took a deep breath.
"Originally, I just wanted to muddle through life, never waking up—less pain that way. But my ever-awake mind wouldn't let me selectively forget things, so that's why I ended up here. If only I'd met you and your wife earlier."
I lowered my head and smiled awkwardly, then stood up and looked at Agent Seven, shaking my head.
"How about that drink? When I get out of this world."
"Are you thinking of helping the real-world me?"
Agent Seven teased me with a smile, and I nodded.
"I appreciate your kindness, but things in reality are much tougher than here. You don't need to get involved. Everyone is lonely, independent—born alone, and dies alone."
"But everyone..."
Just as I was about to say something, Agent Seven stopped me with a raised hand.
"Sorry."
I muttered, and Agent Seven gave me a smile before floating up. The dusky sunlight slanted across his face, and for a moment I saw someone utterly exhausted, stripped of all hope.
Thinking back, I've met too many people like that in the real world—not just once or twice.
"Maybe it's because I didn't want to become one of those people that I made it all the way here."
It was the same with my relationship with Wu Xiaoli. Thanks to my connection with Li Nan, she smoothly got a job at the bank and felt that life was enough—just working steadily, doing her part, and enjoying time with her loved one during leisure.
That kind of life is actually pretty good—there's no right or wrong to it. In fact, many people who choose that path end up happy. But I didn't choose that life. Nathan Li could help me unconditionally, and so could my cousin. People say I'm foolish, missing out, since I could've lived securely with all that.
I could've had my own place, not needed to rent that cramped apartment, and even dating Wu Xiaoli meant watching every penny. That's why she was disappointed in me.
Back when I worked at the cleaning company, I saved money day and night, hoping that one day I could do something on my own. It was slow, but fulfilling—I never thought my life was hopeless, in fact, it was full of hope.
All my effort now is for a better future—my father once told me that. Maybe there was a communication issue I didn't notice; I thought Wu Xiaoli would understand, but maybe I was just too naïve.
Everyone lives in the moment, never thinking about the future. As long as they're happy now, that's enough. I wanted to build my own life through hard work, and that's why things ended with Wu Xiaoli.
"Ethan Zhang, what are you thinking? Can you tell me?"
I turned around—Rachel Lan was already standing behind me. I smiled helplessly. Everything now is good for me, just like before: working hard, striving forward, even in this perilous world of humans and ghosts, I've never wanted to retreat.
"Rachel, have you ever thought about the future?"
I asked, and Rachel Lan smiled gently, sitting down beside me.
"Of course I have. I started thinking about it before I was ten. Having such irresponsible parents, even imagining my future felt full of darkness!"
I laughed, thinking back to meeting Old Moe—his demeanor, even if it seemed like a joke, maybe wasn't just a joke. Old Moe and Martin Lane couldn't defy the powers of the Underworld; all they could do was let their daughter choose her own life.
"I wasn't planning to get involved in all that mess, but after circling around, I ended up back here. When it comes to humans and ghosts, you know, Ethan, I knew from the start you were hanging out with Evil Ghosts—but I didn't call you out, thinking maybe you wanted to use them for something shady. That's why I got you a job at the gas company."
I made a sound of surprise, looking at Rachel Lan, who gazed at me with a smile.
"So, what was the result of your investigation?"
"You work really hard, Ethan. I didn't expect you to actually show up for the job, but you did—and you put in real effort. In a short time, everyone at the company had good things to say about you. I started wondering what kind of person you really are. I got curious about you."
"Ah, it was all because of John Chou. Back then, I couldn't beat him, couldn't run either, so he dragged me into this mess, haha..."
Rachel Lan nodded and smiled.
"Back then you even hid your ties to those two Ghost Sovereigns. I secretly told the Exile Town burial squad about it, but later I realized you weren't a bad person—actually, you're really kind. After Exile Town, I saw you in a whole new light."
I made a sound of surprise, and thinking back, Rachel Lan's attitude toward me really changed after Exile Town. She'd always show up when I was around, and sometimes we'd work together to solve problems.
"Especially after I broke the taboo, I thought my life was over. But you showed up, risking everything to save me. I was deeply moved—thank you, Ethan."
Rachel Lan gently leaned into my arms, and I shook my head.
Maybe similar people are drawn together. Between Rachel Lan and me, there's always a thread that ties us close; perhaps you could call it resilience.