I was still reeling from the shocking revelations I'd just heard tonight. My mind struggled to process it all—especially the idea that ghosts could give birth. It was simply unbelievable.
"All the states not bordering Hell have their own social structures and evolutionary pace. The Brotherhood Ghostrealm is actually vast. I've even heard Ding Dacheng mention ghosts existing in barren lands outside the Ghostrealm."
"But that guy really is... how do I put it, he seems to be your nemesis!"
I said meaningfully. Dealing with someone who always speaks their mind, says whatever they're thinking, truly does seem to be a challenge for John Chou.
"Can you tell me your plan? What exactly do you intend to do?"
John Chou took a sip from his wine cup. I watched as he drank a third of a large bowl of wine and already seemed a bit dizzy. I could only drink mine slowly.
"You must've noticed the structure here when you arrived, right, brother?"
I nodded, and then John Chou began to explain.
In the forest further north, there's a city. Lately, a large number of Boarhead Soldiers have been stationed there, and it looks like they're drilling. There are quite a few Specter Ghosts, like the ones I saw before—at least over a hundred. I stared in disbelief.
Our task now is to infiltrate the massive fortress in these mountains. That's the domain of the Wild Boar King. He manages this place but rarely comes himself, usually sending his subordinates to patrol. If we want to reach the Animal Realm, we have to find a way in. The city ruled by the Wild Boar King might hold the key to entering the Animal Realm.
If we confront them head-on, we don't stand a chance right now. Ding Dacheng could charge in and handle it, but if we do that, we'll end up in a bad spot. No matter how strong Ding Dacheng is, this area is already under Emperor God's control. If they want to catch us, it won't be difficult. Our only option is to sneak in.
John Chou pulled a small black insect out of his pocket and grinned wickedly.
"Brother, if we want to sneak in, we'll have to rely on these little guys."
I looked at John Chou in confusion as he put the insect into his mouth and started chewing.
"So how exactly does this work?"
"I've spent the past month researching these insects. They're not only found in paddy fields, but in other places too. You need specialists to clean them out regularly. The crops here don't follow the same cycle as the Living World—it's not just planting in winter and harvesting in autumn. What you see now is only a small part; there are much larger fields beyond this."
I looked at John Chou, still unsure what he was getting at.
"Food reserves—once war breaks out, Emperor God can deploy countless ghosts. But what about food? If they don't eat and replenish their ghost energy, these ghosts will starve. The lower the rank, the more they need to eat. So, food reserves are the biggest issue. The food produced here can be eaten by ordinary ghosts without a problem. I've observed closely: at the end of every month, a huge amount of grain is shipped out, mostly to the two Wildlands states—not to Summer State."
I swallowed, and John Chou continued.
"Now that the two Wildlands states have lost all Underworld informants, no one knows what's really going on. The Underworld is blind—they have no idea where the enemy is gathering troops or how strategic supplies are being moved. These are critical factors in war. On our side, a powerful Blue Wraith or a single Ghost Lord could hold off millions of ghosts, maybe even tens of millions, but if the fighting drags on, even they will run dry. If the enemy waits for that moment, they could easily wipe us out. So, brother, this war won't be decided by a few powerful figures duking it out."
I nodded, starting to understand why John Chou had come here. His main goal was probably intelligence gathering—after all, he'd been a spy in life.
John Chou pulled out another black insect, placed it on the table, then glanced around and fetched a square jar from the corner. Inside were some red plants. He pulled one out and put it on the table. The insect, which had been moving slowly, suddenly sped up, wrapped itself around the plant's roots, and began gnawing. It wasn't fast, but after a few minutes, I saw the insect eat part of the root and then stop moving.
"What exactly is this?"
"Brother, that's just one little insect. What if there were ten? Twenty?"
I nodded and said.
"If there are that many insects, they'll gnaw away the plant's roots. Without roots, the plants will die."
"These insects need to be cleared out regularly, because the plants mature in a month. So for half the month, someone has to clean out the insects. It's not as simple as the method I taught you—you're just releasing a bit of Ghost Aura to lure the insects down, right? That's how most ghosts do it, but how many can control their Ghost Aura so precisely?"
I shook my head. John Chou was right. I'd been through extensive training and could now release just the right amount of Ghost Aura to lure the insects away from the roots, then grab them with my fingers. If you just yank them off, you'd damage the plant's roots.
I immediately realized what John Chou was planning.
"You're not thinking of using a swarm of insects to destroy the fields, are you?"
I swallowed, and John Chou nodded.
"You must've seen the trees in the forest. Many of their roots have these insects too, and they need regular clearing. But it's not as troublesome as with crops, since the roots are so thick—a single tree would need tens of thousands of insects to eat through them quickly. Usually, there are only a few dozen under each tree, so cleaning them once a month is enough."
John Chou stood up, went under the bed, and dragged out a small jar. When he opened it, I felt a chill run down my spine—inside were red insects, thicker than the black ones. I immediately sensed John Chou's aura in these bugs.
"These insects naturally appear in the soil of the Ghostrealm, but after feeding them my own blood for a while, I discovered something interesting. I'd tried all sorts of breeding methods before, but none worked. These insects are incredibly destructive."
As he spoke, John Chou took out a red insect, about 4 millimeters thick, and placed it on a plant's root. Instantly, it writhed violently and devoured the entire root in less than ten seconds—then looked like it still wasn't satisfied.
"Want to try one, brother? These taste better."
I shook my head without hesitation. John Chou put the insects back in the jar and sealed it.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll secretly release these insects in the fields. Their biggest advantage is how rapidly they reproduce."
I gasped, staring at John Chou in disbelief.
"How do you even know this stuff? And honestly, this method feels a bit... off."
John Chou laughed.
"Brother, remember this: from ancient times until now, everything is built up from small things. As for how I know about the insects—think about it carefully, and you'll figure it out."
Suddenly, my eyes widened.
"Brother Owen?"
"Heh, yes, Brother Owen. That guy let slip a few things to me during the Dark Banquet. Back then, I was his teacher, and he was my student—do you remember?"
I nodded quickly. After we were hit by the Dark Banquet spell, we'd forgotten the past completely. At the time, John Chou and Xu Fu were teachers at the school, and Brother Owen was a student in their class. But as soon as I thought about it, something felt off.
"Of course, brother, I gave him something in return—just trivial stuff. With the method Brother Owen taught me, I can flood this place with an insect plague, forcing the ghosts in the fortress to come out and clear them. Then it'll be easy for us to sneak in, since I can control the insects—they respond to my power, heh."
"What can I say? Sigh."
I sighed, and John Chou opened the jar again, grabbed a bamboo cage, wrapped dozens of insects in a piece of black cloth, and handed them to me to place at the bottom of the cage. Starting tomorrow, we'd begin releasing them. These insects multiply every three days, splitting into two and growing larger.
"No wonder it takes a month. With so many, in a month there'll be hundreds."
The next day, John Chou and I carried the bamboo cage to the fields. Many people greeted John Chou when they saw us.
"Alright, brother, when you release the insects, just press them into the soil. I'll keep them under control so they don't go wild. When the plague breaks out, that's our moment to act."
I nodded. John Chou and I each took a paddy field. While I was catching black insects, I pressed the red ones into the earth—two to five insects per field, depending on the size, just as John Chou had said.
Boarhead Soldiers still came by to patrol. Seeing us catching black insects, they didn't suspect a thing—in fact, they praised us for doing a good job.