"Awake now, Ethan Zhang?"
Cao Wanzhi sat quietly beside me, holding Grace Hu's photograph in his hands, staring at me in a daze.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Just a few minutes."
After I got up, I smiled at Cao Wanzhi. Inside, I was genuinely pleased—I'd found a way, a sliver of hope. I had to go to Ghost Fiend Star right away and ask him about the leader of the Ghost Syndicate, about that ghost I'd seen in my memories.
Thinking back to that moment, maybe they sealed that ghost somewhere. My first priority was to revive the remnants of Grace Hu's soul.
"Grace Hu can still be saved."
As soon as I finished speaking, a flood of emotions washed over Cao Wanzhi's face. He stood up, floated slowly from his wheelchair to stand before me, the photo falling to the floor. I nodded, and he grabbed me by the collar.
"There's just hope, but I promise—I will help you. I'll bring Grace Hu back. I swear it."
I looked seriously at Cao Wanzhi. He was silent for a long time, until tears finally escaped him. I was surprised, and glanced around the room.
"Black Moon, I know you're probing my memories. Show yourself."
A cracking sound echoed through Cao Wanzhi's ghost domain as the space split open. An impossibly dark aura leaked out, and a dog the size of a horse leapt through, Black Moon sitting atop it.
"Boss, what are your orders?"
I smiled.
"Don't you already know?"
I retorted. Black Moon grinned, his crescent eyes narrowing together. He looked manic, his body twisting and contorting as he walked, swinging his arms, until he stood before me.
"He's joining us too, isn't he?"
Black Moon greeted Cao Wanzhi politely. Cao Wanzhi stared blankly at him for a long time before finally nodding.
"I suppose so."
Ghost Fiend Star had started working at a supermarket as a cashier, drifting through his days in a haze. Two years ago, he suffered a devastating blow: his game account was permanently banned by the company because he couldn't beat Yin Choujian in-game, so he resorted to cheating. He finally got his revenge, but his account was locked forever. For Ghost Fiend Star, this was a fatal setback. Poison Dreadstar stopped supporting him financially, leaving him like a soulless husk. After nearly four years of gaming, it was all lost because of cheating and the permanent ban.
Black Moon led me to the supermarket where Ghost Fiend Star worked. It was just after eight, and business was good. In the large store, I spotted Ghost Fiend Star, looking lost and lifeless in his pale yellow uniform, working the register. His hands moved quickly, but his mind was elsewhere. Scarlet, the female ghost, was draped over his back, manipulating his hands to make change.
Suddenly, Ghost Fiend Star stared at us in surprise. Black Moon and I quickly slipped out of his line of sight.
At nine o'clock, the supermarket closed. Ghost Fiend Star came out, got on a bicycle, and rode away. Black Moon and I followed from above.
"Just say what you want, Ethan Zhang. Why are you following me?"
I was surprised—I'd covered my face with Dark Essence, and my aura was completely different now. Yet Ghost Fiend Star still recognized me. He stopped, looked around, and entered an alley.
"I don't want people thinking I'm crazy. You two, come in."
"How did you..."
With a whoosh, Scarlet flew out, clutching a ball of black stuff. A familiar feeling radiated from it—it belonged to Ethan Zhang's Earth Soul. The thing drifted toward me and merged into my body.
"Since you found me and disguised yourself with this dark aura, it's clear you already know. As for your Earth Soul, I haven't done anything to it."
I smiled, walking up to Ghost Fiend Star.
"Whether you did anything or not, just tell me—where is the ghost your boss left behind?"
"You mean the one the boss left behind—the ghost over three meters tall, all black muscle, long hair?"
I nodded. Ghost Fiend Star gave a wicked grin.
"That's a huge secret. I'm not telling you."
The walls around us were already completely shrouded in stupidity. Black Moon floated up.
"That's not like you, Ethan Zhang. Ready to fight at the drop of a hat? Fine, it's been a while—I'll play along."
"Play my ass, you brat."
Scarlet cursed and slapped Ghost Fiend Star.
"I'm the type who responds to soft, not hard."
A whooshing sound filled the air as all my ghost souls flew out. I didn't want to argue with Ghost Fiend Star anymore. If he wouldn't talk, I'd just have to make him.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Scarlet, two against one—I'm no match. I'm a man of principle, so fine, I'll help Ethan Zhang's Earth Soul. I used him before, so consider this payback."
Ghost Fiend Star began to explain: The ghost their boss left behind—Fierce Dreadstar spent a lot of effort, with his help, to finally unlock the chains binding it. But once freed, both of them regretted it. Even together, they couldn't beat that ghost. They lost, but the ghost spared them, since they were members of the Ghost Syndicate, and left.
"So where did it go?"
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"Of course I don't know. I've told you everything I know."
But I immediately smiled.
"Since you could secretly take a part of Ethan Zhang's Earth Soul and use it to identify me, you can do the same thing again."
"You beat me, Ethan Zhang. Southgrove Mountain, Moonwatch Terrace—he's there, recovering. After he got out, he searched everywhere for Ethan Zhang's Earth Soul, and when he finally found it, they fought. He lost. Your Earth Soul is unbelievably strong now. You'd better be careful."
Ghost Fiend Star said this and turned to leave.
"Why don't you use your ghost to make money? It should be easy for you."
"Heh, the boss once told me: Anyone who uses ghosts for power or money can never become the strongest ghost keeper."
Ghost Fiend Star left. He wasn't as hopeless as Black Moon claimed—not just broken by his game ban. In fact, I thought he was stronger now than he ever was in the memories of my Earth Soul.
After investigating, I learned that Southgrove Mountain, in City C, is a 3,000-meter-high peak and a national AAA tourist site. The mountain is knife-edged, slicing through the Southgrove range—a strange sight. Its main peak is called Moonwatch Peak, topped by the ancient Moonwatch Terrace.
"Let's go, Boss. I've already contacted our veteran driver, Lin Rui. He'll be here soon."
I nodded. All my ghost souls floated up and scattered around the city to gather information.
In the distance, a floating taxi approached. Black Moon slipped back into the darkness. Lin Rui's car stopped right in front of me.
"Get in. We'll be there soon."
I got in, and the car started. With a crack, the space before us split open, and we entered Lin Rui's ghost domain. Around us, endless forests rolled by, a wide dirt road stretching out of sight, the taxi drifting along.
"You've done well gathering the team, Brother Qingyuan. That Zhou Fulai and the black one who calls himself Death Curse—they're both impressive. Cao Wanzhi may not be strong, but his ghost souls are useful. I'm looking forward to the rise of Blackfang."
"And you, Lin Rui? I've seen your skills, but just how much time do you control?"
"Put it this way: My paths—past and future. In the past, I can go back ten minutes, and whatever I do there happens instantly in the present. As for the future, I can only see five seconds ahead."
"Five seconds? That's enough. Five seconds is more than enough to take someone out."
"Last time, the Immortality Society might have noticed something hidden in my ghost souls."
I said nothing as the car reached a crossroads. Lin Rui turned right.
"We're here, Brother Qingyuan."
Before us rose the main peak of the Southgrove Mountains—Moonwatch Peak—towering into the clouds, its blade-like ridge slicing across the range. As soon as we arrived, I sensed something up there—a ghost. The ghost aura was faint, but I could tell it was strong. Even that tiny trace sent a chill through me.
I floated up, Lin Rui right behind me. We quickly reached a semicircular platform built on the mountainside, ringed by tall pillars. There, squatting on the platform, was a dark, powerful ghost—the one left behind by the Ghost Syndicate's leader, the ghost who could restore souls.