"What's going on? It's been more than ten minutes. Is it working or not, Hugh Thompson?"
I followed Hugh Thompson. The two of us walked along the river, guided by the compass, but despite following it for what felt like an eternity, we were still in the same place.
"Don't rush, Ethan. Just five more minutes. It'll be four o'clock. Do you know why we came at four?"
Hugh Thompson asked, and I shook my head, then simply closed my eyes.
"Four o'clock is when ghosts are at their weakest—except for the Blue Wraith. At this hour, even the tricks ghosts use to confuse people lose some of their power."
Time ticked by, second after second, each moment heavier than the last.
"Ethan, open your eyes." I obeyed Hugh Thompson immediately. Suddenly, a cave appeared before us, water streaming out from within. Its structure was strange. I shone my flashlight inside and saw water seeping from small holes in the cave wall, feeding a hidden lake.
We rushed in, and the Stagnant River behind us vanished, leaving only a rough, uneven stone wall.
Smooth stone walls surrounded us, and ahead lay only a small lake—no way forward. Water kept pouring from the cave wall, drenching us.
"We have to dive again, and who knows how deep it is..."
I was just about to jump into the water when Hugh smiled and stopped me. He stepped forward, walking into the little lake. I gasped in surprise, staring at Hugh—he was standing right on the lake's surface.
"Come on, Ethan. It's just an illusion, and a crude one at that. But be careful—the ghost in here must be strong, to create something like this. I've seen it before: when a fierce ghost makes illusions, they're as real as anything."
I stepped in cautiously, and sure enough, I was standing on the lake's surface too.
"Keep walking." Hugh went ahead, but was blocked by a stone wall. Then he walked forward and passed right through it. I followed closely, and walked through the wall too.
"I get it—the sound of running water, right?"
It hit me just then: we'd been inside for ages, but hadn't heard a single sound of water. But as soon as we passed through the wall, the rush of water filled the air.
At last, we saw a river. It was a bit wider on both sides, with places to step. The scene reminded me of that time with Hongyan Chen, when we entered a cave—it was almost the same.
My flashlight beam swept over the water, and suddenly, a black shadow shot out from the surface. Hugh reacted instantly, grabbing the shadow. I finally saw it clearly—a fish with black scales, but what really startled me was its mouth: rows of sharp, pitch-black teeth snapping open and shut.
"Careful, Ethan. The river's full of ghostfish—mutated fish that live at the boundary of the Ghostrealm and our world. Don't pay them too much mind."
With that, Hugh tossed the ghostfish back into the river. I didn't dare shine my flashlight into the water again. In the faint reflected light, I saw swarms of ghostfish swimming by, so I stuck close to the wall as I walked.
"It's fine, Ethan. They're just fish—only jumped out because they were startled. But if one bites you, it'll hurt like hell."
I nodded and kept walking. Gradually, the path widened—or rather, the riverbank narrowed. We reached the end: no way forward, just a spring bubbling up, the source of the water.
"This place is like a maze. Come on, Ethan, let's double back. No way a tiny spring like this could feed such a big river."
I touched her cheek. It was cold, but at least she still had body heat and breath.
"Ethan, looks like the ghost controlling her is asleep. Hurry—he could wake up any moment."
Hugh Thompson quickly pulled out a bag of cinnabar sealed in plastic, a pen, and some talismans, scattering them around.
"Hugh, are you okay?"
"Silent Fire..."
A bright blaze erupted. Hugh scattered a handful of yellow talismans, and with a thunderous roar, they ignited, burning the ghostfish attacking him to blackened ash.
Then, another wave of noise came from both sides. Without a word, Hugh charged over.
"Ethan, hurry!"
I swung my flashlight and nearly pissed myself—a swarm of red-eyed bats closed in from both sides. Ignoring the fish blood splattered on me, I turned around. Hugh raised his foot and kicked the wall.
"It's hollow. Figure out how to open it, Ethan."
I yelped, but the situation was dire. I raised my right hand, Deathbane Aura pouring out, then channeled it into my fist. My hand swelled to the size of a small sandbag, packed with power. With a crash, I smashed through the rock wall, revealing a waterway. We rushed inside.
The water wasn't deep, but every so often something slippery slid past my ankle, sending a chill up my spine.
After a while, we entered a spacious natural cave, stepping over a small spring. The place was wide and empty.
Suddenly, Hugh shouted, startling me.
"What are you doing?"
But the echo was huge and lingered for ages.
"It's big here, Ethan. Take a look around—it's almost five o'clock."
The ground was uneven. I carefully swept my flashlight, and suddenly, someone appeared—pale-faced, with stitches across her left cheek. I screamed.
Focusing, I realized it was Mandy Lou. I called out, and Hugh rushed over. Mandy stood there, eyes closed, ghostly pale.
I touched her cheek. It was cold, but at least she had a pulse and was breathing.
"Ethan, looks like the ghost controlling her is asleep. Hurry—he might wake up soon."
Hugh quickly pulled out a bag of cinnabar, a pen, and some talismans, scattering them around.
I hurried to lay Mandy Lou on the ground.
"Don't do it, Ethan!"
I froze.
It was Justin Huang, yelling. I followed the sound with my flashlight, and nearly dropped it in shock.
Justin lay on the ground, head raised, while a swarm of ghosts bit into him. All around, a mass of pale ghosts stared at us coldly.
"Whoa, that's quite the spectacle."
"Are you okay, Justin?" I shouted, about to rush over, when a chilling laugh echoed through the cave.
Suddenly, the ghosts with wide eyes seemed to wake up. I saw their eyeballs shift, and a horde of ghosts whimpered, reaching out toward us.
"Something's off, Ethan. Look."
Prompted by Hugh, I shined my flashlight on Mandy Lou. Her stomach was swollen and shifting.
"What did you do to her?" I yelled.
"Ethan, Mandy's possessed by a Drowned Wraith. But now, because it's daylight, the wraith can't move. Instead, it's turned to water inside her body. Don't do anything reckless..."
"That's right. Best not to move, or the water in her belly might burst her open. You wouldn't want to see guts spilled all over, would you?"
"What do you want?"
"I already told you. You could've taken the easy way, but you chose the gutter—now you're forcing my hand..."
Suddenly, the ghosts flew and rushed toward us.
Only now did I see Justin's body covered in bite marks, some places exposing bare bone.
"Shit." I yelled, trying to summon Deathbane Aura. But after smashing through the wall with it, my right hand hurt—I just couldn't use it like the Immortality Society people do, channeling it inward.
"Paths aligned, paths opened—Charmfire Barrier!"
Suddenly, flames flared up. Hugh scattered spirit charms, and bursts of fire lit the cave. The weaker ghosts in white shrieked and burned, but the Shade Ghosts and a few dark figures stood firm at the front.
"Ethan, hurry!"
"Got it."
I pressed both hands to the ground, Deathbane Aura pouring out in streams.
Suddenly, Hugh turned toward me, waving his hands. A dazzling yellow barrier of light flared up around me.
At once, my skin felt like it was burning—sharp pain all over.
"Hang in there, Ethan." I gritted my teeth and nodded. Hugh stepped into the barrier too. With a rush, streams of water surged at us, but the barrier held them back.
In the water, I glimpsed human hands.
"Be careful, Ethan. This guy's too cunning."
Justin Huang shouted.
Once the water passed, Hugh dropped the barrier. I leapt forward, arms wide, Deathbane Aura forming spikes that stabbed at the ghosts ahead.
Suddenly, I dispersed the Deathbane Aura. Mandy Lou stood among the ghosts, her eyes cold, approaching me.
"Ethan..."
A shadow bit into my shoulder—blood spurted as I screamed.