I kept extending the Specter Web, thread by thread, into Boss Chang’s body. In that instant, I sensed fragments of his memories.
I recalled the feeling of nearly becoming a Hell's Registrar, bit by bit. My mind was flooded with images of Boss Chang, and then, gradually, my own body became transparent—pale white—and, in the end, I looked exactly like him.
Boss Chang was startled at first, then started laughing. But my expression soured, for I had seen something unsettling in his memories.
"Let’s go, Ethan. I just hope you’ll return soon and tell my daughter. If possible, please find a way to help her. As long as she can survive before she’s independent, it’s fine if life is hard, just don’t let her go hungry."
I looked Boss Chang in the eye, nodded, and then asked, word by word.
"Did you really die because your lifespan ran out?"
Boss Chang looked at me, confused, but nodded.
"Yes, Ethan. When I reported to the Styx Gate, the Hell Judge said my good deeds and the fact that my lifespan was up meant I could reincarnate directly."
I gave a vague acknowledgment, but something still felt off. Boss Chang was only in his early forties, no major illnesses, healthy—he should’ve lived long. Yet in his memories, he died of old age; the doctor said his organs looked like those of an eighty- or ninety-year-old.
And in those memories, there was a woman—the one Boss Chang loved.
After some thought, I decided I needed to get to the Bridge of Remorse quickly and didn’t press further. Yet one thing still gnawed at me—Boss Chang’s daughter. She could see ghosts.
As I walked, the road ahead vanished. Without thinking, I moved toward the emptiness, but Boss Chang grabbed my arm.
"Ethan, that way leads to the Styx Gate."
I stopped abruptly, nearly falling in. My heart raced as I quickly stepped back, but there was truly no path forward.
"What now?"
"Ethan, I don’t know what’s going on, but let me go first. Stay close."
I nodded and moved behind Boss Chang. He walked forward step by step. My nerves were taut; we were near the end, but still, there was no other road. Panic crept in. Then, as Boss Chang approached the edge leading to the Styx Gate, suddenly, a side path appeared. At a glance, it was covered with fields of Red Spider Lily.
"Hurry, Ethan, you go first." I quickly stepped onto the downward path.
Boss Chang followed. I lowered my head anxiously and saw, below the narrow path, four Hell's Registrars—two on each side of the Bridge of Remorse—shouting at the passing souls to cross.
"Will they recognize us?"