There were crowds on the street. We already knew our target location, but we couldn’t let The Dark Banquet catch on.
I was grouped with John Chou and Mona Ouyang. The three of us strolled down the street, surrounded by men in black. Whenever we bought something, they would come over to pay for us.
"Brother, do you want to try some of that?"
John Chou pointed at the food in a shop. I glanced over—skewers of scorpions, centipedes, snakes. I quickly shook my head.
It was strange; this place had everything. We’d been wandering for an hour or two, but in reality, we were waiting for Deathcurse and Isabelle Frost to find the pillar marked with the number 1.
We needed to secure something tangible before The Dark Banquet began. John Chou found a place to sit and ordered some food and drinks. Mona Ouyang and I followed.
Just a few hundred meters more and we’d be out of the city, heading to where the thirteen pillars stood.
Still, Isabelle Frost and Deathcurse hadn’t sent any word. They were the best suited for covert work. All we could do was keep wandering and wait for their signal.
"Even if we find it, getting inside will be a problem."
Mona Ouyang muttered into her drink. I nodded, but John Chou looked relaxed, even smiling, as if he wasn’t worried at all.
"John Chou, aren’t you even a little nervous?"
Mona Ouyang finally couldn’t hold back and complained, but John Chou pointed toward the pillars.
"What do you think is the most essential, core thing here?"
I thought carefully for a while and started to understand what John Chou meant. Mona Ouyang sighed and shook her head helplessly.
"No need to rush, really. Without this intel, we’d still be in the dark, letting them watch us like fools."
These past days, the Ghost Sovereigns tried every way to locate the initiators of The Dark Banquet. But the area was all wilderness—except for the underground base Earthly Soul visited, there were no facilities at all. It was as if those people were hiding in the shadows.
Now the location was confirmed. There should be thirteen corresponding spaces for the thirteen pillars. The place where John Chou previously obtained the Dark Heart—that underground facility Earthly Soul mentioned—had already been cleared out. The room that once stored the heart was empty, just a shell.
John Chou snuck in, unlike Earthly Soul who fought his way through. That move had completely alerted The Dark Banquet, so these past days, aside from the Smiling Man, none of the other officers had shown up.
"Don’t be so anxious. Let’s wait it out. It’s not just about finding it—getting in, using curse power, all that stuff. The ghosts are better at it than us, right?"
John Chou said calmly. I nodded. Even though Redhair was also skilled with curse power, he couldn’t crack the entrance at all. We could only rely on Deathcurse and Isabelle Frost.
Poison Dreadstar was in the hotel; she had promised to look after Rachel Lan and Leah King, so I felt relatively at ease.
At that moment, all three of us saw a vivid green Specter Web, and immediately Isabelle Frost's voice echoed in our minds.
We've found the place, but we can't locate the entrance.
Just as I thought—it wouldn't be that simple.
Mona Ouyang stood up.
What are you planning to do?
John Chou asked.
Of course, I'm going to check it out.
Do you understand these things, Mr. Ouyang?
I immediately asked. Mona Ouyang stared at me in a daze.
Sitting here won't solve anything, will it?
Mona Ouyang left, but John Chou kept sipping his drink, showing no intention of going.
Are you really not going to check it out?
I asked, and John Chou shook his head.
If they dared to set up their base where The Dark Banquet is held, they clearly aren't afraid of being discovered. Even if we do find it, getting in will be just as difficult. They're confident—no one but those involved can get inside.
Time ticked by, four hours had passed, and still no news. But I could sense the others had already moved closer, near the pillar.
We've probably been exposed.
I sighed helplessly, and John Chou just chuckled.
No way, brother. If those guys don't come out, they can't investigate us.
I looked at John Chou, puzzled.