"I never thought we could use your instincts to channel ghost energy for ourselves. Not bad—Blackfang thought of this. Tomorrow, let me join you."
I nodded. At least now, when those Wraith Enforcers show their true nature, we have the power to fight back—and we won't be lambs waiting for slaughter.
As long as we can get out, we can head to the upper layer, to the islands on the second level. The secret of Ethereal Isle must be hidden on one of those islands.
"I doubt they'll give us a chance. Given their nature, at best, we'll make it to the fifth day before they wipe us out."
Ray Lin voiced his concern, and everyone was aware of it. The Wraith Enforcers trust no one—not even their partners, not even their children. They're inherently solitary beings.
"It's the first time I've seen such a sorrowful species."
Cao Wanzhi's words made Kane lower his head. As for Kane, there are still many doubts about him. If the Wraith Enforcers were truly so distrustful, how could they have had the strength to fight the Underworld Court in the past? A scattered force can't accomplish anything.
The Blackfang I built, even though everyone distrusts each other, can still work together. Maybe back then, the Wraith Enforcers were just like Blackfang now. The only difference is, aside from Felix Zhou, Cao Wanzhi, and Victor Duan, the others are nowhere near as strong as me.
Just then, Yuki Nightshade sent someone into the cave to summon us. Outside, many Wraith Enforcers had already returned, carrying meat cut from the Swamp Behemoth.
"What's wrong, Miss Yuki Nightshade? Is there something you need?"
"You don't need to rest, do you? If not, let's keep hunting now. We want to gather food as soon as possible."
I looked at Yuki Nightshade in surprise; she seemed anxious.
"The sun in the sky isn't just purple and green. When it turns crimson, the King of the Isle awakens."
My heart skipped a beat as I looked at Yuki Nightshade. Her green eyes flashed with cunning.
"When the King of the Isle feeds, it devours everything in sight. The only way to calm it is to fill its stomach. That's why I want you to hunt 100 Swamp Behemoths—we'll handle bringing them back."
"Isn't that asking too much?"
Felix Zhou muttered; we were surrounded by Wraith Enforcers.
"Either you die, or you go hunt Swamp Behemoths. It's a fair choice."
I laughed.
"Understood. We'll go now."
Everyone looked grim, especially Isabelle Frost, whose gaze was chilling. Ghost Painting Book Immortal laughed, his voice echoing eerily through the gloom.
"Alright, we can go, but we still need 99 more. We'll need enough manpower."
"You stay. Everyone else can go."
Yuki Nightshade said, pointing at Felix Zhou, who was stunned and open-mouthed.
The fortress gate slowly rose.
Felix Zhou's voice was trembling, almost crying. I smiled at him.
"Don't worry, 100 isn't that hard."
"How can I not worry?"
The gate slowly closed behind us. The nine of us walked into the woods; the Wraith Enforcers did not follow.
The gate slowly closed behind us. The nine of us walked into the woods; the Wraith Enforcers did not follow.
"Looks like things are getting more interesting. Such unreasonable demands—those people can't just be called greedy anymore."
Cao Wanzhi said with resentment.
"Indeed, greed doesn't describe them—they're utterly depraved."
Kane lowered his head, silent since Yuki Nightshade made the outrageous demand. I stopped, and everyone looked at Kane, waiting for him to speak.
"Does this concern you, Kane?"
I said, word by word, my tone tense and deliberate.
Blackfang.
Kane looked at me expressionlessly, his eyes cold and unreadable.
"It's their fault, isn't it? You're not like them."
A lot of things came to mind—memories and regrets swirling within me.
In a spacious clearing, Kane sat down. The rest of us gathered around him, some sitting, some lying down, waiting for Kane to speak.
"Back then, I was just like Yuki Nightshade. Just like the other Wraith Enforcers."
Kane began quietly. In those days, after arriving in the world of the living, he started eating people—devouring anyone he could find. Even Mr. Wraithshade, who brought him, hadn't expected a Wraith Enforcer to be so violent, so distrustful of anyone.
Kane's actions in the living world were too conspicuous. Mr. Wraithshade had just founded Ghost Burial at the time, and in desperation, he locked Kane up with special chains made for restraining ghosts—chains unique to Ghost Burial, strong enough to hold even a Soul-Stealing Ghost.
Mr. Wraithshade imprisoned Kane in a busy part of town—a transfer hub where all kinds of people passed through: soldiers, refugees, wealthy merchants, everyone.
Kane couldn't speak; Mr. Wraithshade had sealed his mouth. He was kept beneath a teahouse, hearing the voices above every day, but unable to speak or move.
Year after year, day after day, Kane heard countless things. The urge to escape made him increasingly irritable. Three years later, Mr. Chimeric returned.
Year after year, day after day, Kane heard countless things. The urge to escape made him increasingly irritable. Three years later, Mr. Wraithshade returned.
"I remember when Mr. Wraithshade came back, he released me. My resentment for being locked up ran deep. The moment I was freed, I unleashed all my power, trying to kill him. But once again, he sealed me away."
I looked at Kane in surprise. As he told the story, especially when mentioning Mr. Wraithshade, a smile spread across his face.
"Mr. Wraithshade told me that if I never understood what it meant to be human, I'd be locked away forever—unless he died."
The teahouse was run by an elderly couple, their daughter and son-in-law, and their grandson—five people in all. Even when bandits and soldiers robbed them, they never left and kept the teahouse open.
One snowy winter night, the old man of the family passed away. The family wept and held a simple funeral for him.
Mr. Wraithshade released Kane again and asked if he understood what it meant to be human. Kane still resisted—after being freed, he bared his fangs at Mr. Wraithshade, but once again failed.
Locked beneath the teahouse once more, Kane spent his days in rage. This time, he was imprisoned for six years. Another elder in the family passed away, leaving only the middle-aged couple and a ten-year-old child.
Again, after the elder died, the family grieved. But this year was different—Kane kept wondering why they never left the teahouse, even though it was often raided and chaotic. He could always hear their cries.
By the twelfth year, Mr. Chimeric still hadn't returned. Kane grew anxious—it had been twelve years since he'd last come. During those years, something happened.
One night, two armies fought nearby, and the teahouse was burned down. The family, left with nothing, wept bitterly. Kane grew angry—these people hadn't done anything wrong, so why did they have to suffer? He finally understood what sadness was—a feeling he'd never experienced before.
But what shocked Kane was that the family used their remaining money to buy wood and rebuild the teahouse. Business was good again, and they smiled after each wave of sadness. Even earning a little money or eating a bit of meat made them happy.
By the twenty-first year, only the son, his wife, and their child remained. The old parents had passed away. The daughter-in-law gave birth to another child, and finally, peace returned to the land.
Business at the teahouse, now just a transfer station, wasn't good. The couple wore worried expressions, and Kane wondered why such small troubles made them frown after all the sorrow they'd survived.
Just as Kane thought he'd finally understood what it meant to be human, the couple decided to close the teahouse and leave with their remaining money. Kane panicked, deeply unsettled.
They left. At night, the teahouse was silent and abandoned. By the thirtieth year, Kane hadn't heard a single human voice—the sounds of people had vanished from the area.
Finally, Mr. Chimeric returned. Freed, Kane went to the nearly-collapsed teahouse. Though he'd never seen it clearly, he knew its layout by heart, having listened for years.
"Do you know what it means to be human now?" Mr. Chimeric asked. This time, Kane had an answer: People feel sorrow, but after sorrow comes joy—and they grow stronger. They endure and overcome hardship, but become weary of trivial things.
Mr. Chimeric asked, "Why did the people here leave?" But Kane couldn't answer.
The value of being human lies in having something to do—any task at all. Without something to do, people will always leave. By now, Kane's violent nature was gone, replaced by confusion.