"Fine, but let's wait a bit. See what the Immortality Society has to say first."
Poison Dreadstar spoke, and for a moment, Ghost Fiend Star fell silent, glaring viciously at John Chou.
"Bring Ethan Zhang out. Let me take a look at him."
John Chou suddenly spoke. At that moment, I noticed his profile; his gaze flicked toward me. He recognized us—of that, I was certain.
"No. You’ll have to wait until the transaction begins."
"Why not? It’s just a look—it’s not like it’ll cost you anything, right?"
"I said no. No means no..."
Then John Chou stood up. Ghost Fiend Star looked at him anxiously.
"What are you doing?"
"I don’t like sitting around like this. I’m going downstairs for a walk."
"Forget it. Let's go."
Poison Dreadstar looked heartbroken, while I was stunned. I couldn’t even describe how I felt—maybe it was the same as Poison Dreadstar.
One day, Ghost Fiend Star will lose everything here.
We returned to the house on the mountaintop and waited quietly in the hall for the arrival of the Immortality Society.
"Are they here yet?" John Chou asked, looking impatient.
"Almost. They’ll be here soon."
At that moment, Poison Dreadstar sat in front of her laptop, happily playing an online game, completely lost in it, treating everything around her as if it were air.
Finally, Poison Dreadstar couldn’t hold back anymore and walked over. With a bang, she smashed the laptop to pieces.
Ghost Fiend Star screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
"My gear—damn it, I didn’t even pick up my equipment yet..."
"I never expected to hear those words from you."
Poison Dreadstar said with a bitter smile.
"Do you remember? Back when I first came here, for a whole month, I talked about everything with your boss every day. But he was already completely immersed in darkness."
"I noticed it too. From long ago, our boss’s eyes weren’t quite right. Maybe it’s related to the Dark Banquet, John Chou."
John Chou smiled, then looked toward the distant woods.
"I want to take a walk over there. Send someone to go with me."
Then John Chou turned back, smiling broadly at me, and pointed.
After we went downstairs, Ghost Fiend Star learned that John Chou wanted to go out and immediately came over.
"No."
Ghost Fiend Star spoke, and John Chou immediately retorted.
"Why not?"
"No reason. It’s just not allowed, that’s all."
Ghost Fiend Star said earnestly.
"I just want to go over and take a look. I’ll be back in a few hours."
Ghost Fiend Star grew anxious.
"They’ll be here soon—the Immortality Society. Just wait a bit longer. Once the meeting’s over, you can go, all right?"
Seeing Ghost Fiend Star’s pleading expression, John Chou patted his shoulder. Instantly, Ghost Fiend Star flinched and stepped back.
"Don’t be scared. I’m just following your advice. Come on, let’s go back and keep waiting. By the way, how many years has it been since you went outside?"
"Hmph, what’s the point of going out? There’s TV, computers, everything here. Speaking of which, games these days are really fun. Do you play, John Chou? I’ve got a game to recommend—it’s great. I’m already level 99, loaded with top-tier gear. If you join, I’ll show you the ropes."
I stared wide-eyed at Ghost Fiend Star. His look was vicious, as if to say, 'I can’t fight you now, but I’ll crush you in the game.'
"Sure, once this is all over and we’re back, I’ll make an account and give it a try."
Ghost Fiend Star looked delighted and started laughing.
"This kid... Sigh, he’s become a complete shut-in. Sigh."
Poison Dreadstar watched Ghost Fiend Star run off, looking rather awkward.
"Tell me, what has that kid been doing all these years?"
Poison Dreadstar glared fiercely at Ghost Grandpa as she spoke.
"Lady Poison Dreadstar, well, it’s just recently—Ghost Fiend Star has gotten a little obsessed with online games. He’s only played for a while. Once he loses interest, it’ll be fine."
"I want you to cut off the internet here. Right now. Go."
Poison Dreadstar shouted, but Ghost Grandpa stood motionless, looking troubled.
"Lady Poison Dreadstar, please reconsider. Ghost Fiend Star hasn’t had any fun since he was little. Now he’s just playing a bit—it’s really not a big deal..."
With several loud slaps, Poison Dreadstar struck Ghost Fiend Star repeatedly.
"They’re here. What exactly are you up to, kid?"
Ghost Fiend Star looked bewildered. Just then, the elevator opposite us opened. I stared in surprise as a gold-masked man stepped out, dressed in a white suit. The left half of his golden mask resembled a tiger’s face.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zuo Quanyi. I am here on behalf of the Immortality Society to negotiate with you. John Chou, your plan worked—are you pleased?"
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Suddenly, I grew tense, but John Chou just laughed.
"Come over and sit down."
The gold-masked man named Zuo Quanyi sat down, sipping tea with a smile in his eyes.
"We’ve never met, but I’ve heard about you. Seeing is believing."
"Heh, my terms are simple: release everyone."
Zuo Quanyi nodded.
"Of course, we accept your terms. But first, please suppress the Bloodbane Power that’s already rampaging within Lao Chongyuan. How about it?"
Zuo Quanyi clapped his hands. Two blue-faced men supported Lao Chongyuan as he came out from a side room. I stared in shock—Lao Chongyuan’s body was swollen in places, completely unrecognizable, with one arm larger than the other and dark red blotches standing out, looking terrifying.
"Please, John Chou, at least show us you really can suppress this Bloodbane Power."
"No can do."
In an instant, John Chou spoke. Suddenly, Zuo Quanyi’s face changed dramatically, his eyes burning with rage.
"Poison Dreadstar, let’s stand back. If it explodes, the Bloodbane Power will splash over and infect us."
Ghost Fiend Star spoke, pulling Poison Dreadstar far away. He also ordered the others from Ghost Syndicate to stick to the walls. Zuo Quanyi looked furious, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
Then John Chou extended his hand; a flash of red light, and Rage Blood appeared in his palm.
"There was a way before, but you came too late. Now, I can’t control Bloodbane Power that’s already rampaged to this extent."
With a bang, Zuo Quanyi smashed the table with his fist.
"What do you mean by that?"
"To suppress the Bloodbane Power, you need Rage Blood. But after I broke it fighting the powers of the River of Three Crossings, it’s incomplete. So, it must be reforged."
For a moment, Zuo Quanyi looked confused, staring at John Chou.
"Tell us, what does it take to reforge it?"
"Well, I’ll need help from the Ghost Syndicate. After all, Rage Blood is a ghost weapon, and the material required is Yin Iron. You should have some, right?"
As John Chou spoke, Zuo Quanyi’s face changed again, filled with rage.
"John Chou, you..."
"I know, I know. Yin Iron is hard to get, right? It’s essential for the Dark Banquet, and you probably only have a little. But saving a life is more important, isn’t it? Both sides want a peaceful solution."
"We can’t give it up, Mr. Zuo. We spent decades getting it. If you give it to John Chou, we can’t attend the Dark Banquet."
Ghost Fiend Star immediately shouted, while John Chou put away Rage Blood and glanced at Lao Chongyuan.
"Do as you please. According to my calculations, the Bloodbane Power will erupt in seven days. Take your time and think it over."
"Ghost Fiend Star, go get the Yin Iron."
Ghost Fiend Star froze, looking at John Chou and then at Zuo Quanyi, his face full of hesitation.
"But... but if we give it up, won’t we..."
"Go on. Once this is over, I’ll give you all my high-level embedded gems from my game account. Deal?"
Zuo Quanyi spoke, and Ghost Fiend Star nodded excitedly.
"You said it! I’ll go get it right now. Anyway, that Yin Iron is useless to me—it only helps ghosts, haha."
Watching Ghost Fiend Star enter the elevator, Zuo Quanyi looked like he was about to explode, his fists creaking as he glared at John Chou.
"John Chou, if you dare pull any tricks, I won’t be polite."
"Alright, I get it. Business only works if both sides trust each other, right?"