Inside the cave, everything was extremely crude. There was only a bed carved out along the earthen wall, and a hollow for storing food. The mother and son were still coughing.
"Lynn, can you tell me what the Great Calamity is?"
"The black sun. A black sun appeared in the sky. All of us Wraith Enforcers were severely affected. We could no longer remain on the fifth layer of the island and were forced to descend, layer by layer, until we became the weakest and lowest among all."
I swallowed and looked at Lynn. The Great Calamity she spoke of, the black sun, and the mysteries surrounding the Wraith Enforcers—there were too many questions. Their strength shouldn't be so feeble. On the first layer of the island, aside from the Tri-tailed Lynx, king of the island, whose power was overwhelming, the other beasts weren't as strong as I'd imagined.
The Wraith Enforcers were completely at a disadvantage. I could hardly believe that those who could confront the Underworld Court—and even required several Judges to quell their rebellion—could now seem so weak. In my eyes, these Wraith Enforcers were far too feeble.
Lynn began to speak, showing no doubt about my identity. She told me that many years ago, on this island, one day the purple sunlight began to dim, and then gradually turned black.
The animals in the forest started to become agitated, as if they had gone mad, attacking and killing each other. With so many of their men lost, the Wraith Enforcers also joined the slaughter.
It was either devour or be devoured. Under the black sun, the Wraith Enforcers lost all rationality, even turning on their own kind. As the slaughter intensified, casualties mounted. At that time, Lynn and her son happened to be in a cave. Witnessing the madness outside, they hid themselves away.
The caves dug by the Wraith Enforcers, their underground lives, weren't meant to fend off wild beasts, but to avoid being exposed to the mutated sun in the sky.
I had always wondered, even if the Wraith Enforcers were weak, they had wings. Unless the beasts came from the sky, they could simply fly away. The number of land beasts far exceeded those in the air.
Afterwards, there were three more Great Calamities, and the King of the Isle began to appear during these disasters. From that point on, a crimson sun would rise—whenever it did, the King of the Isle would awaken and begin to feast. Every island was the same.
"Stranger, you don't look like a Wraith Enforcer or one of those beasts. What's your name?"
"My name is Fang. I'm a hungry ghost."
As I spoke, Joey excitedly ran over, tugging at my body and examining me.
"Mom, this guy's body is weird. He doesn't have a physical form—he's made of condensed yin energy."
I smiled awkwardly. The Wraith Enforcers truly were strange, almost like humans. If they had a ghost soul, it was like a heart, but unlike a human heart, it was hidden deep within their bodies.
However, I realized something—the Wraith Enforcers could speak human language and knew we were humans. Their knowledge of many things didn't gradually develop after their appearance; it was as if half their civilization had been set from the very start.
This was what puzzled me most about the Wraith Enforcers. I'd observed their living conditions before: they could make tables, chairs, and benches just like in human society. Their weapons—knives, spears, swords, halberds—were almost identical to those in the living world, and they even knew how to smelt ore.
Especially the fact that Wraith Enforcers eat humans—even if it's instinctive, there aren't any humans here.
"By the way, Lynn, do you know if this island has any secrets?"
I asked bluntly, and Lynn shook her head.
"Joey and I have lived here for many years, cut off from our clan. When they left below, we stayed. This Razor Bloom can ward off many things—most animals can't stand its scent, so they won't come near here."
Lynn spoke, then began coughing again.
"Is it poisonous? This flower?"
Joey nodded.
"Fang, why don't you help us? You're amazing—you even managed to defeat that Bullhorn Tiger."
"Joey, let me ask you something. How did you learn the names of these animals and plants?"
This point puzzled me greatly. How did they know the names of the flora and fauna on this island?
"I knew them as soon as I could talk."
I swallowed, feeling deeply conflicted. Everything here wasn't just natural selection—maybe it was all orchestrated by someone.
"By the way, what do you want me to help you with?"
"Just help us get more food. My mom and I are both sick. If this keeps up, we'll die."
I smiled and nodded, deciding to take Joey out hunting. Lynn looked at me gratefully, but I shook my head.
Once outside, Lynn told me there were many large prey to the north. She and her son still wanted to return south to survive—the beasts there weren't as strong as in the north. Joey told me the location, and I sent him back.
"Let me go with you, Fang. I may be small, but I'm strong!"
"No need, you're still just a child."
I finally convinced Joey. I planned to hunt a larger animal alone, at least enough for the mother and son to recover their strength and slowly purge the toxins from their bodies. It would take a long time to nurse them back to health.
Drifting through the woods, I had long lost my sense of novelty toward the strange flora and fauna around me. What struck me most was how they seemed pieced together—awkward-looking, yet alive, breathing, with heartbeats and blood. This was the most puzzling thing to me.
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Gradually, the trees grew taller. In my hand, I had already drawn my Spectral Shotgun, preparing to hunt a large animal.
I saw an animal gnawing on the remains of a beast. Its body was huge and round, like a hippo but three or four times larger, with elephant-like tusks and a mouth like a canine.
I aimed at this prey, slowly approaching, gripping my Spectral Shotgun, ready to kill it with one shot and haul it back. I was nearly close enough and began to dive down.
"If you want to hunt that Canine Hippo, what you've got in your hand is cheating."
In an instant, my eyes widened and I stopped. My Spectral Shotgun pointed to my right, at a man standing on a tree trunk. He had pale skin, red eyes, and a strange pattern of three diagonal stripes on his forehead. He wore a loose robe of red, black, and white, with cloud motifs formed by colored lines, reminiscent of a strategist's attire from the Warring States era.
"Who are you?"
I asked sharply. This guy, standing before me, was clearly visible and tangible, yet it felt as though he didn't exist.
"Let me tell you a secret—I'm an immortal."
The man before me smiled. His face was long and pale with faint traces of black, as if he'd been sick for ages. He had an evil air about him, but his voice was clear and bright. His long hair was tied up, and atop his head was something resembling a sword hilt, with both ends shaped like sharp spikes.
"Alright, alright, no more jokes. Heh, how should I put it—I'm human."
"You're not human. You came from the world after ghosts die, didn't you?"
The man before me wore a mischievous smile, stretching lazily before floating over, walking through the air.
I raised my Spectral Shotgun warily, aiming at him. Suddenly, he vanished, and a hand landed on my shoulder.
"Don't be afraid, little brother. I'm not a bad guy."
My eyes widened. He'd been over ten meters away—how did he get so close? I quickly brushed off his hand and pointed my Spectral Shotgun at him. I felt nothing but hostility toward him from the moment I saw him.
"Little brother, that's a modern weapon—a Spectral Shotgun, right? How can you use that in a primitive jungle? That's cheating, you know."
The man still wore a playful grin as he approached again, this time stopping three or four meters away. I stared at him in confusion; I hadn't seen how he moved.
"My movement is actually simple. There are countless spaces you can't see or know—between the living world and the underworld, they're all interconnected. I just walk into spaces you can't perceive, and in those spaces, time moves faster. That's why you can't see how I move. After all, you don't have the ability to see the future yet, Zhang Qingyuan, do you?"
In an instant, I retreated. This guy could touch my shoulder and read my memories—he probably knew everything about me already. He was definitely not ordinary.
"What's your relationship with the Emperor God over there?"
"Oh, you know the Emperor God? Little brother, we're friends—and partners, too. Alright, I won't disturb your hunt any longer."
"Who are you, really?"
I felt more and more uneasy. My instincts told me to fear this man—the fear was overwhelming.
The man turned around, grinning at me. In his red-black eyes, there was a deep, sinister aura.
"Alright, since I know your name, I should tell you mine—I'm Xu Fu, Zhang Qingyuan."
Bang! The gun fired. I pulled the trigger on my Spectral Shotgun, and a black bullet shot toward Xu Fu in an instant.