"Dad, you’re not lying to me, are you...?"
Outside, the rain poured down in torrents. Rachel Lan’s father stood at the doorway, smiling. In that instant, he seemed to return to the gentle figure he once was.
"Don’t worry, Rachel, I would never lie to you."
With those words, Rachel Lan’s father dashed into the downpour. Lightning flashed across the sky, thunder roared.
"Rachel, remember—never break the rules of the Hades Circle. No matter what happens, remember..."
Rachel Lan knelt on the ground. She could no longer see her father, as if the rainy night had swallowed him whole.
"Ethan Zhang, Ethan Zhang..."
A shout and a shake woke me up. Mao Xiaoyu looked at me with disgust, but suddenly froze.
I felt two streams of warmth running down my cheeks—tears. I was crying. I hurriedly wiped them away.
"What’s wrong, Ethan Zhang? Did kissing Miss Rachel move you so much you started crying?"
Fang Datong chimed in from the side, teasing.
"N-no, it’s not that..."
I quickly wiped away my snot and tears, glancing at Rachel Lan lying back on the floor. Her complexion seemed much rosier.
"Ethan Zhang, you, you..." Yu Mingxuan leaned in, looking exasperated.
"We must..." I shouted loudly.
"We must save Miss Lan." I turned to look at the four members of Ghost Burial Squad Team 17, my eyes filled with resolve.
Afterward, we each went our separate ways to prepare. The day was over; midnight had passed. On the seventh day, at midnight, Rachel Lan would be escorted back by the underworld enforcers. That would be our last chance.
Back at the apartment building, Yuna Ji had already prepared food for me. I wolfed it down.
John Chou sat beside me, watching with a half-smile.
"You knew about the Hades Circle all along. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"