"Is this really the right thing to do? Ethan Zhang, you just saved your enemy."
Cao Wanzhi stood up, crouched down, and picked up the photograph, carefully tucking it away into his pocket. I looked up at him and shook my head.
"What I owed you is now repaid, Cao Wanzhi. Grace Hu still exists—it's just a feeling I have, though I don't know how to restore her. Go find Yvonne May; maybe she'll help you."
As I spoke, Cao Wanzhi smiled. His face finally showed emotion; he had regained his lost heart. He remembered.
At that moment, two figures stood by the door—David Dong and Terry Chen. Their original appearances were restored, though an unsettling aura lingered around them, as if the shadows of the realm still clung to their faces.
"Master!" they called out in unison. Cao Wanzhi glanced at them and nodded. Rose Harper watched silently from the shadows, her presence almost tangible in the oppressive air.
"No need for words. The two of you—I only ever taught you skills, never taught you about humanity. That was my mistake."
Cao Wanzhi then looked at me, raised his hand, and a door appeared behind us.
"You can leave through this door, Ethan Zhang."
I nodded.
"Why did you set up such obstacles for me, Vivian Maple?"
I asked, though I already sensed the truth. If Cao Wanzhi truly wanted, he could have defeated me after my second Nirvana. Yet he kept giving me chances, as if testing whether I could survive the darkness that lingered in the air.
"If you can't overcome even this hardship, you'll never be able to face the darkness that's coming, Redmond."
"The Immortality Society, right, Vivian Maple?"
I asked. Cao Wanzhi nodded. Then, with Claire Zhang, I turned the door handle. Outside, the street was empty—night enveloped everything, and not a single streetlight or lantern was on, the darkness pressing in from all sides.
"That girl, Rufina Howard, has already been taken to your parents' place. Lance Turner—Lantern—has gone with them."
Instantly, I turned my head, eyes wide, staring at Cao Wanzhi.
"What exactly is going on?"
Cao Wanzhi shook his head.
"Ethan Zhang, next time, I won't be so merciful. I am still myself."
"Walter Cao, next time... you might not make it out alive, because..." I clenched my fist, paused, and said.
"I'll be stronger next time."
Walter Cao's lips curled into a faint smile. I took Rachel Zhang's hand and led her out of his ghost domain. We stood on the cold, deserted street—Rachel said nothing, and I looked at her awkwardly.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Walter Cao wanted me to tell you: ask Hugh Thompson, and you'll understand why there are no photos of him in all this."
I stared at Rachel, wide-eyed with surprise.
"When did he tell you that?"
Rachel explained that she was caught while following Rachel Lan and the others toward the Ghost Burial Squad. In Ray Lin's ghost domain, after she was taken inside, Walter Cao started talking. He said that if I came to rescue her, only one of us would survive. If I made it out alive, it would be my reward—Rachel would have to tell me something.
I forced a smile and glanced back at the ghost domain, now vanished without a trace.
"Don't worry about me. I can get back on my own. The Ghost Burial Squad is fine," Rachel said stubbornly. I needed to hurry to my parents' place—even though I didn't know why Rufina Howard would be taken there, at least now I had a lead.
Just then, I sensed a surge of powerful ghostly energy. I spun around, and with a whoosh, Vivian Maple was suddenly standing beside me.
"It's all sorted, Ethan Zhang. The boss wanted me to tell you: find a way to rescue that little girl. He's taking people to the Bertram Family now."
I stared at Vivian Maple in astonishment. She said Redmond had sent her to help me. I shook my head and pointed at Rachel.
"Vivian, please take this girl back to the Ghost Burial Squad."
As I spoke, Vivian Maple looked puzzled, then nodded and walked over to Rachel.
"She'll be back soon. Ethan, you'd better wait for me and get some rest."
As soon as Vivian Maple finished speaking, I saw her scoop Rachel into her arms. In an instant, they vanished without a trace. I stood on the empty street, glancing around.
"There's a McDonald's two hundred meters ahead. The back door isn't locked. You can go in, grab a bite, and rest for a while."
At that moment, my phone buzzed with a voice notification. I smiled, checked my pocket—still some cash left. I spread my wings and flew over. Sure enough, the back door was unlocked, and there were leftover chicken nuggets. I looked around, put a hundred yuan on the counter, turned on the lights, took some food and a drink, and started eating.
My mind was exhausted. I planned to eat, then sleep for a while. It was only 2 a.m. Over at my parents' place, Master Wei, Rose Harper, and Lantern were present. The Immortality Society had already attacked once—they probably wouldn't try again so soon.