Ray Lin began to gradually open up the space before us. A crack appeared in the scene, and at that moment, he tossed a small stone entwined with my Specter Web, landing beside Mark Zhang, who was crouched in the bushes. My little nephew was so startled he nearly cried out, hurriedly covering his mouth, his lively eyes darting around nervously.
"Hurry up, Ethan!"
I closed my eyes, and in an instant, I appeared right in front of Mark Zhang.
"Ethan, Uncle, you came to save us!"
I made a shushing gesture.
"Where's my cousin?" I asked immediately.
"Ethan, the Blue Mask is coming!"
Ray Lin shouted from behind me. At that moment, my little nephew raised his hand, and with a swift motion, I saw my cousin, my uncle, the unconscious aunt, and Susan Li, all crouched behind my nephew.
"Cousin!"
"Damn, Ethan, what took you so long? If it weren’t for my son’s quick thinking, we’d be dead by now."
Suddenly, a series of noises erupted all around us. In the next instant, the road beneath our feet collapsed, and so did the ground behind us.
"Damn it, it’s those bastards from the Ghost Burial Squad."
Ray Lin cursed loudly. In a flash, everything around us vanished. When it reappeared, we were standing on the ruins of my cousin’s house. The Blue Mask agent was close by, and all around us, two or three dozen Ghost Burial Squad members crouched, their fingers outstretched.
"We've been set up, Ethan."
"Welcome back, Howard Zhang."
"Wait."
At that moment, my cousin jumped down from the car roof and strode toward the Blue Mask agent. Behind us, I turned to see fifteen Black Mask agents already standing in formation—we were completely surrounded.
"I, Howard Zhang, know very well we’re not your match. So, how about we all sit down and talk this out?"
I clenched my fists, my ghostly wings unfurled. At that moment, my uncle also climbed down from the car and walked over to Howard.
"Uncle!" I called out urgently. He looked around, his expression steady and calm.
"You know what, forget it. There’s no point talking to you. Just tell me—what do you really want?"
The Blue Mask agent stood up and pointed a finger directly at my cousin.
"We sincerely hope your son will join the Immortality Society. Your company is doing well, but if you join us, I guarantee it will grow even stronger."
"Cousin..."
I shouted, sensing something was wrong with Howard. His hands behind his back were moving, as if he was preparing to risk everything against the Blue Mask agent. Suddenly, Howard roared, golden light radiating from his entire body as he lunged forward and embraced the Blue Mask agent.
"Ethan, get them out of here. I’ll deal with this bastard right now!"
As he spoke, I heard a surge of Sanskrit chanting. A stream of Sanskrit characters drifted from Howard’s body, swirling around the Blue Mask agent.
"The Buddha Statue of Visions, is it? Heh, you’ll die too, you know."
The Blue Mask agent spoke with effortless ease. Howard burst out laughing.
"I may not be much, just a guy who wasted his days playing around, but at least now, I’m useful. If I can take you down with me before I die, that’s not a bad way to go."