"He should be fine. Ma Yongjie is so strong—I’ve fought him before, you know. He’s really powerful. I didn’t stand a chance."
Howard Zhang said with a cheerful smile. I nodded, but I was still a bit uneasy.
"By the way, Ethan, lately—I don’t know why—I keep feeling restless, like someone’s calling out to me."
I looked at Howard in surprise, then raised a hand. Threads of ghostly energy extended outward. I was just about to check Howard’s body for anything unusual when, suddenly, a flash of light and a sizzling sound erupted. The ghostly threads I sent out instantly turned to ash.
"Ghostly entities can hardly get near me now, Ethan. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but it really feels like someone’s calling me."
Then I stood up, preparing to leave. Howard immediately looked at me.
"Ethan, stay here for a few days."
I shook my head. Howard is still human, and I’m a ghost now. Besides, he’s married to Susan Li. I heard Howard rarely goes out these days, and I don’t want to drag them into all this anymore.
"Howard, I’ve got some things to take care of. I have to go."
Howard stood up and looked at me seriously. At that moment, Susan Li also came out of the kitchen, carrying a few small dishes.
"Ethan, do you remember when I was sent to the asylum? I finally recalled it. My memories were tampered with."
I looked at Susan Li in astonishment. Howard nodded. For years, I never understood why Susan was committed to the asylum. I even asked the Blue Wraith to help investigate, but one part of her memory had been erased.
I sat down again as Susan began to explain.
More than three years ago, her pharmaceutical company received a major order. The deal was for Susan’s company to manufacture a certain drug.
After years of hard work, Susan’s fortunes changed when she met Howard Zhang. Thanks to his connections, business was booming. But after that incident at the hospital, her luck soured. The factory was ordered to shut down for safety violations, and then there was trouble with the drugs they produced—she even faced a lawsuit.
Susan couldn’t eat or sleep, and the company was on the verge of collapse. But then this huge order came in, and she was so happy she signed the contract immediately and began production.
The raw materials for the drug were supplied regularly by the client, and the formula was strange. Even the company’s pharmacists said they’d never seen anything like it—mysterious and secretive. The client even sent people to oversee the process, using the company’s production line to manufacture the drug.
In the end, no one from the company was allowed inside. Susan suspected those people might be making illegal drugs in her factory. She was scared and, with no other options, used her own key to enter and check the surveillance footage.
Strangely, all the cameras had been turned off. Susan saw many Masked Men working busily, making something. She tried to run, but was haunted by a ghost—the one I’d already dealt with. It kept terrifying her until she finally broke down and became mentally ill.
Later, Susan’s factory was shut down due to certain violations and has remained closed ever since.
Susan only remembered all this after Master Richard Ming at Universal Temple noticed something was off and used spiritual arts to break the barrier in her memory.
A chill crept into my heart. What else has the Immortality Society done in secret? What I’ve seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg. But now, I had another clue. I looked gratefully at Howard and Susan, then got up to leave.
"Ethan, if you ever need help, just say the word. Even though we’re married now, Howard Zhang is still at your disposal."
Susan said. Howard shot her a look, and I smiled.
"Of course, Howard. If I need help, I won’t hesitate to ask."
"Take care of yourself, Ethan."
I nodded, then floated upward and, with a whoosh, left Howard’s house, heading toward Susan’s old company. It was in the northern district, on a prime piece of land. I’d been there before to investigate.
By the time I arrived at the factory, it was already late at night. I went straight in. Weeds had grown in the cracks between the floor tiles, showing no one had been here for a long time. Susan said she’d reclaim the factory eventually, so I wanted to investigate thoroughly before that happened.
I entered the workshop and was shocked. One of the production lines looked as if it had been sliced by something sharp—completely ruined. Instantly, I remembered: it was Ironmask’s doing.
I’d once dreamed of him. With a wave of his hand, that murderous energy was like a blade, splitting the entire production line in two. So this was Susan’s factory.
I released ghostly threads, spreading them around the factory, quietly sensing the space. Suddenly, a shadow ghost emerged from my body—and then the Spirit Snake appeared.
"I can feel it, Ethan. The residual yin energy here is unusually strong."
I nodded. The lingering yin energy here was indeed abnormal. Even after so long, the amount remained high—it was extremely unusual.
Just then, I sensed something else and quickly left the production area, heading toward the staff lounge. The yin energy was even heavier there. I entered the main lounge and saw a ghost sitting numbly in the corner, eyes vacant. I approached—the yin energy was emanating from him.
"What are you doing here?"
No sooner had I spoken than the ghost suddenly lunged at me, mouth agape. I grabbed its neck with one hand and immediately realized—this ghost had no ghost soul. I was shocked. How could a ghost survive without a soul?
"It’s not that there’s no ghost soul, Ethan. Try sensing more closely."
The Spirit Snake’s golden-red eyes watched the ghost I held by the neck, who still struggled. I let him go, and tendrils of murderous energy instantly wrapped around him.
I began to pierce the ghost’s body with tiny threads of ghostly energy. Though it was just a little, I sensed that the ghost’s soul was barely the size of a thumb—extremely weak. It couldn’t even be called a ghost soul, but that tiny remnant, balanced with the surrounding yin energy, kept him from fading away.
As I examined the ghost soul, I realized it was as if the original soul had been completely ripped out, leaving only scraps. Suddenly, the ghost whimpered and began to turn to ash.
In moments, he vanished before my eyes. I stared quietly—his ghost soul had completely disappeared. Strange. A person without a soul, a ghost without a ghost soul.
I remembered the one who was sent to the Ghost Burial Squad and later turned into a frog-like monster. He had no soul, so he couldn’t be called human. But this ghost had no ghost soul. It was the Immortality Society’s doing, no doubt—but what was their purpose?
The yin energy around me began to dissipate. Moonlight streamed in. Suddenly, the shadow ghost grabbed my hand—boom! The spot where I’d stood collapsed into a pit. The Spirit Snake drifted away, and dust filled the room. At that moment, a howl unlike anything I’d ever heard echoed through the factory.
I stared in shock, unable to sense anything at first. As the dust settled, my eyes widened—a monster. Its legs were short, its cheeks had eight eyes, and its mouth was vertical, with two rows of eyes on either side. The creature’s body was covered in black lumps.
Its legs were short and bowed, looking powerful. Two thick claws were covered in razor-sharp blades. It kept howling, all eight eyes fixed on me.
"What on earth is this thing?"
I stared in disbelief at the scene.
Suddenly, with a howl, the monster stomped the ground and leapt at me. Its massive claws boxed me in, slashing at me with terrifying speed.
But in that instant, I reacted—my left hand drew a ghost soldier to block its right claw, while my right hand burst into flames and grabbed its left claw.
The monster roared, its strength immense. In that instant, ghostly energy surged from my body. I held its claws down with all my might. Its power was great, but it was no problem for me now.
"Just kill it. Whatever this thing is, shred it—turn it into a pile of meat."
The shadow ghost whispered in my ear. Black wind blades began to spill from my body on their own. I felt great—in that moment of attack, my dynamic vision was sharper than ever.
Just then, the monster roared, and a sword-like tongue shot from its vertical mouth, aiming for my throat.
I tilted my head slightly—swish!—dodging the attack, then roared in anger. Flames burst from my right hand as I struck the monster’s belly with a fist wreathed in black fire.