In front of me was a large pit filled with pitch-black water. Ghost Fiend Star dragged me here, and I was so weak that I could barely stand.
All around me were members of the Ghost Syndicate. Ghost Fiend Star unlocked my chains, then threw me into the black water pit with a splash. I plunged into the pit.
Instantly, a bone-chilling cold swept over my entire body. I didn’t cry out, just silently endured the ever-intensifying sensations from the black water pit.
"When did your endurance get stronger, Ethan Zhang? Quite a few ghosts have died in this pit, you know. Heh."
Ghost Fiend Star said this, then turned and shouted harshly at the others nearby.
"Keep a close watch on him. Every two hours, pull him out for a half-hour rest, then throw him back in. No mistakes allowed."
I gradually began to adapt to the black water, feeling something writhing inside my body—it was my Ghost Soul. In my mind, I understood clearly: ghosts have souls much like humans, called Ghost Souls. You can see them through inner vision, but you can’t touch them.
Inside my Ghost Soul, something was stirring—a large swarm, moving around. Soon, an itching sensation made me uncomfortable.
It was the flies, fluttering inside my Ghost Soul. I didn’t know what they were doing, but the outside of my soul was riddled with holes. The red leeches twisted together, head to tail, boring holes through my Ghost Soul.
The process was painful, but I endured in silence. An hour later, the Ghost Syndicate members pulled me out of the black water pit and laid me weakly on the ground.
I couldn’t remember how many days and nights had passed. I couldn’t feel anything anymore.
Ghost Fiend Star came over, grabbed my collar with one hand, and dragged me down a narrow corridor.
A nauseating stench filled my nose as I was taken into a room. Ghost Fiend Star was mixing something in several jars.
"How’s it going over there?"
Ghost Fiend Star asked, and Dreadstar nodded.
"It’s almost done. To seal off his instincts, we’ll need a few more days. What about you? Is the mixture ready?"
Ghost Fiend Star glanced at me, then smiled and walked over.
"Just about. Let’s give it a try first."
Ghost Fiend Star spoke, while Poison Dreadstar glared at me.
"Open your mouth," Ghost Fiend Star commanded.
I didn’t react. He immediately forced my mouth open with his hands. Ghost Fiend Star held a test tube containing red-black liquid, and slowly poured it into my mouth.
Suddenly, I struggled, but a hand pinned me down. My head felt like it was burning in flames. My limbs convulsed, and the liquid kept flowing from my mouth.
"Something’s wrong."
Dreadstar spoke, and Ghost Fiend Star scratched his head.
"I followed the boss’s formula. This stuff should strip away Zhang Qingyuan’s consciousness and turn him into an obedient puppet."
My head burned, dizzy and fuzzy. It felt like something inside me was being torn apart, layer by layer. I screamed, Deathbane Aura spilling out of me endlessly. With a crack, Dreadstar bound me with glowing green chains.
"So hot... it’s burning..."
I whimpered and howled, something streaming from my eyes. Deathbane Aura surged chaotically through me; even chained up, the overflowing energy smashed and destroyed tables, jars—everything around me. With a crash, the walls collapsed.
A hand gripped my throat—Dreadstar held me down, his body glowing red. Leeches appeared, devouring the Deathbane Aura, but the power inside me kept leaking out uncontrollably.
I roared, broke free from the chains with a snap, then crashed through the house and flew out. Behind me, flies buzzed and wild Deathbane Aura wrapped around me. Every green fly that got close turned instantly to dust.
I flew toward the endless Ghost Tomb Forest in the distance. My consciousness twisted, and everything around me distorted. Liquid streamed from my mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.
With a thud, I landed in Ghost Tomb Forest. Memories flashed before me like a carousel, then shattered and fragmented as if ground to bits.
"Ah..."
I cried out, then lost consciousness. In a haze, I felt like my head no longer belonged to me.
"Heh heh... heh heh..."
I giggled foolishly, looking around. Like a child, I started playing—happily jumping in the black water on the ground, leaping between strange branches, wandering joyfully through the forest.
"Has he gone completely mad?"
A woman’s voice rang out, but I ignored it. I tore at a tree, broke off a branch, and waved it around aimlessly.
"From here on, you’ll have to walk the path alone, no matter what."
I kept wandering through the forest. Soon, Ghost Fiend Star and Dreadstar flew over. I was chained up again, but with a snap, I broke the chains and grinned foolishly.
"What’s this? It’s green... so pretty."
I didn’t know who these two were—just that one was called Dreadstar, the other Ghost Fiend Star. My mind was chaotic, delirious, sometimes sad, sometimes happy.
Gradually, I squatted down. Ghost Fiend Star came over and pressed my head, but I pushed his hand away and started playing in the water.
"I’ll take you somewhere fun. There are lots of things to play with."
"Really?"
I clapped my hands and followed Ghost Fiend Star. They pulled me along and we floated toward a brightly lit mountain in the distance.
On the street, I looked around excitedly—here, there, everywhere. Ghost Fiend Star got me some food; it was delicious. Then I was taken to a big house.
"So, will you listen to us? If you do, you’ll always have tasty food and fun things."
I clapped my hands and said, "Okay, okay!"
After eating my fill, Ghost Fiend Star took me to the edge of the forest and pointed at the strange trees.
"Destroy those things. Later, I’ll give you more tasty food and fun stuff."
I raised my hand. Suddenly, Deathbane Aura shot up from the ground like needles, and the forest before me was riddled with holes.
"Keep going. Destroy that side too—use your strongest power."
Dreadstar snarled. I shook my head.
"I don’t want to."
Suddenly, a green chain snapped around me. I struggled violently, but couldn’t break free, and couldn’t use my Deathbane Aura. I wailed and cried.
"Hey, talk to him properly. You never know."
"No need. I’ll train him myself. Your method can’t truly control him. Even though you failed, he’s a lunatic now. For someone like this, pain works better than preaching."
I wailed as Dreadstar grabbed me and dragged me to the edge of the forest.
"Hurry up and destroy this forest."
"I don’t want to."
I shouted, and suddenly Dreadstar stabbed a black needle into the back of my head. I screamed in pain, whimpering and yelling.
"Hurry up. I’ll say it again."
I begged for mercy. Dreadstar pulled the needle out and released the chain binding me. With a whoosh, I floated into the air, clapping happily.
"You can’t catch me, can’t catch me! Hahahaha..."
I flew toward the forest, but suddenly a pitch-black thing whipped over, wrapped around my foot, and dragged me back. With a thud, I crashed to the ground, then jumped up, crying out in pain as my skin split open. A black, spiked whip lashed me over and over.
I was forced back down to the ground again.
"Looks like this time, you’ll remember what pain is."
With a scream, needles stabbed into my back, hands, and neck. The pain overwhelmed me and I passed out.
When I woke up, I found a black chain around my neck. I struggled, but Dreadstar held the other end, surrounded by black-caped figures. He yanked me down to the ground.
Then a pitch-black whip lashed at me and I screamed in pain.
"Stop hitting me, stop! I’ll behave, I’ll behave!"
But Dreadstar didn’t stop. He kept whipping me, and then several black-caped figures pinned me down with their hands and feet.
They stabbed black needles into my body, and I rolled on the ground in agony.
"I won’t dare anymore, I won’t dare..."
I whimpered and screamed, tears streaming down my face as I cried out. Dreadstar squatted in front of me. Then a black-caped figure brought over a naked, fat man.
"That guy over there—kill him, then eat him. Don’t leave a single bone."
I nodded. The needles were pulled out of my body. I looked in terror at the fat man, who was bound and gagged, tears streaming down his face as he shook his head.
With a crack, the whip struck beside me. I flinched and hurried toward the fat man.
"Hurry up. You have one minute. After that, I’ll throw you into there."
I looked over—a blazing furnace burned. I stared at the man in fear and began to cry.