"Hmph, you men are all the same. Just because your family has money, you think you can treat girls like this."
"Heh, have some water."
Howard Zhang spoke as he handed a cup of hot water to Sophie Sun. Sophie smiled, took it, drank it, and then pulled back the covers.
"If you want to, then hurry up. Otherwise, there won't be any time left. Aren't you leaving to become a nun tomorrow?"
Howard Zhang chuckled.
"Sigh, I have no choice. Let's not talk about it. By the way, you said you once dated a rich guy before. What, are you comparing me to him?"
"Aren't all you rich guys the same?"
Sophie Sun said, and Howard Zhang shook his head.
"How should I put it? I just feel that when I see you, I really like you. So, I wanted to be friends first."
"Aren't you going to become a nun?"
Howard Zhang slapped his thigh and said.
"Hey, what's the big deal about becoming a monk? I'll still have plenty of free time. Worst case... I'll just be a playboy monk. Then, we can go on dates every week and slowly build our relationship."
"Oh, then let me ask you something. Why do men start off with sweet words, but end up so heartless in the end?"
Howard Zhang made a sound of acknowledgment, then smiled.
"How should I put it? I've had quite a few girlfriends, but many of them had their own motives for dating me. So naturally, I could only treat it as a game. But there was one, even though she had her own motives, she was different—she was warm-hearted. Still, I broke up with her. Now, I feel more and more like I owe those girls something."
Sophie Sun sneered, but at that moment, the scene suddenly shifted. All around was gray and foggy—nothing could be seen.
"Tian Tian, where are you? What are you trying to tell me?"
It was Howard Zhang. In the fog, there was nothing else. I chased after Howard Zhang's shadow, following him. He kept shouting, and gradually, I realized this was Sophie Sun's dream—a dream visitation for Howard Zhang.
Thinking carefully, Sophie Sun did have an affair with Howard Zhang—they were involved, even though she was a ghost.
"Howard Zhang..."
Suddenly, I heard a faint, clear voice calling out—it was Sophie Sun's. Howard Zhang had already run over, and in the mist, he saw Sophie Sun. At that moment, Howard Zhang slipped and landed hard on the ground.
In front of him and Sophie Sun was a huge chasm, pitch-black below, nothing visible.
Then I noticed tears silently streaming down Sophie Sun's face.
"Tian Tian, tell me, didn't you already escape Lord Wraith's control? What's going on?"
"Howard Zhang, don't come looking for me. You're already married. I wish you happiness. That's all I wanted to say. Don't listen to them."
"I, Howard Zhang, promised to save you, Tian Tian, no matter what happens."
Suddenly, I saw Sophie Sun's body begin to bleed. After the blood drained, she was nothing but skin and bones, sobbing as she slowly weathered away, turning into a wisp of dust.
"Tian Tian..."
Howard Zhang cried out. At that moment, I felt the dream collapsing. I quickly flew up and saw Howard Zhang looking miserable. Suddenly, the surrounding mist scattered, and I was stunned by what I saw.
All around were giant Buddha statues. Their faces were extremely fierce. In the distance, I saw a statue of the Buddha, and the stone was cracking apart, with streams of black liquid flowing from its eyes.
Howard Zhang stood motionless where he was, looking miserable. The sound of heavy breathing filled the air. Suddenly, the Buddha statues all around began flying toward me. I dodged quickly as black clouds swirled around me—darkness, unfathomable darkness, pressing in from all sides.
This was Howard Zhang's state of mind. It hadn't changed overnight—this had been brewing for a long time. The secret he'd been hiding from me was probably the dream visitation from Sophie Sun.
For a moment, I couldn't understand what had happened to Sophie Sun, or what this strange change in Howard Zhang meant.
All around, fierce-faced Buddha statues kept flying toward me. Suddenly, with a whoosh, a statue of the Buddha appeared before my eyes. At that moment, chanting filled the air—the sound of Buddhist prayers. My head felt like it was about to explode.
"Amitabha, the sea of suffering is boundless; turn around and you will find the shore. Take refuge in the Buddha..."
The voice was cryptic and muffled. I clutched my head, looking at the stone statue of the Buddha as my body began to fade away. My head hurt more and more, while Howard Zhang sat dazed on the ground, his face full of sorrow.
"Someone did this on purpose."
Suddenly I understood. I thought of the Hades Circle. If a soul collector doesn't perform their duties, the previous generation's spirits will be forced by the Underworld to keep sending dream visitations to their children, tormenting and driving them to complete their tasks—just to escape this suffering.
Black blood flowed from my mouth and eyes. The chanting grew louder and louder. I felt I couldn't hold on. At that moment, Howard Zhang slowly lifted his head. I forced myself to endure the pain and drifted out of his line of sight.
"Death is only the beginning. The beginning is death..."
Those words brought a surge of sorrow in my heart, wave after wave, until I felt like I was about to collapse.
I screamed, reaching for the purple sphere, but just then, darkness wrapped around me from all sides. I felt something hard, and when the black mist cleared, I saw that the giant Buddha statue in front of me had grabbed me with both hands.
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Suddenly, the Buddha statue opened its eyes, and in each eye was a black swastika. I screamed again as my body felt like it was struck by a powerful current. Gritting my teeth, I heard a whoosh—my spirit serpent burst out from within me, wrapped around me, and transformed into a giant black snake, forcing apart the hands that held me.
I raised my right hand and drew the shotgun from my back, aiming at the Buddha statue that kept chanting. With a click, I loaded the shell and glared at it.
"The sea of suffering is boundless; turn around and you will find the shore. Amitabha..."
"You're not the Buddha at all..."
I roared and pulled the trigger. With a thunderous boom, the stone statue vanished in a flash under the power of my shot.
At that moment, strange laughter and shrill giggles echoed all around. I roared, resisting the dizzying noise that clouded my mind.
"Don't force it, Ethan. Get out quickly, or you won't be able to take it."
I still had no intention of leaving. My instincts told me this was Howard Zhang's mental state—something inside him kept coming out whenever he slept, tormenting him endlessly.
So right now, Howard Zhang was in real danger. I couldn't just stand by and watch something happen to someone close to me.
Smoke and dust swirled—the Buddha statue I'd shattered lay broken on the ground, piece by piece. I sensed something in the drifting haze and immediately floated over.
My body wasn't in great shape, but I still wanted to see what was there. My Specter Web kept sending me a disturbing signal—darkness.
During this whole time, I had no idea what had happened to Howard Zhang.
Then a beam of black light shone through. Slowly, I descended and saw a monk standing on one leg, making a Buddhist gesture. He had twelve marks on his head, looked strikingly handsome, and his face radiated a sinister charm. His lips were black, and his eyes were closed, with black marks above and below.
When the haze cleared, I saw that the monk in front of me was none other than Howard Zhang. His cheeks were sharp—classic handsome features—but now he exuded an eerie, feminine aura. I saw that on both of his right hands were two black swastikas.
In his hand was a string of dark prayer beads, and a faint black aura surrounded him. Standing on one leg, I sensed that this Howard Zhang was completely different from the one I used to know.
Suddenly, this Howard Zhang opened his eyes and glared at me, his gaze ice-cold.
"Who... are you really?"
I spoke, raising Hell's Sentinel and pointing it at Howard Zhang.
Suddenly, Howard Zhang gave a strange, chilling smile.
"I am the Buddha..."
In an instant, an even more powerful and cold aura surged toward me. With a thunderous crash, I spat blood and was thrown to the ground.
All around me, there were shadows of Howard Zhang. Suddenly, Buddhist chanting filled the air, and I quickly covered my ears.
"Ethan, stop pushing yourself. You'll die."
Zhu Tang shouted immediately. I took out the purple sphere, and with a snap, it shattered. Instantly, everything around me twisted.
A huge purple vortex appeared, sucking in all the surrounding images. I woke up, panting in the dream passage, watching as the entrance to Howard Zhang's dream slowly faded away.