The lobby on the first floor of Redmane Entertainment Company was brightly lit, but not a single person could be seen. I released my Specter Web, only to be surprised to find that there really wasn't a soul here—not even a ghost, not the faintest trace of life.
"Did something major happen?"
I muttered, then found a key at the front desk. I opened the main door and let Ma Yongjie, Tammy Blade, and Oddball Moe inside. As soon as they entered, Mr. Blackmask's expression turned puzzled.
"Ethan, there's no one inside."
I nodded. Tammy Blade searched around, then found a pile of food at the front desk and shared some with us. I was hungry too, so I started eating.
Usually, even late at night, Redmane would still have plenty of ghosts busy with their work. But tonight, strangely enough, there wasn't a single soul. I planned to rest for a while and wait for dawn.
"Mr. Ma Yongjie, do you know..."
"No need to be so formal, Ethan. Just call me Old Ma."
"How should I put it, Ethan? Back when I was in the Immortality Society, I was only at the Mr. Blackmask level. With my clearance, I couldn't access some of the really important stuff."
Ma Yongjie started explaining. The most important thing for members of the Immortality Society is their abnormal bodies and the Black Heart. According to him, that Black Heart is like an engine for them—it's the source of their power. As for where it comes from, even Mr. Blackmask isn't too sure.
"The only thing I know is that, supposedly, a long time ago, the Mount Mason Order had a technique called the Soul Transposition Technique. I saw it once, ages ago. This technique lets people swap souls with animals, so you could gain their abilities—like if you wanted to track someone, you could swap souls with a dog. But since humans are much bigger vessels than dogs, only part of the soul can be transferred."
Ma Yongjie spoke, pointing to his own heart.
"This thing is cultivated, but I don't know the exact method. The strength of your Black Heart directly determines your power in the Immortality Society. As for the body, it depends on your own tolerance. Their bodies are peculiar—these are people with extreme Deathbane Aura. As the aura slowly corrodes their bodies, they become abnormally strong. But many can't handle it and die along the way. Ethan, your aura and theirs may be the same in essence, but they're worlds apart. You've tried injecting Deathbane Aura directly into your human body before, haven't you?"
I nodded immediately. I had indeed done that before. Ma Yongjie shook his head.
"Ethan, you're not someone with extreme Deathbane Aura, so your body can't handle it. You'd better not use it anymore in the future. Your body is probably undergoing some change because of that Ghost Sovereign Yuna Ji, but if you force your power too much, it'll backfire and cause irreversible consequences."
Ma Yongjie continued, telling me that even if Immortality Society members can endure the Deathbane Aura at first, later on, their hearts must be replaced. If they don't, their original heart can't take it and will explode. Some members failed to complete their assigned tasks in time, and the Society refused to provide a new heart, leaving them to die on their own.
With your clearance, Mr. Blackmask level gives you three chances. Higher ranks get even more.
"There's one thing you must remember, Ethan. Even if a member of the Immortality Society dies because their heart fails, if you don't destroy their head, they can just swap in a new heart and come back to life. Even if their limbs are severed, there are ways for the body to slowly recover."
My heart skipped a beat, and I suddenly remembered Leo Lee and John He, whose bodies in the Ghost Burial Squad are still corpses. I finally understood why Ma Yongjie smashed that Blue Mask agent's head into a bloody pulp just now.