"Howard, shut the hell up. Quit your damn crying."
I was furious, locked up again, and now the Ghost Syndicate was involved—making me even angrier.
"Ethan, don't you have any sympathy at all?"
Seeing Howard's miserable face, I turned away and looked at the black cloth hanging in the cell next door.
"Miss, can you really not remember anything?"
"Ethan, who are you talking to?" Howard was still sniffling.
"The girl next door."
As I spoke, Howard widened his eyes, staring suspiciously at the cell next door.
"There's no girl there."
I let out a confused sound, staring at the side—there, beneath the black cloth, a pair of pale feet still showed, belonging to the girl.
"Howard, look, there are feet right there."
I pointed again. Howard scratched his head, clueless, still staring at the empty spot.
"No, it's just an empty cell."
Suddenly, I noticed something. Howard looked healthy, nothing wrong with him. But the wounds on Sophie Sun's body were healing extremely slowly. Just as they started to close, they'd reopen—clearly stopped by the needle in the back of her head.
I stood up, feeling lighter, and looked again at the girl next door.
"By the way, miss, can you take off the black cloth on your head?"
I asked, trying not to sound rude.
The girl shook her head. I figured maybe the black cloth was blocking something, making Howard completely unable to see her.
"Ethan, who are you talking to? Did you hit your head and start hallucinating?"
"You're the one who's hit your head. Quiet down, Howard."
Despite my repeated persuasion, the girl next door just wouldn't lift the black cloth covering her.
"Miss, let me have a look at you, will you? Maybe I know who you are."
The black cloth shifted. What I said seemed to pique her interest—a delicate hand reached out, grabbed a corner, and lifted it.
She wore her hair in an ancient style, with a fine jeweled hairpin stuck in it. Her face was oval, quite pretty—about twenty-five or twenty-six, pale skin, cold eyes, and an aura as icy as a mountain peak.
"Do you recognize me?"
I lowered my head awkwardly and replied.
"No, I don't. Miss, why don't you go outside and take a look? Maybe someone out there knows you."
I ventured a suggestion.
"Ethan, who is it? Why can't I see anyone?"
I glanced at Howard, then at the girl about my age, puzzled. There should only be humans and ghosts here—Howard and I should both be able to see either. Why could I see this girl, but Howard couldn't?
"You really can't see her, Howard?"
Seeing Howard nod seriously, I was sure—the girl next door was special. Howard couldn't see her at all.
"How do I get out?"
Suddenly, the girl spoke.
"Well, you just stand up and walk over there."
"What does it mean to stand up?"
I stared at her, mouth agape.
"Just, you know, get up. You have feet, don't you?"
"What are feet? How do I get up?"
I covered my forehead and sat down on the ground.
"Look down, the things pressed against the ground—those are your feet. Just touch them with your hands and you'll know."
"What's down there? What are hands? Tell me."
This whole exchange left me speechless. She was definitely not normal.
Just then, footsteps sounded. I looked over—it was someone from the Ghost Syndicate, wearing a conical hat, black veil, a wide cloak, tight black clothes, a few small pouches, and tall black boots.
"See? They're lively again. This time it's a human. I told you, this cell is strange—no matter how bad the injury, you recover quickly in here."
Gus Sage followed behind the Ghost Syndicate operative.
"Oh, you must be Ethan Zhang, right? Heh, I'm Tyson Starr. Nice to meet you."
"What do you people want?"
I glared fiercely at Tyson Starr.
"Relax. We have no beef with you. All your trouble comes from those Zodiac Twelve guys, the Crying Grandpa's men. I'm just here on business with the Soulbound Inn, that's all. Don't get it twisted."
I glanced at the Earthfang on my chest, then at Tyson Starr.
"Yes, I gave it to Mr. Sage. But he bought it from me."
Gus Sage walked over with a smile, glanced at me, then at Sophie Sun.
"Tyson Starr, pretty strange, huh? This cell—this time, we're testing it on a fierce ghost."
"I see, Mr. Sage. The ghost's body is recovering, but the Slave Ghost Needle has pinned it down, so it can't heal yet. When the needle's effect wears off, it should recover completely."
I stared blankly at Tyson Starr and Gus Sage. It seemed neither of them could see the girl in the next cell. The fact that we recovered so quickly must be related to her.
I could really feel that the warmth helping us heal was coming from the cell next door.
"Ethan Zhang, what are you looking at?"
Tyson Starr looked at me with a smile, then glanced at the cell next door.
"Nothing at all."
I muttered, still glaring at him.
"You can see something in the cell next door, can't you?"
"No."
I answered decisively. Gus Sage glanced at the cell next door, puzzled.
"Tyson Starr, this kid is probably scheming how to escape."
Then, suddenly, Sophie Sun's body began to heal. In no time, she was almost fully recovered. With a clang, a long white needle fell to the ground.
With a creak, the cell door opened. Gus Sage stepped in, grabbed Sophie Sun from my cousin's arms, and my cousin immediately lunged at him.
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Without hesitation, I swung my fist at Gus Sage's face.
But it was all in vain. In an instant, my cousin and I were left with five bloody holes in our bodies. We screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"What are you doing?" my cousin shouted.
"Hmph, the night is long and dreams are many. Since Lord Wraith personally chose this gift, I'll deliver it early to avoid any mishaps."
"Damn it!" I roared, scrambling to my feet.
Without a word, Gus Sage kicked me into the corner.
Then Gus Sage left, taking Sophie Sun with him. Tyson Starr smiled at us from outside the cell.
My cousin and I lay on the ground, clutching our wounds in pain. Strangely, our injuries slowly began to heal.
"Just as I thought. Heh, Ethan Zhang, what did you see? I have a way to get you out of here."
Tyson Starr said this, and I looked at him suspiciously, but still shook my head. The Ghost Syndicate people deal with ghosts every day—they're all snakes and scorpions, not to be trusted.
"You think everyone in the Ghost Syndicate is ruthless, huh? Well, not all of us are. Ethan Zhang, forget it. If you won't talk, I won't force you." Tyson Starr said, sitting down on the ground.
"You know, Ethan Zhang, do you have any idea when the Soulbound Inn first appeared? According to our Ghost Syndicate records, it was over 400 years ago, before the battle of the Sevenfold Ghost Sovereigns. Pretty strange, huh?"
Tyson Starr kept talking, and I listened quietly, watching him.
"This inn is full of mysteries. Upstairs, there are three Blue Wraiths ruling the place, but among Blue Wraiths, they're nothing special. Above the fifteenth floor, it's all Blue Wraiths, but their numbers are pretty scarce. There are only nineteen Blue Wraiths here. That's not a lot, is it?"
I grunted in response, feeling less hostile toward Tyson Starr.
"But the strangest things are the nonexistent twenty-first floor and this cell. Very odd. Also, the old lady at the front desk—I asked her many times when she started working here, but she always said she didn't remember."
I was very interested in what Tyson Starr was saying, because there might be a Ghost Sovereign here.
"I tried investigating. Granny Specter's ghost is just a common white-robed ghost. I also asked the Blue Wraiths and some fierce ghosts here, especially the three Blue Wraiths who manage the place—they came here over three hundred years ago. But even then, the Soulbound Inn already had twenty floors, and each floor had exactly eighty-one rooms. Lots of rooms, but not many ghosts use them."
I started thinking, deeply surprised.
"Why didn't you bring John Chou with you before you came?"
As soon as Tyson Starr finished speaking, the girl in the next cell suddenly lunged at me. Her cold expression vanished, replaced by murderous intent as she gripped the iron bars and glared at me.
I cried out and backed away in fright.
Tyson Starr burst out laughing.
"Oh, Ethan Zhang, did something scare you? Let's get back to the topic—what did you see? Tell me, I always keep my word."
In an instant, the girl next door crouched down again, staring coldly at the floor, ignoring me. But this shook me to my core.
"Cousin, tell him! They took Sophie—try to save her! My body is almost healed, I should be able to use the Brahma Lock one more time. Hurry!"
Urged by my cousin, I told Tyson Starr about the girl in the next cell. Tyson Starr stared for a long time, then shook his head.
"Let us go, now!" I pleaded urgently.