"Uncle, what are you doing?" Vivian Ouyang shrieked. The man before us suddenly stopped, his previously bloated body collapsing, and then he began to sob, running to Vivian and clinging to her feet.
"Vivian, Vivian, it's not true, I'm not like that..."
"Ethan, are you alright?" Rachel Lan rushed over and helped me up. For a long moment, I couldn't say a word. I’d just been beaten up by this madman for no reason, and he was no ordinary lunatic.
"Brother, did you sneak out again?" Edward Ouyang walked in, his eyes cold as he looked at the man.
"You're all rotten! The Ouyang Family is finished, finished, hahahaha..." A few burly men rushed in, pinned him to the ground, and then a nurse, holding a syringe, jabbed it into his vein. Soon, he was unconscious.
"Sorry, Ethan. My brother must have knocked out the nurse and escaped when she went to get his medicine."
Yuna Ji put her arm around my shoulder and giggled.
"Ethan, sorry about my uncle—he's insane. You really should have just run in that situation."
I looked at Edward Ouyang, who was explaining himself, puzzled. Rachel Lan tugged at my sleeve.
"Don't get involved in other people's family affairs, Ethan."
I let out a soft "oh" and looked at the half-open window. This was the third floor—how did Vivian Ouyang's uncle even get up here? The door had just been kicked open by Rachel Lan, and I hadn't heard a sound while I was asleep. That meant he must've come in through the window.
Still, the nagging sense of doubt made me want to speak up.
"Mr. Ouyang, your brother—he doesn't seem to be just mentally ill, does he?" I asked.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from below—it was that madman again. We rushed to the window. Several burly men had knocked him to the ground, and Edward Ouyang hurried down with a few others.
Rachel Lan and Vivian Ouyang followed. I looked down—Edward Ouyang’s brother was gone. Suddenly, everyone in the villa was up, searching the place. The villa was huge, with a vast forest behind it and many buildings in the distance.
"Brother, I need a favor." John Chou’s voice echoed in my mind—he sounded cheerful.
"Soon, that bitch Yuna Ji will come help you."
I gave a noncommittal reply. The moment I spoke, a burst of green light erupted from the floor. Yuna Ji stepped out of the glowing circle, dressed in a tight black outfit that accentuated her curves, a slit at her chest making her look dangerously alluring.
"What... what are you doing?"
I shot Yuna Ji a resentful look. Then she started pacing like a frantic little girl, patting my head.
I was about to ask when Yuna Ji suddenly grabbed me, and with a swoosh, we flew out the window toward the forest.
"What are you doing?" In just a few minutes, Yuna Ji and I landed on a mountain path.
"It should be nearby." Yuna Ji looked around. It was a path up the mountain, surrounded by small woods, all carefully maintained. The path was paved with pebbles, and there were pavilions for resting along the way.
"What exactly are we looking for?"
"Obviously, we're here to loot while the place is in chaos. Hehe."
"Loot? What are you trying to do?" I demanded sharply.
Yuna Ji put her arm around my shoulder and giggled.
"It was John Chou who sensed it. As soon as you came over, he felt it too. The Nightmare Stone belonging to Mona Ouyang is here."
I gasped. Thinking of Mona Ouyang, she had indeed asked the Ghost Syndicate to help her find a stone called the Nightmare Stone—it was the condensation of her ghostly soul, just like John Chou’s Deathstone and Yuna Ji’s Netherstone.
"Indeed, I sense it too. Mona Ouyang's Nightmare Stone must be nearby. Once we get our hands on it, it'll be much harder for her to escape her dream realm again."
"Indeed, I sense it too. That dead demon's Nightmare Stone must be nearby. Once we get our hands on it, it'll be much harder for him to escape his dream realm again."
I laughed at first, but then realized the Ouyang Family was probably deeply connected to that ghost lord called Mona Ouyang. And just before Marcus Ouyang fell unconscious, he’d said the Ouyang Family was doomed—and that I was their enemy.
Yuna Ji paced anxiously around the area.
Suddenly, there was a noise—a dark figure leapt out of the woods. It was Marcus Ouyang. My eyes widened as, the moment he appeared, he grabbed a stone and hurled it at me like a madman.
With a clang, a white bone joint blocked the blow—it was Yuna Ji.
"He's just an empty shell now." As she spoke, I saw Yuna Ji grab the man's jaw and inhale. A stream of yellow energy flowed from his mouth into hers.
With a thud, Marcus Ouyang rolled his eyes back and collapsed to the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Just siphoning a bit of his vital energy. Maybe a bit too much—he’ll probably sleep for seven or eight days!"
I shot Yuna Ji a resentful look. Then she started pacing like a frantic little girl, patting my head.
I scratched my head hard. What Yuna Ji was saying felt as strange as seeing a UFO.
But then I suddenly remembered: when the Eyeless Granny and her group put me into a dream, they said that dreams predicting the future are real.
So, does that mean that everything inside the dream is real? What if it's dangerous?
Don't worry. Mona Ouyang doesn't have much power now. You just need to find the item and figure out how to return to your own dream. It's a small task—you can do it, Ethan. After all, it's for those two girls.
"Yuna Ji, what's wrong? Looking for something?"
Yuna Ji calmed down instantly.
"Redmane, what do you care? Get lost. I have no interest, no respect, no desire to talk to you."
The flames grew, and I saw Redmane in a police uniform, twirling a pair of handcuffs on his finger. Behind him stood a group of ghosts in police uniforms. I sighed.
"This week, I'm taking the cop route."
I could feel Yuna Ji's reluctance to speak to Redmane—two words: speechless.
"Let's make a deal, Yuna Ji." Redmane said, and suddenly, a scream rang out.
"Let me go! I didn't kill anyone, I—"
I stared at Redmane. The voice sounded childish—it was Rufina Howard.
"Sigh, how does that saying go—what was it about evidence?"
"It's that everything you say can be used as evidence in court..."
"Damn it, how many times do I have to tell you—call me Officer!"
Yuna Ji looked about ready to lose it, reaching out to crush the black flame.
"Wait, Yuna Ji, let's talk this out. My Fire of Malice can sense the entrance to the dream realm!"
Yuna Ji stared blankly, then lowered her hand.
"Hurry up and talk, you damn redhead."
"Come on, Yuna Ji, that's not fair. I said, let's make a deal. If that dead demon gets out, it'll just make things worse. Even though his power hasn't recovered yet, he's still tough to handle. So, you come in and get us out..."
"Forget it, Redmane. Bye..." Yuna Ji made a face and reached out to crush the flame.
"Wait, wait! Lady Ji, Grandma Ji, Ancestor Ji—I’ll tell you! First step up the stairs, then one step forward, half a step back, three steps left, four steps right, then another step and a half back."
"Ethan, Ethan—it’s me! Can you see me?" Suddenly, Rufina Howard jumped behind Redmane, pressing his head and waving at me.
I relaxed a little—it seemed Redmane hadn’t hurt her.
"We were just playing cops and robbers. I was the murderer..."
"Brat, get lost." Redmane shoved Rufina Howard aside.
Yuna Ji giggled, then pinched the black flame.
"You two stay in there and build your little family—play house all you want. Good luck, I won’t see you off..."
"Bitch..." Redmane cursed, and the black flame went out.
Then Yuna Ji stepped onto the stairs and followed Redmane's instructions. A purple doorway appeared just to the right of the steps. I blinked.
"So that's how you trick kids. I'm speechless. Let's go, Ethan."
I yelped as Yuna Ji dragged me inside. The place behind us vanished.
Inside was a small space, shimmering with rainbow lights so bright I couldn't see anything. Then Yuna Ji raised her hand, and with a boom, the lights vanished. On the table sat a sparkling, diamond-like object, glowing white.
It was a small, sealed room with no door, just an old table. Yuna Ji smiled and walked over.
"Well, Mona Ouyang, let's see what you do this time. Hehe."
"Grab it and let's go." I reached out to touch it, but my hand passed right through the big diamond. I tried again—though I could see it, there was nothing solid.
"Nope, Ethan, you haven't got it yet. To be precise, this is just the entrance to Mona Ouyang's Nightmare Stone—you have to do the rest!"
I yelped, looking at her in confusion.
"Tonight, you have to enter Mona Ouyang's dream, find the Nightmare Stone, steal it, and hide it in your own dream. Got it?"
I scratched my scalp hard. What Yuna Ji was saying felt as strange as seeing a UFO.
But then, I suddenly remembered: when the Eyeless Granny and her group put me into a dream, they said that dreams that predict the future are real.
So, does that mean everything inside the dream is real? What if it's dangerous?
Don't worry. Mona Ouyang doesn't have much power now. You just need to find the item and figure out how to return to your own dream. It's a small task—you can do it, Ethan. After all, it's for those two girls.