"That's enough, Ethan Zhang. If you keep this up, things might get out of hand."
As Lance Quinn spoke, I looked down and saw the mess beneath my feet. Several rooftops were gone, and the yards of a few families were devastated—their flowers, trees, and shrubs ripped out. Leaves drifted through the air.
Lance Quinn's hands clamped down hard on my Deathbane Twin Blades. Just moments ago, I remembered slashing his shoulder, but he only laughed, wild and carefree.
In an instant, I was back inside the house. The floorboards creaked beneath me as I stared in shock—my Deathbane Twin Blades, crushed into dust by Lance Quinn's hands.
"Just kidding. Earlier, I said I liked men."
I let out a startled cry, and the anger inside me disappeared instantly. The Deathbane Aura around me faded away.
Lance Quinn patted my shoulder, then broke into laughter.
"I'm a decent guy. How could I possibly like men? I was just messing with you. Me? I like girls—especially the ones with perfect figures and stunning faces."
I looked at him skeptically, but then Lance Quinn turned away. I caught a quick flash of sadness on his face—barely noticeable, but it was there. He looked down at the people below, who were waking up again.
Lance Quinn left. I changed rooms and lay down, thinking things over. I decided I wouldn’t let him play tricks on me again—I was going to take control.
Early the next morning, I opened my eyes as sunlight came in. As soon as I got up, I fully became a ghost and floated outside.
The whole village was damaged in many places after last night. The sunlight was still uncomfortable on my body, but it was better than yesterday.
"Remember, Ethan Zhang, even though you've liberated your Second Ghost Soul, you can only maintain it for three hours at most."
I looked at the newly reinforced houses on both sides of the street. A few near the center were already crooked. People were talking about the sudden hurricane last night, and their stories were all over the place.
Most people believed that zombies or something of the sort were real.
Right now, I wanted to find Lance Quinn. I already knew what he looked like, and last night, as he left, I quietly attached a strand of Specter Web to him. I doubted he noticed.
This was the most obvious change since I liberated the Second Ghost Soul: even after a Specter Web strand snapped, it wouldn't vanish—I could retrieve it. The thread I'd stuck to Lance Quinn was so faint, even I couldn't sense any power from it. Sure enough, I found Lance Quinn's location—he was at the hotel in Building 2, by the swimming pool.
When I arrived, I was stunned. Lance Quinn was in the pool, playing with a long-haired woman in a high-cut black bikini—her figure was perfect.
"Oh, Lance, come to my room tonight. I want to hear more of your stories." The woman leaned in close. Lance Quinn noticed me but ignored me, continuing to laugh and chat with her.
I grinned and crouched by the pool. No one else could see me. I started thinking about how to mess with him next.
After a while, Lance Quinn and the woman came ashore. They walked to a small table for two under a sunshade and ordered some food. Soon, the waiter brought over just one drink. I waited for the right moment—when the waiter passed by Lance Quinn, I gave a hard push, and the juice splashed all over Lance Quinn's face.
I burst out laughing and made faces at him. Payback for last night—today I was determined to make this guy suffer.
The waiter kept apologizing, but Lance Quinn just smiled, not getting angry at all. Still, from his eyes, I could tell he was telling me to get lost.
From Lance Quinn's conversation with the woman, I learned that after his identity in the village was declared dead, he became a tourist. By chance, he met this woman, and they hit it off. His words and manner kept making her laugh.
"Oh, Lance, come to my room tonight, okay?"
The woman kept trying to seduce Lance Quinn, but he didn't react at all. I was thinking about how to mess with him next. Suddenly, Lance Quinn stood up, stretched lazily, and swept his right hand toward me. I dodged smartly and, in a flash, yanked his pants down.
"What, you unhappy? If you are, come fight me. Come on!"
I shouted loudly. Lance Quinn looked extremely embarrassed, but the woman kept staring at his lower half.
"Wow, Lance, you look pretty impressive down there. Tonight... come on, I'll go get ready."
Lance Quinn decisively refused her. After that, I didn't mess with him anymore. For some reason, whenever he turned the woman down, I could see a trace of sadness in his eyes.
I moved into the shadows and waited for nightfall. Lance Quinn didn't go to the woman's room as promised; he made up an excuse to avoid her. The whole day, I noticed something strange—Lance Quinn didn't eat anything at all.
In Room 708, I waited quietly. The door creaked open—Lance Quinn came in. He didn't say anything to me, just walked to the window and looked down at the bustling night market, looking a little melancholy.
I was just about to speak to him when suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Lance Quinn went to open it—it was the same woman from earlier, throwing herself into his arms.
Lance Quinn seemed unable to refuse her, so I just watched quietly from the side. The woman pressed closer, trying to get more intimate, and started to get handsy.
After about half an hour, the woman grabbed her high heels, spat angrily, and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I clutched my stomach, laughing so hard I nearly lost my breath.
"So, you're impotent, huh? Ha!"
Suddenly, Lance Quinn grabbed my mouth with two fingers and glared at me angrily.
"You don't know shit, Ethan Zhang. Do you even know what a revenant is? Can't feel hot or cold, can't feel a woman's touch. Water, food—none of it means anything. You get that? Damn, if I'd been alive, I would've had her screaming 'Grandpa' all night."
I blinked. Lance Quinn calmed down, and suddenly, I had an idea. I smiled and started talking.
"You don’t know anything, Ethan Zhang. Do you even know what a revenant is? Can’t feel hot or cold, can’t feel a woman’s touch. Water, food—none of it means anything. You get that? If I were still alive, I’d have had her screaming ‘Grandpa’ all night."
"Tell me—how do you know about that?"
I just smiled, saying nothing, lounging back in my chair, taking my time before finally speaking.
"By the way, you zombies have that Locking Corpse Mirror, right?" As soon as I said it, Lance Quinn was in front of me, eyes wide, staring.
In an instant, Lance Quinn flew into a rage, lunging at me.
I just smiled and didn’t say anything, sitting back in my chair and waiting a while before I finally spoke.
I said, and Lance Quinn sat down as well.
"How about we make a deal?"
I was nervous inside—even though I was lying to him, John Chou had told me to string him along.
"Here’s the thing—do you want your senses back? There’s a way. I don’t know it myself, but John Chou said if you help get that item, he’ll help you recover your senses. Not a bad deal, right?"
"You don't doubt me?"
I countered, but Lance Quinn just shook his head.
"If it were you saying it, I'd never believe it. But if it's really that John Chou—the supreme ruler of Tianshan—then I do believe it. He's got serious power. Deal."
I was caught off guard by how easily Lance Quinn agreed, but I pressed on.
"What about Rachel and the fat guy?"
"They're at the entrance to the Nether Syndicate. Tomorrow at midnight, I'll take you there. They're fine, don't worry—I brought them food this morning."
As Lance Quinn spoke, he leaned in close again.
"Don't tell anyone about this—especially my boss. He mustn't know. When I help you, you have to help me too."
I nodded seriously and left. At last, I understood why Lance Quinn had looked down at the people below last night with envy and sorrow—and why he'd been in that state all day.
According to Lance Quinn, zombies can only smell—they can't see or hear. High-level zombies rely on special powers to regain senses like sight and hearing, just like humans.
I thought about it—after becoming a zombie, you can't feel anything. Maybe even the most basic human emotions fade away too.
"If you're going to the Nether Syndicate tomorrow, be careful. In the Nether Syndicate, only the three main clans have reason like humans. Everywhere else, zombies have no rationality. Even high-level zombies can be completely irrational. The Nether Syndicate isn't what you think, not with certain people in charge."
"You're back, Ethan Zhang."
"Just spit it out, will you? Where were you when I needed you most? Now I just want to sleep."
I snapped, not holding back. He was nowhere to be found when I needed him, and now I just wanted to get some rest.
"If you're going to the Nether Syndicate tomorrow, be careful. In the Nether Syndicate, only the three great clans have reason like humans. Everywhere else, zombies have no rationality at all. Even high-level zombies can be completely irrational. The Nether Syndicate isn't what you think, not with certain people in charge."
I stared at Zhang Jizheng as his figure blurred again. I didn’t know what he wanted, but I had to be careful. My first goal was to enter the Nether Syndicate and find the Golden Soulstone—the red corpse jade.