The wind kept blowing through my hair as I sat in quiet contemplation, recalling everything from the past. Why is it that the Immortality Society knows everything about us?
Everything I do, every little detail, they seem to know it all. They even have a clear grasp of what my powers are like.
All these experiences of mine—everything I've been through—I have only ever told one person in detail: Hugh Thompson. After every incident, Hugh would carefully record what happened. Even after getting the general idea, he would always find time for me to tell him everything, slowly and thoroughly.
As for Hugh Thompson, I've always trusted him. His way of doing things is shrewd and efficient. To the Ghost Burial Squad, Hugh is like the brain of the team—everyone has immense trust in him, and he always responds to that trust in kind.
I heard that time when the Ghost Burial Squad sent out all its elites to investigate the cannibal village incident—it was Hugh Thompson who planned it. Because he needed to supervise new recruits—Miles Mao, Dalton Fang, and the others—he didn’t go himself. In the end, none of the elites who went to that cannibal village ever returned.
The ones hit hardest by this were probably Hugh Thompson and Old Stone. That’s why I can understand Hugh’s attitude after meeting Rachel Lan—he didn’t want her to get involved. He’s said it himself: he’s seen too much death, too many members of the Ghost Burial Squad, each one a vibrant life lost.
So, after that, the Ghost Burial Squad was basically paralyzed. When faced with tough cases they couldn’t solve, they simply wouldn’t take them on. This approach did lower the squad’s death rate, but it still hovered around fifty percent every year.
Everything Hugh Thompson has done for the Ghost Burial Squad has earned everyone’s trust. The squad wouldn’t have made it this far without him—and Old Stone.
I’d also heard that back in the day, Team 17—Miles Mao, Dalton Fang, and Mason Yu—were always at odds. They’d argue over the smallest things, especially the three men: Dalton Fang, Mason Yu, and Miles Mao. When it came to Rachel Lan, they even came to blows. It was always Hugh Thompson who stepped in to mediate.
And the problems in the other squads of the Ghost Burial Squad were also handled personally by Hugh Thompson. As I made my way here, I received a lot of help from him—again and again. I’ve started to rely on Hugh more and more. Among us, he’s truly like a leader.
My heart was shaken—when you add up all the causes and effects, our every move has truly fallen into the hands of the Immortality Society, and even the Ghost Syndicate.
As I was lost in thought, I heard the sound of helicopter blades in the sky, followed by a burst of intense light. A cargo transport helicopter was flying toward me.
The powerful downdraft sent the scattered garbage swirling into the air. The helicopter landed slowly beside me, and when the door opened, Rachel Lan jumped out and ran toward me. Seeing Rachel, I was overwhelmed with emotion—she hugged my head tightly, pressing me into her embrace.
It was so warm—nothing could compare to the warmth of this embrace.
I couldn't help it—my eyes filled with tears, and I wept in Rachel Lan's arms.
Hugh Thompson stepped off the helicopter. I quickly wiped my tears and stood up, looking at him. I kept thinking—if we’re going to keep investigating the Immortality Society, and if our intel keeps leaking like this, we’re going to have serious problems.
Seven or eight members of the Ghost Burial Squad walked over to John He’s corpse, taking out handcuffs, chains, and a body bag, preparing to transport his body back.
"What’s wrong, Ethan? What happened?"
Hugh Thompson looked at me in confusion and asked. I started to hesitate, then stared at Hugh.
"Ethan, what’s wrong?" Rachel Lan asked. I looked at her, and finally, I nodded—I decided to speak up.
"John He’s last words, Hugh—he said, ‘You know everything.’"
Hugh Thompson’s expression didn’t change at all. He adjusted his glasses, looked at me, and walked over step by step. He seemed to understand my meaning right away.
"Ethan, I really don’t know what’s going on this time. Are you trying to say I’m a spy planted in the Ghost Burial Squad by the Immortality Society? Is that it?"
As soon as Hugh finished speaking, Rachel Lan glared at me.
"Ethan, don’t believe those people from the Immortality Society—they’re masters at twisting the truth!" Rachel Lan snapped, and then Hugh Thompson shook his head.
"Ethan, if you suspect I leaked our intel to the Immortality Society, then I won’t argue. I’ll keep investigating these matters as I always have."
Hugh Thompson looked at me seriously. I felt a little awkward. At this point, the other members of the Ghost Burial Squad seemed to hear our conversation and came over one by one.
Howard Lee quickly came over and patted me on the shoulder.
"No way, Hugh would never do that, Ethan. Don’t let your mind run wild. The Immortality Society—those guys would try to sow discord, even in death."
I looked at Hugh Thompson awkwardly, but when I thought about it, it was impossible—Hugh couldn’t be a traitor. Back during that incident at Northview Psychiatric Hospital, I saw an expression on Hugh’s face, just for a moment. He even said those people weren’t human—they were evil ghosts wearing human skin.
At that time, Hugh Thompson looked at the people from the Immortality Society as if they were garbage. Our actions have always been known to the Immortality Society, but I remembered—inside every one of them is a black ghost, apparently provided by the Ghost Syndicate. These ghosts can see us, but we can’t catch them; it’s as if they have no physical form.
[Irrelevant passage about chapter navigation skipped.]
If there really was a leak, it must have been those ghosts monitoring our movements.
"Sorry, Hugh, I..."
Hugh Thompson laughed, cutting me off. He patted me on the shoulder.
"Ethan, that photo studio—we might finally have a lead."
I immediately looked surprised. Then we found a place to sit down, and I began telling everyone, in detail, everything that had happened tonight.
Meanwhile, in a room used by the landfill plant workers, members of the Ghost Burial Squad found twenty or thirty people—all unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.
"Right now, we still have to focus on capturing Jason Zheng," Hugh Thompson said. Then he took out a laptop, logged into the police database, and began searching.
Rachel Lan helped me onto the plane and sat me down. She looked at me, her expression grave.
"Ethan, you look troubled. Tell me, what really happened?"
Sure enough, Rachel Lan saw through me. Earlier, I was filled with killing intent, wanting to resolve the issue with John He, but I hadn’t said a word about it.
I started trembling, slowly revealing to Rachel Lan the mindset I’d had—wanting to kill, willing to do anything.
"Ethan, it’s okay."
I didn’t know what to say. Rachel Lan crouched in front of me, holding my hand.
"Even so, Ethan, as long as you believe you’re doing the right thing—even if it’s a little dark—as long as you don’t lose your way, I think that’s what it means to be human. I almost killed someone once, too, because of something that happened."
Rachel Lan said this. I looked at her in surprise, and then saw her smile. In that instant, I seemed to snap out of it completely. I’d been played by that guy from the Immortality Society—he’d provoked my killing intent just to stir up the darkness within me.
"No matter what it is, Ethan, we’ll face it together."
Rachel Lan said this, and I reached out to hug her. It was warm—always so warm.
Just then, Hugh Thompson walked over with his laptop. We looked over and saw a new case: an old man and a child, both dead in a sealed room.
In an instant, my mood sank again.
"Ethan, what’s done is done. Don’t dwell on it. Turn all these feelings—anger, sadness—into motivation. Let’s get to the bottom of this."
Hugh Thompson said this. I lowered my head and nodded.
"About that photo studio, Ethan, there have been a lot of eyewitness reports—and from different locations. Based on what happened when you went in and came out, the Blue Wraith’s power must be strong. So, let’s tackle the smaller problems first, take it step by step. Come on, let’s go get something to eat. Lily Qian and Claire Zhang are still waiting for you."
I nodded, clenching my fists. I could never lose faith in myself. That was what Aunt Ghost had told me—if I ever lost faith, the Immortality Society would take advantage and start to sway my will, just like tonight.
The helicopter slowly started up. We planned to head straight back to the Ghost Burial Squad, but inside, I still felt uneasy. It was like poison—John He from the Immortality Society, his dying words were like a slow poison, corroding my will bit by bit.
On the other side, Lan Yin was still carefully examining the corpse of another member of the Immortality Society, hoping to find something.
Just then, my phone buzzed. I hurried to check—it was Bing, the app with the glowing green light, updating itself.
"Update complete. Values corrected. All previous calculations were system errors. Zhang Qingyuan, your power has increased significantly. If you wish to enter the next stage, please contact Bing."