"Let me go."
I roared, as black chains multiplied around me, their clattering echoing endlessly. My hands and feet were bound, and even the Endbringer in my grasp was fading away.
"Hmph, no matter how strong you are, you're still a ghost—an incomplete one at that. Since you're a ghost, the Ghost Syndicate naturally has ways to deal with you."
Warren Qi crawled up from the ground, coughing, hacking up mouthfuls of black blood.
"Looks like I overdid it. Sigh, this body is about to break down. I'm going to get scolded when I get back."
At that moment, I saw Warren Qi's severed right hand—thick, viscous fluid oozed out, gradually taking the shape of a hand. It actually regrew. I stared in shock.
"Heh, looks like a lizard's tail, doesn't it? You..."
Suddenly, a sizzling sound erupted. With a crack, Warren Qi's nearly restored right hand exploded. Black light radiated from the severed stump, and black lightning crackled and coiled around it.
"Is that the power of the Endbringer? Fascinating... This power can actually hinder the bodies specially made for us. Heh."
Abruptly, Warren Qi's left hand formed a knife edge and hacked down on his barely remaining right arm, severing it completely.
Flies kept pouring into my mouth, their gurgling sounds echoing as they flooded down my throat and into my body—more and more, relentless, never-ending.
Then Savage Star squatted down too, reaching out his hand. Red leeches began crawling from his palm, dropping onto my neck and sucking hungrily. My head spun, my consciousness blurring.
After a while, those blood-red leeches started biting, burrowing into my flesh. My mind reached its limit, and I blacked out.
My head was foggy. When I woke up, something blocked my vision, and it felt like I had something on my head. My hands were free, but my feet were shackled with pitch-black chains. There was no strength left in my body.
I clutched my head and knocked on it—thud, thud. It was a close-fitting mask, hard and ice-cold. Panic surged through me as I shouted, not knowing where I was. In front of me was someone—Nathan Li, head bowed in silence.
The moment I saw Nathan Li, my heart tightened. I stared at him blankly as he supported his drooping head, gazing at me, tears in his eyes.
"Qingyuan..." he said softly.
The gentle way he called my name pierced my heart. I broke down, tears streaming from my eyes and dripping down the mask.
"They said I should try to talk some sense into you."
"Talk about what? It’s all them, all of them..."
My voice grew quieter and quieter. Nathan Li smiled.
"What’s so bad about it? If you do what they say, at least you’ll survive. Why did you have to run away with Lily? If you hadn’t, maybe she’d still be alive."
I lowered my head and said nothing. There was no blame in Nathan’s voice. He simply leaned against the wall, watching me.
"When did our paths start to diverge?" he asked.
I kept my head down, unable to look at Nathan. As my closest friend since junior high, he’d always stuck by me, never shunning me, always helping when things got tough.
I don’t know how long I stayed silent before finally looking up at Nathan.
"I won’t compromise with them."
I said it word by word. Nathan looked at me sadly.
"You’ve always been like this, stubborn, never bowing to anyone. Still the same as before. Maybe it’s me and Lily who’ve changed. The only thing that hasn’t changed is you. We thought you’d changed, but really, we’re the ones who did."
I stared wide-eyed at Nathan as he stood up, walked over, and sat down in front of me, smiling.
"Ethan, sometimes people have to take a turn, but you refuse. So just keep walking straight ahead, no matter where you are."
"Is it wrong..."
With a soft sound, Nathan Li turned to dust before my eyes. In his final moment, he was smiling. I reached out, but my throat could no longer make a sound.
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Anger, bitterness, pain, and sorrow flooded my body. I pounded the ground weakly, sobbing. All that remained around me was Nathan Li's dust—he was truly gone, dead like Lily.
I cried, my sadness turning into wailing. I lay on the ground, shouting and sobbing, the iron mask clattering as it struck the floor again and again.
For days, I stared at the walls and ceiling, silent. Sometimes, tears would fall quietly. Eventually, I started to laugh—an empty, foolish laugh.
With a creak, the door opened. I didn't look up until I saw a pair of leather boots.
"Oh? What's wrong, Ethan Zhang? Lost another one, haven't you? You have nothing left in this world."
I looked at Warren Qi, who squatted in front of me with a smile. I just stared at him, no anger, no sadness left.
"So, just let yourself become a walking corpse. It'll be easy—just follow orders."
Warren Qi patted my shoulder as if to comfort me.
"In this world, there's no one left who loves you or even remembers you. Around you is nothing but endless wasteland and swirling sand. So..."
I brushed off Warren Qi's hand and lay on the ground.
"What's wrong, Ethan Zhang? Having a heart means feeling pain. If it hurts, just throw your heart away. Then nothing can hurt you."
I stayed silent, ignoring Warren Qi, just lying there quietly.
"Just like that last person who knew you. We said if he couldn't persuade you, he'd die—and he did. You caused their deaths, didn't you?"
I started laughing, then got up, resting one hand on my thigh, half-squatting as I looked at Warren Qi.
"That's not it. It's just..."
I let out a low, chilling laugh.
"In this world, there are far more villains than good people. Kindness can't protect anything."
"Ha, ha ha ha, that's right. Villains like me—there are countless. You've seen and heard some, haven't you? The people who come here are all rich or powerful, cunning and ruthless. They buy ghosts at high prices, use them for profit, and these people control everything in the living world."
I clapped my hands and laughed.
"Exactly, that's how it is. Heh heh heh."
"So what now? Let's cooperate."
Warren Qi reached out, but I slapped his hand away and glared at him.
"You're not qualified to work with me, Warren Qi. Get lost. Try your best to figure out how to kill me—or do it now. Because if I break out of this cage, the world will face the Endbringer, and no one will be able to stop it."
Warren Qi stared at me, then clutched his cracked golden mask.
"Isn't this joke a bit much?"
I didn't answer. Deep inside, I could still hear the Endbringer's voice. I stayed silent, and after a while, Warren Qi was about to leave.
"Remember this—go back and tell everyone, even the ghosts, as many as you can: whether human or ghost, the Endbringer is coming for all."
Warren Qi left, and I was alone again.
"Good. Now you understand what you need to do, Ethan Zhang—follow your anger, follow the will of the Endbringer."
I raised my head and let out a cry.
"It won't be long before everything meets its end. Heh."
A few days later, the door opened. Savage Star entered, waved his hand, and dragged me out by the chains, step by step.
"You’d better behave, or you’ll suffer a fate worse than death."
"Do as you wish. Just hope you won’t regret not dealing with me now."
"Isn't this joke a bit much?"
I didn't answer. Deep inside, I could still hear the Endbringer's voice. I stayed silent, and after a while, Warren Qi was about to leave.
"Remember this—go back and tell everyone, even the ghosts, as many as you can: whether human or ghost, the Endbringer is coming for all."
Warren Qi left, and I was alone again.
"Good. Now you understand what you need to do, Ethan Zhang—follow your anger, follow the will of the Endbringer."
I raised my head and let out a cry.
"It won't be long before everything meets its end. Heh."
A few days later, the door opened. Savage Star entered, waved his hand, and dragged me out by the chains, step by step.
"You’d better behave, or you’ll suffer a fate worse than death."
"Do as you wish. Just hope you won’t regret not dealing with me now."