At 6 a.m., the streets were already alive with people. I waited in silence, the Thought Ghost lingering at the doorway, its form like drifting white mist. Four hours had passed—still, nothing.
The matter of Lee Gee was something I had to resolve now. He'd warned me more than once to leave quickly—things were growing stranger and more dangerous by the day. If I wanted answers about what comes next, I had to seek out Wraithshade and understand the truth. Otherwise, I'd be unable to continue, and this place might face its bleakest future. That’s not what you want, Ethan Zhang. The choice is yours: return to a year ago, when you erased everything from the synthetic souls, or keep going as you are.
After The Undertaker learned of it, The Sleeper would come by later.
The street grew more crowded, yet the Thought Ghost gave no response. I made my daily trip to buy food. After some time, I planned to set Lee Gee free. According to records kept by the Dark Banquet, Lee Gee had grown utterly weary of the darkness, slipping into self-destruction. That’s why the Dark Banquet reclaimed him.
A cold dread crept through me as I considered something none of the Dark Banquet’s members had ever dared: awakening their dead hearts. I didn’t know what compelled me—maybe it was the darkness itself whispering that it must be done. The air felt heavy, charged with an unspoken menace.
"Did you discover anything?"
"The final destination of this thought—one year ago."
I stared in surprise, eyes wide. The Thought Ghost slowly approached, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"If it comes to that, I think you should go—seek out Wraithshade, a year ago. If you use my power, you might endure for a while, but the risk is real. The shadows are always hungry for what’s left behind."
"What do you mean?"
I stared in shock, mentioning Wraithshade again. Some things only Wraithshade knew, but he was already dead.
"Are you saying my thoughts could return to a year ago, and I could see Wraithshade? But he’s supposed to be dead in this darkness."
The Thought Ghost sighed.
"How can I explain? Thought is perhaps the only thing that can travel freely to the past or future. As long as you exist, your thoughts remain connected to your former self. Even though Wraithshade is dead, his thoughts linger in this darkness. That’s why Poison Dreadstar needs your help—so long as his thoughts haven’t faded, he’s still bound to his past, and you’ll be able to meet Wraithshade."
With a whoosh, the Deathbane Ghost emerged from my body, staring gravely at the Thought Ghost.
"Right now, you’ve only gained half of Ethan Zhang’s recognition, so you can’t use your full strength. But if you earn all of his recognition, you’ll be able to freely wield Ethan Zhang’s power—and your own. If you do something in between, none of us will notice. You can change others’ thoughts, and if anything happens to Ethan Zhang, you could completely replace him—become Ethan Zhang."
I watched the Thought Ghost warily. He burst out laughing—half his body looked like mine, the other half was a hazy white mist.
"Seems none of you really trust me."
"Naturally. You’re a nasty piece of work—you’ve changed people’s thoughts plenty of times before."
The Spirit Snake also emerged from my body, while the Thought Ghost shook its head helplessly.
"Then there’s no other way. If you want to understand what comes next, you must find Wraithshade and get clear answers. Otherwise, you won’t be able to continue, and this place may face the harshest future. That’s not what you want, Ethan Zhang. The choice is yours: return to a year ago, to when you erased everything from the artificial souls, or keep going as you are."
The Thought Ghost sat down. I fell into quiet contemplation, Deathbane Ghost by my side, resting his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
"I’ve still decided to..."
Just as I was about to finish speaking, the Spirit Snake interrupted me, hissing and flicking its tongue, its golden-red eyes fixed quietly on the Thought Ghost.
"What do you mean?"
The smile vanished from the Thought Ghost’s face. Deathbane Ghost seemed to understand immediately and nodded.
"So, just tell us how to kill you. If there’s any problem with Ethan Zhang, we’ll kill you on the spot."
"What? Who would agree to something so thankless..."
The Spirit Snake had already moved in front of the Thought Ghost with a hiss.
"You’ll agree. You know perfectly well why you sought out Ethan Zhang."
I looked at the three of them in confusion—clearly, something was being kept from me, but I didn’t intend to ask. The Thought Ghost hesitated for a long while before finally nodding.
"I understand. I’ll tell you how to kill me, in exchange for Ethan Zhang’s trust. Is that acceptable?"
Both the Spirit Snake and Deathbane Ghost nodded. With a whoosh, Deathbane Ghost merged back into my body, and then the Spirit Snake spoke.
"Come to the Instinctive Space. Tell all the ghosts—except Ethan Zhang. Is that alright?"
The Thought Ghost nodded.
I immediately began to recall. A year ago, when I’d just regained consciousness, the first person I saw was Lee Gee.
Around noon, I heard the Spirit Snake’s voice in my head.
"Qingyuan, come to your Instinctive Space."
I turned, staring in disbelief at Lee Gee, who glared at me with resentment. I quickly apologized, but then noticed members of the Dark Banquet moving toward me.
When I opened my eyes, I quietly looked to my left—seven ghost souls stood there. The Thought Ghost was on my right, looking uncomfortable.
I kept apologizing, and finally Lee Gee let me go, giving me two days off. I floated up, and with a thought, took out the black sphere the Undertaker had given me. Instantly, all my aura was shielded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The darkness still acknowledged me—I was still a Watcher.
Deathbane Ghost spoke, and I responded with a hum, raising a hand. The Specter Web slowly drifted toward the Thought Ghost, who reached out and smiled.
"You really don’t need to be so wary of me. Mutual need is necessary. It’s like this between me and Ethan Zhang, and the same goes for you. Even if I wanted to take everything from Ethan Zhang, I couldn’t control it all. You all understand this. Why make things so hard for me..."
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, please click next page to continue reading!
"Shut up, Thought Ghost. None of the seven of us trust you—not because of your power, but because of who you are. Spare us the extra words."
Deathbane Ghost spoke sternly. The Thought Ghost had already grabbed my Specter Web; the left side of his body gradually became identical to mine, though his mannerisms remained different.
"Instinct. Coexistence..."
I uttered the words with a heavy heart. Suddenly, a surge of power erupted inside my mind—my consciousness stretched and twisted, expanding beyond all limits. In the Instinctive Space, I saw the imprisoned evil ghosts above, their forms writhing in torment. My eyes widened in shock, a chill racing down my spine.
"It feels different now, doesn’t it, Ethan Zhang? Alright, I’ll send your current thought into your body from a year ago. But let me remind you—once you’re there, don’t interact with anyone else. Go straight to Wraithshade if possible. I was there a year ago too, so you don’t need to worry. This power is perfect—it won’t go wrong."
I nodded. The Thought Ghost came up to me, instantly turning into a wisp of white mist that entered through my nostrils. My head buzzed, the world spun, and my body began to sway. Everything around me disappeared.
"Don’t worry about a thing—leave it to me."
My consciousness remained—Thought Ghost’s voice came through clearly, accompanied by laughter.
"This isn’t like you traveling to different points in time on your own. It’s just a blink of an eye. Now, as I direct you, recall the day you woke up a year ago. I’ll send you to your earliest thought."
I made a low sound of assent, waiting in silence as my body twisted, the world around me trembling and warping.
"Alright, now’s the moment."
I immediately began to recall. A year ago, when I’d just regained consciousness, the first person I saw was Li Ji.
With a crash, glass shattered. I was holding a box of empty wine bottles, which fell to the floor.
"Ethan Zhang, do you still want your salary for this month or not?"
I turned, staring in disbelief at Li Ji, who glared at me with resentment. I quickly apologized, but then noticed members of the Dark Banquet moving toward me.
"Boss, I have something to do today. My wife is sick—you know that."
I kept apologizing, and finally Li Ji let me go, giving me two days off. I floated up, and with a thought, took out the black sphere the Undertaker had given me. Instantly, all my aura was shielded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The darkness still acknowledged me—I was still a Watcher.
With a whoosh, I was already at the home Rachel Lan and I shared. Only one thought remained in my heart: just one look, only one look.
I stared quietly at the window. Inside, I heard Rachel Lan coughing. Finally, as the window opened, I saw her hopeful face—her smile was as radiant as ever.
"Roxie..."
I called softly. Rachel Lan suddenly looked over; I stared in astonishment, already merged into the wall—she shouldn’t be able to see me, yet she smiled in my direction.
"Qingyuan, come home soon."
My eyes widened. Rachel Lan’s expression changed—her eyes were resolute, shining as she looked at me, then she closed the window.
I moved to the outer pile of rubble. The three Dark Banquet members probably couldn’t find me; the darkness had given me shelter. Now I only needed to find Wraithshade—he wasn’t at the Dark Banquet, but at the Unreal Covenant. Suddenly, a prompt appeared in my mind.
Sure enough, the darkness still acknowledged me—that hadn’t changed. I began moving quickly through the dark; the surrounding power seemed to help me, like countless hands pushing me, making me faster and faster.
"Ethan Zhang, hurry up—you can’t keep this up for long."
Thought Ghost’s voice rang out in my head. I nodded and moved even faster.