"Ethan..." Rachel Lan cried out in alarm. Walter Wu covered his cheek, beaming at me, then spat out some blood. He picked up the cigarette that had fallen to the ground and continued smoking.
"Why? Rachel Lan has nothing to do with the Hades Circle anymore, right?"
I remembered the incident with the Black and White Impermanence. Walter Wu gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"Everything is predestined. Living, you are of the Hades Circle; dead, you become a Hades ghost. There's no changing that. But now, Rachel can finally relax a little. Before the surveillance mission is complete, someone else will assist her with the soul-collecting task. Your Spirit Token and Soul Vessel have already been handed over to your replacement. Rachel, from now on, just focus on what King Yama has instructed you to do."
Then Walter Wu looked at Rachel Lan. I felt a surge of anger.
"Ethan Zhang, I already told you—this mission can only be handled by Rachel Lan. A few days ago, our surveillance team already warned the Green Wraith—Evan Zhao—in your building. If he keeps buzzing around like a fly, he'll be eliminated immediately. Over sixty members of the Hades Circle are still lying in the hospital!"
Was it Sima Ying? I looked at Walter Wu in surprise.
But on second thought, Sima Ying wouldn't do that—but Walter Wu would. Is there really a Green Wraith in my building? Now I was even more confused.
I looked at Rachel Lan. Her expression hadn't changed much, and then she smiled.
"Walter, your nose is bleeding."
I looked at Walter Wu—sure enough, his nose was bleeding. I might have hit him a bit too hard just now.
"Kid, you really don't hold back, huh? Ah, forget it." Walter Wu tilted his head back, stuffed some tissue in his nostrils, and I lowered my head awkwardly, muttering an apology.
Walter Wu looked like he was about to leave. As he passed by Rachel Lan, she bowed to him.
"Walter, thank you. You convinced those old guys, didn't you?"
Walter Wu smiled.
"Couldn't be helped. Your dad did me a huge favor, after all. And your old man... ah, never mind. He left his own daughter behind and disappeared. Ethan Zhang, Rachel is a really good girl!"
Just before leaving, Walter Wu tossed out a final remark. I let out a confused "huh" and stared at him, unable to grasp what he meant.
Rachel Lan's cheeks flushed. She walked toward the apartment building on her own, and I followed.
"Thank you this time, Miss Lan. It was you who told me to be myself. When Helen Chen possessed me, that was the only reason I could hold on."
"Please, don't call me Miss Lan anymore, okay? Ethan."
I let out a soft "oh."
The two of us walked into the apartment building. As soon as we entered, we caught a whiff of something delicious—a large steamer was billowing with steam, and a few female ghosts waited nearby.
"Hey, you all, hurry up and grab some plates! What are you standing around for?"
It was the long-haired Green Wraith from the Ghost Burial Squad, the one with the black scorpion tattoo on his left cheek.
I glared at him and walked over, feeling a surge of anger.
"Oh, Ethan, you're back! Come on, I steamed some buns. Let me tell you, my buns are really delicious."
"Why are you here?"
"Ethan, is there something wrong with me being here?"
"You—damn it, in the Ghost Burial Squad, you actually helped the Ghost Syndicate people, you..."
I pointed at the long-haired Green Wraith and yelled, but he simply reached out and gently brushed my hand aside.
"Hey, Ethan, I wouldn't call it 'helping,' okay? They just wanted the Soulreaper Blade, and I happened to have it sealed there. So they freed me, and I cooperated a bit. But I never did anything out of line. Here, eat this bun—let's just let the past go."
With that, the long-haired Green Wraith opened the steamer, took out a snowy white bun, and handed it to me.
I shot him a glare.
"Were you the one who hurt those people from the Hades Circle?"
"Huh? Those flies? Boss Yin said they were annoying, so I taught them a lesson. Haven't seen them around these days."
I let out a sigh, took the bun, and instantly dropped it to the floor—it was scalding hot.
"Almost forgot you're human, Ethan. You guys—did you bring the plates yet?"
The long-haired Green Wraith called out, and suddenly, petals of cherry blossoms fluttered through the air. Sima Ying landed, holding a stack of plates and chopsticks.
"Sister Sima, sorry to trouble you. Let me help."
Sima Ying smiled.
"Let us women handle it. You men are all thumbs."
A few female ghosts floated over, and Rachel Lan came closer.
"Smells so good."
Once the buns had cooled, I took a bite. They really were delicious—plenty of filling, and the dough was just right, not too thin or thick.
I saw the other ghosts eating enthusiastically. Suddenly, as I chewed the tasty filling, a thought struck me—could these be human meat buns?
My heart skipped a beat. I looked at Rachel Lan, who was already on her third bun, eating so fast she started choking and had to pat her chest.
"Ethan, why aren't you eating? Doesn't it taste good?"
"Ethan, those are human meat buns—you guessed right." Yuna Ji floated over with a mischievous smile, slapped me on the shoulder, and I screamed, spitting out the bun.
"Madam Ji, don't scare people! I, Evan Zhao, would never use human meat for buns—it's venison and wild boar, mixed filling. I went up the mountain to get it last night."
Yuna Ji laughed so hard she nearly fell over, slapping my back repeatedly. I glared at her.
"Alright, alright, Ethan, I was just joking. You looked so scared of the buns, I couldn't resist messing with you a little!"
Rachel Lan laughed as well.
"What if they really were human meat buns?"
"Meat is meat, isn't it?" Rachel Lan said nonchalantly, sipping her tea and grabbing another bun, completely unfazed.
I was hungry, but now I'd lost my appetite entirely.
"Brother, you're back! Haha, just now, there was a brief moment I couldn't sense you. Did something happen?"
John Chou drifted over with a half-smile, staring at me, and I panicked.
"Someone powerful from the Ghost Mound appeared. Maybe that's why you couldn't sense us," Rachel Lan said, stepping in front of me, sounding perfectly confident.
"Oh, really? Never mind. Brother, what's that thing inside you, and the ghost standing at the door—what's going on? How did my home become a refuge?"
Then I saw that teacher—the one who told Zachary Chow about Helen Chen, which led to her killing him. He walked over, rubbing his head, looking embarrassed.
"My name is Justin Lee. Hello, everyone. Does anyone know how Miss Chen is doing?" Justin Lee looked earnest and humble.
Then John Chou walked up to me.
"Brother, brace yourself. This is going to hurt."
I cried out in surprise as John Chou thrust his hand into my body. I screamed—his hand was deep inside my abdomen, which looked pitch black.
"I'm going to pull it out, brother. It'll hurt—the ghost's soul is wrapped around yours."
The wound in my lower abdomen started to ache violently, and sweat the size of beans rolled down my forehead.
"Hold him down, Longhair!" The long-haired Green Wraith—Evan Zhao—came over and pinned me down.
"Hey, hey, do you have to be so rough?" Yuna Ji said, as John Chou smiled. I stared at him in fear, feeling something inside me being slowly torn away.
I let out a miserable scream, pain wracking my whole body, making me convulse. It felt like something was being ripped out of me alive, and Evan Zhao held me so tightly I nearly passed out.
"Hold him steady. Ethan, drink this and you'll be fine."
Yuna Ji brought over a bowl of black soup. I drank it down, and then she poured some onto my wound, stitching it up with a needle she pulled from her hand.
I saw John Chou holding a clump of pitch-black, sticky stuff. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it at Justin Lee, who hurriedly caught it.
"Hurry up and get lost, both of you."
"Um, sir, is there any hope for Miss Chen?"
Justin Lee edged closer to John Chou, asking nervously.
"What's it to me? Get out."
"You heard him, old man. Get lost—this isn't a place for scum like you."
"You two, that's enough!" Despite the pain, I shouted at them.
"The ghost soul is nearly dead, but here, its death is slowed. There are ways to help." Samantha Simons stepped forward and spoke up.
"Whatever you say, brother." John Chou grinned, floated into the air, crossed his legs, and sat on a black chair that materialized beneath him.
"Sorry, Ethan, I forgot about that huge hole in your stomach."
Rachel Lan said with concern, and I gave a wry smile.
"I'm still human, after all. Sigh, I forgot too."
Just now, I hadn't felt any pain at all, but now it hurt badly. Even after drinking Yuna Ji's soup, I only felt a little better.
"Mr. Ethan, could your friends help find a way? If Helen Chen recovers, we'll leave right away."
Justin Lee walked over respectfully. I smiled, looking into his eyes—they reminded me of my old homeroom teacher: kind, and always willing to help those in need.
"It's fine—Helen Chen should recover. You can stay as long as you need."