Chapter 28: Chapter 28: A Wolf Feigns Sleep to Lure the Enemy, Catching a Turtle in a Jar
Chen Fan stood atop the City Wall, his gaze shifting from Lame Monkey and the others below to the Ghost Map in his hand. He remained silent, his expression complex.
This map had been a gift from the green-robed man, the first person to stay overnight at his station.
Raindrops landed on his eyelashes, blurring his vision, yet he could still clearly see that ninety percent of the "stations" on the map, once shining like stars, had gone dark. Only seven or eight remained, holding on for dear life, isolated and alone in the Wilderness.
Tonight was the second night of the rainy season.
But—
The stations across the Wilderness were almost completely wiped out.
Before nightfall, he had specifically checked the Ghost Map. Back then, there were still 28 stations. All were located deep within the Wilderness, unable to retreat in time, forced to weather the rainy season head-on.
And now...
Not even halfway through the night, 20 of those stations had already been wiped out.
Among them was the "temporary station" he had built in the wilds just yesterday. Before leaving, he had even placed a Ghost Stone into its Ghost Fire, intending to return tonight to hunt. But plans rarely go as expected; that station, too, had been overwhelmed by the Ghost Tide.
Just then!
A white light suddenly flashed across the Ghost Map. When it faded, another white dot representing a station had vanished.
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
No one would get any sleep.
He didn’t know how the people at the other stations were making it through the night. ’That feeling of helpless despair... just thinking about it makes my chest tighten.’
...
Soon, Lame Monkey returned to the City Wall, hauling a ceramic vat on his shoulder. There were too many Ghost Stones to fit in the sack, so he had resorted to using the vat instead.
"Young Master."
Lame Monkey, slightly out of breath, pulled three glowing white items from his tunic and handed them over. "I’ve finished the count. A total of 484 Ghost Stones, plus three Exotic Treasures."
"Good."
After a quick glance at the information on the three Exotic Treasures, Chen Fan turned his attention back to the gray fog beyond the camp.
The Meat Worm Ghosts had retreated.
But the crisis wasn’t over. The female Ghost with the eerie laugh would definitely be back.
However...
This time, he wasn’t afraid. Surviving the direct assault of the Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide had substantially bolstered his resources. He didn’t immediately spend the Ghost Stones to upgrade the camp’s defenses.
’Now is the time to feign weakness.’
’The unseen female Ghost in the sedan chair clearly possesses a degree of intelligence.’
’If she discovers the camp’s defenses are too strong, she might give up on revenge, and that’s not what I want. She’ll definitely drop something good when she dies.’
’The moment she charges into the camp, I’ll instantly upgrade its defenses.’
’It’s the perfect setup to lure her in and trap her.’
...
Time ticked by.
The Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide had passed, showing no signs of returning. Not a single Ghost Object appeared in the gray fog; clearly, even for other Ghost Objects, facing the Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide meant almost certain death.
But Chen Fan and his men didn’t dare relax in the slightest.
Tonight’s Ghost Tide had made them all truly understand the meaning behind the phrase "The rainy season descends, the Ghost Tides run rampant." The despair hidden within those simple words was suffocating.
Just then—
"They’re here!"
Lame Monkey was the first to spot them, whispering urgently.
It was now well past midnight, and nearly a hundred Ghost Objects finally surged out of the gray fog once more. They were all familiar faces.
Bamboo Pole Ghosts, Mantis Ghosts, Monkey Head Ghosts.
And a sedan chair carried by four Bamboo Pole Ghosts.
"So they’re still haunting us."
Chen Fan wiped the rain from his face, feigning ignorance. He deliberately lowered a section of the City Wall, hoping to bait them into charging the camp. The Arrow Towers couldn’t attack Ghost Objects outside the camp’s perimeter.
If they didn’t enter the camp’s perimeter, he was completely helpless against them.
But... he waited patiently for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, and still, the group of Ghost Objects showed no sign of wanting to attack. They just stood there silently in the gray fog, motionless as wax statues.
"..."
Chen Fan’s brow furrowed. He lowered his voice. "Xiaoyu, go outside the walls and pretend to retrieve a Ghost Stone. Don’t actually grab one, just go through the motions. The second I tell you to return, you run back."
The 484 Ghost Stones that Lame Monkey had collected were only from the slain Meat Worm Ghosts.
The batch of Ghost Corpses left from the initial battle were still lying quietly outside the City Wall. He had saved them for this very purpose.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Xiaoyu descended the stone steps of the City Wall and walked out. He acted completely oblivious as he made a show of digging a Ghost Stone from a corpse. Normally, the Ghost Objects should have seized this opportunity to charge, especially given that the female Ghost possessed some intelligence.
However...
Yet, as Xiaoyu stepped outside the walls, the Ghost Objects didn’t charge. Instead, they slowly backed away, retreating into the gray fog until they vanished into the endless night.
Completely bewildered, Xiaoyu turned and looked back at Chen Fan on the City Wall, unsure of what to do.
"Come back."
Chen Fan sighed. ’No point in wasting any more effort. This female Ghost is a little smarter than I gave her credit for.’
After all—
A camp that could withstand the assault of the Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide had already proven its strength. It certainly wasn’t something that a mere hundred Ghost Objects could take down. The female Ghost had realized this, which was why she had retreated instead of taking the bait, even when he deliberately exposed a weakness.
It was unclear for now whether she had given up on revenge or was simply biding her time.
All he could do was remain vigilant.
For the rest of the night, not a single Ghost Object stepped into the gray fog near the camp. The Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide was terrifying, but as long as one could withstand its assault, a temporary safe zone would form in the surrounding area, and no other Ghost Objects would approach.
The next moment!
The thick, oppressive darkness in the sky, like a layer of molten rock, rapidly receded like an ebbing tide, revealing an unbroken canopy of dark clouds that covered the entire sky.
Dawn broke.
They had survived another night.
...
「Inside the Wooden House.」
Zhou Mo sat by the stove, having already changed into dry clothes. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he held a piece of Kraft Paper on his lap and began writing, each stroke deliberate.
*Today is the third day since the rainy season began.*
*No one has died.*
*Last night, we endured the assault of the Meat Worms’ Ghost Tide and a probing attack from a High Level Ghost Object. We were lucky to survive.*
After writing these lines, he looked with a complex expression at the 30 circles he had drawn on the wall of the Wooden House. Two of them were now crossed out.
Based on past years, the rainy season lasts for about 30 days. Throughout this period, Ghost Tides would run rampant, making it extremely dangerous.
The winter that followed these 30 days wouldn’t be nearly as grueling; at the very least, there wouldn’t be massive Ghost Tides sweeping across the Wilderness.
Two nights had passed.
To survive this rainy season, they still had 28 days to go.
Just then—
The door of the Wooden House was pushed open.
Zhou Mo hurriedly stood up and placed the Kraft Paper to the side. "Station Master."
"Mm."
Chen Fan gave a slight nod. He grabbed a towel hanging nearby to dry his soaked hair, then sat by the stove. He picked up the piece of Kraft Paper from the floor, glanced at it, and asked casually.
"Writing a diary?"
"Uh..." Zhou Mo nodded, a little embarrassed. "Just messing around. Writing for fun."
"I don’t usually write things like diaries."
