Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Building Name: Arrow Tower.
The next moment—
The ten Ghost Stones on the ground suddenly shattered, transforming into a milky-white liquid that flew into the air.
At the same time, an Arrow Tower Illusion composed of white lines appeared in the air. As the milky-white liquid surged into this Arrow Tower Illusion, the once-ethereal tower gradually became solid and archaic.
With a thought from Chen Fan,
the Arrow Tower settled steadily near the Ghost Fire, right in the center of the camp.
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「Building Name」: Arrow Tower.
「Building Grade」: White.
「Building Level」: Level 1.
「Building Effect」: Can inflict a certain amount of damage on Low Level Ghost Objects. Will automatically attack Ghost Objects that enter the Ghost Fire’s range, or attack other creatures on the Lord’s command. Requires 1 Ghost Stone to be socketed as an energy supply for its attacks.
ps: Upgrading to Level 2 requires 20 Ghost Stones.
-
At a glance,
a wooden Arrow Tower, over three meters tall, stood in the middle of the camp. Its body was pitch-black, and the Crossbow Mechanism on top was exceptionally polished. The mechanism reflected a cold glint under the sun, its gears interlocking perfectly.
At the base of the Arrow Tower was an opening, perfectly sized to hold one Ghost Stone.
"Not bad."
A trace of pride inadvertently showed in Chen Fan’s eyes. The existence of this thing gave him a much-needed sense of security. He had scouted Station Chief Wang’s camp before; while it looked decent, it had nothing like an Arrow Tower.
Fully automatic attacks.
There was no need to station an archer inside. It even had a repeating Crossbow Mechanism, and its power clearly wasn’t to be underestimated. In any case, it was definitely stronger than a Beast Trap.
After all, the main function of the Beast Trap was to restrain a Ghost Object and survive the night. Once daylight came, any Ghost Objects unable to escape would die upon exposure to the light.
But...
He hesitated slightly. ’The Ghost Object that escaped the Beast Trap last night was definitely a big one. Can this Level 1 Arrow Tower really hold it off?’
He still had 25 Ghost Stones.
’Should I upgrade it to Level 2 first?’
After some thought, he stopped hesitating. It was better to have overkill than not enough firepower. If that big one really did show up tonight and his Arrow Tower’s power was insufficient, then it wouldn’t matter how many Ghost Stones he saved—he wouldn’t be alive to spend them.
The next moment!
With a thought, the 20 Ghost Stones on the ground shattered, transforming into a milky-white liquid that surged into the Arrow Tower.
Immediately, a panel popped up before him.
-
「Arrow Tower upgraded to Level 2.」
「Please select an Upgrade Direction.」
「1: Add a repeating Crossbow Mechanism to the top of the Arrow Tower.」
「2: Enhanced Crossbow Power.」
「3: Increase the Crossbow Mechanism’s rate of fire.」
-
"Huh?"
A flicker of astonishment crossed Chen Fan’s eyes. He truly hadn’t expected building upgrades to come with a choice of Upgrade Directions. ’Do I get to choose an Upgrade Direction every time I upgrade?’
All three upgrades would directly increase the Arrow Tower’s strength.
However, the first and third options were geared towards enhancing the Arrow Tower’s effectiveness against smaller mobs. What he needed to deal with now was the big one that might attack tonight, so naturally, the second option was the most suitable.
After he confirmed the second Upgrade Direction,
the Arrow Tower before him began to slowly transform. The purely wooden structure seemed to grow a stone skeleton as if alive, becoming a sturdier wood-and-stone hybrid.
The Crossbow Arrow in the Crossbow Mechanism on top became darker, harder, and slightly larger.
Just a single glance was enough to imagine the feeling of being pierced through.
"Nice!"
He nodded in satisfaction, socketing a Ghost Stone into the recess at the Arrow Tower’s base. The Level 2 Arrow Tower looked far more reassuring.
’I wonder what Level the creature that escaped the Beast Trap last night was. A Level 2 should be enough to handle it, right?’
Even if it wasn’t enough, he was out of options.
This was his limit, after all.
"Hoo..."
Only after finishing all this did he prepare to go to sleep with peace of mind. He had four Ghost Stones left. He decided not to build the Farmland for now. He didn’t know how fast the Arrow Tower consumed Ghost Stones, so it was best to keep some "ammo" in reserve.
Besides, the Ghost Fire could only last one more night; he needed to save some for it too.
Last night, he had killed a total of 37 Monkey-headed Ghosts.
But—
only one Exotic Treasure had dropped—the Monkey Head Mushroom Seeds. The drop rate really was abysmal.
As for a Level 3 Arrow Tower...
he took a look. Upgrading to a Level 3 Arrow Tower required 50 Ghost Stones. It was impossible for him to afford that right now.
’Time to sleep.’
...
Chen Fan slept soundly this time. He was groggily awakened by a commotion outside.
He stretched and subconsciously reached for the pack of cigarettes on his nightstand, intending to have his morning smoke, but his hand found only empty air. He froze for a moment, then looked around at his surroundings and remembered where he was. Shaking his head with a small laugh, he quickly washed up and walked outside.
The sky was growing dark.
The sun was about to set. In the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, the eternal night would fall.
Lame Monkey was standing guard in the camp, Long Spear in hand, his face full of vigilance as he stared at a mother and daughter. "Get lost, now!" he rasped. "Or don’t blame me for being ruthless!"
"What’s going on?"
Chen Fan stretched lazily, his gaze falling upon the formidable Arrow Tower in the center of the camp. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Young Master."
Lame Monkey hurried over, limping as he went. "This mother and daughter don’t have any Ghost Stones, but they want to stay the night."
"Sirs..."
The moment she saw Chen Fan, the middle-aged woman outside the camp—dressed in tattered clothes and a headscarf—knelt on the Wilderness soil. Her face was etched with the weariness and hardship of a long journey. She was pale, and her voice was dry, hoarse, and tinged with bitterness.
"There were three of us in our family, but my husband—the child’s father—was killed by bandits on the road. Now it’s just my daughter and me. They took all our money."
"It’s getting dark soon."
"I’m begging you, sir, please be merciful. Take us in for the night. Otherwise... otherwise..."
Behind the woman was a slender and graceful young girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old. She clutched her mother’s clothes tightly, her eyes filled with terror at the encroaching darkness. She looked utterly pitiful.
"How nice."
Chen Fan glanced at the setting sun, then let his gaze fall to the mother and daughter’s feet. He suddenly smiled. Without the slightest hesitation, he took the Long Spear from Lame Monkey’s hands and thrust it forward, striking the woman squarely in the head.
Blood spurted.
He quickly withdrew the spear, rushed out of the camp, and in two or three steps, caught up to the young girl who had started to flee when she saw things go wrong. He stabbed her straight through the back, right in the heart!
His movements were clean and efficient.
At dusk, as twilight deepened,
the light blooming from the Campfire was like that of the only refuge in the desolate Wilderness, providing an ample sense of security.
Chen Fan, however, walked back into the camp leaning on the Long Spear. He brandished a stone glowing with white light in his hand and smiled at Lame Monkey. "Next time you run into their kind, don’t just shoo them away. Kill them on sight."
"Otherwise, you’d miss out on an opportunity like this, wouldn’t you?"
Behind him, the bodies of the mother and daughter rapidly shriveled after death, transforming into a type of Ghost Object even smaller than a Monkey-headed Ghost. They resembled stillborn infants, an utterly horrifying sight.
