"This is the jade amulet," she said. "The one that’s been sold recently in that famous talisman shop."

A ripple of surprise passed through the group.

"A talisman shop?" Liam frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Yasmin exhaled, her breath still slightly unsteady from earlier.

"Recently, there’s been a shop that’s gained a lot of attention," she explained.

"Their talismans are... unusually effective. Before coming here today, I was scrolling through it and saw this exact jade amulet."

Her expression turned slightly bitter. "But it was too expensive for me at the time... so I decided to buy it later."

The moment she finished speaking, almost everyone instinctively pulled out their phones.

Even in the eerie silence of the ghost zone, the faint tapping of fingers against screens could be heard as they tried to search for the shop.

One hand clutched their weapons tightly, while the other hurriedly navigated through their devices.

"Found it!" someone muttered.

Within seconds, they all located the shop. But...their expressions quickly fell.

"Sold out..." Sasha whispered, disbelief creeping into her voice.

Every single amulet was gone.

A heavy wave of disappointment washed over them.

Still unwilling to give up, a few of them quickly tried placing orders anyway, inputting their current location with desperate hope. ’Maybe... just maybe it will still deliver...’

Moments later...

A notification appeared on all their screens.

’Due to your location being within a ghost zone, delivery is unavailable.’

Their hearts sank instantly.

The faint hope they had clung to shattered completely.

Celestial Master Li lowered his phone slowly, his expression turning grave.

"This place is far more dangerous than we anticipated," he said quietly. "It would be wiser... to retreat."

As he spoke, his gaze subtly shifted toward the side.

There, lying motionless on the ground, were the bodies of the fallen celestial masters.

That single glance was enough to send a chill through everyone.

Almost unconsciously, a few of them took a step back.

However, Liam’s expression hardened.

"We can’t leave," he said firmly.

His voice cut through the fear like a blade. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"If we retreat now, we’ll lose our positions."

Sasha’s patience snapped instantly.

"Then so be it!" she shot back, her voice rising. "I’m not sacrificing my life for some meaningless title!"

Liam shook his head, his gaze darkening.

"Even if we return safely, that government official will come after our families," he said coldly. "Do you think he’ll believe we did our best?"

Those words struck far deeper than fear of the ghost zone.

Yasmin frowned, her voice trembling slightly. "Then what do we do?" she asked. "Just... wait here to die?"

For a moment, no one answered.

Then Liam slowly turned his gaze toward Noah.

Noah, who had been watching everything unfold with growing confusion, stiffened slightly under that look.

"We don’t need to rely on luck," Liam said. "We have him."

Noah blinked. "Me?"

"That amulet," Liam continued, his eyes fixed on the jade. "If it’s truly as powerful as it seems, then as long as you let us use it, we can complete this mission quickly."

Noah’s expression immediately hardened. He instinctively covered the jade with his hand. "No," he said firmly. "I’m not giving it to you."

Liam raised his hands slightly, as if trying to calm him.

"It’s only temporary," he insisted. "Give it to me for a short while. I’ll take a team and search for George. Once we’re done, I’ll return it to you... and I’ll even give you twenty million dollars."

Noah let out a short, humorless laugh.

"Lend it?" he repeated, his eyes narrowing. "There’s no such thing as lending with you."

A flicker of anger crossed his face.

"The last time I lent you equipment, you never returned it. You said it was lost... but later you showed it off during another mission."

Liam’s expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly masked it.

When Noah remained unmoved, Liam’s tone turned colder.

"If you refuse," he said slowly, "then I’ll have no choice but to take it by force. And this time... there will be no compensation."

Noah’s grip tightened around the jade. His heart pounded, but he refused to back down.

"Why should I give up something that’s mine," he shot back, "for a mission that might not even succeed?"

Without another word, he turned and began walking away.

Sasha and Yasmin immediately followed him, along with Celestial Master Li.

Liam stood still for a moment, his thoughts racing. ’If I lose this chance... all that credit...’

The image of promotion and recognition flashed through his mind, clouding his judgment.

His expression hardened.

Without hesitation, he rushed forward.

In a swift motion, he grabbed the jade amulet from Noah.

Everyone froze.

"Noah, you should have handed it over when I asked nicely," Liam said coldly, gripping the jade tightly.

He turned and walked a few steps away.

Noah’s eyes widened in shock. "Give that back...!"

But before he could finish... the jade suddenly trembled.

Then... it slipped out of Liam’s grasp.

As if pulled by an invisible force, it floated through the air and returned to Noah, settling back against his chest.

Silence. Complete and utter silence.

Everyone stared, their mouths slightly open in disbelief.

Celestial Master Li’s eyes narrowed, fascination flickering within them. "Strange..." he murmured. "How can an amulet be so loyal to its owner?"

He turned to Noah. "Did you perform some kind of ritual? Something to bind it to you?"

Noah hesitated. Then he remembered... the drop of blood.

For a brief moment, he remained silent before replying calmly, "It’s a blood pact."

Celestial Master Li inhaled sharply.

Meanwhile, Liam’s expression darkened, frustration and greed mixing in his eyes. ’My credit... gone...’

He clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to give up.

Just as he was about to speak again... a sudden sound cut through the air.

It was faint. Weak. But unmistakable.

A low, trembling voice echoed from deeper within the ghost zone.

"Help... someone... help..."

Along with it came a distant, eerie howl...like that of a wounded wolf.