Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Evernight Descends, Ghost Objects Rampage

"That may be so, but we should still try not to give people anything to talk about."

The young man slowly shook his head and said softly, "The rainy season has arrived early. A Ghost Tide will most likely run rampant. From now on, our focus will be on how to survive this season. You and I..."

Before he could finish speaking.

A servant strode over from a distance, leaned close to his ear, and whispered.

"Young Master, the three great families of Jiangbei City are gathering to discuss how to deal with the rainy season. The Patriarch wants you to go and join the discussion."

"Understood."

The young man’s expression was impassive, but as he stood up, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl into a slight smile.

’This clearly means they’re grooming me as the successor.’

’Sooner or later, I’ll be the one sitting in Patriarch Chen’s seat.’

’As for Chen Fan...’

’He’s probably in the Wilderness right now, waiting helplessly for death. Just an irrelevant person, not worth my attention anymore.’

...

When the eternal night falls and Ghost Objects run rampant, only by staying close to a Ghost Fire can one remain safe.

But—

Some areas form Natural Ghost Fire Zones, which can maintain safety without the daily input of Ghost Stones. These zones, both large and small, have gradually developed into human settlements.

Jiangbei City is situated in one such Natural Ghost Fire Zone of considerable size.

Because of this natural geographical advantage, even though the city was nearly wiped out 37 years ago, it was able to redevelop quickly.

Otherwise, for a city of this size, just maintaining the Ghost Fire daily would consume a massive amount of Ghost Stones. No single faction could afford it.

No one knows how Natural Ghost Fire Zones are formed, nor if they might one day suddenly fail.

But so far, there have been no reports of any Natural Ghost Fire Zone suddenly failing.

...

「Wilderness.」

「Jiangbei Chen Family, Station 37.」

Chen Fan stood in the downpour, looking at the group of people standing outside the camp’s safe zone. There were seven in total, all brought here by Wang Kui from nearby stations.

Lame Monkey was currently patting them down one by one, confiscating Sound Transmission Talismans and other means of outside communication. He also placed a Ghost Stone in each person’s palm to prevent impostors from mixing in.

Just then—

"Station Chief Chen."

A middle-aged man in burlap clothes, holding a long saber, looked at Chen Fan standing in the downpour, his voice trembling slightly. "Station Chief Wang told me the general situation. From now on, our lives are in your hands. If we can really survive the rainy season, then my life is yours, Station Chief Chen!"

"If you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west!"

He was originally a station chief for the Hill and Valley Royal Family. The moment he learned that the rainy season had come early and his family couldn’t send help, extreme despair had flooded his mind.

Being a station chief was a job that meant living on a knife’s edge. He knew all too well what this situation meant. Just as he was about to kill himself, he heard Wang Kui shouting his name outside. Half-doubting, he followed him here.

He would have accepted it even if it was a lie; after all, it was the only lifeline he had.

It wasn’t until he arrived at this camp and saw the two Arrow Towers standing tall in the rain that a glimmer of hope finally ignited within him. ’Maybe... maybe I can really survive. Even if that hope is slim.’

"..."

Chen Fan calmly walked up to the middle-aged man with the long saber. Two faint, shallow cuts were still visible on his neck, the oozing blood already washed pale by the downpour.

They were hesitation marks.

When people commit suicide with a blade, very few can do it with a single, decisive cut. Those who can possess first-rate mental fortitude.

This kind of mark is formed when one hesitates, unable to follow through.

"It seems if Wang Kui had been a moment later, you wouldn’t be standing here."

"Station Chief Chen."

The middle-aged man’s face was full of bitterness as he said in a trembling voice, "You’re in our line of work too. You know that even if you walk into the darkness after night falls, you don’t die immediately. But that feeling of waiting helplessly for death in the dark... not many people can endure it."

"If I really have to die, I’d rather die by my own blade than wait for death in despair."

"Everyone!"

Chen Fan looked at the remaining men, not continuing the conversation with the middle-aged man. Instead, his gaze swept across each of their faces as he spoke in a hoarse voice, "You are all from the three great factions. You’ve more or less heard my name."

"My name is Chen Fan."

"I am an heir of the Jiangbei Chen Family. My birth mother was a Level 4 Architect. Due to internal family disputes, I’ve been targeted for years, until I was sent here to this abandoned station to serve as its chief."

"At this point, I’ll be blunt. Before my mother died, she left me an Architect’s inheritance. I deliberately came here, far from the family’s spies, to secretly build up my strength."

"These two Level 2 Arrow Towers are my own work."

"From now on—"

"As long as you follow my commands, I, Chen Fan, will do everything in my power to lead you all through this rainy season alive."

"After the rainy season, I won’t stop you, whether you wish to leave or stay."

The six men exchanged a look, then each took out the bundles they were carrying and placed them on the ground. "We are at your command, Station Chief!" they said hoarsely.

"Good!"

Chen Fan glanced at the Ghost Map, then looked to Wang Kui at his side and issued another order. "Time is tight. We can’t make it to any stations farther out. There are two stations nearby that were destroyed last night."

"You, Xiaoyu, and two others will split up and head to those two abandoned stations. Bring back anything usable. There might still be some Ghost Stone reserves at those sites."

"Yes, sir."

...

After Wang Kui left, four men remained. All of them were from other stations; there were no women staying at the station.

None of the six were travelers, and as it happened, no travelers had passed through to stay at the station in the past two days.

This was mainly because the stations in this area were quite remote, and not many people passed by.

"..."

Chen Fan turned to look at the Wooden House behind him. ’The identity of a Chen Family illegitimate son and the reputation of a mother I’ve never met are quite useful,’ he thought. ’In this world, with those two things for backing, gaining initial trust is much simpler.’

The station business in the Wilderness was a monopoly. Nearly all stations were established by the three great families. There were no stations set up by unaffiliated individuals, save for a few established by factions from Ping City.

"Station Chief."

A man with a pockmarked face stepped forward from behind him, standing in the heavy rain, and asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

He was the station chief of Jiangbei Chen Family’s Station 36, also abandoned in the Wilderness when the rainy season arrived early.

’When he had returned to the family on leave, he had once seen Chen Fan from a distance. Back then, Chen Fan always walked with his head down, looking extremely weak and insecure, a stark contrast to his current bearing. He had even sighed at the time, thinking how a proper eldest son of the main wife had been reduced to a state worse than a servant’s.’

’Now it seems it was all a disguise, an act to protect himself while waiting for the right moment to rise.’

’He knew it. The people from these great families were all more cunning than the last. Not a single one of them was simple.’

’But...’

’In this rainy season, which is practically a death sentence, a young master who had been lying low, enduring everything while waiting to rise, a young master with an Architect’s inheritance... has become his only hope for survival.’

’He swore it!’

’In the entire world, no one wanted Chen Fan’s rise to power to succeed more than he did right now!’

"..."

Chen Fan stood in the downpour and turned his head to the pockmarked middle-aged man beside him. "I know you," he said calmly. "The station chief of Jiangbei Chen Family’s Station 36. Nicknamed Wang Mazi."

"You and the other three men, tear down this Wooden House. As fast as you can, before nightfall."

A flash of disbelief crossed Wang Mazi’s eyes, but he quickly nodded and called for the men behind him to get to work. He didn’t even ask why they had to tear down the only Wooden House that offered shelter from the wind and rain.

’He swore it!’

’He had never interacted with Chen Fan. He had only heard stories about him in rumors and had seen him from a distance that one time he returned to the family. Chen Fan hadn’t even looked up then.’

’But Chen Fan knew his name, and even which station he was from.’

’This was enough to prove that during his period of forbearance, while he seemed to have resigned himself to his fate and was just waiting to die, he had actually been making preparations in secret. He had even thoroughly investigated an insignificant station chief like him.’ 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

’The depth of his scheming... it was astounding!’

’But at the same time, that originally faint sliver of hope in his heart grew a little stronger.’

’Perhaps...’

’By following Chen Fan, he really could survive the rainy season.’