Chapter 41: Chapter 41: The Fourth Evernight

In a daze.

Chen Fan’s mind went blank, and the world before him seemed to grow quiet.

But just then—

A trickle of cold rain on his neck and a loud shout from Zhou Mo inside the City Wall jolted him from his trance.

"Chief!"

"Chen Fan!!"

Inside the City Wall, Zhou Mo stood by a Wooden House, gripping his Big Saber. His face was a mask of anxiety as he screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to wake the others on the wall.

From his perspective.

The Chief and the others had suddenly fallen into a trance.

Wang Mazi had even undone his pants and started jerking off.

Eternal Night, a torrential downpour, a Ghost Object, and jerking off.

These four completely unrelated things made up the current scene. Though he had to admit that jerking off was an enjoyable activity, now was definitely not a good time for it.

This bizarre scene made it obvious: the Chief and his men had encountered a Ghost Object that caused hallucinations.

"Get down!"

The first to come to his senses was Chen Fan. He saw the female Ghost’s hair, which flowed behind her like a waterfall, now extending and lunging toward them with the speed of a lightning strike. He quickly shoved Wang Mazi and the others to the ground, forcing them to take cover behind the battlements.

’People can be hypnotized.’

’But buildings can’t.’

The moment the female Ghost stepped into the encampment, the Crossbow Mechanisms on the Arrow Towers began to activate.

Crossbow Arrows shot out one after another, cutting through the rainy night toward the female Ghost standing outside the walls. Although her hair, whipping through the air like a scourge, deflected most of the bolts, there were too many Arrow Towers. Some arrows were bound to hit their mark.

’As long as we aren’t killed instantly by those needle-like strands of hair, she won’t be able to withstand the damage from the Arrow Towers.’

Obviously.

The female Ghost’s plan was to endure the damage from the Arrow Towers and go straight for the leader.

If he died, the Arrow Towers would instantly cease to function, and the Ghost Fire would begin to flicker out.

However—

He had woken up and dodged the attack.

That left the female Ghost with only one path: death.

The Level 3 Arrow Tower infused with the Fire Element—the one built specifically to deal with this female Ghost—unleashed its might. Crossbow Arrows flew toward the Ghost, moving too fast for her to dodge.

They pierced straight through her.

No blood flowed from the wounds, only the sight of scorched flesh.

...

「A few moments later.」

The battle was over.

Once the female Ghost’s most powerful ability failed to deliver a decisive blow, she was nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter. She couldn’t withstand a few more volleys before being shot to death within the encampment.

And by this point.

Wang Kui and the others had also broken free from the hallucination.

"Damn it."

Wang Mazi pulled up his pants, his face a mixture of shame, anger, and lingering fear. "That Ghost Object’s powers are terrifying!"

’Good thing Zhou Mo was inside the camp and didn’t see the female Ghost,’ he thought. ’He was able to wake the Chief. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened. That thing could cause hallucinations... Truly terrifying.’

There were no more Ghost Objects in the gray fog.

"You go get some sleep."

Chen Fan looked at Zhou Mo, who had come up onto the City Wall. "You have to go out tomorrow morning. Go on, we’ll handle things here."

Then he turned to Lame Monkey and the others.

"Clean up the battlefield, quickly. The night is long. More Ghost Objects might show up."

After the last few days.

The people in the camp had learned to work together seamlessly.

At his command.

Lame Monkey and the others rushed down to start digging Ghost Stones from the Ghost Corpses and collecting any dropped Exotic Treasures. They would wait until morning to dissect the bodies for Ghost Materials.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan immediately set about repairing the damaged section of the City Wall.

The repair cost was 78 Ghost Stones.

The City Wall had been severely damaged this time, so the repair cost was high.

But...

’Repair my ass.’

Only a four-meter section of the City Wall was destroyed. That swarm of Ghost Objects had just focused on one spot. He immediately demolished the damaged section and built a brand new four-meter stretch of wall, which only cost 40 Ghost Stones.

Repairing it cost more than rebuilding it from scratch.

After that.

The men took turns keeping watch from the Wooden House on the City Wall. This way, they could avoid staying in the cold, damp air for too long and hopefully keep from getting sick.

...

The rest of the night passed quickly.

Only a few dozen scattered Ghost Objects broke into the camp during the latter half of the night. It wasn’t a full-blown Ghost Tide, so they were dealt with easily.

With the encampment’s current strength.

As long as it wasn’t a massive Ghost Tide or an attack led by a High Level Ghost Object, any ordinary wandering Ghost Object that stumbled in was just a free delivery of Ghost Stones. They posed no real threat.

Dawn broke.

The darkness was peeled back, like the creamy topping on a cup of tea.

Inside the Wooden House, another X was drawn on the Eternal Night Calendar.

This was the fourth Eternal Night they had spent in the rainy season of the Desolate Wilds.

As soon as it was light.

Zhou Mo took his men, grabbed their Big Sabers, and set out once more. Their mission was to bring back resources from a few nearby, destroyed outposts.

Only then did Chen Fan and the remaining men relax and begin to clean up the aftermath of last night’s battle.

Since they had taken turns on watch last night.

No one was too tired.

They could sleep later in the day. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Qi Chong and his partner were already dissecting the Ghost Corpses with practiced ease. Useful Ghost Materials—like Mantis Arms, Monkey Skins, and Bamboo Pole Ghost Skeletons—were all collected and piled up in the Warehouse. They used porcelain vats to collect the Ghost Blood.

It was worth noting that.

Even during the Eternal Night, the Meat Ghost Mother and Child Species planted in the Farmland still needed to be watered with Ghost Blood.

Qi Chong and the others hadn’t forgotten to water them with Ghost Blood last night.

Thankfully, the battle hadn’t lasted too long; otherwise, they would have had to craft more Copper Pipes.

Outside the City Wall.

Wang Mazi stood in the light rain, looking at the female Ghost lying silently on the ground, her body riddled with holes. He crouched down, squeezed her forearm to test its firmness, and sighed with a hint of emotion.

"I admit I lost my composure a bit last night."

"But I have to admit, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Prettier than the top girl at the Osmanthus Tower in Jiangbei City by a long shot. Calling her a goddess wouldn’t be an exaggeration."

"Just a reminder," Lame Monkey said, his face expressionless. "She’s a female Ghost."

"I know, but she doesn’t have any of the usual mutations, does she? She looks just like a normal woman. It’s a shame."

"Another reminder: she’s dead."

"I know... Why do you keep reminding me? It’s like you think I’ve got other ideas..."

"I saw you lick your lips."

"My mouth was dry."

Just then—

Ah Le strode over from nearby. Using a Mantis Arm as a blade, he knelt beside the female Ghost. With the practiced motions of a butcher, he pierced her scalp and slid the blade quickly along her joints. In no time, the complete Ghost Skin was peeled away.

Her long, thick, black hair was peeled away, scalp and all.

The female Ghost, who just a moment ago possessed a certain tragic beauty, was reduced to a pile of shredded meat in the blink of an eye.

"What are you...?"

Wang Mazi, still lost in his reverie, stared dumbfounded at the scene.

"Skinning her."

Ah Le looked up at Wang Mazi and said in a gruff voice, "The Chief’s orders. This hair is good stuff, gotta be stripped. You want me to leave you a ’Ghost-Joy’? We can get the Chief to make you a custom-fit Copper Pipe, too."

"Thanks, but that won’t be necessary..."

Wang Mazi said sullenly, "I was just making small talk. You guys are making me out to be some kind of..."

"I was just hallucinating last night."

"But you were the only one who took his pants off last night."

"You guys tie your drawstrings in a dead knot. I use a slipknot."

"Heh."

...

"All good stuff."

Chen Fan muttered cheerfully as he patrolled, checking on each group’s progress. The skeleton of the Bamboo Pole Ghost leader was especially sturdy—it would be perfect for the frame of an improved cart.

So many Ghost Objects meant a hefty income of Ghost Stones.

They had also dropped three Exotic Treasures.

One came from the Bamboo Pole Ghost leader.

The other two were scavenged from the female Ghost, and one of them was an extremely Rare Building Blueprint.

As for the Mantis Ghost leader, it had dropped nothing. What a poor bastard.

Last night’s haul had been substantial.

And with so many Ghost Corpses, the newly built Sacrificial Tower could finally be put to use.