SWISH—

The Knife Ghost Queen stood up fully. She lowered her head to glance at the wound on her abdomen, which was still healing, then silently nodded at Li Ang.

Everyone couldn't help but sigh with relief. They were thankful that the surgery had been a success and they hadn't accidentally killed their patient. Otherwise, how could they have withstood the charge of so many medical protesters brandishing two large machetes?

The Knife Ghost Queen tilted her head to the sky and let out a howl. The monsters that had surrounded the crowd immediately retreated and reassembled behind their queen.

The queen looked at the trembling crowd, moved her many legs, and cleared a path for them.

Is this... letting us pass? Wei Linglan's heart was uneasy as she directed the crowd to reassemble. They began moving forward under the watchful gaze of the Knife-driven Ghosts lining both sides of the path.

The diners hadn't walked far before they realized the Knife Ghost Queen was following them, and the multitude of monsters had also regrouped, flanking the humans.

After a moment of panic, everyone quickly realized the monsters were escorting them.

What's this? A form of payment for the surgery? Wei Linglan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but deep down, she felt a sense of relief.

Had Wei Yueyan's teammate not discovered the Knife Ghost Queen was having a difficult childbirth, and had there not been someone in their group capable of assisting the monster, they probably would have had to resort to a direct and forceful approach, clashing head-on with the swarm of ghosts.

In that scenario, even if the two players could have led a small number of people out of the encirclement, the remaining diners... would likely have been devoured by the ghosts.

Under the escort of the Knife-driven Ghosts, the group managed to move through the streets safely and without incident.

Indeed, there wasn't a single living person in the entire city. Instead, they encountered all sorts of bizarre ghosts and monsters.

There were floating heads in the air, as big as hot air balloons. There was the Smelly Fur Ghost, covered in pitch-black, foul-smelling hair, dragging itself forward on all fours. They saw the Underground Ghost, with its red skin and hands and feet mutated into three sharp claws, resembling a pangolin. And then there was the Hang-boot Ghost, shaped like a squat, blue winter melon, fond of tailing pedestrians and hiding behind them.

This dazzling array of monsters, each with its unique traits, had one thing in common: they all stared at humans with sullen gazes, filled with jealousy or loathing.

Whenever a monster got too close, a group of Knife-driven Ghosts would surge forward, attack it en masse, tear it to shreds, and devour the pieces.

Occasionally, some stronger monsters managed to break through the Knife-driven Ghosts' defensive line, attempting swift attacks to capture the living. However, they were casually bisected by the Knife Ghost Queen with her gigantic Door Plank Bone Knife.

The variety and number of monsters is truly astonishing, Wei Linglan thought to herself. A ghostly parade at night?

Unlike scenario quests, regular missions in the real world originated from reality itself.

There's always a cause for every effect. This thick fog couldn't have appeared out of nowhere, nor could these monsters have gathered without reason.

Why was there fog? And why were there so many different kinds of monsters in such numbers?

At first, Wei Linglan thought this special space, a mirror image of the real Yin City, might drag people in and turn them into monsters. But looking at the state of the Knife-driven Ghost group, they didn't seem to have been recently dragged in; it was clear they had been surviving here for a long time.

An ecosystem, she mused. The monsters here had already formed some kind of complete ecosystem, devouring and hunting each other.

But what about Yin Energy, the most important and fundamental sustenance for ghosts?

Throughout their journey, Wei Linglan hadn't sensed an abundance of Yin Energy. Even when present, it was only concentrated around the monsters themselves.

According to ancient records shared between the Heterodox Academy and the Special Affairs Bureau, a "ghostly parade at night" only occurs in areas where Yin Energy is extremely concentrated—places like ancient battlefields where blood flowed like rivers, ancient capitals ravaged by plagues, large burial sites used for human sacrifices, or lands naturally suited for preserving corpses, and so on.

If the concentration of Yin Energy were even slightly lower, it couldn't sustain such a vast number of Fierce Ghosts. If malevolent spirits could roam freely without needing Yin Energy, it's feared that millions of years ago, only Ghosts would have remained in the world, with no living humans left.

What exactly sustains their physical forms...? Wei Linglan's mind was filled with myriad thoughts, yet she dared not turn to ask the Knife-driven Ghosts (who likely couldn't speak and probably wouldn't be able to answer anyway). So, she could only conceal her doubts and continue moving forward.

After winding their way through the city, they reached a certain intersection where the Knife-driven Ghosts suddenly stopped, advancing no further.

"What's going on? Why have they stopped?" The diners tensed at once, looking anxiously toward Wei Yueyan and Wei Linglan.

Wei Linglan remained silent for a moment, then exhaled slowly. She intended to step forward and ask, but as soon as she took a single step, the Knife Ghost Queen fiercely swung her massive bone knife, striking the ground just a meter in front of her.

With a thunderous BOOM, the concrete road was cleaved open, a deep crack now lying precisely between the Knife Ghost Queen and Wei Linglan.

Wei Linglan took half a step back. She watched as the Queen silently sheathed her Door Plank Bone Knife, understanding the unspoken message: They can only escort us this far. We must walk the rest of the way ourselves.

"I understand," Wei Linglan said, nodding gratefully to the Knife Ghost Queen. She offered a few words of reassurance to the panicked crowd and then led them forward from the crossroads.

Wei Yueyan looked back at the Knife-driven Ghosts standing motionless at the intersection, her brows deeply furrowed.

The Knife Ghost Queen is much stronger than I am, and she has her underlings, Wei Yueyan mused. For such a bloodthirsty and belligerent group of monsters to stop here... what could possibly lie on the road ahead that would make even them halt?

The group proceeded in silence. They encountered quite a few monsters, but most posed little threat. Wei Yueyan alone obliterated all the Fierce Ghosts that actively charged them, incidentally harvesting some Yin Energy in the process.

As they walked, their encounters with Ghosts grew rarer; sometimes they passed several blocks without seeing a single one.

Though there was no apparent threat, an unease in Miss Chai's heart grew stronger. Fierce Ghosts, like wild beasts, had fixed hunting ranges. Two Ghost Kings of comparable strength would never encroach upon each other's territory, lest they provoke a war.

They had likely entered the territory of another Ghost King.

TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP.

The sound of footsteps, dense as rainfall, suddenly arose from both ends of the road. Accompanying the footsteps were the clamorous, overlapping sounds of horns and suonas.

It was as if two processions were rushing toward them, one from the front and one from behind.

A chill ran down Wei Linglan's spine. "Retreat!" she ordered the group in a low, urgent voice.

The group hurriedly withdrew to the roadside, holding their breath and crouching under the eaves of the shopfronts.

The music grew closer. Through the mist, they saw a funeral procession approaching from the left. Its members wore mourning clothes, scattered yellow paper, carried white soul-guiding banners and a coffin, all to the tune of somber funeral music. From the right, a wedding procession advanced, its members clad in red, carrying an eight-bearer palanquin, accompanied by festive music.

Every member of both processions wore a stiff smile, only touching the ground with their tiptoes, their bodies lightly bouncing forward.

The Red and White Menace.

The living held their breath, focusing intently, terrified of making even the slightest sound.

Finally, both processions converged in the middle of the road.