The Season of Harvest

The hemp rope traced an eerie arc through the air, coiling around 'Wang Ye'.

'Wang Ye''s eyes were hollow, letting the rope bind him without any sign of resistance.

As the rope wound layer after layer, 'Wang Ye' seemed completely unaffected, still staring at Wang Ye with that vacant gaze.

"Not a ghost?"

Wang Ye frowned slightly. The hemp rope could bind and suppress ghosts, but it had no effect on anything else.

Just then

The 'Wang Ye' bound by the rope twisted his stiff face with some effort, then forced a smile at Wang Ye.

The next moment, his body spontaneously combusted in an eerie manner, a thick stench of rotting flesh filling Wang Ye's room.

Wang Ye's face tensed with caution as he instinctively stepped back a few paces, but his gaze remained locked on the figure that looked exactly like him.

A long while passed

'Wang Ye' burned to ashes under the flames.

Wrinkling his nose at the foul smell of decay, Wang Ye opened the window. Soon the odor dissipated, and he stared at the pile of ashes, lost in thought.

"Clearly, this damn thing was planning to ambush me."

"But once I spotted it, it just self-immolated."

"Or rather, whatever controlled it knew this thing couldn't take me and didn't want me to get any leads?"

"Is that guy behind this human or ghost?"

In the past, Wang Ye would have immediately judged the one controlling this freak to be human—after all, ghosts had no capacity for thought.

But after his recent trip to the Wasteland, Wang Ye had gained a deeper understanding of this world.

Perhaps

Deep in the Wasteland, within the Forbidden Zone, those ghosts were already no different from humans.

He cleaned up the ashes, and then his phone rang.

Glancing at the number, Wang Ye frowned and answered.

"Minister Zhang, something up?"

Wang Ye pressed his temples wearily as he spoke.

The whole day in the Wasteland had kept his nerves on edge, and coming home to this incident only worsened his mental state.

"Dealt with that thing in your room?"

Zhang Ziliang's calm voice came through the phone.

Wang Ye's expression grew serious. "How did you know?"

"If I didn't have that much intelligence-gathering ability, what would I even be doing? I'm a minister, after all, aren't I?"

There was no boastfulness in Zhang Ziliang's voice, as if he were simply stating a fact.

Old fox!

Wang Ye cursed inwardly. Sure enough, none of these ministers were simple.

He knew something was wrong with his room but didn't even give a heads-up—probably another test of his strength.

If he hadn't handled it and died, so be it.

"Then thanks for the concern, Minister Zhang," Wang Ye said coldly.

On the other end, Zhang Ziliang frowned at Wang Ye's tone.

His voice was full and strong, no sign of injury.

Seems like it wasn't too hard to deal with.

With that thought, Zhang Ziliang paused briefly. "Alright, let's get to business."

"Today, a fierce ghost from the Wasteland broke through the energy barrier and got in." Zhang Ziliang's voice turned serious. "The Logistics Department currently has seven surviving Superhumans. I've already sent them all out."

"This incident has caused severe repercussions. If we resolve it, securing a squad slot shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing this, Wang Ye's eyes flickered with thought. After a long silence, he chuckled. "So, you need me as backup?"

"Of course. Those seven will have a hard time handling this Supernatural Incident on their own."

"So when it hits a critical moment, you'll step in."

Zhang Ziliang's voice remained calm, as if he were just stating the facts.

But Wang Ye's expression grew wary, a hint of caution in his eyes. "Then why not let me go now?"

On the other end, there was a long silence.

Zhang Ziliang's cold voice drifted through faintly. "After all, only by appearing when people are at their most desperate do you leave the brightest, most revered impression, don't you think?"

"Even if it costs a few lives?" Wang Ye said flatly.

"Yes. What I need is an elite Squad A, not a retirement home." Zhang Ziliang's voice was as icy as ever.

Wang Ye's hand gripping the phone was somewhat pale. He was silent for a long time before finally nodding. "I understand."

With that, Wang Ye hung up the phone.

He stared at the name Zhang Ziliang saved in his contacts, lost in thought.

Had it really been the right choice to cooperate with that cold-blooded bastard in the first place?

No one could give an answer—just like who would have guessed that Zhang Ziliang, who lit up like a child at the slightest excitement, could have such an icy heart inside?

Feeling the exhaustion in his body, Wang Ye carefully put away the Ghost Face Vine.

His current mental state wasn't fit for strengthening his body.

Then, Wang Ye solemnly took out three half-burned paper coins, selected the one with the least burn marks, and carefully pressed it against his hand.

An instant chill spread through his entire body.

His hand gradually grew numb, and the strange sense of disconnection from the rest of his body faded.

The subtle, steady decline his body had been undergoing seemed to ease with this cold sensation.

"As expected, it can slow the decay of bodily functions."

Wang Ye nodded in satisfaction and placed the remaining two coins back into the box.

He stored both items in a hidden compartment in the room.

As for the substitute doll, Wang Ye kept it close to his body.

After all, that was a life-saving item.

Having handled everything, Wang Ye let out a sigh of relief. Finally unable to bear the mental fatigue any longer, he sank into a deep sleep.

Gradually, the sun set.

Night fell deep.

Accompanied by a chilling aura, the Wooden Door once again appeared eerily in the living room.

And Wang Ye's eyes snapped open almost the moment the door appeared.

"Finally, the harvest season has come."

Wang Ye pushed open the Wooden Door and stepped inside.

Unlike usual, the moment he entered the Post Office, a surge of energy rushed into Wang Ye's body.

Under the intense pain, Wang Ye instantly collapsed to the ground.

Drops of blood kept seeping from his body, staining his clothes crimson.

Wang Ye's face turned pale as he couldn't help letting out low growls.

Along with the blood beads, his skin kept splitting open with horrifying wounds.