There's a Good Place, Let's Go Play

"We've found you..."

This was the Female Ghost's chilling declaration, spoken with absolute certainty.

Unfortunately, this last house was empty, with only dust, cobwebs, and wormholes.

The Female Ghost stretched her neck out very long, looking around from left to right, but she didn't see a single person.

That's strange.

She pulled her neck back.

Her black hair obscured her face, but the slight turn of her ankle was enough to reveal her inner doubts about this unexpected event.

"The lights are on..."

The Female Ghost muttered to herself.

Where did my food go...?

She turned her head to look at the alley entrance, where the light that had been on just moments before had gone out without her noticing.

This means that what she was looking for was no longer there; it had disappeared into the alley.

"Ugh," the Female Ghost growled in a low, unwilling voice, and with a limping gait, she gripped the axe and chased after her at the alley entrance, intending to search further for where the cunning prey had gone.

As she disappeared completely from the alley, the streetlamp that had been turned off quietly came back on.

"Tsk tsk tsk, this Female Ghost Combat Power, her oppressive aura is astonishing, she's probably C-rank."

Yu Xing's voice came from somewhere, followed by Qu Xuanqing's reply, "Perhaps, that streetlight... is it helping ghosts determine if there are any living people?"

"It's not just streetlights; there are many of these things on Dead Silent Island. They're inconspicuous, but they pose a great danger," Zhao Yijiu scoffed. "If you find these things, deal with them promptly; otherwise, they'll become your landmarks when you're trying to avoid danger."

"It's lit up again... I only peeked out, and her senses are really sharp. But why weren't the streetlights on when we first entered the alley? If they had come on earlier, I definitely would have noticed something was wrong, and I wouldn't have almost been discovered by the Female Ghost."

Behind the wall at the end of the alley, Yu Xing poked her head out, surveying the quiet alley. Then, she tentatively propped herself up, intending to climb back over the wall.

They had planned to hide inside a house, since the Female Ghost didn't seem like the type to conduct a thorough search. But just as they were about to enter, Zhao Yijiu noticed that the streetlight had suddenly gone cold, so she stopped them and pointed to the wall.

For any intelligent species, a wall is basically synonymous with a "dead end," except for middle school students who have honed their skills at scaling walls to skip class and see them as gateways to a happy life.

For friends like these, there are more options and paths behind the wall. Coincidentally, Zhao Yijiu, Yu Xing, and Qu Xuanqing are not law-abiding people. Although it is unknown what the neighborhood behind the wall is like or whether there will be greater dangers, at this critical moment, they still decisively climbed the wall quickly, one on each side.

At this moment, the Female Ghost was almost at a point where she could see the alleyway at a glance. Yu Xing glanced back from the top of the wall and found that the other side of the wall was very open, or rather, a grassy area.

Artificial grassland.

Beside the lawn was a playground, and further away stood a relatively modern teaching building. Lights were on in the windows, and students could be vaguely seen sitting by the windows...

Clearly, although it was an accident, they successfully discovered a large, independent school building hidden at the end of the alley.

On the other side, the school's main gate was visible. Perhaps because they didn't use the main gate and weren't discovered by anyone, even though half their bodies were behind the wall, they didn't trigger anything.

Yu Xing made a quick decision, telling his two teammates to hide on the school's lawn with him to avoid the axe-wielding Female Ghost before going back... He hadn't considered going straight into the school instance; the large, independent buildings were obviously quite difficult, and he hadn't made any preparations, had no supplies, no money, and no offerings. Going in directly would probably just be suicide.

Even if the three of them weren't particularly afraid of death, if they got trapped inside, they didn't know when they would be able to get the message out, which would be a huge loss.

After that, they listened to the clanging sound of the Female Ghost's axe on the other side of the wall until it ended. Then they climbed over the wall again and watched the Female Ghost's figure disappear into the distance.

"Peng."

With a soft thud, Yu Xing's boots hit the alleyway floor, the impact causing him to shudder in pain. He rubbed his leg helplessly, his desire to regain some of his abilities growing stronger, or perhaps to complete some identity missions. He refused to believe that he, a "A-level pollutant," truly only had negative effects.

"The Female Ghost is gone, heading in the direction she came from." Qu Xuanqing looked around the alley entrance, confirming the news. "Safe."

"Alright, then as we discussed earlier, take these back and consolidate the intelligence with Zhao Mou." Yu Xing handed everything in his pocket to Qu Xuanqing, then thought for a moment, took back the thirty ghost soldiers, and handed over the remaining money. "Brother Jiu and I will continue exploring the map. The thirty ghost soldiers are just in case. Before dinner... never mind, be back before midnight."

Qu Xuanqing frowned. "It's dangerous after dark. I'm not comfortable leaving you outside."

"It's not dangerous," Zhao Yijiu said at this moment. "I'm here. I'm even stronger at night."

Whether it's Zhao Yijiu who's used to the darkness or Zhao Yijiu in her ghost form, she's undoubtedly more at ease in the dark.

Yu Xing didn't say anything more, and Qu Xuanqing's head. "Let's go now."

Qu Xuanqing knew that his decision wouldn't change because of other people's worries. She gave a soft snort, then turned and headed back to the hotel with what could be considered a rich haul.

After the girl left, Yu Xing stretched and a peculiar smile appeared on her face.

He turned to look at Zhao Yijiu: "Hehe."

Zhao Yijiu: "..."

"Don't give me that smug smile. I know you want me to take this opportunity to take you to the middle of the island."

"When you need someone's help, of course you have to be obedient and ingratiating, otherwise what will you do if you don't take me with you?" Yu Xing said innocently. "Especially, if you want to use the Shadow Wizard's ability to take someone with you, only the Ghost form can do it, right? You're not so easy to talk to when you're in the Ghost form. What if you leave me stranded on the road, letting me experience the fear of being completely helpless..."

"You still feel fear?" Zhao Yijiu finally snapped. "Alright, I know, I'll take you with me."

Yu Xing: "Where are we going?"

Zhao Yijiu said, "How would I know? I only looked at a small part of the road; I can't take you there. So..."

As he spoke, the bloodshot in his eyes finally spread. He had been in a state of near-redness at the general store, but now his expression suddenly became playful. "Where do you want to go? What do you think of the streetwalker's building?"

Its temperament shifted from cold and aloof to even more elusive, like unpredictable clouds or an unseen deep sea.

Yu Xing instantly sensed that Zhao Yijiu had become a different person. He looked at this person with some surprise as he watched him suddenly change his personality... no, change his personality on the spot. He realized that it was indeed the same body and the same consciousness, without any warning.

"Okay," he agreed.

"Heh, I was just asking casually, and you actually agreed? I don't even want to go." Zhao Yijiu's lips curled into a smirk, a liveliness and... mockery uncharacteristically appearing on his deep-set face. "That place isn't suitable for daytime visits. Let's find another one."

"Oh, I only agreed because I knew you wouldn't go. What else did you think?" Yu Xing chuckled. "I knew it. No matter what kind of personality Brother Jiu, he wouldn't agree to go to a place like that. Ah, I can't say for sure about Zhao Mou..."

"Brother will be very sad if he knows you said that about him," Zhao Yijiu replied casually. Then she looked at Yu Xing, who was slightly taller than her, and suddenly leaned closer, raised her right hand, and placed her cold fingers on Yu Xing's neck.

Yu Xing shivered from the cold. He felt Zhao Yijiu's thumb Ghostification against his neck. The fingers, roughened from years of wielding short knives and daggers, amplified his pain and caused a stinging sensation. He gave Zhao Yijiu a questioning look. "Hmm?"

"Nothing, I just suddenly wanted to experience what it feels like to crush your neck..." A clear interest and excitement surfaced in Ghost Wine's crimson eyes. "Will that smile last? Will your cunning and manipulative mind, like a cat's, just droop to one side and never be able to lift again..."

"What are you saying all of a sudden?" Yu Xing tried to move his neck, but he couldn't get Ghost Wine to let go of his hand. The icy aura traveled from the point of contact into his body, triggering a frenzy of cursed power, which made him increasingly uncomfortable.

"What, trying to put on a show of intermittent madness?" Seeing he couldn't avoid it, he directly raised his hand and slapped Zhao Yijiu's hand away. "Even if these words perfectly match your image and current personality, I haven't forgotten that you're still Zhao Yijiu. Is this how you try to scare me? Do you really want to see me frightened? What a twisted sense of humor. Who taught you that?"

Zhao Yijiu's hand froze in mid-air. He looked at Yu Xing's expression and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it's just his nature... I didn't scare him this time, but next time, when you think it's perfectly reasonable, I'll scare him again."

Yu Xing almost burst out laughing.

Zhao Yijiu is a very reassuring teammate, but Ghost Wine... he's definitely full of dangerous traits, and you never know when he might explode.

But this side of Zhao Yijiu also made Yu Xing feel... even more interesting. It was like having an enemy who needed to be watched closely at all times. If they weren't on guard, this guy could really teach them a lesson.

A fun-loving person never gives up.

Zhao Yijiu reached out again, this time grabbing Yu Xing's arm. It was still very cold, which was already affecting Yu Xing's ghostly aura.

"Hold on, I've thought of a fun place, I'll take you there right now."

As they spoke, the shadows beneath their feet began to wriggle. Not only Zhao Yijiu's shadow, but even Yu Xing's shadow seemed to be drawn to life and swayed with the other shadow.

Zhao Yijiu pulled hard, dragging Yu Xing down with her towards the alley wall. Yu Xing narrowed her eyes, looking at the wall that was about to hit her head, her muscles tensing instinctively.

The imagined pain did not come; their shadows merged into the shadows of the alley at that moment, like drops of water falling into the sea, without causing a ripple.

Even people silently melt into the brick walls.

In the empty corridor, paintings are inlaid on the walls, their colors strange and bizarre, depicting a series of surreal and eerie worlds.

Before long, the quiet and spaciousness were broken as a group of people, filled with noisy exclamations, surged in from one end of the corridor. They jostled each other, stopping every now and then in front of a painting to offer their comments, which elicited cheers from the crowd.

"My goodness, as expected of Mr. Ander's latest work, it's still of such a high standard. This painting will definitely be the brightest star in this exhibition!"

"That's right, but I think Lake Crodir is comparable. Look at the dead mermaids on the lake, they're so beautiful."

"Not bad, not bad at all! Flesh and blood float on the lake's surface, the dead face rotting, revealing the sharp teeth of a mermaid's mouth. Haha, to be honest, I once saw a mermaid. She was so beautiful, especially when she opened her mouth—that beautiful song and those sharp teeth... She looked like she could bite me to pieces. Absolutely stunning!"

As soon as Yu Xing opened his eyes, he heard a cacophony of sounds. Bright lights shone down, and for a moment he couldn't sense where he was or what kind of fun place the Ghost Wine had led him to in its wicked way.

There were many people around, constantly jostling and pushing, and he felt like a sandwich filling, moving forward with the flow of people.

His height was of no use here; everyone around him was taller than him, dressed in suits, and he even had to look up to see their chins or the backs of their heads.

Yu Xing: "Tsk..."

The surroundings were so chaotic that his slight dissatisfaction went unnoticed by anyone, including the person still holding his arm.

"Wow, isn't that the girl's corpse under the crystal orchid? I didn't expect them to bring this painting to the exhibition. It's quite surprising. Why wasn't it advertised beforehand?" A woman's melodious and gentle voice sounded to Yu Xing's left, but her words were enough to send chills down a normal person's spine. "Mr. Monde's paintings are always hard to commission. I told him last time that I really wanted to be the corpse in this painting, but he refused. Sigh..."

Yu Xing glanced at it from the side.

Then he saw a blonde woman with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. She looked quite human, but the way she spoke was off. Her mouth didn't move, but there was a huge crack in her chest, and her teeth were opening and closing, making sounds.

"Do you like it here? It's an art exhibition." Zhao Yijiu's voice came from behind. Yu Xing felt the hand gripping her arm tighten, and then a cold body pressed against her. Zhao Yijiu whispered, "Shh, don't let anyone see us. To them, the two of us are more like materials for their paintings than people who are just looking at the art."

"Where did you find such a weird place?" Yu Xing whispered in response.

Zhao Yijiu chuckled, and the two of them squeezed forward with the crowd. Yu Xing, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea where their destination was.

The mastermind behind bringing people here chuckled, "Never mind that. I was just thinking... you must really like art, right? Since you're here, have some fun. I think this will be a pleasant dungeon, Painter San."