After-Sales Service at Your Door

Let's get straight to the point!

Ghost, acting as if he were already familiar with the person, squeezed into the passenger seat of the car.

He stretched out his arms, interlacing his fingers and extending them outwards, his demeanor relaxed and at ease.

"Let me put it this way, Gunsmith, I didn't come here specifically to ambush you; we just happened to bump into each other outside the department store."

Xue Ming held Ghost's phone, examining the barcode on the ID card repeatedly, and checked the chat history again. Confirming that this was indeed the station's VIP, he finally relaxed his guard.

However, there were still a few things he couldn't understand.

"Are you a spirit?"

Ghost made no attempt to hide anything, frankly admitting, "That's right, I've been dead for a long time!"

Xue Ming: "How did you do that? Aren't you afraid of the sunlight?"

"Of course I'm afraid of the light, so I can only stay in the dark areas where the Lord of Cinder doesn't shine, doing dirty and tiring work that I can't be seen by others." As he said this, Ghost lifted his leg, his movements frivolous and his expression swaying, and just put it on the rubber pad in front of the main control, without fastening his seatbelt (although it wasn't necessary), letting the vehicle sound the alarm, completely without any VIP restraint or self-awareness.

This reminded Xue Ming of JOE and Brother Wen Bucai. This VIP was the same; it seemed that all the special units that had lived for a very long time had this carefree and playful personality, completely disregarding their personal image and social etiquette.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Ghost reminded Xue Ming, "If you're curious about me and sincerely want to ask, then don't rush to start the car, let's have a good chat first."

Jiang Xueming: "Not curious."

"Hey!" Ghost panicked and immediately changed his tune. "How about we wait a bit? I have so much to tell you! I'm begging you, please listen to me before you leave!"

Jiang Xueming kept scratching his head, took out the car keys, and returned the phone and ID card.

"Then go ahead and tell me."

"As an intelligence agency, our Gate of Wonders certainly needs someone like me!" Ghost gently stroked his cheek, as if displaying a jewel. "A naturally beautiful, handsome, radiant, and exceptionally capable hero."

"Although not many people know my name, and people always cheer for the protagonists on stage, I'm the one behind the scenes controlling the winning seal, handing over the most crucial mission briefing to you."

"Environmental surveys, basic enemy situation, weapon configuration, ecological data, topographical mapping, climate and water vein data—in the dark, lightless underground city, without the sun's radiance, the Madness Butterfly reveals its ferocious nature, and I become another Phantom Sun —leaving these demons and monsters nowhere to hide."

Xue Ming solemnly raised his hands, clapped lightly, and, in a strained voice, imitated Ghost's operatic tone. "You are really talented."

"Don't you want to say something else?" Seemingly embarrassed by her own awkwardness, the spirit of unknown age seemed somewhat at a loss for words.

Jiang Xueming immediately replied, "How about I kowtow to you a few times? The kind that makes a loud bang?"

Ghost waved his hand dismissively. "No need, no need at all."

Xue Ming started the electric car, but because Fragrant Dream had just tugged at this front-wheel-drive car a few times, the main shaft seemed to have a minor malfunction, and the car began to vibrate and could no longer move.

Xue Ming was about to go to the repair shop to fix the car when Ghost immediately called out his true spirit name, "[Ghost, Wandering Ghost]! Find a way to fix it!"

A thick, dark mist emanated from the evil spirit's arm. It crawled through the car window and under the vehicle, and soon the car began to crawl, accelerating as Xue Ming stepped on the accelerator.

"Wow, amazing!" Jiang Xueming didn't hold back his praise; he's always been a complimenter.

Ghost: "It's nothing, just a broken driveshaft. This kind of ghostly trick can only last for a short time. Once we get to the inner city, you'll still need to fix this car."

The journey continued, the scenery outside the car window gradually turning a hazy yellow. After crossing the main road of the river dam and entering the outer city of the Dead Puppet Agency City, it seemed that some changes had taken place compared to ten years ago.

--The old and worn became even more dilapidated. In the places the [Outlaw] neglected, they sped forward with time, slowly rotting and decaying.

However, with the help of those who cared for them, the shops, businesses, and residences gradually came to life. It seemed that, inspired by the ironworks, the residents slowly began to search for meaning in life and stopped being mere parrots. Numerous notes and suggestions were left throughout the neighborhood, like small advertisements.

From this information, we can see that many passengers are following Xue Ming's example in their attempt to completely awaken the [Outlaw] of the Dead Puppet Agency City.

"Gunsmith, it seems your work hasn't been in vain." Ghost opened his palms, and as if by magic, a black seed landed in his hand. "Planting a good seed will blossom into a good flower, and eventually bear good fruit. This is the best thing in the world."

The dark, glossy lotus took root and sprouted, quickly blooming in the spirit's palm.

"It's been ten years now. First, some passengers saw the advice you left behind, and then many people came to follow you and imitate you. After all, you are a legendary figure—and so the city seems to be coming back to life."

Jiang Xueming was not concerned about the changes that had occurred in the Dead Puppet Agency City. He was a complete stranger to these residents, and the whole story could only be described as a coincidence.

"I'm not that capable; I just took the lead at most."

"Yes!" Ghost grinned. "But how difficult is it to take the lead in doing things? How terrifying is it to see the unseen?"

"Let's talk about you instead." Jiang Xueming followed the road signs and turned into the main road. The Dead Puppet Agency were very large, and the entire ruins complex was divided into inner and outer areas and fortress walls, so there was plenty of time to chat.

Ghost: "Speaking of me again?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes, I'm talking about you—as far as I know, Stardust Warriors can't leave this place. How did you get out? Is it related to your current condition?"

Ghost: "Of course it's related! I'm a spirit, and according to the classification of spirits by the Four Spirit Seats, I'm an evil spirit, a wandering, malevolent soul capable of causing trouble—I remember Mr. Victor's good friend Jack Martin was one too."

Jiang Xueming: "I know very little about these kinds of spirits; they are very rare."

Ghost grinned and muttered under his breath, "Of course they're rare. Monsters with physical essence are more vibrant and stronger because they have a material basis to support their life structure—we lack this essence, so we've become free-spirited evil spirits."

Especially in the last short section, the sound is almost inaudible.

"According to the sub-projects of the Triadic Fundamental Law, the theory of psychic abilities states that Ming De is currently also an evil spirit."

Jiang Xueming: "You're talking badly about the BOSS."

Ghost: "No!"

Jiang Xueming: "You secretly cursing the BOSS is no good."

Ghost: "You didn't record this, did you?"

Jiang Xueming: "No."

"Then I'll continue." Ghost breathed a sigh of relief, "Many new passengers, before arriving at the station, always have to endure Ming De's strange death threats, such as ghostly possession, all sorts of text message scams, electrical malfunctions, and harassing phone calls—the people around you become strange and delusional, constantly urging you to board the train! ~ This is Ming De's evil trickery!"

"As a Stardust Warriors, I should have remained in Pankrasin Palace forever, fighting the monsters of the inner city, forever and ever."

"But the war horns have sounded, Madness Butterfly are rampaging across the land, and Ming De are calling to me, for many of my compatriots are about to suffer the cruel hands of cannibals."

"Then."

A glimmer of light appeared in Ghost's eyes. He looked wistfully at the street scene of his hometown, the ancestral palace where he was born and raised.

"The soldiers in the camp, and Mr. Luo Ping'an, performed the Pankrasin Supreme Ritual for me, instructing me to escape this hell and go help Ming De."

Jiang Xueming: "It seems the ceremony was quite painful."

Ghost: "It really hurts."

Jiang Xueming: "Admirable."

Ghost: "It's an embarrassing, painful memory."

Jiang Xueming: "Could you explain in detail? I'm very curious. If I became [Outlaw], perhaps I could escape using this method."

Ghost: "That's an extremely complex, large-scale psionic ritual that requires many precious catalysts, making it very expensive and a rare opportunity."

Jiang Xueming: "Why did I choose you?"

Ghost: "Because I'm the weakest one—Pancrass is the martial art of ancient Greek gladiators, and also the earliest term for unrestricted combat."

"Oh, another C√B Cup has begun." Jiang Xueming's tone was frighteningly calm, but his words were like knives. "We have determined the loser, and he will bear the heavy responsibility of protecting Ming De."

"Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!~" Ghost let out bursts of sinister laughter, clutching his stomach and trembling all over. His laughter brought up plumes of black smoke, and he couldn't even maintain his basic carbon form. "That's not wrong! So it's suffering and humiliation..."

"But I must say," Ghost casually reached into Xue Ming's pocket, trying to get a cigarette, but after searching for a while and finding nothing, he said sullenly, "It is precisely because I am the weakest that I have the right to leave this ruin—the other comrades must continue to guard the gates of hell to prevent the terrible Spirit Calamity from spilling out."

"You told me before that your security guard didn't want to bring you to this place?" Jiang Xueming said as he parked the car. Just fifty meters ahead was the first checkpoint in the inner city, and the road behind the checkpoint took on a surreal appearance.

Spiderweb-like cracks are everywhere. In the area most severely affected by the disaster, the roads damaged by the earthquake have been abandoned and no one has bothered to repair them. This is a no-man's land.

On both sides, there are large pipelines extending towards the collapsed building. Helicopters can provide basic water and electricity in conjunction with ground personnel. However, repairing the building and rebuilding the road will inevitably bring more fresh elements to this land polluted by dead runes.

It's easy to fill this dead city with more flesh and blood, but it's incredibly difficult to take the flesh and blood away from here.

The Pankrasin Supreme Ritual that Ghost spoke of was more like the separation of his three elements, leaving only a portion of his spiritual and soul elements, while his physical body completely disappeared.

"Yes, my safety officer has never really liked me." Ghost got out of the car and helped carry things while explaining, "He always says that it's inconvenient to do anything with me. The kids' channel becomes a midnight show, and if we're watching SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick on the screen will bleed from all seven orifices and sing the boat song."

"As for other things, they're even more bizarre. Needless to say, objects like mirrors and combs that are believed to possess spirits are haunted; it would be abnormal if they weren't. If we encountered a graveyard in the wilderness, he and I would both be terrified."

As Jiang Xueming packed up the tent, he asked, "Don't you have any waiters?"

Ghost snapped his fingers, signaling Xue Ming not to rush to set up a shelter. "I'm not qualified, not qualified at all—the people closest to the Sentinel Unit are probably the intelligence agents from Guangling Zhixi. When it comes to intelligence gathering and special missions, these real people make me feel close to them. As for daily life, this security officer takes care of everything. He'll tell me which city has suffered another disaster, which Religious order is stirring up trouble again, and I have to set off immediately to investigate."

"So, I just happened to run into you?" Jiang Xueming hugged the tent and set up the rack of the trolley.

Ghost commanded the black mist that had sprung up, transforming it into nimble tentacles that lifted the goods and piled them onto the shelves. "That's right, I just wanted to hitch a ride, but I didn't expect to run into a masked customer using Soul Power, so I kept a close eye on things and followed him."

Jiang Xueming: "My soul power is useless against you?"

Ghost struggled to move heavy objects, indicating that his spirit power was not very strong, let alone destructive. He must have done his best to temporarily repair the car's drive shaft.

"I am already dead. A dead man doesn't even need sleep, so how can he dream? Your Fragrant Dream can only deal with the living."

"You actually know about its special abilities?" Jiang Xueming was somewhat surprised, as only a very few people knew the true abilities of Fragrant Dream.

"The Gate of Wonders knows about your special abilities." Ghost spoke frankly, without any reservation. "Those who do intelligence work need to know just how powerful a warrior is, otherwise they can't plan your course of action."

Upon arriving at the outpost, a small child came bounding out, his face and body covered in dust. Soon, the dust began to dance irregularly, gradually merging into the child's body, as if he had just woken up and his physical condition was slowly recovering.

As you get closer, you can see it's a boy, and he's yelling, "Kill him! Kill him!"

Judging from the pronunciation of her spoken English, she is of Japanese descent, just like the Nanami and Jessica sisters.

"These are grapes," Ghost introduced to Xue Ming, leading him towards the broken road in the inner city. "Our sentry post defenders."

Jiang Xueming was surprised. "He's so young."

"Yes," Ghost exclaimed, "So young."

In that single sigh, Xue Ming, an adult, seemed to understand that everything needed no explanation.

"His name is Grape? And he's a Stardust Warriors?"

Ghost nodded, casually picked up a bag of fruit from the shelf, and handed it to the child.

"Most of my comrades can't remember their own names. Names only bring us pain, remind us of our family, friends, and loved ones, and make us live in purgatory, a torment like being boiled in oil. We call ourselves whatever we like—he likes grapes, so over the long years, he gradually has to learn to grow up, to shed his former identity, and to become a grape."

Grape took the fruit, but only took the green ones that he liked best, and returned the rest.

"Thank you! Kill him! Keep the rest, but don't take too much of the essence!"

The little guy pointed at Jiang Xueming--

"--Who is this guy?"

Ghost put his arm around Xue Ming's shoulder and replied with a grin, "He's here for class. He's a great hero of the underworld, a nobody."

"That's great!" Grape Boy's eyes lit up, and he cheered with joy, jumping up and down on the spot, his stomach bulging with excitement. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

It seems that the death rune structure around the inner city is very complex, and the physical form of the grape is very unstable. He was too young when he faced death, and has been using this physical body to survive until now.

"Damn it! My clothes are tattered, I need to find a way to make a proper set! Like the ones you're wearing!" Grape clutched her stomach, finally managing to stuff her entrails back into her tattered clothes.

On a whim, Xue Ming asked Fragrant Dream to work overtime. He took the clothes off the luggage rack and put them on Grape Boy. Fragrant Dream then cut and stitched the clothes on the spot, making a new outfit for the child.

Grape clenched his little fist, his eyes wide with wonder as he watched the Fragrant Dream unfold before him.

"Yo! You did a great job!"

Ghost crossed his arms, looking smug. "How about that! Pretty impressive, huh!"

It was as if the sewing and tailoring wasn't done by Fragrant Dream, but by Ghost's brilliant operation.

Grape Boy exclaimed excitedly, "Quick, bring him inside! He must be the gunsmith, right? Everyone definitely wants to see him!"

"These Stardust Warriors? They all know me?" Jiang Xueming was very puzzled.

Ghost replied without hesitation, "Of course, we are border guards of the Ancestral Palace, not prisoners."

As he spoke, he pointed to the thick pipes on the dilapidated ruins, as well as the rainproof and moisture-proof fans, and the complete plastic covers protecting these lines.

"We have internet and electricity here, we receive a monthly allowance, and clean drinking water is provided every now and then. Although [Outlaw] don't need to drink water, the experience of drinking water is wonderful—living is a very luxurious thing, and you must always remember this feeling."

"As for how the Stardust Warriors knew about you—"

Ghost asked Xue Ming to open his phone and bring up the backend mini-program for their anonymous merchant order.

"--Take a look at the orders."

Jiang Xueming's workshop frequently modifies weapons, cuts and manufactures parts, and provides customized services for complete guns. It also repairs psionic artifact catalysts and refurbishes clubs and armor.

With a flick of his finger and a series of operations on his phone, the evil spirit delivered a new commission to Xue Ming. The payment for commissioning the anonymous man to make children's clothing had been transferred, totaling fifty Hui Stone Currency.

Jiang Xueming squinted and, in the dim light, finally made out the strings of business orders, most of which were for custom-made weapons.

"So you're all my clients?"

"After the Age of Expeditions ended, we've been sending you weapon orders from this area. The security in other regions has improved, and there aren't as many high-end custom orders anymore." Ghost patted Grape's butt, telling the kid to go back to sleep and conserve his energy. "Since you've come all this way today, how about you give us some on-the-spot after-sales service?"

Xue Ming thought about it. He didn't care about the workshop's logistics, nor did he know where the things he made were sent.

I can vaguely recall a few particularly outrageous business orders.

--That's what the guests all ask.

"I need a heavy weapon capable of killing a 1455cm long lizard-like creature at close range. It must be a melee weapon; this guy is bulletproof and incredibly fast. Do you have any ideas on how to slay a dragon? I need help urgently."

"I need a set of hard body armor with insulation, but not too hard. My enemy will fire projectiles similar to bone spikes with an initial velocity of about 140 meters per second. His movements are very flashy. If this gear is strong enough, I can use a high-speed camera to film his movements and study them at my leisure."

"Also, a sufficiently large backpack is necessary. My situation here is rather unique; after defeating this guy, I'll immediately face the next formidable foe. Judging by its weight, it weighs around four and a half tons; it's a behemoth. The reason I need insulated armor is because this behemoth's eyes seem to be able to shoot lightning."

"And another thing..."

Jiang Xueming's expression was just like Tom's, as if he had seen a ghost. He suddenly wondered if it was reasonable for the BOSS to send him to such a horrible place to enhance his combat abilities. Was this a bit too much for a Homo sapiens like him?

"After-sales service, huh? Okay then."