The Gatekeeper

Walking more than 400 meters into the inner city, past the ruins, you can still see the ancient city wall that still stands.

The further you go in, the more fantastical the architecture becomes. The Dead Puppet Agency City is built inside a giant's palace. Its City Hall and archaeological research institute are located in the core area. Many residential dormitories are built directly next to the archaeological base. Back then, when the engineers got up to use the toilet at night, they could see the main tomb chamber and ancient buildings in the excavation area next door. In the short time it took to relieve themselves, they might also be startled by a ghost that had suddenly awakened after being dormant for many years.

The terrain slopes down from the northeast to the southwest of the city. The palace walls are built along the ridge of this low slope, with gatehouses, pavilions, watchtowers, and courtyards. Judging from the size of the gate openings, the basalt square stones reveal sharp edges, as if they were cut by a skilled craftsman. At first glance, Xue Ming could hardly imagine how the stonemasons of that era processed such regular building materials.

Unlike the flamboyant totems of Shinto City, the murals on the city walls are simply painted decorations, perhaps to ensure the stability of the walls. After all, for a wall of this size, mythical creatures like trolls and giants frequently pass through, so this giant emperor didn't bother with anything fancy. Over time, most of the paint has faded and weathered, making the details illegible.

The closer you get to the inner city ruins, the stronger the spiritual pressure from the environment becomes. It is colder than the deathly silence of Red Star Hill, and warmer than the noisy, chaotic, and maddening atmosphere of Shinto City.

It's a very strange feeling, like entering a large hot spring and holding your breath in a sauna.

When they arrived at the first military camp, the first thing they saw was a series of sand and gravel blast walls. These temporary trenches formed energy-absorbing boxes. In the sand and gravel, they could see some crystal clear pyroxene, which is the most common gabbro in the underground world. The blue stone craftsmen called this stone rough stone. Its purity is very low. Its complex crystal structure will emit various kinds of light under different angles of light, so it cannot be used as a material for jewelry.

Walking along these makeshift trenches, some distance from the large barracks, Xue Ming saw the training ground and flagpole of the troops.

A dark star is reflected on the crimson flag; this is now the emblem of the Stardust Warriors.

No one came out to meet Ghost. This was just one of a dozen military camps. According to the information provided by the BOSS, there were not many warriors left guarding outside the palace. They would only return to the camp to rest when they were extremely tired and emotionally broken. The rest of the time they were fighting monsters in the ruins.

"The monsters in the palace, which are called 'subordinates' in the passenger log, are constantly trying to escape. Although Death Rune can catch them and seems to be able to ignore them, there are exceptions."

Ghost helped Xue Ming set up a new tent outside the barracks. It wasn't that he didn't want to provide a bed for this "new recruit," but rather that he did it to ensure Xue Ming's sleep quality and the gunsmith's safety.

"Can you be a little understanding?" The VIP picked up an alloy stake and tamped it into the ground to secure the tent's frame. He patiently explained, "All our beds are occupied. If any of us were eaten by monsters in the ruins over the next few decades, the empty spots wouldn't be available for guests. They would have nightmares and suffer severe psychological trauma—and it's better for you to stay away from us."

Ghost gestured to the ground where the tent was positioned while casually grumbling.

"Our barracks were located relatively far from the epicenter during the Spirit Calamity. It was a medical team, mostly composed of women. I was originally a medic in the area under the jurisdiction of the next camp, where men and women were supposed to be managed separately—but not many people from my battalion survived. In the end, we all became [Outlaw] by sheer luck and were mixed into one battle group. Before I became an evil spirit, I lived with them all the time, which was rather awkward."

Jiang Xueming casually asked, "The area affected by the Death Rune is strictly defined. For example, only a few hundred or a thousand square meters of land in the Ironworks area was affected. How far was your original barracks from here?"

"Oh," Ghost's voice trailed off as he spoke, "I was dating a little girl at the time, and I sneaked over. I avoided the sentries and patrols, and just as I crossed the barbed wire, I was locked up here."

"Then I must congratulate you?" Jiang Xueming found it amusing; he hadn't expected this VIP to be such a lawless rogue in his previous life. "You two ended up together?"

The tent was erected little by little. Ghost worked very quickly; with the help of his spirit, he could lift about ten items at a time.

"She was eaten by a monster, just like so many other unfortunate people."

When this matter was brought up, Ghost Shadow's expression didn't change at all, as if he were discussing the weather, and it was perfectly natural for WeChat marketing accounts to use fake news as conversation starters.

"I used to be the sanitation worker for Class 7, but I was afraid of blood and my skills weren't great, heh."

Ghost chuckled softly, a little embarrassed.

"Later, he became the only male in the entire Seventh Battalion."

Jiang Xueming brought the toiletries to the folding bed and said softly, "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Ghost tidied up the small stool and mirror, and seeing the Spirit Calamity in the mirror, a fleeting glimpse of his younger self, he immediately pulled a raincoat over the mirror to avoid frightening the customer. "Time will heal you slowly. No matter what happens, whether you're happy or sad, in the end, all that's left is loneliness."

"It's been too long. So many new guests have come into my life. After becoming a spirit, there are so many things to deal with in my ghost life that it makes my scalp tingle. I don't have much time to stop and linger on the past. What's that popular internet term again?"

Ghost stood with his hands on his hips, scratching his head.

--Pieces of hair were plucked from the skull, revealing the bloody scalp and white bone, which then quickly healed.

"Oh! It's called EMO! Wow! This word is really hard to remember, but it's quite a novel one!"

Jiang Xueming felt a nameless fear again. Ming De kept subtly probing, trying to extend Xue Ming's life.

Perhaps this is a good thing for the BOSS, the station, and the underworld. Faced with the temptation of longevity or immortality, Xue Ming refused time and time again. It was because of Teacher Victor, Mr. Wen Bucai, and Ghost and other strange and long-lived beings that they all suffered the vicissitudes of life and lost a part of their human emotions.

On the other hand, Xue Ming had encountered countless long-lived monsters during his expedition. They may have been ambitious and kind in their youth. In some remote areas, people still believed that these monsters were guardian deities and would offer human flesh to the "gods" every now and then.

But these monsters eventually succumbed to time, transforming into man-eating demons who sought to prolong their lives. After satisfying their most basic survival needs, they began to exploit the people they had protected in various ways. They not only ate their fellow villagers but also entire families, wanting to sustain their consumption and cultivate a culture of benevolence and morality.

Xue Ming could shatter the physical bodies of demons, but Ming De extended an invitation to him, also asking him to accept the trial of time.

At this moment, Xue Ming felt only terror. There were so many friends and so many enemies. In order to fight against time, the winners had to become eccentric, while the losers went completely insane.

One after another, vivid examples are before our eyes, and it seems all the answers point to "immortality brings no good end" --

The ancient emperors' claim of "living to a ripe old age and enjoying life to the fullest" is a lie; it has never been that wonderful.

David Victor once told Xue Ming that a life without death is incomplete. As long as a person is alive, the story will not end. Life always has its ups and downs, its highs and lows. In people's hearts, even the strongest hero will grow old one day. But if a hero is immortal, then such a long time will turn the hero into a bastard.

This bastard is no longer strong, no longer outstanding. When someone needs help, heroes will not step forward. He will hesitate, be afraid, and calculate gains and losses. He will become shrewd and mercenary, putting a price tag on everything due to path dependence in his thinking. He will disregard human life in pursuit of profit, because to long-lived beings, short-lived Homo sapiens are themselves a consumable, more like pets that can only live for a dozen years or so.

Humans are complex and strange creatures; even heroes can make mistakes under the test of time.

People rarely understand why an omnipotent hero suddenly falls; they only remember the moment he reached the summit, the moment of unparalleled glory. Thus, a long life becomes a torment, requiring one to wear a magnificent mask and maintain a solemn and dignified demeanor in front of others. This is also the moment a living person is carried into a shrine.

Ming De constantly urged passengers to break free from superstition, yet it itself had to use etiquette to regulate people's behavior. It wanted to tell people that it was not a god, but the Universal Elixir obtained through blood and flesh was regarded as a miracle by the passengers, which was almost an unsolvable mystery.

"Alright! Let's go." Ghost interrupted Xue Ming's reverie, grabbed a jar of honey from the shelf, and prepared to take it to the ruins.

Jiang Xueming immediately followed, leaving Mr. Mr. Bourne's gun behind, and asked questions as he walked.

"Brother Zhaoming, how old are you?"

Hearing the familiar yet unfamiliar name, Ghost lowered his head, took out his ID card, and confirmed that Xue Ming was indeed calling him.

"--I don't remember. I think so."

"Wait, wait, wait, let me think about it."

"He looks like he's almost ninety?"

"It feels like turning one hundred. Did I celebrate my one hundredth birthday? Did I? Didn't I? Oh! Oh oh oh! No, no! The boss didn't send me a gift, that one-hundred-year achievement medal. He didn't send me that. Everyone else who turned one hundred got one, but I didn't. So I definitely didn't celebrate!"

Is this matter that important?

Jiang Xueming: "I'm curious, do you have any siblings?"

Ghost's real name is written on his ID card as Wu Zhaoming, but the name sounds very modern and doesn't seem to match his age. If we calculate based on the time of the Spirit Calamity, this VIP should only be twenty-three or twenty-four years old at the time, a person from the 1950s. It would be easier to understand if he were named Jianye, Anbang, Jianguo, Jianwei, Liming, or Zhengming, following the generational naming conventions.

"No," Ghost replied casually. "I'm a soldier's orphan. If the old man leaves me here, I'll go to South Korea and beat up the Koreans and Americans."

Jiang Xueming: "Then he's definitely not a hundred years old."

Ghost: "Hehe. But you have to call me Grandfather too."

Jiang Xueming: "How did the Spirit Calamity happen? What were the specific details?"

"It was almost like the sky was falling." Ghota led Xue Ming toward the fortress. "The factories and houses built by fragile humans were like paper. The earth cracked open with deep trenches, and only the walls of the Royal Court trembled. Even though the walls were made of such huge and solid stone blocks, they were still swaying gently."

"From the deepest part of Pankrasin Palace, from the Sun Palace of the dynasty, countless creatures poured out, transformed by death runes, devouring and merging with each other, becoming unrecognizable monsters."

"During the ten-odd days that the runes were expanding outwards, the warriors who still had the will to fight had to stop these monsters. They had to keep eating, whether cooked or raw, alive or dead, they had to swallow it all, as if winter was coming and they had to store up energy to get through the crisis."

"We later realized that was just the beginning."

"Years later, news came from the Arcane Library that, based on data from geological activity records, this Spirit Calamity was caused by the ancient giant finally breathing its last breath—it wasn't completely dead yet, but it had already begun to rot, with its stinking, black pus and blood seeping into the earth, and the dead runes gradually tearing the entire city to pieces."

"Before the Death Rune is fully formed, the weak individuals are slowly stripped of all their essence by the strong monsters, so that in a region, only one deformed monster can be seen—this situation is quite common."

"They tear each other apart, devouring each other's flesh and blood, being eaten while feeding, until a winner emerges. Then they try repeatedly to escape to another cage, to cross the boundary of the dead runes, and to eat more."

"Eating is an instinct, representing a strong will to survive; it's like a plague. In the civilian districts far from the Royal Court, most residents still retain this instinct, craving fresh things, wanting to live relatively rationally, getting through the repetitive days, afraid of change, afraid of familiar things becoming strange, because once there is change, they may completely lose their minds and become cannibalistic monsters."

As they spoke, the high walls and gates of the Royal Court fortress drew ever closer.

"Remember Maddes? Before that cunning passenger became a Lord of Cinder, he broke through our defenses. His spirit power was peculiar; it could blast our spirits out of our bodies, rendering us unconscious." Ghost spoke of the uninvited guest from before, "It wasn't him who caused the Spirit Calamity. He came here to obtain the festering sores on the giant's body and to get the Death Rune. He just happened to run into the recently deceased mythical creature and met his demise—if Victor hadn't gone to the Royal Court, Maddes wouldn't have been able to leave and would have been trapped here forever. He couldn't defeat the gatekeeper and the two monsters in the flower corridor; he would have been trapped inside forever. It was Victor's Hell Highway that subdued these roadblocks for him."

"One more thing!"

Ghost waved and bowed politely to the gatekeeper in front of the porch, leading the way for Jiang Xueming to introduce the first teacher.

"This is our old friend; every time we enter or leave the porch, we are put to his test."

"He comes from an even more ancient era; according to the research in the Arcane Library, he should be a renowned hero from ancient mythology."

"From the very first day the research team started working, this strong man with bronze skin has been guarding the gate with his sword and shield. He would only give way if bullets and cannons cleared the way. At first, we had no idea who this man was. Perhaps he was some king in history who sought the elixir of immortality."

As he said this, the huge shadow that had been crouching beside the porch began to move—

--First came heavy breathing, then a foot in straw sandals stepped into the light source.

His feet were enormous, and black pus oozed from his straw sandals. The dead rune had practically embedded the straw into his ankles, making them one with his flesh.

Looking up from the calves, the skin exposed to the light gradually lightens, turning into a greasy bronze color. The fluorescent light shines on the angular muscles, like those of a marble statue, revealing the protective apron covered in verdigris, and other weathered, blackened fabric.

When the gatekeeper's upper body was completely out of the shadow of the porch, one could see his full head of white hair and thick beard, and his eyes had turned completely black.

He carried a broken sword in one hand and a large, round shield riddled with bullet holes in the other. His sturdy feet pounded the ground with a thunderous sound that echoed melodiously through the doorway. He was over two meters tall, with fine scales growing from his waist, suggesting he had devoured monsters within the doorway's vicinity, exhibiting dragon-like characteristics. His pointed ears and the hair around his temples arched up, another feature of someone who had consumed mountain monsters.

"Throughout our long combat careers, our Pankrasin combat skills were all taught by this teacher."

Ghost mimicked the gatekeeper's movements, raising his left arm to protect his heart as if holding a shield, and raising his right arm to throw a punch with his sword.

"Boom! Boom! Beat the war drums!"

"He has completely lost his mind. He attacks anyone, human or ghost, and will even intercept monsters emerging from the depths of the Royal Court —his help has made our defense mission much easier."

The broken sword struck the large round shield, issuing a challenge to a duel.

Ghost, with a broad smile, spoke warmly to Xue Ming.

"Class is starting. You'll be learning about Pankrasin. This is your first opponent."

"The wolf king who craved honey -- Beowulf".