Shh, This is a Ghost Story

The sky was cloudless, and a dark, ink-blue night shrouded the area.

Looking down from a high vantage point, a boy with black hair and black eyes remained expressionless.

Standing atop the tip of a tree, he coldly peered down at the uninvited guests wandering below.

Bang.

He exerted force with his fingers, snapping a wordless book shut.

He spoke faintly, his voice cold and detached.

"This is the most pointless death I have ever seen."

It held no meaning, yet it played out every few weeks.

What were they trying to do?

A group of ants.

Retaliation?

I am not the one who paid for their lives.

If it is revenge, did they not come to the wrong place?

He leaped, diving downward.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a curve so slight it was almost invisible.

Since that is the case, let us perform a ghost story today.

I hope this performance can teach you a lesson.

Do not attempt to challenge the authority of death within the territory of the Zoldyck Family.

Who can master death is something no one can say for sure.

But, on Kukuroo Mountain.

The one who controls life and death is definitely not the Grim Reaper!

His inorganic eyes swept over the group of outsiders without a hint of emotion.

Like a clown watching a farce, Illumi hid in a dark corner.

He licked his lips.

Eager to try.

The hunter had already begun to move.

However, it seemed the prey was not yet prepared.

It did not matter; whether they were prepared or not was meaningless to an experienced hunter.

"Aister, are you sure this is the right direction?"

A young man with yellow hair and a bandage over one eye finally could not help but speak up.

"Are you sure we haven't gone the wrong way?"

The one called Aister let out a cold snort: "If even this map can't confirm it, how would I know!"

Looking left and right, Aister was also feeling uncertain.

After all, the Zoldyck estate was simply too vast.

One could almost say the entire Kukuroo Mountain was their backyard.

Inside the grounds, half was a complex of buildings, and half was forest and trees.

This family of assassins was like a beast hidden deep in the mountains; no one could say when they might pop out and take a bite out of you!

Staring at the map he had purchased for a high price for a few seconds, Aister irritably crumpled the piece of junk into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.

With a serious expression, he looked around at the companions who had entered with him, speaking in a low, earnest voice: "Further ahead, nine times out of ten, is that woman's delivery room. The closer we get, the more careful we must be!"

"Judging by the pursuit and interception from earlier, we are almost there, so we must be even more cautious. You have to know, with just the few of us, we can't fight a bunch of perverts who make killing their daily job!"

If it weren't for that measly money, who would want to come to this dragon's den?

Thinking of his younger sister who needed money for medical treatment, Aister knew he had to get this bounty.

If possible, it would be even better to escape alive.

Scratching his head in frustration, Aister continued: "We only need to light this thing and throw it into that building. Remember, once I succeed, no matter who it is, everyone must leave at top speed!"

At this point, there was no time to worry about the lives of his companions!

Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven.

Whether or not they could escape alive would depend on their own luck.

As for what to do after throwing the high-grade paralysis bomb inside, that was not the responsibility of their squad!

Aister looked at his still-lax team members and could not help but frown, emphasizing once more: "Remember, absolutely remember, the moment you see smoke, don't worry about anything else—run for the exit immediately!"

Hearing the captain emphasize it over and over again, the blond-haired man couldn't help but speak up once more: "Aister, is it really that scary? We've already invaded this place, and we haven't seen anyone capable of stopping us yet!"

Those hired thugs couldn't keep up with their speed at all.

After traveling for an hour, the blond-haired man hadn't seen a single person capable of putting up a fight against them.

Was there really a need to be this cautious?

Aister snapped, "That's only because other teams drew them away! Otherwise, do you think you could have gotten in this far?!"

As he said this, he felt a sense of unease in his own heart.

It didn't make sense; under normal circumstances, a small squad like theirs shouldn't have been able to penetrate this deep.

Yet today...

The group of people intercepting them acted as if they were doing it on purpose.

They had absolutely no intention of stopping or killing them.

Could there be a trap?

He immediately dismissed the thought.

There was no need; the Zoldycks shouldn't be in the mood to play cat and mouse here.

Shaking his head, Aister waved his hand, signaling his team members to continue moving.

They couldn't afford to stop for even a second!

No one knew where those pursuers were.

The only correct path was to complete the mission as quickly as possible and leave this place.

Thinking this, Aister followed the team without delay, walking in the lead echelon.

Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of wind rushing past them as they ran.

Aister hurried through the dark forest.

His sister's gentle, smiling face flashed through his mind from time to time.

"Brother, would you like an apple?"

"Brother, Brother, can you stay with me a little longer?"

"Brother, please be careful."

Pale golden hair, cheeks devoid of color.

A body made thin by the torment of illness, yet capable of radiating a warmth like the sun.

Even though she was in pain and suffering, she could always smile and share the interesting things from her day whenever he looked at her.

Even though it was difficult for her to swallow, she would endure the urge to vomit and finish all the porridge he made just so he wouldn't worry.

Light brown eyes flashed through his memory.

They were filled with a longing for life.

A love for living, and a yearning for freedom.

"Brother, when will I be able to stand up?"

"Once you're better, I'll push you outside for a walk."

"Brother, have the flowers outside bloomed yet? When can I go see them?"

"Not yet. Once you finish this medicine, I'll push you out to see them."

"Brother, I heard there's an ocean on the other side of the mountain. When I'm better, will you take me to see it?"

"I will."

"Brother... I heard... pudding is very... delicious... when I can eat again... will you buy me some?"

"I will."

Scene after scene flashed through Aister's mind like a slideshow.

He didn't know why fate was so unfair, or why a child of only fifteen had to suffer such torment.

But he knew that only a vast amount of money could keep this girl alive; only immense wealth could give her a hope of survival.

As he hurried along, Aister felt a sense of apology in his heart toward that lady and her newborn child.

Yet, his gaze remained firm; he needed this money.

Even if it was ill-gotten wealth, money tainted with the scent of blood.

He had no other choice.

For his sister.

Please, just die!

Suddenly, Aister, who had been full of fighting spirit, realized something was wrong.

As if jolted awake from his thoughts, Aister hurriedly looked back, searching for his companions.

He didn't know when it had happened, but the original team of ten had dwindled to only five.

Surprise and terror washed over him.

He rubbed his eyes, convinced his vision was playing tricks on him.

The surroundings were too dark; it was normal not to see clearly.

He opened his eyes again, determined to be certain.

Only to discover that, including himself, there were now only four left!

His eyes widened, his face etched with shock.

In other words, in these few short seconds, one person had vanished!

The blond-haired man nearby noticed Aister's strange behavior and asked in confusion, "What..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the man suddenly went silent.

Aister watched his companion's mouth open and close, but no sound came out.

"What..." is wrong with you?

The sheer horror of the scene cut Aister's words short.

His mouth hung slightly agape, the terror and fear in his eyes nearly turning into something tangible.

Right there, in the center of the blond man's forehead, a small thumbtack had appeared out of nowhere.

Spiderweb-like cracks radiated from around the tack.

Blood flowed incessantly.

Within seconds, his face was covered in gore.

Yet, Aister could clearly see that the blond man's pupils were still moving, and his mouth was still twitching.

They were standing very close, with barely half a body's width between them.

His pupils trembling, Aister still couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Blood spilled from the blond man's mouth, and a rattling, wheezing sound emerged from his throat.

"Save... save... me, save... me."

Suddenly, as if the blond man had finally realized what was happening, he reached out a trembling hand and grabbed Aister's sleeve with a violent jerk.

He held on tight, refusing to let go.

He kept muttering, "Save... me!"

The voice was so faint that if Aister hadn't been standing so close, he wouldn't have heard it at all.

But at this moment, what could he even do?!

He could only watch helplessly as his companion's voice grew weaker and the light in his eyes gradually faded away.

Riiip.

The sleeve, unable to bear the weight of a grown man, tore apart.

Thud.

The corpse fell, striking the ground and leaving a shallow crater.

Aister stood on the nearby tree branch, his expression frozen.

He was filled with confusion and terror.

What on earth had happened?!

How... how did he die?!

The miserable death of his companion left the small squad leader unable to process the reality, and he remained rooted to the spot.

Now, only he remained in the silent forest.

Of the original ten-man team, only he, the captain, was left.

Yet the only survivor had no idea why his companion had died.

He didn't even know who had killed him, or from which direction the attacker had come!

The pain of losing his companions instantly shrouded Aister's heart.

But he knew that the most important thing now was to flee!

He didn't stay on the branch for even three seconds; Aister turned and bolted in the exact opposite direction without hesitation.

Run, hurry! Run away!

But in the end, it was too late.

"Is there really anything to run from?"

He had barely taken a few steps when Aister heard a voice, childish yet bone-chillingly cold.

The sound pierced straight through his brain.

His heart hammered violently, sending a surge of blood rushing straight to his brain.

This left Aister feeling somewhat dizzy.

His vision blurred.

A sharp pain pierced the space between his brows.

In a daze, it felt as though something had been driven into the back of his neck.

His consciousness grew hazy, and the world before him dimmed.

In his muddled state, Aister could only make out half of the intruder's figure.

It was a small child, dressed in a tight-fitting suit.

I think I'm going to die.

I'm sorry, Jasmine.

Big brother seems to be heading off first.

I'm sorry, I won't be able to take you to see the ocean after all.

Maybe in the next life. We'll go in the next life.

I'm sorry...

Bang.

His body, no longer able to struggle, collapsed into a pool of blood.

Standing to the side, Illumi examined the thumbtack he had grabbed on a whim, feeling pleasantly surprised.

"This thing is actually quite nice. I should carry a few more in the future."

With that, he didn't even spare Aister a glance before turning to leave.

"Wutong, remember to send someone to clean this place up. I'm going to take a bath first."

"Understood, Young Master."

Humming a tune, Illumi walked away in silence.

Mother doesn't like the smell of blood; I must make sure to wash it all off later.

I hope for a little sister.

Though a younger brother wouldn't be bad either.

Once Illumi had departed, the forest returned to its silent, deserted state.

An ink-blue sky shrouded the earth.

Pitch-black crows shrieked from the trees.

It was desolate and empty.

There were only a few corpses lying in pools of blood.

Their faces were frozen in the fear and terror they felt before death.

It was as if they were recounting the suffering and despair they had endured in their final moments.