Eternal Night descended-time to get to work!

"Understood."

The bronze-skinned man looked thoughtful. "Station Master, you mean Chen Fan's mother might have left him something to fall back on?"

"That makes sense. She was a Level 4 Builder, after all. She wasn't short on wealth."

"Exactly."

Wang Kui nodded. They had reached his Station as they spoke, and he instructed the man in a low voice, "That's why I'm building some goodwill. I've worked for the Wang Family for so long that I can spare five eerie stones."

"Even if I lose them, it's no great loss."

"But if the investment pays off, he'll remember this kindness and surely give something in return."

"Even if he doesn't, it doesn't matter."

"When you're out in the world, making more friends and fewer enemies is never a bad thing."

"Oh, right—"

"When I send you over with the supplies later, watch your tone. Don't make it feel like charity and turn a kind gesture into bad blood."

"Don't worry, Station Master. Leave it to me!"

"Young Master."

Jiangbei Chen Family Station No. 37.

Crippled Monkey tucked the knife back inside his clothes. Watching Wang Kui and his companion leave, he said hoarsely, "Those two probably think we'll take their business someday. They might be up to no good. Should we strike first?"

"No need."

Chen Fan shook his head without saying anything more. He simply took the Hemp Rope from Crippled Monkey and tied it to the Beast Trap. Now all they had to do was wait for darkness.

His plan was simple.

Once eternal night descended, the moment he sensed movement in the Beast Trap, he would pull it into the safety zone, kill the strange entity with the knife, then put the trap back into the darkness.

That way, he could reuse the Beast Trap.

An ordinary knife like this could kill low-level strange entities.

Against strange entities of even slightly higher levels, an ordinary knife couldn't do any damage at all.

But any strange entity the Beast Trap could hold would be low-level, so there was no risk of it turning on them.

After testing it out, Chen Fan went back inside to catch up on sleep, leaving Crippled Monkey outside to keep watch. They would take turns sleeping so they could work tonight.

"Young Master, Young Master."

After being woken, Chen Fan stepped outside and saw a burly man with extremely rough, bronze-colored skin standing outside the Camp with a handcart. The man was powerfully built, and he waved at Chen Fan with a broad grin.

He was the subordinate who had followed Wang Kui earlier.

Before Chen Fan could speak, the man spoke first.

"Station Master Chen, before this Station was abandoned, Stationmaster King borrowed some food and water from your Camp. After the Chen Family withdrew from here, he never had a chance to return them."

"Now that the Chen Family has reopened this Station, he sent me rushing over to return them right away."

"Well..."

"I won't stay. There's still work to do back at our Station."

Only after the burly man left did Crippled Monkey approach the handcart warily.

There were two large jars filled to the brim. One held clean drinking water, and the other was packed with food: dozens of flatbreads, rice, assorted vegetables, and... two roast ducks that were still steaming.

Gulp.

Crippled Monkey's throat bobbed involuntarily before he declared with absolute certainty, "Young Master, it's definitely poisoned!"

"It won't be poisoned."

Chen Fan shook his head. "The moment he revealed that he knew who I was, it was clear he knew I didn't have long to live. There's no need for him to poison me and bring trouble on himself."

"Not poisoned?"

Crippled Monkey frowned deeply, unconvinced. "Could he really be returning what he borrowed? Does Wang Kui take his promises that seriously?"

"Of course not."

Chen Fan picked five eerie stones out of the bottom of the jar, weighed them in his hand, and suddenly laughed. "Consider it an investment. He thinks I might survive, so he's betting on my future."

"So he's giving this to us?"

"Yes."

"Then why... why did he say..."

"He was afraid of hurting my pride. That was thoughtful of him."

"But if that's the case, isn't he worried we won't remember that we owe him a favor? After all, he said he was returning what he borrowed."

"..."

Chen Fan patted Crippled Monkey on the head. "Go inside and get some sleep. I'll keep watch now."

"Yes!"

After Crippled Monkey went inside, Chen Fan began taking stock of the camp's assets.

He had to admit that this angel investment had come at just the right time. He wouldn't have to worry about food in the short term, and those five eerie stones would be a great help too.

There were still two eerie stones in the Eerie Fire, enough to keep it burning for two days.

He couldn't touch those two stones. He needed to leave himself at least one day's margin for error, rather than cutting things too close.

With these five eerie stones, he had six in hand altogether.

Six eerie stones...

He looked at the five basic structures included in the Endless Night Lord Panel.

-

"Five types of basic structures currently available to build."

"Level-1 City Wall": Can withstand attacks from low-level strange entities. Costs 10 eerie stones per meter to build.

"Level-1 Farmland": Can greatly shorten crop maturation times. Costs 2 eerie stones per plot to build.

"Level-1 Arrow Tower": Can deal some damage to low-level ghost beings. Costs 10 eerie stones to build.

"Level-1 Wooden Hut": Provides decent protection against cold and wind. Costs 2 eerie stones to build.

"Level-1 Sacrificial Tower": Can obtain special resources. Costs 20 eerie stones to build.

-

A City Wall...

So fucking expensive.

One meter cost ten eerie stones. His Eerie Fire currently covered a Safe Zone ten meters across, which meant he needed a thirty-two-meter City Wall. That would cost 320 eerie stones. There was definitely no way he could afford it for now.

If a strange tide really did strike his Eerie Fire, he would just have to accept it.

It would simply mean he was unlucky.

After thinking it over briefly, he used his only six eerie stones to make three more Level-1 Beast Traps.

With that—

He now had four Beast Traps, at the cost of completely emptying his pockets. He didn't have a single eerie stone left.

Next, all he had to do was wait.

Once eternal night descended, it would be time to get to work!

"Phew..."

Chen Fan patted his round, full belly and let out a long breath as he watched the dense darkness race toward them from the horizon.

He was full.

The roast duck had been delicious, rich and fatty.

Four steel Level-1 Beast Traps, each tied to a Hemp Rope, lay on the barren ground outside the circle of light.

In the next instant!

Dense darkness engulfed everything. The light of the Eerie Fire enclosed the two of them like an eggshell, and those rustling sounds filled their ears once again. Countless strange entities had descended alongside eternal night!

"Crippled Monkey."

Looking slightly tense, Chen Fan said quietly, "I'll pull the ropes. You kill them in one strike. Stay safe!"

"Understood."

Crippled Monkey was nervous too. This was his first attempt at killing a strange entity head-on. It would be a lie to say he wasn't nervous.

Finally.

After half an hour, one of the Hemp Ropes suddenly moved. The movement was slight, but Chen Fan noticed it at once. Taking a deep breath, he gripped the rope with both hands and slowly pulled back the Beast Trap lying in the darkness.

The moment the Beast Trap entered the circle of light, a monkey-like strange entity was dragged in with it, one lower leg caught in the trap.

It was a Monkey-Head Ghost.