Setting Sun Wharf

There was no sunset at Setting Sun Wharf.

The rain at the third watch shattered the river into a sheet of broken silver. When the Black Ship approached through the fog, it made almost no sound. A blue-green lantern hung from its bow. Two people wearing Ghost Masks stood beneath it, with several large crates piled behind them. From the gaps in the crates came faint, stifled breaths.

Tang San crouched behind a wooden beam beneath the Dock. His Blue Silver Grass had already spread along the waterline.

Bai Jin did not stand at the front.

He sat atop a cargo shed, holding an umbrella, like someone who had come to admire the night view. Lu Heng had brought Spirit Hall's Enforcer Squad to seal off the escape route. The Crown Prince's Mansion's people were farther away, guarding only the waterway and street entrance. They would not interfere inside the wharf.

The ones truly entering the fray tonight were Shrek.

Bai Jin had changed the plan at the last minute.

Lu Heng had been uneasy. The Dock operation was tied to the outskirts of Slaughter City, hardly something a group of youngsters around Level 30 should be handling. But Bai Jin had only said, "If you're afraid they'll fall, don't let them learn to walk." With no answer to that, Lu Heng could only hold the Enforcer Squad back and keep his eyes fixed on the battlefield.

Tang San understood what Bai Jin meant, too.

With Bai Jin there, they were unlikely to die. But injuries, failure, and mistakes in judgment would fall squarely on them. Wooden blades on a training ground would not kill anyone. The Ghost Mask Soul Masters at the Dock would. Only a night like this could show them where they still fell short.

"Once the boat docks, we rescue the people first," Tang San said quietly. "Fatty, trap the boat. Boss Dai, hold the front. Zhuqing, cut off the signal. Xiao Wu, come with me into the crate area. Rongrong, watch for gaps in our Soul Power."

Ning Rongrong took a deep breath. "Got it."

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda rested quietly in her palm, so quietly it hardly seemed like the Rongrong she used to be. Before, she had only wanted to send out her boosts—the brighter and faster, the better. But after days of Bai Jin scolding her, she finally understood. Support did not mean flooding the battlefield with light. It meant lighting precisely the places that needed it.

The Black Ship struck the Dock's wooden pilings.

A masked figure aboard the boat raised a hand, and several Soul Masters immediately emerged from a warehouse onshore to meet them. The instant they began unloading the crates, Tang San moved.

Blue Silver Grass burst through the gaps between the planks and wrapped around the first crate. Xiao Wu used it to launch herself forward and kicked its lock clean off. The Rogue Soul Master crammed inside tumbled out, face ashen but still breathing.

"Now!"

Dai Mubai summoned his White Tiger Martial Soul and charged head-on into the Soul Masters receiving the cargo. At the same moment, Ning Rongrong's voice rang out: "First: Strength! Second: Speed!"

Light fell on Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing.

Oscar did not hide at the very back as he usually did. Murmuring his Soul Incantation, he placed Recovery Big Sausages where everyone could grab one easily. He looked a mess, but he did not panic. He knew he was no front-line fighter. As long as he kept the sausages coming, those ahead of him could hold on a little longer.

Ma Hongjun took one and bit into it. "Little Ao, I'll buy you a chicken leg when we get back tonight," he said through a mouthful.

Oscar rolled his eyes. "Just don't set the boat on fire."

Zhu Zhuqing flashed past the side of the boat like a black streak. She was not going after the crew. She headed straight for the bronze bell at the wharf's highest point. It was the Ghost Face Society's alarm signal. If it rang, a second group of boats would flee from the outer waterway.

Two Soul Masters stood guard before the bell.

Zhu Zhuqing's gaze stayed cool. Her Level 29 Soul Power flowed more smoothly through her than it had the night before. She feinted, drawing a blade from the Soul Master on her left, then slipped along its back and used Netherworld Slash to sever the bell rope. The Bronze Bell dropped into her hand without making a sound.

Ma Hongjun moved, too.

His third Soul Ring lit up. Phoenix Wings Soaring unfurled, and he swept over the bow trailing fire. The flames did not burn the boat directly. Instead, they spread along the mooring ropes and across the water in a ring, trapping the Black Ship against the shore. Fatty grinned, rain streaming down his face.

"Trying to run? Did you ask Fatty first?"

"Don't roast the hostages!" Oscar shouted from behind him.

"I know!"

Ma Hongjun lowered the line of fire. His control was far steadier than when he had first gained the Soul Ring. Watching from the roof of the Cargo Shed, Bai Jin refrained from scolding him for once.

The battle across the Dock erupted in full.

The Ghost Face Society had clearly come better prepared this time. Several Soul Ancestors charged out at once, aiming not for Bai Jin but for Shrek's vulnerable support and Food System fighters. Oscar had just handed out a sausage when a short axe came cleaving toward his face.

Ning Rongrong immediately shifted her light.

Her speed boost fell on Xiao Wu, who kicked the axe away from the side. Her strength boost shifted to Dai Mubai, helping him withstand the Soul Ancestor at the front. A Soul Power boost then fell on Zhu Zhuqing, letting her race back from the bell frame and cut off a Ghost Mask Soul Master trying to set a crate ablaze.

Three fronts.

Sweat soon beaded on Ning Rongrong's brow.

For the first time, she felt with perfect clarity that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was no pretty lamp. Every beam of light meant deciding who would fall first, who could hold on, and who needed help right now. A moment too slow, and a teammate was hurt. A moment too fast, and Soul Power was wasted.

Bai Jin's voice came from the shed roof. "Rongrong, don't watch how many people there are. Watch for the breaking points."

Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth.

She stopped trying to watch the entire battlefield and fixed her attention on its three most dangerous fronts: Dai Mubai's head-on fight, Xiao Wu and Tang San among the crates, and Zhu Zhuqing's path back from the bell.

The light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda suddenly steadied.

The next instant, her Soul Power felt as though it had pushed open a door. The bottleneck that had held her back quietly gave way. The pagoda shone brighter, yet its light did not dazzle. It grew substantial, like the soft glow of polished jade.

Level 29.

Even Ning Rongrong froze for a moment.

Ma Hongjun spotted it from the air and immediately yelled, "Rongrong broke through!"

"Shut up!" Ning Rongrong flushed. "Watch your boat!"

Bai Jin laughed aloud.

While the Ghost Face Society's formation faltered, Tang San sent his Blue Silver Grass into the depths of the cabin and pulled out a black case. There was no one inside, only a stack of oil-soaked ship's ledgers and several silver needles used to seal blood. The needles bore the faintest blue sheen. Tang San's heart sank at the sight.

Those were meant for me.

Or rather, for my blood.

He was about to speak when a bitterly cold wind suddenly swept across the river.

The blue-green lantern went out.

A heavy aura of Slaughter poured from deep within the Black Ship's cabin. The Ghost Mask Soul Masters who had been fighting desperately all retreated at once, as though making way for something.

A tall masked man slowly emerged.

Six Soul Rings lit up around him in succession: two yellow, two purple, and two black. Rain had soaked his black cloak, plastering it to his shoulders. No expression was visible beneath his pallid ghost mask. Only his eyes showed, cold as water at the bottom of a well.

A Soul Emperor.

Dai Mubai's face grew grave as he stepped to the front. Tang San tucked the ship's ledgers into his clothes, and Blue Silver Grass spread out once more. Xiao Wu took her place at Tang San's side. Ning Rongrong had just broken through and had already spent most of her Soul Power, but she gritted her teeth and kept the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda raised.

The Ghost Mask Soul Emperor lifted a hand.

"Leave the Token and the boy with Blue Silver Grass."

His voice was quiet, yet it made the Dock's wooden planks tremble.

Bai Jin closed his umbrella and rose from the Cargo Shed roof.

"Well, now."

He smiled down at them.

"Finally, someone who can understand plain speech."