Chapter 55: “We’re Dead, We’re So Dead.”
Time was running out.
The fiend stood just outside the Camp’s safe zone—far enough that the Arrow Towers couldn’t reach it. For the first time since arriving in this world, Chen Fan faced a Ghostbeast capable of attacking the Wall without ever crossing into the Camp’s protected range.
What was even stranger: whether out of some twisted instinct or because its reach was limited, the creature didn’t target the Wall directly beneath him.
Instead, its eerie gaze fixated on the four walls enclosing the Breeding Grounds.
Boom.
Another flash of green light—and the walls of the Breeding Grounds crumbled, one after another.
His Breeding Grounds—gone. Just like that.
And then—
The creature’s gaze shifted, locking onto him. It lifted that spectral Green Lantern again. Without pause, a blade of ghostly emerald light shot from the lantern—no sign of any cooldown—slamming straight into the Wall beneath his feet.
The ground shuddered.
A massive crater blasted open in the Wall.
In the blink of an eye, the Wall’s auto-repair system activated, restoring it as if nothing had ever happened.
The repair was fast—impressively so.
But...
His Ghoststones weren’t infinite. Repairing that single crater had just consumed three Ghoststones.
He had a little over 800 left—how many more hits could he take at this rate?
Stay calm.
Chen Fan sucked in a ragged breath, forcing his nerves to steady. He stared at the Mourning Ghost standing just beyond the Camp, its Green Lantern already rising for another attack.
No hesitation.
He pulled out ten Level 2 Ghoststones and crushed them in his palm.
—
> Ghostfire has reached Level 4.
> Safe zone expanded to a diameter of 100 meters.
> Status Effect: Intimidation against Ghostbeasts has been enhanced.
> Please select an Upgrade Path:
> 1: Expand safe zone to a diameter of 200 meters.
> 2: Further enhance Status Effect: Intimidation against Ghostbeasts.
> 3: Slightly reduce crop growth time within the Camp.
—
He glanced over the Upgrade Paths. Without hesitation, he chose the first option.
The Ghostfire’s protection now stretched across a 200-meter diameter.
And then—
The Level 4 Arrow Bastion, which he’d prepared in advance, thundered to life. A blazing bolt tore through the rain, slicing above the heads of the Mourning Ghosts, and struck the one wielding the Green Lantern.
Time seemed to slow as Chen Fan watched.
He held his breath, not daring to blink, until the Mourning Ghost was blasted backward and crashed to the ground.
A grin finally broke across his face.
“Perfect.”
If the enemy stayed outside the Camp’s range, all he had to do was expand the range.
He’d even paused the Arrow Bastion before upgrading the Ghostfire, ensuring it would fire the instant the safe zone expanded—no chance of it getting stuck on cooldown. Judging by the results, it had worked flawlessly.
The Ghostbeast hadn’t realized the safe zone could suddenly grow.
“Is it dead?”
Crippled Monkey and the others tensed, eyes locked on the fallen Mourning Ghost. The moment that thing had appeared, everyone in the Camp understood—they might not survive to see another dawn this Rainy Season.
Even Zhou Mo and Big Fish had jolted awake, rushing up to the Wall to help.
But—
Chen Fan’s smile froze.
The Mourning Ghost with the Green Lantern began to split—dividing into two new Mourning Ghost Leaders.
That, he could handle.
But—
Both of the new Leaders were holding Green Lanterns.
That wasn’t supposed to happen. Normally, only the original body kept the lantern after splitting.
“You’ve got to be kidding me...”
A chill ran through Chen Fan as he muttered, clinging to one last desperate hope.
But when both Leaders raised their Green Lanterns and twin beams of emerald fire lanced out—hammering the Wall beneath his feet in perfect unison—he knew that hope was gone.
Boom...
The Wall beneath him shattered with a thunderous crash.
This time, the Wall’s auto-repair system couldn’t keep up. The Wall was utterly destroyed—a Level 2 Arrow Tower collapsing with it, reduced to rubble.
A three-meter-wide breach yawned open.
Dozens of Mourning Ghosts poured through.
For the first time since the Camp’s founding, the Wall had been breached.
“Young Master!”
Crippled Monkey’s desperate shout echoed from the ruins above.
The instant the green light struck, everyone on the Wall had bolted for cover, pure instinct taking over.
...
Chen Fan wiped rain from his face, glancing across the gap where Crippled Monkey and the others were regrouping. No time to check for casualties—he could only shout, voice raw and urgent: “Hold the stairs!”
The Mourning Ghosts couldn’t climb.
Even with the Wall breached, as long as they held the stone stairs leading up from inside, they could hold out a little longer.
“Let’s see how many times you bastards can split!”
The Arrow Bastion fired again.
Both Leaders fell—only to split once more, becoming four. Each new Leader held a Green Lantern. Four beams merged into a single pillar of destructive light, smashing into the Wall where Crippled Monkey and the others stood.
The Wall collapsed again.
And the onslaught didn’t stop—ghostly figures slammed into the Wooden House.
Boom...
The Wooden House fell.
“Fuck!”
Chen Fan couldn’t hold back the curse. It wasn’t just that the Camp was on the brink—every building here was something he’d painstakingly built with his own hands, and now they were being torn apart like paper. The pain was sharp and raw, as if he were bleeding inside.
But there was no time for grief.
A Mourning Ghost was already raising its lantern, preparing to strike at the Ghostfire itself.
The buildings could fall.
The Ghostfire could not.
If the Ghostfire shattered, all his structures would fail. That would be the end—no second chances.
“Aim for the limbs!” Chen Fan bellowed, issuing a command to the Arrow Towers. They could follow simple orders, and even with chaos all around, he forced himself to think—if he could just stop the splitting, maybe he could buy some time!
He looked out beyond the Wall.
All four Mourning Ghost Leaders had their arms pinned to the ground by precision bolts—nailed in place, unable to move.
Good thing they didn’t move around much; otherwise, there’d be no way to hit them like that.
But then—
He saw the lesser Mourning Ghosts step forward, smashing their own Leaders with their lanterns. Each time, the Leader split again.
Eight beams of emerald fire blasted toward the Wall beneath his feet.
Eight.
This wasn’t normal splitting—this was exponential. These bastards were multiplying like a plague.
...
“We’re dead, we’re so dead.”
Chen Fan’s lips had gone pale. He scrambled along the Wall in the rain, terror and helplessness flashing in his eyes. He crushed Ghoststones in his hands, frantically raising new walls, encircling the Ghostfire and patching every breach as fast as he could.
With each shimmering barrier that solidified, the gap in the Wall closed.
This thing’s strength—hell, it could probably bring down Jiangbei City itself.
He was certain of it.
Even Jiangbei City would struggle to withstand an attack like this.
“Big brother...”
“Big brother...”
And then, through the pounding rain, he heard it—a girl’s voice, trembling with tears, echoing in his ears and from somewhere far away, as if carried on the storm.