Chapter Twenty: The Phantom

“Awooo—”
A long, piercing wail echoed faintly from the distance, like the cries of ghosts and wolves, sending chills straight to the scalp.
“What was that sound?” Tang Ruyan asked, her nerves unsettled.
“I don’t know.” Guan Qian replied anxiously. That shrill howl was clearly not from anything friendly.
“Maybe tonight we’ll soon encounter life forms here,” Tang Ruyan said, a deep unease welling up inside her.
“It seems we’re about to meet them!” Guan Qian suddenly pulled Tang Ruyan around, his white eyes shining intensely as he stared behind them.
“What—what in the world is that?” Tang Ruyan was speechless, her eyes wide.
Guan Qian gripped her tightly, his heart already pounding with terror.
Before them floated a pale gray, translucent creature, its bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at them. From its mouth dripped a pale green, unknown liquid, nauseating in its appearance.
It hovered lightly in midair, its sharp claws flickering with a sinister light, clearly a bloodthirsty and savage being.
“Ghost!” Tang Ruyan cried out. This was a creature spoken of in legends on Earth, believed to exist only in superstition. Yet now, she saw one—real and mere steps away.
“I can’t see it clearly. It seems its mind is consumed only by slaughter and bloodlust,” Guan Qian said, deeply alarmed. Encountering such a creature was, for them, terrible news.
“Careful—”
Guan Qian shouted, pushing Tang Ruyan aside as the ghost lunged at where they’d just stood.
“That thing is fast.” Guan Qian frowned, realizing they’d found themselves in serious trouble.
“Stay aside, don’t move. I’ll try it out,” he decided to test the ghost’s strength, hoping to prepare for future encounters.
“Alright, be careful.” Tang Ruyan nodded, quietly stepping aside.
“Awooo—”
Missing its mark, the ghost became enraged. It opened its gaping maw and howled, its ferocious and terrifying aura instantly spreading.
Guan Qian sneered, his white eyes round. He grabbed a stone from afar and hurled it at the ghost. In its fury, the ghost extended a razor-sharp claw, splitting the stone in two with a crack, its terrifying strength making Guan Qian curse inwardly.
“Hmph! Let’s see how many you can split!” Guan Qian snorted, lifting all the stones around him telekinetically.
The ghost howled incessantly, and suddenly darted toward Guan Qian again. But Guan Qian was quicker; the stones rained down upon the raging ghost like bullets, forcing it to defend itself from all sides.
There were simply too many stones; the ghost’s claws couldn’t fend them all off, and for a moment, it was battered helplessly, howling in distress.
“So its incorporeal body doesn’t block physical attacks. Otherwise, we’d be in real trouble.” Guan Qian exhaled softly. This seemingly formidable spectral life-form was not as invincible as it appeared.

The ghost, battered and desperate, glared at Guan Qian with venomous, bloodthirsty light in its eyes. It frantically shattered and split the stones hurled at it, screaming at Guan Qian with a terrifying sound that raised goosebumps.
“Hmph, let’s see how long you can hold out.” Guan Qian intensified his assault, even throwing nearby debris. He deeply abhorred this disgusting, ferocious ghost.
Several kilometers away.
Mo Han carried a burning stick, moving cautiously forward with Jiang Qiang and Fang He.
“Ah—ah—ah!” Jiang Qiang shrieked, covering her face and hiding behind Mo Han, her legs stamping nervously.
“Jiang Qiang, would you please stop screaming? My ears are growing calluses,” Fang He complained, frustrated. Since Guan Qian had inexplicably brought them to this nightmare, the three wandered aimlessly searching for a way out, repeatedly finding heaps of white bones along the way. Fear mingled among them, with Jiang Qiang screaming in fright at every turn.
“Mo Han, the more I look, the more sinister this place seems.” Fang He adjusted his glasses, his shifty eyes scanning the surroundings.
“It’s definitely odd—not like a film set. We’ve walked at least a thousand meters, but the scenery ahead looks just the same as here.” Mo Han raised the burning stick, probing further ahead.
“Damn Guan Qian, what kind of place did he bring us to? I don’t want to stay another minute!” Fang He began grumbling loudly.
“Guan Qian, you’re dead to me! Ah—” Jiang Qiang cursed hoarsely, stomping on a skull and immediately shrieking in terror.
“Uh, Jiang Qiang, could you please stop? In the dead of night, you’ll scare me to death.” Fang He nervously eyed the dim light within five meters, trembling.
“Enough, quiet down. This place is too bizarre; let’s hurry and get out.” Mo Han said, frowning as he gripped the burning stick.
This journey had been a visual assault, leaving them bewildered and terrified, cursing Guan Qian—their misfortune’s architect—without mercy.
“Shh—what’s that sound?” Fang He’s sharp ears caught something as he hunched, grabbing Mo Han’s arm.
“It sounds like—like a wolf’s howl!” Jiang Qiang’s palms began to sweat as she listened intently.
“The sound is far off, coming from that direction. We’d better go the other way,” Mo Han decided, carefully changing their route.
“Agreed!” Fang He nodded vigorously, clearly in favor.
“Let’s hurry up; I don’t want to stay in this cursed place another second,” Jiang Qiang said, agitated and out of patience.
But as they turned to change direction, their hearts nearly stopped.
Ahead floated a gray creature in midair, its blood-red eyes fixed on them, pale green liquid dripping from its mouth, exuding a nauseating stench.
It howled, and the three were utterly stunned.
A tense, fearful aura crashed over them!
“Ah—” Jiang Qiang screamed, hiding behind Mo Han, burying her head in his back.
“What—what is that?” Fang He stammered, tongue-tied and collapsing onto the ground, his wide mouth open enough to swallow an egg.

Mo Han trembled, holding the burning stick, his face drained of color. He swallowed, took a deep breath, and shuffled backward.
By the light of the flames, Mo Han saw the monster’s grotesque face clearly, and realized with horror that they were now prey.
It was a dreadful feeling; they had to escape this terrifying creature at once, or their deaths would come without warning.
“Listen—listen carefully. When I count to three, turn and run. Do not look back!” Mo Han gripped the burning stick tightly, lowering his voice to the two beside him.
“I—I’m scared,” Jiang Qiang whimpered, trembling behind Mo Han, her courage completely shattered.
“Fang He, grab Jiang Qiang and run as far as you can,” Mo Han ordered, knowing there was no time to waste.
“Alright—” Fang He stood frozen for a moment before finally uttering a word. Though still terrified, he could at least drag Jiang Qiang to safety.
“Ready! When I give the signal, you go,” Mo Han said, waving the burning stick slightly to distract the ghost’s attention.
“One! Two! Three—go!” As soon as Mo Han finished, Fang He leapt up like a rabbit, pulling Jiang Qiang along as they turned and ran.
The ghost, seeing this, prepared to pounce, but Mo Han shouted, swinging the burning stick at it. The ghost halted, but its blood-red eyes stayed locked on Mo Han, hungry for blood.
“Damn it!” Mo Han cursed. Fang He might not excel at much, but his escape skills were unmatched. Now, as Mo Han covered their retreat, the ghost fixed its gaze on him, putting his life in grave danger.
“What should I do?” Cold sweat formed on Mo Han’s forehead.
Just as he was about to hurl the burning stick at the ghost and make his own escape, he heard Fang He’s voice.
“Damn it, why did you come back?” Mo Han was frantic. After finally creating a chance for the others to escape, he hadn’t expected them to return.
“Hell, those things are everywhere behind us!” Fang He shouted.
When he and Jiang Qiang had run, they found themselves surrounded by countless blood-red eyes staring at them, and Fang He’s heart sank.
Trapped between wolves ahead and tigers behind—and so many of them—how could anyone survive this? Fang He’s face turned pale.
“Ah—”
Jiang Qiang’s scream was followed by the appearance of a dozen pairs of blood-red eyes behind them!
(Moon Palace begs for your recommendations and bookmarks!)