Chapter 22: When Soldiers Co, Send Generals; When Floods Rise, Build Dikes
????If this group could be nurtured well, the camp’s foundation would finally begin to solidify.
??This late-night gathering wasn’t rely about letting everyone familiarize themselves with one another.
??There was another, far more crucial reason.
??It was to discern their temperants and abilities.
??So far, so good—each person had their own strengths.
??As for him…
??His strength was knowing how to discover the strengths of others.
??…
??Just as the conversation was reaching its stride, it was abruptly cut short. The cabin fell into a tense, unnatural silence.
??A chill of unease swept through the room, sinking into everyone’s hearts.
??Chen Fan rose and strode to the doorway, pushing it open to peer into the darkness beyond, which surged in like a black tide. He murmured, “It’s here.”
??Without hesitation, he stripped off his dry clothes and changed into the damp hemp robe hanging by the door—still clammy, not yet aired out. He grabbed a spear from the weapon rack and stepped out into the downpour.
??Even after hauling all the supplies from the other waystations, there still wasn’t much clothing to go around.
??This routine—changing before heading out—ensured there was always at least one set of dry clothes inside. Otherwise, if everyone wore their sodden garnts day and night, they’d be covered in heat rash before long.
??Crippled Monkey was the first to react.
??He quickly changed, seized the Godslayer Spear, and hobbled after Chen Fan into the rainy night, sticking close by his side. There were too many people in camp now. Outwardly, everyone seed loyal to the Young Master—but who could truly know what lay in their hearts?
??He had to remain by the Young Master’s side at all tis, in case soone tried anything under the cover of darkness.
??The others scrambled to change as well, then hurried out into the night.
??…
??On the Wall.
??Chen Fan and the others, weapons in hand, stood behind the battlents, facing the storm and watching the world beyond the camp.
??Eternal Night had fallen. Darkness had swallowed the camp whole.
??Above and all around, nothing but fathomless black.
??Only the ghostly green fire flickered, its glow forming a fragile eggshell that cupped the camp in its embrace.
??The weapons they held had all co from the other station masters who’d pledged their loyalty. Just common arms—enough to wound low-level Ghostbeasts, but nearly useless against the stronger ones.
??Only Crippled Monkey’s Unique Treasure—the Godslayer Spear—could truly stand against the more formidable monsters.
??“Ssshhh…”
??A rustling sound drifted in from the darkness beyond the camp, like a tide of insects sweeping past. They couldn’t see through the gloom, but the sound was unmistakable.
??Just by listening, you could tell there were enough out there to chill the blood.
??Zhou Mo unconsciously held his breath, gripping his blade until his knuckles turned white, afraid that even the faintest noise might draw the Ghostbeasts lurking in the blackness into camp.
??Scratch, scratch…
??A shrill, piercing sound suddenly tore through the night, like nails scraping endlessly across rusted iron—sharp enough to set your teeth on edge.
??“…”
??Chen Fan frowned, tightening his grip on the spear. Tonight was different. The past few nights had been quiet by comparison; before, he’d been confident. Now, he wasn’t sure he could hold out.
??The next mont—
??Wild laughter erupted from the darkness.
??The voice was unbearably shrill and sharp.
??There wasn’t a hint of joy in that laughter—only a mad, vengeful glee, the kind that yearned to watch the world burn. Mixed with the hiss of rain, it sent chills crawling up everyone’s spine. Wang Kui’s legs were already trembling, his face twisted in terror.
??They hadn’t even glimpsed a single Ghostbeast, but the pressure on their minds was suffocating.
??Then—
??That manic, thunderous laughter abruptly dropped, morphing into low, broken sobbing that seed to cling to their ears—quiet, but bone-deep and soul-chilling.
??The laughter grew shriller, overlapping, as though countless banshees were giggling together, crashing over the camp like a tidal wave.
??Just as everyone’s nerves were about to snap—
??The laughter stopped dead.
??And then, from the darkness, dozens of Ghostbeasts charged into the camp, claws bared, racing for the Wall. These were… humanoid monsters, towering over three ters tall, thin as bamboo poles.
??Their arms hung nearly to their ankles.
??Fingers long and razor-sharp, flashing a ghastly white.
??A kind of Ghostbeast none of them had ever seen before.
??At that very instant—
??The two nearest Level 2 Arrow Towers swiveled their ballistae, locking onto the charging monsters. With a violent shudder, the ballistae unleashed their bolts.
??A quarrel as thick as a newborn’s forearm streaked through the storm, a black line tearing through the rain with a piercing shriek.
??Thwip!
??The bolt punched clean through the chest of the leading Ghostbeast, pinning it to the ground. The bamboo-thin monster twitched a few tis, then lay still.
??More bolts fired in rapid succession.
??In monts, every last one of the twenty-so monsters lay dead. Only one managed to reach the base of the Wall, but even when it swung its claws with all its might, it couldn’t leave so much as a scratch on the stone.
??“Whew…”
??Seeing this, Chen Fan finally let out the breath he’d been holding. The tension in his chest eased a little. He drew his hand from his robe and looked down at the heap of Ghostbeast corpses inside the camp, grinning. Beside one of the bodies, he spotted sothing glowing white.
??A Unique Treasure.
??Finally—another Unique Treasure had dropped.
??After building all the traps and cabins during the day, there were still three Ghoststones left.
??When Wang Kui raided those two abandoned waystations for supplies, he’d also brought back 127 Ghoststones. Those had been the entire life savings of their previous owners, but once their stations fell, the stones beca ownerless loot.
??All of it—now his.
??That made 130 Ghoststones in total.
??He hadn’t used them right away; they were ergency reserves.
??If the Ghostbeasts ca in overwhelming numbers and the two Arrow Towers couldn’t keep up, he’d just build more. If sothing truly powerful appeared and the Level 2 Arrow Towers struggled, he’d use the Ghoststones to upgrade them to Level 3.
??Always keep a way forward. Always keep a way out.
??When soldiers co, send generals; when floods rise, build dikes.
??That was the only way to stay in control.
??The farmland was off to the left. These Ghostbeasts hadn’t even glanced that way, so the five Groundspike traps in front of the fields hadn’t been triggered. Tonight’s top priority was keeping the camp safe; protecting the farmland ca next.
??With the monsters all slain at the foot of the Wall, everyone’s nerves finally relaxed. Excitent began to bubble up. The camp… the camp suddenly felt… safe!
??“Station Master!”
??Wang Kui called out, leaning over the battlent, face flushed with excitent as he gazed at the pile of Ghostbeast corpses below. “At this rate, even if their numbers double, we can still hold them off!”
??He’d almost called him Young Master, but Chen Fan had told them to use Station Master from now on. Young Master no longer fit.
??So he’d changed how he addressed him.
??“…”
??Chen Fan narrowed his eyes, peering into the depths of the darkness. The Wall and Arrow Towers had perford admirably tonight, but he didn’t lower his guard. He knew all too well—this was only the appetizer.
??If nothing else—
??That bizarre laughter definitely hadn’t co from those bamboo-thin monsters. Which ant there was sothing else out there in the dark. Sothing stronger. Watching the camp, waiting for its mont to strike.
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