Chapter 26: Zhou Mo Is No Longer Just a Nobody
????“...”
??Chen Fan’s gaze swept across the handful of Flesh Maggot Ghosts that had managed to slip through the Wall, darting along the camp’s western edge. The mont these grotesque things plunged into the gray mist, the agony that had twisted their human-like faces lted away, replaced by the sa blissful, monstrous grin they’d worn at the very start.
??But it wasn’t over.
??More and more Flesh Maggot Ghosts kept pouring into the camp—a relentless, unending tide. Within the churning gray mist, they writhed and tumbled, a mass of wriggling bodies. And from the depths of the Eternal Night beyond, even more surged forward—so many that Chen Fan couldn’t begin to estimate their number.
??He stood beside the rune-etched Level 3 Arrow Tower, balanced atop its ballista platform. Without hesitation, he loaded a fresh Ghoststone into the slot, waited for a swarm of Flesh Maggot Ghosts to stagger into the Arrow Rain Storm’s range, and triggered the skill yet again.
??“Arrow Rain Storm!”
??The runes on the ballista flared to life, swirling free in the air around the Arrow Tower.
??A barrage of spectral arrows tore into the sky, then crashed down like a torrential monsoon, obliterating every Flesh Maggot Ghost within the target zone—washing them away in a relentless, spectral storm.
??Eighteen Ghoststones left.
??He glanced down at his pouch—enough for eighteen more Arrow Rain Storms.
??Each activation devoured an entire Ghoststone. The one inside the Arrow Tower was already half-spent, no longer enough to power the skill, so he’d swapped it out, leaving the depleted stone atop the Wall’s parapet for later.
??One shot.
??Two shots.
??Three.
??This battered, makeshift camp—lashed by wind and rain—was showing a resilience no one could have imagined. Again and again, the Arrow Rain Storm swept down, like wolves tearing through a flock of sheep, slaughtering every Ghostbeast that tried to breach the defenses.
??The scene was staggering.
??Yet not a single smile could be found among the survivors. Every face was grim—they all understood: the Ghoststones were running out.
??Only six left now.
??Six Arrow Rain Storms remaining.
??And still, the Flesh Maggot Ghosts kept coming—surging from the Eternal Night into the gray mist, from the mist into the camp, wave after wave.
??Thirty-seven years ago, the Rainy Season ca early. The Ghost Tide swept the land.
??Every camp on the Wasteland was wiped out.
??Jiangbei City fell. Almost everyone inside perished—barely one in a thousand survived.
??Everyone here knew that history, and most rembered it vividly. If you had a family elder who’d survived that year, you’d heard the stories—the horror and despair of that Rainy Season.
??But hearing about it was one thing.
??Seeing it for yourself was another.
??Now, in this mont, everyone present finally understood what a Ghost Tide truly was: an endless, living flood, surging forward without fear or pause, crashing on and on until all before it was swept away.
??And just as clearly, they understood: even with a Builder on their side, surviving the Rainy Season—especially one that had co early—was almost a fantasy.
??This was a death sentence.
??No escape.
??No hope.
??A muffled thud echoed—a Flesh Maggot Ghost, one of the few that had slipped through, slamd into the Wall. The grotesque atball burst, splattering a flood of viscous green fluid that imdiately began to eat through the stone.
??How many had gotten through now?
??Was that the fifth? The sixth?
??Even with the Arrow Rain Storm, so always managed to slip past, smashing themselves against the Wall.
??They’d held out as long as they could.
??But hope never ca. Only despair.
??At first, the number of Flesh Maggot Ghosts hadn’t been overwhelming. But soon, the tide thickened—too many to count. They could only kill those that charged the Wall. On the western side, even more rolled through the camp and vanished into the darkness.
??That was the sa side where the female Ghostbeast had broken through earlier.
??They were right on the edge of the Ghost Tide’s path.
??If you looked closely, you’d see it: the entire western fog was crawling with Flesh Maggot Ghosts, a living swarm sweeping across the camp like a plague of locusts. Only a few strayed across the east.
??But these monsters weren’t truly after the camp.
??Most of them stread in from the mist outside, crossed the camp, and pressed deeper into the heart of the Eternal Night. The camp was just collateral damage—they barely seed to notice the survivors at all. Still, that was more than enough to trap Chen Fan and the others in a hopeless siege.
??“Could we dig a tunnel and hide?”
??Chen Fan shoved another Ghoststone into the Arrow Tower, his words coming faster now. “Abandon the camp. These Flesh Maggot Ghosts don’t seem interested in us, and with them passing through, the other Ghostbeasts won’t co near. We could hide underground, wait for them to move on, then rebuild the Ghostfire after they’re gone.”
??“No.”
??Wang Kui shot down the idea at once. “A Builder can’t create Ghostfire during the Eternal Night.”
??He had no idea why Chen Fan—the Station Master—didn’t know this, but now wasn’t the ti to dwell on it.
??“I’ll go!” Xiao Qiu stepped forward again, tilting his head up to watch the latest Arrow Rain Storm arc across the sky. His hands were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white, and his words tumbled out in a rush: “We’ve killed a lot of Flesh Maggot Ghosts. There must be a ton of Ghoststones down there.”
??“I’ll run out, grab as many Ghoststones as I can, and throw them back over the Wall.”
??He hesitated, then blurted out, “I never told you during our night talks, but my wish is to see my ho again. Wang, you know where my family lives. If you get the chance, take my ashes back and bury them under the old locust tree at the edge of our village.”
??Xiao Qiu stepped forward once more.
??But this ti, it was different.
??The wave of Flesh Maggot Ghosts was a true tide now. When the Arrow Rain Storm fell, there was only a brief window—just a heartbeat—before more monsters surged in from behind. That single instant was barely enough ti for Xiao Qiu to scoop up a handful of Ghoststones, stuff them in a burlap sack, and hurl them over the Wall.
??The Ghoststones might make it in.
??But he never would.
??Last ti had been dangerous. This ti was suicide.
??As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Mo—who had stood silent on the side—suddenly patted Xiao Qiu’s shoulder, then pressed his battered broadsword into Xiao Qiu’s arms. His face was calm. “You’re still young. Take this blade. It’s been with
a long ti.”
??Then, before anyone could react, Zhou Mo vaulted over the parapet, landing solidly in the mud outside the Wall.
??Just then, the Arrow Rain Storm fell again.
??A narrow gap opened before the Wall. Zhou Mo didn’t hesitate. He charged through the pool of caustic green sli, barely flinching as it burned his flesh, snatched up Ghoststones and stuffed them into his sack. He looked up—waves of Flesh Maggot Ghosts were already bearing down on him.
??A flicker of fear flashed in his eyes, impossible to hide.
??He drew a deep breath, summoned every ounce of strength, and with a roar, hurled the sack of Ghoststones back over the Wall.
??Then, as if every muscle in his body gave out at once, he stood there in the pouring rain, head thrown back, arms wide, eyes closed—waiting for the end. And for the first ti in years, he found himself laughing.
??“Not bad. Got my wish before I died.”
??“Finally got to be a hero.”
??“Feels damn good.”
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