Chapter 66: "Today Marks the Last Day of the Frontier"
“Feels like we’ve survived six nights already, right?”
Wang Mazi scratched his head. “Not quite seven, I think.”
“This is the eighth night,” Zhou Mo said, shifting the wooden plank beneath him before taking a hearty bite of his stale biscuit. He let out a sigh. “My old companion, Er Gou, stuck with for so long—only to die right before the fifth night, torn apart by an Impostor Ghost.”
“Sixth night, we ran into Mourning Ghosts.”
“Seventh night, we moved here—spent it in the Natural Ghostfire Zone.”
“And now, on the eighth night, we’re sleeping in the new cave the Station Master carved out.”
“If we make it through tonight, that’ll be nine nights survived.”
“The Rainy Season usually lasts about thirty days. We’ve already made it through a third. Looking back at the whole history of Jiangbei City, no one’s ever survived this long—no one before us, and maybe no one after.”
“Jiangbei City actually has a history?” Wang Kui raised an eyebrow.
“Tch.”
Zhou Mo couldn’t help but chuckle. “Even after a few city-destroying catastrophes, bits of history still survived. That’s just how people are—even knowing they probably won’t live long, soone always wants to leave a record, to let those who co after know what we faced.”
“Like you and your diary?”
“Exactly.”
Still gnawing on his biscuit, Zhou Mo pulled out his diary and started scribbling. “Everyone needs a hobby, otherwise, what’s the point of living? Besides, if nobody like kept records, who’d know how to make Ghostfire?”
“Even then, the recipes that get out are always complicated.”
Wang Kui glanced at Chen Fan, who was busy building a temporary Wooden House inside the cave, and muttered, “The list of materials people say you need for Ghostfire is endless. But when the Station Master makes it, he barely uses any of that stuff.”
“Having any at all is already a blessing.”
Zhou Mo closed his diary and tucked it back into his coat. “For a city built right on a Natural Ghostfire Zone, those materials are easy to find. The extra requirents are just a way to keep people out—those guys want to profit from Ghoststones. The real, streamlined recipe? They’d never let that leak.”
Just then—
Chen Fan climbed up onto the Wall.
He glanced at the group. “Still chatting, huh?”
“Station Master.”
Zhou Mo and the others scrambled to their feet.
“Alright, get so sleep. I’ll keep watch tonight.”
“No heating for now, so it’ll be cold. Layer up when you sleep—just bear with it for a few days. Once the cave is fully expanded, we’ll start putting up Basic buildings.”
“Understood!”
…
The cave soon fell silent. Zhou Mo and the rest had already bunked down inside the makeshift shelters, leaving only Chen Fan alone atop the Wall, staring out at the rainy night beyond the cave.
Tonight marked the ninth night of the Rainy Season.
He was more acutely aware of that number than anyone.
Maybe the others had been born into this world as it was—death always looming, years of hardship dulling their fear. But not him. He still wasn’t ready to die.
He desperately wanted to survive the Rainy Season.
If things truly fell apart, well—so be it.
Today, the cave had been dug twenty-seven ters deep. One more day’s work and it would be enough for now. They could expand further later.
As for the “Vehicle Factory”—he had no plans to put it in this cave. He intended to carve out another cave on the left cliff and house the massive structure there.
Ti slipped away, lost in drifting thoughts.
Or perhaps, in a place like this, letting your mind wander was inevitable.
Thunk.
A sudden, heavy crash snapped him out of his reverie—then another, and another—the sound of bodies hitting the ravine floor, echoing one after another.
Chen Fan jolted to attention, eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the Wall.
Judging by the last two tis…
That crocodile would be showing up any mont now.
Sure enough.
A stick of incense later, he heard the telltale rustling. The crocodile was back, creeping into the canyon through the rain.
He was starting to suspect the Ghostbeasts falling into the abyss were being driven there by the crocodile. Most Ghostbeasts had no real intelligence, but they weren’t suicidal—unless sothing was forcing them. Yet, with how powerful that crocodile was, why go through all this trouble instead of just hunting them directly?
The next mont—
The Copper Pipe lit up, activating the Watchtower.
The entire canyon was awash in light—Gray Mist flooding away the darkness.
He spotted the crocodile below, gingerly clutching a Ghostbeast corpse in its jaws. This ti, though, it didn’t make a run for it. Maybe it was just too damn hungry.
It dropped the corpse.
Turned to look at Chen Fan—its lantern-sized eyes filled with fear and anger, barely containing its terror as it bared its bloody maw and let out a thunderous roar into the rainy night.
“ROAR!!”
The sound nearly drowned out the rain itself.
It was impressive, at first glance.
But…
Its trembling legs and tail thrashing anxiously against the ground made it clear—the creature was all bluster and no backbone. Chen Fan had the feeling that if he so much as twitched, the beast would bolt in an instant.
He said nothing, simply setting the Green Lantern at his side and watching in silence.
They stared each other down for several heartbeats.
The crocodile seed to pick up on Chen Fan’s lack of hostility. Tentatively, it gulped down a Ghostbeast corpse. When Chen Fan still didn’t react, it tore through the rest—over thirty Ghostbeast corpses devoured in a frenzy.
It glanced up at Chen Fan one last ti.
Then, without another look, it slipped away into the canyon passage—not as frantically as before, and with less noise. Its tail, though, kept swaying and smacking the ground as it went.
Was it… happy? Chen Fan could almost sense the joy in that wagging tail.
Like it was celebrating finally getting a full al tonight.
Long after the crocodile disappeared, Chen Fan murmured, dazed, “Did it swallow a spatial pouch or sothing?”
The thing was big, sure, but no bigger than a few normal crocodiles put together. There was no way it could fit thirty-odd Ghostbeast corpses in its gut…
After three nights of encounters, Chen Fan had a general sense of this crocodile.
Probably not a Ghostbeast. Strong as hell, but a total coward. And now, apparently, it had a bottomless stomach.
And…
Not much brains to speak of.
If it really was trying to drive Ghostbeasts over the edge, why go to all the trouble of making them fall into the deepest part of the canyon? Either side of the ravine would have killed them just as well.
…
The rest of the night passed in silence.
No surprises.
When darkness finally lifted, they had survived the ninth night of the Rainy Season. Twenty days remained.
“Get to work!”
The sound of the Gun Tower blasting apart a Wooden House signaled the start of another day on the frontier.
Today truly was the final day of the initial push.
After today, the Rear Base would finally begin to take shape.
Reviews
All reviews (0)