Who left their last words here?

Chapter 74, The Ghost Market, features a [Ghost Corpse]...! (5k)

The entire ghost market was shaking violently—

Or rather, a spasmodic, violent contraction.

Rather than an earthquake, it's more like the unconscious twitching of something that has been dormant being awakened.

The ground of the entire ghost market began to change, transforming from moss-covered, blackened bricks into something dark and fleshy.

They bounced rhythmically, elastically, and then wrinkled.

A terrifying sense of oppression, its source unknown yet omnipresent, shrouded the hearts of everyone in the ghost market.

The earth trembled and surged in layers, sweeping across every corner of the ghost market.

Even the dim sky seemed to be teetering on the brink of collapse, vaguely appearing to be getting closer and closer to the ground.

"What happened?"

Has this happened before?

"There's no time to explain... Run! Run!"

Whether it's a mysterious merchant setting up a stall in the ghost market or a cloaked buyer wandering through the ghost market.

Or perhaps they are high-ranking dignitaries who have just walked out of an auction.

At this moment, everyone is equally helpless and confused, like a moth trapped in a spider web, struggling, running, and screaming.

"Look! The trees are moving! The houses are moving too!"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed in surprise.

It's not just the trees, nor just those old houses.

The entire Ghost Lane—walls, floors, trees, and even every inconspicuous brick—seemed to come alive, wriggling and dancing.

The atmosphere seemed to be filled with indescribable malice.

"Om..."

A hoarse, piercing, indescribable sound suddenly rang out, its source unknown.

The sound seemed to come from hell; once heard, it was unforgettable for a lifetime, because human organs could hardly produce such a distorted and abnormal tone.

It strikes at the deepest fears in people's hearts, echoing in the sky, louder than raging thunder, with reverberating sounds that never cease.

But this deafeningly hoarse voice was also incoherent, as if it were completely irrational, just repeating itself endlessly.

The content of this story, along with fear, spontaneously arises in everyone's heart, regardless of whether they want to hear it or not.

It is saying—

"Who... killed my goose!"

"..."

Standing in front of the half-penguin, the major felt a chill run down his spine.

Now, he's almost tempted to beg the little penguin to stand up again.

In that instant, he suddenly recalled many, many things.

All people knew was that they must never kill any auction house employee in the ghost market.

This is something like a rule; killing employees is a violation of the rule, and it will lead to extremely terrible consequences.

But he never imagined that the death of a mere level 3 penguin would end up like this!

Looking at these earth-shattering commotions, someone who didn't know better would think he had knocked the sky down...

—What exactly happened?
He almost immediately thought of a legend whose truth or falsehood had never been verified—

Standing behind the auction house.

Not someone else.

Rather, it's the "ghost market" itself...

The major gritted his teeth.

He clearly sensed that he was being watched by something.

His inner spirit was forced to awaken, sending him a piercing alarm.

An overwhelming, almost tangible sense of oppression enveloped and squeezed him.

As a high-level extraordinary individual about to advance to level 5, before that thing arrives...

He had already lost the ability to move freely and was completely unable to take a step.

So the major knew he was about to die.

For the sake of a "Tear of the Moon Goddess", he found himself in a confusing and deadly predicament.

This development was something he had never imagined.

In this situation, Level 4 Extraordinary Individuals are just as helpless as Level 5 Extraordinary Individuals; their status is meaningless.

But he is the third young master of the Zijing Group!

His father and his elder brother were both at the very top of Tinghai.

and so……

If you want to survive, that's the only way—

The major took a deep breath and decisively pulled out a jade necklace with a red string tied around his neck.

It is not a particularly ornate ornament; the jade is crystal clear and has a slightly rustic feel, carved into the shape of a key.

The deep green at the tail end resembled an impenetrable thick fog, with a faint line of blood visible deep within it.

"..."

Looking at it, the major felt a pang in his heart, his expression one of extreme reluctance.

—This is a masterpiece based on the ancient mysticism of the Eastern Federation, his "natal spirit jade" that he has worn since childhood.

The father gave him a gift for his 100th day, and each of the three brothers received one.

Normally, it can anchor the physical body to stabilize the soul and defend against curses or black magic.

Even the red string used to tie jade is believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits and cure diseases.

It's an invaluable auxiliary treasure!

But that's not the key point—

As a treasure nurtured from childhood, it was already connected to the major's spirituality.

He could switch identities with the major at a critical moment, take the blame for him, and instantly teleport him to safety!

...Of course, this incredible treasure will shatter after it has been used.

Even though their father did his best, he only prepared one for each of the three brothers.

There is nothing left over.

If he could, the major would rather never use this treasure, which is equivalent to a second life, for his entire life.

His two older brothers, having come this far and narrowly escaped death countless times, have never used it.

Unexpectedly, it was him...

But at this moment, he had no other choice.

The major was heartbroken to lose his life here, and his face was even distorted with grief.

And all of this is because of that—

"Bidder number 22!"

The major gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot beneath his cloak.

That kid is too cunning.

Instead of coming out themselves, they hired penguins to impersonate them.

Even if he gets back alive this time, he'll still get a severe punishment from his family for causing such a commotion.

Most importantly, he essentially lost his life here, thus losing his greatest source of confidence that he could always have the last laugh in any situation.

—So unlucky, so unlucky, so unlucky!

It really is a year of bad luck.

"I will definitely find out who you are..."

"And then, we will never let them go!"

The major became furious.

This person is listed as a must-kill target, on par with, or even surpassing, Shiraishu.

then--

He bit his finger without hesitation.

The ten fingers are connected to the heart, and the blood at the fingertips has a special meaning in the realm of mysticism.

When the blood was smeared onto the jade key, the jade key immediately became scalding hot.

The bloodline deep at the tail disappeared and appeared deep in the major's eyes.

The mist hidden deep within the jade began to swirl like swimming fish.

Seeing this, the major tore off the red rope and threw the jade key to the ground.

With a "smack"—

As the jade shattered, the major hurriedly chanted an incantation.

Suddenly, a chilling sense of crisis swept through my entire body.

That thing is coming!

"Open Sesame, open the door... fucking open the door!"

The major chanted the incantation more and more urgently, and even swore for the first time in his life, which showed how anxious he was.

Then, a large, emerald-green door appeared before the major.

"Wow—"

The door opened wide, and a ghostly green light enveloped him.

The next instant, they both vanished—

All that remained was a jade key broken into three pieces on the ground.

The moment they left, the air seemed to freeze.

The space seemed to emit some kind of piercing, unbearable lament, the heavy and suffocating pressure turning this place into a vacuum.

Something came from the sky and fell down here.

It is incomprehensible, indescribable, and impossible to fully comprehend.

It captures all the light, all the sound, and all the possibilities along the way; it is invisible and colorless, unseen, yet it exists objectively and undeniably.

Then, it crashed to the ground.

Or rather, it's contact.

There was no sound, or perhaps the sound itself was crushed.

The ground covered by the dust was completely still, without any earth-shattering noise, neither dust nor smoke.

It's like erasing a stain from a painting with an eraser.

A section of the ground was smoothed out.

The jade that was just on the ground was completely gone, not even a speck of dust remained. However, the ground where the major had stood had sunk three inches, creating a huge...

Handprint.

Someone slapped this place... Is that what just happened?

This makes it even more incomprehensible to people.

Those who witnessed this fled towards the exit like madmen.

The crowds converged like surging waves, tumbling and rolling forward with all their might.

But just then——

On the neatly leveled ground, a vibrant color suddenly bursts forth.

"Ha ha……"

A smug chuckle accompanied by an elegant chant.

A masked man appeared, swaying unsteadily, amidst bizarre and colorful hues.

"Flowers will grow from the decaying body, and I will attain eternity amidst the flowers..."

As the chanting faded into the background, his listless spirit was rapidly returning.

Edward Munch, the top artist of the art club and a master of level 4, has successfully returned to the Ghost Market!

This adds another brilliant chapter to his record.

He actually managed to hold off a Level 5 Extraordinary user wielding an extraordinary weapon for quite some time!

...Although, in reality, he was the one who was being beaten all the time.

But the reason he has been able to maintain his position as the number one artist in the art club is not simply because of fighting and killing.

The key is to survive—to always have the last laugh! Using the ability to sense death to calmly assess the difference in strength between friend and foe in advance... that's just the beginning.

The most crucial point is that as long as he stands in that special portrait space, he can always create various substitute puppets.

In the past minute, he was "killed" 69 times by a level 5 Emperor Penguin carrying the [Ice Kirin] using various methods.

Only after his domain collapsed and his foundation was exhausted did he flee in panic, feeling completely drained.

but……

This should be enough time, right?

He has completed the task assigned to him by the major.

The costs this time were greater than expected. It seems necessary to discuss increasing the pay with the major again.

"...where are the people?"

[Monk] suddenly froze.

Standing at the far end of the deserted ghost market, Monk could even see the screaming crowd fleeing in the distance.

"Where did the major go?"

"—What happened?!"

Looking around blankly, the face behind the [Monk] mask was full of doubt.

"Om..."

At that moment, the air temperature suddenly dropped.

The vibrant colors flashed again, and with a "plop," a tall penguin fell from mid-air.

It wielded a frost-covered machete, its eyes blazing with fire. With a simple glance around, its gaze instantly locked onto [Monk].

not good……

[Munk] turned to leave.

But to his surprise, the emperor penguin that had "killed" him 69 times did not chase after him again.

The penguin simply stood still, raising its knife in the distance, aiming it at Monk's figure—

Then, it took a deep breath and roared as if accusing someone:
"Father!"

"It's him—"

What do you mean?
Monk paused for a moment.

Suddenly, the ability to sense death was triggered on its own.

He jolted awake and looked down at himself.

Yes……

"Ten percent?"

Monk was stunned and speechless.

Of course, this time, the probability of death he was talking about was no longer someone else's.

but yourself.

Despite not knowing the reason, I was full of confusion.

But as if by instinct, all of Monk's secret techniques and all his tools were activated instantly, all at once, and he put them on his body.

Then, he ran frantically toward the crowd in the distance.

Even though his spirit was exhausted and his muscles felt like they were tearing apart, he didn't care at all.

But it was all in vain.

The next moment——

An invisible wave of energy descended from the sky, like a waterfall cascading down from the atmosphere, surging towards all directions of the ghost market.

The trees, walls, ground, mossy shrubs, and every brick and tile of the ghost market swayed wildly in fury.

As the center of this energy infusion...

"Ahhhh!"

Looking up at the sky, his hood fell off.

[Monk] only had time to instinctively cover his cheeks and open his mouth wide to let out a terrified scream before the torrent of energy descended, as if he had discovered something.

His terrified expression was remarkably similar to the paint on his mask.

It also bears a striking resemblance to a masterpiece left behind by a painter of the same name from hundreds of years ago—

The Scream

Then, Monk's figure became something even smaller than ashes.

"100%".

—The dictionary definition is that one is certain to die.

"pat..."

The silhouette of a black cat flashed past behind a wall in the distance, making a sound as it passed a pile of broken tiles.

Its eerie green eyes gleamed, and a rather human-like sense of lingering fear appeared on the black cat's face.

As the "mastermind" behind everything...

Bai Zhou could swear that he truly never imagined things would turn out this way!
Bai Zhou did indeed hire a level 5 Emperor Penguin, but it wasn't just one level 5 Emperor Penguin.

He also needs to hire another low-level penguin who is good at disguise.

This is what Shirazuki told the penguin: "The new requirement for additional confidentiality."

then.

A penguin skilled in illusion and disguise disguised itself as Bai Zhou and walked out of the building with the level 5 penguins who were escorting it.

He then took advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, transformed into a black cat, and quietly followed behind.

No matter how long people staked out the place, they would never have guessed that the "Bai Zhou" escorted by bodyguards could be a fake!

...but thankfully it is so.

To be honest, Bai Zhou was really startled at first.

That auctioneer number 2... is incredibly shrewd.

Even a level 5 Emperor Penguin was taken away in one fell swoop, and he even managed to escape from a seemingly apocalyptic natural disaster...

This person's background is probably incredibly powerful.

However, Monk's death immediately filled Bai Zhou with doubt.

As Monk lay dying, he looked up at the sky, his hood falling off, revealing a familiar yet unfamiliar painted mask that reminded Bai Zhou of an old family acquaintance.

—【Art Club】?
Is the accomplice of Auctioneer #2 an assassin from the Art Club?
then,

An unbelievable guess suddenly came to Bai Zhou's mind.

Auctioneer No. 2...

Could that wealthy and confident mysterious man be the major who is wanted by the police?
Bai Zhou was delighted.

Although the probability is very low, it doesn't mean it's impossible.

But if that's really the case, then it's quite an accident... that I actually managed to collect some interest.

It's just a pity that we couldn't keep that person completely.

There will always be some lingering problems...

While pondering, Bai Zhou's feet never stopped moving, and he even ran quite energetically on all four legs.

The ghost market was shaking.

In the distance behind, a series of scarlet-eyed penguin plush toys slowly emerged from the building and arrived at the end of the ghost market.

The thick fog shrouded their figures, and also enveloped everything that was dancing wildly.

The death of [Monk] could not satisfy them.

The ubiquitous, apocalyptic scenes have already told everyone—

Everyone will suffer.

The fleeing crowd was extremely dense in the long alley.

But the black cat was agile and moved through nooks and crannies that ordinary people couldn't reach, and soon it darted to the front of the crowd.

The sign for "No. 66 Moon Lane Traditional Culture Center" is right in front of you.

It darted past from the side corner and overtook the person running in the lead in the blink of an eye.

Before people could see what it was, a black shadow, as fast as lightning, leaped toward the shadowy wall at the exit.

Just like when we arrived, there were no obstacles.

The white boat is about to escape.

But just as his figure was about to emerge from the shadows and leave the ghost market—

His thoughts suddenly became somewhat dazed.

The perspective shifted to an overhead view, and he seemed to see something through a fog.

That is……

A dark blue-black giant!
A gigantic humanoid creature lay sprawled across the pale, shattered earth.

It is still, lifeless, and cold.

Looking down, you can see large patches of cracks on the skin.

Countless ant-like things crowded on the soles of my feet.

A spine runs through the entire structure, transforming into a long alley that leads directly to the head.

Above the head, a withered mouth opened.

Suddenly, Bai Zhou was startled.

Because inside that mouth...

He saw the magnificent auction hall and rows of backstage rooms!

This is not over yet——

What else made Bai Zhou's heart nearly leap out of his chest?

Because he was atop the head of this deathly giant,
I saw a string of mottled, broken, and incomprehensible ancient characters.

Each suspended character flashes a chilling, dangerous red light.

That was... a last message?!
The seemingly incomprehensible words, yet their meaning struck Bai Zhou's brain like lightning, enlightening him and brutally destroying his reason.

It says...

Light has weight; I caught it, and now it can no longer fly.

What's the meaning……?
In the instant he comprehended these words, Bai Zhou vaguely saw some distant and ancient scenes.

For example, a mural.

In an extremely distant era, an ancient corpse fell from the sky and was devoutly worshipped by people holding torches.

For example, a black and white photograph.

A group of extraordinary individuals, dressed in suits, incredibly serious and extremely powerful, arrived at this place and surrounded the ancient corpse to study it.

There is also a series of blurry and fragmented images:

People in white coats are making notes in the files and giving reports.

He says--

The picture was blurry, and the sound was even harder to hear.

Bai Zhou struggled for a long time before he could barely make out what the report was about...

"Target identified, catalog number C-66, [Demon Corpse]!"

—All the scenes end abruptly here.

The black cat's figure leaped out of the shadow cast by the wall.

It landed gently and gracefully on the ground.

Bai Zhou raised his head, his blank gaze sweeping around him.

...Deep in the dimly lit alley, everything familiar came into view.

Right next to me is No. 65 Moon Lane, a dilapidated house that is empty and deserted.

The empty walls before me were shrouded in shadow, creating an eerie stillness.

But Bai Zhou knew that behind the wall lay the rioting "No. 66 Moon Lane," a chaotic ghost market that resembled the end of the world...

He managed to escape from there.

"..."

Then, a chilling, eerie feeling belatedly washed over Bai Zhou's dazed mind.

He then realized what he had been wandering around on!
The so-called ghost market—

It's basically a ghost corpse...!
(End of this chapter)