Chapter 259: The Nightmare’s Plan
With a mix of coaxing and deception, Zhao Mingyue managed to trick Little Moon back into the house for some rest. Once outside, she glanced at Lu Liangting and Li Tianan, sensing the increasingly strong aura of the Ghost Gate from a nearby yard—hinting at the presence of an Evil God.
If left unchecked, an Evil God would surely materialize, and it could be a deity not much weaker than the Burning Heart Goddess herself.
“Here’s the plan,” Li Tianan said as Zhao Mingyue emerged. “The Spider is currently under some form of control. If the enemy still has designs on the Ghost Gate and Bai Yu, they definitely won’t k*ll her. After all, she’s got the strength of an Evil Spirit. They’d likely prefer to use her as a heavy-hitter.”
“Tonight’s probably when they’ll come to surround us.”
“Whether it’s to seize control of the Ghost Gate or to take control of Little Moon, tonight is the perfect time for an attack. The longer we wait, the more they’ll fear that the night will drag on with unforeseen complications. The effect of that flute isn’t going to last forever, and its influence varies depending on the strength of the ghosts.”
“The Spider is strong; she might free herself in a day.”
“So, my thought is this: Mingyue, you and Bai Yu stay here and wait for the enemy to arrive. Lu Liangting and I will bide our time, and when they launch their full-scale attack, we’ll hit their lair from behind.”
“It’s already this late. How many strong forces can they leave at home?”
“Plus, Lu Liangting and I likely can’t offer much help just hanging around. If we strike their lair, it also divides their attention. If they get distracted and head back, the pressure on you lessens. If they don’t execute a retreat, I’ll think of a way to seal up their Ghost Gate; if that doesn’t work, I’ll create some chaos and gather some intel.”
“I think that sounds good!” Lu Liangting readily agreed.
Of course, it was a decent plan; what else would he be doing here?
Back when he was in Pinghai City, at least he was a driver, providing decent living conditions for Mingyue and Bai Yu. Once the task was finished, he could return for some well-deserved rest.
But now?
He was a driver… somewhat? Other than that, he had nothing to do here.
If he followed Li Tianan’s plan, at least he’d have something to do—he could showcase his skills and offer some assistance.
“Let’s go with the Store Manager’s plan then.” Seeing that Lu Liangting had no objections, Zhao Mingyue chimed in.
After saying that, she seemed to remember something. “But Store Manager, how are you and Lu Liangting going to get over there?”
The enemy might already be on their way, and rushing in carelessly with Lu Liangting would be exactly what they wanted. If they took a roundabout route, how would they know if the enemy had started moving? If they stealthily infiltrated, they’d just end up serving themselves on a silver platter.
“I have a way,” Li Tianan replied confidently. “I can cloak our presence from the ghosts, and once they approach, Lu Liangting and I can move in and slip past.”
“Good, just make sure you’re careful. If you get caught, leave behind some clues. Bai Yu and I will come to save you.”
Though Zhao Mingyue meant well, Li Tianan couldn’t help but feel that her words sounded a bit off, as if she was sure the two of them would definitely get caught.
“Alright, if things go south, we’ll follow your instructions,” Li Tianan said as he went inside to fetch his gear. He still wore the Evil Ghost mask and an old, ragged beige coat.
This outfit was quite the mismatch for his usual style, but now wasn’t the time to worry about appearances. Watching Lu Liangting and Li Tianan get ready to head out, Zhao Mingyue raised her hand. “Be careful out there!”
Lu Liangting gave a thumbs-up gesture and turned to leave, disappearing from Zhao Mingyue’s sight along with Li Tianan. They didn’t bother reminding her to be cautious since that seemed unnecessary.
Why worry about Zhao Mingyue, who had Bai Yu guarding her? Better to focus on their own safety.
Li Tianan had been about to say something but swallowed it back.
Once they were gone, Zhao Mingyue silently communicated with Bai Yu. “Sister Yu, what should we do now? Should I let you take over? I’m a lot stronger than I used to be!”
Zhao Mingyue had a clear view of her own purpose: getting stronger wasn’t just to support Bai Yu—it was so that Bai Yu could take over her more powerful body.
Bai Yu’s biggest limitation was her own physical form. A stronger body would provide the means for her to unleash her full power.
Much like the Dragon Lady, who, with her powerful body combined with Bai Yu’s soul, could effortlessly lift the Eternal Life Village.
It was akin to a car and its driver; no matter how good the car, without a skilled driver, it couldn’t reach its potential.
“I can do that,” Bai Yu replied.
Bai Yu emerged from Zhao Mingyue’s shadow, standing face-to-face with her. With the Twin Souls connection established, the last bits of resistance and separation between them melted away.
In the past, when Bai Yu possessed Zhao Mingyue, she’d felt a clear sense of separation, which affected her ability to fully manifest her power. To put it bluntly, she was just an extra passenger—the main consciousness was still Zhao Mingyue, leading to an unconscious rejection of Bai Yu utilizing Zhao Mingyue’s body.
Simplifying even further, it was like trying to play a game under poor internet conditions—you always felt a lag when controlling the character.
However, when using the Dragon Lady’s body, she didn’t experience this issue. Why? Because the Dragon Lady could partially coordinate her movements without resistance.
On the other hand, Zhao Mingyue lacked experience and control over her own body—she simply couldn’t reach the level of the Dragon Lady.
This connection was crucial; during the time Bai Yu controlled Zhao Mingyue’s body, it felt just like controlling her own, free to move as she wished.
“Let’s do this!” Zhao Mingyue spread her arms wide, making a hug gesture.
Bai Yu, although reluctant, embraced her. Her form shifted like a wisp of smoke, merging into Zhao Mingyue’s body.
Zhao Mingyue lowered her head, but when she looked up again, her eyes had dramatically changed. The whites were overtaken by black, and her pupils glowed a bl**d-red. This was a clear manifestation of Bai Yu’s lingering grievances now flooding out.
Bai Yu raised a hand and tried to clench it into a fist.
This gave her a surreal feeling of “being revitalized,” as if she had been reborn with a brand-new body, utterly smooth and devoid of any awkwardness. She could even sense all the sensory changes existing in Zhao Mingyue’s body.
This was something she could hardly conceive before; let alone physical sensations—she couldn’t even feel pain when she was in Zhao Mingyue’s form.
This meant she had to be particularly cautious when using Zhao Mingyue’s body; otherwise, any injury could go unnoticed. With her high-energy moves, she could easily exacerbate wounds, and worse, she might end up with a permanent disability.
Pain often serves as a warning, highlighting where issues lie in the body and whether one can continue to act.
For her, pain could hinder brain response, thus affecting physical motion.
She possessed a piece of equipment that alleviated all negative effects when in a near-d*ath state for up to half an hour. This skill had saved her more times than she could count; without it, she’d be dead by now.
Remarkably, this skill also applied when she used Zhao Mingyue’s body—without any time limitations.
She could feel Zhao Mingyue’s pain but could ignore it entirely. Since the injured body wasn’t her own, it didn’t impact her reflexes.
Of course, she wouldn’t let Zhao Mingyue’s body reach a near-d*ath state, unlike her previous experience in the sc*m Game; Zhao Mingyue didn’t have such luxuries. If she fell into a near-d*ath state, real d*ath wouldn’t be far behind.
“What’s our plan now?” they mentally communicated, Zhao Mingyue’s voice echoing in Bai Yu’s mind.
“Wait.”
“Wait? So we’re just going to sit here and wait for them to come knocking?”
“Exactly.”
Bai Yu raised her hand, and a mass of bl**d Threads sealed off all the doors and windows of the room Little Moon was in, ensuring her presence remained undetectable and preventing any sly intruders from taking action while she was distracted.
The threads coalesced into the shape of a long blade, and Bai Yu stood in the center of the yard.
If they didn’t come tonight, she’d take the initiative and visit them tomorrow.
The bl**d Threads wove themselves into a bench beneath her, and as they spread across her body, a stylish black leather coat formed, covering her arms, neck, and face with armor and a mask—shielding all vulnerable spots.
She didn’t want Zhao Mingyue to get hurt while she was controlling her body.
Sitting on her bl**d Thread throne, Bai Yu’s form almost vanished into the darkness, the cold white of her mask glinting with a golden sheen.
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“Great, fantastic!” The Evil Spirit’s power echoed in the air, watching as the Spider knelt on the ground, utterly overjoyed.
When the Ghost Domain crew had sent in a substitute embryo body to blow that eerie flute, he had thought of terminating the partnership. He couldn’t fathom what that group of Masked People was going crazy about, nearly pushing his embryo body to d*ath.
But sacrificing one body for the servitude of the Spider was well worth it.
This way, he could smoothly obtain Xia Bingyue’s body and step in as the new Evil God, replacing the yet unborn Evil God within the Ghost Gate.
“What’s with those faces? Not satisfied?” The Evil Spirit’s body loomed over several masked figures, eyeing their silent, brooding expressions.
“The plan failed,” the lead Masked Person suddenly spoke up.
“What?”
“I said, the plan failed. Prepare to retreat.” The Masked Person lifted his head, locking eyes with the Evil Spirit.
“Retreat? At this crucial moment, you’re telling me to retreat?” The Evil Spirit was baffled, dissatisfaction creeping in.
“Our target isn’t her.”
“I don’t care who the target is. Retreat is absolutely not an option!”
The moment the Evil Spirit finished speaking, all the malevolent spirits stepped forward a few paces, surrounding the Masked People. “You’ve killed my body, and now you want to leave?”
“We’ll compensate you.”
“Compensation? What I want is right there. I only want her.”
The Evil Spirit considered striking, but thought better of it. The Ghost Domain was a mysterious organization, so it was wise not to make relations excessively tense.
With the Spider on their side, they probably had limited ability to resist. But leaving these folks around was a risk; what if they aimed for the Ghost Gate? Their methods were notoriously diverse.
Realizing this, the Evil Spirit decided to leave the Spider with them for monitoring, while he led the remaining spirits in a surge towards Qiugang Village.
The chance for transformation was right before his eyes, and he wouldn’t have to exert himself to obtain it.
As the Evil Spirit departed, the Masked People remained quiet, paying no mind to the motionless Spider.
Pulling out his phone, one of the Masked People dialed a number, and soon a girl’s voice echoed from the speaker.
“Failed, didn’t you?”
“Yes, boss. As per your instructions, after confirming Gluttony’s identity, we directly used the ghost flute multiple times, but it didn’t affect Gluttony at all,” the Masked Person reported solemnly.
“No worries, that was anticipated. The ghost flute has its limitations.” The girl on the other end of the line spoke lazily, “You have the Spider with you, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, follow through with the alternate plan. Just a final reminder, this Evil God must be killed by Gluttony, no matter how it happens.”
“Understood!”
The Masked Person was dying to ask—wouldn’t it be easier to control this evil god directly? Why send it to Gluttony to be dealt with? If Gluttony gained strength from it, wouldn’t they be worse off?
While that was his thought, he didn’t have the guts to voice it.
The new boss was far crueller than the last one.
In just a few days, no one had the guts to oppose her—not that anyone would dare.
This woman was terrifying; better to d*e than to cross her.
The Masked Person gazed toward Qiugang Village, pulling a small wooden box from his pocket.
He opened it carefully, instantly capturing the attention of the dazed Spider.
With utmost delicacy, the Masked Person carried the box into the house, standing in front of the runaway Ghost Gate. Just before the Spider could pounce, he tossed the box into the Ghost Gate.
The Spider hesitated for a moment but quickly entered the chaotic realm filled with dark threads without a moment’s pause.
Buzz!
In an instant, an intense aura exploded from within the Ghost Gate, lingering for less than a minute before calming down, stabilizing the gate significantly.
However, the essence of the Evil God inside grew more potent and lively, as if something was brewing.
The groundwork had been laid; all that was left was to wait for the fish to bite.
“Have all the villagers ‘gone to sleep’?” The Masked Person stepped out of the yard, glancing sideways.
Another Masked Person, just returning, nodded. “They’re all ‘asleep,’ a total of three hundred and twenty-one.”
“Retreat!”
“Yes!”
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