Rows of sheet-metal shacks stretched across the night, and the moonlight poured down coldly, making the whole wasteland look as still as daytime.
"Ah, hel—"
The cry for help barely left half a syllable.
A crimson beam flashed.
The man's head was cleanly pierced through, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Moments later, his body began to slowly shrink, eventually dissolving into an empty human skin lying flat on the ground.
From the darkness in the distance, a figure stepped out.
Black cloak, hood pulled low, a silver gun in hand.
It was Wang Yanfei.
He holstered the Bullet Ant, scanned the surroundings to make sure no one else was present, then walked toward the skin.
He reached out, and a grayish mist drifted up from the skin and was slowly drawn into his body.
A faint warmth circled through his limbs. He instinctively clenched his fist, feeling his strength rise a little.
Alvina Zelgarcia was coiled around his neck. She glanced at the skin on the ground and let out a small sigh.
"The third one. You're pretty fast."
Wang Yanfei didn't answer. He simply lowered his hood and kept walking.
Turning a corner, he ran straight into another figure.
This time it was a kid with a flashy, spiky dyed hairstyle,bright colors shining under the moonlight.
Wang Yanfei took two quick steps forward. "Bro, let me ask you something. Know where I can recruit new believers?"
The kid froze mid-movement. He jerked, pulled out a small knife and snapped into a fighting stance."Who the hell are you? Do you know who I—"
He stopped halfway through the sentence when he finally noticed the silver gun under the moonlight.
His whole body went stiff.
The knife clattered to the ground.
He lifted both hands, trembling. "B-big bro… don't kill me! Whatever you want, I'll give it!"
The next second, he moved with unbelievable speed,three motions, two breaths and stripped himself completely naked, standing there obediently with both hands raised.
Wang Yanfei: "…"
Alvina: "…"
Wang Yanfei rubbed his forehead.
He had seen this pattern many times.
People here were either extremely flexible,kneeling the moment they saw him—
Or they rushed in enthusiastically and got their heads blown off.
After that many encounters, he even felt the urge to fire one shot just to "test the waters."
But he didn't.
He simply lifted the Bullet Ant slightly, signaling the kid to leave.
The guy acted like he'd been pardoned. He yanked his clothes back on at light-speed,buttons all wrong and even dumped his whole wallet out, scattering banknotes everywhere.
They fluttered across the ground.
Then he bolted like a man fleeing for his life. Clearly not his first time in this situation.
Watching this entire routine, Wang Yanfei couldn't help wondering:
What have these people been through?
A gust of night wind blew. He yawned.
Truthfully, he was exhausted. And the whispers scratching at his ears, like fingernails scraping a chalkboard, only made it worse.
He instinctively opened his panel to check.
His stats hadn't changed, but his Sanity had dropped again.
"…A wasted night."
He muttered under his breath and closed the panel.
"I'll farm again tomorrow."
The Ghost Core pulsed faintly inside him, as if displeased by that decision.
Wang Yanfei ignored it and dragged his increasingly heavy body back toward home.
He looped around multiple blocks to avoid security cameras.
Only after confirming no one was tailing him did he return to his usual route.
Back home, the first thing he did was take a hot shower, washing off sweat and grime.
In the mirror, his face looked unfamiliar.
Dark circles. Pale complexion. A few crimson patches on his skin.
He looked like a zombie.
He stared at himself for two seconds, then wiped the steam from the mirror.
"Ah, staying up late has ruined me. Starting today—early to bed, early to rise."
He set himself this tiny goal and stepped out of the bathroom.
He locked the door, pulled the curtains shut, and shoved the cloak deep into the back of the closet.
As soon as he lay on the bed, his whole body loosened.
The whispers continued, but he no longer bothered trying to decipher them.
Within a few breaths, he was already fast asleep.
The next morning, Wang Yanfei was woken by his internal clock.
His head was still a bit foggy. He reached for the doorknob but paused halfway.
He took a deep breath and pulled up his panel first.
[Sanity: 43 / 80]
The buzzing whispers from last night were gone. Only ordinary fatigue remained.
More surprisingly—[Energy: 3 / 3 (Ghost Core)]
He still had no idea what the numbers meant, but seeing them increase made his Sanity creep up by another two points.
"Alright," he muttered. "At least it wasn't all for nothing."
He closed the panel and stepped into the living room.
Only a small lamp was on, casting dim light across the room.
Jessica was already at the table, a small bundle of a girl, quietly eating nutrient paste.
Across from her sat another freshly heated bowl clearly left for him.
Her eyes were red, the tip of her nose slightly pink.
She had been crying.
He'd been too exhausted last night to notice anything.
Hearing footsteps, Jessica looked up. "Daddy."
She quickly lowered her head again, shoveled in the last few bites, and silently went to pack her school bag.
Watching her back, Wang Yanfei felt something was off.
He spoke.
"Jessica."
The girl stopped. Turned around. Her eyes avoided his—she stared at the buttons on his shirt instead.
"…What is it, Daddy?"
"What's wrong with you?" Wang Yanfei hesitated, then asked a bit more directly, "Did someone bully you at school?"
"No."
After a few seconds, she added in a muffled voice:"Daddy, you… you have to take care of yourself."
She bit her lip, courage gathering slowly.
"Last night… you came home so late. I thought… did those people not let you go? Were they bullying you…"
Her voice trembled.
Wang Yanfei froze.
Only now did he truly think about something:
He would leave this world soon.
Eighty days later, all of this would be just a memory to him.
But for this little girl?
It would be her whole life.
After he left, how was a child with no background supposed to survive in a place like this?
What was that old saying…?
When in poverty, be good to yourself; when in success, be good to the world"
Right now, he barely had enough strength to survive himself.
Not enough power.
Unstable situation.
Danger at every turn.
He had no right to carry someone else's future.
At best, he could do whatever he could before leaving—give her as much help as possible.
He walked over and gently ruffled her hair.
"Don't worry. Daddy wasn't bullied." He tried to make his voice light. "Work's just been busy."
"You still need to rest…" Jessica whispered.
"Mm." He nodded. "I will."