As long as you have the courage, fierce ghosts go on maternity leave.

Of course! Edward suddenly understood.

He knew that this guy who was enthusiastic about "zero-cost buying" would never be that generous.

Clearly, Alexander wanted to save time; for him, time was money. Taking a bus to get here would consume at least half an hour each way, thus wasting a whole hour of his day.

"Have you heard? The Starlight Ghost Emperor of Black Feather City died in the haunted mansion at 444 Yin Yang Street!"

"What happened? The Starlight Ghost Emperor is a heritage emperor! He’s participated in solving the puzzle in that mansion many times. Didn’t they say the key to breaking the deadlock has to do with the female corpse at the bottom of the well?"

"No surprise there; he must have guessed wrong! The Starlight Ghost Emperor was too careless. Attempting to break the deadlock without 100% certainty, and now a heritage emperor is gone. Looks like Black Feather City will need a new lord!"

Alexander was eating when he suddenly heard the conversation at the neighboring table. His chewing momentarily paused as he began to listen intently.

There was no denying that places like this were excellent for gathering information. Very soon, Alexander heard precisely the information he was interested in.

"Do you know about the 45th bus route we’re taking?" said a short-haired Ghost King at a table not far away.

"Of course, this bus has five ghost emperors and five ghost imperials! However, I’ve heard that solving this loop is extremely difficult. What’s bizarre is that two locals inside have also discovered the loop and are breaking the deadlock. It’s too eerie!

Some suspect that this is a dream within a dream, a loop within a loop. It’s probably not that simple. Do you have news on this loop?"The nearby Ghost King perked up, curiously inquiring.

"News on the 45th bus route? Are you joking? Many high-ranking individuals have died on that bus! The bus inevitably explodes when it reaches a certain point.

However, if you try to alter its route, both the ghost Imperials and ghost emperors on bus go berserk. How could I possibly have information on such an intractable scenario?" the short-haired Ghost King responded in frustration.

"If you know nothing, then why did you even speak up?" the Ghost King at the same table sneered.

"I’m talking about another one!" Lowering his voice, the short-haired Ghost King continued, "It’s the 38th bus route on our line. A new loop has just appeared.

A full bus of people! Three at the prince level, seven at the general level, and fourteen at the soldier level. If we can break this deadlock, we could at least obtain a prince-level ghost crystal!"

"My goodness, that many people? On a bus? If they all go berserk, where would we even run?" The nearby Ghost King shook his head repeatedly.

"Don’t expose yourself recklessly! Halfway through the bus route, a severe accident occurs. Only one unconscious woman survives and is taken to the hospital. Once she reaches the hospital, the loop ends. So, the key to breaking the deadlock must lie with this woman!"

Their conversation wasn’t over yet; they were still discussing methods to break the deadlock. Meanwhile, Alexander was already far beyond paying attention to them.

His mind was fixated solely on the term ’38th bus route.’ Three princes, seven generals, fourteen soldiers!

Most intriguingly, out of the whole bus, only one woman would survive—and she would be unconscious! Was there a better loop to exploit for a bug? This was practically tailor-made for him! 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

If utilized perfectly, that would mean 300 prince-level, 700 general-level, and thousands of soldier-level ghost food! Transformed into ghost energy, that would amount to at least 300 million ghost energy units!

"Eat faster!" Alexander hastily urged Edward and Selena, accelerating his own pace.

Having also heard the conversation, Selena and Edward knew exactly what Alexander was planning. They, too, hurriedly sped up their eating.

However, the capricious whims of fate: the more you long for something, the more elusive it becomes, and what you desire to avoid most insistently parades itself before you.

Take Alexander for instance. He wished only to finish his meal swiftly and catch the No. 38 bus. Yet someone had other plans for him.

"Young man, you seem rather well-off, buying such good food for these two bugs!"

A bald ghost sauntered over with a sneer just as the trio were almost done eating, and addressed Edward, "Coincidentally, I find myself a little short of cash lately. Care to help out?"

"Oh?" Edward nonchalantly lifted his head, pulled out a napkin from his pocket to dab the corners of his mouth, and said curiously, "This is a Mist Instance. Ghost Energy can’t be traded and dissipates instantly upon death. How could I possibly assist you?"

"Are you daft? Haven’t you learned to adapt?" The bald ghost sneered again. "Although Ghost Energy can’t be traded, money can. You look like a newcomer. The bank next door allows participants like us to open accounts.

Controlled by the system, Ghost Energy can be directly converted into currency. The currency is universal across all Mist Instances, albeit a 10% fee is charged. Understand now? Go exchange a hundred million Ghost Energy and transfer the money to me."

"Is that so? Well, you’ve got the wrong guy!" Edward seemed momentarily stunned, but quickly pointed at Alexander and chuckled, "The one who’s footing the bill today is him. If you want money, go talk to him."

"Him? A mere soldier-level chosen one? You didn’t bring him in with some kind of item?" The bald ghost was momentarily shocked but soon slammed his hand onto the table impatiently. "I don’t care who among you is the richest; today, you both owe me money."

"That depends on your ability, then," shrugged Edward, nonchalant as ever.

The would-be robber was merely a Ghost King—impressive, perhaps, but not to Edward. Edward had just advanced to Ghost King, true, but he’d come up from the highest ranks of Ghost Princes; he was far from disadvantaged, even against veteran Ghost Kings.

As for Alexander, he didn’t even lift his head; he merely spat out a single, icy word: "Go out!"

"How dare you speak to me like that?" The bald ghost roared in fury, slamming his palm onto the table, "A soldier-level chosen one who dares to venture into a Mist Instance and possesses such an ample supply of Ghost Energy is indeed remarkable.

But this is the Mist Instance, not your Dark Hell! I don’t care who you are or how powerful your background is. Here, you all answer to me!"

As the bald ghost continued his tirade, two more Ghost Kings appeared behind him—clearly they were in cahoots.

"Alexander, the bald ghost is talking to you. Don’t you think you should respond?" Edward nudged, noticing Alexander’s continued focus on his meal.

What Edward couldn’t abide was someone acting more arrogant than him, especially if their abilities didn’t measure up to their bravado. Such behavior was simply unacceptable!

However, since the bald man was targeting Alexander, Edward felt it inappropriate to intervene and contented himself with a polite reminder.

Finally finishing his last bite, Alexander looked up at the bald ghost. "So, are we fighting or not? Quit the chatter if we’re not."

At that moment, Edward thought he should perhaps retract his earlier claim about not allowing anyone to outdo him in theatrics.

While Edward mused, the bald ghost seethed with anger. How dare a mere soldier-level chosen one act so brazenly in his presence?

Fight? Of course he wouldn’t. This place had its prohibitions against violence! Even the path to and from the cafeteria was under the protective mechanisms of the Mist system.

"But just because you’re under the Mist system’s protection doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable," sneered the bald ghost. "Unfortunately for you, you left the initial area on your first time in the Instance without even a disguising item.

I bet you didn’t know that the Hell Warriors of Cangshan City are stationed next to this cafeteria! It will close in half an hour. Once it does, all I have to do is lure them out a bit early, and they’ll deal with you."

"Is that so? You better hurry up then." Alexander stood up, "We’re done eating, and if you don’t act quickly, you might run out of time."

With that, he turned and left. Threats? What he despised most was being threatened.

And let’s not forget the several hundred diners in the cafeteria, all of whom were paying close attention to the unfolding drama. Should Alexander capitulate, the others would swarm him like flies to honey.

So, he was left with only one option: to gamble on the notion brewing in his mind. Hell Warriors? He had dealt with them before, and they were nothing he couldn’t handle.

If worse comes to worst, he could always call Dolly over. Judging by Selena’s warning, Dolly was far more complex than she appeared. Letting her go toe-to-toe with the Hell Warriors should do the trick.

Not to mention, Selena’s real identity was likely even more intriguing. James’s sister? Regardless of how credible that claim might be, James himself was shrouded in mystery and oddities.

"Damn you! How dare you!" From behind, the bald ghost’s face twisted in rage.

"Big brother, what do we do? Should we really lure the Hell Warriors? They’re Hell Warriors!" A companion by the bald ghost’s side cautiously asked, a look of dread written all over his face.

"Why not let it go? We haven’t really lost anything."

"Are you stupid?" The bald ghost slapped his companion on the back of his head. "If he had complied, that would have been the end of it. But since he didn’t, we can’t let them leave alive!"

"Why?" His companion inquired, perplexed.

"It’s about his character!" The bald ghost began. "He’s just a soldier-level chosen one but has managed to enter this Mist Instance. With a massive amount of ghost energy and even the Ghost Kings treating him courteously, he either has an extraordinary relationship with the Dark Hell Empress or possesses formidable skills—or both.

If he had backed down, he’d be someone who has reservations. If we bump into him in the future, we could simply apologize, backed by our own powerful forces, and he wouldn’t dare act against us. But his stubborn nature is a problem. People like that should not be left around. If he ever ascends to become a Ghost Emperor or something of higher rank, he will not show mercy due to any reservations."

"Fair point," his companions nodded in agreement, convinced by the bald ghost’s analysis.

The trio mustered their courage and headed out. Not far from the cafeteria, there was an ancient house designed in eerie architecture. Gnomes with obscured faces holding paper lanterns stood at the entrance.

"Damn, they’re really going to fetch the Hell Warriors. There are Hell Warriors here?" Edward paled as he saw the three rushing towards the ancient house.

Hell Warriors—whose very name struck fear into the hearts of anyone who knew of them in this horror world.

"Don’t worry!" Alexander shook his head, glancing at his storage slot. He had more on his mind than simply avoiding threats during this adventure.

Upon hearing that Hell Warriors patrolled this area, Alexander had been fairly confident that his abilities with the white mist would be effective here. If he wanted to exploit loopholes in the Mist Instance, he couldn’t just doggedly stick to a single cycle like the other participants.

Sooner or later, a showdown with the Hell Warriors was inevitable.

"You’ve got to be kidding me, those are Hell Warriors!" Edward was on the verge of a breakdown, casting a hopeful glance at Selena, wishing she could talk some sense into Alexander.

However, Selena simply wrapped her arm around Alexander’s, her beautiful face showing a tender smile. "I trust him."

This complete faith in him touched Alexander, validating some of his own thoughts. He spoke to Edward, "I have a hypothesis we could test, though I can’t guarantee 100% success. Maybe you should leave. I’ll hold them off; you’ll definitely be able to escape."

"How sure are you?" Edward asked, furrowing his brows.

"60%," Alexander responded without hesitation, though this was a conservative estimate. In reality, he was 90% sure, but he didn’t want his assurance to cloud Edward’s judgment.

"Let’s do this," Edward said, brandishing an ice-crystal sword that materialized in his hand.

"What’s the plan? I was with you in Fierce Ghost Street; let’s roll the dice one more time as brothers. If I can even nick a Hell Warrior’s hair, my life would not have been in vain!"

"Fighting a Hell Warrior head-on—are you nuts?" Alexander rolled his eyes.

"So, you want to make a Hell Warrior submit to you?" The fiery enthusiasm that had briefly flared up within Edward was extinguished by Alexander’s dismissive glance.

"Who knows? Anything’s possible," Alexander said, a subtle smile forming on his lips.

Just then, the voice of the bald man rang out. "Lord Hell Warrior, it’s them! They are the ones who entered the city illegally!"

Not far away, several Hell Warriors clad in black armor and void of expression strode over, guided by the bald man and his associates.

"No identification, illegal entrants—kill!" The Hell Warriors barely glanced at Alexander before spitting out these cold words.

Their swords were unsheathed, not even granting a moment for dialogue before moving to strike.

"This is it. Alexander, We as brothers. I’ll go first! I’ve lived as a ghost far too long; I can’t bear to watch a good friend die right in front of me!" Edward, ever the loyal friend, brandished his sword, ready to charge, prompting Alexander to hastily pull him back.

"Ha! Weren’t you three acting all high and mighty just now? Let me see you act tough again. You’re going to die either way! What a pity it won’t be by my hands!" The bald ghost chuckled heartily, taking delight in the sight of the Hell Warriors’ descending blades.

Some people, when offended, must be pushed to their end. This bald ghost was not the kind of foolish villain who would issue a challenge for some future date, offering his enemies a chance to grow stronger.

"Illegal—die!" The Hell Warrior moved with astonishing speed, appearing in front of Alexander in an instant. The sword swung down toward Alexander’s head, but then...