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

Lucy was startled by Alexander, but she repeated her concern:

"After all, Horror World can’t mass-produce food. We can’t survive like the ghosts of Horror World, who live off the endless Xiao fish from the depths of the earth. What will we do when we run out of food?"

"Right! Xiao fish! The endless Xiao fish!"

Xiao fish is a fascinating species, fundamental to the entire ecosystem of Horror World. Ghosts don’t need conventional food and have seemingly endless lifespans. However, they do need to consume something, or more precisely, they require Ghost Energy to maintain their ghostly form.

There are many ways to acquire Ghost Energy, such as through ghost coins, by utilizing the fear value in Instances to absorb free-floating Ghost Energy, or various Ghost Treasures and places where Ghost Energy converges. But these resources are clearly out of reach for the most numerous and lowest-tier ghosts.

Even the freely floating Ghost Energy in the air is sparse and difficult to absorb directly, except in a few areas rich in Ghost Energy, which can only be condensed by a ghost master through Instances. Still, this Ghost Energy needs to be constantly refined within a ghost’s body to be converted into usable energy.

In Horror World, there is no cultivation like in fantasy novels, nor any Ghost Nerves. For them, refining and absorbing Ghost Energy is a form of cultivation. Condensing Ghost Energy as currency is the origin of ghost coins. However, this is an extravagance for the ordinary ghost folk.

Their food, however, is easily accessible. Digging a well would yield not water but Xiao fish emerging from the endless darkness. These fish contain minimal Ghost Energy but are enough to sustain the basic form of an ordinary ghost, making them the lowest quality Ghost Treasure.

Alexander, unlike typical chosen ones who go through normal Instances, spent more time in zero-cost purchases. He learned about Xiao fish casually from Edward and initially marveled at how fortunate the ghosts of Horror World were, blessed with eternal life and a never-ending supply of food from just digging wells.

Initially, Alexander didn’t pay much attention to Xiao fish and quickly dismissed it from his mind.

After all, this concept of Xiao fish seemed akin to a basic rule in some video games.

But if memory serves me right, in the legends of Horror World, Xiao fish are born from a tiny fragment of obsession from a deceased ghost. They are indestructible, neither increasing nor decreasing in number. For every evil ghost that dies, a corresponding number of Xiao fish appear.

No matter how many are consumed, only a small amount of Ghost Energy is absorbed, and the remaining obsession recondenses in the depths of the earth, reforming into new Xiao fish.

A fragment of obsession gathering Ghost Energy – how different is that from a ghost? The only distinction, perhaps, is that this fragment of obsession is too weak. The gathered Ghost Energy is far less than even the most ordinary of evil spirits, lacking thought, consciousness, acting purely on instinct.

If the difference is negligible, then... could it be transformed into a Ghost Pill? Ghost Pill is merely a catalyst, a means for an ordinary ghost to possess the forbidden. What is required is Ghost Energy of the same origin and the forbidden itself.

The essence of the forbidden is spiritual power – obsession, emotion, all forms of mental energy. Converting pure obsession into the forbidden and carrying it with similar Ghost Energy, absorbing this energy would naturally grant control over these forbidden.

With this catalyst, one can resist the influence of the forbidden, thereby absorbing and truly mastering its power, inflicting damage on hell warriors with similar abilities.

This is a form of ascension, like ordinary humans without Ghost Energy who could never harm an evil ghost, even in a united effort. But with even a bit of Ghost Energy, they can attack a Ghost Emperor.

If it can be attacked, it can be killed, even if it takes millions or more to besiege it. The forbidden operates on the same principle, forming the basis of the ghost naval tactics.

"The endless Xiao fish that sustain the ghost populace of the entire Horror World! That’s the real deal, available in any quantity needed!"

Alexander’s eyes shone with a captivating brilliance, his heart burning with an intense fire as he quickly commanded, "Everyone, prepare immediately. We’re entering Horror World now!"

"Ah?" His command left everyone momentarily stunned, and Cain asked in surprise, "Boss, we’re leaving now? What about the insect tide? That’s a billion beetles, with a hundred million at the Emperor level!"

"We’re leaving it!" Alexander declared decisively.

"A billion beetles are nothing!"

The reason he hasn’t deployed a large number of troops into the real world is not just because of the snowballing plan, but more importantly, because ordinary ghosts simply cannot withstand the Mist of the real world.

If his idea works out, he could enable all the ghost citizens of Horror World to possess the forbidden. Then, a trillion ghost citizens would be able to survive in the Mist.

A billion beetles? Even facing those two terrifying giant black beetle tides, he is confident in resolving them. After all, many of the ghosts in Horror World are inherently talented. Once their levels are raised, their combat power will significantly increase.

Cain and others were puzzled and reluctant to let go. Although most of the beetle tides on Earth had been resolved, in the situation where one billion survivors couldn’t be heavily divided, there were still more scattered beetle tides spread across various places, and that billion beetle tide was particularly enviable.

However, since Alexander had given the order, everyone promptly assembled, ready to enter Horror World.

Alexander didn’t wait for them. He was eager to test his ideas, which were more important than anything else. Alexander went directly to the Dark Hell City Lord’s Mansion.

As for the survivors, having gained control of Dark Hell, Alexander could simply issue a large task to transform them all into Chosen Ones and guide them into Dark Hell. Perhaps, these survivors, as Chosen Ones and in contact with the horror system, would awaken their talents.

Alexander’s figure disappeared from the real world. Cain, Lucy, Henry, and a few other high-ranking survivors quickly started to integrate the survivors, recalling those who were sent out and organizing the supplies needed to head to Horror World.

Soon, a message simultaneously emerged in the minds of all the survivors:

"The Emperor of Dark Hell has launched a major Horror Instance, the Dark Hell Defense Battle. Congratulations, you have been forcibly conscripted as a Chosen One and will enter the Dark Hell City of Horror World in ten minutes, facing the onslaught of the Endless Abyss army!"

"Your attributes have been materialized and can be viewed at any time through the Fierce Ghost emblem." ...

"Respected Chosen One, as your power has reached the level of a Ghost Emperor, you have been granted participant rights, and you may choose to decline this conscription!" These messages echoed continuously in the minds of all the survivors.

Unlike Alexander, who had initially become a Chosen One and was about to be forcibly transported at the designated time, these people, having all reached the Ghost Emperor level, surprisingly gained participant rights and could refuse this conscription.

However, they exchanged glances, revealing mysterious smiles as if they had long anticipated this moment, and simultaneously chose to accept the conscription.

"Finally, it begins!" A voice, as if a multitude of people were speaking in unison, echoed in the empty No. 1 Survivor Base as all the survivors disappeared.

The real world returned to calm. After an unknown duration, suddenly, a terrifying flapping sound echoed across the entire Earth.

Within those two vast beetle tides, countless black beetles rose like a blanket over the sky. Huge cracks appeared in the sky, within which seemed to be an endless cosmos.

A terrifying river ran through the starry sea, and within this river, countless black beetles poured into the Earth like a tide, almost filling the entire reality. They shrieked wildly, gnawing everywhere, as if searching for something.

Finally, as if they had discovered their target, all the beetles madly rushed towards various bases, with the most converging on the graveyard where Alexander had previously lived!