I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"But it’s only the beginning of October, and the rainy season is already here. I’ve sent a message to my family asking for an escort to retreat. Station Chief Chen, I know a little about your circumstances. The Chen Family certainly won’t be sending anyone for you."

"What I’m saying is, why don’t you retreat with us? I won’t tell the family who you are. I’ll just say you’re a distant relative of mine working under me."

...

Chen Fan frowned slightly, faintly sensing that this storm might be something out of the ordinary. "Station Chief Wang, let’s go inside. I don’t fully understand what you’re getting at."

"Huh?"

Wang Kui was taken aback. He hadn’t thought Chen Fan would be unaware of this. He followed Chen Fan back into the Wooden House, took a deep breath, and patiently explained, "Station Chief Chen, perhaps you don’t know, but in the Wilderness, whenever the rainy season arrives..."

"Ghost Object activity becomes more frequent and erratic. Even staying near a Ghost Fire isn’t completely safe."

"Those Ghosts will even charge the Ghost Fire."

"The rainy season usually lasts for a month."

"After the rainy season comes winter. The Ghost Objects aren’t as active or erratic in the winter, but it’s too cold for most people to be out. The profits aren’t enough to maintain the stations, so they basically all shut down. They only start back up in the spring."

"But the rainy season always starts in early November; it’s been that way for decades. This year, it suddenly started in early October. Just last night, nine stations were overrun by Ghost Objects and their inhabitants were killed."

"I was lucky; no Ghost Objects attacked my station last night. But I still held onto my Ghost Map all night, not daring to shut my eyes. The moment the sun came up, I rushed over to find you. I want to get you out of here with me."

"The last time the rainy season came early was thirty-seven years ago. A Ghost Tide erupted across the Wilderness. All the stations that didn’t evacuate were wiped out. A total loss. No one knows what happened to them. Now, it’s happening again."

"We don’t have much time left. If we don’t leave today, we might not be able to leave at all."

Wang Kui was a bundle of nerves, his usual calm and shrewd demeanor completely gone. He was truly panicking. He knew he couldn’t get out of the Wilderness in a single day on foot; he needed an escort from the Wang Family. However, there was still no reply via his Sound Transmission Talisman, leaving him unable to settle his nerves.

"The chances of dying are high?"

"Very high!"

"They can’t be stopped, even with my two Arrow Towers?"

"No chance!"

A flicker of fear crossed Wang Kui’s eyes. "During a normal rainy season, you might survive if you’re lucky. But since this one came early, it’ll most likely trigger a Ghost Tide. There’s no way we can withstand that!"

"Alright, I’ll go with you!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Fan made his decision. He no longer felt any regret for the Farmland and Arrow Towers he had just built. If it was really that dangerous, staying here was suicide. Where there’s life, there’s hope.

However, in the next instant...

The color drained from Wang Kui’s face. His lips trembled for a moment before he spoke, his voice raspy. "Station Chief Chen, is it possible... for you to upgrade these two Arrow Towers again?"

"If they were Level 3 Arrow Towers, maybe there’d be some hope."

"Oh?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow, noticing the sudden shift in Wang Kui’s tone.

"A message came from the family. They can’t send an escort. The rainy season arrived too suddenly, and there isn’t enough time. They can only evacuate the stations on the outskirts of the Wilderness. As for my station, deep inside... they don’t have the capacity to get us out."

"A day isn’t enough for a round trip. No one knows what will happen tonight."

"They told me to take care and thanked me for my years of service to the Wang Family."

...

Chen Fan remained silent, his expression unreadable. ’If evacuating were an option, I’d much rather take it,’ he thought. ’The frequent Ghost Object activity during the rainy season is an opportunity, but it’s also an enormous risk. I’m not strong enough yet. I might not survive this crisis.’ 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

But since they couldn’t leave, he had to start figuring out a way to survive.

After a long pause, he spoke again.

"Station Chief Wang, to be honest with you, I’m actually an Architect."

"Yes..."

Wang Kui’s lips trembled slightly. He’d suspected as much for a while now, so there was nothing more to say about it.

"Before my mother died, she left me the legacy of an Architect. That is my foundation. From this point on, our only chance of survival rests with me. I will do everything in my power to strengthen this camp and ensure we make it through this."

"But—"

"On one condition: I need your resources and your help."

"No problem."

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Kui took a deep breath and pulled a pouch from his pocket. "There are 137 Ghost Stones in here. It’s everything I’ve saved over the years. They’re all yours, Young Master. From now on, Xiaoyu and I will follow your orders without question."

"As of this moment, I officially renounce the Wang Family. If we survive until spring, I will be your man and yours alone, Young Master."

Nearby, Lame Monkey, who had been braving the downpour to bury corpses in the Farmland, frowned as he looked at Wang Kui. ’Young Master is *my* name for him,’ he thought, irritated. ’I’m the one who’s always been his servant. You can’t just switch sides and start calling him Young Master.’

"I have some, too!" Xiaoyu quickly pulled out his own pouch. "I don’t have as much, only seventeen."

"Good!"

Chen Fan pulled out the Ghost Map, glanced at it, and immediately began issuing orders. "I have two tasks for you. First, go back to your camp and bring everything useful here."

"Food, water, clothes, bedding, handcarts—bring it all."

"Second."

"Since the Wang Family abandoned you, they must have abandoned the other nearby stations too. I want you to go to those stations as fast as you can. Bring all their people and resources back here. Tell them we can offer them protection."

"We’re going to need a lot of hands, and these people can work for us."

"But don’t give them too many details, and don’t force anyone. If they agree to come, they must be thoroughly searched before entering the camp. They’ll have to surrender any Sound Transmission Talismans or other items used for outside communication."

"Yes!"

Wang Kui nodded firmly. Without another word, he and Xiaoyu charged out into the downpour and headed for their camp.

The rainy season had come too suddenly.

’I had wanted to throw in my lot with Chen Fan for a while now, just waiting for the right moment,’ he thought. ’I never expected it to come so abruptly. But... if we can actually survive this, it might just be the best thing that had ever happened to me. Assuming we survive.’

...

...

Chen Fan watched their figures recede into the rain. He slowly closed his eyes, greedily inhaling the scent of rain on dry earth.

’This rainy season is both a great crisis and a great opportunity.’

’If I can just make it through...’

’...then for the next six months, no one can interfere with my progress. After that, I’ll have built up enough strength to return to the Chen Family and take back everything that rightfully belongs to me.’

His gaze fell upon the two pouches on the floor.

Wang Kui’s pouch contained twelve greenish stones and seventeen milky-white ones. The panel indicated the greenish ones were Level 2 Ghost Stones, each equivalent to ten Ordinary Ghost Stones, also known as Level 1 Ghost Stones.

’They’re both sincere,’ he thought.

They had handed over a total of 154 Ghost Stones. It was no small amount.

Adding them to the 46 he already possessed, he now had exactly 200 Ghost Stones.