Horror Game Designer

Chapter 690: The Key

“After they left, the other Blood City Owners instantly turned their greed this way. They modified this place into an inescapable prison.” The boy gripped his fists. “Everyone wants a piece of this cake, but they haven’t figured out how to split it. That’s why they decided to watch over Han Hai together.”

“The saviour’s departure was too suspicious. I suspect one of the other owners is behind it. Their goal might be both Xin Lu and Han Hai.” A quiet middle-aged man spoke.

“Back to the topic.” The elder raised his head. “After the saviours left, the other owners took over Han Hai and set up a script for everyone. They do not allow any power beyond the limit to appear in Han Hai. We pretended to play along. We were made from the broken flesh of a local corpse and became the only Dream Ghost allowed to exist.”

Gao Ming looked at the other five, trying to read their faces. “In other words, you’ve surrendered to the other Blood City owners.”

“We have been acting.” The boy corrected Gao Ming. “The other Blood City owners could easily kill us. After we died, they would find other people to take our spot, like your old enemy, Situ An.”

With the mention of Situ An, even the old man hissed, “We have done our best to fool the other owners, but that man had to ruin our plan and expose so many things.”

“I need exact evidence to prove that you’re not working with the other owners.” Gao Ming was ready to fight. He was down to fight to his death.

“Evidence?” The five looked at each other. With a wave from the old man, the fortress suddenly became quiet. The workers shuffled away. Even Bai Xiao and Zuo Jun left.

“The evidence is very simple.” The old man took out a sharp knife. The other four did the same. “The other owners forbade the appearance of new Dream Ghosts in Han Hai, but we’ve been doing our best to cultivate new Dream Ghosts.”

The five cut their wrists. The pain stimulated their bodies, and blood dyed their uniform. After they were attacked, a blurry figure appeared inside the massive ball of flesh. The wrathful consciousness could instantly wipe out normal ghosts.“There’s another Dream Ghost!”

“That’s right. To prevent the other Blood City Owners from discovering it, we kept this new Dream Ghost inside our body.” The old man looked vicious, with blood all over him. “Now, can you trust us? No one wishes to be trapped forever. We’ve been waiting for a chance to strike back.” The headquarters showed its hand to Gao Ming.

“Han Hai has too few Dream Ghosts. We have no chance of resistance. Thankfully, there’s a battle happening between the other Blood Cities. Some of them are distracted by Xin Lu. They are not paying us any attention. We still have time.” The old man comforted the hidden Dream Ghost and turned to Gao Ming. “While you were in the black mist, the power of the Han Hai locals rose rapidly. It was shocking. We still know too little about this dead city. It has many secrets that are alluring to the other owners.”

“Do you mean to keep waiting? We’ll start fighting back when Han Hai has nine Dream Ghosts?!” Gao Ming heard the old man’s intention.

“Yes. Even if you don’t come to us, we will find you. You need to keep a low profile after you become a Dream Ghost. The other way is to be like Headmistress Yan. Do not show any threat or hostility.” The old man shared his wisdom.

“I’ve fought with the Unmentionables from the other Blood Cities outside of Han Hai. Han Hai’s Dream Ghosts are weaker than the Unmentionables.” Gao Ming admitted.

“That is the fate we need to shoulder. Without the shelter of a Blood City, that is our only way of survival,” The old man sighed helplessly.

“The core issue is that Han Hai Blood City has been massacred. This place has been turned into a big grave. There’s only one path forward if we wish to change everything from the root.” Gao Ming’s eyes shone with determination. “That is to rebuild Han Hai.”

“Han Hai was destroyed when it was at its peak. You wish to rebuild Han Hai with a few of us?! You must be dreaming!”

The old man shook his head, but Gao Ming’s words got the boy’s approval. “Finally, someone agrees with me. Han Hai can only return to normal after the Blood City is rebuilt!”

“This is too difficult. Rebuilding Han Hai with the other owners watching is impossible!” The middle-aged man didn’t think it was possible.

“Rebuilding a Blood City requires the achievement of strenuous conditions. You need a population to support a Blood city, a collective will that can resist the shadow world, and you need to sacrifice a ghost as strong as an Unmentionable and make its soul into the new root of the Blood City.” The old man was familiar with the process. It was something he had been working on. “The power of the Dream Ghosts in Han Hai is limited. We cannot fight the Unmentionable. We cannot find an Unmentionable from the outside world willing to sacrifice itself for us.”

The Dream Ghosts could only get strong enough to fight the Unmentionables if the Blood City were rebuilt. However, to rebuild Han Hai, an Unmentionable had to be sacrificed. It was an unbreakable cycle.

“We are locked in Han Hai. We need to preserve our energy until we have nine Dream Ghosts. Then, maybe we will have a chance!” The middle-aged man was not as careful as the old man. He was mature but highly ambitious.

“Han Hai has enough resources to support nine Dream Ghosts. The other owners might attack us before we can cultivate all nine. Do you want to surrender the initiative to them?” Gao Ming took a deep breath and revealed the key. “I have in my hands a channel that leads to Xin Lu in real life. With it, human and ghost consciousnesses can leave Han Hai.”

The giant fortress became silent. The five had their gazes shifted.

Han Hai was surrounded by endless mist. This was the taboo zone of the inner world. No one could leave. The headquarters had to drain resources from the dead city to cultivate an incomplete Dream Ghost. However, Gao Ming offered them a new choice, a different path that could lead to a different future.