Chapter 152 - 133: Safe Zone 1 Outer Camp

Chapter 152: Chapter 133: Safe Zone 1 Outer Camp

A member had stepped forward to slash a Ghost, and surprisingly, the entity barely put up a fight. Its lethality and terrifying nature had been drastically reduced.

"The light of the Lighthouse weakened the Ghosts!"

"Within this core area of the Lighthouse, I’m afraid an Ordinary Control Stage expert could fight a Ghost to a standstill!"

Just based on this alone, Shi An could confidently declare the Lighthouse to be terrifyingly powerful! This effect wasn’t just targeting a single Ghost, but all Ghosts within its range. Even if the most terrifying Ghost Tide of the Nightmare World were to arrive, every single one of them would be weakened first.

As for the Lighthouse’s attraction and Stealth-Breaking Abilities, Shi An hadn’t had the chance to test them yet. However, he also discovered...

He realized, "The Lighthouse has the ability to autonomously defend itself and kill Ghosts!"

Just now, that Ghost had still been relatively far from the Lighthouse. Had it wandered just a little closer, it wouldn’t have been slain by a member, but rather obliterated by a beam of light from the Lighthouse itself. Aside from automatic defense, Shi An could also control the Lighthouse with his mind.

Furthermore...

He realized, "By condensing the beam, the lethality of the Lighthouse’s light can also be increased! And this beam isn’t exclusively for killing Ghosts; it’s just exceptionally effective against them."

However, Shi An was unsure exactly how high the damage ceiling of the Lighthouse’s Light of Exorcism went. He lacked a proper test subject. But he guessed that even a Leader Level Ghost probably wouldn’t be enough to test its limits.

...

At the same time, the villagers of Elk Camp had already packed all their supplies into bags of various sizes. Many wore anxious expressions. They were worried about the dangers along the journey and felt uneasy about an uncertain future.

The village chief, Chen Jianghuai, had also collected all the camp’s foundational resources. Elk Camp still had a few treasures stashed away.

By this time, a total of eight squads comprising twenty-one Refining Stage experts had arrived at Elk Camp under Luo Susu’s leadership. This batch of reinforcements had more Refining Stage experts than the camp itself possessed, which greatly reassured the villagers present.

The group soon set off.

Many people in the camp were Ordinary Fusion Stage Dream Descenders, and quite a few were disabled. According to estimates, it would take the group a full day to reach the Safe Zone. However, thanks to the strong reinforcements from the Safe Zone and Elk Camp’s familiarity with the surrounding areas, the group safely navigated through wave after wave of Ghosts over the next few hours without any real danger.

In terms of top-tier combat power, the group had the Extraordinary Realm expert Chen Jianghuai holding the line. Even if they encountered a Leader Level Ghost, they could easily suppress and kill it. Moreover, there were over thirty Refining Stage experts guarding the group’s perimeter. As long as there were enough experts, the Ghosts would have no opportunity to strike.

They would travel for a few hours before stopping to rest, setting up a temporary camp to recover before continuing their march.

Some villagers brought water and food, offering them to the Safe Zone experts who had come to their aid. The members didn’t accept it. It wasn’t out of politeness. It was purely because...

"Friends, come try some of our stuff instead."

Someone brought out a few cans of Red Bull. Someone brought out Monster Energy. They also produced a wide variety of tasty food that could replenish energy. Since this wasn’t a long-distance expedition and they had no shortage of supplies, the members simply wouldn’t mistreat themselves.

The people of Elk Village were all a bit bewildered. Was this right? But these familiar tastes from their memories brought tears to their eyes.

"Hey, friends, don’t cry! Once you reach the Safe Zone, you can eat this stuff whenever you want. Really!"

The 24-hour Nightmare journey concluded safely despite a few scares. The villagers looked exhausted, but their taut heartstrings could finally relax. Seeing that not a single person from Elk Village was missing, Luo Susu also heaved a massive sigh of relief.

She expressed her gratitude to the escort group’s temporary captain, Profound Sword.

Profound Sword replied, "We only did our duty. If you want to thank anyone, thank the Manager."

The moment they stepped into the mining area, Luo Susu and Wu Feng could clearly feel the surrounding bone-chilling cold vanish completely. The absence of this cold, gloomy aura meant one thing... building a camp here was highly viable!

At this moment, the camp hadn’t even begun construction, but the Lighthouse standing in the center of the mining area was incredibly eye-catching. The Lighthouse’s light was soothing. As it shone upon them, all the coldness and corruption seemed to dissipate. Wisps of gray smoke even began to rise from their bodies.

"Huh? Wait, something’s wrong!"

Luo Susu, Wu Feng, and some of the villagers merely had gray smoke rising from them, which quickly vanished under the Lighthouse’s Light of Exorcism. However, some villagers revealed expressions of sheer agony. They collapsed to the ground, thrashing about as horrifying bugs crawled out of their nostrils and mouths. These bugs also quickly dissolved under the radiant light.

But then...

"Are these Ghosts?!"

"Why are there Ghosts inside our people?!" Luo Susu cried out in shock.

Further away, the eyes of another group of villagers turned blood-red. They... or rather, it was as if they had torn off their human skin to reveal their true forms.

These were Ghosts!

The members of the Safe Zone were all greatly alarmed.

"Ghosts impersonating humans?"

"No! Ghosts have replaced humans!"

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness we didn’t drink the water or eat the food the villagers offered us on the way here! Those provisions were probably laced with poison by the Ghosts! This is definitely the work of an intelligent Ghost!"

It wasn’t just Ordinary villagers. Even several members of the exploration team—those Refining Stage experts—had transformed into Ghosts. They had died long ago. The Ghosts had been born within their shells and had taken their place. This even included Shi Han, the Grand Captain of Elk Camp.

Even the village chief, the Extraordinary Realm expert Chen Jianghuai, had incredibly thick wisps of gray smoke billowing from his body.

Chen Jianghuai suddenly snapped into lucidity. He wondered why he had been so adamant about relocating the camp. Why had he never considered going out to eliminate the Ghosts outside the camp? Logically speaking, with so many people relocating, if an intelligent Ghost had been spying on them, it definitely wouldn’t have escaped his notice. Yet, he had subconsciously ignored the possibility.

Why had he ignored it? He had ignored it time and time again! He had always turned his thoughts elsewhere!

Because the Ghost was never outside the camp. It was inside. Inside his own body. His subconscious had already been influenced by the Ghost!

Countless shattered images flashed through his mind. He suddenly understood what kind of Ghost had been influencing him and replacing countless villagers.

It was... the Ghost species—the Pseudo-Men!