"But it's only early October right now, yet the rainy season has arrived ahead of schedule. I've already sent word to my clan requesting an escort for evacuation. Stationmaster Chen, I know a bit about your situation—the Chen family definitely won't send anyone to get you."
"What I mean is, why don't you pull out with us? I won't report your identity to the clan; I'll just say you're a distant relative of mine working under me."
"..."
Chen Fan frowned slightly. He vaguely sensed that this torrential downpour might be out of the ordinary. "Stationmaster Wang, let's step inside first. I don't quite follow what you mean."
"Huh?"
Wang Kui was briefly taken aback. He hadn't expected Chen Fan to be unaware of this. He immediately followed Chen Fan back into the wooden cabin, drew a deep breath, and patiently explained, "Stationmaster Chen, you might not know this, but on the wasteland, every time the rainy season arrives, ghost creatures become far more active and violent. Even staying near the ghost fire isn't very safe."
"Those ghost creatures will even assault the ghost fire."
"The rainy season usually lasts for a full month."
"After the rainy season comes winter. Though the ghost creatures in winter aren't as active and violent as during the rains, the biting cold keeps most people from venturing outside. The profits aren't enough to sustain the outposts, and almost no outpost remains active. Outposts are only reopened once spring arrives."
"Except the rainy season always arrives in early November. It hasn't changed in decades. This year, it suddenly came in early October. Just last night, nine outposts were overrun and destroyed by ghost creatures."
"I got lucky. No ghost creatures rushed my outpost last night, but I clutched my ghost-skin map all night without daring to shut my eyes. As soon as dawn broke, I rushed over to find you, hoping to pull you out with us."
"The last time the rainy season came early was thirty-seven years ago. A ghost tide broke out across the wasteland back then, and every single outpost that didn't pull out was wiped out—total annihilation. Nobody knows what actually happened in the middle of it all. And now, the rainy season has come early once again."
"We don't have much time left. If we don't leave today, we might never get out."
Wang Kui appeared quite frantic now, showing none of his usual calm and shrewdness. He was genuinely panicked. With just his two legs, he could never walk out of the wasteland in a single day; he needed the Wang family to send an escort.
However, the voice transmission talisman still hadn't brought a reply, leaving him unable to settle his nerves.
"The chances of death are very high?"
"Extremely high!"
"Even with my two arrow towers, I can't hold them off?"
"You can't!"
A flicker of terror passed through Wang Kui's eyes. "If it were a normal rainy season, a bit of luck might see you through. But with the rainy season coming early, a ghost tide is almost certain to erupt. There's no way you can hold out!"
"Alright, I'll go with you!"
Chen Fan didn't hesitate for an instant. Right then and there, he stopped fretting over the farmland and arrow towers he had just built. If it was truly that dangerous, staying here was merely waiting for death. Where there's life, there's hope.
Yet in the very next instant—
Wang Kui's face suddenly turned ashen pale. After his lips trembled for a moment, he said in a raspy voice, "Stationmaster Chen, is it possible for you to... upgrade those two arrow towers of yours again?"
"If they're Level 3 arrow towers, there might still be some hope."
"Oh?"
Chen Fan's brow arched slightly, noticing the distinct shift in Wang Kui's attitude.
"Word came from the clan. They said they can't send an escort. The rainy season came too suddenly, and there isn't enough time. They can only evacuate the outposts along the perimeter of the wasteland. As for mine, sitting deep within the wasteland, they don't have the strength to evacuate us."
"A single day isn't enough for a round trip, and 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 and expressionless where he stood. If evacuation had been an option, he would have preferred to leave. Though the frequent ghost creature activity during the rainy season was an opportunity for him, it also represented tremendous peril.
His wings were not yet fully fledged, and he might not be able to weather this crisis.
But since pulling out was impossible, he had to start figuring out a solution.
After pausing for a good while, he spoke again.
"Stationmaster Wang, to tell you the truth, I am an architect."
"Mm..."
Wang Kui's lips trembled slightly. He had already guessed this; there was nothing left to say on that front.
"Before she died, my mother left me an architect's inheritance. That is my foundation. Our only chance of surviving now is placing your hopes in me. I will reinforce this camp as much as possible to ensure we stay alive."
"However—"
"The prerequisite is that I need your resources and your assistance."
"No problem."
Wang Kui hardly hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he pulled a bundle from his pocket. "Inside are a total of 137 ghost stones, my entire savings over all these years. I offer them all to you, Young Master. From here on out, Xiao Qiu and I are entirely at your command, without a single complaint."
"And starting right now, I formally sever ties with the Wang family. If we truly live to see spring, I will belong solely to you, Young Master."
Standing nearby in the pouring rain, burying corpses into the farmland, Quehou looked over at Wang Kui with a frown. 'Young Master' was his form of address—he was the servant who had followed the Young Master all along! Even if you were switching allegiances, you couldn't just go around calling him Young Master too!
"I have some too," Xiao Qiu hastily pulled a bundle from his own robes. "My savings are smaller, only seventeen stones."
"Good!"
Chen Fan pulled out the ghost-skin map from his robes, glanced over it, and immediately issued orders: "I have two tasks for you. First, return to your outpost and move everything useful to this camp."
"Food, water, including clothing, bedding, handcarts—haul it all over."
"Second."
"Since the Wang family can't evacuate you, the people at the other nearby outposts definitely can't be evacuated either. Go to the neighboring outposts as fast as possible, bring their people and resources over to our outpost, and tell them we can provide shelter."
"Going forward, we'll need plenty of hands, and these people can work for us."
"Don't reveal too much information, and don't force anyone. If they're willing, they must undergo a full-body search before entering the camp and surrender any voice transmission talismans or other means of communicating with the outside world."
"Understood!"
Wang Kui gave a forceful nod. Saying nothing more, he immediately led Xiao Qiu charging into the torrential rain, hurrying toward their own outpost.
The rainy season had arrived far too suddenly.
He had wanted to throw in his lot with Chen Fan for some time, merely waiting for an opportunity. He hadn't expected the opportunity to arrive so abruptly. But... if he could survive this, it might not be such a bad thing for him after all—in fact, it could be a monumental stroke of fortune.
Provided he could stay alive.
...
"..."
Watching their silhouettes rapidly recede into the rain, Chen Fan slowly closed his eyes and greedily breathed in the scent of rain striking the earth.
For him, this rainy season was both a tremendous opportunity and a grave crisis.
As long as he could pull through.
Then during these six months, no one would be able to interfere with his development. Six months from now, he would have accumulated enough strength and foundation to return to the Chen family and take back everything that was rightfully his.
He looked down at the two bundles on the floor.
Inside Wang Kui's bundle were twelve greenish ghost stones and seventeen milky-white ghost stones. The status panel indicated that the greenish ghost stones were Level 2 ghost stones, each equivalent to ten ordinary ghost stones—that was, Level 1 ghost stones.
The two of them were very sincere.
They had turned over a total of 154 ghost stones—no small sum.
Combined with the 46 ghost stones he currently possessed, he now held an even 200 ghost stones in his hands.
Chapter 16