Building Name: Arrow Tower

The very next moment— The ten ghost stones on the ground suddenly shattered, dissolving into a milky-white liquid that surged into midair. At the same time, the faint phantom of an arrow tower woven from white lines appeared in the air. As the milky-white fluid poured into the spectral silhouette, the once-illusory tower gradually grew solid, rustic, and substantial. With a thought from Chen Fan, the arrow tower settled steadily near the ghost fire, standing right at the center of the camp. *** [Building Name]: Arrow Tower [Building Grade]: White [Building Level]: Level 1 [Building Effect]: Deals a certain amount of damage to low-level ghost creatures. Automatically attacks ghost creatures that enter the ghost fire's perimeter, or attacks other creatures according to the lord's command. Requires 1 embedded ghost stone to supply energy for attacks. Note: Upgrading to Level 2 requires 20 ghost stones. *** Taking it in at a glance, the wooden arrow tower stood over three meters tall in the middle of the camp, pitch-black from top to bottom. The repeating crossbow mechanism atop the tower gleamed brilliantly, its components reflecting a chilly glint under the sunlight, gears interlocking in flawless precision. At the base of the tower was a slot, just large enough to fit a single ghost stone. "Pretty good." A trace of pride inadvertently showed in Chen Fan's eyes. The presence of this structure gave him a far greater sense of security. He had scouted Stationmaster Wang's outpost; while that place looked decent, it possessed nothing like an arrow tower. Fully automatic attacks. There was no need to station an archer inside. It used a repeating crossbow, and at a glance, its firepower was clearly formidable—certainly greater than a bear trap. After all, a bear trap's primary function was to pin a ghost creature down so one could endure the night; once dawn broke, those trapped creatures would perish upon contact with the light. Only... He hesitated slightly. The ghost creature that had broken free of the bear trap last night was definitely a big one. Could a Level 1 arrow tower truly hold it off? He still had twenty-five ghost stones left. Why not upgrade it to Level 2 first? After a moment's contemplation, he hesitated no longer. Better to have surplus damage than to fall short. If that big creature truly came tonight and his arrow tower lacked the power to stop it, then no matter how many ghost stones he hoarded, he wouldn't be alive to spend them. The next instant! With a shift of his will, the twenty ghost stones on the ground abruptly shattered, turning into milky-white liquid that flooded into the arrow tower. Immediately after, a panel popped up before him. *** [Arrow Tower upgraded to Level 2.] [Please choose an upgrade path.] [1: Add an additional repeating crossbow atop the arrow tower.] [2: Enhance the repeating crossbow's power.] [3: Increase the repeating crossbow's firing speed.] *** "Huh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Fan's eyes. He genuinely hadn't expected buildings to offer branching paths upon leveling up. Did every upgrade come with an upgrade path choice? All three options would visibly bolster the tower's strength. However, the first and third options mainly enhanced its ability to cull lesser minions. What he needed to deal with right now was the big creature that might attack tonight, making the second option the most suitable by far. Once he confirmed the second upgrade path, the arrow tower before him began to transform. The original all-wooden structure seemed to come alive, sprouting a stone skeleton that turned it into a sturdier composite of wood and stone. The bolts loaded into the crossbow at the top grew darker and harder in appearance, and their size increased slightly. A single glance was enough to imagine the visceral sensation of being impaled by one. "Not bad!" He nodded with satisfaction and slotted a ghost stone into the recess at the tower's base. A Level 2 arrow tower offered far more peace of mind. He didn't know what level the beast that escaped the trap last night was, but Level 2 ought to be enough to handle it, right? Even if it wasn't, he had no other options. This was the limit of what he could do. "Phew..." With all this done, he finally felt ready to get some rest. He had four ghost stones remaining and would put off developing farmland for now; he still didn't know how fast the arrow tower would burn through ghost stones, so he needed to keep some ammunition in reserve. Furthermore, the ghost fire could only last one more night, so he had to keep a reserve for that as well. Last night, they had slain thirty-seven monkey-headed ghosts in total. Yet... Only a single exotic treasure had dropped—those monkey-head mushroom seeds. The drop rate was indeed pitifully low. As for a Level 3 arrow tower... He glanced at the requirements. Upgrading to Level 3 required fifty ghost stones. For now, it was completely out of reach. Time to sleep. ... Chen Fan slept quite soundly this time, only to be roused groggily by shouting outside the cabin. He stretched, instinctively reaching toward the bedside stand for a cigarette, only to grasp empty air. He froze for a second, took in his surroundings, and finally remembered where he was. Shaking his head with a self-deprecating smile, he quickly washed his face and walked outside. Twilight was settling in. The sun was on the verge of dipping below the horizon; in the time it took three sticks of incense to burn at most, Eternal Night would descend. Quehou stood in the camp, spear in hand, glaring warily at a mother and daughter. "Get lost right now, or don't blame me for being ruthless!" he rasped. "What's going on?" Chen Fan gave a lazy stretch, glanced at the sturdy arrow tower standing at the center of the camp, and smiled in satisfaction. "Young Master." Quehou hurried over with a limp. "This mother and daughter don't have any ghost stones, but they want to stay the night." "My lords..." The moment the middle-aged woman outside the camp—dressed in tattered clothes and a headscarf—saw Chen Fan, she dropped to her knees on the wasteland. Her pale face was etched with the exhaustion and weathering of a long journey, and her voice sounded parched, hoarse, and laced with bitterness. "We were originally a family of three, but bandits killed my child's father along the way, leaving just the two of us. They robbed us of all our travel money, too. "It's almost dark. "I beg you, kind sir, take pity on us and shelter us tonight, or else... or else..." Behind her stood a graceful young girl of about sixteen or seventeen, clutching tightly to her mother's hem. Her eyes brimmed with terror at the encroaching darkness, making for an utterly pitiful sight. "Sounds good." Chen Fan glanced at the sinking sun, then shifted his gaze down to the ground beneath the pair's feet. A sudden grin broke across his face. Without the slightest hesitation, he snatched the spear from Quehou's grip and thrust forward, driving it cleanly through the woman's skull. Blood sprayed. Immediately yanking the spear back, he dashed beyond the camp's boundary. In just two or three strides, he caught up to the young girl, who had turned to flee the moment things went wrong, and ran the spear straight through her back, piercing her heart! His movements were crisp and decisive. Under the twilight, dusk deepened. The glow radiating from the campfire felt like the only sanctuary on the desolate wasteland, providing an immense sense of security. Chen Fan walked back into camp leaning on the spear. Tossing a stone radiating faint white light in his hand, he looked at Quehou and smiled. "If you run into things like this in the future, don't drive them away. Kill them on the spot. "Otherwise, wouldn't you be letting a windfall slip right through your fingers?" Behind him, the corpses of the mother and daughter rapidly shrank and shriveled, morphing into ghost creatures even smaller than monkey-headed ghosts—resembling stillborn infants, deeply horrifying to behold.