After processing everything, it was nearly evening. As the sun sank in the west, the monsters began to grow restless.
Tonight was exceptionally cold. Everyone felt a chill that seeped deep into their bones; this was the influence brought about by Halloween.
And this was just in Huaxia, which wasn't a major hub for Halloween culture. One could only imagine the chaos unfolding in foreign countries.
Every light that could be lit was turned on, Jack-o'-lanterns were placed to maximize their illumination range, and bonfires were roaring.
Most people had also found ways to give themselves ghost-like makeup. As for why it was most people and not all?
It was because a few outliers didn't believe in the supernatural. They ignored Mo Shao's warnings and stayed there, practically asking for death without doing a thing.
Kind words can't persuade a ghost bent on dying; it was best to just let them do as they pleased.
Aside from those oddities, most people were able to verify the claims based on the contents of the leaflets—comparing the situations of morning and evening, for instance.
Most of them believed a significant portion of it. Besides, trying it didn't cost them anything; it was just lighting some lamps and putting on some makeup.
...
Guan Ruocheng was currently maintaining a calm facade as he managed the logistical arrangements, but in reality, he was ready to start cursing at the top of his lungs.
This whole affair was truly terrifying. Others might not know how many people had been in the neighboring Caodong City, but as the Deputy Mayor, he knew all too well.
—That was over a million people!
Forgive his coarse language, but hearing about this Halloween business was truly making it hard to hold things together.
Even if people had initially fled in eight different directions after the collapse...
If you counted the total population, there should have been 130,000 people eventually gathering here—yet now, only four thousand remained!
—And many of those had come from other locations. This meant that, on average, each person would have to fight at least 30 ghosts!
Forget 30 ghosts—could a single person even fight off 30 dogs?!
He was incredibly tense. If there had been any ancestral halls or temples he was familiar with nearby, he would have run off to offer prayers already.
However, in contrast to Guan Ruocheng, a scientist they had rescued along the way was quite interested in the phenomenon.
...One could only say that people dedicated to research were all a bit mad.
In any case, Guan Ruocheng intended to keep the risks to a minimum.
Every city gate had been locked tight, every type of plant was fully deployed, and firearms had been distributed to everyone.
The only remaining targets to deal with tonight were ghost-type monsters that guns couldn't handle directly.
It had to be said that the Minecraft tools and the Theme Gacha Machine provided by Mo Shao had been a massive help.
...
Finally, at the very first moment night truly fell, the souls of the departed revealed themselves before everyone.
The first to appear were naturally those who had died within Seven Hills City over the past few days—after all, they were the closest.
Seven Hills City had gone through a period of turmoil before a "relatively stable" situation was temporarily established; naturally, many people had died in the process.
Hordes of translucent ghosts appeared in the dark places.
Their forms roughly matched their appearance before death. Quite a few were missing limbs, making the scene exceptionally horrifying and gruesome.
“Sister?!” “Dad?” “Feng!”
Various voices and different names rang out from the survivor camp as many people saw their deceased loved ones.
While there were touching moments like these, there were naturally others...
“Honey, you’re back!” A middle-aged man rushed ecstatically toward the soul of a middle-aged woman dressed in tattered clothes.
“Hubby?” The woman's soul seemed to regain its senses.
“Yes, it’s me.” The middle-aged man tried to embrace his wife, but he only felt the void of the air. His eyes instantly widened with rage. “Honey, who killed you? I’ll avenge you!”
“Hehehehe—” Upon hearing those words, the woman's soul suddenly became filled with resentment. “It was your brother who killed me!”
This brief exchange of five sentences perfectly demonstrated how much "the dead speaking" could assist in a criminal investigation.
...
“It doesn't seem that serious?” Looking down at the scene below, Little Ka turned to Mo Shao and commented with a bit of confusion.
The two of them were currently perched atop a giant gladiator statue. There were no paths to climb up, so no one could disturb them.
“It’s just that those ghosts haven't reacted yet,” Mo Shao shook her head. This was a conflict between life and death.
Moreover, even if they didn't attack their acquaintances, that didn't mean they wouldn't attack strangers.
Furthermore, right now it was just those from Seven Hills... wait, there were no locals in Seven Hills. There were only the souls of foreign survivors who had died here.
The Phantom Realm is influenced by [Chaos], while the Real Realm is influenced by [Order]. Naturally, Chaos would not act to increase the combat strength of the Order side.
There is an opposition between the two. Phantom Realms near large Real Realms are heavily influenced by Order, so the probability of having original inhabitants is higher.
As for why Mo Shao had been able to encounter Minecraft villagers before—it was because Chaos didn't care about the vicinity of small Real Realms at all.
In fact, even if there was no Real Realm nearby, Chaos wouldn't pay it any mind. Much like those villagers—they were all just resources.
—In the current environment, you either "join Chaos" or you die. Those who can escape and reach the Real Realm are rare occurrences.
And a Real Realm of Caodong City's caliber just happened to be stuck in the middle. It couldn't be ignored, and managing it was simple.
Therefore, there were no original inhabitants in the Phantom Realms nearby.
...
Anyway, the ghosts currently present were all people who had died in Seven Hills. The true main army of ghosts had not yet arrived.
Under normal circumstances, they would be lost for a while and then, guided by the instinctual pull of Chaos, move rapidly toward human settlements.
—That was the real threat.
However, before that could happen, chaos had already broken out within Seven Hills City. Those ghosts were looking for ways to seize the bodies of the living through possession.
Furthermore, many living people were helping—for example, helping someone they knew take over the bodies of their enemies.
It had been stated earlier that ghosts could not enter the area covered by Jack-o'-lanterns—but that didn't stop the living.
A living person could drag an enemy out, wipe off the makeup on their face, and leave them open to be possessed by a ghost.
“What should we do?” Little Ka turned her head to look at Mo Shao.
She hesitated because many of the ghosts were seeking legitimate revenge, making her unsure whether they should intervene.
“Don't bother with their grievances and hatred,” Mo Shao shook her head, pointing her wand toward the distance. “We’ll find a quieter place.”
“—Then, we’ll kill whoever comes looking for us.”
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