After the hearse connected to the Eastern Suburbs, it unlocked two four-star missions and one three-and-a-half-star trial mission — something Chen Ge hadn't expected at all.
"There might be a connection between these missions. The mastermind behind the Eastern Suburbs could be hiding in one of these scenarios." Chen Ge stared at the mission details on the black phone, unable to calm down for a long time.
"Xinhai Central Hospital — I've never even heard of that place. And the Nether Fetus mission — just from the name alone, I can't begin to guess what the actual objective will be."
Chen Ge was troubled. The peak three-star horror scenarios had already produced freaks like Dr. Haoran, so it was entirely possible that the four-star scenarios would contain beings above Red Coat level.
The gap between ordinary vengeful ghosts and Red Coats was something Chen Ge understood all too well.
By that same logic, whatever existed above Red Coat level would far surpass ordinary Red Coats in power. Even top-tier Red Coats like Zhang Ya might not be their match.
Chen Ge thought back through every ghost he had encountered since obtaining the black phone, trying to use that experience to estimate the strength of beings above Red Coat.
"Remnant thoughts can't communicate. Obsessions are just a lingering imprint of the unwilling to pass on — they even fear people with strong yang energy."
"Ordinary vengeful ghosts don't dare appear during the day. Most are tethered to an object from when they were alive and can't leave it. But special-type vengeful ghosts are completely different. Each one possesses a unique ability, and even if their true body is restricted, they can toy with the living effortlessly."
"Above that are half-body Red Coats — vengeful ghosts qualified to become full Red Coats, and every single one is a violent, brutal monster."
"After going through hell to recover their heart, a half-body Red Coat becomes a true Red Coat. They can manipulate eerie blood threads and possess all manner of strange powers."
"I've seen Zhang Ya fight. Her methods are pretty similar to other Red Coats — the only difference is that her black hair seems practically infinite. Once you get tangled in it, you're dragged into an endless ocean of despair."
Zhang Ya was without question the strongest ghost Chen Ge had, but her combat methods still fell within a certain range. She could be considered one of the more powerful Red Coats, but there hadn't been any qualitative transformation.
"The black bloodstains the Ghost Talk Association obtained from behind the door seem to be useful for Zhang Ya, but after she devoured them before, she clearly became more volatile and terrifying. If she keeps consuming those black bloodstains, Zhang Ya could very well lose control."
When it came to this top-tier Red Coat who lived inside his own shadow, Chen Ge honestly didn't know what attitude he should take.
"Forget it — no point worrying about all this right now. I'll deal with the black bloodstains when I find them."
The Liwan Ghost Town trial mission had a difficulty of three and a half stars — half a star higher than the Underground Corpse Library. With Zhang Ya injured and Xu Yin still missing his heart, after turning it over in his mind, Chen Ge decided it was best not to activate this mission.
"I'll handle the three-star missions first, then come back to this one once I have more Red Coats." Chen Ge looked at the clearing where the hearse was parked. The driver had said there should be a bus stop sign here, and in his own experience playing the game, he'd seen one at this location too. But now that he was actually in Liwan Town, the sign was gone.
This detail alone revealed quite a lot. The ghost lurking deep within Liwan Ghost Town was clearly wary of Chen Ge.
"The driver said his mission was to bring the living to Liwan Town. They want to cultivate something here. The mastermind is probably afraid I'll mess things up and ruin everything they've worked for."
Starting years ago, the mastermind had funneled all the despair of the Eastern Suburbs into this small town. They'd gone so far as to create an uncontrolled door right here. With all that effort, whatever they were trying to cultivate was almost certainly not just a Red Coat.
Chen Ge thought of the countless children who had perished in Liwan Town in Fan Cong's game. His gaze drifted downward to the four-star trial mission listed beneath the Liwan Ghost Town trial — Nether Fetus.
"These two missions are probably connected. Could the Nether Fetus be the very thing the shadow has been raising in Liwan Town?"
A mission rated four stars by the black phone certainly had to be terrifying, but Chen Ge had far too little information at hand to draw any useful conclusions.
"I need to find Little Bu first! Until I've beaten the game, I'm putting the Liwan Ghost Town trial on hold."
The game corresponded to reality — the various storylines in the game aligned with real-world killings one to one. Chen Ge felt that as long as he could fully clear the game and uncover every side quest, then coming back to tackle the Liwan Ghost Town mission would be like having a walkthrough — he could avoid as much danger as possible.
"I'm still not strong enough."
Feeling unsettled, the appearance of two consecutive four-star scenarios gave Chen Ge a sense of crisis.
"I can't let a single opportunity to strengthen the haunted house slip by." As if struck by a thought, Chen Ge picked up the unconscious child and carried him back onto the Route 104 hearse.
Sitting in the driver's seat, Chen Ge tried starting the hearse and found it had deteriorated severely — it felt like it could fall apart at any moment.
He stepped on the gas and turned the vehicle around.
The vast expanse of Liwan Town, after midnight, showed not a single glimmer of light. Chen Ge drove the hearse himself down the silent streets.
He brought the hearse to the entrance of Liwan Town and spotted a solitary red figure standing at a platform on the side of the road.
After parking, Chen Ge had Xu Yin carry the middle-aged woman off the hearse.
The moment that middle-aged woman emerged from the vehicle, the Red Raincoat's eyes instantly turned red. She was on the verge of losing control.
"Kill her, and no one will ever know where your child is." Chen Ge stepped in front of the Red Raincoat. The killing intent she had just unleashed was intense enough to make even him uncomfortable. "She was the one who sent your child into Liwan Town, but exactly where — that's something we need to ask her about."
The Red Raincoat gradually calmed down. Her gaze shifted away from the middle-aged woman, and her eyes settled on Chen Ge.
This was also the first time Chen Ge took a good look at the Red Raincoat's face. Small scars remained along her neck and cheeks, and her mouth had been sewn shut with blood threads. If she wanted to speak, she would have to endure the pain of her lips being torn apart.
"You've been through a lot. I genuinely want to help you. I'll hand this woman over to you — I hope you can find out where your child is." Chen Ge sighed. "You didn't dare enter Liwan Town, and you must have your reasons. But if you want to find your child, you'll have to go in. I'm not asking you to follow my orders or do as I say. I just want you to know — when the time comes, I'll go with you to search for your child."
The Red Raincoat wavered, and Chen Ge pressed his advantage, adding a few more words: "Once you've found out where your child is, you can come find me at the haunted house in the New Century Paradise in the Western Suburbs. As the president of the Ghost Talk Association, I give you my word — no matter how dangerous Liwan Town is, I will go in with you and find your child."