Chapter 186 Maybe Brothers

Chapter 186: Perhaps Brothers

Su Bai led the Jin brothers to the street intersection in the dense fog for two reasons: he suspected Xia Anan and Lei Ming, having lost their way, might have stayed nearby; and he wished to see the Everlasting Lamps.

The ten Everlasting Lamps were arguably the cornerstone of Fog City. The Fog City Lord had used them to stabilize the eerie mist, creating a city isolated from the Red Moon. Su Bai was therefore eager to witness the kind of entity that wielded such immense power.

Unfortunately, even after Su Bai and the Jin brothers "parted ways" with Xia Anan and Lei Ming, he sensed nothing resembling a "lamp" nearby. Preoccupied with matters concerning Su Xuan, he had even forgotten to inquire about the Everlasting Lamps.

By the time Su Bai realized this oversight, Xia Anan's piercing screams had already faded into the fog. It proved that no matter how composed Su Bai believed himself to be, the news about Su Xuan had still left him somewhat distracted.

As Su Bai guided the Jin brothers out of the misty area, they encountered numerous specters emerging from the fog. Perhaps due to his unsettled mood, Su Bai's approach to these eerie entities became notably "brutal."

"That... sir seems to be in a rather foul mood?" Jin Zheng dodged the remnants of a ghost flung from ahead, then watched his younger brother, Jin Yi, deliver a final blow to the ghost's head with a folding shovel. After all, no one knew if these abominations could continue attacking solely with their heads.

But...

"You got the shovel back?" Jin Zheng looked surprised at the shovel in Jin Yi's hand, then noticed an additional backpack on his brother's back, besides the original large one. "Did you retrieve the other items too?"

Both the exceptionally sharp shovel and the seemingly ordinary backpack were items the Jin brothers had acquired in the nightmare world, but they had been stolen when Xia Anan left a note and fled.

"We couldn't possibly trouble that sir with such a trivial matter, could we? So, while he was dealing with the ghosts earlier, I seized the opportunity when they weren't looking and retrieved them directly." Jin Yi forced a smile, a mixture of relief and resignation. "It's just a pity about the rope tied to Xia Anan and Lei Ming. That item was quite useful, but now it's just tuition paid."

The two brothers followed closely behind Su Bai. Although the increasing number of ghosts along the way meant they constantly helped fend off attacks from both sides, Su Bai bore the brunt of the pressure, allowing the brothers brief moments to converse.

Setting aside his infatuation when misled by Xia Anan, the younger brother Jin Yi was far more perceptive than his older brother. He couldn't help but muse to Jin Zheng, "Jin Zheng, I've been thinking about that sir's initial reaction to the name 'Su Xuan,' and how he was willing to accompany us into this dreadful place for Su Xuan's sake. I can't help but feel... perhaps his reason for entering the misty area with us isn't solely because we know Su Xuan?"

"What else could it be?" Jin Zheng was more straightforward and less prone to speculation than his younger brother.

"Think about it. Although Su Xuan was a bit unkempt, we could tell at a glance that he resembled that sir. Plus, that sir had such a strong reaction upon hearing Su Xuan’s name..." Jin Yi paused. "Su Xuan must be a very important relative to him, right? Or perhaps, like us, they are brothers?"

"On the path of seeking family bonds, encountering a pair of pitiful brothers in peril, a mysterious powerhouse is stirred by nostalgia and resolutely lends a helping hand..."

"..."

"Focus! The number of ghosts around us is increasing!" Despite the roars of ghosts and the clashing of weapons, and the Jin brothers' quiet voices, Su Bai, standing ahead, heard their conversation clearly.

However, in a way, Jin Yi's speculation might just be correct.

Upon hearing Su Bai's voice, Jin Yi and Jin Zheng ceased their irrelevant conjectures and once again closed the distance between themselves and Su Bai, carefully advancing while trying not to step on each other's feet.

As dire as the current situation was, the rate at which Su Bai's power was depleting was equally concerning.

In the three months since entering Fog City, Su Bai had used meditation to strengthen his control over his internal power, reducing consumption when using his abilities. However, during this period, Su Bai could neither draw power from the Red Moon nor acquire new goods for the Mist Shop. Thus, no matter how slowly his energy was consumed, his reserves would eventually run out.

The number of ghosts around them kept increasing, as if all the Fog City inhabitants in the misty area had transformed into ghosts, completely stripped of their human consciousness and filled with aggression. These ghosts, like those outside Fog City, were drawn to the aura of despair and dread emitted by humans in desperate situations. After locking onto Su Bai and the Jin brothers, the eerie entities used the fog's cover to continuously launch assaults and even silent sneak attacks. If not for Su Bai's ability to see through the fog, they would have long been consumed entirely by the ghosts.

Su Bai was acutely aware of his power consumption and confident he could leave the misty area safely alone.

However, the Jin brothers, responsible for Su Bai's rear guard, lacked the ability to withstand the countless ghosts in the fog. Thus, besides dealing with frontal attacks, Su Bai also had to alleviate the pressure on the Jin brothers, which significantly increased his own burden.

After circling a few times, Su Bai, familiar with Fog City's map and street layouts, led the Jin brothers to temporarily avoid the ghost-infested blocks and detour to a relatively open ruin. Before the fog descended, this place was likely a small square behind the commercial street.

Su Bai stopped at a certain spot in the ruins, his gaze falling on a broken door with a handle beside him.

"Sir?" Jin Zheng and Jin Yi, having suddenly stopped after their frantic escape, were still regaining their composure and cautiously scanning their surroundings, unsure what might leap at them next.

"Let's rest for a while first," Su Bai said, extending his left hand to grip the door handle, then pushed open the door amidst the ruins.

Rest?

The Jin brothers stood before the broken door. To them, the surrounding structures were reduced to two walls and a broken door—a truly and utterly dilapidated ruin incapable of warding off ghosts, with no apparent reason to even open the door. If Jin Zheng and Jin Yi hadn't witnessed Su Bai's abilities, they might have thought he had become mentally disoriented after the intense fighting.

Just as the two brothers were unsure how to dissuade Su Bai, he pushed open the rickety door.

In that instant, in the blink of an eye, an ordinary store appeared before Jin Zheng and Jin Yi.

"How... how is this possible?"