Chapter 49

Hao Ren enthusiastically studied the new changes in his body, firmly believing that this was the gradual manifestation of the physical enhancement promised by Raven 12345. There was no doubt about it—normal people couldn't see tree branches two or three kilometers away in the dark, even in broad daylight, but Hao Ren found it quite easy.

This unexpected joy even made him temporarily forget about the castle, and he focused on testing his eyes. He discovered that the sudden acquisition of super night vision and an astonishing visual range did not bring any inconvenience. He could only see several kilometers at night when he concentrated, but under normal circumstances, his vision remained unchanged, as if his eyes had a high-intelligence night vision zoom lens that could switch freely, as if... as if he had been born with this ability.

"That Raven didn't screw me over this time," Hao Ren happily pressed his temples, "She said the physical enhancement would gradually open up as I adapted, with no side effects. Now it looks like... at least the vision control is pretty smooth."

"Hmph, just being able to see a bit further at night, look at you getting so excited," Vivian snorted, "You only improved your eyesight, but your other physical attributes haven't changed, right?"

"You can't say that. I started as an ordinary person, so any special ability is a huge improvement," Hao Ren said seriously, "Think about it, you usually don't have more than 200 yuan in your pocket, right? If one day you suddenly had 1000 yuan and it wouldn't be lost, how would you feel?"

Vivian was taken aback, and then her face lit up visibly.

Hao Ren spread his hands, "See, same principle."

At this moment, Lily finally cleaned the grass and dirt out of her hair. She looked at the nearby castle, "When are we going in? When will the connection you mentioned appear, landlord?"

"It should have appeared by now," Hao Ren finally remembered the main purpose of the trip. He scratched the back of his head and took out the data terminal, "Hey, any new information?"

"No, the device has not received any updated mission information. The target has not appeared. It is recommended that the owner wait at the current position."

A message floated in the air above the data terminal, then it went back into standby mode. Hao Ren tapped the casing a few times, and a line appeared on the device: "The device is contemplating life. Please do not disturb unless it's an important matter." Then it went silent again.

"Another critical moment, and it fails," Hao Ren looked at the data terminal, which had never been very useful since he got it, and then turned his gaze to the small campsite nearby, "By the way, they haven't gone to check the castle, even though they're here to catch ghosts? Just waiting outside the castle?"

"Probably a bit wary of the situation inside the castle. And with a ruin like this, who would dare to go in casually?" Vivian said, looking up at the moon, "The moonlight is being blocked by the clouds. If there are any spirits, this would be the time."

As soon as she said that, Hao Ren became tense. However, the "ghost hunters" nearby seemed oblivious. They gathered in groups around the tents or large vehicles, some laughing loudly, some whispering mysteriously, and some even laid out picnic blankets, inviting a few acquaintances to eat and drink. Despite the late hour, no one looked tired, as if they were nocturnal animals. The atmosphere was more like a costume party than a ghost-hunting operation. The European man who had car-pooled with Nangong had already befriended a few drunkards.

The innkeeper Angus, who had driven Nangong and the others, seemed unwilling to join the "professionals'" late-night party. The fat uncle spoke a few words to Nangong and then wobbled back to his car, started the engine, and left the small campsite. It seemed that Nangong and the others had only asked Angus to bring them here and didn't plan to leave that night.

Among the enthusiastic ghost hunters, Nangong and the Indian monk stood out the most. They didn't join the lively group at the tent, nor did they use strange spirit detectors to take pictures of the castle. A few "ghost hunters" dressed like medieval alchemists called out to them to join their drinking, but Nangong and the Indian monk ignored them. They each found a quiet spot and began to check their equipment.

Nangong opened his black suitcase and took out a small crossbow with a unique design. The crossbow looked more like a piece of art than a weapon, and its size made one doubt its effectiveness. Nangong carefully placed the crossbow on his person, then took out a black belt with many silver arrows and wrapped it around his waist. Finally, he took out a monocle from the suitcase's hidden compartment and put it on, completing his preparations.

The Indian monk, meanwhile, took out a small pot of spices from his colorful robe and sprinkled them on himself and the ground around him, his expression solemn, muttering to himself. Unlike the frivolous and ridiculous ghost hunters around him, the thin Indian monk seemed more like a genuine demon hunter. Hao Ren's gaze was almost entirely on the monk, sensing a subtle aura of expertise from him.

But this aura of expertise was not something everyone could sense. The European men nearby, who were having a picnic, saw the thin old man with the spices and immediately sent a representative to buy a box of spices from him... to sprinkle on their grilled meat...

Hao Ren immediately lost all hope for these "professional" ghost hunters.

Are they all here to die?!

"Look at those two," Hao Ren pointed to Nangong and the Indian monk, his newly enhanced eyes allowing him to see their every move clearly, "They really seem to know what they're doing, completely different from the others."

"Hmm, they do seem to have some skills," Vivian frowned, "I thought Nangong was just a pure fraud, but it turns out he knows his stuff. Those silver arrows are not only made of silver but also contain special demon-repelling components. Look at the moonlight reflecting off the arrowheads, it has a faint blue hue. And the spices the Indian monk is using make me uncomfortable... even from this distance."

Hao Ren was startled: Vivian, a high-level vampire who could almost be called a living fossil, was wary of the spices the Indian monk was using?

Could this suddenly appearing Indian monk really be a hidden expert?!

"I don't like curry," Vivian frowned, "Eating curry in India gave me a bad stomach for a long time."

Hao Ren: "..."

Just then, Hao Ren noticed the moonlight suddenly dimming. Looking up, he saw that the thick clouds had completely blocked the moon.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the moment the moonlight was blocked, Hao Ren vaguely heard a low, wailing sound in the wind.

"There's movement at the castle!" Lily's tail suddenly fluffed up, her golden eyes unusually bright, "There's light!"

Without Lily's reminder, Hao Ren also saw the unusual activity at the castle. Almost as soon as the moonlight was blocked, several faint glows appeared in the completely collapsed ruins. The glows lasted a few seconds before gradually disappearing, but soon reappeared in other parts of the castle. At the same time, a whistling wind sound came from the ruins—despite there being no wind at all nearby!

Hao Ren swallowed hard, "Holy crap... there really are ghosts!"