On the Ark.

“Literal meaning,” said the White-faced Owl. “Halloween isn’t a holiday, but an event. It’s an event brought about by one person, and wherever she is, that’s Halloween.”

Lin Ye was a little confused: "An event brought by one person? Who is it?"

“I don’t know, because she wears a mask, and everyone calls her ‘The Ghost Hunter.’ Her goal is to find the most ferocious and evil ghost in the world,” White Owl said. “To do this, she travels all over the continent, and in every new place she goes, she holds an event called ‘Halloween,’ all in an effort to find the most ferocious and evil ghost. To cooperate with her, the locals dress up as ghosts.”

Lin Ye had no idea that Halloween in the Terra world would be like this. He couldn't help but say, "This is so boring! Why would anyone dress up as a ghost for her?"

"Because this 'ghost hunter' will reward her with the ghost she deems most outstanding."

What kind of reward can we expect?

"Legend has it that it's a potion from hell," the white-faced owl said slowly. "After taking it, all pain in the body can be eliminated."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly: "Eliminate all pain in your body? This sounds so unreliable, and it's a potion from hell! Are you sure it won't just send you straight to see the King of Hell after you take it?"

The white-faced owl's feathers twitched, and then it asked with some confusion, "Who is the King of Hell?"

"...a rather fierce old man."

"Is she as fierce as Ms. Himer?"

"Well, I don't know about that. But I do know that if Hermer finds out you've been so mean to her, you're probably going to get a beating." Lin Ye thought the White Owl was incredibly mischievous, more mischievous than ever before, a total rascal, yet always acting so serious. And to make matters worse, this person was her assistant, making things really difficult. "But why are you telling me this?"

“Because that ‘ghost hunter’ has already arrived in a small town not far from Rhodes Island,” White Owl said. “That means we’re very close to Halloween, less than a day’s journey away.”

"Is that so?" Lin Ye nodded. "But what does that have to do with me?"

Don't you want to go and take a look?

"I don't want to." Lin Ye shook his head and said, "I'm not a child anymore. Just thinking about it makes me feel bored, and there's that so-called reward. The potion brought from Hell, no matter how you look at it, is unreliable, right? What's the point of wanting something so unreliable?"

“That potion is just a small reward,” the White-faced Owl said. “The most important thing is the ‘Ghost Seeker’s’ approval. Once you gain her approval, you can challenge her. If you can defeat her, you will become the most ferocious and evil ghost, and then you can make any request of her. So, Dr. Lin, are you tempted?”

"...Why should I be moved? I don't even know if that 'ghost hunter' is male or female."

"It's probably a woman."

"Even if it's a woman... wait, what does it matter to me whether it's a man or a woman?" Lin Ye realized he'd been led astray by the White-faced Owl again, so he picked up the rolled-up report paper again and lightly patted the White-faced Owl on the head, then said irritably, "Did you suddenly come to work just to tell me this? Trying to persuade me to go to some Halloween event? Don't be ridiculous, I just got back to the island, can't I just rest a bit?"

“Operator Shining Owl believes that Halloween is also a place to relax and unwind,” Shining Owl said. “All you have to do is dress up as a ghost, which is like a large outdoor masquerade ball.”

"Come on, you just said you could challenge that 'Ghost Hunter' thing."

“To challenge the ‘Ghost Seeker,’ you need to become a ‘ghost’ that she approves of, and that alone requires being one in a hundred,” the White-faced Owl shook its head and said. “Moreover, so far, no ‘ghost’ has ever been able to defeat the ‘Ghost Seeker.’ So you don’t need to make that your goal, and you’re not that powerful.”

"Thanks for reminding me." Lin Ye rolled his eyes. "But I never planned to go anyway, so it doesn't matter to me."

Are you really not planning to go?

“Why would I go? I was just trying to rest,” Lin Ye said. “This was something Kal'tsit promised me. Even if Kal'tsit called me right now and asked me to go, I absolutely wouldn’t go. Do you understand? I absolutely will not…”

"Even if that medicine might have a chance to cure Miss Liz's leg?"

"Impossible... What?" Lin Ye was stunned, thinking he had misheard. "What did you say? Say it again?"

"The Oni race of the Eastern Kingdom possesses a secret medicine that can heal bones," White Owl said slowly. "Operator Ch'en and Operator Yato have confirmed that this medicine does exist, but its quantity is extremely rare. Even in the Eastern Kingdom, it's difficult to find, let alone for us now. Moreover, the Eastern Kingdom is far too far away from us; traveling thousands of miles to find the medicine is not realistic..."

Lin Ye couldn't help but interrupt the white-faced owl, asking, "You mean, that 'ghost hunter' has this kind of secret medicine?"

“Although we cannot confirm that the ‘Ghost Seeker’s’ secret medicine is the same as the secret medicine of the Eastern Kingdom’s Ghost Clan,” the White-faced Owl said, “the ‘Ghost Seeker’ is indeed a Ghost Clan from the Eastern Kingdom, so I think this possibility is very high.”

When he learned that it was still uncertain, Lin Ye felt a little disappointed, but this disappointment was quickly overshadowed. According to the White-faced Owl, the possibility did exist, and quite a significant one at that. He thought it was worth a try, or rather, even if there was only a tiny chance, Lin Ye wanted to give it a shot.

Only by healing Nightingale's leg can the last cage binding her be broken, allowing her to become a truly flawless human being. Therefore, Lin Ye immediately asked the White-faced Owl about the location and time of "Halloween."

The white-faced owl told Lin Ye the time and place, and then asked, "Are you planning to go?"

"Of course."

“But you just said you weren’t going.” White Owl tilted its head. “You also said that even if Dr. Kal’tsit called you personally, you still wouldn’t go.”

Lin Ye blushed and said, "You're so annoying."

"As expected, Miss Liz holds a very important place in your heart," said White Owl, "much more so than Doctor Kal'tsit."

Isn't that just stating the obvious?

Lin Ye said, "Don't talk nonsense. I treat all the agents on the island who need help equally."

"Is that so?" White Owl nodded. "In that case, Operator White Owl also hopes to get your help. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat at the words of the white-faced owl, feeling as if he had fallen into a trap that the other party had prepared long ago.

What do you want me to do?

The white-faced owl said, "It's very simple. If you decide to go to 'Halloween,' please take Ifrit with you."

"Ifrit?" Lin Ye asked, puzzled. "Why do you want me to bring Ifrit? Where's Himer?"

"Ms. Hamer is away on a business trip."

"Where is Saria?"

"I went with Ms. Seria."

Lin Ye immediately understood: "Ifrit was left behind?"

“Yes.” The white-faced owl nodded. “Miss Ifrit is a little irritable because she was left alone.”

"...And then you decided to dump it on me? That's why you told me about 'Halloween'?" Lin Ye felt he had seen through the White Owl's schemes.

The white-faced owl shook its head: "There are some reasons, but it doesn't matter if you don't want to take Ifrit. I'm telling you this because I think if you knew, it would all pass anyway. Because you don't want to see Miss Liz suffer."

……

……

Author's Note: I spent the whole day at Chimelong yesterday, and I was so tired. My teammates were also too weak; they were afraid to ride this and that, just staring at the carousel and even fighting with the kids over the bumper boats (I'm referring to Meng Jingchan, who doesn't want to be named). Plus, I've been juggling events and writing these past few days, only getting a few hours of sleep each night, so I skipped yesterday and slept for a full ten hours before getting up early to write this chapter. I'm going back to Hangzhou today, and I won't skip any more chapters from now on; I'll start updating more to make up for lost time.

Chapter 359 The Black Cat with the Name "Snow" (3K)

The plum rain season in June and July is probably the most hated time for people in the south.

Despite the incessant rain, the temperature remained stubbornly high, and a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere permeated the air. In this dampness, the entire city seemed lifeless, utterly silent.

A pure black cat slowly walked under the eaves, gently wagging its tail, and sat down.

It raised its head, its black pupils reflecting the pattering rain.

Many people have said that a cat's eyes hold the world, and it seems that this is indeed true.

The little black cat watched the rain from under the eaves for about ten minutes, when it heard the sound of a door opening, footsteps, and voices behind it. It stopped watching and slowly rose, walking gracefully towards the source of the sounds. The closer it got, the clearer the voice became; it belonged to a very young man.

"Mom, I know, don't worry, I'm feeling much better lately." The door opened, and a young man wearing only a single layer of clothing appeared, drying his hair with a towel in one hand and holding a phone in the other. He said, "Medicine? I have medicine, don't worry, I can't stop taking it, relax."

The little black cat ran to the young man's side and rubbed against his leg. The young man noticed, let go of the towel he was holding, patted the little black cat's head, but didn't put down his phone, continuing to talk.

"I've had a follow-up check-up, and the doctor said my condition is stable. Maybe I even have a chance to recover completely," the young man said with a smile to his mother on the other end of the phone while petting the cat. "Don't worry, I'll eat well and sleep on time... You've said these things so many times. And I'll be able to come back to see you soon. I'll buy the ticket after I've settled Xiaoxue in foster care... This is the last one, really, I promise you, this is absolutely the last one. Don't worry, I'll definitely work hard to earn money to take care of them after I start working, really."

Ten minutes later, the call ended. The young man put down his phone, let out a long sigh, and then looked down at the little black cat at his feet. The little black cat was also looking up at him. The two looked at each other for a while, then the young man smiled first, squatted down, and stroked the little black cat's head. The little black cat closed its eyes comfortably and purred softly.

The young man laughed and said, "Talking to Mom on the phone is such a hassle, she keeps nagging. But I finally managed to convince her. Xiaoxue, soon you'll be one of the Lin family's cats too. Next year you'll meet the other five little guys. They're all very individualistic, like the little brother, who's always fighting with the other cats, even though he's a female cat. It's really troublesome... Also, I don't know how many times I've promised Mom this is the last one, but it seems like I've always said it in vain."

As he spoke, he let out a soft sigh.

The little black cat slowly opened its eyes and looked at the young man.

"Soon, you'll have a family," the young man said softly.

The little black cat tilted her head, seemingly unsure whether she understood the young man's meaning, but she still felt a sense of warmth from his words.

"Are you hungry? I'll go get you something to eat." The young man quickly stood up. "Have some fish."

This time, the little black cat understood and happily meowed. But the young man didn't move; he just stood there.

"Meow?" The little black cat waited for the young man's move.

The young man then took a step forward, but his steps were unsteady. After taking two steps, he seemed to have lost all his strength and suddenly fell to the ground.

The little black cat was terrified and instinctively tried to run away. But after taking a couple of steps, it stopped, turned around, and looked at the young man lying on the ground. He had his eyes tightly closed, clutching his chest in obvious pain. It immediately realized that the young man didn't intend to harm it, and it ran back to him, circling around him and meowing incessantly.

Normally, if the cat meowed, even if the young man was asleep, he would wake up and pet its head. This was especially true when he first brought the cat home. But this time, the young man didn't respond to its meows at all. The little black cat felt uneasy, an unease even stronger than when it had been separated from its mother.

It cried out even louder, a heart-wrenching cry, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of rain outside.

It felt as if it were about to lose something; the young man's pained expression was reflected in its pupils. It moved closer, just as its mother had done to it at birth, and licked the young man with its tongue, trying to wake him. And the young man did indeed wake up.

He opened his eyes in excruciating pain, looking at the little black cat in front of him. He wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word. He could only raise his hand with difficulty and point to the cabinet beside him. The little black cat immediately turned its head and saw the white medicine bottle on the cabinet.

The young man was speechless, but the little black cat seemed to understand something and ran towards the cabinet like a madman. Actually, the cabinet wasn't very tall, only a little over a meter, but the little black cat was just a kitten, with limited size and strength. It tried its best to jump towards the medicine bottle on the cabinet, but it still couldn't reach it.

The young man deliberately placed the medicine there, not wanting the little black cat to knock it over. And in the young man's eyes, this was a spot the little black cat, at this stage, could never reach. Previously, the little black cat would try two or three times a day, but would give up after realizing it couldn't reach it.

But today, it tried many times.

The small body looked so powerless and ridiculous in front of the tall cabinet.

The rain poured down harder and harder, as if providing accompaniment for this absurd performance.

But the little black cat still succeeded.

On its twenty-first attempt, it finally jumped onto the cabinet and bit the medicine bottle. The view above the cabinet was something it had always longed to see, but it didn't linger on its first attempt. After biting the bottle, it immediately jumped down and ran towards the young man.

It ran to the young man's side as it wished, wanting to awaken him and to receive his reward.

But the young man did not react; he lay there as if asleep.

The little black cat placed the medicine bottle in front of the young man and meowed twice.

The young man did not respond.

It licked the young man's cheek.

The young man did not respond.

It used its teeth to bite open the cap of the medicine bottle, and the pills fell out and scattered all over the ground.

The young man did not respond.

It carried the pill to the young man's mouth, intending to feed it to him.

The young man did not respond.

The only response it received was the seemingly endless sound of wind and rain.

It finally understood something, and stood before the young man, but the world was no longer reflected in its pupils.