47: Chapter 47 Survival in 24 Hours

Chen Mo parked the car at the entrance of the Farmhouse and turned off the engine.

His body was still shaking, though much less than before. Those golden lines had calmed down, only flashing occasionally beneath his skin.

His Mental Value had bottomed out—the line displayed on the System interface was nearly invisible.

He pushed open the car door and stepped out.

His legs buckled, and he nearly knelt on the ground.

Lin Wei supported him.

"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the Basement?"

Chen Mo shook his head.

"We can't go back."

He pointed to the wild fields surrounding the Farmhouse.

"There are people outside."

Lin Wei was stunned for a moment.

She followed Chen Mo's gaze—there was nothing, only endless wild grass and the night.

But in Chen Mo's Time Perception, three dots were moving.

They were about five hundred meters away, approaching this location.

They weren't Ghost Shadows; they were people.

And there was more than one wave.

The commotion from the battle had been too loud.

The death of the Time-Lag Ghost and the ripples from the time reversals must have alerted the nearby Chosen Ones.

Now they were rushing over, hoping to see if there were any easy pickings.

In Chen Mo's current state, he couldn't fight.

But he could hide.

"Follow me."

He leaned on Lin Wei's shoulder, walking step by step toward the wild fields behind the Farmhouse.

There was a patch of waist-high wild grass there, hiding a small earthen pit—an emergency shelter he had dug earlier.

The two of them slid into the pit, and Chen Mo covered the opening with wild grass.

Darkness instantly swallowed everything.

Chen Mo closed his eyes, his Time Perception operating at full capacity.

Everything within a thirty-meter radius was under his control.

Those three dots were getting closer and closer.

They stopped at the entrance of the Farmhouse.

"The car is still here, but the person is gone," a man's voice said.

"Go in and search," another voice added.

The sound of footsteps.

The sound of things being rummaged through.

The sound of cursing.

"There's nothing."

"Impossible. That car belongs to Chen Mo; he must be nearby."

"Split up and look."

The footsteps dispersed.

Chen Mo felt someone approaching their location.

The person stopped right next to the earthen pit.

Chen Mo held his breath.

Lin Wei held hers as well.

The person stood there for a long time.

So long that Chen Mo thought he had discovered something.

Then he spoke.

"Nothing over here."

He turned and walked away.

The footsteps grew more distant.

Chen Mo slowly exhaled.

The first wave was over.

But he knew this was only the beginning.

24 hours.

He had to hide here for 24 hours.

The first hour.

A second wave of people arrived.

This time there were four.

They searched the Farmhouse once, found nothing, and began searching the wild fields.

Two people walked toward the earthen pit.

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.

If discovered, he would have no choice but to fight for his life.

But those two people stopped five meters away from the pit.

"There's a snake."

"Where?"

"I saw it just now, but it vanished in the blink of an eye."

"Forget the snake; finding the person is more important."

The two continued forward, bypassing the earthen pit.

They didn't find them.

Chen Mo loosened his grip on the cleaver.

The third hour.

It grew dark.

Ghost Night descended.

Those wails came from the distance, getting closer and closer.

New dots appeared in Chen Mo's Time Perception.

Not people.

Ghost Shadows.

Three F-rank ones were wandering in the wild fields.

They drifted toward the Farmhouse.

Then they stopped.

Because there was the scent of humans around the Farmhouse.

The three Ghost Shadows lingered at the Farmhouse entrance, refusing to leave.

Meanwhile, those people were still searching the wild fields.

Chen Mo watched those dots move, cross, and separate.

Both the people and the Ghost Shadows were looking for him.

But neither discovered his hiding place.

The sixth hour.

A wave of people and a wave of Ghost Shadows clashed.

The sounds of fighting came from the distance.

Gunshots.

Screams of agony.

The wailing of Ghost Shadows.

Then it went quiet.

In Chen Mo's Time Perception, the dots representing that wave of people vanished.

One Ghost Shadow was gone.

The remaining two continued to wander.

The eighth hour.

Another wave of people arrived.

This time there was only one.

But he didn't enter the Farmhouse, nor did he search.

He just stood at the Farmhouse entrance and shouted.

"Chen Mo, I know you're nearby."

"I'm not here to cause you trouble."

"I'm one of Iron Bear's men. He sent me to tell you that the favor he owes you can be repaid at any time."

"If you're still alive, go find him at Highway 17."

The man stood for a while, then left.

Chen Mo didn't say a word.

But he remembered it.

The twelfth hour.

Chen Mo's body began to recover.

Those golden lines became active again, and his Mental Value slowly rose.

He opened his eyes and looked outside through the gaps in the wild grass.

It was almost dawn.

Ghost Night was about to end.

The wandering Ghost Shadows had already vanished.

Only a few waves of people were still lingering in the distance.

But their patience was also nearing its end.

The fifteenth hour.

Another wave left.

The eighteenth hour.

Only the last wave remained.

The twentieth hour.

The last wave of people also left.

The twenty-fourth hour.

Chen Mo crawled out of the earthen pit.

The sunlight shone on him, feeling warm and cozy.

He stood in place and stretched his stiff body.

Lin Wei also crawled out and stood beside him.

"Is it over?"

Chen Mo nodded.

He opened the System interface.

[24-Hour Survival Completed]

[Threats Evaded: 7 waves]

[Kills: 0]

[Evaluation: Perfect]

[Obtained Special Reward: Stealth Specialization]

[Stealth Specialization: Probability of being discovered while hidden reduced by 30%]

Chen Mo looked at that line of text.

Stealth Specialization.

From now on, when he hid, it would be even harder to find him.

He turned and walked toward the Farmhouse.

The Basement door was still open, and the inside was a mess—those people had searched it.

But he had all the important things on him.

Chen Mo sat on the bed and took out the five time core fragments.

Now, he could promote.

He closed his eyes and let the energy from the fragments surge into his body.

Golden light shone through his skin, growing brighter and brighter.

The entire Basement was illuminated.

Lin Wei stood at the doorway, watching him.

Not sure how much time had passed.

The light faded.

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

In those eyes, the golden light was even brighter than before.

[Promotion Completed]

[Current Sequence: Ghost Hunter (C-rank)]

[Core Ability Unlocked: Eerie Power Burst]

[Eerie Power Burst: Briefly increases all attributes by 50% for 30 seconds, cooldown 24 hours]

[Pupil of the Sequence Evolution: Elementary Pupil -> Eye of Sinister Sight]

Prediction extended to 10 seconds

Time Perception range expanded to 50 meters

Chen Mo stood up.

His body was filled with power, a feeling that was hard to describe—it wasn't just becoming stronger, but becoming more... complete.

He walked out of the Basement.

Outside, the sunlight was just right.

Lin Wei stood in the yard, looking at him.

"C-rank now?"

Chen Mo nodded.

Lin Wei smiled.

"Congratulations."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He just looked at that gray highway in the distance.

Source of the Sequence.

He would go back there soon.

But this time, he would go in alive and come out alive.