Die, Replay, Repeat

As the Ferryman approached, a biting chill seemed to pierce straight through the group's defenses, settling deep within their bones and hearts.

All eyes were locked on the Ferryman's grotesque figure, every member of the group on high alert, their weapons ready. Yet, the Ferryman made no threatening moves. It merely stopped the boat at the shore, standing perfectly still as though waiting.

"Get on the boat," Fang Xiu ordered calmly.

Without hesitation, the group stepped aboard, though their movements were deliberate, their wariness palpable.

Taking advantage of the moment, Yang Ming bent down and scooped up the Spirit Money that Wei Xin had dropped earlier.

Once on the boat, the group instinctively kept their distance from the Ferryman, whose shriveled, skeletal form seemed too weird to be human. None dared to relax, not in this ghostly place with such a terrifying entity mere feet away.

Yang Ming examined the Spirit Money in his hands. "Ten bills, all in thousand-unit denominations. That makes ten thousand," he declared proudly.

The others leaned closer to inspect the bills, and it didn't take long for someone to notice something strange.

"This isn't the same Spirit Money used in the real world," Li Xiaoru pointed out. "From the design, it looks like something from an ancient era. I've seen a similar style in some old texts."

Li Xiaoru froze momentarily before giving an awkward laugh. "I can't remember exactly. I've read so many over the years, the titles all blur together."

Luo Qingxin took one of the Spirit Money bills and held it up, carefully rubbing it between her fingers as she examined it.

After a moment, she returned it to Yang Ming and said, "There's a faint trace of Specter energy in this. It feels a little like a Specter Gadget."

"A Specter Gadget?!" Yang Ming's eyes lit up with excitement. "Does that mean this stuff is really valuable?"

Luo Qingxin shook her head. "It contains Specter energy, yes, but it doesn't seem to have any unique functionality. In fact, prolonged exposure might destabilize your Spiritual Energy. It might be valuable here in the Land Between, but it likely has no worth in the outside world."

Yang Ming's enthusiasm vanished almost instantly.

His attention shifted to the Ferryman. "Why isn't the boat moving yet? Don't tell me that zombie was actually right—it needs payment?"

"Let me try paying," Yang Ming offered. He cautiously separated six bills from the stack and held them out to the Ferryman.

Wei Xin had mentioned the fare was one thousand Spirit Money per person, so Yang Ming calculated the amount for all six of them.

For the first time, the Ferryman moved. A low creaking echoed as its skeletal frame stirred, its bony hand reaching out to accept the Spirit Money.

The moment the bills touched the Ferryman's hand, something strange occurred.

The Spirit Money burst into flames without warning. Bright, greenish fire danced along the bills, burning them into fine black ash.

The ash swirled briefly in the air before being absorbed into the Ferryman's body, disappearing entirely.

A flicker of green flame ignited in the Ferryman's hollow eye sockets, giving the corpse an eerie semblance of life.

The Ferryman gripped his oar and began to row, the sound of creaking wood and grinding bones echoing through the oppressive silence.

The boat started to move.

Yang Ming grinned triumphantly. "Huh! That Wei Xin was bluffing! Didn't he say stolen Spirit Money couldn't be used? Well, it worked just fine for me!" ŔαɴỖ฿ƐŚ

The rest of the group remained tense and quiet. They didn't share Yang Ming's optimism. Wei Xin hadn't seemed the type to bluff.

Whatever the true consequences of their actions were, they hadn't revealed themselves yet.

As the boat glided further into the lake, the dense gray mist swallowed them, obscuring the shore from view.

The deeper they traveled, the more oppressive the atmosphere became.

The Specter energy emanating from the lake intensified, pressing heavily against their minds and bodies.

An ominous silence filled the air, broken only by the slow, rhythmic creak of the Ferryman's rowing.

A startled cry from Xiao Chuxia shattered the tense silence. "Look at the lake! There's someone in the water!"

The group leaned over cautiously, peering into the inky darkness below. What they saw left them breathless with horror.

Countless figures floated beneath the surface—pale, bloated bodies with lifeless faces, their hollow eyes staring upward as though fixed on the boat.

As the vessel drifted forward, the number of corpses increased. Their outlines grew clearer, grotesque details emerging as the dim light revealed swollen, waterlogged flesh.

Soon, the entire lake seemed to transform into a sea of corpses, so densely packed it felt as though they were gliding over bodies rather than water.

The sight sent shivers down everyone's spines. The sheer unnaturalness of it, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere, made their skin crawl.

"Damn," Yang Ming muttered, his voice trembling. "I've seen a lot of corpses in my time, but this… this is straight out of a nightmare."

Xiao Chuxia clung to Fang Xiu's sleeve, her face ashen. "This is terrifying! If someone falls in, who knows what'll happen!"

Fang Xiu's expression remained calm as he replied, "It's simple. Jump in and find out."

His words made Xiao Chuxia recoil, letting go of his sleeve and backing away. "Xiu... That's not funny! You're not actually considering jumping in, are you?"

"It's not just me," Fang Xiu said coldly. "It's all of us."

The group froze, stunned.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Chuxia asked nervously.

Fang Xiu pointed to the floor of the boat. "The boat is leaking."

Their eyes snapped downward, and terror washed over them. Sure enough, water was seeping through cracks in the boat's wooden planks.

"Damn it!" Yang Ming yelled, panic rising. "Ferryman, your boat's leaking! Do something!"

The Ferryman, unmoving except for the slow, rhythmic rowing of his oar, ignored Yang Ming's outburst.

The water level began to rise, creeping steadily higher. When the icy water touched their feet, an unnatural chill spread through their bodies—a cold so deep it felt like it reached their souls.

Li Xiaoru gasped. "This water... it's suppressing our Spiritual Energy!"

Without hesitation, Luo Qingxin stepped forward and activated her ability. "Ice Seal!"

A rush of frigid air spread from her hands, aiming to freeze the leaking water and seal the cracks.

But the moment her ability touched the lake water, it vanished, swallowed whole by the sinister energy emanating from the lake.

"It's useless," she said through gritted teeth, her voice dark with frustration. "I can't freeze it."

Xiong Tianguang and Li Xiaoru also tried using their abilities, but the lake seemed to devour every ounce of power they poured into it. Their skills fizzled out, leaving no trace of effect.

"This place is insane," Xiong Tianguang muttered, his brows furrowed. "It's nothing like the real world. Everything here is designed to kill us."

The group felt a crushing sense of helplessness. In the real world, they were elites—powerful psychics who stood at the pinnacle of their field.

But here in the Land Between, even something as mundane as a leaking boat was beyond their ability to handle.

Fang Xiu, however, remained impassive. He seemed unsurprised by their inability to counter the lake's sinister properties.

The Land Between was a realm intimately tied to the Other Side. Its horrors weren't meant to be easily overcome. In a place where even the strongest psychics could fall victim to small mistakes, nothing could be taken lightly.

Yang Ming, now frantic, turned to the Ferryman and shouted, "You took our money, and how your boat is sinking! Fix it, damn you!"

The Ferryman gave no response. His hollow sockets glowed faintly with green light, his skeletal hands gripping the oar as he continued rowing.

The water inside the boat rose steadily, reaching their ankles. The bone-chilling cold began to sap their strength.

The oppressive silence of the lake was broken only by the creaking of the boat and the grinding of the Ferryman's movements.

The group's unease deepened. They were trapped on this sinking vessel, surrounded by a lake filled with corpses and an otherworldly cold that seemed to eat away at their very existence.

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