The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu was not surprised by the answer.

Judging from Zhao Rong's earlier action of using a detector to track his location, they did indeed possess certain tracking methods, and their purpose was clear.

He thought for a moment, then asked directly, "What do you want from me?"

Zhao Rong mentioned that he had previously received a report about Su Mu, which included his encounter with Bai Liuxi's team in the Dark Zone and subsequent records on the Ash City defense line.

They also knew that he had participated in the defense of Ash City and that he had been in contact with Bai Liuxi.

He didn't elaborate on the more specific details, but judging from the battle he had just witnessed, they didn't need any further confirmation.

The fact that Su Mu was able to fight continuously on a battlefield of this caliber and lead the final stage in killing the Bone-Faced General speaks volumes.

Su Mu waited for him to finish speaking before saying, "I have no ill will towards Da Feng. During that evacuation, Bai Liuxi and her team covered our retreat, and I remember that favor."

His tone changed slightly from before, "If what you're talking about joining is in the same direction as what those people are doing, then I'm willing to consider it."

Zhao Rong did not respond immediately.

He paused briefly, as if to confirm his response, before saying, "The specific terms and conditions and list of powers can be provided later. You can review them before deciding whether to join." Su Mu nodded.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the night sky above his head suddenly changed.

The dark purple mist that had been maintaining some gaps was rapidly closing in, and the area it covered extended to a more distant region within just a few dozen seconds.

Immediately afterwards, a cold announcement was issued.

The announcement was brief and clear:

Ash City has been completely overrun by ghosts. All cableway survivors will be forced to evacuate within one minute.

Su Mu stood there, frowning.

It ended so quickly?

At that moment, all the soldiers in the wind behind and around him stopped. Some stood quietly after seeing the announcement, while others looked away from the panel and focused their gaze on the area in front of them that had been covered by the night fog again.

No one ran away, no one moved, and no one made any unnecessary noise.

But that silence itself felt more like an extreme solemnity.

Zhao Rong stood next to Su Mu, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers before settling on Su Mu's face. His tone was calm, as if stating a fact that had already occurred: "Then we may not have a chance to wait until you finish reading the regulations."

He gestured to indicate the positions of the soldiers. "We're still within the ghost-occupied area. Teleportation only applies to those belonging to the cable network. For us ground forces not affiliated with any cable network, this order only covers living beings within the city limits, excluding those not belonging to the cable network."

We were originally entities in this world, not within the cable car system.

If the city is overrun by ghosts, then we will be considered part of the city and remain within the ghost-covered area.

Su Mu understood what it meant that the other party couldn't leave. This place was occupied by ghosts, and the fate of all the creatures inside was predictable.

He looked at the hundreds of soldiers in dark gray uniforms in front of him, at Zhao Rong's calm expression, and then at the silent soldiers standing there.

He knew he could simply turn around and leave; the teleportation screen was about to descend, and no one would stop him, nor could anyone stop him.

These people came from an organization he had no connection with. They had briefly met in Ash City, fought side by side for a short while, and were about to die in the city. It had nothing to do with him.

But he didn't move.

Su Mu took out the grayish-white skull from his backpack.

The palm-sized bone artifact was covered with very faint dark patterns and felt slightly cool in the night breeze.

He held it and glanced again at the description on the system prompt: "Transform the surrounding area into a ghost domain within a radius of 200 meters, continuously releasing a death field outside the core area to absorb life force."

Peach Blossom Village was mostly destroyed by the previous battle, but some peach trees still survived.

Those peach trees might be able to temporarily confuse things outside, and combined with the ghostly domain created by this ghostly artifact, there might be a glimmer of hope.

This thing wouldn't be very effective on him. Su Mu thought to himself, "I can give it a try." Although Peach Blossom Village was now just a temporary guild territory, and had been reduced to ruins, it was still good that it had been preserved.

He activated the Bone-Faced Skull.

The grayish-white bone exploded in his palm, and a dark gray ripple spread rapidly outward from the crack, like ripples spreading on the surface of water, sweeping across the entire territory.

The peach tree that the ripples touched began to wither rapidly within seconds, its branches and leaves curling, turning black, and falling off, as if all the moisture had been drained away.

In that instant, a thick, gray-black ghostly mist surged from the ground, rising along the surface and carrying a dry, rotten, bone-like stench.

As the gray fog spread, large patches of grayish-white bone-like growths began to appear on the ground, one after another, like skeletons being pushed out from the depths of the earth, spreading along broken walls, broken branches, and the surface of the soil, swallowing up all traces of normalcy.

The trees turned into stark white withered branches, the soil turned into grayish-white dust, and the air was filled with the oppressive atmosphere unique to the ghost realm.

The only difference was the small core area surrounding Su Mu.

A pale gray halo spread outward from his position for more than ten meters, enveloping the few remaining peach trees. The peach branches swayed gently in the dim light, like the last isolated islands cut off from death.

Zhao Rong was stunned.

He stared at the rapidly changing scene beyond the halo of light, at the peach grove that had once been guild territory transformed into a ghostly wasteland. He opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "You didn't have to do this at all. This thing... it's not worth using on us."

Su Mu didn't explain further, brushed away the remaining ashes in his hand, and said calmly, "Take care."

Zhao Rong looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he straightened up, turned to face his soldiers, and raised his right hand. Hundreds of soldiers from Dafeng stood at attention in perfect unison, their dark gray ranks rustling with the crisp sound of their uniforms against the edge of the gray fog, and all of them saluted Su Mu in unison.

No further words

The white light of teleportation descended at that moment.

Su Mu was forcibly teleported away. His vision was filled with white light, and the last thing he saw was Peach Blossom Valley covered by ghostly mist, where hundreds of dark gray figures still maintained a salute posture, like a row of stone tablets being swallowed by darkness.

Back in the cable car, Su Mu immediately opened the control panel.

The guild teleportation entrance in Peach Blossom Village has been blocked, with a dark gray text message stating: "This area has been occupied by ghosts and teleportation is not possible."

Su Mu shook his head.

"Just as I thought."

Those people facing the strong winds can only resign themselves to fate.

......