DLERB -Chapter 146 Who turned the lights on? Why do these ghosts look like monkeys?

The night was as dark as ink.

The sea wind had stopped.

A thick, sticky white fog emerged from nowhere.

Like a living thing, it silently swallowed the beach, the forest, and even the three Qin steam war machines.

Visibility was less than five steps.

The air was filled with a nauseatingly sweet floral scent.

The longer one breathed it in, the more dizzy and nauseated one became.

“Ergou, did you hear something?”

At the forward sentry post, a Qin elite soldier gripped his halberd tightly, his voice trembling slightly.

The soldier called Ergou swallowed.

“Don’t talk nonsense… there’s no soun—”

Before he could finish—

Whoosh

A green fireball suddenly exploded above their heads out of nowhere.

The eerie green light illuminated a face.

A face with green skin and fangs, its tongue hanging down to its chest, eyes completely white with no pupils.

It floated in midair.

Staring directly at them.

“AHHH!!”

Ergou’s companion screamed, dropping his halberd in terror.

But Ergou, being a veteran and a ruthless one at that, steadied himself.

“Playing tricks with ghosts!”

He roared to boost his courage.

He drew the bronze sword at his waist and slashed fiercely at the ghostly face.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out.

Sparks flew.

It was like striking iron.

His wrist went numb from the shock.

The “ghost” was not destroyed.

Instead, it let out a piercing shriek.

“AAAHHH!!”

The next moment—

A black-furred claw burst out of the fog and grabbed Ergou’s throat.

Immense strength.

Crack.

Ergou didn’t even have time to scream before collapsing limply to the ground.

“Ghost… it’s a ghost!!”

“Blades don’t work! Arrows don’t work!”

“Ghost soldiers are passing through! It’s ghost soldiers crossing the pass!”

Fear erupted.

Not just at this sentry post.

From all directions of the forward camp, inhuman howls echoed.

Green ghost fires lit up one after another.

Hundreds, thousands of terrifying shadows moved through the fog.

The Qin army was thrown into chaos.

They were not afraid of blood or death.

Even if facing tens of thousands of enemies, they would still charge forward and tear off a piece of flesh.

But this was not human.

It was ghosts.

Unknown fear shattered their iron will.

……

On the Zulong Hao flagship.

“Report——!!”

A blood-soaked messenger stumbled into the cabin.

“Your Majesty! Ninth Prince!”

“The vanguard camp… has collapsed!”

He knelt, teeth chattering.

“The forest… it’s full of ghosts!”

“Our blades can’t cut them, arrows can’t pierce them!”

“The brothers… the brothers say they’ve offended the gods and are suffering heavenly punishment!”

The cabin fell into dead silence.

Wang Jian’s face darkened like a bottomless pot.

“Nonsense!”

He kicked over a stool.

“I’ve killed my whole life—what ghost dares touch my soldiers?”

“Bring me my sword! I’ll cut down these filthy things myself!”

“Wait.”

A calm voice rang out.

Ying Zheng stood up.

Tai’a sword in hand.

There was not a trace of fear in his eyes.

Only rage.

The rage of an emperor whose authority had been challenged.

“Gods?”

He sneered.

“In all the world, I am the greatest god!”

“If ghosts dare stand in the way—”

“Then I will flatten even the underworld itself!”

He turned and strode toward the exit, murderous intent surging.

“Ah, Father.”

A lazy voice suddenly cut in.

Ying Ziye was sitting in his chair.

Casually stuffing a white pastry into his mouth.

Chewing happily.

A bit of sugar still clung to the corner of his lips.

“It’s not that serious. Do you really need to go yourself?”

He licked his fingers.

“Don’t dirty your shoes.”

Ying Zheng stopped and looked back at his son.

“Ziye, there are ghosts outside.”

“If morale collapses, this war becomes a joke.”

Ying Ziye curled his lip.

“Ghosts?”

He stood up and brushed off the crumbs.

“There are no ghosts in this world.”

“The more people pretend to be them, the more they become ‘ghosts.’”

He walked to the window and looked at the pitch-black forest filled with screams.

“Uncle Meng Tian.”

Meng Tian hurried over, sweating.

“Your Highness, what are your orders? Should we retreat?”

“Retreat my ass.”

Ying Ziye rolled his eyes.

“Go tell that old man Gongshu Chou—”

“Raise the ‘big eyeball’ at the bow of the ship.”

Meng Tian froze.

“Big eyeball?”

“That… the giant one made with bronze mirrors?”

Ying Ziye nodded.

“Yes.”

“Also bring out the box containing the ‘sun stones.’”

“Light them all up.”

A mischievous grin appeared on his face.

“Aren’t these ‘ghosts’ fond of darkness?”

“This young master would like to see…”

“Once the sun comes out, whether they can still scream so happily.”

……

On the deck.

Gongshu Chou was so excited his hands were trembling.

He directed more than a dozen craftsmen to uncover a huge black cloth.

Beneath it was revealed a bizarre giant contraption.

A massive bronze mirror over one zhang in diameter.

Its surface was polished smoother than water, and it was concave like a bowl.

At the focal point of the mirror stood an iron frame.

Carefully, Gongshu Chou opened a lead box.

From inside, he took out several silver-white metal strips.

These were divine materials given by the Ninth Prince.

He said they were called “magnesium.”

Once ignited, they produced a blinding light capable of instantly dazzling the eyes blind.

“Quick! Load them!”

“Adjust the angle! Aim at that forest!”

Gongshu Chou roared.

“Ignite it!!”

A craftsman raised a torch and brought it close.

With a soft sound—

The silver-white metal instantly ignited.

And then—

VMMMM!!

A light.

A blinding, overwhelming light.

Exploded in the darkness.

If you looked directly at it, your eyes would go blind in an instant.

The light was concentrated by the giant concave mirror.

Forming a several-zhang-wide beam of pure brightness.

Like a divine sword in the hands of a god.

Like the legendary Candle Dragon opening its eyes.

WHOOSH!!

The beam tore through the thick fog.

Split open the night.

And slammed fiercely into the forest of “ghosts.”

Bright.

Too bright.

Bright to an almost absurd degree.

The forest, once pitch-black with no visibility, was instantly as bright as daylight.

Even dew on the leaves could be seen clearly.

The “ghosts” who had been jumping around, pretending to be spirits in the forest…

All froze instantly.

As if struck by immobilization magic.

They were used to darkness.

This sudden light made them instinctively cover their eyes and scream.

“Aaah! My eyes!”

“The sun! The sun has fallen from the sky!”

And now that everything was illuminated—

Everyone could see clearly.

What ghosts?

They were just a bunch of short people.

Faces painted in strange colors, wearing torn beast hides, and wooden masks…

That was all.

The light beam slowly moved.

Like a searchlight, sweeping across the forest.

One “ghost” was perched in a tree, pulling a rope to swing a ghost-face prop.

Caught in the light—

He panicked and lost his grip.

Plop.

He fell straight from the tree.

Face-first into the ground.

His mask flew off.

Revealing a terrified face smeared with white clay.

Another one—

Was still opening his mouth, imitating the cry of a baby.

The light hit him.

His mouth stayed wide open, the sound stuck in his throat like a strangled duck.

Awkward.

Utterly awkward.

The Qin soldiers, who a moment ago had been terrified out of their minds…

Now stood frozen.

One by one, they stared at those panicked “ghosts” rolling on the ground and covering their eyes.

Then looked at their own trembling weapons.

And suddenly—

They blushed.

Bright red, like monkey butts.

Humiliation.

The elite Qin troops.

The wolf-like army that had swept across the Six Kingdoms.

Had actually been frightened into chaos by this bunch of monkey-like things?

If this got back to Xianyang…

How would they ever face anyone again?

How would they live with themselves?

“…T-this is ghosts?”

A Qin centurion’s voice trembled.

Not from fear.

From rage.

From sheer humiliation.

“THESE ARE MONKEYS!!”

He roared, his voice cracking.

“Brothers!”

“We were actually played by a bunch of monkeys!”

“Utter disgrace!”

“UTTER DISGRACE!!”

All fear in that instant transformed into overwhelming rage.

Pure embarrassment turned into fury.

No need for Meng Tian’s command anymore.

Every Qin soldier’s eyes turned red.

Even redder than the “ghosts.”

“KILL THEM!!”

“Chop these pretending frauds into minced meat!!”

“ROAR!!”

The Qin army went berserk.

They threw aside their shields.

Gripped their blades with both hands.

And charged forward into the blinding light—

Like enraged beasts pouncing on the terrified “ghosts.”

On the bow of the ship.

Ying Ziye watched the scene.

Clapped his hands in satisfaction.

Then picked up another piece of pastry and ate it.

“See, Father?”

“I told you.”

“Once the lights are on…”

“Ghosts become nothing but a joke.”