Chapter 89: Raising a Little Ghost
Lin Huai had initially considered giving the recipe scrap to Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar. However, since it was only a single fragment, its practical value was minimal for now, so she set that thought aside.
The Ghost Market invitation was no longer an impossible rarity. Lately, standard supply crates had begun dropping invitations here and there, which clearly signaled that the mysterious Ghost Market would be opening its doors soon. The letter itself served merely as an entry pass to get past the gate.
After carefully reviewing the rest of her special inventory, Lin Huai finally picked out two Substitute Puppets along with the Little Ghost Incubator and sent them directly to Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar.
A Substitute Puppet could take a single fatal blow on behalf of its owner—an invaluable lifesaver for a dedicated support driver like Milk Tea, whose vehicle build lacked offensive weapons.
The Little Ghost Incubator, meanwhile, was an insulated white pod with a square base and a domed lid. Hatching one required a substantial investment of energy crystals and a great deal of patience. Once the incubation period was complete, a glowing green indicator would light up along the casing, signaling that the pod was ready to be opened to reveal a unique little spirit.
Every little ghost developed distinct abilities: some could restore and steady mental energy, some specialized in direct attacks, and others provided protective shields. Their personalities varied just as wildly, ranging from quick-tempered to gentle and obedient. In fact, their final form and temperament were heavily influenced by their caretaker’s intentions and the “prenatal education” they received during the incubation process.
In her previous life, Lin Huai had once met an eccentric driver whose little ghost hatched into an enormous white goose. The player had spent weeks leaning over the pod every single day, cackling like a deranged waterfowl until his strange laughter brainwashed the growing soul into believing it was truly meant to be a giant goose.
On this lonely, desolate highway, setting practical combat skills aside, having a little creature around at least offered genuine companionship. Lin Huai was certain Milk Tea would cherish it.
As for Lin Huai herself, she had zero desire to raise a little ghost of her own. Not every survivor was suited for the responsibility; raised well, a little ghost became a loyal helper, but raised poorly, it could easily turn on its master with a lethal backlash.
Besides, nurturing a spirit was no different from raising a human toddler. When it was hungry or threw a fit, it needed constant soothing. Beyond prenatal bonding, it required early guidance and patient discipline. If she failed to teach it properly and raised a malicious troublemaker, she would be the one stuck with the mess. And if an unruly spirit wandered off and was cut down by a monster or another player, the heartbreak would be devastating.
Thinking of this, Lin Huai tilted her head back, gazing through the reinforced glass ceiling toward the heavy casket resting on the roof.
Speaking of raising little ghosts, she currently had an exceptionally dangerous one sleeping right above her head. That tiny infant was no ordinary spirit; if its suffocating malice could not be cleansed, the first person it would tear to pieces upon waking was Lin Huai herself!
Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar was still a bright, kindhearted student with an innocent soul. She was a gentle, thoughtful girl who would undoubtedly raise a wonderfully sweet companion.
The incubator was a perfect match for her.
Once the system confirmed the delivery of the two gifts, Lin Huai opened the Elite Squad’s private channel to coordinate the distribution of the shared spoils.
The group was already buzzing with chatter, still discussing the recipe fragment she had brought up earlier.
[Cute and Sparkling]: What’s a pill recipe fragment? Can you cook with it? Blah blah blah…
[Hungry Spirit Blue Knight]: Alchemy recipes? How could ordinary folks like us ever pull something that fancy? Only a top-tier medical expert like Milk Tea could possibly open a treasure like that.
[Jiangzhehu Inheritor]: An actual recipe for spirit pills? There are blueprints like that in the loot table? Got it—I’ll start combing the regional market boards for matching pieces.
[Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar]: Umm… even though I run a medical vehicle, this is honestly the first time I’ve ever heard of pill formulas dropping…
Seeing that none of them had encountered advanced alchemy blueprints yet, Lin Huai let the matter drop.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: If nobody has seen any, that’s completely fine. Once everyone finishes upgrading their vehicles, higher-tier drops should start showing up naturally.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: Everyone, floor the gas and finish off your daily mileage right now. As soon as that’s done, we upgrade. Before we cross into the hub town, every core member of our Elite Squad must reach Level 4. If you’re missing specific materials, speak up—the squad warehouse will prioritize our core lineup first.
[Dragon Emerging from the Sea]: Copy that! My upgrade materials are already fully assembled. I don’t need to pull anything from the squad vault. Save those resources for the others.
[Old Wang from Building Materials]: Boss, I’m short on one specialized material: Molten Gold Essence. I need two units to finalize the blueprint. Does our squad inventory have any in stock?
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: …As luck would have it, the squad vault is out, but I happen to have some in my personal stash. Sending them over now!
[Old Wang from Building Materials]: Bwahaha! Fantastic! I can finally push this rig to Level 4! The Boss is truly the best!
After sending the required components to her teammates, Lin Huai switched over to the main guild channel for Zone 444. She put out a general notice, urging all members to upgrade their vehicles as much as possible before entering the hub town to prepare for the upcoming district integration battle.
With thousands of players in the wider guild, they had to prioritize drivers who were just a few common components away from their next tier. Those who were still far behind would have to wait for the next supply cycle.
Even after outfitting the primary and secondary elite squads, the shared vault still held a generous surplus of supplies, mostly consisting of daily survival goods, food rations, and crafting basics.
Since the drivers who had rushed to the valley to back her up were almost entirely guild members, Lin Huai packaged the surplus into a massive guild gift pack, making it available for everyone in the group to claim their share.
As for the independent drivers outside the guild who had joined the fray, Lin Huai requested a detailed participation log from Peace and Violence. She then mailed a personalized reward package directly to each contributor, ensuring no one was left out.
Finally, she had Jiangzhehu Inheritor calculate her earnings from recent trades and convert them into underworld currency. Packaging fifty thousand coins into a massive red envelope, she dropped it straight into the public lobby chat.
[Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice]: @Everyone, Zone 444 achieved a clean, decisive victory in the Ghost Mother’s Lair today. My sincere thanks go out to every single driver who fought alongside us and held the line. May our district remain united as one, driving shoulder to shoulder all the way to the very end of this road!
[Dragon Emerging from the Sea]: Standing with our Boss to the end!
[Old Wang from Building Materials]: Our one and only leader!
[Cute and Sparkling]: Zone 444 is unbeatable!
[Honey Blood Ice Orange]: Whoa, Boss Bone Ashes is dropping red packets! I just snagged five hundred coins!
[Red Apricot Over the Wall]: Am I cursed or something? Out of a lucky-draw red packet, how on earth did I only end up with 16.9 coins?!
[Barehanded Door Opener]: Hahaha, I’m rich! I’m finally rich! As soon as we roll into town, I’m buying the finest wine on the shelf!
[Tchaikovsky Driver]: Boss Bone Ashes is truly generous!
[Sounds Good Is a Good Head]: [Thank_you_boss.jpg]
[Flying Dog Hair]: Wishing our Big Shot endless glory at rank one—and wishing myself a spot on the Elite Squad next time!
[Grass Don’t Float]: Hey, you above me, stop sliding personal job applications into the chat! Get out of here!
With every reward claimed, every delivery sent, and every contribution properly acknowledged, Lin Huai leaned back into the sofa cushions and let out a long, heavy breath. Balancing the scales and keeping everything fair as a leader was genuinely exhausting work.
Just as she was closing her eyes, her system interface chimed with an incoming notification. Thinking another driver was running low on supplies, she tapped the screen, only to find a private message from an unexpected sender: the Bone-Picking Child.
After carrying Chen Feng’s severed skull back to his cavern in the Mass Grave, Little Bone had discovered a glowing skill card lodged deep inside the bone plate. Carefully extracting the card from between the skull’s brow, he had forwarded it straight to her.
Lin Huai tapped the prompt to accept the delivery.
Floating onto her screen was the exact defensive trump card Chen Feng had used during their life-and-death duel in the valley—[Damage Reflection]!
