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In truth, the Five Ghosts had no concrete form.

They were like the faint glow of fireflies, incapable of human speech.

Lin Mo recited the birthdates of those individuals.

"Find the locations of these three for me!"

Five clusters of light floated in midair, as if finally locking onto a target, then darted off in a single direction.

Lin Mo immediately summoned a gust beneath his feet, using Divine Movement to follow.

As expected, the Five Ghosts flew toward the surrounding mountains.

Given the timing, the criminals were likely still traversing the rugged terrain, and Lin Mo's task was to locate them.

And then kill them.

As a child, Lin Mo had quite enjoyed Batman and Superman.

But he never quite understood why Batman refused to kill those homicidal maniacs, instead locking them away in asylums.

Yet those asylums couldn’t hold them, so the criminals always escaped.

Each breakout resulted in the deaths of guards and countless civilians.

And Batman remained steadfast in his no-kill rule.

Lin Mo often thought that if Batman truly existed, he’d kill Batman first, then slaughter every escaped criminal.

Because back then, he was just an ordinary person.

As for the Joker?

Let’s see if you can still laugh when I blow your head off.

Along the way, Lin Mo’s mind wandered through countless thoughts.

Among superheroes, his favorite had always been a character named Rorschach.

Not because he agreed with the character’s philosophy, but because he admired his methods.

If you encounter evil, eradicate it.

Lin Mo’s earlier hesitation gradually hardened into resolve.

—System: My adorable host, what kind of superhero act are you putting on?—

Wu Zongshan stretched beyond the mountains.

In the pitch-black expanse of the hills, beams from flashlights cut through the dense forest.

"Brother Ma, what do we do now? We’ve got the money, but we can’t spend it, and we’re stuck in this godforsaken place."

"Enough talking. Just keep moving. If the cops find us, we’re done for."

The silent man among them spoke coldly, "Head downhill first. If we find a house, we go in."

The youngest of the trio shot him a resentful look.

"And what if there are people inside? Kill them too?"

His fear was obvious.

The silent man didn’t respond, continuing his descent.

Brother Ma, however, stepped in to mediate.

"There’s no turning back for us now. What’s the difference between killing once or twice? If we’re caught, the outcome’s the same. But we need rest."

The three had been trekking for a full day and night, utterly exhausted.

All they wanted was shelter.

But three men descending a mountain to seek lodging was impossible.

They weren’t foolish enough to check into a hotel—they’d be arrested the moment they stepped inside.

Brother Ma took a deep breath.

"Keep moving. We’ll be down soon. Just find a remote house to hole up in for the night."

The silent man couldn’t hold back. "Find one with people. Otherwise, there’s no food."

Brother Ma waved a hand dismissively, his expression now one of reckless indifference.

"Fine, fine. At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore."

Their pace quickened as they skirted the mountainside, spotting a faint light in the distance.

"Lights! There are lights! We’re almost there," Brother Ma said excitedly.

However, at that moment, a voice rang out.

"Indeed, congratulations—your time of death has arrived."

"Who's there?!"

Brother Ma pulled out a hammer from his chest, its surface still stained with dark blood.

Another man also drew a knife from his robes.

They both tensely scanned the direction of the voice.

A flock of crows suddenly took flight, their shrill cries causing the youngest of the three to drop to the ground, covering his head in terror.

Brother Ma couldn’t help but stride over and kick him.

"Useless coward! Get up!"

Lin Mo stood atop a tree branch, observing the three men below.

The calmest was the knife-wielding man, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. Despite his exhaustion, his grip on the blade remained unshaken.

The trio cautiously surveyed their pitch-black surroundings.

Though each held a flashlight, the dim beams offered no comfort.

Hiss—hiss—

Something slithered across the ground.

"B-Brother Ma!" The youngest man’s voice trembled as his gaze locked onto the earth.

"What?!" Brother Ma followed the light.

Dozens of snakes, their scales glistening in the mud, were inching closer.

Their vibrant colors made one thing clear—these were no ordinary serpents.

"H-how are there so many snakes?!"

The young man’s composure shattered. Ignoring the others, he turned and bolted—only to trip over something unseen, crashing face-first into the dirt.

His flashlight revealed a massive python coiled at his feet.

"Help! Somebody hel—"

Before he could finish, a red-and-green viper struck his neck, fangs sinking into his artery.

The venom spread unnaturally fast. His pupils dilated, foam bubbling at his lips.

"M-mom... I regr—"

His final word died in his throat as his head lolled, lifeless.

Brother Ma glanced at the corpse. Unaware the young man was already dead, he rushed over to drag him up—only for something slick to coil around his arm.

Then his legs.

Snakes ensnared him completely.

The knife-wielder fought back fiercely, seizing one serpent’s head and slicing it clean off with his blade.

But one kill meant nothing against the horde.

Soon, he too collapsed.

Only after all three had succumbed to the venom did the snakes disperse.

Lin Mo emerged from the forest.

Without a word, he commanded the woodland creatures to push the bodies down the mountainside.

By the time villagers discovered them, the case would be closed.

As he observed the corpses, wisps of black light rose from their forms.

Souls.

Fledgling spirits not yet turned to ghosts.

Lin Mo raised a hand, and the three souls gathered in his palm.

"System, I’ve decided. I’ll forge a Banner of Ten Thousand Souls as my lifebound artifact."

[Host, what is a Banner of Ten Thousand Souls?]

"Seriously? You call yourself the Invincible Cultivation System and don’t know the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls? It’s—wait, no. Not that. The proper name is the Banner of the Human Sovereign."

[Host, is this ‘Banner of the Human Sovereign’ the thing that spews endless black smoke?]

"What black smoke? Don’t you know anything? The Banner of the Human Emperor should obviously emit golden light."

[Whatever you say, Host.]

"Now the question is—how exactly do we forge this Banner of the Human Emperor?"