121. Selling out their teammates like a natural.

Such sycophantic instruments of torture are naturally a rare sight.

But the little girl ghost was already accustomed to it. She had lost count of how many times she had been intimidated by this instrument, so at this moment, she didn’t even spare the gallows a glance.

However, this did not mean that other ghosts could remain as indifferent as she was.

The next second, the irregular building that resembled a bank suddenly threw open its doors, and a voice rang out: "Don't... don't do anything! I'm innocent! Really! I'm just a place for them to store their money! I don't know anything, and I've already told them to bring the money out! They are responsible for the security here; if you have any questions, ask them!"

Two ghosts dressed as security guards, who were in the middle of carrying out a large crate, heard this and their pale faces turned even paler. If they were snow-white before, they were now nearly translucent. Clearly, they were terrified by the voice's words.

However, Chen Sheng’s next sentence brought them immediate relief.

"I have no questions. I only want money," Chen Sheng said.

"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"

The two security ghosts were overcome with excitement. They opened the wooden crate for Chen Sheng, revealing rows of neatly stacked ghost copper coins.

"This is not enough," Chen Sheng said, his expression blank.

"My lord, we cannot open the main vault; only the Director General has that authority," the two ghosts explained hurriedly.

"Then where is your Director General?"

The two ghosts dared not answer, but at that moment, the same voice from before spoke up: "The Director General is hiding inside and refuses to come out; I can't persuade him either. He's the one with the longest neck."

"You bastard!"

A roar of fury erupted from within the bank-like structure, followed by a lingering, indignant shout: "I will report this to the City Lord and have you dismantled!"

After this shout, a long-necked ghost appeared at the entrance. There was clear terror in his dark, greenish-black eyes, but he still looked at Chen Sheng and said coldly, "If you take this money and leave now, we can consider this a gesture of friendship. But if you..."

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow and interrupted him rudely: "I said, this money is not enough."

"You had best not lead yourself to ruin!" the long-necked ghost said, gritting his teeth.

This bank was the vital hub for the circulation of ghost copper coins in the entire "Gourmet City." If anything went wrong, it would cripple the city's entire economic system. If that happened, Lu Jinsheng, the City Lord, would certainly kill him to vent his rage. As the Director General of Gourmet City, he had to find a way to protect this place at all costs.

"It seems you haven't realized the gravity of the situation yet..." Chen Sheng looked at the ghost, and suddenly, a noose appeared abruptly around the ghost’s long neck.

The long-necked ghost immediately began to tremble in terror. Before the noose had actually tightened around him, he could never have imagined how terrifying it was to be threatened by an instrument of torture.

Gourmet City possessed no such instruments, but as a perfectly evolved Nightmare Realm, it was possible to summon one temporarily to maintain order. In the past, this ghost had felt the threat of an instrument’s aura; he had resisted it then, and so he subconsciously assumed he could withstand it again. After all, he hadn't been the Director General back then, and now that he was, his strength was very close to that of a Fierce Spirit—he should be able to endure more!

But when it came down to it, he realized he had been fooling himself.

"Mercy..."

The long-necked ghost tried to plead, but it was too late. His time had already vanished in an instant.

This scene not only terrified the two security ghosts, but even the bank-like building itself began to tremble in panic. Its walls shook back and forth, twisting irregularly, terrified that the noose might descend upon its own "neck." Although it no longer had a neck in its current form as a building, it had been chosen to be a bank for a reason and was discerning enough to see that the noose was conceptual in nature! It didn't need to physically wrap around a neck to take effect. This was definitely an instrument of torture far above the ordinary.

Having dispatched the long-necked Director General—who was likely an "elite mob"—Chen Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. He had seen such things many times before.

"I'll have to get it myself, then..." he muttered, looking at the bank-like building.

There was no complaint or dissatisfaction in his voice. It was just a passing thought.

However, this terrified the ghosts present, especially the building. It screamed in utter panic: "No! Please, give us a chance! The Director General is dead, and although the main vault cannot be opened, I have the authority to open the emergency vault! There is plenty of ghost copper there too!"

"Then bring it out," Chen Sheng nodded. Seeing how readily the building was willing to betray its colleague, he asked, "Are there many other places in Gourmet City with large amounts of ghost copper like this?"

"No!" the voice from within the building replied instantly.

Before Chen Sheng had even finished his question, it had already rushed to answer.

"There is only one bank in Gourmet City," the voice said, sounding somewhat smug. After all, while there were restaurants everywhere, there was only one bank. Not every ghost could be converted into a bank!

"Then why hasn't Lu Jinsheng appeared yet?" Chen Sheng asked. In his estimation, only the City Lord of Gourmet City would possess equipment comparable to his own treasure. Beyond coming here to snatch some ghost copper to suit his style, he was also trying to see if he could force the City Lord, Lu Jinsheng, out.

"Because the City Lord left Gourmet City months ago and it will likely be a long time before he returns. The City Lord is frequently away. Most of the time, the ones in charge are the Director General who just died, along with a dozen other Overseers. As for the butcher-chefs and the life-buying ghosts, they wouldn't dare to get involved in such matters," the voice explained cautiously.

Chen Sheng: "..."

Is this all the defensive power Gourmet City has? One Director General, a dozen Overseers, and that's it? Oh, right, and a doorman.

As for the "butcher-chefs" and "life-buying ghosts," Chen Sheng simply ignored them as the "bottom-dwellers" of Gourmet City who were too afraid to cause trouble.