《After an Infinite Flow Player Retires》 CH 1 Chapter 1 At noon on a midsummer¡¯s day, there was almost no one out on the streets. In the milk tea store at the corner of the street, the female staff sitting at the counter in front of the shop window was feeling drowsy. ¡°A pearl milk tea, thanks.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The drowsy female staff quickly raised her head when she heard those words and habitually said, ¡°No problem. Would you like¡­¡­.¡± Her words stopped. The sun was scorching hot and there was not even a slight breeze in the air. The ground seemed like it would sizzle with the heat. The young man stood without any cover in the sun, as if he couldn¡¯t feel the hot summer sun. He squinted his eyes slightly and lowered his head to look in the window. His skin was very pale, and his body was slender. The colour of his eyes and hair were on the lighter side, looking almost amber under the sun. His overly pale complexion didn¡¯t show the slightest trace of being exposed to the sun and there was also no sweat on his forehead or the tip of his nose. Seeing that the other party still hadn¡¯t answered him, Ye Jia coughed politely: ¡°Hello?¡± The female staff quickly returned to her senses and nodded, ¡°Oh, oh! I¡¯ll get to it!¡± She swiftly reached out and picked up a paper cup on the side, and asked: ¡°Would you like normal temperature or with ice?¡± ¡°Hot.¡± Ye Jia took out two notes and placed them on the counter. ¡­¡­Having hot milk tea on such a hot day? Moreover, in this era, there are still young people who don¡¯t use their phones to pay? While the female staff muttered this inside, she turned around and started to work. . Five minutes later. Ye Jia carried a cup of hot milk tea and walked unhurriedly towards a high-rise building nearby. Two men were standing in the shadows below the building. They had their heads bowed and seemed to be discussing something. Zhao Dong raised his head and looked at Ye Jia who stood on the side. His eyes fell on the milk tea in Ye Jia¡¯s hand, and he teased with a laugh, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of these ridiculously sweet things?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡± Ye Jia shrugged and replied slovenly, ¡°This is called learning the business model of milk tea stores in advance.¡± Cheng Cezhi who stood next to them heard this and raised his head to look at the two blankly, ¡°¡­..What?¡± Zhao Dong laughed, ¡°You probably don¡¯t know but our Young Master Ye here dreams of opening a milk tea store after he retires. He is already starting to plan for his future.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute. He only looked like he was in his twenties at most. Unable to hold back, he asked, ¡°But isn¡¯t that at least forty years later?¡± Ye Jia answered without a change to his expression, ¡°The government doesn¡¯t support idlers. When it¡¯s time to lay off staff, I will be the first to be laid off.¡± He slowly took another sip of his milk tea, ¡°I call this planning ahead.¡± Zhao Dong: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± So, why was this person talking about waiting to be laid off so self-righteously? Ye Jia brought the topic back: ¡°How were the measurements?¡± Please read this from kk translates ¡°Not good.¡± Cheng Cezhi lowered his head and glanced at the dark, detector-like instrument in his hand. He frowned: ¡°There seems to be almost no useful data here.¡± Zhao Dong frowned, ¡°The readings are too low. In the end, it looks like we still have to go inside.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes lowered slightly. He watched the two people in front of him analyse the readings on the instrument as he took another sip of his hot milk tea. The fresh and mellow milk and the refreshing tea fragrance blended beautifully together. It was slightly hot, but it wasn¡¯t a big problem. As of this month, Ye Jia had been working in the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau for two years. The Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau, as the name suggests, is a secret government department that is in charge with managing all paranormal events. This department mostly deals with wandering souls that would occasionally cause some strange sounds or presentations. Powerful ghosts and evil spirits would only appear occasionally, and the chance of encountering them was almost comparable to winning the lottery. The responsibility of this Bureau was to solve these paranormal phenomena before the public discovers them and explain it scientifically afterwards to prevent ordinary people from discovering the existence of dark world like this hidden amidst their everyday lives. To package it nicely, it was to protect the civilians ¡ª- Ye Jia however had reservations about this. There were skilled individuals in the Bureau, but they were basically all concentrated in the main headquarter. As for the Logistics Department where Ye Jia worked, it was basically filled with ordinary people who were responsible for miscellaneous tasks including paperwork, occasionally going out once or twice for field duties, cleaning up the battle scene and collecting data. ¡ª¡ª In short, they were corporate slaves. ¡°To have to go out to the field on such a hot day, we¡¯re really very unlucky.¡± Zhao Dong wiped away the sweat from his forehead. His spirits were low, ¡°I hope there¡¯s air conditioning inside.¡± He turned and glanced at Ye Jia who stood next to him and sighed jealously, ¡°If only I am not afraid of the heat like you.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t bother answering him. He yawned again, finished his milk tea and threw the cup into the trash can nearby. ¡°Let¡¯s get it over and done with.¡± The paper cup hit the bottom of the empty trash can, making a dull sound. With the air scorched hot by the sun, the news broadcast coming from a TV in an electrical store next to the high-rise building sounded distant and unclear. It was almost impossible to tell what the announcer was saying without listening carefully: ¡°¡­.Recently, there have been many mysterious disappearances in the city¡­..The police are doing everything they can to investigate¡­..¡± The three of them entered the building carrying a box of equipment. The inside of the building was dark and gloomy. Compared to the scorching and almost dazzling light outside, the inside of the building was much darker, but equally as sultry. The air was filled with a musty and damp smell that was a characteristic of old buildings. It made it hard for them to breathe. Zhao Dong wiped his face and angrily cursed. No air conditioning. Cheng Cezhi focused on the detector in his hand ¡ª- It was a product developed by the Bureau and used to detect and collect paranormal energy, but at this moment, the broken line on the display screen remained unmoving. There was not a single change in comparison to the readings from outside the building. He shook his head and gave up trying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Go upstairs.¡± The elevator here was obviously very old. There were rust marks and stains all over the walls in this small space and small advertisements were plastered layer after layer over each other. As it shook and slowly rose, the steel rope supporting it made a terrifying loud creak. It was as if it would fall any moment. Watching the floor number slowly increase, Ye Jia asked, ¡°What site are we going to this time?¡± Cheng Cezhi was surprised, ¡°It can¡¯t be. Brother Ye, you didn¡¯t read the mission report before you came?¡± Ye Jia answered slowly, ¡°Too long.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Although he now had a good understanding of his colleague¡¯s unscrupulous work ethic¡­¡­It was still a little too much for him to take in. He sighed. Resigning to his fate, he briefly summarised the mission for the other party. A young girl had mysteriously disappeared after entering this building. The surveillance camera at the entrance only recorded her entering but she never came back out again. It wasn¡¯t until a week later, when the residents called the police reporting a foul smell, that her body was found in room 404. The skin on her body had been completely peeled off and her stomach had swelled up due to decay, but strangely, she was lying on the bed peacefully, without any traces of struggle or binding. Cheng Cezhi scratched his head: ¡°Because there has been a lot of similar disappearances in the city recently, the people above attached great importance to this case and specially sent out a special team to investigate. They checked the scene but was unable to find anything wrong, so they just directly helped release the girl¡¯s soul.¡± Although it was said to be releasing the soul, it was in fact more like killing. This kind of soul from someone who had died in vain could easily develop into a terrible ghost in the future, so the organisation would often act first to nip it in the bud. ¡°Then we¡¯re here this time for¡­.?¡± Ye Jia glanced at the detector in Cheng Cezhi¡¯s hand. ¡°Collecting the residual energy.¡± Cheng Cezhi replied, ¡°Taking it back to see if there it has any value to be analysed.¡± At this moment, they heard a ¡®ding¡¯. Along with a small tremor, the elevator stopped. The door was jammed for a moment, but it was able to eventually open slowly to both sides. The door to room 404 as tightly shut. The yellow tape at the door had still not been removed. Even though they were separated by a door, a faint rancid smell that couldn¡¯t even be concealed by the overwhelming smell of disinfectant could still be smelt. Cheng Cezhi felt a little nauseous. He built up his courage, ¡°L-let¡¯s go.¡± Most of the furniture in 404 had already been cleaned up. There was a human outline drawn on the ground. The smell of decay was even stronger here. Ye Jia lowered his eyelids and leaned idly against the wall. He watched the other two busy about. Zhao Dong put on his gloves, opened the notebook he always carried around with him and began to write on it, while Cheng Cezhi used the detector to scan every inch of the room, searching for even the slightest of fluctuations. It was actually very strange. Once a spirit is released, there would usually be some residual energy left. The greater the resentment, the more the residual energy. Logically speaking, this young girl had died in vain. It shouldn¡¯t be this clean. When Cheng Cezhi reached the door, suddenly, a trace of fluctuation was detected on screen. It was very subtle, but that broken line very clearly rose once. With joy in his heart, he walked in the direction of the energy fluctuations, searching for the best angle to collect more information. At one point, he had unknowingly left the room. Please read this from kk translates His entire attention was on the instrument in this hand and little by little, he walked towards the dark depths of the corridor. Suddenly, Cheng Cezhi abruptly stopped in place. He raised his head and unexpectedly found himself standing at the door of the elevator. Cheng Cezhi looked around blankly. That¡¯s not right¡­..He clearly remembered that he was walking in the opposite direction of the elevator. How was he¡­¡­? The corridor was deathly silent. The dazzling sunlight outside the building seemed to be unable to penetrate through the misty and dirty window glass. This dark and narrow space was mainly illuminated by the buzzing light above. The mottled walls would appear and disappear under the dim flickering lights. Cheng Cezhi couldn¡¯t help but shiver. Wait a minute, why was it so cold? The sultry heat downstairs seemed like it was from a century ago. There was clearly no wind, but he seemed to feel an extremely cold chill penetrating through his skin and very quickly reaching his bones. That cold sensation rising from the depths of his spine somehow made him feel panicked. Also, it was too quiet. Cheng Cezhi fearfully turned to look behind him. The door to 404 was closed and he couldn¡¯t see the other two who had entered together with him. Suddenly, without any warning, the detector in his hand began beep non-stop. The sharp sound reverberated through the cold and empty corridor. Cheng Cezhi was terribly frightened. He subconsciously looked down at the instrument in his hand and saw that the broken line on the screen had risen sharply. The line continued to tremble at the peak, as if it was anxiously warning him. The next second, he suddenly heard a sound behind him. ¡°Ding.¡± In a situation where no one pressed the button, the elevator door slowly and silently opened. Countless small black hands stretched out from inside the elevator. Each of those hands were as cold as ice. They pressed tightly against Cheng Cezhi¡¯s exposed skin, sucking away the temperature of his body. ¡°Heehee.¡± One after another, they wrapped around him. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s teeth chattered. The breath he exhaled condensed into white mist in the air, making the tip of his nose wet. His eyes widened in horror, but his fearful screams were stuck in his throat like an ice cube. All he could make was a strange guttural gurgle. Immediately afterwards, Cheng Cezhi heard a small voice sound next to his ears. It carried insidious malice and whispered softly: ¡°Hungry, so hungry¡­..Heehee.¡± The scene before him was like a nightmare he couldn¡¯t get out of. Under extreme panic, Cheng Cezhi¡¯s eyes rolled back, and he fainted. More small black hands came out of the elevator and, together, they dragged Cheng Cezhi towards the darkness. At this moment, a lazy voice sounded in the distance, suddenly breaking the silence: ¡°Hey.¡± The young man whose skin was so extremely pale that it seemed almost transparent had his lids lowered, partially covering his light-coloured eyes. Standing at the entrance of the corridor not far away, he said unhurriedly, ¡°That is my colleague. You can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Smells good, smells good¡­..¡± The small black hands squirmed around and muttered, ¡°He smells so good.¡± ¡°I was going to save him for last.¡± ¡°But he found out.¡± ¡°So I should eat him now!¡± The next second, countless black hands flew out from the elevator. Following the walls and the floor, it charged towards the young man standing not far away! ¡°So hungry, so hungry, so hungry!¡± The voice grew sharper and harsher, like nails scratching against glass: ¡°Want to eat, want to eat, want to eat¡­¡­¡± Unexpectedly, the young man didn¡¯t evade. The little black hands grabbed his thin and pale wrist and happily started to feast¡ª¡ª Soon afterwards, the black hands let out a sharp scream, ¡°No! No! What is this?! What is this?!¡± The living has spiritual energy, the dead has yin energy. Once yin energy is condensed and resentment accumulates, one becomes a fierce ghost. ¡ª¡ª- Yet inside the body of this living young man, hid dark and cold ghost energy. Sticky and dark, cold and evil. He calmly lowered his eyes. There were no other expressions on his face. His entire being was like an omniscient being standing far away from this world, looking down at the ghost before him from above. An almost overwhelming power surged out from that human body of his, silently baring its sharp and terrible claws. CH 2 Chapter 2 ¡°What?! What is this?!¡± Countless black hands stretching out from the elevator flew about wildly. With the surging dark and sinister energy, the temperature in the air became even colder. ¡°You! What the hell are you?!¡± As if it was scalded, the small black hand made a strange hissing sound and quickly retreated. But what it didn¡¯t expect was that the young man who was standing motionlessly earlier would suddenly turn his wrist and grab the small black hand. ¡°So hot!! So hot!!¡± A shrill scream sounded, ¡°So cold! So cold!! Let me go!¡± The other hands in the air seemed to have no physical body and would intermittently appear and disappear. The small black hand in the young man¡¯s grasp however couldn¡¯t break free no matter how seemingly easy it appeared to be. It could feel the bone chilling cold energy transmit through from the place where it was in contact with the young man. It brought along a kind of instinctive tremor, like it had found itself in front of a predator that was soon about to awaken. Even just the small breaths the other party made while sleeping subconsciously made it terrified. In any case, the existence in front of it was definitely not human! But he clearly breathed and had a heartbeat. All the signs of life were completely normal. What was more frightening was that it could sense some of that man¡¯s emotions being transmitted into it. It was a very familiar emotion ¡ª¡ª Hunger. ¡°Monster!¡± It wailed, ¡°Monster!! Monster!!¡± Countless black hands flew about more and more frantically. Those sharp cries were mixed together with countless desperate curses and threats. All that noise gave Ye Jia a headache. He pinched his fingers and that small black hand suddenly stiffened and quietened down. It was as if it was gripped by some invisible force. The dark mist around the young man¡¯s body suddenly became less dense, as if a part of it had been swallowed up. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s voice was still lazy, ¡°I¡¯m human. A real and authentic human being.¡± Evil spirit: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡ª¡ª- Even ghosts don¡¯t believe you!!! The next second, it felt the hand around it tighten threateningly. The evil spirit immediately submitted, ¡°You¡¯re human! You¡¯re definitely human!¡± Ye Jia relaxed his grip a little in satisfaction. He looked up and glanced at Cheng Cezhi who laid on the ground unconscious. The other party¡¯s face was pale, and his eyes were tightly closed. Half his body had been dragged into the elevator shaft and pitch-black misty particles drifted out from where he was submerged in the darkness. Even from several metres away, he could clearly feel the cold air of death escaping out. The space inside the elevator was no longer part of the human world. It was now a dark domain created by resentment energy that overlapped with the real world. Only ghosts above the level of B could create it. If Cheng Cezhi was dragged in, he probably wouldn¡¯t even have bones left. Ye Jia was deep in thought. He hadn¡¯t seen a B-Level fierce ghost in the real world yet. And¡­¡­.. Ye Jia lowered his head and looked at the small black hand in his hand that was still struggling while trembling. His light-coloured eyes narrowed slightly. This should be the cause for that unusual energy fluctuation he felt earlier in the elevator. But¡­¡­..Compared to an ordinary B-Level fierce ghost, this one was too weak. But that wasn¡¯t the main point. Ye Jia shooks the small black hand, ¡°Bring my colleague back.¡± Ordinary humans couldn¡¯t stay in that domain for too long. Even if only a small part of their body was caught in it, their life energy would be drained away consistently. The small black trembled for a while and then humiliatingly obeyed. The next second, several thin, light coloured but greyish in colour arms stretched out from the elevator. It grabbed Cheng Cezhi¡¯s legs and body, slowly dragged him out from the darkness, and then tossed him onto the ground with a thud. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It looked too much like it was throwing away garbage. When Cheng Cezhi wakes up later, he would probably have some body aches for several days. ¡°So cold¡­¡­..so hot¡­¡­¡± The small black hand complained and twisted around in Ye Jia¡¯s palm, ¡°You can let me go now¡­.hurry¡­.¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia lightly glanced at it, ¡°I can¡¯t do that.¡± Letting a suspected B-Level fierce ghost continue to mess around in this area? He didn¡¯t want to be worked to death with overtime. The young man¡¯s eyes lowered slightly. No matter whether it was his skin or his eyes, his entire body seemed like it was too light and lacking in pigment. He looked like a pale phantom and was very out of place in this ghostly dark corridor. He smiled and said, ¡°However, I can make this end faster.¡± The next second, his slender fingers moved and a silver-white cold light flashed briefly like an electric spark ¡ª¨C ¡°Whoosh.¡± There was the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Without even having the chance to scream or struggle meaninglessly, the large mass of darkness suddenly disappeared. It was as if it had been directly erased from this world. The darkness in the elevator slowly disappeared, revealing its old and dirty metal walls. The coldness in the air faded a little. Little by little, sunlight penetrated through the hazy glass, returning the corridor to its normal colour. The elevator door was stuck a few times before it slowly closed completely. . It was unknown how much time had passed. Cheng Cezhi felt someone shaking him, ¡°¡­¡­Hey, wake up.¡± His eyelids moved and he slowly opened his eyes. Zhao Dong¡¯s concerned face appeared very close to him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you lying here?¡± In an instant, all the memories from earlier returned to him like a tide ¡ª¡ª The sudden drop in temperature, the dark elevator that seemed like it was from another world, and the countless black hands that stretched out from inside¡­¡­ ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!¡± Cheng Cezhi screamed. Zhao Dong was startled. He quickly drew back and rubbed his ringing ears, ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Cheng Cezhi immediately jumped up from the ground but sharp pain hit him the next second and he collapsed back down. It felt like he had been hit by a car. He clenched his teeth and sucked in a breath to stop himself from screaming. Ye Jia came over belatedly, ¡°What happened?¡± Cheng Cezhi fearfully turned his head and looked at the elevator ¡ª- The elevator door was closed. Everything was normal. He pointed at the elevator and stammered, ¡°Hands¡­¡­.There were a lot of hands¡­¡­¡± Zhao Dong scratched his head, ¡°Where you caught in a nightmare?¡± In places where ghosts have appeared in, there would usually be unusual energy particles left behind and these particles could affect people who are emotionally unstable or are weaker spiritually, causing them to see some horrible hallucinations. This was the so-called ¡®nightmare¡¯. Compared to ordinary people, the staff at the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau are more susceptible to these energy particles. Ye Jie personally believes that this is related to their high-pressure working environment which often involved excessive overtime. He shook his head and sighed, ¡°I have given the head chief feedback about this numerous times. It¡¯s unethical pressuring employees like this. We also need to rest.¡± Ye Jia suggested sincerely, ¡°When you go back, go and complain to the head chief. You should be able to get a few more days of paid leave.¡± Zhao Dong: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Why are you so familiar with this?! With Zhao Dong¡¯s support, Cheng Cezhi slowly got up from the ground. He rubbed his sore neck and looked around at the extremely normal environment ¡ª- All those strange things he had witnessed earlier seemed to have disappeared completely like smoke. It almost felt like it was a dream. Could he¡­¡­..really have been caught up in a nightmare? He looked down at the detector next to him. The detector was broken, and the screen was completely dark. Not a single data was collected. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s shoulders slumped in frustration. ¡ª¨C This time, their trip out to the field had been all in vain. . Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau was located in an office building not far from the city centre. The floor above was an optometrist and the floor below was a designer. As for their floor, the sign that hung from the door was ¡®Recycling Clean Energy¡¯ ¡ª¨C Or more commonly known as ¡®Garbage Disposal¡¯. As expected of a secret government department. It was hidden very well. At the end of the dark and crowded corridor, a dusty ¡®Logistics Department¡¯ sign hung crookedly on the door. The room inside was filled with miscellaneous items and at the centre of all of that were a few small desks which formed the office space for the logistics department. Please read this from kk translates Cheng Cezhi dejectedly handed in the broken detector to the head of the logistics department, Liu Zhaocheng. He was a serious and slightly bald middle-aged man who always had a stern look on his face, as if he wanted to use his eyes to scare away all those who tried to cast their eyes onto his head. ¡°I understand.¡± After hearing about what happened, the head chief said, ¡°You can take the afternoon off and go to the medical department to get checked. After you¡¯re done, go back and have a good rest¡­¡­.¡± Before he could finish his words, Ye Jia slowly raised his hand, ¡°Head chief¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Liu Zhaocheng didn¡¯t even raise his eyelids. He refused coldly, ¡°Go and work.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Being a corporate slave was too difficult. He lifelessly returned to his seat, but the next second, Ye Jia was stunned. For a moment, he couldn¡¯t find his chair. It was because everything was covered by a thick stack of documents. There was hardly any space on the table left. ¡°Sort it out by tomorrow or your bonus will be deducted¡­¡­If I remember correctly, there¡¯s probably not much left of your year-end bonus, right?¡± The Head chief hooked up his lips, ¡°Good luck.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± I didn¡¯t enter this department for this. What happened to the idle job we agreed on?! . Early morning. The sky was brightening up. Ye Jia let out a yawn. He stared sleepily at the mountain of documents still piled up in front of him and rubbed his messy hair. Fortunately, head chief had generously allowed him to take the documents home to deal with it or he would have had to work overtime in the bureau. Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to spend too much time in the department. After all, his cubicle was too crowded. He stretched his waist, slowly stood up and headed for the kitchen with slow dragging steps. ¡ª¡ª He didn¡¯t know if it was just his imagination, but Ye Jia had felt that the city didn¡¯t seem quite right recently. It wasn¡¯t just the recent string of disappearances which had caused a stir in the community, but the recent paranormal incidences had also been very out of the ordinary. It had reached a stage where there was clearly a shortage in staff, and everyone was too busy to take a break. Even the idlest logistics department had to work overtime until they were about to go mad. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. As he thought about this, he stretched his hand out to open his fridge door¡ª¨C And was met with a familiar small black hand. It tremblingly hid behind the fridge door and flatteringly called out, ¡°Hi! Good morning¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He slammed the door shut with a bang. The small black hand who was squashed by the door let out a squeak and then carefully retreated back into the fridge through the gap. Ye Jia expressionlessly turned around. He poured himself a glass of water and downed it all in one go. ¡­¡­..Yup. Working overtime excessively had caused him to have hallucinations. CH 3 Chapter 3 The next second, the small black hand that had been squashed into a thin sheet once again slithered out through the gap and perseveringly moved in front of Ye Jia. It waved exaggeratedly, ¡°Can you see me? I don¡¯t believe you can¡¯t see me. Hello? My friend?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s hand holding his cup tightened, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Looks like it wasn¡¯t a hallucination. He took in a deep breath and spoke slowly, ¡°¡­¡­I got rid of you.¡± Had his skills become that rusty? How could this thing that should¡¯ve been eliminated by him still be able to dance around in front of him? ¡°Y-yes¡­¡­..¡± As if sensing some danger, the small black hand stopped waving around, ¡°Almost all my energy is gone and it was also thanks to that that I was able to return to my senses¡­.but¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I-I realised¡­¡­that I couldn¡¯t get more than one hundred metres away from you.¡± The small black hand fidgeted until it had turned into a ball, ¡°It would be discovered sooner or later, so I thought it would be better to make it clear from the start. Although I don¡¯t remember much of what happened before, but the scent on your body is something I¡¯m very familiar with. You wish to become stronger, don¡¯t you? I think we can mutually benefit each other, because, you see, as a ghost, I can help you out and as for you, you just need to give me a little bit of your life energy to let me recover¡­..¡± The more it spoke, the more excited it became. It excitedly started to wave around more, as if it could already see its beautiful future. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± This ghost was too noisy. He rubbed his temples that throbbed due to overtime and then turned around and slammed the empty cup upside down over the small black hand that continued to wave around non-stop. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ??? It tried to change its body to escape ¡ª¨C But was unsuccessful. The phantom rammed against the glass, making ¡®ding, ding, ding¡¯ sounds, but the cup was like an impenetrable iron wall. Not only could it not escape from inside, the cup also couldn¡¯t even be moved. The small black hand panicked, ¡°W-what did you do?! Why can¡¯t I get out?¡± ¡°You said you don¡¯t remember much of what happened before?¡± Ye Jia yawned. His eyes were filled with lifelessness due to lack of sleep. He said expressionlessly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll make you remember.¡± Dark energy slowly gathered in his hand. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees in an instant. A strange shadow enveloped the whole room and a cold sense of danger rose. Ye Jia revealed a small smile: ¡°It was my mistake last time. It won¡¯t happen again this time.¡± The small black hand instinctively backed away and turned into a thin sheet of paper. It pressed itself tightly against the glass behind it and cried out in fear: ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait!! Let¡¯s talk, let¡¯s talk!! D-d-don¡¯t come over¡ª¡ª¡± The dark energy in Ye Jia¡¯s hand took a physical form. It was a sickle. It had a simple, slender and long handle made of bone and a long almost crescent shaped blade at the end. The blade was like a physical manifestation of moonlight; it was bright and white, and one could feel cold bloody energy emanating from it even while standing from a distance. ¡­¡­.Wait a minute. A sickle? ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± The small black hand exclaimed in shock. The next second, the sickle swung down. It cut through the air with ease. As the paper-thin blade fell, it didn¡¯t hurt the cup at all. Both silently and quickly, it flew towards the small black hand. It then suddenly stopped just in front of it. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes, ¡°You know me?¡± The small black hand scrambled to another corner of the cup away from the sickle and stammered pathetically, ¡°Ace! You¡¯re Ace!¡± Ye Jia was startled. The next second, the sickle turned back into pitch black smoke which then very quickly dissipated in the air. He hadn¡¯t heard this name for a long time. Ace. The only player who was able to clear the infinite flow escape game. The uncrowned king that no one could surpass on the points leaderboard. ¡ª¡ªFrom the moment he left the game, Ye Jia thought he would never hear that name again. ¡°Y-you¡¯re the highest ranked one on the hatred leaderboard! Right now, even as much as 80 million points will be rewarded in exchange for information about you.!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ??? What the hell? Highest ranked on the hatred leaderboard? Please read this from kk translates There were both light and dark leaderboards in the game. The light one was the point leaderboard while the dark one was the hatred leaderboard. The higher the hatred value among ghosts a player incurred, the higher their rank on that list and, the higher the ranking, the more ghosts there are willing to fork out power and points in exchange for the players life. If you offended a ghost who had been practicing for a hundred years and wasn¡¯t able to nip it in the bud, then you could only wait for your name to appear on the list and be chased by other ghosts who wanted the reward. In Ye Jia¡¯s memory, he had never ranked very high on that list. ¡ª¨C At most, it was around the twentieth to thirtieth place. After all, despite his reputation, Ye Jia personally felt that he acted low-key and rarely mixed with other ghosts and players. Even if there was any enmity, he often resolved it on the spot and rarely left it to develop further overnight. And more importantly¡­¡­.. Ye Jia repeated in disbelief: ¡°80 million points???¡± He pondered for a moment and asked: ¡°Can it be exchanged to RMB?¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re focusing on the wrong point? After careful consideration, Ye Jia sighed regretfully. The reward on the hatred leaderboard was not offered by someone with friendly intentions and exchanging it into money was also a big problem. If it weren¡¯t for this, he really wanted to take that reward for himself. He reluctantly pulled his attention away from his abysmal salary and bonus, and continued to ask: ¡°Who posted it?¡± ¡°Who else could it be?¡± The small black hand replied naturally, ¡°Of course it¡¯s King.¡± King? What¡¯s that? Ye Jia was even more confused. There were indeed distinct classes between the ghosts but King? Never heard of it. At least, this King didn¡¯t exist when he was in the game. ¡°And apart from that King?¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°Who else offered a reward for me?¡± The small black hand replied, ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± How could that be possible? Before he cleared the game, even if there weren¡¯t a thousand ghosts offering a reward for him, there were at least a hundred who did. How was it that there are fewer of them now? It didn¡¯t make sense! ¡°B-but, that reward is only a reward for information!¡± Probably worried that Ye Jia may be thinking that it would betray him, the small black hand quickly expressed its loyalty, ¡°A-and boss, you must believe in me! My spiritual body is now tied to you. Even if you give me 800 lives, I wouldn¡¯t dare betray you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Only a reward for information? Not asking for his life? Ye Jia almost laughed out loud. There was actually such a gentle ghost in the game? What a joke. ¡ª¡ª- Ghosts have no moral bottom lines. Ye Jia never had any intentions to believe anything this guy said, let alone something so outrageous. Ye Jia easily put the topic aside. He changed the course of the conversation: ¡°So, you came from the game?¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± The small black hand pressed itself against the wall of the cup and replied while trembling. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes, ¡°How did you do it?¡± The small black hand shrank back even more, ¡°I-I also don¡¯t know! One day, a door suddenly opened! So, I came out!¡± After hearing this, Ye Jia suddenly had a bad feeling. He asked, ¡°Who else has come out beside you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The small black hand shook, ¡°The door was just there. Anyone would go through it if they see it¡­is what I think.¡± Ye Jia was startled. Across the thin wall, one could vaguely hear the excessively loud morning news broadcast coming from next door, ¡°¡­..Recently, there have been a number of disappearances. The police are currently investigating¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes darkened. He lowered his eyes and looked down at the small black hand that was trapped inside the upside-down cup. His tone softened, ¡°Thank you for telling me this.¡± But before the small black hand could breathe a sigh of relief, the next second, the sickle once again appeared. Ye Jia looked down and narrowed his eyes, ¡°Your job is over now.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡­..So who¡¯s the actual ghost here? Seeing that the blade was approaching, it cried out again, ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I have something else to tell you!¡± ¡°You went to that building to find that girl¡¯s spiritual body, didn¡¯t you?!¡± The small black hand gestured wildly and continued in one breath, ¡°I was too hungry and ate the remaining spiritual body, but I didn¡¯t expect it to already be contaminated inside. That¡¯s why I lost my mind and was eroded by resentment energy. I have her remaining memories!!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s actions paused. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I can take you to the last place in her memory!¡± The small black hand trembled and had at some point started to speak with honorifics, ¡°Please be merciful! I am very useful!¡± The sickle disappeared. Ye Jia was in thought. The last place in her memory¡­¡­.? It would likely be where the instigator is. He turned his head and glanced at the pile of documents that nearly reached his waist. A headache from the thought of needing to stay up late again hit him¡ª¡ª- One missing persons case, when it reaches the logistics department, equated to one hundred and twenty-eight documents to sort out. If he let that unknown ghost continue to act recklessly, all that would increase several folds. With that, two missing persons would be two hundred and fifty-six documents and three would be three hundred and eighty-four¡­¡­ After calculating this, Ye Jia sucked in a breath with shock. At this rate, let alone weekends, his annual leave would probably all be gone. ¡ª¨C He didn¡¯t want to be overworked to death at such a young age! Ye Jia lowered his head and examined the glass cup carefully for a few seconds. The small black hand almost thought it was going to die. He then slowly took a deep breath and said with difficulty through gritted teeth: ¡°¡­¡­Let¡¯s go.¡± Working overtime without pay. This was too miserable. . It was a loud and noisy environment. An auntie carrying a basket of vegetables, middle school students on their way to school and elites in suits. All of them were standing at the small bus stop. Ye Jia who hadn¡¯t slept all night and had no time to rest stood expressionlessly in the crowd. He lowered his voice, ¡°Are you sure¡­..that the last place in the girl¡¯s memory is the bus?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The small black hand who couldn¡¯t be seen by others sat on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Ye Jia: ¡°Could she be wanting to go somewhere?¡± ¡°No.¡± The small black hand answered with confidence, ¡°I remember that the last scene she saw while she was alive was inside the bus!¡± ¡°Which route?¡± ¡°That¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± The small black hand¡¯s voice grew smaller, ¡°But, once the bus comes, her resentment will respond, and I¡¯ll know immediately!¡± It stretched out two black hands and massaged Ye Jia¡¯s shoulders in attempt to flatter him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Soon! The bus will be here soon!¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia said gloomily, ¡°¡­..I hope it does.¡± As time passed, the people around him boarded the buses wave after wave and left. The sun above his head gradually rose and then it started to set in the west. The fewer people there were standing at the bus stop, the lower the air pressure around Ye Jia. The small black hand fearfully shrank smaller and smaller into a ball. Finally, a bus turned the corner and drove over. The number above could be seen from a distance: No. 148. ¡°This one!¡± The small black hand regained its spirits in an instant and started to wave around. Ye Jia glanced at it coldly. At this moment, the bus stopped in front of him and the folding door slowly opened. Ye Jia boarded the bus. He reached into his pocket and dug out two coins but just as he was about to throw it into the coin box, he heard a surprised voice not far away, ¡°Brother Ye?¡± The coins rolled down and made a clinking sound. Ye Jia raised his head in surprise and looked in the direction of the voice. Although it was daytime, the bus was empty. There were only a few people with their heads lowered sitting in the corner, swaying as the bus moved. In the middle of the bus, in a seat near the window, Ye Jia saw a familiar face. Cheng Cezhi waved at him excitedly: ¡°Brother Ye, Brother Ye! It really is you!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Damn, why is he here? The small black hand quietly whispered into his ear, ¡°Boss, do you know him?¡± Ye Jia ignored it. He supported himself with the handrail and walked quickly towards Cheng Cezhi as the bus moved. Cheng Cezhi proactively moved in to make space for Ye Jia and then babbled endlessly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the medical department of our bureau to be so far away. It was too late yesterday, and I would probably only get back at 11 or 12 in the evening, so I decided to go today instead. In any case, head chief gave me three days off¡­¡­¡± ¡°Three days?¡± Ye Jia was surprised. Cheng Cezhi nodded happily, ¡°Yeah, I think our head chief really cares for his subordinates!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia who had never been granted more than half a day of leave fell silent. Cheng Cezhi was completely oblivious, ¡°Brother Ye, do you also feel uncomfortable after going to that building? It¡¯s good to have it checked out. After all, being trapped in a nightmare is not fun. The resentful spirit that were once in that building was probably pretty strong to even affect ordinary people. After I went back, I couldn¡¯t sleep at all.¡± The resentful spirit he was talking about was sitting on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder at this moment, playing with its own fingers. Ye Jia took a deep breath and interrupted him, ¡°Get off the bus.¡± Cheng Cezhi was stunned, ¡°Huh¡­.? Why?¡± ¡°You got on the wrong bus.¡± Ye Jia said concisely, ¡°The bus to the medical department is No. 48.¡± Cheng Cezhi froze, ¡°Really? I only came to M City not long ago so I¡¯m not familiar with this.¡± He lowered his head and flipped through manual distributed by their department. The bus was so quiet, all they could hear was the engine rumbling and the clattering of the doors, ¡°Oh yeah, it is No. 48. I¡¯m so silly, to actually make a mistake like this¡­¡­That¡¯s true, I haven¡¯t heard of a No. 158 in M City¡­..¡± While talking, Cheng Cezhi stood up and shouted at the driver, ¡°Mister driver! Hello! Sorry but can you stop at the next stop!¡± Ye Jie moved aside to let him walk past. As he did this, he inadvertently glanced outside the window and suddenly froze. The sunny weather from before had disappeared at some unknown point in time and the spacious road was now enveloped with thick fog which slowly rolled past the bus windows. It was dark and cold and quite haunting. The bus shook as it moved but the inside of it was completely silent. The entire bus was shrouded in silence. It gave off a creepy atmosphere. Ye Jia¡¯s heart fell. It was probably too late to get off the bus now. He immediately turned his head to look at Cheng Cezhi who hadn¡¯t noticed anything and said, ¡°Wai¡­¡­¡± But the next moment, the bus stopped. Ye Jia cut the rest of his words off. ¡ª¡ª Why wasn¡¯t this bus playing its cards according to the normal routine? Immediately afterwards, there was a creak and the door opened. Cheng Cezhi happily expressed his thanks, ¡°Thank you Mister!¡± After saying this, he went towards the door. But before he could reach it, he heard a couple of buzzing sounds. The lights in the bus flashed a few times and, as if it was pushed down by a heavy object, the entire bus suddenly leaned to one side¡ª- It was as if something had boarded the bus. Looking past Cheng Cezhi¡¯s shoulder, Ye Jia clearly saw the huge figure who had caused the bus to lean to one side. Unexpectedly, it was a very thin person. He was almost two metres tall, and his arms and legs were thin like bamboo poles. It was as if there was only a thin layer of skin wrapped around his bones. The thick fog behind him almost swallowed up those thin and slender limbs, making the body appear as thin as a piece of paper. In such an environment, it looked even more eerie and strange. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Damn, an acquaintance. CH 4 Chapter 4 ¡°Creak¡ª¡ª¡± The bus leaned to one side. There was a harsh sound of metal rubbing against each other that seemed like it could pierce through one¡¯s eardrums. Five slender fingers that resembled dry twigs slowly gripped the side of the bus and a tall and thin man with disproportionately spider-like limbs entered through the narrow door. The temperature inside the bus immediately fell. Dark and gloomy air penetrated through their skin and bones. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. This was a type of hungry ghost. In the game, it would mutate with nourishment from resentment energy. They are greedy, cruel, never content and they also love to torture their prey before eating them up when they are at their most despaired and fearful state. What was worse was that their skins are extremely hard and impenetrable. They practically had no weakness. And he happened to know this one. He was an instance boss Ye Jia had encountered shortly after he entered the game. Although he was only B-Level, Ye Jia didn¡¯t have much experience at the time and suffered quite a bit in his hands, barely managing to stay alive. But Ye Jia wasn¡¯t very worried about the other party recognising his face. In the game, players didn¡¯t enter the instances with their real appearances from the real world ¡ª¨C Right now, Ye Jia had to admit that he was very thankful that there was such a rule in the game or he would have had a rather spectacular scene of numerous ghosts knocking on his door. It was just that, his scent was very difficult to hide or change. ¡ª¨C Especially for hungry ghosts who are extremely sensitive to smell and taste. So Ye Jia wasn¡¯t certain whether he would be recognised by the other party. Cheng Cezhi was stunned. Suddenly, all the details that he had overlooked earlier entered his vision: The overly silent carriage, the motionless passengers, as well as the misty and dark sky outside the window. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s eyes instantly widened. He quietly gasped. In an instant, eight hundred profanities whizzed through his mind. ¡­¡­Fuck, two days in a row. W-what was up with his luck?! Cheng Cezhi¡¯s legs felt weak. But as he was someone with some experience after all, he managed to prevent himself from fainting this time. The contents of his training courses came back to his mind. Cheng Cezhi lowered his voice and said tremblingly to the person standing behind him, ¡°B-Brother Ye, d-don¡¯t worry. I-I activated the emergency call device. T-the C-Combat Division will be able to rescue us soon. J-Just hold on for a few minutes¡­¡­.¡± As a result of interacting with paranormal events more than the average person, ordinary people who work in the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau are more likely to attract ghosts than normal civilians. As they don¡¯t have the ability to deal with them and protect themselves, they are often equipped with an emergency call device. Once activated when their life is threatened, the device would send their last coordinates to the communicator of a combat personnel nearby. As an ordinary person, Ye Jia also has one, but he had never used it. After hearing Cheng Cezhi¡¯s words, Ye Jia silently withdrew his hand. It was a pity. If it weren¡¯t for those few seconds of distraction, he wouldn¡¯t have missed the best timing to knock the other person out. The small black hand sitting on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder slowly shrank back. Little by little, it moved under his collar in attempt to hide its own existence. Something seemed to be struggling about under the hungry ghost¡¯s pale face. There was no mouth, but the voice seemed like it came from all directions: ¡°You two shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± There was some hissing in the voice, like those that belonged to slithery cold-blooded animals. It brought along with it a kind of creepy feeling. Cheng Cezhi instantly broke out in cold sweat. He supported himself with the back of a bus seat, barely keeping himself from collapsing onto the ground because of his soft noodle-like legs. He gathered up some courage and stammered: ¡°S-sorry¡­..w-we can get off immediately¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The other party let out a strange laugh. Those twisted and slender limbs made some creaking sounds, ¡°I don¡¯t mind having a snack while travelling.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± This topic cannot go on! The man with slender limbs that almost resembles that of a spider stepped forward. His half-arched body stretched instantly, covering the space at the front of the bus. His withered arms stretched forward: ¡°So fragrant¡­¡­¡± He hissed. Although there were no facial features on his face, Cheng Cezhi could clearly sense that the other party¡¯s line of sight had moved away from him and stopped at the figure standing behind him. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­The scent from your body¡­¡­¡± The movements under the face seemed to grow more intense. It was as if it was responding to a familiar smell. It was deep in thought, ¡°It¡¯s¡­..¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ye Jia interrupted without a change to his expression, ¡°It¡¯s men¡¯s perfume.¡± The man: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°If you like it, I can give you the store address.¡± The air went still. Please read this from kk translates After hearing Ye Jia¡¯s answer, Cheng Cezhi¡¯s vision went dark. He almost fainted. A fierce ghost¡¯s sense of reason was often distorted and corroded by strong resentment energy. Even if one doesn¡¯t do anything, they could anger the other party¡­¡­ Not to mention using such a provocative tone! All his hopes were gone in an instant. It¡¯s over. It seems that his life is really going to end here. Sure enough, after several exceptionally long seconds, an angry roar travelled out from the hungry ghost¡¯s throat. Following that, his shadow-like thin and slender limbs moved and attacked the two before him. Ye Jia reacted quickly and pulled Cheng Cezhi back by his collar to avoid the attack. Cheng Cezhi almost showed the whites of his eyes from the strangulation. He stumbled backwards from the force. ¡°Where is the protective device issued by the bureau?¡± Ye Jia leaned close and quickly whispered, ¡°Do it now! Activate it!¡± Cheng Cezhi reached into his pocket with some difficulty and searched around. The next second, there was a loud bang and an invisible barrier appeared, wrapping the two inside like a hamster ball. The space in the bus was small so the barrier caused the thin man to be squashed against the wall. It was extremely angered. A large opening slowly opened across his abdomen. It was like a huge mouth, with numerous sharp shark-like teeth inside. It gnawed and gnawed, and the barrier began to creak under the pressure. Immediately afterwards, the bus door slowly closed with a clack and the car started move again. The bus continued to slowly move towards the fog and darkness ahead. This wasn¡¯t a good thing. Ye Jia quickly glanced out the window. ¡ª¡ª The support hadn¡¯t come yet. In that case, there was no need to wait any longer. The stronger the fierce ghost, the larger the area occupied by the domain it produced, and the concept of time and space in there was different to that of the outside world. If they waited any longer, it would be more difficult to explain the situation when the matter was over. ¡°Crack¡ª¡ª¡ª¡° Under the other party¡¯s fierce attacks, a series of small cracks appeared on the barrier. It was soon about to break. At that moment, Ye Jia raised his hand to grab the small black hand clinging to his collar and proceeded to throw it at the thin man lying against the barrier without any hesitation. The small black hand screamed: ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¨C!!!¡± The other party¡¯s actions stagnated for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Jia struck the back of Cheng Cezhi¡¯s neck with his hand. Cheng Cezhi immediately collapsed. ¡°Ahhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C!¡± The small black hand landed onto the tall and thin man¡¯s face. Its screams sounded even more miserable, and it laid affixed to it. The man was furious. His body suddenly stretched, and his slender limbs instantly covered most of the bus. The opening on his body opened even wider until it looked like the upper body was about to be torn in half, before it viciously bit into the protective barrier before him¡ª¡ª ¡°Boom!¡± The protective barrier exploded into shattered crystals. It floated in the air for a short time, and then disappeared suddenly like a spot of light. Now was the chance. In the cold and dark bus where shadows swayed about, the young man¡¯s thin body charged towards the fierce ghost without any hesitation¡ª¡ª The fierce ghost grinned excitedly, revealing his mouth filled with jagged teeth, as he waited for his food to be delivered to the door. There was no need to hide anymore. Another very aggressive ghostly energy exploded inside the bus. That familiar force startled the fierce ghost. His body suddenly froze. It was as if memories that had been sealed from a long time ago had sudden resurfaced. Wait a minute¡­..This¡­¡­ While the hungry ghost was distracted, the young man smiled slightly and then stretched his hand into the large mouth without hesitation. ¡ª¡ªIn fact, it was true that none of the props in the game could penetrate through the hungry ghost¡¯s hard skin, but they weren¡¯t without a weakness. The large opening filled with sharp teeth wasn¡¯t only their most powerful weapon, it was also their only weak point. Once they are provoked by their prey, they would open their mouth to the maximum. This was also their weakest moment. Ye Jia looked at the pale face that was less than a few inches away from him. The smile on the corners of his lips deepened, and he greeted in a friendly manner, ¡°Long time no see.¡± The next second, the dark energy in his hand took a physical form. A huge sickle penetrated through the other party¡¯s stomach, tearing through it from the inside. ¡°Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± The tall and thin fierce ghost let out a painful roar. His thin limbs danced about madly, almost tearing the bus apart. The colour on his body faded rapidly, as if he was being absorbed from the inside. Ye Jia¡¯s wrist twisted, and the huge sickle instantly cut the fierce ghost¡¯s body in half. As the white blade cut through the air, the cold gleam from the blade swept across the wall of the bus¡ª¨C As if colour was fading off, the original clean and tidy appearance inside the bus gradually disappeared, revealing aged and rusted walls. This was an empty old bus which seemed to have not been in use for a long time. It was in tatters and looked like it would fall apart at any time. The fog outside the window was dissipating. ¡°¡ª¡ª-And, goodbye.¡± Ye Jia looked down at the remnants of the fierce ghost on the ground and added this calmly. The back of his hand was cut by the other party¡¯s sharp teeth. Blood dripped down his fingertips. The sickle in his hand had already disappeared without a trace. The remnants of the hungry ghost in front of him slowly turned transparent. Thick and dark ghost energy quickly drained out from his wounds. He was still screaming and roaring, but the weakness in his voice couldn¡¯t be concealed. The small black hand quickly retreated back onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. It clutched his collar tightly and screamed: ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!! Scared me to deathhhh!!¡± ¡°What are you screaming for?¡± Ye Jia glanced at it inexplicably, ¡°His mouth isn¡¯t on his face.¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­..¡± Fuck. ¡­¡­Couldn¡¯t be refuted. Escaping ghost energy slowly gathered in the corners of the bus and rushed towards Ye Jia. It was as if there was some terrible existence quietly lurking inside the seemingly weak young man. It both hungrily and greedily consumed all the energy around him, quickly absorbing it into his blood vessels and becoming a part of him. On the back of his pale hand, the bright red wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Finally, only a pale pink trace remained. At that moment, the small black hand suddenly stiffened. It seemed to have felt something, and instinctively turned its head to look at the young man whose collar it held. The cold and damp fog outside slowly dissipated. Dazzling sunlight shone through the windows. Please read this from kk translates The profile of the young man was pale and clean and the fine hairs on his cheeks were clearly visible in the sun. His eyes were slightly lowered and his expression calm. It gave off an almost mysterious feeling of gentleness. His body and scent was also no different from that of ordinary humans. The small black hand looked at Ye Jia with some uncertainty. Was it just its imagination just now? Why did it feel¡­¡­.That the smell from this human sudden became a little¡­.. Scary? The bus had now completely returned to its original appearance. Although it had only travelled through fog for several minutes, the urban cityscape outside the window was gone and wilderness replaced it. Ye Jia stared at the hungry ghost on the ground, his expression suddenly becoming a little complicated. ¡°What is it? What is it?¡± The small black hands attention was diverted. It grabbed Ye Jia¡¯s collar and followed his line of sight to look down at the ground, ¡°Did you find any clues?¡± It only then heard Ye Jia sigh quietly, ¡°Did you know? The salary of people in the Combat Division is six times that of the Logistics Department.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°And the benefits are better.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°I¡¯m doing a Combat Division¡¯s job while getting paid the Logistics Department¡¯s salary. I¡¯m so tired.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Want a vacation.¡± The small black hand fell into a long silence. ¡ª¡ª¨CIt was probably just its imagination just now. At this moment, the hungry ghost who was about to disappear completely seemed to have been stimulated by his words. He suddenly started struggling and raised his pale face to look at Ye Jia. His voice hissed viciously, ¡°Ace¡­..It¡¯s actually you¡­¡­..Hahahahaha. Did you think that you would no longer need to worry about anything after leaving the game? Your name on the hatred leaderboard will not be gone until the day you die¡­¡­.Haha, Hahahaha¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes darkened. The hatred leaderboard¡­¡­..? Regarding this matter, could it be that the small black had was speaking the truth? ¡°King will find you¡­¡­¡­¡± The hungry ghost let out a spiteful laugh, ¡°No one can get away unscathed after doing something like that¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°???¡± Wait a minute? Do what? But before he had the chance to ask about that, the hungry ghost was gone. Ye Jia took a deep breath and then pulled the small black hand off from his shoulder and shook it. ¡°What did I do? Do you know what he was talking about?¡± The small black hand replied hesitantly, ¡°I¡­..I don¡¯t know¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia shook harder. ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait!¡± The small black hand was shaken until it was dizzy and cried out, ¡°Alright! Okay! I just heard that¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia pressed, ¡°Heard what?¡± The small black hand stammered, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡­.it seems like¡­¡­.you played with King and threw him away¡­..or something¡­.like that¡­¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute. What? . A turbulent sea of blood. Blood slowly seeped across the dark ground, gathering into the silently surging scarlet river. Torn off limbs and piles of bones; white and bright red mixed together, forming the bloody kingdom of death. This was a domain. To be able to create such an unimaginably large domain, no one knew how powerful the owner was. In the centre of it all, on a large throne made of bones, sat a man who had his eyes closed. His eyelashes moved. As if he had sensed something, the man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were a dark red, much like the colour of the sea of blood. He looked in a certain direction and his pupils constricted slightly. Like a cold-blooded predator who had finally caught its prey, a fleeting icy smile appeared in the depths of his eyes. At last. The next second, a breeze carrying a strong scent of blood passed by. The bony skeletons lying scattered around creaked. On the throne made of bones, the man¡¯s figure slowly faded and finally disappeared without a trace. CH 5 Chapter 5 What did you say? Ye Jia repeated in disbelief. The small black hand trembled in between his fingers, ¡°I-I only heard about it¡­.That¡¯s all! The other fierce ghosts were saying it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true or not¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± So are you fierce ghosts always so gossipy? He pondered for a few seconds and then spoke up, ¡°Tell me about your King.¡± ¡°King is King.¡± The small black hand twisted around. One should know that the ghosts in the game and the ghosts in real life are different. In real life, fierce ghosts are often the souls of people who had died with grievances and are wandering between the world of the living and the world of the dead. In the game, this kind of ghost only occupied a small part of the population. More were like the hungry ghost just now, a monster forming as a result of resentment and ghost energy. They are nourished by the large amounts of yin energy in the game and grow stronger by killing players and consuming each other. And the small black hand was clearly born very recently ¡ª¨C It still hadn¡¯t formed a complete body. Perhaps it was precisely because of this, to the small black hand, the King who had existed since it had gained consciousness was its world. And so, Ye Jia changed his question: ¡°What level is this King you refer to?¡± ¡°That¡­..I also don¡¯t know.¡± The small black hand carefully took in Ye Jia¡¯s expression and added weakly, ¡°B-but, I think he should be S-Level or higher!¡± For a fierce ghost of B-Level or higher, the gap between each level was like a bottomless moat. And S-Level fierce ghosts are extremely rare even in the game. Ye Jia frowned and began to recall all the S-Level ghosts he had offended but after thinking about it, he felt that none of them were right. After all, it was understandable if they wanted his life. But a reward for information? It was too strange. While he was thinking, there was the sound of a car engine approaching. ¡ª¡ª-Someone was coming. Ye Jia was called back from his thoughts. He looked down at the small black hand in his hand and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, ¡°Speaking of which, if your condition recovers, you should be an almost C-Level ghost, right?¡± The small black hand was suddenly very wary: ¡°¡­..What do you want to do?¡± Ye Jia smiled. His expression was innocent, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just want to ask you to help me out a little.¡± . Zhao Guangcheng was a F member of the Combat Division. He was the one who was closest to the place where Cheng Cezhi¡¯s last signal was transmitted so he was immediately assigned a rescue mission. However, shortly after he received the task, the signal from that Logistics Department staff was suddenly gone. Ten minutes later, the signal appeared in the outskirts of the city several kilometres away. Zhao Guangcheng drove over immediately. In the middle of the wilderness, an old bus was half sunk into a ditch. The advertisements printed on the body were mottled and the female star¡¯s faded face still maintained a stiff smile. Although the members of the Combat Division have their own unique abilities, they are also very sensitive to ghost energy. The yin energy in the air had dissipated a little, but the amount left was still shockingly high. The instrument installed in the car began to beep even from a long distance away. There was even dark energy outside that could be seen with the naked eye. Please read this from kk translates Zhao Guangcheng couldn¡¯t help but feel scared. A ghost of this level¡­¡­.. He may not be powerful enough to handle it. After quickly making a report and preparing himself, Zhao Guangcheng cautiously approached the bus and then carefully entered it. After seeing the scene inside, Zhao Guangcheng couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. There were two unconscious young men in the bus. One was collapsed in the aisle, while the other was slumped in the seat. With their faces pale and breathing weak, they were clearly affected by the yin energy. Several large black ghost hands stretched out from the ground. It grabbed their exposed ankles, as if sucking out the life energy from their bodies. Zhao Guangcheng quickly activated the combat gear he carried with him. After a few exchanges, the ghost hand was hit. It let out a terrifying roar, swayed exaggeratingly a few times, and then threw away the two pale-faced victims before jumping out the window and running away. Zhao Guangcheng who had managed to survive was left soaking in cold sweat. Fifteen minutes later, an ambulance arrived. Forty-five minutes later, the two unconscious logistics staff were sent to the hospital for a physical examination. . Two hours later. Ye Jia sat on the bed eating jelly while wearing a patient gown. Cheng Cezhi slowly woke up on the hospital bed next to him and let out a hoarse groan, ¡°Ugh¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Awake?¡± Ye Jia stopped his act of digging into his jelly and asked with concern as he looked over, ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°Neck hurts¡­¡­¡± Cheng Cezhi replied. The culprit¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Having body aches is a normal reaction after encountering a ghost.¡± Cheng Cezhi got up with difficulty. As he rubbed his neck, he asked weakly, ¡°So¡­¡­What happened?¡± Before Ye Jia could answer, there was a clatter and the door to the ward was pushed open with great force. The Logistics Department Head Chief Liu Zhaocheng strode in. The parting sea on the top of his head looked a little brighter than it was a few days ago. He spoke out in anger, ¡°Got entangled! What else could it be?!¡± Cheng Cezhi was stunned, ¡°What?¡± Liu Zhaocheng explained briefly, ¡°Although the specific inspection results are not out yet, the yin attributes extracted from the site by the logistics department was consistent with the ones from that high-rise building from before. The fierce ghost that attacked you earlier probably remembered your scent and came after you again!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi lowered his head guiltily, ¡°And even Brother Ye got involved because of me¡­¡­.¡± At this moment, the protagonist he was referring to was pointing at the jelly on his table, ¡°Are you eating that?¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He suddenly felt that his apology was worthless. He aggrievedly passed the jelly over, ¡°¡­¡­Not eating.¡± Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s expression was stern, ¡°Fearing that the fierce ghost will come after you again, the superiors have ordered for you to be transferred to a ward on the top floor and a combat personnel will protect you.¡± He turned his gaze and his line of sight settled on Ye Jia, ¡°As for you¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s act of peeling open his second jelly stiffened slightly. He suddenly had a bad feeling inside. Sure enough¡ª¨C ¡°The funds of the bureau are limited. You will move to the general ward for observation for two days and then return to work if nothing is wrong.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­..Sir, this is differential treatment.¡± He originally thought he would be able to earn a few more days of vacation! In the end it was only two days! ¡­¡­What a pity! ¡°Differential treatment?¡± Liu Zhaocheng sneered, ¡°There is a large backlog of documents in the bureau these past few days. Do you want to start processing them now instead?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He placed down his jelly and sat up straight. ¡°Head Chief Liu is kind and compassionate. This one is so grateful; words cannot express my feelings.¡± Lu Zhaocheng, ¡°¡­¡­Go eat your jelly.¡± Twenty minutes later, the head chief and a combat personnel escorted the high-risk individual Cheng Cezhi out of the ward. Ye Jia was also brought down to the general ward under the nurse¡¯s guidance. There were four beds in the ward. Fortunately, the other three were currently empty. Ye Jia chose a bed near the window. As soon as he sat down, there was knocking from the window. Ye Jia turned and looked in the direction of the sound and saw the small black hand outside beckoning at him frantically, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The small black hand slowly squeezed in through the side of the window and then proceeded to shake triumphantly. ¡°See, I was right! The last place in the girl¡¯s memory was the bus. Now that you have found the real culprit, why don¡¯t you¡­.¡± But unexpectedly, Ye Jia shook his head. ¡°The real culprit isn¡¯t him.¡± The small black hand stiffened, ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Jia yawned and leaned back lazily, ¡°That is just a hungry ghost. His desire to kill is dependent on his appetite. He would indeed torture his prey, but he wouldn¡¯t peel off the skin and leave the body uneaten.¡± The small black hand wilted, ¡°¡­..I see.¡± Ye Jia closed his eyes. In fact, he had realised this the moment he saw that ghost. But he didn¡¯t think that the small black hand was lying to him. He had control over its life and there was no reason for it to cover for a ghost it had never met before. He had found the right place, but just didn¡¯t find the right culprit. Furthermore, there was something about that place that drew his attention ¡ª- That hungry ghost had only got onto the bus after entering the foggy zone. He was just a passenger. So, it was possible that the fierce ghost who enjoys skinning humans was also one of the passengers. Ye Jia¡¯s focus changed at this moment¡ª¨C But why did that bus carrying fierce ghosts appear in the city centre? More importantly, where was its intended destination? While Ye Jia had his eyes closed in thought, he suddenly felt an unusual movement near his legs. He opened his eyes. He saw that the small black hand had climbed onto the bed with difficulty. As if it had suddenly remembered something, it began to complain with bloody tears, ¡°You are so cruel!¡± It turned around to show Ye Jia the little finger that was thinner and lighter in colour compared to the other fingers, ¡°Wuwuwuwu Look at it! My colour is no longer even! My injury from when I was beaten by you last time hadn¡¯t healed yet and now I have lost at least 5% of my body surface area¡­¡­And you didn¡¯t let me fight back! There are no ghosts more miserable than me! It¡¯s so humiliating wuwuwu¡­¡­¡± It continued to wail. Ye Jia felt a headache forming from all the noise. He raised his hand and grabbed the small black hand on his blanket. It let out a squeak and then fell silent in an instant. Who says that ghosts are ruthless and cunning?! Humans are clearly much worse and scarier than them! The small black hand wanted to cry without tears. Please read this from kk translates But the next second, it felt a very fragrant yin energy pour into its body. It was completely different from the blade-like aggressive ghost energy it had tasted in this human body last time. It seemed to have been deliberately adjusted to a concentration that its body could absorb and it only took a few seconds for the little finger to be restored to its original state. Ye Jie released his grip. The small black hand looked at the human in front of it in shock. It felt that even its soul suffered a great shock. Could it be¡­¡­.that it had misunderstood the other party? He was actually a good person! The small black hand¡¯s eyes welled up. Its voice trembled a little, ¡°You¡­.¡± Ye Jia remained expressionless, ¡°You¡¯re dead if you continue being noisy.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡± He closed his eyes, laid back down and lazily ordered, ¡°There is a milk tea shop two blocks away. I want banana mint green tea, half sugar, hot. Get it quickly.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Moved my ass! This sinister human clearly wants to work it to death! . Ye Jia was too sleepy. He firstly had to stay up all night dealing with the documents and then he had to deal with that bus incident. After a routine check-up, he fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow. A long-forgotten scene drilled out from the depths of his memory, taking the opportunity to invade his dreams. The scene was chaotic and messy. Horrific and grotesque creatures wandered about the seemingly eternal night scene. Their mouths spit open, revealing a greedy smirk. A sharp scream reached his ear. A pale and bloody face reached out towards him desperately: Help me! Help me! ¡­¡­. Ye Jia opened his eyes in the darkness. He stared calmly at the slightly blurry ceiling above him. His breathing was a little fast. It had been a long time since he had dreamt of those memories. The scene he thought would become fainter with time once again appeared vividly in his mind as if it had never left. At this moment, a small crying sound reached his ear, ¡°Help me¡­.Help me¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia was startled. He quickly turned to look at the source of the sound. A little girl was curled up, shuddering in the corner of the room. She only wore a patient gown, and her feet were bare. With hollow eyes and a face covered in tears, she murmured, ¡°Mummy, daddy, where are you? Mummy, mummy, help me¡­..¡± The light from the corridor in the distance penetrated straight through her body, falling onto the ground. There was no shadow under her feet. A newly dead spirit? This kind of thing was very common in hospitals. But¡­¡­.the smell didn¡¯t seem quite right. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. This was a living soul. And it was a living soul which carried the smell of a fierce ghost. The author has something to say: The small black hand¡ª- Not only was it used as free labour, but it was also at the bottom of the food chain and repeatedly exploited. ¡°I¡¯m so stupid, really.¡± It wiped its tears, ¡°I only knew that ghosts are insidious and sinister, but I didn¡¯t think that humans are even more terrible. I don¡¯t want to be in the real world anymore. I want to go back to the game wuwuwu!¡± CH 6 Chapter 6 In the darkness, the little girl sobbed quietly. Large tear droplets rolled down, falling onto her knees. She only remembered that she was in school and then she suddenly felt dizzy and fainted. When she woke up again, she found that she was in this terrible place. It was cold, too cold. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver like crazy from head to toe. And she would always hear some strange whispers coming from the distance. Even if she tried to cover her ears, she couldn¡¯t stop those sounds from slipping in between her fingers. So scary¡­.. Mummy, daddy, I miss you¡­¡­.. Where are you¡­¡­¡­ The little girl shivered and curled up her thin body, pressing it tightly against the wall behind her as if this was the only way for her to feel a little safer. Suddenly, she heard a voice from above her head: ¡°What? Are you lost?¡± The girl flinched with fright. She raised her teary eyes and looked in the direction of the voice. She saw a tall young man standing not far away. He was also wearing a patient gown. His skin was very pale and his amber eyes were half-lidded, making him look a little lazy. He bent down. His voice was calm and clear, inexplicably giving people a sense of security, ¡°What is your name?¡± The little girl hiccupped and replied timidly, ¡°¡­¡­.M-My name is S-Sun Jiale.¡± ¡°How old?¡± ¡°Almost eight years old.¡± The little girl¡¯s big eyes were still wet with tears. She sniffled a little and replied in a small voice. Ye Jia imperceptibly narrowed his eyes. He was far away just now, and the feeling wasn¡¯t as strong but after getting closer, he was quite certain that he could smell ghost energy coming from this little girl¡¯s soul. That smell even penetrated deeply into her soul. Once a living soul separates from the main body and doesn¡¯t return within three days, it can no longer return. If left alone, she would definitely die, and this ghost energy in her would turn her into a fierce ghost. Please read this from kk translates And this hospital was one that worked closely with the bureau. If something went wrong here, not only would employee¡¯s medical insurance be unable to be reimbursed, it would also bring about a series of chain reactions and disastrous consequences. It seemed that he couldn¡¯t leave this matter alone. Ye Jia sighed inside. ¡­..Haa, having to work overtime while on sick leave. The life of a corporate slave was too miserable. After answering those two questions, Sun Jiale¡¯s mood had calmed down considerably. She looked up at Ye Jia and asked carefully: ¡°Big brother¡­..Can you see me?¡± When she woke up earlier, no matter how loudly she cried, all the doctors and nurses paid her no attention. She had tried to pull at their clothes in a panic but was horrified to find that her fingers had instead passed right through their bodies. Although Sun Jiale was young, she was very aware of what this meant. She held back her tears and choked out a question, ¡°A-Am I dead?¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes and stretched out his hand, ¡°Come.¡± The young man¡¯s fingers were pale and slender with well defined joints. Under the moonlight coming from outside the window, it glowed slightly. ¡°Touch and see.¡± Sun Jiale carefully stretched out her own pale little hand and placed it in the palm of the other party¡ª- She widened her eyes in surprise, ¡°¡­..I-I touched it!¡± ¡°So you see, ¡°Ye Jia¡¯s lips carried a faint smile, ¡°neither you nor I are dead, isn¡¯t that right?¡± He curled up his fingers and gently pulled the other person up from the ground, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to find your mum and dad.¡± The little girl¡¯s eyes lid up. She nodded enthusiastically, ¡°Yeah!¡± Hearing her answer, the small black hand hanging from Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder muttered, ¡°Hah, another stupid human falling for his trickery.¡± Pathetic human. Can¡¯t even see that on the other side of this man¡¯s seemingly innocent face is a cruel psychopath! Sun Jiale was startled by the small black had who had suddenly appeared, ¡°Big brother¡­¡­w-what¡¯s that on your shoulder?¡± ¡°Accessory.¡± Ye Jia smiled and pulled the small black hand off. The young man¡¯s fingers were very nimble. In just a few seconds, he tied the small black hand into a bow, ¡°Does it look good?¡± Sun Jiale looked at the bow in Ye Jia¡¯s hand in surprise and nodded vigorously, ¡°Looks good!¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ??? Where were its ghost rights?! . Ye Jia led the little girl out of the ward. The hospital was very quiet at night. There was no one in the corridor except for the nurse on duty who sat at the front desk. Relying on his good-looking face and sweet-talking skills, Ye Jia very easily found Sun Jiale¡¯s information from the other party ¡ª- Sun Jiale¡¯s family had just handled some transfer procedures when it happened today and transferred her to a more expensive private hospital. During the conversation between the two, the small black hand tried to untie its body and then it crawled along Ye Jia¡¯s clothes over to his shoulder. After silently listening to the whole story, it held Ye Jia¡¯s collar and asked in a suppressed voice, ¡°Boss, what are you going to do now?¡± It was late now, and human public transport system should no longer be operating. The small black hand twisted around, ¡°Why don¡¯t we wait for tomorrow?¡± Ye Jia glanced at it without answering. He walked over to the self-service vending machine and took out a coin from his pocket. After stuffing it in, there were a few jingles and a packet of candy fell out. Ye Jia held the candy in his hand for a few seconds. A trace of ghost energy slowly gathered around the bag. Immediately afterwards, he bent down and placed the bag of candy in the little girl¡¯s hand and whispered, ¡°Hungry? Have some of this.¡± The little girl thanked him timidly. Ye Jie looked straight into her eyes, ¡°Next, I will need to blindfold your eyes and take a shortcut. Just hold my hand and don¡¯t let go. Can you do that?¡± Sun Jiale held the bag of candy and nodded, ¡°Yeah! I-I can do it!¡± Ye Jia smiled and rubbed the top of her head, ¡°Good girl.¡± He retracted his hand and the tips of his fingers flashed briefly. He then tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes and used it to cover Sun Jiale¡¯s eyes. After Ye Jia was done preparing, the small black hand slowly crawled out. ¡°You¡¯re blocking her five senses? Why?¡± The next second, it seemed to have realised something and exclaimed, ¡°C-could it be¡­..?¡± Ye Jia glanced at it faintly, ¡°You only figured it out now?¡± The small black hand was speechless. There were no time or space restrictions in ghost domains. Everything was controlled by the creator and, the stronger the creator, the further the domain could extend. However, it didn¡¯t expect that Ye Jia, as a human, could be able to create such a domain and even extend it so far¡­¡­ ¡­..That¡¯s why this one is definitely a monster! Ye Jia raised his hand. The tips of his fingers flickered like a blade and he slowly swiped down. A gap appeared in the space in front of him. Cold air and the pungent smell of blood instantly escaped from that opening. Ye Jia guided the little girl along and entered the domain. The figures of the two were quickly swallowed up. The gap closed. There was no one left in the corridor. . The small black hand gripped fearfully onto Ye Jia¡¯s collar and carefully looked around. In a sense, a ghost¡¯s domain was a physical manifestation of the creator¡¯s inner world. It was clear that Ye Jia didn¡¯t want it to see his appearance in the domain, so he had deliberately restricted what it could see. Please read this from kk translates All it could see was bright red. Different shades of red overlapped each other on the walls on either side of them as they walked along. It seemed to be flowing down, as if layer after layer of fresh blood was oozing out. The small black hand calmed itself down and glanced at the little girl who was led along by Ye Jia. She was blindfolded and her mouth was stuffed with candy. With her five senses blocked, she walked through the sea of blood completely oblivious and fully protected. The small black hand sighed and couldn¡¯t help but express, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so good to children.¡± It then murmured in a small voice, ¡°¡­¡­.Compared to other people, it¡¯s double standards.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s expression remained unchanged. He said lightly. ¡°Just taking necessary measures.¡± Even a ghost wouldn¡¯t believe that. The small black hand muttered this inside. There were many ways one could block the five senses but Ye Jia had used the gentlest and at the same time the most laborious method. But it didn¡¯t dare voice those thoughts out and just quietly nestled on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, waiting for the end of the journey. Ye Jia glanced down at the little girl holding his hand. A strange emotion flashed in his eyes. In fact, this was not his first time hearing people say this. ¡ª¡ª It was just that, at that time, he had not yet become Ace, the god who firmly secured the top position on the game leaderboard. He had just entered the game at the time. Although he understood the cruelty and bloody nature of the game, at that time he had not yet completely discarded the innocence and sense of justice he had gained from living a civilised society. It was a campus battle royale instance. All the players stood in the dark sports field, nervously listening to the mechanical female voice slowly read out the rules of the instance. The rules were very simple and could be summed up in just three words ¡ª¡ª Hide and seek. It was just that, unlike the hide and seek in reality, the seeker in the game was a real ghost and the players who are killed by the ghost would similarly become a fierce ghost to join the hunting party and hunt down their companions. While they were waiting for it to start, a player in the crowd attracted Ye Jia¡¯s attention. It was a child who appeared to only be thirteen or fourteen years of age. He wasn¡¯t tall and quite thin in comparison to children of the same age. He didn¡¯t often raise his head and looked gloomy and indifferent. Ye Jia¡¯s temporary teammate at the time noticed his gaze and looked over. He then snorted and shook his head, ¡°Hah, there¡¯s also a little one ¡ª- I¡¯m certain that this kid won¡¯t be able to survive this instance.¡± This instance lasted for nine hours and the rules made it destined to become harder the longer you survived. It was impossible for a child to have such physical strength and endurance. Another companion curled their lips contemptuously, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll bet half an hour.¡± Ye Jia frowned. He didn¡¯t say anything and withdrew his gaze. His temporary teammate patted him on the shoulder, ¡°This game is like this. Survival of the fittest ¡ª- You will get used to it soon.¡± Very soon, the game began. Unsurprisingly, with the passage of time, the difficulty of the instance increased exponentially. The longer it went on, the harder it was for one to catch a breath. The six-person team Ye Jia joined was already half gone and the remaining companions were also exhausted, almost losing their lives on several occasions. The school corridors were dark and gloomy, and the overhead lights buzzed. The walls that had been corroded by the ghost energy charred at a speed visible to the naked eye. The deadly silent corridor sent a chill down everyone¡¯s back. In the darkness at the end of the corridor, thick black hairs slithered forward like snakes, covering the walls, floor and ceiling and chasing the three of them who ran frantically in front. They had used up most of their props and at this point all they could do was run. At this moment, Ye Jia caught sight of a thin figure standing on the stairwell on the side. The little boys face was pale. It was quite an alarming sight in the dark corridor. He raised his head and looked at the three of them with his pair of dark eyes. Behind them was the fierce ghost who was getting closer with every step, but that child didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest intention to run. He seemed to have been scared silly and could only stand firmly in place, watching danger quickly approach him. Ye Jia gritted his teeth and seemed to have made up his mind. He raised his hand and grabbed the child¡¯s thin arm, ¡°What are you doing?! Run!¡± The little boy didn¡¯t seem have to expected him to do this. He raised his head in daze and allowed the other party to drag him along. After sprinting and turning several corners, just when they were on the brink of death, they finally saw a safe zone. The dark hair swarmed over but was blocked by the door. Inside the classroom, all that could be heard was heavy breathing. ¡ª¨C This safe zone could only last ten minutes. Although it wasn¡¯t long, it at least gave them a chance to rest. After supporting himself with his knees and catching his breath, his teammate straightened up, glanced at Ye Jia and mocked sarcastically, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to do that¡­..Why? Your heart softened?¡± He sneered, ¡°What use is it saving this kid? It¡¯s another baggage at best. Have you not understood the rules of this game? Softheartedness and kindness are worthless here.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t answer. He lowered his eyes and looked at the child who was dragged into the safe zone by him and spoke firmly, ¡°Next time you encounter danger, remember to run.¡± The little boy raised his head. His dark eyes stared at him deeply for a moment before he pursed his lips and nodded obediently. ¡°I won¡¯t save you a second time.¡± Ye Jia knitted his brows and coldly threw out those words. He then turned and walked to the door of the safe zone and looked out the window. ¡°Okay.¡± There was a strange hoarseness in the little boy¡¯s voice. He stared at the young man who had his back towards him, and a small trace of scarlet flashed across his deep and dark eyes. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you, big brother.¡± CH 7 Chapter 7 Inside a ghost domain. In the darkness where one couldn¡¯t even see their hands in front of them and the air was cold enough to freeze one¡¯s breath, the whispers of ghosts and spirits echoed. Suddenly, like a drop of blood falling into a pool of black ink, a touch of scarlet suddenly spread through the darkness, swallowing up all the black. Amidst the bloody red colour, a man¡¯s tall figure slowly appeared. A strong and oppressive force closely followed, forcibly occupying every inch of the space. ¡°¡­¡­.King.¡± A shadowy figure slowly materialised. It bowed down submissively, and its low voice echoed in the darkness, ¡°The matter you asked to be investigated has returned some results. I was able to pry the location from its mouth before that B-Level ghost disappeared.¡± The man listened calmly. His scarlet eyes were slightly lowered, and he didn¡¯t show as much excitement as the one making the report. ¡°M City.¡± The shadowy figure said, ¡°Although I don¡¯t know the reason yet, it seems that this place will become the key target of future attacks¡­¡± Before it could finish speaking, it was interrupted: ¡°Have you found him?¡± His voice was cold, quiet and indifferent. It carried no undulations. ¡°That¡­¡­..¡± The shadowy figure froze for a moment. Its body seemed to be trembling uneasily, ¡°No ghosts have reported any relevant information¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Double the bounty.¡± The man indifferently withdrew his gaze. After throwing out those three words, he turned and walked towards the sea of blood behind him. ¡°¡­..Y-Yes!¡± The shadowy figure was taken aback for a moment. It then hurriedly asked, ¡°By the way, who do you plan to send to check on the situation in M City? Do you need me to pass the order on for you¡­¡­?¡± But before it could finish speaking, the man¡¯s tall figure had disappeared. Please read this from kk translates Coming without warning and leaving without a word. Shadowy figure: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± It didn¡¯t dare be angry or speak up about this. ¡­¡­.It could only accept its fate. . The time and space inside the domain didn¡¯t work the same way as how it did for the outside world. Very soon, the path in front of them came to an end. Ye Jie withdrew from his memories. He raised his hand and his pale fingertips swiped down. A gap opened before him and cold air carrying the smell of disinfectants instantly poured in. The blood-red space disappeared without a trace behind him, leaving only a pale and solid wall. It was as if it was never there in the first place. Ye Jia took in the surrounding environment. The corridor in front of him was empty and the nurse on duty at the front desk wasn¡¯t around. The lights were dim and appeared to be very weak in contrast to the dark night outside. Amidst the coldness, there didn¡¯t seem to be any signs of life. The smell of disinfectants was mixed with a rotting smell that was hard to ignore. ¡­¡­¡­Something wasn¡¯t right. Even as a hospital where people often died, the yin energy here was too strong. Such strong yin energy was enough to nourish a fierce ghost into one that could bring harm to civilians. Ye Jia knitted his brows. A shallow wrinkle formed between his brows and a strange colour flashed across his light-coloured eyes. At this moment, the small black hand crawled out from under his collar. It twisted its thin fingers and mumbled suspiciously in Ye Jia¡¯s ear, ¡°It¡¯s so strange here¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia randomly pushed open a door of a ward closest to him. Unexpectedly, the room was crowded. It was filled with people. Male, female, young and old; those that sat, those that stood and those that were lying down. Every one of them wore a patient gown. The moment the door opened; everyone¡¯s eyes looked over. ¡°Hey!¡± An old man with a split open head shouted angrily, ¡°Do you know how to knock?!¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­.Excuse me.¡± He closed the door. After returning to the corridor, the small black hand exclaimed in shock, ¡°My mother¡¯s second uncle¡¯s father-in-law! Why are they all ghosts?!¡± Ye Jia glanced at it speechlessly. As a ghost, aren¡¯t you embarrassed saying something like that? At this moment, there was a sound of dragging footsteps coming from the end of the corridor ahead of him. Under the faintly flickering lights, a woman in surgical gown limping forward. Blood dripped down the hem of her clothes, leaving a trail on the ground. The blood stains on her were a shocking sight. She held a small black figure that didn¡¯t appear human in her hands. It changed shape along with the flow of air as they walked. Behind her, she was followed by a long line of shadowy figures. Dying of old age, dying due to sickness, dying because of an accident¡­..The crowd looked very lively. ¡°Oh!¡± The small black hand looked at Ye Jia eagerly, ¡°Can I join?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re idle?¡± Ye Jia said expressionlessly, ¡°Oh, I heard that there is also a milk tea store two blocks away from this hospital and their matcha latte is good¡ª¡ª¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Beast! It held itself back, ¡°No, no. I¡¯m super busy.¡± Ye Jia stared at the ghosts in front of him and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He suddenly raised his hand and pulled the small black hand from his shoulder. He knitted his brows and asked, ¡°By the way, you said that it feels strange. How is it strange?¡± The small black hand shook a few times and answered, ¡°It¡¯s the yin energy here. Although it is strong, it is all very fresh so it should have gathered here not long ago. But for so much yin energy to gather in such a short time, don¡¯t you find it strange?¡± Although it wasn¡¯t strong, it was still a ghost. It was much more sensitive to yin energy compared to humans. Hearing this, Ye Jia was slightly startled for a moment. As if he had suddenly thought of something, he lowered his head and looked at the little girl beside him. The girl was obediently holding his hand and had her head slightly lowered. Her pale little face looked a little translucent under the corridor lights. The strip of cloth was still covering her eyes and she was completely oblivious of everything around her. The wrinkle between Ye Jia¡¯s brows deepened. He walked towards the place where the yin energy was at its strongest. The closer he walked, the dimmer the lights overhead became. It was as if it was covered by a black veil. And more and more ghosts also gathered. Most of them were harmless spirits. Even if they possessed residual resentments, it was not enough for them to affect the real world. Some had even lost their minds over time and had become mist-like entities. All they had left was a faint outline, but they still instinctively moved in that direction at a slow pace. The further they went, the more ghosts there were. One floor after another, the air became as thick as porridge. Ye Jia continued on. His body seemed to be enveloped in an invisible barrier. Without using power and simply because of his existence, the ghosts around him instinctively moved away from him. In the dark corridor, the young man¡¯s figure was tall and straight. Like a sharp blade, he cut through the dense crowd of ghosts in front of him. In the corridor filled with spirits, a clear passage formed, like Moses parting the sea and it very quickly closed behind him. It was as if those ghosts were subconsciously afraid of the person in front of them. Soon, Ye Jia reached the place where the yin energy was at its strongest. It was a ward whose door was almost concealed away. The surrounding air was foggy and thick and the corridor lights in the distance flickered. A chill invaded the skin as soon as he reached the door. It was as if he was entering a different dimension. Ye Jia reached out and opened the door. Please read this from kk translates The air inside the ward was dark and murky, and an unpleasant rancid smell lingered in the air. Under the faint light, one could see a little girl lying quietly on the bed in the centre of the ward. ¡ª- I turned out to be Sun Jiale. Ye Jia slowly approached her and stopped by the bed. He looked down at Sun Jiale who was lying on the hospital bed. Her expression was calm and serene, as if she had only fallen asleep. Ye Jia¡¯s brow furrowed even further. His gaze stopped at the bulge on the corner of the bed. He reached out and lifted the blanket with a whoosh. The little girl was still asleep and motionless. The gown on her body was crumpled because was sleeping for so long and at the end of her loose pants, one could see some dark bruising around her thin ankle. Ye Jia bent down and rolled up her pants slightly. There was a hideous and dark handprint on the little girl¡¯s left leg. As if it was still slowly tightening around her, the black mark on her skin was slightly sunken down. The stark contrast between the black mark and her pale skin made it a particularly shocking sight. ¡­..Sure enough. His conjectures had just been verified. Ye Jia smiled. He covered Sun Jiale¡¯s body with the blanket again and helped tuck her in. The small black hand peeked over his shoulder, ¡°What is it? What did you find?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.It¡¯s a Sucker.¡± Ye Jia pinched the bridge of his nose. Strictly speaking, a Sucker wasn¡¯t a fierce ghost. It didn¡¯t exist in the real world and was instead more like a special product in the game. This monster would typically lurk in dark places where evil energy gathered and, like leeches hiding in marshes, it waited for an opportunity to attack the weak. Players who have been marked by them would slowly be drained little by little and, at the same time, the players carrying a Sucker¡¯s mark would become an entity that attracted other evil spirits. Once they are exhausted and overwhelmed with fear and pain, they will be consumed completely by the Sucker. In short, it was a disgusting thing that liked to bully the weak and was especially good at hiding. Although the strength of one Sucker wasn¡¯t high, it was sometimes more difficult to deal with than high-level fierce ghosts. Even now, Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to recall his experience back when he was involved with these monsters when he was still a novice. Just the thought of it was unbearable. However, Ye Jia also didn¡¯t know why Sun Jiale¡¯s soul would leave her body after being marked. After all, this was also his first time seeing an ordinary person becoming entangled with a Sucker. ¡°So, it was a Sucker?¡± The small black hand sucked in a breath. Ye Jia glanced at it a little surprised, ¡°What? You know them?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± The small black hand played with its fingers, ¡°I just heard about it. After all, they are almost extinct now. It¡¯s not easy seeing them these days.¡± This time, Ye Jia was truly surprised. Although monsters like Suckers are not strong, its ability to protect themselves were top-notch and they also liked to be in groups. In the game, they were an existence as annoying as cockroaches that couldn¡¯t be completely eliminated. How could they be almost extinct now? ¡°What happened?¡± He asked. ¡°King destroyed their lair.¡± The small black hand answered. In the game, there were often conflicts and rivalry between the different monsters and ghosts and internal killing was not unheard of. It was similar to raising a Gu where only the strongest can survive. (KKnotes: Raising a Gu is where several venomous creatures are put inside a closed container and made to kill each other until only one is left.) Because this fact was too normal, Ye Jia didn¡¯t ask about it any further. ¡ª¨C Although the reason for the act may not be pleasant, in general, this King had done a good thing. It was pretty satisfying. Ye Jia let out a sigh of relief and casually stretched his neck. Under his long eyelashes, his light-coloured eyes narrowed slightly. A slightly cold and non-human look appeared in his eyes. ¡ª¡ª-Since the problem has now reached his end, he should take care of it. After all, he was still considered a public official. What was that line again? To serve the people wholeheartedly. Of course¡­..He really didn¡¯t mind getting rid of those Suckers more thoroughly. Ye Jia untied the strip over Sun Jiale¡¯s eyes and knelt down. The little girl¡¯s eyelashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes. Ye Jia didn¡¯t waste any time and asked straightforwardly, ¡°Do you remember where you fainted?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­.At school.¡± ¡°Where in the school? Can you recall it?¡± Sun Jiale blinked a few times and seemed to be trying to remember, ¡°I-I seemed to be going to the bathroom? But as soon as I walked in, I felt strange, and then I was dizzy¡­¡­and then everything was black¡­..¡± Bathroom. Unsurprisingly, it was a place Suckers liked to hide in. Immediately afterwards, Ye Jia asked Sun Jiale for the address of her school ¡ª- Coincidently, her school was very close to the previous hospital. It was perhaps because of this that the teacher sent her there after she was found unconscious. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that we would need to go back to the starting point¡­..¡± The small black hand whispered. Ye Jia glanced at it lightly. The small black hand shrank back under his collar. Sun Jiale looked around at the unfamiliar environment timidly and keenly saw herself lying on the hospital bed not far away. Her body stiffened slightly. She couldn¡¯t help but tremble. She mustered up courage and asked cautiously, ¡°Big brother, am I¡­¡­dead?¡± The next second, Sun Jiale felt something heavy press onto the top of her head. Following that, the young man¡¯s calm and peaceful voice sounded from above. For some reason it sounded very convincing and reassuring: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t.¡± . After settling in Sun Jiale, Ye Jia used the same method as before to leave the hospital. The journey of several hours was shortened to two minutes, and they reached their destination almost instantly. As soon as Ye Jia stepped out, he was caught off guard by the blinding light before him. At the front of the school which should have been empty, there were a numeral of familiar looking black cars. Several headlights were on, illuminating the front entrance of the school and there were several people in protective clothing holding detector instruments, carefully pacing around and collecting information. There were a few familiar letters printed on the car: PIAMB¡ª¡ª¨C Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± It can¡¯t be this coincidental? At this moment, a familiar voice sounded from behind, ¡°¡­¡­.Ye Jia?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Damn. It really happened to be that coincidental. He took a deep breath and slowly turned his head. He saw Liu Zhaocheng looking at him with a frown. His bald head reflected the dazzling light without much difficulty, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at the hospital? Why are you here?¡± He scanned Ye Jia up and down and his brows furrowed even further, ¡°And you¡¯re still wearing the patient gown?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia was silent for a while. He bit the bullet and replied: ¡°I¡¯m¡­..sleepwalking.¡± CH 8 Chapter 8 Liu Zhaocheng: ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± ¡°A-Although I fell asleep, I still have work in my heart.¡± Ye Jie bit the bullet and bullshitted, ¡°As a public servant, I should dedicate my life to work and serve the people¡­..¡± At this moment, Zhao Dong hurried over from behind, interrupting their conversation. He panted and reported to Liu Zhaocheng: ¡°Boss, we¡¯re ready.¡± Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s attention was successfully diverted by the other party. He frowned, ¡°The preparations are over? The Combat Division is about to enter already?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a C-level mission after all. It¡¯s normal.¡± Zhao Dong looked down at the file in his hands, ¡°Oh yes, the Combat Division said that they still need someone from our department to go and collect data for research.¡± Liu Zhaocheng seemed to have remembered that there was still a giant living person standing next to him. He turned and looked at Ye Jia who was still wearing a patient gown. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you want to dedicate your life to work and serve the people?¡± Liu Zhaocheng ordered with a cold expression, ¡°Get changed and go.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Fuck. He had lifted a rock and smashed his own foot with it. His face was filled with resistance, ¡°But¡­..I¡¯m still on sick leave¡­¡­¡± But Liu Zhaocheng was ruthless, ¡°We are recently short in manpower. The newcomer has fallen, and Zhao Dong and the others have to check the data fluctuations outside. There¡¯s no one else apart from you to go.¡± ¡ª- Although he indeed planned to go in, he didn¡¯t want to go in with those combat personnel who could get in his way! Ye Jia tried to struggle, ¡°Bu¡­..¡± Liu Zhaocheng, ¡°I will pay you overtime tonight.¡± He gritted his teeth and reluctantly added, ¡°And this month you will get a performance bonus.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°!¡± His spirits were raised instantly, and he asked sincerely, ¡°Where do I change?¡± Zhao Dong who was watching the entire thing: ¡­¡­There¡¯s no need to be so realistic. . Twenty minutes later, five combat personnel and one logistic staff were ready to set off. Ye Jia turned to look at the combat personnel next to him and asked, ¡°By the way, what mission are you doing at this school tonight?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. It¡¯s just that, on one of the floors, five students over the past two days were pulled into a nightmare and there is one who is still unconscious. I¡¯m guessing that it¡¯s a wandering soul at most¡­¡­.¡± After saying that, the personnel glanced at him with surprise, ¡°But I have to say, although the mission is quite simple, you came here without knowing anything?¡± ¡°Last minute arrangement.¡± Ye Jia shrugged helplessly, ¡°Had to fill in the numbers.¡± That personnel nodded sympathetically, ¡°Haa, me too.¡± He pointed at the symbol ¡°Combat Division F-Level member¡± on his uniform: ¡°Everyone else is tied up with the skinning case and there was no one left so I was sent here.¡± ¡°Zhao Guangcheng. And you?¡± He stretched out a hand to Ye Jia. ¡°Ye Jia.¡± The two shook hands briefly and then Zhou Guangcheng proudly patted Ye Jia on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, buddy. You don¡¯t need to worry at all! After entering, I will protect you. Nothing will happen!¡± Ye Jia smiled faintly. His pale skin seemed to glow in the night and the gaze from his half-lidded light amber eyes looked very sincere, ¡°Thank you, buddy.¡± Without the noisy sounds of students playing, the campus at night seemed too quiet. Upon entering the teaching building, the light sources at the entrance of the school were gone. It was like they had entered another space. Deep in the night, only faint cold light above illuminated the empty corridor ahead. The team went straight to the floor where the incident occurred; the third floor. Ye Jia stood at the back of the team, maintaining a distance that wasn¡¯t too close or too far. He calmly surveyed the corridor ahead. Since he had already come in, it was best for him to covertly deal with the Sucker before the people from the Combat Division noticed. After all, right now, only he knew of the Sucker¡¯s specific hiding place and he had long been accustomed to dealing with this creature, so it wasn¡¯t a big challenge for him. Once everything was dealt with, he would make the small black hand show up again and then let the combat personnel think that they¡¯ve eliminated the threat so that they could announce that the task was complete. It was the best of both worlds and everyone would be happy. The small black hand who was unaware that it would be forced to take the blame again, ¡°Achoo!¡± Why did it suddenly feel a sense of danger? It looked around in confusion and then shrank under Ye Jia¡¯s collar ¡ª- Probably just its imagination. At this moment, the team leader who was walking at the forefront stopped. He took out a small ball from the bag around his waist and clamped it between his fingers. Ye Jia suddenly had a bad feeling. He asked, ¡°What is that?¡± He had asked really abruptly, causing the others in the team to turn their heads to look at him. The leader frowned impatiently, ¡°This is the latest device made by the bureau. It can force out wandering ghosts so that you don¡¯t need to search every room one by one with a detector and will allow us to go home early to sleep.¡± A big alarm went off in Ye Jia¡¯s mind. ¡°Wa¡­¡­..¡± The leader glanced at him impatiently. What can a mere logistics worker know? Without waiting for the other party to finish speaking, he crushed the small ball into dust. ¡°Beepbeepbeepbeepbeep¡ª¨C!!!¡± A harsh siren sounded inside a surveillance car waiting at the entrance of the school. Zhao Dong immediately stood up and stared at the large patch of red on the screen in shock. He took a few steps back in horror and didn¡¯t even notice the chair behind him falling to the ground. The other monitor screens were exactly the same. The yin energy metre soared, directly busting the sensor within just a few seconds! Zhao Dong could hardly believe his eyes. What¡ª¡ªWhat was going on? He had been involved with off-side data monitoring for almost seven years, but he had never seen such a situation¡­. An incident that could be resolved by a small team had unexpectedly changed into an extremely devastating disaster only moments after their personnel entered! Inside the teaching building. As the smoke dissipated, Ye Jia slowly opened his eyes. Compared to just now, the current scene before him was completely different. The darkness around him was like a living creature, completely engulfing the entire corridor. The cold and dim light above their heads flashed with difficulty but could only barely illuminate a small area. The dark nerves and blood vessels clinging along the blue-green walls pounded and gurgled as sticky mucus flowed out. It gave off a rotten stench. Ye Jia silently sighed. In addition to being difficult to find, another reason why a Sucker was difficult to deal with was because it would instinctively create a temporary ghost domain when stimulated by something from the outside world. Although it was only C-Level, this kind of temporary domain could reach A-Level or higher. And the entire environment was under the complete control of the creator. Once inside, nine out of ten would die. Only Ye Jia stood alone in the corridor. The other teammates originally beside him had disappeared. Since those combat personnel were too weak, it was very likely that they had been taken away as food reserves the moment the domain was activated. They however shouldn¡¯t be in much danger. Based on the eating habits of Suckers, their chance of survival was still very high. It was just that he didn¡¯t know where they had been taken to. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia looked around at the hostile environment which had clearly noticed his existence. He couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. ¡ª¨C He really needs a pay raise. In front of the teaching building. ¡°What happened?¡± Liu Zhaocheng hurriedly rushed into the car with fine beads of sweat over his bald head. When he saw the numbers on the screen, even as a head chief who had gone through all sorts of situations, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked, ¡°This¡­¡­..¡± Zhao Dong¡¯s face was very pale. He shook his head silently. Through the car window, they could see a dark haze envelop the entire teaching building, exuding an eerie and ominous air. They were like invisible tentacles slowly spreading in the air, maliciously mocking the humans before it. ¡°Quick¡­.Go and call for support!¡± Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s voice was hoarse and hardly audible, ¡°A-Level emergency! Quick!¡± . The corridor was dark and cold, and the floors and walls were bent at strange angles. It continued to gurgle and ooze out foul-smelling mucous. The young man walked through it unhurriedly. The small black hand shrank under Ye Jia¡¯s collar and warned in a low voice, ¡°¡­¡­Something is watching us.¡± In the corner of their eyes, a dark eye suddenly appeared on the wall and it quickly disappeared again, as if a crack had closed up. Ye Jia calmly continued on, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Suckers have always been cautious. When they find that they cannot control the other party, they wouldn¡¯t dare act rashly.¡± Ye Jia explained slowly, ¡°After patiently observing, they would plan out a wave of attacks to test the other party¡¯s strength¡­..¡± As soon as he finished saying that, several sticky tentacles suddenly stretched out from the wall in front of him and flew straight at Ye Jia. Ye Jia raised his head lightly. As the reflection of the dark tentacles grew bigger and bigger in his light-coloured eyes, his expression was still completely calm. He narrowed his eyes and a cold light flashed between his fingers. The next second, very silently, those menacing tentacles broken into several smaller chunks right in front of him and fell to the ground before melting into the floor like raindrops landing on the ground. ¡°¡­..Just like this.¡± Ye Jia concluded. The yin energy in the air was so thick it could almost condense into a physical entity. Even just the act of touching it would result in irreversible damage. Spirits which have been tainted by the dark energy appeared from around the corners of the corridor. They rushed towards Ye Jia, baring their teeth and claws. At the same time, countless pitch-black tentacles covered in corrosive liquid would from time to time throw out sneak attacks, trying to find an opportunity to swallow up the human who had ignorantly strayed into its domain. The young man however was completely unperturbed. He continued advancing forward towards the place Sun Jiale had mentioned without a change in his speed. As he approached, the attacks became more and more frequent and more and more anxious, as if it wanted to stop him from getting closer. While Ye Jia dealt with the increasingly malicious environment around him, he still had the time to complain to the small black hand: ¡°Speaking of which, the reason why others were so disgusted by them in the game was because it could control all similar levelled fierce ghosts that have been pulled into its domain and use them to deal with the players.¡± The ladies bathroom was just ahead. The door and the walls in the bathroom were covered with thick, viscous dark liquid. Countless bulging blood vessels pulsated in the walls, as if it was a monster¡¯s beating heart. Ye Jia smoothly repulsed a ghost wearing an old-style school uniform and then kicked open the bathroom door. At the same time, he didn¡¯t forget to say lazily, ¡°¡ª-But in the real world, although the ghost domain was created, the nearby ghosts are just harmless wandering spirits¡­.¡± Ye Jia sighed pretentiously, ¡°Haa, what a pity.¡± The Sucker seemed to be angered by his words. A high frequency mutter could be heard and the room, the floor and even the entire building seemed to have started to tremble. The walls had come alive. Using its own reinforced concrete fingers, the entire building moved to crush the tiny human inside it. Even for Ye Jia, this was somewhat difficult to deal with. Suddenly, a pitch-black tentacle as thick as a waist suddenly flew out from one of the toilets in the lady¡¯s bathroom, attacking Ye Jia at a speed as fast as lightning¡ª! The small black hand screamed out, ¡°Careful¡ª¡ª¡± Viscous, foul-smelling liquid dripped from the ceiling. Before it reached the ground, there was a sound of something sharp cutting through the air. ¡°Thud.¡± Several neatly cut tentacles fell to the ground. The limb that had been cut off continued to writhe around non-stop. The young man stood amongst the blood and mucous with his thin, pale and slender fingers loosely holding the long and dark sickle. Its long and curved blade had torn through the air with ease, as if there was no thickness to it. There were no traces left on the blade. It seemed as if everything it had cut through was swallowed by it. Ye Jia glanced at the place where the tentacles stretched out from and said expressionlessly, ¡°¡­..Nice place. It suits you.¡± No one noticed that the moment Ye Jia¡¯s weapon appeared, all the attacks stopped. A strange silence enveloped the narrow space in front of him. Suddenly, a small hissing sound sounded. It was so soft, it sounded like it would soon fade with the wind. The insidious tone however could make anyone shudder: ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t expect this opening statement. He raised his eyebrow in surprise. ¡­..Was he that famous? So much such that even the almost extinct Suckers knew? ¡°Just a mere human¡­¡­..¡± The Sucker¡¯s voice was mixed with intense hatred, ¡°Yet you actually destroyed our entire species!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ? Wait a minute? What? ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, he wouldn¡¯t have come! If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to resort to hiding away in this bathroom and relying on those disgusting weak souls to barely ensure my survival!¡± Hatred made that dark and small voice change into a high-pitched shrill cry. It made one¡¯s hair stand on end. The floor and ceiling shook. Strong malice caused the walls to spit out dirty and foul-smelling mucous, which made a sizzling sound when it made contact with the floor. Ye Jia was dumbfounded, ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± ¡ª¡ª-What the hell was this?! Although the party probably wouldn¡¯t listen to him, he really didn¡¯t know anything about it! The author has something to say: Ye Jia: Even while sitting at home, I get hit by a pot falling from the sky. (KKnotes: Basically, MC suddenly getting blamed for something he didn¡¯t do.) CH 9 Chapter 9 After a long and anxious wait, rescue finally arrived. The rubber of the tyres spun against the ground, making a sharp screech. As soon as the door opened, Liu Zhaocheng rushed over as fast as he could. The higher level a combat personnel was, the stronger they were, and they were also smaller in number. Since M City wasn¡¯t too large, the highest-levelled combat team was only D-Level. The captain of the team was called Lin Cheng. He was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a tall and strong build, and he was also the only C-Level personnel on the team. As soon as Lin Cheng got out of the car, he ran into Liu Zhaocheng who rushed over. Liu Zhaocheng didn¡¯t even bother wiping away the sweat on his bald head and began to share information like a cannon, ¡°You¡¯re finally here! Six of our people are trapped inside, five F-Level combat personnel and one from our logistics department. We thought it was an ordinary wandering soul at first, but¡­¡­¡± Lin Cheng looked in the direction Liu Zhaocheng was pointing to. When he saw the situation there, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked, ¡°This¡­¡­.!¡± A thick layer of dark mist enveloped the teaching building completely. In the night, the outline of the building was becoming increasingly blurred and difficult to see. It was like a fearsome beast lurking in the dark night, silently opening its mouth, waiting for its prey to enter and be eaten. Lin Cheng calmed himself down. He lowered his head and looked through the analysis reports Liu Zhaocheng handed over. The more he read, the sweatier his back became. The equipment did not have the ability to determine what kind of enemy they were facing and could only faithfully report out terrifying readings. Even without needing to go any closer to inspect, Liu Cheng knew very well that those who had already entered might not be able to be saved. He placed the reports down and took a deep breath: ¡°I¡¯ll report to the head and see if he can deploy an A-Level team to solve it. You are responsible for sealing off the areas around the school. After that, contact the relevant departments to see if you can¡­.¡± Before Liu Cheng could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the anxious Liu Zhaocheng: ¡°Then what about my people?¡± Lin Cheng spoke with a grim expression, ¡°¡­.The chance of survival is too small. Even those combat personnel will need extensive fighting experience and great luck to escape alive so for an ordinary person in the logistics department¡­¡­.¡± He sighed and shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that even the gods won¡¯t be able to save him.¡± . Inside the teaching building. The logistics staff who couldn¡¯t be saved by the gods was standing alone in a small space. The floor had turned into a thick and dark gel-like texture and more foul-smelling fluid poured out from the cracks on the walls, ceiling and sinks, gurgling and bubbling as it did that. Those tentacles continued to attack him from all directions. The attacks were fierce and crazed, giving the other party no chance to breathe. ¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait¡­..Calm down first¡­..¡± As he defended, Ye Jia tried to communicate normally with the Sucker, ¡°What did you mean just now?¡± A blade moved silently and smoothly through the air, accurately blocking every attack. Ye Jia persisted, ¡°What do you mean if it weren¡¯t for me, he wouldn¡¯t have come? Who is he?¡± The repeated misses made the Sucker even more frustrated. It hissed angrily: ¡°I want to peel your skin off little by little, tear off your flesh and then let you watch me crush your bones, dig out your internal organs, drink your blood and tear your soul into pieces!¡± The viscous and foul-smelling liquid under his feet started to bubble. ¡°I want you to wish you were dead and struggle about in pain until you beg for me to eat you!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s head hurt. ¡­..Communicating wasn¡¯t possible at all! During that moment of distraction, his wrist was struck by the other party¡¯s tentacles. The moment it made skin contact; the shape of that tentacle immediately changed. It was a terrible looking hand with weirdly long and thin fingers covered in a wet and sticky layer of skin. It looked like the hand of a dead person who had been soaked in water for too long. That grotesque hand gripped Ye Jia¡¯s wrist tightly and the place where it touched made a sizzling sound. In an instant, the skin in that area turned as dark as charcoal. A hoarse and crazed laughter sounded from within a narrow toilet cubicle, ¡°Hahahahahaha¡­..I didn¡¯t expect that the once famous Ace would actually be captured by me!¡± The Sucker¡¯s mark was branded onto the soul. ¡ª- As long as they are marked, the prey could no longer escape. The Sucker would chase after them like gangrene on bones, feeding on the negative emotions of the marked prey, sucking them dry little by little. That was also the origin of their name. ¡°Hahahahahaha!!!¡± The Sucker¡¯s voice had a hint of vicious glee, ¡°He also wouldn¡¯t have thought that the person he had been looking for for so long would become my food and die miserably in fear and pain! I want him to¡­¡­¡± Please read this from kk translates The next second, the voice suddenly stopped. ¡°This¡­¡­..This¡­¡­¡­.¡± The small black hand crawled out from under Ye Jia¡¯s collar. It looked at the very familiar scene before it and sighed sympathetically, ¡°Brother, don¡¯t let it get to you. I was also like this the first time.¡± Ye Jia grabbed the small black hand on his shoulder with a smile on his face and squeezed it until it let out a squeak before letting it go again. The Sucker suddenly sensed the danger it was about to face. It immediately changed its new tentacles into the shape of a blade and fiercely chopped off the tentacles wrapped around Ye Jia¡¯s wrist. The gnarly hand that looked like it belonged to a dead person lost its shape in an instant, changing into a pool of black mucous. The mucous lingering on the young man¡¯s pale and clean skin slowly disappeared, like a drop of water falling into the sea. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. His light-coloured eyes were like the grey sky after a heavy storm. He suddenly spoke, ¡°Did you know? Every ghost has a different taste.¡± ¡°Some are like food; some taste good and some don¡¯t taste good, and there are also some that taste a little strange like dusty old books or a wet towel.¡± He raised his eyes to look at the dark mass that was slowly receding away from him, ¡°And your taste¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia knitted his brows, ¡°Like a rotten slug.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Fuck. It suddenly recalled the situation that day ¡ª¨C At that time, it had tried to consume the party¡¯s life energy but what it came into contact with was a mass of dense and dark ghost energy. Unable to escape, it could only feel itself being pulled in and watch it¡¯s ghost energy be consumed little by little by the other party. It didn¡¯t understand what happened back then but now¡­..Everything seemed to make sense. The small black hand trembled on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Inside, it cried out tearfully¡ª¡ª Helppppppp!! This person can eat ghosts!!!!!! The Sucker made an immediate decision and turned around and fled. But before it could make its escape, a sharp silver blade landed accurately in front of it, stopping it in its path. The crescent shaped blade gleamed coldly, looking like it could cut through everything. Not all players would have their own weapons. Their weapons are often redeemed in the game using the points they had accumulated, and they also have an expiration date. Ace was the only exception. No one knew where this mysterious sickle that could cut through gold and jade came from. Some speculated that it was a reward for some hidden mission while others guessed that it was a bug in the game system. There were once jealous players who had organised an ambush in attempt to steal his weapon and points. No one knew what happened that day. They only saw on the leaderboard that Ace¡¯s points had increased tenfold overnight and those who tried to ambush him never appeared again. But now, after encountering the mysterious sickle at such a close distance, the Sucker realised in horror ¡ª¨C That wasn¡¯t a weapon. Instead, it was more like¡­..some kind of extremely cold, extremely pure and extremely terrifying manifestation of ghost energy. It was essentially an extension of the other party¡¯s soul. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry.¡± The young man¡¯s voice sounded from behind. It was gentle and indifferent, along with a small hint of lazy, devil-may-care attitude, ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± The Sucker panicked. The temporary domain was about to lose its effect and the area it could control was shrinking little by little. The invisible oppressive force from the other party however forced it to reveal its true form. It was a rotten and swollen head with eight pitch-black tentacles attached to it. At the end of each of the tentacles were hands that looked like it belonged to a corpse. The skin was pale, soggy and dark, and foul smelling mucous dripped from it, making sizzling sounds when it came in contact with the ground. After realising that it couldn¡¯t escape, the Sucker stopped struggling. It instead twisted its head over to look at Ye Jia and let out a strange laugh: ¡°Heh¡­..hehhehheh¡­¡­What do you want to talk about?¡± ¡°The ¡®he¡¯ you mentioned just now. He¡¯s the one who almost wiped your entire lair out?¡± Ye Jia frowned and remembered the small black hands words and added, ¡°In other words¡­¡­your King?¡± ¡°King? Hahahahahaha King?¡± The Sucker laughed hoarsely like it had heard the funniest joke in the world, ¡°What kind of King is he? Don¡¯t think that we will all submit to him after being acknowledged by the game¡­¡­.He¡¯s not a King! No!¡± Ye Jia continued to probe, ¡°Then what is he?¡± The ugly and vicious head in front of him suddenly twitched. It was a subconscious act of panic and fear, ¡°¡­¡­..He is a madman!¡± ¡ª-It still remembered the appearance of that man when he appeared at their lair. It was a teenaged boy with pale complexion and narrow shoulders. He looked so fragile, it seemed like he would instantly be swallowed up by the darkness looming behind him. The youth stood there with a pair of deep and dark eyes and seemed to look a little lost. He asked in a small voice, ¡°¡­¡­Have you seen my big brother? He¡¯s gone. I can¡¯t find him anywhere.¡± Overwhelming ridicules poured out from the cave. It had laughed wildly together with the other Suckers and sneered, mocked and humiliated the youth in front of them. It was as if the youth didn¡¯t hear them at all. He continued to look around blankly, as if he was searching for something that didn¡¯t exist. This continued until¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Your big brother?¡± A hoarse voice sounded, ¡°I¡¯ve seen him.¡± Please read this from kk translates The youth was slightly startled. Some light appeared in his eyes and he immediately looked in the direction of the voice. ¡°I¡¯ve tasted him¡­.Very delicious. His blood and fear were fragrant. I had never tasted such a delicious player before.¡± The hissing voice sounded both pleased and vicious, ¡°¡ª¨CReally want to try it again.¡± Suddenly, for almost no reason, the Sucker instinctively shuddered. It didn¡¯t know why it sensed a creepy feeling from this youth. It was clearly something it would only feel when encountering a ghost that was A-Level or greater. The next second, a trace of scarlet surged from the depths of the youth¡¯s eyes. The red colour appeared very quickly, almost instantly swallowing the darkness. None of the Suckers were aware of this change. Even their mocking laughter continued. There was the sound of bones rubbing against each other. The youth¡¯s thin figure slowly changed. His limbs stretched and elongated, and his body grew taller. As his body changed, a strong oppressive force spread. The laughter slowly faded and it eventually disappeared completely. All that was left was eerie silence. That man stood against the light. Only the crimson in his eyes was particularly vivid in the darkness. Like a sea of blood, it was filled with cruel bloodthirstiness. His voice was soft and hoarse. It carried chilling obsessiveness, ¡°Ah¡­.That¡¯s great then¡­..¡± The Suckers all looked at this strange existence before them vigilantly and tried to understand what happened. Only the most timid Sucker fearfully backed away and unconsciously hide itself in its hidden domain. Before the domain opened, it heard the other party¡¯s voice come from a very distance place. It was spoken lightly, as if those words weren¡¯t anything unusual, ¡°In that case, as long as I eat you, I will be able to take back a part of my big brother. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± CH 10 Chapter 10 The effect of the temporary ghost domain was fading. As if it was slowly being peeled off, those strange blood vessels and mucous on the walls and floor gradually disappeared, returning back to the clean and smooth surface. As the bluish swollen head floated in the dark foul-smelling mucous, its sharp nails scratched on the floor below, leaving white marks behind. It stared at the young man standing before it with its rotten protruding eyeballs. A strange laughter escaped from its throat, ¡°I know you won¡¯t let me go. I¡¯ve heard of you¡­.You¡¯re someone who would never leave behind unfinished matters in the game, so¡­..¡± The Sucker¡¯s expression suddenly turned fierce. ¡°¡­¡­.So don¡¯t even think about leaving with those humans who came in with you either!¡± The mucous under its body suddenly started to bubble and, in an instant, it disappeared from in front of Ye Jia. Fuck. Ye Jie quietly cursed. The Sucker deserved its reputation as a sly fox in the game. When talking to him just now, it had secretly concentrated its remaining power under its body and managed to escape using the temporary domain that had not yet completely disappeared. The domain was shrinking so the Sucker wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of this teaching building. But its purpose clearly wasn¡¯t to escape. It wanted to drag a few people down with it before it was wiped out. ¡ª¨C Now was not the time to worry about damages. A cold light flashed and the floor under his feet collapsed. The cut off part was smooth and neat, like it was tofu being cut by a sharp knife. Ye Jia jumped down. He didn¡¯t stop and quickly rushed towards the place where the ghost energy was fluctuating the most. Like a hurricane passing by, dust scattered, and rubble flew. Amidst the dust, Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. He could sense that the Sucker in front had stopped. ¡ª- The distance between them were only two walls. In the classroom at the end of the corridor. Sticky and foul-smelling mucous slowly filled the room. The five unconscious humans were pinned to the wall by them, and they were almost about to be completely submerged. All that was left exposed were their pale faces, allowing them to breathe. The mucous on the ground rippled and a rotting head emerged. It opened its mouth and a long thin tube stretched out from within its throat, reaching towards Zhao Guangcheng who was closest and entering his mouth. A strange bulge appeared along that tube, moving in the direction of the Sucker. Zhao Guangcheng struggled in pain whilst still unconscious. His cheeks sunk in at a speed visible to the naked eye. The next second, the wall behind suddenly broken open with a loud sound. As the dust scattered, the pale tube was cut into two. Black blood spurted out from the writhing tube and the Sucker let out a deafening and miserable cry. The cry made the entire place tremble and it made those who heard it feel uncomfortable. The blade had not only cut its tube, it had also cut the mucous on the wall. Zhao Guangcheng¡¯s heavy body was no longer trapped. It fell from the wall with a thud. Pain, cold, disgust. Countless vicious sensations surged inside his groggy body and a rotten stench filled his mouth and nose. It was like he had swallowed a hundred maggots and that disgusting feeling pulled Zhao Guangcheng out from his semi-unconscious state. His eyelids seemed to be filled with lead and were so heavy, he almost couldn¡¯t lift them. Zhao Guangcheng raised his eyelids with much difficulty and finally managed to look ahead through the small opening. The sight before him was something that only existed in nightmares. He began to tremble uncontrollably. Thick, dark malice in the air had condensed into a physical entity and a rotting monster with twisted limbs appeared right in front of him. The close proximity allowed him to clearly smell the foul odour coming from its body. In the centre of the terror filled scene, a large irregular hole had been broken open by some strong force, allowing faint light to enter. A person¡¯s figure could be vaguely seen amidst the smoke and dust in the air. ¡­¡­Was this a dream? Zhao Guangcheng was a little dazed. He heard a hoarse voice. It contained viciousness he had never heard of in his life. It was as if every syllable contained poison and it also seemed to come from a very distant place. Zhao Guangcheng¡¯s ears were still ringing. Amidst the ringing, he was barely able to make out some words, ¡°It¡¯s you¡­..again¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± That voice hissed and laughed wildly, ¡°I will¡­.drag you down¡­with me!¡± Those limbs before him squirmed. It then stretched into an unimaginable shape and charged towards that figure. A bright light flashed, and a crescent shaped blade cut through the air. Its silent and cold beauty seemed to silence everything in its path. It cut through the dark mass before Zhao Guangcheng and lit up the room for a brief moment. That figure became clear for a second and was then shrouded in dust and darkness again. The next second, an almost inhuman scream suddenly resounded across the room. It seemed to make everything tremble and Zhao Guangcheng almost fainted again. Zhao Guangcheng struggled but his consciousness seemed to be uncontrollably slipping away from him. He heard that vicious voice roar resentfully: ¡°¡­¡­.Ace!¡± The second before his consciousness faded, those clear eyes belonging to the figure ahead was deeply burned into his memory. Immediately afterwards, he fainted again. ¡°Patter.¡± ¡°Patter.¡± Rotten and foul-smelling limbs fell to the ground. It slowly turned into an almost translucent texture and then finally disappeared little by little, as if the colour was slowly fading away. An invisible force surged towards the door like a tornado. Ye Jia¡¯s figure shook slightly. His complexion didn¡¯t look very good. The small black hand held onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder anxiously and carefully looked over. The young man¡¯s brows were furrowed and his thin lips which were almost completely colourless were pressed tightly into a line. His overly pale complexion made him appear weak and fragile, as if he was some kind of porcelain that would shatter with a little force. The small black hand was taken aback. It had never seen this side of Ye Jia before. It hesitated for a moment and then summoned up the courage to ask, ¡°Um, you¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Before it could finish asking, Ye Jia suddenly raised his hand, held onto the wall and retched a few times. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia slowly straightened back up and shook his head haggardly, ¡°It tastes disgusting.¡± Please read this from kk translates It wasn¡¯t just this one. All Suckers tasted the same. Sticky, rotten and extremely foul-smelling. Even though Ye Jia had been in the game long enough, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to eat this monster without a change in his expression. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I must¡¯ve been blind for a second there. Although the mucous in the room didn¡¯t disappear together with the Sucker, it had lost its previous consistency and thickness. The five who had been tightly bound to the wall fell one after another and were now laying among the pool of dark mucous. Ye Jia looked out the window and estimated the time. The temporary ghost domain enveloping the teaching building should¡¯ve been gone for a while now. Reinforcements should be here soon. He walked over to the five who were still unconscious and glanced at the mucous on the ground with some disgust. In the end, he could only sigh in resignation, kick aside Zhao Guangcheng who was stacked on top of the leader and lie in the space between them. Ye Jia tore off the small black hand that was still sitting on his shoulder, ¡°I believe you know what to do.¡± Since it had done it once before, it should be skilled enough to do it again. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I definitely, definitely was blind!!! . ¡°Miracle¡­¡­¡± Lin Cheng stared at the mess in the room in disbelief. The expression on his face showed unconcealed shock. He murmured, ¡°It¡¯s incredible¡­¡­.¡± No one expected that the small team of combat personnel was able to survive such dangerous circumstances and even the logistics staff accompanying the team was unscathed. There was no other way to explain it except for calling it a miracle. At this moment, Liu Zhaocheng and Zhao Dong from the Logistics Department hurried over. As soon as they met, Liu Zhaocheng asked anxiously, ¡°H-how is it? Is he okay?¡± Lin Cheng still seemed to be in disbelief. He nodded, ¡°Yes¡­..¡± The two from the Logistics Department let out a long, relieved sigh. ¡°T-that¡¯s great.¡± Liu Zhaocheng sniffed and said in in a low, muffled voice, ¡°Although he always likes to slack off and skip work and cut corners when working overtime, he is still an indispensable part of our team¡­¡­¡­.¡± Zhao Dong wiped the corner of his eyes and said emotionally, ¡°Yes¡­¡­.Brother Ye is a good person. I have never seen another brother who is more loyal than him¡­¡­.¡± Liu Zhaocheng sighed, ¡°And his report is still not finished.¡± Ye Jia whose eyes are closed, and breathing is weak, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It would be good if he really fainted now. At least, he wouldn¡¯t need to be angered to death. The combat personnel who had just ran out in pursuit of the fierce ghost returned out of breath, ¡°C-captain, that fierce ghost escaped¡­¡­¡± Lin Cheng didn¡¯t expect them to be able to catch the fierce ghost who could do something like this, so he just waved his hand, ¡°Take the wounded back first. Let¡¯s talk about that later.¡± Please read this from kk translates ¡°Yes!¡± The unconscious members were carefully moved from the mucous coated floor onto a stretcher. Lin Cheng stood at the door and watched them get carried out one after another. Liu Zhaocheng frowned and asked puzzled, ¡°Captain Lin, do you know why that ghost ran off?¡± It was clearly in the advantage just now and they didn¡¯t have anyone that could go against it so why did it suddenly slip away? Lin Cheng seemed to also have trouble answering this question. He hesitated and said, ¡°I also don¡¯t know. Perhaps it¡¯s because it is worried about being caught in trap¡­..¡± At this moment, one of the combat personnel lying on the stretcher regained some consciousness. He raised his hand with difficulty and grabbed the corner of Lin Cheng¡¯s clothes, ¡°No¡­¡­It wasn¡¯t that¡­¡­¡± Lin Cheng was shocked. He quickly stopped the people carrying the stretcher away and bent down to ask, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°W-we were saved!¡± Although Zhao Guangcheng¡¯s voice was weak, it couldn¡¯t hide his excitement, ¡°Just now, there was a very strong person¡­¡­..¡± ¡°What?¡± Lin Cheng was shocked, ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I-I heard that f-fierce ghost call him¡­¡­Ace.¡± Zhao Guangcheng¡¯s eyes radiated hopeful light, ¡°I have never seen such a powerful and terrifying human¡­¡­He is our saviour!¡± ¡°Re-really?¡± Lin Cheng was startled. His brows were slightly furrowed. Although his expression was still serious, his excitement couldn¡¯t be concealed in his voice, ¡°If what you said was the truth and he really is as strong as you said, then he is definitely at least B-Level and maybe even an A-Level powerhouse!¡± ¡°The Combat Division is currently in urgent need of manpower and everyone is being overworked¡­¡­¡± He was also excited, ¡°The recent cases in M City have been very strange. If we had the help from such a powerhouse, our workload can be reduced by at least half!¡± Lin Cheng¡¯s expression became firm, ¡°We will try our best to find him.¡± Ye Jia lying on another stretcher: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ah, life is so hard. Might as well pass out now. The author has something to say: Zhao Guangcheng (admiring): ¡°My saviour is powerful and mysterious!!¡± Ye Jia who is pretending to be unconscious, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Public execution. How embarrassing. CH 11 Chapter 11 Because of that school incident, Liu Zhaocheng finally showed some compassion and gave Ye Jia the paid leave he dreamed of. And it was for a whole week! Ye Jia looked at Liu Zhaocheng who stood next to his hospital bed with an extremely touched expression, ¡°Thank you Head Chief! You are simply a living Buddha who rescues the suffering¡­.¡± Liu Zhaocheng, ¡°¡­..Say one more word and your leave would shorten by another day.¡± Ye Jia: ! He immediately stopped and made a gesture of zipping his lips. Liu Zhaocheng snorted and threw a box onto the hospital bed. Ye Jia reached over and tested the weight of it, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Phone.¡± Liu Zhaocheng said expressionlessly. Ye Jia: ¡°Chief, you already know that I¡¯m not very good with these kinds of electronics¡­.¡± ¡°Without a phone, we cannot contact you. Recently, there has been a shortage in manpower. Don¡¯t think that you don¡¯t need to work overtime if you don¡¯t have a phone.¡± Liu Zhaocheng sneered, ¡°I¡¯ll give you seven days to learn how to use it. If you don¡¯t do it by then, your workload will be doubled when you return.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Not waiting for Ye Jia¡¯s response, Liu Zhaocheng rushed out of the room like a gust of wind and before he left, he even slammed the door shut. The ward returned to silence. Ye Jie sighed and looked down at the phone in his hand with worry. Rounding it up, he had been in the game for a total of twelve years. In the game, the age of all the players was stopped from moment they entered. It was just that almost none of them could gather ten million points and be given the chance to leave the game. Before Ye Jia entered the game, everyone used the bulky flip phones but when he came back out, everyone was using thin and light smartphones. Although he still looked like a young man in his twenties, his soul was very different. It took Ye Jia a long time to adapt to the city that had changed greatly due to technology. Only the mobile phone was a hurdle he had been unable to overcome. There was also a communicator in the game but using the communicator also meant that there was a risk of being exposed. As someone at the top of the leaderboard and also as the only owner of a special weapon, Ye Jia had always been the target of envy. To him, humans held more threat than fierce ghosts but, unfortunately, this instinctive resistance in using a communication device still remained even after returning to the real world. The feeling of being able to be found by others at any time made him feel unsafe. The small black hand poked out from his shoulder and looked curiously at the box in Ye Jia¡¯s hand, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Phone.¡± Ye Jia replied. The small black hand moved closer and looked at the shiny screen with great interest, ¡°What is a phone?¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the hand thoughtfully. Suddenly, he raised his hand without a warning and threw the phone over to the small black hand. Small black hand was startled. It hurriedly tried to catch it, but its thin wrist sank slightly due to the heavy phone, making it look a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯ll give you five days to learn how to use it.¡± Ye Jia smiled and said, ¡°Or I will eat you.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I shouldn¡¯t have spoken so recklessly. I regret it now. And wasn¡¯t it seven days?! Why did it become five days now?! The small black hand wanted to cry without tears. It had no one to ask for help. It could only swallow down its regrets and accept the exploitation. Ye Jia got off the hospital bed refreshed and then activated his ghost domain and stepped in. A minute later, he silently appeared in a ward. The curtains were drawn, and a deep blue sky could be seen from the gaps. The sun was about to break through the clouds, bringing light to the world. On the hospital bed laid an unconscious young girl. Her soul lingered by the bed. The moment she saw Ye Jia, Sun Jiale¡¯s eyes lit up: ¡°Big brother!¡± She pointed at the surrounding environment and spoke as if she was offering a treasure, ¡°It¡¯s all back to normal here!¡± Indeed, the numerous ghosts that were gathered in the ward earlier were all gone. It was as if everything was just a dream. Sun Jiale asked hopefully, ¡°C-Can I return to my body now?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ye Jia rubbed her head, ¡°But I still have something I need to confirm. Can you wait a little longer?¡± Sun Jiale was a little confused but she still obediently nodded, ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Jia approached the bed and lifted the blanket. The dark marks on the girl¡¯s ankles were disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye. It should soon return to normal. He fell into deep thought. At the school earlier, a combat personnel had reported the situation to him. Except for Sun Jiale who fell unconscious, the other children were pulled into a ¡®nightmare¡¯ and the states of those victims were in line with how Suckers typically hunted ¡ª- Once marked, the marked individual would attract the ghosts around them, and the Suckers would then absorb their life energy when their spirits are weakened. This method was naturally more lethal in the game. Since it could only attract wandering spirits in the real world, it only resulted in a ¡®nightmare¡¯. Please read this from kk translates So why was Sun Jiale different? At this moment, the small black hand hiding on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder suddenly leaned over and whispered, ¡°There are some yin on the child¡¯s neck, but I can¡¯t tell if its good or evil¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia was taken aback for a moment. He raised his eyes and looked at where the small black hand was pointing at. He hesitated for a moment and then reached over to pull out a small pendant she wore around her neck. It was a jade pendant. It was very exquisitely designed but the surface was covered with web-like fine cracks, as if it would shatter the next second. Sun Jiale exclaimed behind him: ¡°Ah! That, that¡¯s something my mummy left me¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia was startled. Seeming to have thought of something, he injected some energy into the pendant resting in his hand. There was a faint fluctuation in the air. The next second, a pale-faced woman slowly appeared before him. She wore a surgical gown and the hem of her blood-soaked clothes dripped with blood. Her face had already become blurred, and one could only see a vague outline. Her expression was stiff and sluggish, as if her consciousness had faded over time. In her arms, she held a faint and indistinct dark mass. That mass was already much fainter than earlier and seemed to be slowly disappearing over time. This was the woman Ye Jia saw in the corridor when he first arrived at the hospital. Ye Jia¡¯s gaze fell onto the calf of the dark mass. A dark handprint flitted in and out of view. It was as if Sun Jiale was struck by lightning. She seemed to be in complete disbelief and only dared to let out a weak cry, ¡°Mummy?¡± A complex look flashed across Ye Jia¡¯s eyes. He now knew the reason. When he first arrived, the yin air around the ward had already gathered so there shouldn¡¯t have been so many ghosts left wandering around in the corridor. He had originally thought that the ghosts were going in the direction of the ward but they were in fact chasing after the mass in this woman¡¯s arms ¡ª- For some reason, she was able to share a part of the curse brought about by the mark on Sun Jiale¡¯s body and she then instinctively lured the ghosts away from her daughter. Ghosts are lingering obsessions. They remain as wandering ghosts mostly due to hatred, pain, and unwillingness to leave. But this small soul remnant left on the jade pendant was left behind to protect. The yin energy was too weak and carried very little malice. Even the small black hand who was similarly a ghost couldn¡¯t detect its existence. Sun Jiale¡¯s eyes widened blankly. She stumbled over, stretched out her hand and then retracted it before calling out both cautiously and expectantly, ¡°Mummy, i-is that you?¡± The woman didn¡¯t answer. She stared blankly in the distance. Standing in the centre of the ward in silence, she looked like a walking dead. Tears burst out uncontrollably. Sun Jiale did her best to suppress her sobs and raised her hand to hold the hem of the woman¡¯s clothes, ¡°Mummy¡­..You don¡¯t recognise me anymore?¡± Ye Jia silently sighed. A soul¡¯s consciousness would only stay for a short period of time and it was even shorter for a soul with no malice. What¡¯s more, she had also shared a large part of Sun Jiale¡¯s curse and is probably currently on the verge of disappearing. He stepped forward wanting to say something but, unexpectedly, the woman in front of him moved. Her eyes moved down with difficulty, as if struggling to break free from the broken body. Her gaze changed. Seemingly recognising the person in front of her, it turned soft and loving and it also carried a hint of sadness. With difficulty, the woman raised her hand slightly and touched the little girl¡¯s cheek, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡­¡­cry¡­..¡± She spoke each word with great effort, ¡°Won¡¯t¡­..look¡­..good¡­..¡± The gushing sorrow could no longer be suppressed. Sun Jiale gripped the corner of the woman¡¯s clothes firmly and sobbed a few times before turning into a howling cry. The woman raised her eyes and looked pleadingly at Ye Jia who stood behind the little girl. Ye Jia nodded silently. He quickly walked up, placed his hand on Sun Jiale¡¯s shoulder and gently pulled her back. The little girl¡¯s soul floated up and then slowly fell back onto the hospital bed, overlapping with the empty body on the bed. She went to sleep. The woman¡¯s soul before them seemed to have finally reached its limits and cracks spread rapidly across the body. She raised her eyes to look at Ye Jia and slowly smiled. Some of the gentleness and beauty from when she was alive seemed to have returned to her. She bowed to Ye Jia, ¡°¡­.Thank you.¡± Her figure disappeared. Only peaceful silence remained in the ward. The sun penetrated through the clouds, dispelling away the darkness. Soft, golden light quietly poured in through the gaps between the blinds, gently stroking the little girl¡¯s scattered long hair and bringing along with it a trace of warmth. Please read this from kk translates A new day had begun. . Sun Jiale opened her eyes. For a while, she didn¡¯t know where she was. She got up with some difficulty and realised that she was lying on a hospital bed. What¡­¡­happened? She was at a loss. Through her blurred vision, she saw the door of her ward being pushed open and a man covered in stubble rushed in anxiously, ¡°Lele! You¡¯re awake!¡± The man¡¯s footsteps stopped. He was a little at loss, ¡°Why are you crying¡­¡­.¡± Crying? I¡¯m not crying. Sun Jiale was a little confused. She raised her hand and touched her cheek and felt something cold and wet. Tears were still gushing out and large ones rolled off her face onto the bed. The man cautiously approached her and held the crying little girl in his arms. He softly coaxed, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you feel uncomfortable? Tell your daddy, okay?¡± Sun Jiale buried her face in her father¡¯s shoulder and shook her head vigorously. Her voice was a little hoarse and nasal, ¡°No¡­¡­.¡± ¡°I seemed to have had a dream¡­¡­¡± ¡°I was cold and scared at first¡­¡­but then¡­¡­¡± She raised her head and showed a tearful smile, ¡°I-I dreamt that mummy came to see me.¡± Unnoticed by the others, there was an unopened cup of jelly sitting on the bedside table. It was the type specially provided by a hospital, but the label on it showed that it came from a different hospital. It was placed in the centre of the table like it was a gift. . In a scarlet ghost domain, pale white bones were piled up into something that resembled a throne. ¡°King¡­¡­¡­¡± A large fierce ghost covered in abscesses slowly climbed out from a pool of muddy gunk, ¡°Do you remember the human organisation called the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau?¡± Dead silence followed. The fierce ghost carefully raised its eyes and glanced upwards. The man sitting on the throne of bones was expressionless. His pale fingers were slightly bent and they were gently rested on a skull. With his pair of scarlet eyes, he looked down at the fierce ghost from above with a scrutinising gaze. The fierce ghost¡¯s body trembled. It hurriedly lowered its eyes and stammered out the rest of its report, ¡°A-According to a subordinate who have infiltrated them, the name of the person you¡¯re looking for has appeared in a report there¡ª¡ª-¡± The pale fingers resting on the skull moved slightly but it was so slight, it could easily be overlooked. ¡°Where?¡± His voice was very calm, like a breeze blowing across a plain. But the fierce ghost below trembled even more. It shrunk its body as much as possible. ¡°M-M City.¡± It gathered its courage and continued, ¡°Do you need me to send someone to verify¡­¡­¡± Its trembling voice was unexpectedly interrupted. ¡°No.¡± The man¡¯s red eyes darkened a few shades, and it was now the colour of half coagulated blood. He casually tapped at the bones under his hand with his finger and spoke with a chilling voice, ¡°¡­¡­.I will go there personally.¡± CH 12 Chapter 12 The past two days had been very turbulent making Ye Jia, the salted fish who had grown accustomed to living a stable life in reality, a little uncomfortable. Therefore, after leaving the hospital, like what all corporate slaves with seven days of paid leave would do, the first thing he did when he returned home was to¡ª¡ª- Sleep. Ye Jia buried his head in his blanket and slept for twelve hours straight. When he woke up again, it was already dark outside. There was only a faint blue light in the distance along with the sound of cheerful music. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw a phone with its screen lit up floating in mid-air. The small black hand had produced two hands and was currently sliding its finger across the screen in fascination. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­..What are you doing?¡± Small black hand, ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± It held the phone and floated towards the bed as it exclaimed excitedly, ¡°This thing called a mobile phone! It¡¯s fun! There are so many interesting things in it! Look at this¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia glanced at the screen. Fight The Landlord. (KKnotes: A card game.) The small black hand puffed itself up triumphantly, ¡°I have already won a lot of golden beans!¡± Ye Jia glanced at it again. ¡ª¨C And it was playing against other players. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s good that you like it.¡± He got out of bed, put on his slippers and slowly entered the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot tea. Before he could take more than a few sips, he heard a knock on the door. ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He had never told anyone his home address and he didn¡¯t have any friends in the bureau close enough to come and visit him. Who was it? Ye Jia frowned and walked over to open the door. As soon as the door was opened, Cheng Cezhi was revealed. He carried a goofy smile on his face and held a large basket of fruits in his hands, ¡°Brother Ye, it¡¯s me!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s right hand hanging to his side relaxed slightly and the sickle which had started to take shape very quickly disappeared. He asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Please read this from kk translates Cheng Cezhi, ¡°The people from the Combat Division guarded me for three days but nothing happened, and they later had a shortage of staff on their end, so they let me go.¡± He grinned, ¡°After I returned to the logistics department, I heard that you had taken a week off due to a work injury so I¡¯m here to check on you¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia rubbed his messy hair, sighed and moved to the side, ¡°Come in.¡± Cheng Cezhi placed down the basket of fruit and Ye Jia came over with two cups of hot tea. He quickly got up to receive the tea and then carefully sat down on the sofa. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Ye Jia sipped his tea, ¡°how did you know my address?¡± Cheng Cezhi was a little at loss, ¡°Huh? The others don¡¯t know? I¡­I asked my uncle.¡± Ye Jia had a bad feeling. ¡°Your uncle? Who?¡± ¡°Heheh, you have probably heard of him¡­¡­¡± Cheng Cezhi laughed with some embarrassment, ¡°It¡¯s that Cheng Ze.¡± Cheng Ze, the director of the M City branch of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Oh, someone with connections. No wonder their head chief¡¯s attitude towards this newcomer was so good!! Double standards!! Suddenly, Cheng Cezhi sucked in a deep breath. His expression showed great fear and he quickly lowered his voice, ¡°B-brother Ye, d-don¡¯t look back!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s gaze was fixed at a spot behind Ye Jia. He then spoke extremely quietly and extremely slowly, ¡°I¡­¡­I think a ghost has followed you back¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia¡¯s heart fell. Could it be that the small black hand had become completely addicted to Fight The Landlord and let the phone float around? At this moment, the small back hand skilfully climbed onto his shoulder, ¡°What is that human talking about? If a ghost really followed you back, I would¡¯ve already noticed it.¡± It wasn¡¯t holding the phone. But before Ye Jia could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Cheng Cezhi let out another gasp, ¡°B-brother Ye¡­..I think¡­..it¡¯s on your shoulder¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± Small black hand: ¡°?¡± Ye Jia turned to look at the small black hand on his shoulder and a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. ¡­..Cheng Cezhi could see it? When they were in the elevator last time, the small black hand had suddenly become stronger due to the malicious energy left behind by a fierce ghost. At that time, its level had increased by almost two levels, so it was possible for ordinary people to see it but, after it had been dealt with by Ye Jia, it had become very weak, so it was now almost impossible for ordinary people to see it. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s teeth chattered as he reached to his waist, ¡°I-I¡¯ll call the Bureau¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°¡­¡­.Wait.¡± Cheng Cezhi didn¡¯t listen. He continued to rummage around while trembling. Ye Jia turned his head and ordered the small back hand, ¡°Go and grab it.¡± ¡°On it.¡± The small black hand flew over and ruthlessly snatched away the emergency call device from the panicking Cheng Cezhi¡¯s hands. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s face was pale. He pressed himself firmly against the back of the sofa, ¡°Y-you two¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia pointed at the small black hand on the side, ¡°Let me introduce you. This was the one who subjected you to a nightmare in the building back then.¡± The small black hand waved at him in a friendly manner. But Cheng Cezhi looked like he would pass out any second. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. How should this story be explained¡­¡­ ¡ª- Twenty minutes later. Cheng Cezhi held a cup of hot tea in his hands. Although his face was still pale, his expression was a lot better than before. ¡°So, you mean, it attacked me before because it was contaminated by another fierce ghost?¡± Ye Jia nodded. ¡°Then¡­¡­why can I see it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ye Jia shrugged, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s because you have seen too many ghosts recently.¡± When ordinary people are exposed to excessive yin energy, it would result in a certain degree of spiritual vision. ¡°Th-then what about you?¡± Chen Cezhi asked cautiously. Although Ye Jia had always been gentle and easy-going, for some reason Cheng Cezhi had always felt that there was more to it. He couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration towards him as well as the urge to know him better. ¡°Born with it.¡± Ye Jia replied without a change to his expression. He didn¡¯t have spiritual vision before entering the game but after living in that place with such high concentration of yin energy, he naturally acquired that ability. ¡ª¨CAfter all, those who didn¡¯t acquire it are already dead. ¡°Since you have this talent, why didn¡¯t you join the Combat Division?¡± Cheng Cezhi became excited, ¡°Do you need help? I can ask my uncle¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Join the Combat Division? Did he think that there was too little overtime, or was he worried that the reward for the hatred leaderboard was not high enough? Ye Jia: ¡°No, I think it¡¯s good to just pass my days idly like this in the logistics department.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°But¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia resolutely interrupted him, ¡°I love this job very much and I want to dedicate all my time and energy to the field I love.¡± Cheng Cezhi, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± How could someone make wanting to live a salted fish life sound so honourable? Ye Jia sent the visibly recovered Cheng Cezhi to the door. Before the other party left, he rested his arm on the door frame and smiled lightly at Cheng Cezhi, ¡°You won¡¯t tell other people about what happened today, will you?¡± The bright light in the living room cast a golden light over the side of his face and with his pair of light-coloured eyes slightly narrowed, he looked particularly amiable at this very moment. Please read this from kk translates But for some reason, Cheng Cezhi suddenly felt a chill down his back. He shook his head like a rattle. Ye Jia smiled and waved at him, ¡°Goodnight.¡± As soon as the door closed, the small black hand appeared from behind Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Do you really believe that he would keep quiet?¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes and smiled gently, ¡°Of course.¡± With his fingers slightly bent, a wisp of dark air emerged from his fingertip and left through the space under the door. Small black hand, ¡°!¡± Ye Jia placed a finger on his lips, ¡°Because I am watching him.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Fuck, this man is scary. I want to go back to the game wuwuwuwu. . The dark night spread out like black ink, immersing the entire city in it. In an empty street corner stood a single streetlamp. Its faint yellow light was almost submerged in the darkness. ¡°Bzzz¡ª¡ª¡± With the intermittent sound of electric current, the light flickered a few times. Almost in the blink of an eye, the moment the light went back on, a figure had suddenly appeared in the corner of that street. A dark shadow stretched out from under the man¡¯s feet, splitting the light like a sharp blade and finally melting into the darkness in the distance. Ji Xuan raised his eyes and looked up at the sky. M City. No one else could see it apart from him. The sky above this small city was enveloped by a thick layer of ominous looking dark mist. The dark mist was condensed together and seemed to be secretly waiting for an opportunity of some sort. He retracted his gaze indifferently and showed no interest in that change. Bright red lines slowly appeared on the ground. They bulged out like ocean waves and rushed towards Ji Xuan¡¯s direction It grew more and more scarlet in colour before gradually morphing into a physical entity. Large white bones formed wings and there were still blood and flesh remnants hanging between the bones. Underneath all that was a moving mass of blood-red fluid in which blurred and horrified human faces loomed about. It raised its goat-like skull head and looked at the man before it through its dark eye sockets. Ji Xuan leaned down and gently brushed his pale and slender fingers across its skull. His voice was calm and gentle, ¡°Good child.¡± At this moment, from the darkness in the distance, a faint whisper sounded, ¡°King, do you need us to find him?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t even raise his eyes, ¡°As long as he wants to hide, you will never be able to find him.¡± He approached the monster and whispered something in its ear. The huge monster turned around, its crimson and white spine arched out and then, like a fish submerging back into the sea, it quietly sank back into the ground and disappeared without a trace. Ji Xuan raised his eyes. Cold light flashed across his eyes. ¡°Track all the fierce ghosts in this city and find their gathering point.¡± The higher levelled the fierce ghosts are, the more likely they are to be drawn to each other. They are eager to fight and consume each other to further nourish and develop themselves. This was an instinctual behaviour of theirs. The darker and purer their energy was, the sweeter and more attractive they appear to others. ¡ª- Except for the game, there was no other place with such strong ghost energy. And the person he wanted to find was the cream of the crop. He was a natural magnet. Although he had deliberately concealed himself and this effect had weakened considerably, the attraction still existed. Even if he had hidden himself perfectly in human society, there would always be a series of strange things happening around him. ¡°Investigate everything about that human organisation and look for patterns.¡± The man¡¯s voice was calm and indifferent as he gave his order. ¡°Understood.¡± A faint voice sounded in the dark. Immediately afterwards, everything fell silent again. Ji Xuan looked at the dark sky in the distance. His eyes were deep, as if he had fallen into some distant memory. A faint smile carrying slight bloodthirstiness appeared briefly on his face. Unknowingly, so much time had passed¡­¡­ Have you missed me, big brother? CH 13 Chapter 13 Compared to some inorganic dead object, the city was more like a living body built out of reinforced concrete. It breathed, moved, never got tired and continued to work endlessly without rest. And under that seemingly busy yet calm external appearance, the undercurrents were turbulent. Suddenly, in a dark corner where even the sun couldn¡¯t reach, whispers could be heard. Those whispers spread through the darkness like a wave, quickly reaching every dark corner of the city. ¡ª¨CAn extremely powerful creature of darkness had descended. Its existence couldn¡¯t be ignored, just like the sudden change in the gravitational field, forcing the entire city to be affected and reshaped by it. At the same time, the highest reward on the hatred leaderboard had doubled again. Something in the shadows began to move. . ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± The knocks on the door were rapid and heavy. It suddenly broke the silence. The lights in the room were completely extinguished and there was no light at all, allowing the room to blend into one with the dark night outside. Please read this from kk translates No one answered the door. ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± The knocking on the door became even more hurried. The dust on the door was shaken off with the knocks, falling lightly onto the dirty and wet ground below. Behind the shaking door, Wang Shize and his wife held each other tightly, trembling in the corner of the room. Dim light from the corridor outside spilled in through the gaps under the door, illuminating their pale, tear-covered faces. ¡°Knock, knock, knock!¡± They trembled again and firmly covered their mouths. Their eyes revealed fear and panic as they stared at the gap under the door. Two fuzzy shadows moved. There seemed to be someone standing outside, waiting for them to open the door. ¡°Drip.¡± ¡°Drip.¡± Across the door, the intermittent sound of water dripping could be faintly heard. The two huddled together and closed their eyes and covered their ears. It was as if they would be able to prevent anyone from entering their home if they did this. An unknown amount of time passed. The shadows were gone. The sound of dragging footsteps gradually grew fainter and fainter before it finally disappeared at the end of the corridor. But the two in the room didn¡¯t relax. Instead, they broke down and wept bitterly, ¡°Please¡­let us go¡­¡­¡­¡± The next day, in the evening. After getting off work, Wang Shize alone made his way back home. The setting sun in the distance sank little by little, stretching his shadow down the small alley. The winding alleys were empty and there were small advertisements randomly pasted onto the mottled walls on both sides. The writing on them had faded to the point where it was almost unrecognisable. There were also messy graffiti and handwriting left scattered on the walls. As night slowly descended and the half bright grey sky was gradually swallowed by the darkness, his vision also became blurry. Wang Shize¡¯s complexion was very poor. With heavy bags under his eyes, he seemed to have not slept for many days. He stumbled as he walked. As long as there were any sounds, it would make him flinch nervously and he would then look over to check for anything out of the norms. ¡°Achoo!¡± Suddenly, Wang Shize sneezed. He rubbed his itchy nose. For some reason, it seemed that the further he went, the lower the temperature became. As if suddenly being immersed in ice water, the biting cold penetrated through his skin, making him shiver. Wang Shize looked ahead. The alley ahead looked long and narrow and it extended into darkness. The further he went, the darker it became. His heart suddenly leapt. How long¡­..had he been walking now? Generally speaking, as long as he walked down this alley and take a turn, he would reach his place. But today¡­¡­.he felt as if he had been walking for more than half an hour and even after walking for so long, he still couldn¡¯t see the end of the alley. Wang Shize couldn¡¯t help but tremble. A chill ran down his spine. In the deadly silent and dark alley, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own footsteps becoming more and more rushed and hasty. ¡°Drip, drip¡­¡­¡± At the end of the alley, there was a faint sound of water dropping. Wang Shize suddenly stopped in place. He seemed to have realised something and his expression immediately changed. It twisted with horror as he looked down at the alley ahead, as if what awaited him was the gate to hell. He fearfully threw his briefcase away and turned and ran. Wind howled past his ears and combined with that were his own wheezing gasps. He could tell that his physical strength was diminishing rapidly. It was unknown how long he had ran for. Without warning, Wang Shize suddenly stopped. His face was distorted with fear and panic and his originally pale face had a faint red flush as a result of the intense running earlier. It was because¡­..as he ran just now, he had noticed something. The dark red messy graffiti on the wall seemed¡­..to be becoming brighter with every step he took. By now, it had become so vividly red, it was hard to overlook it. Wang Shize turned his head back with difficulty and his gaze moved across the wall little by little¡­.. The alley was now completely submerged into darkness and the darkness was similarly silently engulfing him. All he could hear was his rapid heartbeat and his chaotic breathing. He saw¡ª¨C A smiling face. It didn¡¯t have a sclera. Instead, the eyes were pure black and the blood-red mouth below it split open into a large and strange arc. It silently stared at him unblinkingly. ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C!!¡± A shrill scream pierced through the night sky. * Walking slowly along a bustling street, Ye Jia carried various shopping bags in one hand and a cup of pearl milk tea in the other. Suddenly, he paused and turned his head to look thoughtfully into the distance. The surrounding areas were still peaceful. No one else seemed to have noticed anything strange. Ye Jia frowned. Today was the fourth day of his paid leave and he had gone out to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities. Because it was close, the small black hand wasn¡¯t forced to come out with him ¡ª- This ghost had recently become addicted to the phone and couldn¡¯t get out of it. Everyday, it holed itself up in the room, playing on the phone. If it was here, with its sensitivity to yin energy, it should be able to figure out the source of that strangeness just now. Ye Jia hesitated for a moment. In the end, he turned his feet and turned to walk in that direction. After all, this place was too close to his home. Leaving it alone would easily lead to more problems in the future. And Ye Jia really didn¡¯t want to move houses again. He followed the strange fluctuations towards a small alley. The further he went, the fewer people there were. Under the cover of night, there was a faint smell of rust in the air. The smell grew stronger as the distance shortened. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes changed slightly. His pace couldn¡¯t help but speed up. A bloody figure suddenly appeared from the alley before him. He stumbled forward as he screamed, ¡°Ahhhhh¡ª¡ªG-ghost¡ª¡ª-Ahhhh¡ª¨C¡± Wang Shize stumbled out frantically with a face filled with horror and firmly grabbed the first person he saw, ¡°Help me! Help me!!¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia was caught off guard. The milk tea in his hand fell and spilled all across the ground. Ye Jia: ¡°!¡± My milk tea! He didn¡¯t have the chance to mourn for it. In the corner of his eyes, a pale figure in the depths of the alley slowly disappeared. Ye Jia was surprised. He narrowed his eyes. This scent¡­¡­ At this moment, a high-pitched scream sounded from behind him, ¡°Ahhhh!!! Someone help!! A killer!!!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± Fuck, what horrible timing. Forty minutes later. At the police station. ¡°Name?¡± The policeman had his head lowered as he wrote something. Ye Jia sat in the chair expressionlessly and answered lifelessly, ¡°¡­¡­Ye Jia.¡± After asking the basic information, the policeman raised his head, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it. What happened?¡± Ye Jia concealed the fact that he had sensed an abnormal fluctuation in yin energy and explained everything else in detail. While listening, the policeman quietly observed the suspect sitting across from him. The young man looked to be rather young. His complexion was fair, his amber eyes were clear and bright, and he also spoke very clearly. Coupled with the two large shopping bags by his feet, although the policeman may still be somewhat doubtful, a larger part of him believed his words. At this moment, the phone beside him rang. The policeman answered the phone and exchanged a few words before his brows smoothened out. He hung up and pushed the form over before Ye Jia, ¡°Fill it in. You can leave once you¡¯re done.¡± While filling it in, Ye Jia glanced inquisitively at the policeman opposite him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Haa, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just news from the hospital end.¡± The policeman shook his head, ¡°Had a check and he seemed to be fine. I guess he was a little frightened. The wound on his head was also his own doing.¡± He took the form from Ye Jia, placed it aside and advised, ¡°Don¡¯t leave the city during this time. We will find you again if we have any questions.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Jia nodded, ¡°Thank you Mr. Policeman.¡± He bent over to pick up the two shopping bags next to him and turned to walk out of the police station. The lights outside were already on and bright traffic and the bustling crowd intermingled. This lively scene however wasn¡¯t enough to dispel the furrow between Ye Jia¡¯s brows. In the alley just now, he had clearly felt the existence of a fierce ghost. And the man who had grabbed onto him. Although the policeman had said that he seemed to be fine, he was covered in a heavy air of death. It was clear that his life energy was exhausted, and he was on the verge of dying. Ye Jia felt that he was by no means a saint and he wasn¡¯t prepared to intervene with every haunted case like this. There are hundreds and thousands of dead souls. After so many years of playing in the game, Ye Jia had already become familiar with that. Even his own hands weren¡¯t so clean so why bother putting on a noble appearance and playing the role of a saviour? However¡­. For some reason, the scent of that ghost gave him a strange sense of familiarity. It was a pity that he had only encountered it briefly. It wasn¡¯t enough time for him to figure out where that familiarity came from. Perhaps he should check it out? Ye Jia thought for a while. ¡­¡­.No, forget it. He had seen thousands of fierce ghosts in the game. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to feel a sense of familiarity. What¡¯s more, he was still ranked first on that strange hatred leaderboard. There was no need for him to sacrifice his hard-earned break for just that faint feeling of familiarity only to be captured. Ye Jia looked down at his half dry sleeves and sighed. Alas, it was a pity his milk tea spilled. The next day. Ye Jia slept comfortably until he woke up naturally. After washing himself up, he went to the kitchen and made a cup of tea for himself. Before he could turn around and walk back out, he heard faint voices outside his door. ¡°Are you sure this is the floor?¡± ¡°Yes, I am certain.¡± ¡°T-this place?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± The two voices sounded very familiar. Ye Jia suddenly froze by the door. Footsteps approached. ¡°Knock, knock, knock.¡± Polite knocking sounded. ¡°Hello, we are from the Special Affairs Investigation Department. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s vision went dark. He could see his vacation flap its wings and fly far away: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± No¡­¡­ CH 14 Chapter 14 Ye Jia expressionlessly opened the door. Unsurprisingly, two familiar faces appeared at the door. Zhao Guangcheng and¡­¡­Cheng Cezhi. The former looked surprised and the latter evasive. He clearly hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock from a few days ago. Seeing Ye Jia, Zhao Guangcheng quickly looked down at the form in his hand and raised his head back up in surprise, ¡°Ah! It turns out to be you! I was just wondering why the name looked familiar¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi smiled with some effort, ¡°Brother Ye, g-good morning.¡± The small black hand who had rushed over to check on the source of the commotion appeared behind Ye Jia and waved at him enthusiastically, ¡°Hi!!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi looked like he was going to faint again. ¡°So,¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°why is it the two of you this time?¡± Zhao Guangcheng laughed goofily and scratched his head, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because we don¡¯t have enough staff¡­¡­¡± Okay, I understand now. No more explanation needed. After a brief chat, Ye Jia could basically figure out the bureau¡¯s investigation progress. The person he had met yesterday was called Wang Shize. He lived two blocks away from here. The two had already been to the hospital and had a brief chat with the person involved. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like a nightmare.¡± Cheng Cezhi said. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s too deliberate and too targeted.¡± Zhao Guangcheng nodded and concluded, ¡°Seems more like a ghost causing trouble.¡± Being trapped in a nightmare was generally quite random but it was completely different when ghosts cause trouble. They were ghosts with lingering obsessions, and they would look for the people who had something to do with their deaths. Cheng Cezhi agreed, ¡°I also think that. This Wang Shize seems to be hiding something from us.¡± They quickly divided up the work. Cheng Cezhi said, ¡°I will go to the police station and look through their files to see if this Wang Shize is linked to any murder or disappearance.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Zhao Guangcheng nodded, ¡°Then Ye Jia and I will go to his house and see if we can get anything out from his family.¡± Ye Jia who was inexplicably included in the task, ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Dammit, why?? Zhao Guangcheng looked at Ye Jia and said with some embarrassment, ¡°Heheh¡­¡­.The main thing is that it is more efficient splitting up but I need someone who can operate the instruments when we get to the scene¡ª¡± He looked at Ye Jia¡¯s cold face and patted his chest reassuringly, ¡°And I¡¯ll teat you today! Including milk tea! You can order whatever you want!¡± Ye Jia was about to decline, ¡°Still¡­¡­¡± At this moment, the bored small black hand came over and excitedly showed off, ¡°Oh right, did you know that the golden beans could be recharged. I just bought a lot of golden beans¡­.¡± ¡°Ding.¡± The phone on the desk vibrated. A text message popped up. Ye Jia looked down at the remaining balance, ¡°¡­¡­..¡± It¡¯s hard. His fist was clenched hard. He internally calculated the budget for his dinner tonight and then took a deep breath and looked up at Zhao Guangcheng who was looking at him with bright eyes. He revealed a reluctant smile, ¡°¡­¡­Deal.¡± Twenty minutes later. Ye Jia and Zhao Guangcheng arrived before a simple looking residential building. The faded walls on the sides were mottled and clothes of various colours hung from inside anti-theft iron windows. Green plants which had not been trimmed stretched out of the windows, making it look very lifelike. Ye Jia looked up at the building in front of him. He frowned slightly as if in thought and then soon withdrew his gaze. The two walked in one behind the other. There was no elevator in the building. Although it was still daytime, the corridor was still very dim and messy clutter were piled up along the sides, making it more difficult to walk through. Zhao Guangcheng stopped in front of one of the doors. He knocked on the door, ¡°Hello, is this Mr. Wang Shize¡¯s house?¡± A woman¡¯s voice sounded from the other side of the door, ¡°We¡¯re not buying anything!¡± ¡°We¡¯re from the Special Affairs Investigation Department.¡± Zhao Guangcheng spoke politely. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?¡± Footsteps approached from inside. ¡°Click.¡± ¡°Click.¡± The sound of metal colliding could be heard when the door latch was pulled open. Followed that was the sound of a chain lock and finally the door handle itself was unlocked. In total, it took more than a minute. Zhao Guangcheng and Ye Jia exchanged a look with each other. Finally, the door opened. A woman¡¯s pale and fear-stricken face appeared from the small opening. She looked out and asked, ¡°What are you looking for my husband for?¡± Zhao Guangcheng showed her his credentials and continued, ¡°It¡¯s just a routine investigation. May I ask if there has been anything strange happening at home recently?¡± A flicker of fear flashed across the woman¡¯s face. She trembled and then quickly shook her head, ¡°N-no.¡± She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng was able to block it with his quick reflexes, ¡°Wait a minute. I believe you should already know what happened to your husband yesterday?¡± The woman trembled even more noticeably. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°Madam, I hope you can take this more seriously.¡± Zhao Guangcheng frowned, and his attitude became serious, ¡°Do you know that if this continues, you and your husband will probably not be able to live long¡­.¡± The woman¡¯s expression faltered slightly. During the stalemate between the two, Zhao Guangcheng¡¯s phone suddenly rang. After speaking briefly with the person on the phone, his expression changed slightly. He hung up and asked slowly, ¡°Your younger sister Zhao Xiake stumbled and drowned in a reservoir five years ago, right?¡± ¡°Wha¡­..!¡± The woman¡¯s expression suddenly changed. With bloodshot eyes, her face distorted between fear and anger, making her look particularly treacherous, ¡°Scram! Leave at once! Who gave you the authority to speak such nonsense here at my place?! This is my place, leave!¡± Please read this from kk translates She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng refused to move. The two were at stalemate and the situation was tense. Ye Jia suddenly interjected, ¡°I believe you should be well aware of your current circumstances.¡± His voice was very calm and there was slight indifference contained within it as well. ¡°No one will believe what you say, and no one will be able to understand what you experienced.¡± Ye Jia took a step forward, raised his hand and gently pulled Zhao Guangcheng away from the door, preventing him from blocking it, ¡°And we are the only people who can help you right now.¡± He lowered his eyes and stared at the visibly shocked woman before him. His pair of light amber eyes shone with dim light and his voice still carried no fluctuations, ¡°So, are you sure you want to lock us out?¡± The woman¡¯s hand holding the door trembled slightly. Her eyes showed signs of wavering. After a long period of silence, as if all the strength in her body had drained away, her entire being wilted. She stepped back and her dull voice rang from the dark room inside, ¡°¡­..Come in.¡± . ¡°¡­..At the beginning, it was just a few phone calls.¡± Zhao Wanjun buried her face in her palms and said while trembling, ¡°It would always happen in the middle of the night and no one spoke when it was answered. There was only the sound of water dripping.¡± ¡°Later, we heard that sound everywhere. On the road, at home, at work¡­..¡± She raised her pair of tortured eyes and the shadows under her eyes were quite shocking, ¡°It¡¯s not the kind¡­.the kind you hear in normal life. It was a kind of dropping sound¡­.a regular sound. Like a tap that wasn¡¯t tightened firmly enough, but that sound continued to get closer and closer to us.¡± ¡°Five days ago, we invited an exorcist. W-we angered her¡­..and¡­..and then¡­.¡± Zhao Wanjun trembled uncontrollably. Her voice became hoarse and sharp from fear, ¡°Since that day, she came to knock at our door every night! Every night!¡± She yelled hysterically, ¡°Her death was an accident! An accident!! It wasn¡¯t my fault¡­..wasn¡¯t my fault!!¡± Zhao Guangcheng winked at Ye Jia and dragged him away. He lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Do you believe what she said?¡± Ye Jia asked back, ¡°You don¡¯t believe it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Zhao Guangcheng said firmly, ¡°Ghost seeking revenge. They will always go and find the person directly or indirectly involved with their death. If it was really just an accident, the ghost wouldn¡¯t be wandering around like a lost soul for this long.¡± He continued, ¡°Let¡¯s report to the Combat Division to deal with the lost soul and then contact the police through the bureau to re-investigate the incident five years ago¡­.¡± Before Zhao Guangcheng could finish speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by Ye Jia, ¡°Why did they wait five years?¡± Please read this from kk translates He was slightly taken aback, ¡°What?¡± Ye Jia looked down and repeated once again, ¡°If it was a ghost seeking revenge, why did it wait five years before acting?¡± Zhao Guangcheng had no answer to that, ¡°That¡­..¡± Ye Jia looked around at the chaotic furnishings in the room and narrowed his eyes slightly. The air in here was filled with heavy yin energy which was a very standard sign of being involved with a ghost and, from Zhao Wanjun¡¯s tone, that fear and guilt was something that couldn¡¯t be faked. But¡­.something didn¡¯t seem right. Ye Jia patted Zhao Guangcheng on the shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s do as you said, brother.¡± . Half an hour later. A team from the Combat Division arrived very quickly and took the case from their hands. Ye Jia stood downstairs, waiting for follow-up. Cheng Cezhi ran down the stairs in a hurry. ¡°Brother Ye!¡± He was still panting but his eyes were bright, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is sorted!¡± He took a break and then continued, ¡°Moreover, the police and us have been cooperating for a long time. Once the ghost is dealt with, the police will resume investigating the case of Zhao Xieke¡¯s disappearance.¡± At this moment, there was a soft bang upstairs. The windows of Wang Shize¡¯s house lit up for a moment. Immediately afterwards, footsteps could be heard from the corridor. Zhao Guangcheng walked out first. He gave Ye Jia and ¡®okay¡¯ gesture and smiled heartily, ¡°All done! The task has been successfully completed!¡± He rested his hands on Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Go, go, go. I¡¯ll treat you two food¡­¡± Ye Jia was dragged along. Before leaving, he turned and glanced back at the residential building behind him. He suddenly noticed that a house on the left of the first floor still had their thick curtains drawn despite it being bright outside. The curtain moved slightly. From inside the dark room, an old man¡¯s pale face was revealed. He peered out with a pare of bloodshot and murky eyes. His face had the exact same expression as Zhao Wanjun ¡ª- Exactly the same kind of fear, and exactly the same kind of guilt. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfuly. Two in one building? This wasn¡¯t a case of ghost seeking revenge. ¡ª- He now knew why he felt that familiar sensation earlier. It wasn¡¯t an evil spirit or a fierce ghost at play, but a monster. It was a monster who had climbed out from the abyss of malice with hands covered in blood. Its body only contained endless greed and hunger and it would never be satisfied until it swallowed the entire block, the entire city and even the entire world. The longer it is left, the stronger it would become and the harder it would be to eradicate it. Ye Jia turned around and walked on together with Zhao Guangcheng and Cheng Cezhi. A light sigh was scattered by the wind. Looks like he would need to come back here again tonight. ¡­¡­. In the dark corners where the sun cannot reach, a face slowly emerged. Its scarlet lips rose to form an eerie smile and its pair of dark eyes stared at Ye Jia¡¯s departing figure. Just how many deeply buried unpleasant memories and how many dark secrets that cannot be told did this person possess to have such a rich scent? This should be¡­¡­a wonderful prey. The author has something to say: Small black hand/Hungry ghost/Sucker: ¡°Yes, we also thought that at first.¡± CH 15 Chapter 15 That night. The old residential building stood in the dark night. It was clearly the same building as the one during the day, but under the shroud of night, it was cast with a cold and chilling atmosphere. A young man stopped in front of the building. He raised his head and looked up at the old building in front of him. The deep darkness seemed to engulf everything, making even the boundaries of the building appear blurred as a result. In the dead silence, an almost inaudible chatter could be heard. It was as if something was slowly awakening. None of the lights in the residential building were on. The darkened windows looked out resembling empty eye sockets. The air was cold and sticky. Contained within it was a faint rancid smell. ¡ª- Even if he wasn¡¯t fully convinced during the day, there was no doubt about it now. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and softly sighed. This was a very evil spirit. Its favourite food was the souls tortured by hatred and regret. It would control other spirits and create illusions to allow the humans it had set its eyes to on slowly ferment and develop into its favourite flavour before consuming them. The small black hand stuck its head out from his shoulder. It trembled and asked quietly, ¡°I-Isn¡¯t the yin energy here too strong? How many people has this one eaten?¡± Please read this from kk translates Quite a few. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. But he was not prepared to answer this question from the small black hand. He expressionlessly raised his hand, tore the small black hand from his shoulder, tied it into a knot and then mercilessly stuffed the struggling small black hand into his pocket. Ye Jia sneered, ¡°A ghost who spends credit using other people¡¯s money for Fight the Landlord has no right to speak.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­..¡± Ying. (KKnotes: A crying sound) After successfully shutting it up, Ye Jia walked towards the building. The lights in the corridor turned on. The dim yellow light flickered slightly. It was unable to dissipate the surrounding darkness. The empty corridor was filled with miscellaneous items, but it didn¡¯t show any signs of life. It was so quiet; one could faintly hear their own heartbeats. Ye Jia walked straight to the door of the old man who was peeking out earlier this afternoon. When he reached the door, his pace stopped slightly. The door wasn¡¯t closed. Unlike the firmly locked door at Wang Shize¡¯s place this afternoon, this door was half closed and the other half revealed pitch black darkness inside. Ye Jia paused. He raised his hand and pushed the door open. In the silent and dark night, the hinge on the door creaked and slowly opened. From inside the dark room, a smell unique to elderly people emanated out. The room was filled with miscellaneous items and it was almost filled to the brim with no place to stand. There was an armchair in the corner of the room. A dark figure sat in the chair. Ye Jia turned on the light. The light turned on, illuminating the old man sitting in the armchair. His wrinkled face was bleak and dull and his turbid eyed stared vacantly into the distance, as if silently praying to the heavens above. Without needing to check, Ye Jia knew that this person was already dead. He looked down and saw a crumpled piece of paper pressed under the old man¡¯s dry hands. Ye Jia frowned. He stepped over the scattered items on the ground and entered the room. He took out that piece of paper from the old man¡¯s cold and stiff hand, spread it out, and carefully read the contents under the light. The old man¡¯s handwriting was messy and crooked, and it became even less coherent the further he read. There were some he couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°¡­.Recently, there had been a lot of strange things happening at home. Jun Cheng said that I was just confused but I knew you had come back. You left so early so long ago and never came to see me even once. It was my fault. I was useless. I couldn¡¯t even save enough money for your medical expenses¡­. When you first left, I waited every day, but you never came to see me¡­ ¡­.Now, I can hear your voice just by closing my eyes and can see your shadow when I open them. I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m not afraid but¡­¡­.It¡¯s at least better than being alone. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re willing to come and take me away. I am at ease¡­..At least you don¡¯t blame me so much that you don¡¯t want to see me anymore¡­¡± The writing after that were stained with water and was no longer legible. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. The shadows from his eyelashes covered the emotions in his eyes. Suddenly, the old man¡¯s pale hands moved! He grabbed Ye Jia¡¯s wrist like an iron clamp and his mouth made hoarse gasping sounds as he stared at him with wide bloodshot eyes that were quite horrifying to look at: ¡°It¡¯s you! It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°If you came earlier¡­¡­If you came back earlier¡­¡± His shrivelled fingers clenched tightly, and the bones made cracking noises, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have died¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± A voice sounded from behind Ye Jia. That familiar voice instantly evoked memories that had been buried deep in his memories. Like silt brought up by the river water, it carried a stale stench. Ye Jia was slightly startled. He turned to look back at the source of that voice. A man covered in blood stood behind him. There was a large, hideous hole in his chest and abdomen and dark blood flowed out from the opening endlessly. Ye Jia recognised this face. This was his teammate in his first instance ¡ª- And also the first person to die in front of him. Although it was a long time ago, Ye Jia still remembered that moment very vividly. A monsters grotesque limb had pierced through that man¡¯s chest like a finger going through a piece of tofu. That man¡¯s bloodless face was facing him, and his expression was mixed with fear, pain, despair and loss. As he struggled to escape, he could only utter one word, ¡°Save¡­¡­.¡± Before he could finish, the man was eaten. The Ye Jia at the time stood frozen in place with his face stained with the blood that had splattered out. His entire body trembled uncontrollably as if that horrible scene from just now was engraved into his eyes. ¡ª- It was at that moment that he realised how cruel this game was. Either you win, or you die. The man looked at Ye Jia hatefully. ¡°We died because of you.¡± The dim yellow light above fell onto the young man¡¯s face making him look like he was coated in gold powder. His face was as bloodless and as calm as ever and his expression was so faint, it was difficult to decipher. ¡°¡­..No.¡± A woman¡¯s voice sounded. The next second, a slender figure slowly emerged and stood beside the young man. It was a very beautiful woman. With long curly hair and a small oval face, her expression was gentle and there was a touch of sadness in her eyes. There was a large thin wound running across her chest, as if she had been slashed by an extremely sharp object. Dark red blood tainted her clothes, ¡°I didn¡¯t die because of you.¡± Her face became distorted and fierce. ¡°I was killed by you!¡± That time when he was ambushed. More than a dozen players had ambushed Ace. It was not only for the points he carried, but also for the weapon that was said to be a prize for completing a hidden mission ¡ª¨CWith all these advantages, he would naturally be strong. However, they didn¡¯t come completely unprepared. They had a spy on Ace¡¯s side. A teammate of his had been bought over. She told them where and when Ace would pass by, what equipment he had on him, and what his weaknesses were¡­.. In the end, she and the other players together perished in an unknown land. Fresh blood stained the ground, soaking through the soil. The air was tainted with the smell of blood that wouldn¡¯t dissipate any time soon. Please read this from kk translates Standing silently among the carnage, the young man held his sickle as blood trickled down his fingers. He raised his eyes to look at the hellish scene before him and then turned around, put on his hood and disappeared into the night. Since that day, no one had heard of Ace looking for anymore teammates. One after another. More figures appeared. Their bloodless faces and hateful eyes were firmly locked onto the young man standing in the middle of the room. Former companions. Former enemies. Those who had died because of him. Those who were killed by him. Ye Jia looked around at these both familiar and unfamiliar faces, as if examining his own past. Finally, he lowered his eyes. His long lashes made him look a few degrees paler and more fragile. Countless souls crowded around him. Their expressions become more and more ferocious and greed that was almost to the point of obsessive overflowed from their eyes. Numerous pairs of hands stretched out towards the young man standing in the middle of the room¡ª- Suddenly, a light sigh sounded. That sigh was like a rest signal in music. In an instant, the whole room was quiet. Ye Jia raised his light-coloured eyes and looked fixedly at a spot on the other end of the room. Like a morning mist, a calm smile appeared on his face. ¡°So, that¡¯s it?¡± He raised his hand. A hint of cold light swept across his fingertips. The hand that gripped onto his wrist like an iron clamp turned into dust and scattered away. Ye Jia flexed his wrist lightly. There was a faint red mark on his pale wrist which was quickly covered by his sleeves. He took a step forward and a sharp and cold energy suddenly burst out from within him, sweeping away all the figures in front of him. The room finally became much cleaner. ¡°Ahhhhhhh¡ª¨C¡± After a scream, a sly smiling face appeared on the wall. Those dark eyes stared fixatedly at Ye Jia and the bitterness in them could hardly be concealed. The next second, it sank back and disappeared. Ye Jia raised a brow, ¡°Want to escape?¡± He stepped out of the room and chased after the yin energy fluctuations. But before he could take more than a few steps, Ye Jia suddenly stopped in place. Before him was a narrow corridor. The lights were dim and flickering, and under the flickering lights stood a small figure. A young boy stood there in silence. His bloodless face and pair of dark and deep eyes looked fixatedly at Ye Jia and his thin figure looked like it would soon be swallowed by the darkness around him. He spoke with a hoarse voice. ¡°Big brother.¡± CH 16 Chapter 16 A touch of sorrow flickered across Ye Jia¡¯s eyes. This was the first time his expression changed tonight. It was like a small crack had appeared on his perfect mask, revealing a hint of his real emotions. The corridor was completely silent. One could only hear the occasional buzzing sound from the lights overhead. The young boy walked towards him from the other end of the corridor as darkness followed behind him. It looked like it was slowly swallowing up the light bit by bit. ¡°Big brother, I miss you so much.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t move. He didn¡¯t step back nor did he step forward. He just stood in place, watching the young boy approach him step by step. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come find me?¡± He approached step by step. He questioned him sentence by sentence. ¡°Big brother, you don¡¯t like me anymore?¡± The distance between the two had shortened. Finally, they were only one step away from each other. The boy raised his small pale face and looked at Ye Jia with his pair of dark eyes. His voice contained hoarseness that was unique to a juvenile undergoing voice change, ¡°Why did you leave me behind?¡± Ye Jia looked down at the young boy in front of him. Under his light-coloured eyes, there seemed to be a lot of emotions surging around. ¡°Big brother, I¡¯m so cold.¡± The young boy looked at him sadly. His thin shoulders trembled slightly, and his dark eyes glistened with tears. ¡ª- Finally, Ye Jia¡¯s fingers that hung by his side moved slightly. He slowly squatted down and then proceeded to spread his arms open and gently embrace the young boy in his arms. The young boy¡¯s pointed chin rested on Ye Jia¡¯s thin shoulder. His eyes gradually darkened further until even the white of his eyes turned dark. In an angle that couldn¡¯t be seen by the other party, the boy¡¯s pale lips slowly became stained with blood and the edges rose to form an eerie smile. At this moment, the young man opened his mouth and spoke beside the boy¡¯s ear. His voice carried countless emotions along with a trace of unspeakable sadness. ¡°You know what¡­..¡± The corners of those scarlet lips rose even further. It became even more creepy and distorted. Continue to repent and feel remorseful. Let that soul of yours become more and more fragrant¡­.. The next second, the other party¡¯s cold and calm voice suddenly sounded, ¡°The first thing he would do after seeing me isn¡¯t to come and hug me.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s voice carried a light sigh and there was also some amusement, ¡°¡ª-Instead, he would kill me.¡± The smile on the young boy¡¯s face stiffened: Wha¡­..?! Before he could react, a cold sensation suddenly passed through his chest like a gust of wind. The young boy slowly lowered his head. A large sickle glistened brightly under the dim light. It swung and cut through the body as easily as cutting tofu. This¡­¡­this¡­. Its eyes widened. It could hardly believe what it was seeing. Soon afterwards, as if the pain finally reached the body, it let out a sharp scream from the raised lips: ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C¡± The young boy¡¯s figure was gone and replacing it was a large pale face. Under that face was a dense network of blood vessels resembling a spider web. These blood vessels were buried deep into the ground and the walls, as if the entire building had become its source of nourishment. That face continued to roar loudly. Scarlet blood vessels danced about in the air as those turbid eyes stared bitterly at the young man standing before it. Ye Jia slowly stood up. Pale fingers with defined joints gripped the black sickle handle. A pair of unbelievably clear eyes lowered. The young man looked down at the monster struggling and roaring at his feet as it slowly disintegrated. He lightly chuckled. ¡°Bon Appetit.¡± [I wish you a good appetite.] That grotesque face continued to twist on the ground. Its colour grew fainter and fainter, and its deafening roars similarly grew smaller and smaller. The putrid smell in the air faded. The dark clouds that originally shrouded the entire residential building began to slowly disperse. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. He licked his lower lip. ¡ª-In fact, the taste was quite okay. Especially compared to the Sucker he had eaten last time. It was a little like radish. Suddenly, as if he had felt something, he raised his hand and rubbed his cheek. The tips of his fingers were stained with blood. At some point in time, the side of Ye Jia¡¯s face had received a small cut. A small trace of blood flowed out. He frowned in annoyance. He was a little distracted just now. On his pale skin, that wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye and, after just a few seconds, there was only a faint mark as well as blood that had not yet dried up. Ye Jia turned and walked out. As soon as he went through the half-open door on the first floor, he paused and turned to look back into the room. The old man¡¯s stiff corpse was still sitting quietly in the armchair, looking at the sky with blank eyes as if waiting for his fate to come. The crumpled piece of paper fell on the ground. Ye Jia hesitated for a moment. He then turned and went back into the room. He picked up the piece of paper from the ground and placed it back on the old man¡¯s lap. Just like how it was at the beginning. When he left, Ye Jia turned off the lights in the room. He looked at the dark room and said, ¡°Goodnight.¡± The night breeze outside the residential building restored its previous warmth. Ye Jia continued down the road. The small black hand finally managed to untie itself at this moment and managed to climb back onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder with some difficulty. It held Ye Jia¡¯s collar and secretly glanced at his calm profile. Finally, the small black hand summoned up its courage and cautiously asked, ¡°That¡­..just now in that building, the young boy at the end, who was that? Ye Jia¡¯s eyes looked at the night sky in the distance, ¡°¡­..No one important.¡± He retracted his gaze, glanced at the small black hand on his shoulder and frowned, ¡°When did I allow you to come out?¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­Ying.¡± (KKnotes: Crying sound) Under the other party¡¯s deadly gaze, it retied itself back into a bow and then crawled back into Ye Jia¡¯s pocket. The small black hand stared into the darkness inside the pocket in daze. Speaking of which¡­..It had once seen King secretly from the distance. It didn¡¯t know if it was just its imagination but that child just now¡­..seemed to look somewhat similar to King? It recalled Ye Jia¡¯s gaze just now, shuddered and then proceeded to quietly burrow more deeply inside the pocket. Forget it. It should wait until the boss forgets about the matter of it using his money to buy golden beans for its game first. It was better not to do anything out of the line for now. . The next day. Ye Jia received a text from Zhao Guangcheng. Based on the inconsistencies in Wang Shize and his wife¡¯s confessions as well as the clues found in their apartment, it has been determined that the two are suspected of murdering Zhao Xiake and the police have reopened the case for investigation. This time, with the Department of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau helping, they wouldn¡¯t have the issue of having insufficient evidence like last time. Ye Jia put down his phone. Ignoring the small black hand¡¯s gaze from the side, he locked the screen and tucked it back into his pocket. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± He expressionlessly waved his finger. Small black hand: ¡°Wahhhh I won¡¯t do it again. Wahhhh let me play with the phone, I was wrong!!!¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia ignored its begging, ¡°Not touching the phone for a week is not touching the phone for a week. It cannot be even a day less.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cold hearted human!!! It shrivelled up and fell back onto the back of the chair, swaying in the wind like a limp string of noodle. Before it could recover from its dispirited mood, there was a knock on the door, ¡°Brother Ye! It¡¯s me!¡± It was Cheng Cezhi¡¯s voice. The small black hand suddenly turned energetic. It rushed over and pushed the door open. Although he had seen it more than once, Cheng Cezhi was clearly still uncomfortable seeing something non-human open the door for him. His gaze drifted around, and he was a little hesitant to enter. The small black hand didn¡¯t act distant. It enthusiastically asked him, ¡°Do you have Fight the Landlord on your phone? Can I borrow it to play?¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­..?¡± F-Fight the Landlord? Ghosts have this kind of interest?? While Cheng Cezhi doubted life, Ye Jia¡¯s voice travelled from afar: ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t give it!¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ??? What? Ye Jia walked out of the room and lightly gave the small black hand a look. No words were needed. The small black hand very obviously wilted and hung itself back on the back of the chair again. Cheng Cezhi stared blankly at the strange scene before him. It took him a long time to be able to speak again: ¡°This¡­¡­This is¡­..?¡± Ye Jia smiled but his voice was cold and scary, ¡°Nothing, just punishing it for wasting money.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡­¡­This answer didn¡¯t help explain the doubts he had about his current worldviews. ¡°So,¡± Ye Jia pulled the topic back onto the right tracks, ¡°why did you come again?¡± Cheng Cezhi, ¡°¡­..Brother Ye, that word ¡®again¡¯ is really hurtful.¡± The smile on Ye Jia¡¯s face didn¡¯t change. He clearly had no intentions to comfort Cheng Cezhi¡¯s wounded heart. Cheng Cezhi could only scratch his head and continue, ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯m here to tell you that Zhao Dong was injured and is now on leave so the chief asked me to tell you to end your vacation early.¡± He passed on the message and revealed an enthusiastic smile, ¡°It was along the way so I thought I could drop by!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Sure enough, every time this newcomer came, it was definitely not a good thing. Ye Jia forced a smile, ¡°Do you now understand why I don¡¯t want to see you?¡± Please read this from kk translates His vacationnnnn!!!! Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­..I understand.¡± He had accidentally forgotten that this was a slacking employee who would take a vacation whenever he had the chance to instead of working. Sorry, I overstepped. . In the old residential building. The old man¡¯s corpse was already cold and stiff when suddenly, there was movement on the back of his wrinkled hand. A small face the size of a fingernail slowly emerged. The face was horrifyingly pale, and the smile was distorted and grotesque. Fortunately, it had kept a part of itself inside this corpse when it first activated its illusion or it would have really been completely wiped out just now. The eyes that were completely black were filled with bitterness and resentment. Unexpectedly¡­.The delicious food that was about to enter its mouth had actually almost made it lose its life. How hateful. But¡­¡­ A sinister and excited smile appeared on that face that was as big as a fingernail. It has now gained something even more valuable. That¡¯s right. It was very certain this time. The Ace that all the ghosts had been searching high and low for had actually appeared before it today. Hehehe¡­¡­.. Thinking of the shockingly high reward on the hatred leaderboard, the smile on that small face became even more pleased ¡ª- As long as it provided King with information, it would soon be able to return to its strongest state and it may even climb up to the throne of becoming an A-level fierce ghost. When King is able to capture Ace, it might even be able to have a share of the pie and be given a chance to pay him back for today. Indulging in its sweet fantasies, the corners of its lips rose even higher. It let out a small strand of yin energy and used it to spread out the news. CH 17 Chapter 17 In a dark and messy small rom. A grotesque and swollen face was attached to an old man¡¯s corpse which was gradually starting to emit a rotten stench. It sucked out the remaining nutrients from the corpse. The face that was originally only the size of a fingernail had now grown into the size of an adult¡¯s hand. It seemed to be waiting for something. Suddenly, the temperature in the air began to drop without warning. As if the wind had blown the clouds over to obscure the sun, the room suddenly dimmed. Deep darkness slowly spread across the corridor, swallowing up all sources of light along the way. It was like a large shadow, gradually engulfing the entire residential building. That face stopped sucking out the nutrients and its black eyes moved slightly to stare in the direction of the corridor. It shuddered. It could tell that some kind of extraordinarily powerful existence had come. That enormous amount of power almost distorted the space around it and the dreadful oppressive feeling it brought along made all the low-levelled fierce ghosts in the vicinity feel fear and trepidation inside. A look of shock quickly flashed across its face. It didn¡¯t expect that¡­¡­..King would come personally. ¡°Clack.¡± ¡°Clack.¡± ¡°Clack.¡± The rhythmic sound of footsteps sounded like it was both far and near. It echoed through the empty corridor and each sound made that face shrink back even further. Its expression switched between greed and fear several times. Its eyes continued to look in the direction of the sound. The closer the footsteps got, the darker the surroundings became. When the footsteps stopped at the door, almost the entire room was shrouded in suffocating darkness. The door was pushed open. The expression on that face became slightly distorted with the conflicting emotions. Its dark eyes protruded out and the mouth that carried a strange smile exclaimed excitedly, ¡°King! King! You¡¯re here! That¡¯s right¡­.That¡¯s right, I saw Ace. I am willing to provide you with information¡­..¡± Clack. The man unhurriedly stepped into the room. The soles of his shoes hit the floor at a regular pace. When it finally saw that man¡¯s face clearly, its expression suddenly froze. The frozen expression looked a little funny and strange. This¡­¡­.this¡­. The man before it was tall. With his eyes lowered slightly, he looked down at it from above. Please read this from kk translates His features were deep and defined. Under those high brow bones were a pair of dark crimson eyes which appeared even more vivid at night. Even despite being expressionless, it still carried three parts cold ruthlessness. But¡­..This wasn¡¯t the reason for its reaction. What made it panic was that the facial features of the man before it was five or six parts similar to the young boy it had previously pretended to be. W-what was going on¡­¡­? The mans gaze fell onto the face that was attached to the corpse, and the feeling of oppression in the air grew stronger. The air that felt like it could be cut through by a cold blade made it freeze in place. It felt as if it was being dissected little by little, bit by bit, and all the dark thoughts hidden in its heart was exposed. When it returned to its senses, it realised that it had spilled out everything it knew without any reservation. The face asked cautiously. ¡°K-King¡­¡­.May I ask, my reward¡­¡­.¡± Ji Xuan raised his hand. His pale fingertips swiped across the air. The next second, the face felt a powerful force suddenly pouring into its body. It was overjoyed and it quickly began to greedily devour and digest this power, its own power growing rapidly at the same time. It could even faintly sense that it was about to break through to the next level. The face became even more grotesque as a result of its excitement: ¡°Thank you¡­.¡± Ji Xuan, ¡°This is the reward you deserve.¡± However, before it could say anything else, the floor below suddenly swelled up and a large monster made of bones slowly emerged from below the ground. In the goat-like skull, the lower jaw was open, as if it was holding something in its mouth. Ji Xuan stretched out his hand. The monster gently placed the item in his palm. Now the face could see what it was. It was a drop of blood floating in the air. It seemed to have half-solidified, but it was still bright red. On the man¡¯s pale palms, the contrast made it stand out even more. A bad feeling began to rise in its heart. Ji Xuan raised his eyes. His gaze that carried no emotional fluctuations fell onto the fierce ghost. He spoke calmly. ¡°But, he was hurt.¡± ¡­¡­.W-what? ¡°My conditions for the reward have always been very clear.¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t move and even his expression didn¡¯t change much but the face could clearly sense that the overbearing pressure in the room had increased several folds. It was overwhelmed and could only press itself against the ground in fear. ¡°¡ª¡ªDo not hurt him.¡± The face tried to argue but it was horrified to find that its mouth couldn¡¯t be opened at all and it couldn¡¯t even let out a single sound. Ji Xuan retracted his gaze. He rubbed the skull of the beast waiting quietly beside him and said, ¡°Go.¡± The beast turned its head. The two dark holes in the skull looked at the frozen evil spirit before it and slowly swam closer. Nononononono¡ª¨C The face howled miserably inside but in reality it couldn¡¯t make a single sound. Its eyes reflected the beast slowly approaching its way. Those pitch-black eyes almost fell out of its eye sockets and the corners of its trembling lips almost reached its ears. The expression on the face became even more unsightly as a result of extreme fear and despair. The next second, the monster opened its large mouth, revealing sharp jagged teeth. No¡ª¡ª¨C The terrible and bloody scene in front of him seemed to be unable to attract Ji Xuan¡¯s attention. He had his eyes lowered as he stared fixatedly at the floating drop of blood. It carried warmth and fragrance unique to humans. He gathered his fingers and carefully closed it around that drop of blood in his palm. Ji Xuan curled the corners of his lips. His scarlet eyes flashed with extreme possessiveness. ¡ª¨C Mine. . The first day of work after a vacation was always the worst. Ye Jia sat in his cubicle, staring blankly at the unprocessed reports stacked into a large pile on his desk. He felt like his soul was about to come out of his body. Why¡­¡­ Why was there such an inhuman thing like working in this world¡­¡­ When can we retire¡­¡­. He raised his head and looked at the clock hanging on the wall. His gaze followed the movement of the second hand bit by bit, counting the time until the end of work with great anguish. Almost there. Three more hours until he would be off work. Suddenly, an angry shout sounded behind him. ¡°Ye Jia!¡± Ye Jia was startled. He immediately sat up and quickly adjusted his expression so that he looked like he was looking at the documents spread out across his desk seriously. Liu Zhaocheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Do I look like I¡¯m blind? He stared down at Ye Jia who continued to diligently slack off and could feel his eyelids twitching. Liu Zhaocheng squeezed the bridge of his nose in exasperation and decided to free himself from the fate of having a heart attack at a young age, ¡°You, and also Cheng Cezhi. Pack up and get ready to go to the hospital.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± Hearing his name called, Cheng Cezhi raised his head from a large pile of documents and looked blankly in their direction. Liu Zhaocheng only expressionlessly snorted and pointed at the basket of fruits and gifts piled up on the table beside him, ¡°This was bought by all of us in the department. You two are responsible for bringing it to Zhao Dong.¡± Is this what it feels like to leave work early?! Ye Jia became spirited, ¡°Thank you chief!¡± ¡°Thank my ass.¡± Liu Zhaocheng rolled his eyes, ¡°Rather then letting you be in the way here, it¡¯s better to send you out on an errand. At least I wouldn¡¯t be angered to death at the sight of you.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± He didn¡¯t have to be so truthful. At the hospital. The arms of the two men were filled with gifts from the logistics department as they squeezed with difficulty into the elevator one after another. ¡°Which floor?¡± Ye Jia who was closer to the panel asked. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s voice sounded from behind the basket of fruit, ¡°The highest floor.¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia paused slightly. This was a hospital that had been cooperating with the bureau for a long time. If anyone was to receive any injuries during work or be affected by yin energy, they are often arranged to the stay in the intensive care units on the floors below. Although the location was separate from the general wards, the overall difference wasn¡¯t big. The eighth floor and above were designated for patients with extremely serious conditions after contact with a paranormal event. It was like treating a patient with a dangerous infectious disease who needed to be carefully isolated from the others. He pressed the button for the tenth floor. Five minutes later. After a series of cumbersome checks and identify verifications, Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi were finally let in. The floor was very deserted. Most of the wards were almost empty and there were no nurses walking in the corridors. The air was filled with the strong smell of disinfectant. It was unknown if it was because the air conditioning was too strong, the temperature on this floor was clearly much lower than the other floors. Standing by the door at the end of the corridor were two people. They both wore civilian clothes but the bag at their waist couldn¡¯t be overlooked. They were personnel from the Combat Division. Despite being so short-staffed, the Combat Division actually sent two of their personnel to guard a patient? Ye Jia lowered his eyes to cover the faint change that flickered across his eyes. One of them straightened up and helped them open the door. The ward was very bright. Through a layer of glass, you could see Zhao Dong sitting alone on the hospital bed by the window. The snow-white sheets were pulled up to the waist. Apart from looking a little thinner, he seemed to be in good spirits as he flipped through a thin book. He looked over with surprise, ¡°Ye Jia? Xiao Cheng? Why are you here?¡± They placed down the gifts they were carrying. ¡°Of course, we came to see you!¡± Cheng Cezhi looked through the isolation glass before him with a worried expression, ¡°Are you feeling okay?? Ye Jia still had his usual lazy expression. He raised his finger and pointed at the small mountain of gifts and fruits. ¡°Here, from the department.¡± ¡°Jeez, I made you spend money.¡± Zhao Dong rubbed the back of his head and said while feeing troubled, ¡°I already told the Chief that he didn¡¯t need to do that¡­.You should take it back later¡­..¡± ¡°No can do.¡± Cheng Cezhi shook his head stubbornly, ¡°This is what everyone wanted to do for you. It¡¯s a pity that I found out about it too late. I would¡¯ve definitely contributed too.¡± Zhao Dong sighed. He then changed the subject, ¡°How¡¯s the Bureau?¡± ¡°Still very busy.¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s expression scrunched up, ¡°Especially¡­..¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly interjected. He cut off their exchange of pleasantries, ¡°So, what happened to you?¡± There was a short moment of silence in the ward. Zhao Dong looked at Ye Jia and shook his head with a smile, ¡°It really is your style.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to have any intention to hide it. He just sighed and raised his hand to remove the blanket covering his lower body. The eyes of Cheng Cezhi who stood closest widened instantly. ¡°This¡­¡­this¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia slowly stepped forward. Below the man¡¯s waist were two legs that were swollen like radishes. The skin was completely dark and the toes on the two feet were so swollen they were squished together and purplish red in colour. Under the skin were uneven protrusions that seemed to be squirming around. It looked like there was something inside trying to burrow out of his skin. The sight was quite horrific. ¡°When I first arrived, only my ankles were like this.¡± Zhao Dong smiled bitterly. ¡°It is estimated that¡­..in a few days, they will hatch out of my body.¡± CH 18 Chapter 18 Four days ago. The bureau began investigating a new case. Although it was similarly a disappearance case, it was not the same as the case with the skinned girl. The victims this time shared no similarities. Apart from the elderly, there were also men, women as well as children. They all disappeared overnight without a trace, leaving an orderly room and no signs of damage to the doors or windows. It was like they had disappeared into thin air. The authorities initially were not able to connect the cases but one day, a neglected clue entered their sights. Some strange traces would always be found in the homes of the missing victims. Dark and corroded wood, climbing marks in dark corners of the room, as well as traces of insect eggs scattered on the ground. After investigating extensively for several days with no avail, the police contacted their last hope, the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau. And Zhao Dong was the unfortunate one sent over to help. ¡°¡­.I brought the equipment to the crime scene. Everything was clean and tidy, nothing looked unusual.¡± Zhao Dong spoke slowly, ¡°But the moment it approached those things, the alarm on it started to go off frantically. I had never seen such high readings before. I initially thought there was a problem with the equipment but after I changed it, it was still the same.¡± ¡°I quickly made a report. The people above were very concerned about this matter so they said that they would soon send someone over to deal with it¡­..¡± Cheng Cezhi asked with a blank face: ¡°That¡­.What went wrong?¡± Zhao Dong smiled bitterly, ¡°Nothing went wrong.¡± ¡ª- That was the most puzzling part. On the night of the mission, Zhao Dong went home to rest as usual. In the middle of the night, he was awakened from his sleep by an itchy sensation at his ankle. While scratching it in a still sleepy state, he felt something swollen and soft. It was as if there was something squirming around under the skin. Zhao Dong abruptly woke up and hurriedly turned on the light. To his horror, he discovered that his ankle was no longer how it used to be. Cheng Cezhi listened to Zhao Dong¡¯s retelling of what happened with a horrified expression on his face. He was so scared, his face turned pale, ¡°T-t-then what do we do?! You can¡¯t let them a-actually crawl out of your body!¡± Please read this from kk translates ¡°We have already contacted the people above. They sent an A-Level combat team over and should be here in the next two days.¡± Zhao Dong sighed, ¡°Haa, I hope they have a solution for this¡­.¡± Ye Jia who stood on the side didn¡¯t interrupt the entire time. It was as if he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to the conversation between the two at all. His eyes were lowered slightly as his gaze fell onto Zhao Dong¡¯s pair of horrific looking legs. His expression was unprecedentedly solemn. ¡ª- That¡¯s right. He knew what this was. Even in the game, this was one of the most difficult and terrible monster to deal with. Ghost-faced Spider. It was a terrible and evil creature that liked to travel around in groups of up to a thousand of them. They would kidnap humans and bring them back to their nest as food for the queen or to use as vessels for the eggs. During the reproductive stage, the queen would only lay their eggs in a healthy human body after careful selection while ordinary spider soldiers aren¡¯t so picky and would leave their eggs wherever they go. These eggs would be in an incubation stage for up to a week before randomly finding a nearby human host. It would then grow inside the human body and slowly eat the host from the inside. In the game, just the queen alone was at least B+ or more, or even an A+ level monster. The entire nest together would be close to an S-Level difficulty. They reproduce extremely quickly and can consume an entire city within a few weeks. What was even more terrifying was that if a person was parasitised by their eggs, the eggs cannot be forcibly taken out using ordinary means as the larvae may be stimulated, speeding up the host¡¯s death as a result. Apart from using the secretions from the queen¡¯s stomach to lure the larvae out, there was pretty much no other alternative. This was definitely a big problem. And he couldn¡¯t pin his hopes on the dispatched combat team. They didn¡¯t understand the habits of these creatures at all. On the contrary, the situation may become even more out of control due to their interference. Ye Jia glanced at Zhao Dong who laid in the isolation ward. He sighed internally. Forget it. He was after all a comrade who often helped him leave work early and would also help out with his share of work without any complaints. He should make a small trip. ¡ª- This was probably the comradery between corporate slaves. . The first step to obtaining the queen¡¯s fluids would be to find their nest. Ye Jia activated his ghost domain and visited the police station first to destroy the unhatched eggs that were still in their hands and then roughly checked the location where the disappearances had happened. He had a general understanding inside. In the entire colony, except for the queen, the rest of the spider soldiers were just working soldiers with low intelligence. They never considered the law of ¡®not eating the grass outside the nest¡¯ and instead chose to do the opposite. Ye Jia¡¯s line of sight fell onto an abandoned construction site on the map. He made a rough estimate. It¡¯s probably here. The next steps were for the small black hand to complete¡ª¡ª Ye Jia stood on the edge of the abandoned construction site. He ruthlessly pulled out the small black hand that was clinging to his sounder with an iron grip, ¡°Here. Go search.¡± The small black hand struggled madly, ¡°Ahhhhhhh I don¡¯t want to. Ghost-faced spiders are too scarryyyy¡ª¡ª¡± Ye Jia, ¡°I¡¯ll let you play on the phone tonight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The small black hand suddenly became spirited, ¡°Yes boss! Thank you boss! I¡¯ll get going boss!¡± Soon, with the help of the small black hand who was extremely sensitive to yin energy, Ye Jia was able to find the entrance to their nest without too much effort. It was an abandoned building. It seemed to be an unfinished project left behind following rapid expansion of the city. Because it was located on the edge of the city, it had been overlooked for at least five or six years. The ground was overgrown with weeds, messy graffiti were littered across the dirty walls and the doors and windows missing covers were like hollow eyes staring at the gloomy sky in the distance. The entire building was enveloped in dark energy. Even ordinary people without the ability to see would inexplicably feel fearful and shudder. The ground had already collapsed many years ago, revealing a large black hole in the centre. Ye Jia stood at the entrance to the hole and looked down. A foul, decaying odour emanated from it. One could also faintly hear some rustlings sounds. This was it. ¡°How do you plan to enter?¡± The small black hand poked its head out from Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and asked him this curiously. Ye Jia didn¡¯t answer this question. He instead looked thoughtfully at the dark hole before him. This was the most critical step two ¡ª- Enter the nest. At the same time, it was also the most difficult step. These ghost-faced spiders had poor eyesight but it¡¯s sense of smell far exceeded others, especially towards the scent of fresh humans. What¡¯s more, there must be a lot of webs set up around the nest ¡ª- Those were their extended sensory organs. If anyone or anything wanted to sneak in and kill the queen who is protected by thousands of spider soldiers, it was practically as difficult as ascending to the heavens. But, it wasn¡¯t impossible. Ye Jia slowly put on his hood and lowered it down. The next second, a wisp of cold ghost energy slowly spread from his body. It quickly enveloped him. In just a few short seconds, the air around his entire body became the same as that of a fierce ghost¡¯s. The small black hand stared at the young man before it in shock. Not only did the air changed, but externally, the young man¡¯s appearance also became like that of a real ghost. The dark hood firmly covered the majority of his face, leaving only his pale and sharp chin exposed and dark smoky air surrounded him, making his figure hazy and indistinct. It was as if there was a layer around him that couldn¡¯t be seen through. ¡°This¡­¡­.this¡­¡­¡± The small black hand was stunned speechless, ¡°You¡¯re too strong!¡± It circled around Ye Jia incredulously, ¡°Are you really human?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Even through that layer of dark smoky air, the small black hand could sense his threatening look. It trembled and quickly hurried back to Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and spoke as if nothing had happened, ¡°Cough, uh anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± The ghost-faced spider¡¯s cave was dark and deep. Ye Jia carefully walked through the entrance of the cave, The ground under him was slippery and rugged, and dusty spider webs covered the narrow passage like a net, making it difficult for him to navigate through. When he reached the end of the passage, the space in front of him suddenly broadened. Ye Jia raised his eyes and examined the scene in front of him in awe. After so many years of playing in the game, Ye Jia¡¯s night vision had improved considerably. Borrowing the faint light entering the cave from the entrance behind him, Ye Jia was able to get a clear view of the scene before him. Ghost-faced spiders had already dug through the entire ground below. The cave before him was astonishingly large with countless strange passages shuttling through it. It was so dark, no one knew where they led. From the bottom to the top, it was covered in layers and layers of web and foul rotting stench filled the air. This was one of the biggest ghost-faced spider nest Ye Jia had ever seen. It was hard imagining how these monsters had managed to sneak into reality and create such a large kingdom for itself underground, constantly preying, multiplying, invading¡­. It was like a malignant tumour growing under the city¡¯s skin. Such a huge lair, the spider soldiers as well as the queen must be at least A-level or greater. But strangely enough, he hadn¡¯t encountered a spider soldier yet. But that was a good thing for him. Please read this from kk translates A faint blue ghost fire rose from Ye Jia¡¯s fingertip. He bent down and brought the fire close to the web on the ground. A trace of bright red appeared on the web. It was a trace of human life. ¡ª- All living humans were brought here as the queen¡¯s food reserve or to be used as vessels for the eggs. Where there are humans, you will also find the queen. Ye Jia followed the faint trace of human life. After concealing the human scent on his body, his entire existence almost blended in with the cave. As long as the spider soldiers didn¡¯t deliberately look around, it was almost impossible for them to distinguish his footsteps from the slight breeze shaking the webs. His figure was like a flitting shadow. He followed the windy passages in the cave, quietly sneaking deeper and deeper in. The further inside, the denser the webs became. Layers and layers of sticky web covered the entire passage, almost sealing it tight. The rancid smell in the air also grew stronger to the point where it made breathing difficult. Suddenly, Ye Jia¡¯s hand touched something. Soft and slimy, covered in spider web. He turned and looked over. The dim ghost fire barely dissipated some of the darkness. Under the faint light, Ye Jia was met with an upside-down pale face whose eyes were turbid and half closed, and mouth was open and twisted. The face looked like a melting wax figure. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. He cautiously distanced himself from the face in front of him and then increased the intensity of the ghost fire at his fingertip. There was a huge nest in front of him. The webs on the ground were covered with rotting corpses. Some had been chewed up and mutilated while others only had a handful of bones left. Countless humans were wrapped in spider web like pupae. They hung upside down in the cave with faces equally pale, vacant and stiff. In their stomachs, one could faintly see a moving bulge. It was as if there was something growing inside those bodies. This was the ghost-faced spider¡¯s nursery. The queen should be nearby. Just as Ye Jia was about to extinguish the ghost fire at the tip of his finger, a large black shadow suddenly appeared not too far way from him. Six black and hairy legs stretched out from a huge tan body. On its ugly face, six eyes stared viciously at him with its mouth baring sharp fangs. Oh no, spider soldier. A faint cold light appeared at Ye Jia¡¯s fingertip. But unexpectedly, the spider soldier didn¡¯t make any attempts to attack him. Its fangs opened and closed, making a clicking sound. A guttural hiss sounded from its throat, ¡°Attending the meeting?¡± Meeting? The light on Ye Jia¡¯s fingertip flickered. He quietly made a sound of affirmation. ¡°You¡¯re going the wrong way.¡± The spider soldier hissed, ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°The queen is already impatient.¡± After saying this, it turned and shuffled down the passage it came from. Being taken directly to the queen. This was pretty much like hitting the jackpot. Ye Jia hooked up his lips. He stored away the ghost fire and followed along. ****(KKnotes: From the authors note, the ghost-faced spider is just a made up species where a couple of different insect natures/traits are mixed together. Please ignore all the inaccuracies and just take it with a grain of salt.) CH 19 After walking through the winding passages for a long time, Ye Jia was finally led to his destination. This should be the centre of the nest. This place was of a hexagonal, honeycomb like structure. It was surrounded by holes in all directions and each hole was guarded by spider soldiers. This was clearly the central hub of all the passages. Unexpectedly, in this open space in the middle of the nest, many fierce ghosts had gathered. They seemed to be waiting for something. Ye Jia looked around. The fierce ghosts here were B-level, A-level¡­..The lowest was a C+. Various races were here. He even saw several familiar faces he had encountered before. Ye Jia wasn¡¯t sure whether their abilities had improved in recent years. The only thing he was certain about was that these fierce ghosts hated his existence. And even if they didn¡¯t have grudges, it was estimated that they would still go after him for the hatred leaderboard reward. After a few seconds of silence, Ye Jia added a few more layers of ghost energy to his face for more protection. The fierce ghosts were talking to each other in low voices. Low hissing whispers echoed in the cave. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t hear what they were talking about but he had a hunch inside ¡ª It may have something to do with why he hadn¡¯t encountered any spider soldiers at the entrance of this cave. He cautiously approached two hungry ghosts nearby who were talking to each other. But before Ye Jia could hear anything important, the ground suddenly shook. ¡°Boom¡± ¡°Boom¡± ¡°Boom¡± Those heavy sounds slowly got closer. It made the entire cave tremble. The fierce ghosts stopped talking and looked in the direction of the sound. A giant spider climbed up from below the ground. Her body was as large as four or five spider soldiers combined and her long legs were covered with sharp hairs that were enough to cover a 100 square metre field. Her abdomen was deformed and grotesque, and it was densely covered with markings which looked like a blood red ghost face from a distance. Compared to her shockingly large body, her head appeared small and unnatural. It was an ordinary human face with fair skin, beautiful features and a pair of dark, emotional eyes. Behind her huge belly, she dragged a long pupae-like egg sac. The egg sac was swollen to the point that it looked almost translucent. One could even see small larvae wriggling around inside. ¡ª¨C Spider queen. Ye Jia examined this creature in front of him. A dignified look flashed across his eyes. A queen of this level¡­.. S-level. This could be troublesome. If the opponent was alone, there was probably still a chance of winning but right now he was not only in the ghost-face spider¡¯s nest¡ª¨Cthere were also many familiar fierce ghosts too¡­. He basically had no chance of winning. Just as Ye Jia tried to think of a solution, the queen before him suddenly spoke up. Her voice was soft and sweet, it didn¡¯t match her huge and grotesque body. ¡°I believe everyone is willing to gather here today for the same purpose.¡± Please read this from kk translates Those dark eyes slowly passed through the numerous ghosts on front of her. Her voice suddenly became cold and malicious, ¡°We don¡¯t recognise this King.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°¡­..He isn¡¯t qualified.¡± A burst of approval sounded through the cave. Oh my. Ye Jia pulled himself out of his thoughts and suddenly became interested in the content of their meeting. Are these fierce ghosts thinking of going against each other? ¡ª- This wasn¡¯t something he would see every day. He continued to listen on with interest. ¡°¡­.The game recognises his existence, but we are different.¡± The spider queen¡¯s eyes flashed with bitter hatred, ¡°He has only been alive for a fraction of our time! I have lived for hundreds of years and have never heard of his name. He is a small fry with no influence and no territory, and he even killed all his followers! Thinking that he can sudden lead us just because he suddenly gained the games approval? In his dreams!¡± Wow, was this a counterattack in the making? Amazing. Ye Jia was extremely invested. ¡°¡­.And even being obsessed with searching for that human.¡± A cold voice suddenly interjected from the ground below. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He had a bad feeling. ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± Voices of approval became stronger this time. ¡°Wasting so many resources for that single human,¡± that cold voice as filled with mockery, ¡°really passionate he is.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Fuck. ¡°But I really want to find him.¡± Another vicious voice intervened, ¡°He eradicated my entire clan. I want to pay him back properly¡­..¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. I used to¡­.¡± ¡°He also did to me¡­..¡± With that familiar name, the fierce ghosts on the ground below started to argue. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± So, what exactly is this? A conference for Ace¡¯s victims? The small black hand made its untimely appearance. It leaned closer to his ear and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re so famous.¡± Ye Jia was expressionless, ¡°¡­..You, shut up.¡± The spider queen seemed to have noticed that they had gone off topic. She spoke again in attempt to push it back onto the right tracks, ¡°¡ª¨CWe don¡¯t need a King, let alone an unqualified King.¡± She slowly took a few steps forward. Her heavy steps made the ground shake, ¡°I have already reached an agreement with the other S-level fierce ghosts. When my children are born, everything will be ready.¡± All the fierce ghosts fell silent. They quietly waited for her follow up. ¡°Have we now reached a consensus?¡± The spider mother continued, ¡°Let this King who appeared from who knows were go back to whatever ditch he came from!¡± A burst of earth-shaking cheers sounded from the fierce ghosts below. They clearly liked this proposal. While the group of fierce ghosts were restless, Ye Jia slowly moved to the back of the spider queen ¡ª He was trying to find a good location for him to act. Clearly, he couldn¡¯t kill the spider queen here. That was too unrealistic. But secretly stealing some fluid was still possible. Suddenly, from far away, a male voice travelled over from the darkness above. It was light and fluttering and it also seemed distant and calm. ¡°Really? As if they had their throats clutched, all voices suddenly stopped. The cave was deadly silent. Gurgle, gurgle. Water could faintly be heard in the cave. Ye Jia was startled. He looked down at the source of the sound and saw thick blood slowly seeping out from the cracks in the ground. The height of it rose inch by inch and soon it had covered his entire feet. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia¡¯s heart tightened. He jumped onto a rock behind him. ¡°Blood gu fish!¡± A fierce ghost cried out. Almost at the same time, the ground slowly swelled up and a monster made of bones emerged from the sea of blood. The goat skull was ghastly white, and the dark sockets stared silently at the fierce ghosts before it. More blood poured out. Dead spider soldiers were washed into the cave along with the river of blood. The blood gu fish had now completely emerged. It swum in the air. A pale and slender hand stretched out from the darkness. It gently stroked its skull, ¡°Good child.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you¡­..¡± The spider queen¡¯s eyes were fixed in that direction. Her pretty face was twisted into a horrible expression and the fangs in her mouth stretched out, gleaming maliciously under the light. ¡°Ji Xuan¡­..¡± Ye Jia who had jumped onto a rock froze. Wait a minute¡ª- Ji Xuan? Ji Xuan?? Ji Xuan?????? He must have heard it wrong. He had most definitely heard it wrong¡­. It was as if Ye Jia was struck by lightning. He looked up with a shocked look. The man¡¯s figure had now emerged completely from the darkness. His tall figure stood over a void as the blood gu fish swum loyally around him. His pair of scarlet eyes were like a turbulent sea of blood and it gleamed with cold and cruel light while his pale lips held a faint smirk. ¡°You are not qualified to speak my name.¡± Although the shape of his body had changed considerably, that face was still five parts similar to his appearance as a child. And that terrifying crazy temperament¡­.. It was definitely him. That¡¯s right. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Fuck!! Fuck!!!!!! Apart from this single word, he couldn¡¯t find another word to express his inner shock. For the first time in history, Ye Jia¡¯s mind was blank. He had never thought that there would be a day where he would meet this person again¡­.. ¡ª- Especially after killing him with his own hands. What bloody feud? What enemies meeting on a narrow road? (KKnotes: Inevitable clash between enemies, unable to avoid one¡¯s enemy) Perhaps it was because he had been standing there in shock for too long or perhaps it was because his gaze was too intense, Ji Xuan who stood next to the blood gu fish seemed to have noticed something and looked in his direction. Passing through the dark space covered with sticky webs and passing through the struggling fierce ghosts¡ª¨C Without warning, the gazes of the two collided. CH 20 Ye Jia: ¡°!!!!!¡± He shuddered and reflexively shrank back, hiding himself behind the rock. Leaning with his back against the cold rock, Ye Jia¡¯s breathing was quick. He could only hear his blood pounding in his ears. That scene just now seemed to have been imprinted onto his retina. That man¡¯s cold and scarlet eyes that carried treacherousness and indifference. He looked down from above, slowly sweeping his gaze in his direction. The other party¡¯s facial features were very familiar. It slowly overlapped with the one in Ye Jia¡¯s memory. The moment their gazes met, he felt as if he had been stared at by some kind of cold-blooded animal. Although he had broken off this eye contact, he still shuddered at the memory of it. ¡­.Oh no, oh no, oh no. Ye Jia now knew very well why he was on the hatred leaderboard. If he wasn¡¯t, who else would it be?! And to offer a reward for information about him? It was 100% because he didn¡¯t want to borrow the hands of other fierce ghosts and wanted to personally torture him after capturing him! On the other side of the rock, the entire cave shook. Cries and howls of countless fierce ghosts echoed. Ye Jia could sense that a new ghost energy had joined the skirmish. Please read this from kk translates ¡ª-It was probably Ji Xuan¡¯s underling. He calmed himself down before leaning against the rock and carefully looking out. The cave was in chaos. The sea of blood made by the blood gu fish exuded a strong metallic smell. Ji Xuan¡¯s underlings had already entered the arena and were fighting against the fierce ghosts who were plotting a rebellion. In the air above, Ji Xuan had already retracted his gaze. He was at this moment watching his pet fight against the spider queen with great interest. He didn¡¯t seem to have noticed Ye Jia¡¯s presence. Ye Jia lightly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. He was after all too far away just now and his current scent was also completely different from before. With his face also covered with several layers of ghost energy, logically speaking, one shouldn¡¯t have noticed anything with that short glance. He shifted his gaze down and looked towards the bottom of the cave. In just a few short minutes, more spider soldiers had arrived from all directions to join the battle. The yin energy in the air was so thick, it felt like it could be cut by a knife. The horrible smell of beasts and fierce ghosts mixed together. It was so strong, it was enough to turn an area hundreds of metres in size into barren land. Blood, mucous, severed limbs, fangs and crushed flesh. Everything mixed into one, making it almost indistinguishable from one another. In the middle of this mess was the huge spider queen. Her body was just too heavy. Every step of hers caused the place to shake violently. She looked extremely angry and her originally beautiful face had distorted hideously. The skin on the lower half of her face was wrinkled and stretched up to the base of her ears and she fiercely bared her sharp fangs at the blood gu fish swimming around. The blood gu fish swum around flexibly. Like an invisible weapon, every time it circled around, it would leave a deep hole in the spider queen. After just a few laps, the spider mother¡¯s large bloated abdomen was covered in wounds. Yellow-green viscous liquid gushed out. The moment it fell, it let out a sizzling sound as it corroded the ground. Foul smell permeated through the air. The spider queen seemed to be furious. Beasts when they are angered are at their weakest. This was the best time to act. Unfortunately, due to Ji Xuan¡¯s presence, Ye Jia had to abandon his previous plan to kill the spider queen. After all, although the spider queen had been weakened and is no longer at an advantage, it was very unwise for him to expose himself in front of Ji Xuan ¡ª Especially when he hadn¡¯t figured out the other party¡¯s strength yet. The blood gu fish agilely avoided the spider queen¡¯s attack and swam behind her. ¡°Pierce¡ª¨C¡± It was the sound of something small and sharp passing by. A thin wound appeared on the egg sac growing behind the spider queen¡¯s belly. It very quickly cracked and opened up. Viscous liquid and fist-sized translucent eggs poured out from it like a waterfall. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C¡° She cried out in anger and pain. Her sharp voice rippled through the air, making everyone¡¯s ears ache. Much of the eggs broke as soon as it fell to the ground. Small white spiders which had not yet grown their dark outer shells struggled out, quickly scampering away. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. Got it. He turned and looked at the small black hand who had been quietly lying on his shoulder the entire time. He revealed a benevolent smile. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Although I¡¯m not human, you sure are a dog. It shook its fingers so quickly, one could see afterimages, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!! I¡¯m not going!!!¡± That is an S-Level monster!!! And King is also watching from above!!! Isn¡¯t it just sending it to its death!?! Ye Jia smiled and coaxed gently, ¡°I don¡¯t need you to approach them. Look, the fluid in the egg sac has already flowed out. You just need to collect the fluid on the ground and bring it to me.¡± ¡°Not going!!¡± The small black hand trembled on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Ye Jia: ¡°I definitely need that fluid.¡± Small black hand: ¡°Then you go!!¡± ¡°But,¡± Ye Jia continued, ¡°Based on the current situation, your King and I have seem to have deep enmity. If I go, I would likely be caught.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It had a bad feeling. Ye Jia slowly asked, ¡°If he knew that you have been helping me all this time, how do you think he would react?¡± The small black hand accused bitterly, ¡°But it was you who threatened me!¡± Accidentally boarding the pirate ship and losing its reputation in one go. It didn¡¯t want to be a ghost spy!! Ye Jia curled his lips up into a malicious smile, ¡°But that isn¡¯t the case on my end.¡± He spoke slowly, ¡°I would tell him that we were good partners and teammates and that you were the one who told me everything about him. As my closest partner in crime, I¡¯m sure you will enjoy the same special treatment I receive.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡­¡­So evil. This person is so evil!!! Seeing that the small black hand was beginning to hesitate, Ye Jia added more oil to the fire, ¡°If you help me this time, I will set aside fifty from my next pay check to buy gold for your game.¡± Under Ye Jia¡¯s persuasion, the small black hand finally gritted its teeth and puffed up its chest: ¡°I-I-I¡¯ll do it!¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia couldn¡¯t store away the smile at the corner of his lips, ¡°Good luck.¡± He added a few layers of yin energy to the small black hand¡¯s body to allow it to hide itself better, ¡°I hold high expectations for you.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hah, dog man. I can see through you. It pressed itself to the ground and slowly creeped forward. Ye Jia waited with a bated breath. Five minutes later. The small black hand tremblingly hurried back holding an unbroken egg. The white spider inside that was as big as a fist struggled fiercely, making it almost impossible for it to hold. Its voice became sharp as a result of extreme nervousness, ¡°Quick, quick, quick!!¡± Before the egg could fall, Ye Jia quickly picked it up. A layer of yin energy emanated from his palm, enveloping the translucent egg. Soon, the translucent ghost-face spider inside stopped struggling. Ye Jia breathed a sigh of relief. He stuffed it into his pocket and then placed the small black hand back onto his shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ye Jia quietly sneaked into a passage behind him. He moved as lightly as how he came, like a drop of water disappearing without a trace into the ocean. The ground in the passage was slippery and rugged. The contaminated air was filled with the suffocating smell of blood, leaving his mouth tasting like rust. But for Ye Jia, this was a good thing. After being washed by the sea of blood, most of the dense cobwebs had been swept away, making it easier to go through. The cave continued to tremble from time to time and rubble fell from above. Across the thick stone wall, the roars of the spider queen and the cries of the other fierce ghosts could still be vaguely heard. Very clearly, the battle was fierce. Ye Jia navigated through the passages extending in all directions without any major interruptions. He smoothly slaughtered a couple of solitary spider soldiers he encountered along the way and, following his memory, he fumbled in the direction of the exit. A faint light could be seen ahead, dispelling some of the darkness in front of him. Ye Jia became spirited. ¡ª-Almost there. At this moment, a loud ¡®boom¡¯ suddenly sounded behind him. The entire cave shook violently and even Ye Jia was made a little unstable as a result of the sudden shaking. Then, it was followed by dead silence. Ye Jia looked at the darkness behind him. He had a bad feeling. The roars and shouts from earlier were gone. All that was left was eerie silence. The small black hand stuck its head out from underneath Ye Jia¡¯s collar and asked in a small voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ye Jia shook his head. A few seconds later, he said, ¡°The battle is over.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The small black hand softly cheered, ¡°I wonder who won?¡± Although the chances of it was low, Ye Jia sincerely hoped that the spider queen won. A weak enemy that could be controlled was much better than an enemy with deep enmity towards him whose strength was difficult to gauge. ¡ª-In any case, he had at least achieved his main objective. Ye Jia felt the heavy weight in the pocket and continued towards the exit. The night wind sent the dry air outside into the cave. But for some reason, the yin energy in the air suddenly became stronger. Ye Jia slowed down. Suddenly, in the darkness at the entrance of the cave, a ghostly figure suddenly materialised. That was a shadow ghost. Just like all the legends about shadows, they were always the best at hiding without a trace. Its facial features were indistinct, as if it was made of a condensed cloud of smoke which could be dispersed by a gust of wind. Ye Jia stared cautiously at the fierce ghost in front of him. A cold light appeared at his fingertip and dozens of methods he could employ to deal with the other party flashed across his mind. Unfortunately, they weren¡¯t fast enough. The shadow ghost looked at Ye Jia ¡ª- or it just looked in Ye Jia¡¯s direction. It spoke coldly with a hoarse voice: ¡°You dare plot against our King¡­.Did you think you can leave just because you want to?¡± ¡­..It was Ji Xuan¡¯s underling. It was someone Ye Jia really didn¡¯t want to run into. He no longer hesitated and attacked the shadow ghost blocking his way. His figure was blurred by the yin energy, and he moved swiftly. Just as the shadow ghost got ready to fight, he saw Ye Jia who was about to attack suddenly become indistinct. His actions just now were a feint. His actual purpose was to rush straight towards the empty space behind the shadow ghost¡ª! The shadow ghost tried to stop him amidst the chaos. But before it could release any attacks, it suddenly felt a sharp pain on its limbs. ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¨C¡± The shadow ghost screamed. It was horrified inside. It was actually hurt by an unremarkable ghost like this? And in those fleeting seconds, it didn¡¯t actually see how the other party had hurt itself! Ye Jia wasn¡¯t a fan of fighting. He instead rushed straight towards the cave exit¡ª-! A bloody scent suddenly reached his nose. Damn¡ª¡ª¡ª! Ye Jia was taken aback. The remaining fighting instinct in him sent out warning alarms. He immediately stopped in place. The next second, the place he would have been if he hadn¡¯t stopped slowly bulged up from below. A white goat skull slowly emerged from a pool of blood. That terrifyingly huge body squeezed into and occupied all of the space in front of him. Half of its body was outside while the rest were still immersed underground. Viscous blood flowed out from its ribs, falling onto the slippery rocks below. Those dark eye sockets stared silently at Ye Jia. It made him feel like he was being stared at by a predator. Blood gu fish. ¡ª-This was a monster that could go against an S-Level spider queen, and even have an upper hand. But now wasn¡¯t the time to think about this. Ye Jia gritted his teeth. He got ready to disregard everything and rush out. A cold light gleamed at his fingertip. Slowly, a long blade emerged. It seemed like it would be able to cut through the darkness in the cave. Suddenly, a low voice sounded behind him. The words spoken were unhurried and it also carried a cold and playful tone, making those who heard it can¡¯t help but shudder: ¡°Where are you going?¡± The man¡¯s voice was low and magnetic. There was an almost invisible tremor in the air. ¡ª-His voice was very nice, but it was probably the last voice Ye Jia wanted to hear in this world. Ye Jia¡¯s vision immediately turned black. Fuck. Ji Xuan. CH 21 Clack. Clack. The sound of footsteps gradually got closer. It was amplified by the surrounding stone walls, making it echo through the narrow passage. Each step seemed to be stepping onto his heart. The man¡¯s overly strong sense of presence was like a magnet. Even without needing to turn around, he could feel the other person approaching. Ye Jia¡¯s back was stiff. Countless thoughts quickly flew through his mind, entangling into a mess. The shadow ghost bowed deeply towards the person behind him. ¡°King.¡± Ye Jia gritted his teeth and then proceeded to turn and bow deeply. ¡°¡­¡­..King.¡± He seemed to be surprised by this reaction of his. The sound of footsteps stopped. But the distance was still too close. Ye Jia could almost smell the scent coming from the other party¡¯s body¡ª¨CIt was a thick, bloody scent that still lingered around after passing through a bloody sea of corpses following a massacre. After so many years of playing in the game, he was already very familiar with this scent. Ye Jia at this moment however couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. ¡°Huh?¡± The man¡¯s low voice came from above his head. It carried a hint of interest, ¡°What did you call me?¡± ¡­¡­.! Ye Jia almost couldn¡¯t breathe. He felt his heart beat violently. It pounded against his chest, making his ribs hurt. A sinister voice sounded behind him, ¡°Heh, now you know who to swear your allegiance to?¡± Ye Jia waited nervously, but the man standing before him didn¡¯t seem to refute the shadow ghost. The heart that was hanging in the air finally fell back into place. ¡ª¨CIt seems that he may not have been recognised by the other party. The shadow ghost¡¯s voice contained murderous intent that was difficult to conceal, ¡°Since you would come to participate in this gathering of rebels, you must be already aware of the consequences of betraying King.¡± Having settled the matter he was most worried about, Ye Jia¡¯s lips became much more lively. He bent his waist further and said in a horrified tone: ¡°No, no, you¡¯ve misunderstood me! I came here this time because I overheard some talk about people secretly conspiring something and snuck in just to spy on the situation here for you¡­¡­..If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go ask a spider soldier to see if the spider queen has invited me¡­.¡± Ye Jia hadn¡¯t finished yet, but he was interrupted by the shadow ghost¡¯s sneer. It asked in a cold tone, ¡°So thoughtful?¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia nodded enthusiastically so that his actions could be seen by the other party before him despite the thick layer of yin energy. He racked his brains and explained, ¡°T-this was because I have always admired you but I have never had the opportunity to approach you, so I could only do something risky like this¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± The shadow ghost¡¯s voice turned sharper, ¡°Betrayal is absolutely forbidden¡­.¡± Before its words could be finished, it was interrupted. ¡°Oh?¡± Ji Xuan who hadn¡¯t said a word until now suddenly spoke up. ¡°You admire me?¡± There was not much emotion in his voice but the final sound was slightly dragged out, revealing a hint of something else. ¡­..? The shadow ghost couldn¡¯t speak. It looked at the Ghost King standing not far away in disbelief and seemed to be wondering if he had been substituted. ¡°¡­..Y-yes.¡± Ye Jia toughened himself up and continued, ¡°After all, your power is enough to leave all the fierce ghosts in fear. I felt from the beginning that no one except you is qualified to be the leader of us fierce ghosts. Even if you give me eight hundred lives, I don¡¯t dare betray you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ji Xuan lightly threw out that single world. The emotions in his slightly lowered eyes were difficult to decipher. He once again stepped forward and walked towards the exit of the cave, ¡°Then follow me.¡± The sound of footsteps echoing in the passage gradually faded away. When Ye Jia raised his head, Ji Xuan and the giant blood gu fish were gone. Only he and the shadow ghost were left. The two of them looked at each other. ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The shadow ghost stared in the direction Ji Xuan had left dumbly. Its vague facial features became even more confused as if it was suspicious of this King that was here just now. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t hold back and asked, ¡°Your King¡­.has he always been like this?¡± He seemed to be¡­..too easy to talk to. It felt a little strange. The shadow ghost was pulled back from its trance by this question. Although it wasn¡¯t sure what was going on, it wouldn¡¯t reveal anything in front of this traitor. It maintained a stern expression and said viciously, ¡°King said to follow him, didn¡¯t you hear?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Alright. The shadow ghost and Ye Jia exited the cave one after another. But what greeted them wasn¡¯t a dilapidated and desolate construction site. Instead, it was a splendid, brightly lit hall with clean floor and walls as well as luxurious decorations. The smell of money was everywhere. Ye Jia was shocked. He turned to look back. The entrance to the ghost-face spider¡¯s nest was gone. Ye Jia¡¯s heart sank slightly. Ji Xuan had probably activated his ghost domain the moment he stepped out. He had accurately controlled it such that it was at the entrance to the ghost-face spider¡¯s nest making it difficult for one to notice until they entered it. It was like a portal. This kind of control¡­¡­Ye Jia couldn¡¯t tell whether it was because of the other party¡¯s strength or if it was a certain privilege given to a King by the game. No matter which it was, it was something that cannot be underestimated. Ji Xuan raised his hand and unbuttoned the top two buttons, revealing distinctly defined and pale collarbones. He then sat down. ¡ª-Perhaps it was because the light in the cave was too dark and the atmosphere the man gave off was too strong, Ye Jia only noticed now that, unlike other fierce ghosts, this person wore human clothes. A simple white shirt and black trousers. It looked very casual, as if he could easily integrate into human society without much trouble. Ji Xuan thoughtfully examined the two fierce ghosts before him. His pair of scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold light flitted through. Under the bright lights in this room, it looked like fresh blood. Under his gaze, everything seemed like it could be seen through. Ye Jia forcibly restrained his urge to add a few more layers of yin energy over his body. Based on experience, his disguise should be foolproof. But¡­¡­ He was already regretting his impulsive actions just now. Before Ye Jia had the time to lament, Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze. He spoke unhurriedly, ¡°I believe you.¡± Before Ye Jia could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the other party continue, ¡°So I will give you a chance to prove your loyalty.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Wait a minute. Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling? Ji Xuan lightly tapped the arm of the sofa with his pale finger and asked slowly, ¡°Have you heard of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau?¡± ¡­..Couldn¡¯t be more familiar with it. Ye Jia reluctantly squeezed out, ¡°I seem¡­to have heard a little about it.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Ji Xuan let out a low laugh, ¡°Find a way to get in.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s vision went black: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Was this retribution for his lie earlier about being a double agent?!! He took a deep breath and said hesitantly, ¡°T-this kind of bureau should be strictly managed, right? I don¡¯t know how to pretend to be human. It might be difficult¡­.¡± ¡°If you need it,¡± Ji Xuan said, ¡°I can help you.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± He spoke passionately, ¡°But! In order to show King that I can be trusted, I believe I will be able to handle this kind of trivial matter by myself! I guarantee the mission will be completed perfectly!¡± Ji Xuan looked at him with an almost imperceptible smile, ¡°Okay.¡± Please read this from kk translates He stood up and slowly walked in front of Ye Jia. Ye Jia was a little surprised. Scenes buried deep in his memory suddenly flooded to his mind. ¡¾The young boy who only reached his waist stood alone before him with his pale face tilted up and a large pair of dark and gloomy eyes staring fixatedly at him. A kind of twisted obsession was concealed deep within those eyes. The boy raised the corners of his lips and said in a slightly hoarse and childish voice, ¡°Brother, I believe in you.¡± ¡¿ After falling into trance for a short moment, Ji Xuan had already walked past him. Ye Jia realised that the other party was already half a head taller than himself. Along with broad shoulders and a straight back, just his presence was enough to give others a terrible sense of oppression. ¡°Report back every week from now on.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s voice was calm, ¡°If I need anything, I will let the shadow ghost find you.¡± His pair of scarlet eyes lowered slightly, and the corners of his pale lips slowly raised. He spoke lowly and unhurriedly, ¡°I trust that you won¡¯t disappoint me.¡± . The shadow ghost sent Ye Jia out. Perhaps it was because they are now colleagues, the shadow ghost¡¯s attitude towards Ye Jia was clearly a lot better than earlier, ¡°Since King has taken a fancy to you, it means that there must be something special about you. Don¡¯t worry, just work hard. Don¡¯t anger King. I believe you can get what you want and find a place for yourself by King¡¯s side.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Haha, thank you.¡± No, I don¡¯t want to find a place for myself by his side thank you very much. I just want to stay far, far away from him. As far away as possible. The next second, the shadow ghost seemed to have conjured a phone out of nowhere. ¡°Add WeChat?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± ??? Are all ghosts nowadays so advanced? Ye Jia took out his phone from his pocket with a dazed look. Following method the small black hand taught him before, he scanned the shadow ghosts QR code. Very quickly, the two added each other as friends. Ye Jia glanced at his phone screen and once again fell silent. The other¡¯s profile picture was a fluffy kitten, and its nickname was: Kitty Likes to Eat Fish. Uh¡­.. The shadow ghost stored its phone away, ¡°Contact me if you need anything.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.Okay.¡± All the shock he had received today was already too much for him to take in. Before the shadow ghost left, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but call out after it, ¡°Wait¡­..¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The shadow ghost asked. ¡°Your King. Does he treat his employees well?¡± The shadow ghost thought deeply. After thinking for a long time, it raised its head and looked at Ye Jia, ¡°It¡¯s getting better these days.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± The shadow ghost said, ¡°He hasn¡¯t killed any of us recently.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± ¡°In fact, King treats us rather well. If it was another S-level fierce ghost, we not only have to constantly worry about being eaten up, but we also need to worry about whether we would get our share of food.¡± The shadow ghost seemed to be in a good mood, ¡°King is the only fierce ghost who¡¯s not stingy. With him, we just have to worry about the former.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­Great.¡± If that was the case, it seems that a fierce ghosts employment condition was much worse than that of humans. After a brief exchange, the shadow ghost and Ye Jia seemed to have becoming better acquainted with each other. It raised its hazy and blurred hand and patted Ye Jia on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our lives will be better when King catches that cunning and wicked human.¡± The cunning and wicked human: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Yeah, there really was nothing to worry about. CH 22 Night. The hospital was completely silent. Sitting in the empty corridor that was illuminated by lights were two members of the combat department. They were both slumped in their seats fast asleep. The lights in the ward were off. Through the glass, one could see something slightly raised under the sheets on the hospital bed. Terrible gnawing sounds could be heard coming from within the darkness. The soft rustling sounds seemed to sound even more eerie in the dark night. Zhao Dong was lying in bed, suffering from severe fever. His consciousness was hazy, but he was still awake. He could tell that something sinister was growing inside his body, greedily gnawing through his blood, flesh and internal organs. The unbearable itch and pain were like tens of thousands of bugs crawling around inside his bones. It was so terrible, he even wished for death instead. The light in the corridor entered the dark ward through the window, becoming the only light source for the room. Under the dim light, a dark shadow silently appeared. Was it an illusion? Or was the fever messing with his mind? The weak Zhao Dong opened his eyes with difficulty and tried to see the figure approaching his bed. The blanket on his body was lifted. The living creatures in his body suddenly became agitated. They slammed around violently inside his body¡ª¨C Zhao Dong¡¯s body trembled. He reflexively tried to avoid the pain and discomfort. At this moment, his vision suddenly turned dark. A cold hand silently covered his burning eyelids. ¡°Shhh.¡± The temperature of the other person¡¯s hand was very cold. Like ice suddenly coming into contact with boiling water, he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised by the touch. There was a pleasant feeling. For some reason, Zhao Dong¡¯s heart settled down. After confirming that Zhao Dong was no longer struggling, Ye Jia lowered his head and examined the other person¡¯s current state. The terrible swelling and bruising had spread from the calf to the chest. On the body that was barely recognisable, countless larvae wriggled around under the skin. Just the sight of it was extremely ugly and nauseating. Ye Jia took out the egg from his pocket and carefully made a cut. Translucent sticky fluid dripped onto the other person¡¯s knee. One drop, two drops, three drops. Like sharks smelling blood, the squirming larvae scrambled towards the place where the liquid had fallen. Translucent baby ghost-face spiders crawled out of the skin one after another like water being squeezed out of a sponge. As soon as one appeared, Ye Jia would pinch it to death. Very soon, all the larvae had crawled out and finally, Zhao Dong¡¯s skin was no longer writhing around, and the colour was no longer that terrible bruised look. The swelling however may take days or even weeks before it completely recovers. It would take a long time for someone who had been parasitised by ghost-face spider eggs to fully recover. ¡ª-Not only physically, but also psychologically. In the darkness, Zhao Dong¡¯s breathing gradually become steady. Ye Jia glanced out the window. The night was still deep. The entire city was deep asleep. There were only several small lights moving in the distance. Ye Jia sighed. Forget it. Do good deeds until the end. ¡ª-There were still many people hanging inside the ghost-face spider¡¯s cave. . When everything was sorted, the sky had already started to brighten up. Morning light spread out from the edge of the world, dispersing the darkness little by little and gradually lighting up the sky in the process. Ye Jia finally returned home. He changed his clothes that were stained with blood and insect flesh and then threw himself onto his bed with a low grunt. Fuck, too tired. Dealing with the ghost-face spiders wasn¡¯t particularly tiring. After all, in terms of intensity and dangerousness, the instances in the game was worse. It was the confrontation with Ji Xuan that was the most exhausting part of the whole night. Ye Jia stared at the ceiling and carefully went through the conversation he had with Ji Xuan earlier. Although it was very suspenseful, it seems that¡­the other party didn¡¯t seem to be aware of his identity yet? He was a little unsure. Those days in the game was something from his previous life and Ji Xuan himself was already an unstable character at that time. After becoming the Ghost King, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t tell what he was thinking or what he planned to do next. And now, he had become the other person¡¯s ¡®undercover spy¡¯ in the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau¡­. Damn. Ye Jia turned over and buried his head in the pillow. Shutting down. ¡°How about running away?¡± The small black hand shuffled over to his pillow. Since it realised that its fate hung from the same thread as Ye Jia¡¯s, it had become very enthusiastic about Ye Jia¡¯s safety and wellbeing, ¡°Do you need me to write a resignation letter for you?¡± ¡°Resign my ass.¡± Ye Jia coldly glared at it. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± He asked unceremoniously, ¡°Did you really think that the Ghost King will unsuspectingly entrust an important task to a ghost he only recently suspected betrayed him?¡± The small black hand who was called stupid, ¡°Ying.¡± (KKnotes: Crying sound) Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly, ¡°Him doing this only means that he has a backup plan. That¡¯s why he¡¯s not afraid of me going against him.¡± Please read this from kk translates He said, ¡°This is a test.¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± The small black hand asked cautiously, ¡°Then what do you plan to do?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Nothing.¡± For now, he couldn¡¯t predict the other person¡¯s next set of actions, so it was best not to act rashly. The worst thing that could happen was¡­¡­ Running into him again while not doing anything. Ye Jia gently rubbed the tips of his fingers. His light-coloured eyes lowered slightly, and cold light flashed across his eyes. ¡ª-Since he could kill him once, he could naturally kill him a second time. ¡°So,¡± The small black hand couldn¡¯t hold back its curiosity and asked boldly, ¡°what exactly happened back then?¡± Ye Jia glanced at it, ¡°Very curious?¡± The small black hand let out a loud sound of affirmation! Too curious! Curious to death! Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. A faint smile flickered across his lips, ¡°I see¡­¡­.¡± ¡°!!!¡± The small black hand trembled and instinctively took a step back. It felt that something didn¡¯t seem right¡ª¡ª That smile was too familiar¡­.. Every time the other party wanted to do something bad; he would show this kind of expression! ¡°After going around all day, I am really tired, but I still have a lot of work to finish. Recalling the past will take too much time too¡­¡± Ye Jia said with a smile, ¡°Let¡¯s do this. If you help me with about one month¡¯s work of documents, I will tell you.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± I knew it!!! It gritted its teeth: ¡°Half a month!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, ¡°Two months.¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Fuck, a cheating merchant. The small black hand was forced to give in, ¡°¡­..Fine, one month it is then.¡± Ye Jia casually continued, ¡°Two and a half months.¡± The small black hand: ¡°!¡± It was angry and distraught, ¡°You¡¯re a tyrant! You¡¯re exploiting me! A capitalist with no humanity!¡± ¡ª-It seems that the time spent playing on the phone had allowed the small black hand to learn a lot of new vocabulary. Ye Jia sneered, ¡°I right now receive only one salary but have two jobs and two bosses to work for. In addition to all that, I have to work overtime without getting paid by both sides. Have I said anything despite all that?¡± The small black hand, ¡°¡­¡­.Deal.¡± It was forced to sign a humiliating agreement and it then began to work on the unfinished documents that Ye Jia had brought home. The tip of the pen scratched against the surface of the paper. Ye Jia bent his legs slightly as he leaned against the back of his bed. He turned his head and looked out the window. The sun was rising. The morning sun broke through the clouds. The sky went from purple to dark blue, then pale blue and gradually, the world became brighter. Bright sunlight spilled in through the half-open window, coating the young mans pale face with a faint golden glow. Please read this from kk translates In the morning light, Ye Jia squinted his eyes. His light-coloured irises looked almost transparent and his long eyelashes looked almost fluffy in the sun, obscuring the emotions in his eyes. ¡ª-Experience told him that it was better not to think of the past. It was unknown how many players had been overwhelmed by the heavy memories they carried, breaking down while caught between their bloody past and present. If you wanted to survive in the game, you must learn to put everything aside and learn to forget. Since clearing it, it had been a long time since Ye Jia recalled his time in the game. Trivial chores filled his days, making him almost forget about that place he had to crawl out from with much difficulty. But all of this was like a thin layer of scar tissue. It was so fragile, only a slight tug would break it apart, exposing the bloody wound underneath. ¡ª-He only realised now that he hadn¡¯t forgotten anything. Those memories had just continued to patiently lurk underneath that surface, waiting quietly for the right time. As soon as it was time, all of it would burst out like a dam, completely unstoppable. Ye Jia closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the emotions in his eyes disappeared in an instant. It was as if it had evaporated under the sun, leaving no trace behind. He took out his phone and glanced at it. 06:40. Ye Jia yawned and casually turned off the alarm that had not yet had the chance to ring. Forget it. Skipping work today. He thought for a while and then proceeded to throw his phone aside without any psychological burden. He once again laid back down in bed. . Severed limbs, blood, pale faces with twisted expressions, mutilated corpses¡­the smell of death permeated everywhere. Scene fragments circled around like a dark whirlpool. In the centre of the whirlpool stood a young boy. His chin was sharp and his face was pale. Within his pair of dark eyes was a faint tinge of redness. It resembled scarlet blood spreading out in the light. He quietly looked over. A bit of something similar to icy obsession rolled in the depths of his eyes. It was like he was on the verge of madness. There was a large hole on the boy¡¯s chest, as if he was pierced by a large weapon, but what came out of his chest wasn¡¯t blood, but dark ghost energy. Ye Jia watched as the young boy approached him step by step. ¡°Big brother.¡± The child¡¯s voice carried innocence and naivety. He called out crisply, ¡°Don¡¯t you remember me?¡± But the next second, his voice suddenly became low and hoarse. It possessed magnetism unique to an adult man: ¡°¡­¡­Why are you running?¡± The tall man bent down. A dark shadow stretched over. The other person¡¯s eyes were dark red; it looked almost like there was blood flowing around inside. He approached Ye Jia with a smile that also didn¡¯t seem like a smile. His cold lips were pressed close to Ye Jia¡¯s ear and Ye Jia felt like he was wrapped in a cold aura of death, ¡°You don¡¯t like me anymore? ¡ª¡ª Big brother.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes suddenly opened. He breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling with each breath. It was twilight. The room was shrouded in a faint warm light. After a long time, he managed to calm his breathing. Ye Jia slowly sat up. Ye Jia rubbed his temples and lowly cursed at his splitting headache. Dammit. Damn that Ji Xuan. Not even letting him off in his dreams. Ye Jia reached for the phone he had tossed onto the bedside table. Unexpectedly, there were no angry reminder texts or phone calls from the chief. On the contrary, Liu Zhaocheng sent him series of message telling him to take care of his body and along the way, he also mentioned Zhao Dong¡¯s condition improving. Although they hadn¡¯t figured out the reason for it, they were very relieved. Ye Jia scrolled up. It turns out the small black hand had helped him ask for leave¡ªThe tone was soft but not humble, pitiful but not miserable. It was simply a perfect example of a sick leave request. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Oh, not bad. First rate social skills. While Ye Jia was still pondering over how he should continue making use of the small black hand and let it willingly do his work for him, the phone in his hand suddenly vibrated a few times. On the notification bar, a familiar cat profile appeared. ¡¾Kitty Likes to Eat Fish: Brother, time to report to work. ¡¿ Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Dammit, why has this ghost adapted to modern civilisation better than himself? This isn¡¯t fair! CH 23 Early morning. A group of people hurried into the M City branch of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau, scattering dust behind them. The one leading them was a tall man with a short beard. He rushed in, grabbed the approaching receptionist, and asked anxiously, ¡°Where is that person?¡± The receptionist stammered, ¡°W-what person?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your staff who was parasitised by something unknown. Where is he?!¡± The man had a fierce look as he shook the receptionist, ¡°Hurry up! It will be too late if we delay it any longer!¡± A voice sounded from a distance, ¡°Ohh, Zhao Dong.¡± The man let go of the receptionist. His eyes lit up and he looked over, ¡°You know about it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± That employee nodded, ¡°There was news from the hospital today. His condition has stabilised, and he should be able to be discharged in a week.¡± Now it was the man¡¯s turn to look confused, ¡°¡­..Huh?¡± Half an hour later. On the eighth floor of the hospital, at the entrance to the special isolation ward. Liu Zhaocheng pointed at Zhao Dong who was sleeping inside, ¡°Look.¡± The man cautiously entered the ward and lifted the blanket covering Zhao Dong¡¯s body. There were still traces of swelling on his limbs but it was obvious that it was slowly improving and the normal skin could be faintly seen underneath. Please read this from kk translates The members of the team looked at each other suspiciously. This¡­.. This had never happened before¡­¡­ Could it have been a mistake? Only the bearded man who stood at the foot of the bed suddenly bent down and examined Zhao Dong¡¯s knee carefully for a while. He reached out, wiped the other person¡¯s skin with his finger, sniffed it and then stuck out his tongue and gave it a lick. Liu Zhaocheng who witnessed everything, ¡°¡­¡­..?¡± But the surrounding team members seemed to find it normal. One of them approached and asked, ¡°How is it? Did Brother Wu discover anything?¡± The man named Brother Wu had a solemn expression. ¡°It¡¯s definitely the ghost-face spider.¡± ¡°Then¡­..? Brother Wu was deep in thought. He slowly shook his head and then nodded, ¡°Someone came before us.¡± The teammates were shocked. ¡°Moreover, they are very knowledgeable.¡± Brother Wu slowly let out a sigh of relief. ¡°!¡± The team members looked at each other and then lowered their voices. ¡°Could it be¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ring, ring, ring!¡± A sharp ringing sounded, interrupting the solemn atmosphere in the ward. Brother Wu answered the phone, ¡°¡­..Yes, yes, okay, okay.¡± After answering briefly, he hung up and said, ¡°There is news from the police. Early this morning, someone found twenty-eight missing persons on Fourth Avenue. When they were found, they were all huddled together trembling. They weren¡¯t terribly wounded but they couldn¡¯t recall what happened while they were missing.¡± Everyone was shocked. ¡°This too.¡± Brother Wu dazedly bit onto a cigarette and muttered, ¡°¡­.Too knowledgeable.¡± Liu Zhaocheng on the side listened with an anxious heart. ¡°Why are you guys speaking in riddles? What knowledgeable?¡± Brother Wu and his team members looked at each other. Several of them nodded. ¡°Are you the head of the logistics department?¡± He took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth and looked at Liu Zhaocheng while holding it in his hand, ¡°We will be staying in M City for a while and may still need your cooperation.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement?¡± Liu Zhaocheng, ¡°Sure!¡± Ten minutes later. Liu Zhaocheng was silent for several seconds. He then spoke with difficulty, ¡°This¡­.this is your non-disclosure agreement?¡± It was a long black and red worm-like insect. It was like a large mutant leech. With numerous sharp fangs, it was quite a chilling sight. ¡°Actually¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m actually not that curious anymore¡­¡­ As if he didn¡¯t see Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s resistance, Brother Wu had already directly placed the leech onto the back of Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s hand. Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s vision went black. The black and red leech slowly squirmed around. Before it could suck too much blood, it was expertly torn off by Brother Wu who then tossed it back into the container it originally came from, ¡°Done.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Liu Zhaocheng smiled dryly, ¡°Haha, that¡¯s great.¡± Brother Wu handed the container to his team member behind him and then began to talk about the matter with a serious expression. The more he listened to it, the more solemn Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s expression became. After a long time, he slowly asked, ¡°So that¡­..game, what exactly is it?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Brother Wu lit his cigarette, ¡°Us humans have very little information about it. No one knows where it came from, why it appeared, how it works and how it brought about so many terrible fierce ghosts and monsters. Faint smoke circled up and rose in the air. ¡°All we know is that its system had for some reason collapsed.¡± Brother Wu bit onto the cigarette butt, ¡°As a result, the monsters originally trapped in the game have broken free and are invading our world. Although the two worlds have not completely fully integrated yet, it is only a matter of time.¡± Liu Zhaocheng felt a chill run through his body. He involuntarily shivered. Unknown darkness spread before his eyes, making him instinctively afraid. He calmed himself down, ¡°Then what about you? Why do you know so much?¡± Brother Wu laughed but there was no smile in his voice. His dark eyes reflected the burning cigarette. It was like a blooming firework in the dark night sky. ¡°¡ª-Because, I crawled out from that place.¡± . Ye Jia covered himself tightly with seven or eight layers of yin energy. He didn¡¯t stop until he was absolutely certain that he wouldn¡¯t reveal his human scent. He activated his ghost domain and very soon arrived at the agreed place to meet the shadow ghost. The setting sun above had gradually fallen. Only the last rays of light illuminated this deserted place. The shadow ghost was already waiting there. In the sun its body seemed to be of a semi-transparent fuzzy texture. It swayed about with the evening breeze. Ye Jia looked around the deserted space cautiously. A familiar figure wasn¡¯t around. As soon as it saw Ye Jia, the shadow ghost greeted him enthusiastically. ¡°Over here, over here.¡± Ye Jia walked over and asked tentatively, ¡°Ji Xuan didn¡¯t come this time?¡± ¡°!¡± The shadow ghost gasped. It lowered its voice and hurriedly scolded him, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?! How can you speak of the King¡¯s name directly! Fortunately, he didn¡¯t come this time. You don¡¯t want to live anymore?¡± ¡ªDidn¡¯t come this time. After accurately capturing key words in the shadow ghost¡¯s words, Ye Jia secretly breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Sorry.¡± He asked, ¡°What are we going to do this time?¡± The shadow ghost¡¯s voice instantly cooled down, ¡°Cleaning.¡± ¡°Although most of the ghosts who participated in the gathering yesterday were eliminated by King, there were still some who managed to slip away.¡± It sneered darkly, ¡°Since they have the courage to betray, they should have the courage to bear the consequences.¡± Ye Jia quickly glanced at it. ¡ªIt was clear that this was a warning. The shadow ghost took out a pitch-black compass. There were no pointers on the compass, only ink of different shades of black which constantly flowed and changed. It looked down and then looked at a certain direction, ¡°This way.¡± Ye Jia closely followed the somewhat vague figure of the shadow ghost. The scenery around him flew by and became a blur. They swiftly shuttled through the shadows of the buildings before finally stopping at the entrance of a dark alley. The sound of roaring traffic in the distance seemed indistinct and vague. The alley in front of them was shrouded in gloomy silence. If one listened carefully, they could hear the faint sound of chewing and swallowing coming from the darkness ahead. The shadow ghost slowly melted into the darkness. In the depths of the alley, two hungry ghosts were chewing on human remains. They tore off the flesh and crushed the bones with their teeth without much difficulty. They didn¡¯t seem to be satisfied. As they licked greedily at the blood and small pieces of crushed flesh on the ground, they murmured again and again, ¡°¡­..Hungry, hungry, hungry¡­¡­.¡± ¡°You will soon be full forever.¡± A cold voice sounded from the darkness. The two hungry ghosts suddenly became alert. They slowly approached the source of the sound, hissing bitterly, ¡°Ji Xuan¡¯s dog¡­..¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The shadow ghost laughed darkly, ¡°The King¡¯s dog is here to give his greetings.¡± The voice that was originally in front of them suddenly sounded behind the hungry ghosts. It continued maliciously, ¡°Have a nice trip.¡± The dark shadow suddenly swelled up. As if it was opening a large mouth, it suddenly enveloped around one of the hungry ghosts. The next second, the hungry ghost¡¯s miserable cry sounded. The other hungry ghost saw that the situation wasn¡¯t good and hurriedly tried to escape. Numerous hands stretched out from the depths of the shadows, gripping tightly onto its thin leg and then proceeded to drag the hungry ghost into the darkness. The hungry ghost immediately opened its large mouth and bit off its calf before continuing to quickly scamper away. The moment it made its escape, a mouth appeared on the pale calf that had just been cut off and it bit firmly onto the shadow ghost¡¯s hand. ¡°Damn!¡± The shadow ghost was taken aback. The hungry ghost that was caught by the shadow ghost earlier used this opportunity to break free and then proceeded to attack. The shadow ghost could only deal with this hungry ghost first before it could go after the other one who had just escaped. When it was done, it quickly chased after it out of the alley. Just as it came out of the darkness, it heard a ¡®squish¡¯. The body of the hungry ghost was under its feet. Its slender limbs were stretched out like dead branches, its pale face was facing up and there was a large wound inside the large mouth on its abdomen. It was as if it was cleanly cut by some sort of sharp weapon, almost splitting the ghost in half. Its body gradually faded. ¡ª-It was actually dead. The shadow ghost looked up at the new ghost standing at the entrance of the alley in disbelief. Layers of dark yin energy completely enveloped the other party. Under the streetlamp at the entrance of the alley, one could faintly see a tall and straight figure hidden under the dark, ash-like fog. A cold light gleamed for a moment on the other person¡¯s fingertip before soon disappearing. The shadow ghost couldn¡¯t help but secretly express some surprise. Hungry ghosts were notoriously difficult to deal with. Although their attack power wasn¡¯t great, their defences were something that was out of this world. The escaped hungry ghost could even control its severed limb, so it meant that was at least B-level or greater. And the one it had just dealt with was only C+. Even despite this, it had to drag the hungry ghost into its own ghost domain before it could barely break through the other¡¯s abnormally hard skin. Yet this new ghost actually¡­..managed to accurately kill a B-level hungry ghost in one shot without the use of their ghost domain. In its impression, even if it was a ghost with a similar level to itself, it would be a difficult feat. ¡ª-The technique, the experience, the strength. All of them were indispensable. The eyes the shadow ghost used to look at the other party changed. ¡°Brother, you¡¯re amazing.¡± It used shadows to recover the hungry ghost¡¯s body and then approached Ye Jia, ¡°What was that just now?¡± ¡°You also used that yesterday to hurt me?¡± The shadow ghost examined Ye Jia curiously, ¡°You should know that I am considered to be pretty fast but even I wasn¡¯t able to see how you did it!¡± It had been a long, long time since the shadow ghost felt pain inflicted onto its body. ¡°Is it your weapon?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..Something like that.¡± ¡°What does it look like? Let me see?¡± The shadow ghost asked. If I let you see, my true identity will be revealed. Ye Jia, ¡°It¡¯s a claw. It¡¯s usually not exposed.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you expose it while fighting?¡± The shadow ghost wouldn¡¯t back down. ¡°That¡¯s passive.¡± Ye Jia felt a headache forming from all the noise and proceeded to conjure up a lie, ¡°It¡¯s something that can only be exposed on my own initiative when mating.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The shadow ghost understood, ¡°Turns out you belong to the race that needs to mate! Sorry, sorry, us shadow ghosts just divide ourselves, so we easily forget about races like you.¡± This was a rather private issue. Please read this from kk translates After confirming the other person¡¯s strength, the shadow ghost seemed to find him more pleasing to the eye. As expected of King! So insightful! Having broken the ice, the shadow ghost asked, ¡°Oh right, what is your name?¡± In the game, fierce ghosts and monsters are usually distinguished by race, for example hungry ghosts, shadow ghosts, suckers, ghost-face spiders and so on, but within the ghosts that have evolved to possess higher intelligence, they would also have their own names. These names are very private and are rarely revealed to ghosts outside of their race. However, as fellow coworkers working under the same boss, they should exchange their names. The reason why it hadn¡¯t happened until now was because it hadn¡¯t recognised Ye Jia as an ally yet. The shadow ghost said, ¡°You can call me A¡¯mi.¡± (KKnotes: The ¡®mi¡¯ is something often used to refer to kittens LOL) Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± What the hell is with that name? He slowly asked, ¡°Did you¡­..pick it yourself?¡± A¡¯mi nodded. Ye Jia could actually see a hint of shyness from its vague facial features, ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t it sound good?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia replied dryly, ¡°¡­.Very unique.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Ye Jia responded casually, ¡°A¡¯ye.¡± After exchanging names, the two were now more familiar. The work following this also became smoother. One human and one ghost cooperated with tacit understanding. Very soon, all the fish that managed to escape from the net were caught. A¡¯mi checked the time on its phone and was somwhat surprised, ¡°Much faster than I thought.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°All done?¡± ¡°One more thing left.¡± A¡¯mi put away the compass, ¡°There should be a lot of spider soldiers and spider eggs left in the nest. If you leave them alone, they might be able to raise another spider queen.¡± ¡ªBut last night, Ye Jia had already personally ensured that something like that wouldn¡¯t happen. The shadow ghost however didn¡¯t know this. Ye Jia nodded calmly, ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go.¡± Soon, they arrived at the construction site from last night. A waning moon hung above the thin clouds. The desolate construction site below looked chilling and terrifying. It was clearly summer, but the moment they set foot into this place, they could instantly feel icy cold air penetrating deep into their bones. It made them automatically shudder. Even despite the fact that they had not yet reached the entrance, they could feel the dense evil energy and bloody air ahead. All of it condensed into a thick cloud, faintly enveloping the ruins below. ¡°Hey.¡± The small black hand secretly whispered in Ye Jia¡¯s ear, ¡°There seems to be people here.¡± Very clearly, A¡¯mi also noticed this. It turned its head and used its face with blurred features to look in a particular direction, ¡°I can smell the scent of humans.¡± The moment it finished saying that, several figures slowly appeared in the ruins not far away. ¡°This is the place.¡± Without even needing to look down at the map in his hands, Wu Su knew that he had found the right place ¡ª- This heavy yin energy and smell of blood. Even people without spiritual vision would notice that something wasn¡¯t right. The other members of the team also had the same serious expressions. Although they were still quite far away, they could distinctly feel the evil energy ahead. Despite already having experienced many battles in their lifetime, the instinctive fear of danger still remained. It slowly crept up their spines like an icy cold snake. There was no need to get any closer. They could already sense how dangerous it must be ahead. ¡°Brother Wu.¡± One of the team members hesitated. He turned his head back to look at Wu Su and asked, ¡°Are we¡­¡­really going in?¡± Wu Su took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth. He looked thoughtfully into the distance, as if he was conflicted over something, and had even forgotten about lighting the cigarette in his mouth. After a long time, he finally made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and said: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± On the other side, A¡¯mi coldly watched the team as they advanced towards the spider¡¯s nest. The shadow behind it slowly stretched out and grew bigger, as if it was looking for a chance to act. Ye Jia quickly grabbed the shadow ghost, ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± A¡¯mi glanced at Ye Jia suspiciously. Ye Jia said, ¡°Do you still remember the task King gave me?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ye Jia pointed to the team, ¡°They¡¯re wearing the bureau¡¯s uniform.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not get involved with this matter. It won¡¯t be good if we leave any traces behind and ruin King¡¯s plan.¡± He lied without a change to his expression, ¡°Anyway, there would be spider soldiers waiting for them inside. Perhaps they could help us by reducing the amount of work we need to do.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± A¡¯mi understood, ¡°You¡¯re very thorough.¡± ¡°However, I think it¡¯s better for one of us to sneak in and watch them.¡± Ye Jia patted its shoulder, ¡°You have been the one doing the most work tonight. I¡¯ll finish it off. You can take a break this time.¡± A¡¯mi was very moved, ¡°Brother, you¡¯re so kind.¡± Ye Jia was very humble, ¡°No, no, this is something I should be doing.¡± And so, one human and one ghost happily parted. A¡¯mi kept watch outside while Ye Jia secretly followed behind the humans under the cover of the night. The small black hand who had been clinging onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder quietly spoke up, ¡°Deceiving such a na?ve ghost, does your conscience not hurt?¡± Ye Jia asked back, ¡°Was anything that I said a lie?¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­..¡± That seems to be true. This human really had a lot of tricks up his sleeves. ¡ª-You¡¯re really dirty! Inside the cave. Wu Su walked at the forefront of the team. He slowly advanced forward, scanning his sharp eyes around the pitch-black cave with vigilance. The passage carried a strong stench, and the ground and walls were wet. When illuminated by the flashlight, it glistened dark red. It looked like a massacre had just happened. Wu Su bent down and carefully examined the spider soldier¡¯s corpse that was almost half a human in size. He stretched out his hand and moved away the dead spider¡¯s dark, hairy legs. He noted a large wound on its belly that was so deep, the spider was almost cut in half. Yellow-green fluid slowly poured out as he did this. It fell onto the ground with a gurgle, making the stench in the cave even worse. Wu Su let go, ¡°We were a step late.¡± ¡°¡­..Haha.¡± A team member laughed dryly, ¡°That¡¯s also pretty good.¡± Based on the information they had received and what they have seen here, if they came earlier, they were probably destined to die. Wu Su bit onto his cigarette and didn¡¯t respond. He led the teammate onwards. After passing through the tortuous and complicated passages, they finally arrived at the centre of the spider¡¯s nest. Fierce ghosts would dissipate into yin energy, but monsters wouldn¡¯t. In this huge but empty cave laid the horrifically disfigured body of the spider queen. Her human face was frozen stiff and distorted into a hideous look of anger, pain and hatred. Her turbid eyes stared lifelessly into the distance and large amounts of her blood and guts were scattered around her body. The egg sac behind her was already broken. The fluid inside had already soaked through the soil and the eggs which had lost their nutrient supply had turned grey-white in colour. The ground was covered with severed limbs and dried blood stains. The team members were stunned by this almost purgatory-like scene before them. ¡°These¡­.were done by that knowledgeable person you mentioned earlier?¡± One of them slowly asked this in a very small voice as if he was afraid of disturbing something. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m afraid so.¡± Wu Su took a deep breath and held the cigarette in his hand, ¡°This ghost-face spider is most likely at least A-level or higher. Apart from him, I don¡¯t think anyone else could handle it.¡± The team member was taken aback, ¡°Who?¡± Wu Su¡¯s gaze was distant and solemn. He slowly spoke, ¡°Ace.¡± Ye Jia who was inexplicably mentioned, ¡°¡­¡­¡± ??? Actually, it really wasn¡¯t me this time¡­.. The name was very unfamiliar. The team member repeated, ¡°Ace?¡± ¡°He was a legendary character in the game.¡± Wu Su pinched his bearded chin, his eyes flashing slightly. He seemed to be stuck in his memories, ¡°The game was point based. One hundred million points could be exchanged with the chance to leave the game. Ace was first on the leaderboard and is also the only player who has ever cleared the game.¡± What?! The team members all gasped. No one in this team was unaware of Wu Su¡¯s experience. He had stayed in the game for three full years, struggling desperately to survive. He had originally thought that his life would come to an end in there but one day, the game system suddenly collapsed. For the first time, the rank that hung above his head was gone. The game¡¯s store was no longer accessible, and the system no longer responded to the player¡¯s call. It no longer forced the players into the deadly instances one after another. After a brief moment of confusion, all the experienced players realised something. The game had crashed. ¡ª¨CAnd the door to the real world had opened. All the players were ecstatic. It was as if they were suddenly given another chance to live. But they had forgotten that this door wasn¡¯t open only for them. The ghosts and monsters in the game also no longer had anything restraining them and similarly invaded reality. As one of the players, after returning to reality, Wu Su joined the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau and used his experiences in the game to try and curb the rapidly increasing number of ghosts and monsters appearing in society. ¡ª-It was precisely because they were aware of Wu Su¡¯s experience and because they had fought alongside him that they had the opportunity to go against those terrible ghosts and monsters personally. And so, the other team members knew very well what the title of being the ¡®first and only player to clear the game¡¯ meant. ¡°My god¡­..¡± One of them exclaimed in awe. ¡°T¡­.this person¡­¡­is he a celestial being or a monster?¡± ¡°Perhaps both.¡± Wu Su raised his head and looked at the spider¡¯s body before him. His line of sight slowly moved along the large wound. He said, ¡°Shortly after I entered the game, I was once in the same team as him.¡± A team member asked eagerly, ¡°And then? What was he like?¡± Wu Su took a deep breath, retracted his gaze and spoke very solemnly, ¡°Strong. Very strong.¡± ¡ª-He still remembered very clearly everything that happened in that instance. Under the pitch-black sky, a hooded young man walked silently at the end of the group with his face obscured by the shadows. He didn¡¯t speak and just silently followed. No one knew his identity. ¡ªThat is, until the instance started. A large scythe as bright as the moonlight that gleamed a deadly light cut through the monster¡¯s abdomen with ease. Severed limbs and flesh flew through the sky, dying it a scarlet colour. When they returned to their senses, the other party had already slaughtered the entire group of monsters. In fact, this was Wu Su¡¯s first time where he took the initiative to take over the task from M City. When he was sorting out the documents, he had seen the name Ace appearing in one of them. And now, all the evidence pointed towards the same conclusion¡ª- The rumours were true. Ace had indeed cleared the game. And¡­. An almost fanatical light flashed through Wu Su¡¯s eyes. He murmured: ¡°¡ª¡ª¨CHe is currently in M City.¡± In a hidden passage not far away. ¡°My god.¡± The small black hand grabbed Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and listened to the conversation in the distance with great interest. It exclaimed, ¡°You¡¯re that popular? After clearing the game so long ago, you still have diehard fans?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia was expressionless, ¡°You, shut up.¡± Was there anything in this world more shameful than listening in person to other people blowing rainbow farts about yourself? ¡ª-No. ¡°So, are there any forces in this world that don¡¯t want to find you?¡± The small black hand asked quietly. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He was about to suffocate. CH 24 The group ahead were still discussing Ace¡¯s heroic deeds. The topic quickly changed from ¡®what could Ace be doing now¡¯ to ¡®how should they trick him into joining the combat department¡¯. Ye Jia expressed that he is very tired. He refused to continue listening. Please read this from kk translates He quietly left the central cave and carefully circled around the remainder of this nest. After killing a few which had slipped through earlier, he turned and left. A¡¯mi was waiting outside, ¡°How was it?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°All sorted.¡± ¡°And those humans?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t find anything.¡± Ye Jia responded without a change in his expression, ¡°Nothing to be worried about.¡± A¡¯mi patted him on the shoulder and praised without reservations, ¡°Beautiful! I will definitely put in some good words for you when we return!¡± Ye Jia hesitated a little, ¡°That¡­.¡± A¡¯mi: ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Although his appearance was hazy, for some reason A¡¯mi saw a trace of shyness on the other party. ¡°In our line of business, do we get paid?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± A¡¯mi puffed its chest out, ¡°King¡¯s treatment is the best out of everyone here!¡± ¡°Cough, but¡­..¡± Ye Jia cleared his throat, ¡°The job King gave me is to infiltrate a human institute and act as a spy. In order to be able to blend in with human society, shouldn¡¯t I¡­..¡± The last word was dragged out for a while, as if to imply something. A¡¯mi: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It thought for a while and suddenly realised, ¡°Oh! You¡¯re talking about human currency!¡± Ye Jia became excited, ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± ¡°No.¡± A¡¯mi immediately shot him down. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°However, I will let King know about your request. Perhaps he could take it off your pay.¡± As if aware of the murderous air coming from Ye Jia, A¡¯mi changed his words, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it.¡± Ye Jia was extremely touched, ¡°Thank you my good brother!¡± Just as they were about to go their separate ways, A¡¯mi seemed to have sensed something. Its movements stopped and it dug out the strangely shaped compass again. The originally blank surface had once again changed. ¡°Damn.¡± A¡¯mi cursed, ¡°Still one left.¡± Ye Jia went over, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°And it¡¯s also a shadow ghost.¡± A¡¯mi spoke coldly, ¡°Probably hid in the shadows so the compass didn¡¯t detect it earlier.¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°Is it far?¡± A¡¯mi put the compass away and spoke with a dark tone, ¡°It¡¯s nearby.¡± Ye Jia sighed lightly. ¡ª-Looks like he won¡¯t be able to get off work yet. They left the abandoned construction site and ran towards the residential area nearby under the cover of the night. . This place was close to the suburbs so there weren¡¯t many people around. Just two blocks away from the construction site was a rather old neighbourhood. The buildings were low, and the buildings were arranged messily. It looked like a corner of the world that had been left behind by the rapidly developing city. Behind this neighbourhood was a quiet and desolate track. Aged streetlights flickered intermittently, letting out harsh electric sounds. The streetlight¡¯s dim yellow light illuminated the bumpy ground below, dispelling some of the darkness. As people hurried through, they flinched involuntarily as they passed by. It was clearly a summer night, but the cold wind seemed to be able to penetrate into their bones. A man subconsciously tightened his collar and instinctively looked up at the darkness around him. The night made the track and surrounding buildings appear blurred and indistinct. He instinctively stopped and looked fearfully at the path ahead that he had walked through thousands of times before. For some reason, something in that darkness made him uneasy. It was as if¡­¡­there was something waiting for him there. This fear which stemmed from his instincts immediately took over his body, making it hard for him to take another step forward. W-was it just his imagination? Just as the man hesitated, suddenly! The shadow just outside the area illuminated by the streetlight changed shape and the next second, several hands reached out, grabbing firmly onto his ankle. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!!¡± The man let out a petrified cry and his entire body fell to the ground. He struggled frantically, his fingernails leaving messy white scratches on the ground. He however still couldn¡¯t get rid of the slightly hazy hand wrapped around his ankle, ¡°Helppppp!¡± The despaired man was slowly being dragged into the darkness¡ª- Suddenly, there was the sound of a blade cutting through the air. It was very light and fleeting, so much so that one would almost suspect that it was just their imagination. But the next moment, a terrible cry sounded from the darkness ahead. It was sharp like a blade scratching against glass, piercing through one¡¯s eardrums. The hazy black hand clasped around the man¡¯s ankle seemed to be in pain. It quickly retreated back like a snake. In extreme panic, the man raised his head and looked at the darkness in front of him. In a place that couldn¡¯t be reached by the streetlight, there seemed to be a tall figure standing silently in the shadows. Like a black silhouette, that figure silently looked in the man¡¯s direction. All the hairs on the man¡¯s body stood up. He didn¡¯t dare look anymore. With a pale face, he turned around and stumbled away in the opposite direction. In the dark. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and looked at the shadow ghost in front of him. The shadow ghost who was injured by Ye Jia hissed in resentment as thick yin energy gushed out from its wound. Its indistinct facial features twisted in the dark and its hungry and malicious glare remained fixed on Ye Jia, as if it was assessing its opponent¡¯s strength. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Ye Jia laughed lightly, ¡°But sorry about that.¡± He stepped aside and continued with a lazy voice, ¡°¡­.Your opponent this time isn¡¯t me.¡± Behind Ye Jia, A¡¯mi¡¯s figure slowly consolidated. The shadow ghost stiffened, ¡°¡­.It¡¯s you?¡± It seemed to have finally realised the reason why the ghost appeared before it and quickly turned to flee. ¡ª-Unfortunately, it was too late. A distorted dark shadow swelled from A¡¯mi¡¯s body, splitting into a terrifyingly distorted arm. It flew towards the escaping shadow ghost and pulled it out from the shadow it tried to hide in. The shadow ghost had no choice but to turn around and fight. They quickly became entangled in a fierce exchange of blows. Please read this from kk translates Strong yin energy filled the surroundings, enveloping the entire block in cold and dark air. As the darkness spread, the already dim streetlight was submerged. All that could be heard were terrible cries and angry roars which made one¡¯s scalp go numb. In just a few minutes, the victor was clear. The darkness retreated little by little and the streetlight flickered a few times before lighting up again. The shadow ghost had been dragged by A¡¯mi until it was directly under the streetlight. It had already lost its human-like form and clung to the ground like some kind of slime. It squirmed about and tried to escape with much difficulty. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t betraying King¡­..¡± The shadow ghost¡¯s voice trembled with fear, ¡°Y-you have to believe me. I was just momentarily confused¡­..¡± ¡°Of course I believe you.¡± A¡¯mi slowly approached it and said coldly, ¡°But that momentary betrayal is still a betrayal. You will need to pay the price.¡± Its figure spread out like it was opening a large mouth. It soundlessly moved to bite down onto the shadow ghost. ¡°Wait! Wait!¡± The other shadow ghost quickly cried out, ¡°I can exchange! I have information here. The information you want. Exchange it for my life!¡± ¡°What can you know?¡± A¡¯mi stopped in its steps and sneered, ¡°Are you saying that you know who is backing the spider queen?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the information we want.¡± A¡¯mi was ruthless. ¡°Hehehehehehe¡­¡­¡± The shadow ghost pressed itself closely to the ground and seemed like it was made of fluid. It let out a sinister laugh, ¡°No, I do. And it¡¯s something your King wants the most¡­.¡± It raised its hazy head and slowly spoke: ¡°¡ª¨CI know where Ace is.¡± This time, A¡¯mi really stopped. Its eyes narrowed, ¡°What?¡± ¡°I saw him¡­..¡± The shadow ghost hissed, ¡°He¡¯s in M City.¡± ¡°That signature scythe, it can¡¯t be wrong¡­..¡± Its figure slowly consolidated and its voice was deliberately lowered to resembled a devil¡¯s whisper, ¡°I saw it when I was scavenging for food¡­..that school¡­..¡± Without warning, a ray of cold light flashed from Ye Jia¡¯s fingertip, and it was quickly swallowed up by the cold and dark ghost energy around him. Before the shadow ghost could have the chance to make a sound, its body collapsed and deflated like a leaking balloon. ¡°Hey!¡± A¡¯mi was anxious, ¡°What are you doing?!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s voice didn¡¯t reveal any emotional changes, ¡°Look at its feet.¡± A¡¯mi looked at the place pointed out by Ye Jia and saw that the shadow ghost had at some unknown point in time quietly plunged its foot into the darkness nearby. It would¡¯ve been able to escape if he had reacted a second slower. ¡°It¡¯s buying time.¡± Ye Jia said. A¡¯mi was a little upset, ¡°Sorry about that. Because it was something King really cared about, I lowered my guard as soon as it mentioned it.¡± It bent down and retrieved the shadow ghost¡¯s body. Ye Jia soundlessly let out a sigh of relief. After A¡¯mi retrieved the body, it left together with Ye Jia. It sighed a little regretfully, ¡°Oh but you still acted too quickly. Shadow ghosts are races that don¡¯t really know how to lie so although it was indeed saying it to buy time to make an escape, it may really know something.¡± Yes. Based on those key words uttered just now, it probably knew better than all the other fierce ghosts in the area. Ye Jia silently looked away. ¡°But I understand.¡± A¡¯mi considerately patted Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°You admire King greatly after all, so it¡¯s understandable that you wouldn¡¯t want to let him find Ace.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Huh? A¡¯mi continued without noticing his look of confusion, ¡°But don¡¯t worry, none of those rumours are true. How could someone as wise and as powerful as King be influenced by a mere human? The reason why he is searching for this human is because of another reason.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s curiosity was aroused, ¡°What reason? A¡¯mi seemed somewhat hesitant. Ye Jia took a deep breath and then spoke with some difficulty through gritted teeth, ¡°A-after all, King is someone I¡­.admire greatly, so I want to know more about him¡ª-¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come and ask in person?¡± A low voice sounded from behind, abruptly cutting through the deadly silent night. CH 25 The moment he heard that familiar voice, Ye Jia¡¯s mind went blank, ¡°¡­¡­¡± This¡­..this can¡¯t be real. But the sound of footsteps slowly approaching him broke his final strand of hope. Ye Jia closed his eyes in despair. ¡ª¨CWhy does this person like to sneak up from behind him so much?!! Does he have a problem?! After about two seconds of stunned silence, A¡¯mi was the first to react. It trembled all over and quickly turned around and bowed, ¡°King!¡± Ye Jia turned around and also stiffly saluted, ¡°¡­..King.¡± Standing with the streetlight behind him, Ji Xuan¡¯s tall and slender figure was outlined by the dim light. His pair of scarlet eyes were half-narrowed, ¡°Enough.¡± A¡¯mi asked in panic, ¡°King, w-why are you here?¡± ¡°How else could I have heard such an interesting conversation if I didn¡¯t come?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s gaze fell onto Ye Jia and his thin, pale lips rose into an almost imperceptible smile, ¡°So, what did you want to know?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I don¡¯t want to know anything now. Compared to Ye Jia who was directly asked by Ji Xuan, A¡¯mi¡¯s reaction was significantly greater. It trembled like it was struck by lightning and its face with blurred features seemed to show some fear, ¡°K-King¡­.It¡¯s my fault¡­.I shouldn¡¯t have spoken behind your¡­..¡± Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze and cast a sidelong glance at A¡¯mi, ¡°Shut up.¡± A¡¯mi instantly closed its mouth. He came over unhurriedly, stopped in front of Ye Jia and asked with interest, ¡°Are you interested in me?¡± Ye Jia replied hastily, ¡°No, no¡ª-¡± Ji Xuan raised his eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re not interested in me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t know what to say. Why¡­.did he feel like the conversation had taken a strange turn? He racked his brains for a few seconds and answered awkwardly, ¡°No¡­.my interest in you¡­..only falls within what a normal subordinate would feel towards their superior.¡± Why did it sound even more strange now??? And as for A¡¯mi who had witnessed everything from the sidelines, it seemed to be overly shocked by the scene and swayed in the air as if it could pass out any second. Ye Jia waited nervously but even after a long time passed, he didn¡¯t hear anything from the other party¡¯s end. He quietly raised his eyes and looked at the man standing in front of him but accidentally met with Ji Xuan¡¯s dark scarlet eyes. Ye Jia¡¯s breathing stopped for a moment. At that moment, he thought his disguise had been seen through. But he then saw Ji Xuan nonchalantly withdraw his gaze. His eyes lowered slightly, and his pale face looked cold and emotionless under the streetlight, resembling a lifeless sculpture. His low voice seemed to have a hard, almost metallic texture: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then know your place.¡± The moment he heard those words of warning from the other party, Ye Jia quietly let out a sigh of relief. He respectfully performed a perfect bow at the man before him, ¡°This kind of thing won¡¯t happen again, King.¡± A¡¯mi stared blankly at the scene before it. It felt that the strangeness it had felt yesterday had once again appeared and it was also stronger this time. Was King¡­¡­. Always so easy to talk to? It had seen King slowly tear a fierce ghost into pieces with a smile on his face after he found out about it talking behind his back and that fierce ghost was even forced to use its remaining head to eat up the remaining remnants of itself before King benevolently ended that fierce ghost¡¯s life. W-was he in a good mood recently? A¡¯mi thought this with some uncertainty. But that wasn¡¯t right. The number of ghosts fed to the blood gu fish had broken a new high recently and even the blood gu fish couldn¡¯t eat anymore. While A¡¯mi was still feeling puzzled, Ji Xuan seemed to have lost interest in this topic. He looked at A¡¯mi: ¡°Has it all been taken care of?¡± A¡¯mi lowered its head even more and said fearfully, ¡°Y-yes, none are left.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± Ji Xuan nodded without much concern. His voice however didn¡¯t contain much praise, ¡°Send the news out. Let everyone know what fate they would have if they betray me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A¡¯mi responded hurriedly. ¡°As for you¡­..¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s attention once again returned to Ye Jia, ¡°How are things going on your end?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..It¡¯s just¡­I should be able to soon infiltrate in¡­.I think.¡± Contrary to his expectations, Ji Xuan didn¡¯t dwell on this topic. ¡°Speaking of which,¡± he narrowed his scarlet eyes slightly and dark light slowly swirled around inside, ¡°ever since you became my subordinate, I haven¡¯t tested your strength yet.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s heart almost stopped. A¡¯mi boldly intervened, ¡°K-King¡­.A¡¯ye helped a lot today with dealing with the remaining traitors. I have to say that you have very good vision! He is the most promising newcomer I have ever met!¡± ¡°A¡¯ye?¡± Ji Xuan hooked up the corner of his lips. A trace of cold dissatisfaction flashed across his eyes and the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to fall several degrees in an instant. Please read this from kk translates His assessing gaze fell onto Ye Jia and he asked slowly, ¡°So¡ª¨CA¡¯ye, tell me, what kind of weapon are you proficient at using?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s muscles slowly tightened, ¡°¡­¡­Claws.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ji Xuan asked with interest, ¡°Let me see.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes were fierce. The slender fingers hanging by his side suddenly twitched, as if he was suppressing the urge to lash out. The atmosphere suddenly became tense. A¡¯mi gritted its teeth ¡ª- No, I can¡¯t let my colleague who I finally found pleasing to the eye anger King and die here. I-It should step in. It gathered up some courage and carefully broke the silence, ¡°Uh, King, A¡¯ye¡¯s race only expose their claws while mating¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± In a span of less than a few seconds, Ji Xuan had already stored away the deadly energy that was faintly leaking out, ¡°Is that so.¡± He dragged out the last word and his voice was mixed with a trace of regret, ¡°What a pity.¡± Ji Xuan seemed to be no longer interested in this topic. He waved his hand and said calmly, ¡°Go. Report back to me once a week on the progress of your mission. The shadow ghost will tell you the time and location when it is time.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± The other party seemed to change topics too quickly. It made the killing intent that he had built up earlier disappear like a punctured balloon. ¡­..I suspect that I have just experienced workplace sexual harassment. But I don¡¯t have evidence. Hearing Ji Xuan¡¯s words, A¡¯mi was relieved. It hurriedly pulled Ye Jia over, saluted him and got ready to drag its little friend who was almost killed away from this place¡ª¨C ¡°Shadow ghost stay behind.¡± Ji Xuan spoke without warning. A¡¯mi¡¯s vision went dark. It waved pitifully at Ye Jia and then cautiously returned to the moody Ghost King. Before leaving, Ye Jia quickly glanced back behind him. The tall man stood under the streetlight. He seemed to be quietly watching him leave. . Ye Jia went straight back home. The room was very quiet. One could vaguely hear distant traffic sounds through the window. The light in the room was not turned on. Only dim lights from outside penetrated through the glass, falling onto the windowsill and ground. Ye Jia sat motionlessly in the darkness, his eyes slightly lowered. There seemed to be an invisible cloud covering his head. His gaze settled firmly on his feet, as if he was caught in some kind of deep thoughts. ¡ª-For some reason, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t forget the scene he saw briefly when he glanced back earlier. The tall man standing alone under the streetlight with his dark shadow splitting light from shadow. He stood there as if waiting for something. It was puzzling but it somehow bothered him a lot. In fact, ever since Ji Xuan was involved, Ye Jia had been feeling quite uncertain. He was especially uncertain¡­..as to whether the other party recognised him. Based on his previous experiences, he should be safe ¡ª After all, Ye Jia had enough confidence in his disguise and was certain that he wouldn¡¯t leave even a little bit of his original scent uncovered. What¡¯s more, all the player¡¯s faces in the game were fake. Even if Ji Xuan was now the Ghost King, Ye Jia didn¡¯t think that the other party would be able to recognise him solely based on his past appearance. More importantly¡­¡­He currently need to figure out what Ji Xuan¡¯s purpose was. Although Ye Jia didn¡¯t want any further involvement with his past, he couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch the current situation unfold ¡ª- After the game collapsed, too many fierce ghosts and monsters had lost their restraints, but behind all this chaos, there seemed to be something darker lurking. That bus carrying fierce ghosts over to an unknown destination, the force behind the spider queen that A¡¯mi had mentioned¡­..All those unstable factors had gathered together, making him feel exceptionally uneasy. And Ji Xuan¡­..this Ghost King. As the King, what exactly did he want to do? Destroy mankind? Or rule the world? Would he once again cross swords with him this time as well? Ye Jia¡¯s eyes lowered slightly. He carefully examined his palm. The room was dim. Under the light entering from the window, his pale palms looked as white as snow. ¡ª-It was still stained with blood the day before but today it was as clean as ever. But that cold and sticky sensation never seemed to disappear. It still lingered in his palm and between his fingers. At this moment, the small black hand spoke up next to his ear, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± It climbed onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and asked quietly, ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Ye Jia retracted his gaze, ¡°Nothing.¡± He paused for a moment, and suddenly asked, ¡°In your opinion, is Ji Xuan¡¯s attitude¡­..normal?¡± The small black hand tried to recall. It was too weak. Even in the game, it wasn¡¯t easy for it to encounter a powerful fierce ghost and even that time when he saw King, it was from a distance. But a King who cares about his subordinate must be a good King! The small black hand answered sincerely, ¡°Normal!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ye Jia replied dully. He seemed to be distracted. Suddenly, the phone on the table rang and the screen lit up in the dark. Ye Jia was surprised, He turned and looked in the direction of the phone. The small black hand hurried over, picked up the phone and glanced at the screen. It then let out a small gasp of surprise, ¡°My god!¡± Ye Jia frowned, ¡°What is it?¡± The small black hand hurried back with the phone. Its voice had become a little distorted due to the shock, ¡°Look!¡± Ye Jia glanced at the phone. His eyes widened. Please read this from kk translates ¡°This¡­¡­..¡± The screen displayed a transfer record. It was from A¡¯mi. ¡°So much money!¡± The small black hand cradled the phone like a baby and was filled with excitement. It was almost about to cry with joy, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen so much money before!¡± ¡ª-Especially after knowing about Ye Jia¡¯s salary, it was deeply aware of how poor its household was. Ye Jia had to check it twice before confirming that he didn¡¯t see wrong. He slowly took a deep breath and his eyes brightened. This part-time job¡­..Worth it! . ¡°S-sent.¡± The shadow ghost¡¯s figure cowered even further. Despite not daring to let out a single sound, it fearfully reported itself. ¡°Scram.¡± Ji Xuan apathetically waved his hand. ¡°Yes.¡± A¡¯mi who was granted amnesty immediately turned and dived into the shadows. Watching the shadow ghost disappear into the darkness, the expression on Ji Xuan¡¯s face disappeared like snow melting in the sun. Cold, bloody air wrapped around him, as if to express the owner¡¯s dark mood. He lightly raised a finger. A scarlet wave slowly rose from the ground and soon the summoned blood gu fish appeared beside him. It rubbed its skull head against Ji Xuan¡¯s palm. Ji Xuan looked down at the blood gu fish and spread open his palm. The next second, a drop of semi-coagulated blood slowly emerged and hovered in the air. The blood gu fish opened its large mouth and consumed that single drop of blood. A whirlpool instantly appeared in the blood surrounding it and, in the centre of the whirlpool, a scene appeared. Amidst the indistinct background, a young man appeared in the centre of the frame. His face was shrouded in dark haze, making his features unclear. Ji Xuan however could still distinguish his tall and slender figure which resembled a sharp blade hidden inside a scabbard. Ji Xuan stared at the scene in the whirlpool with deep eyes. He raised his hand and his pale finger lightly swept it over the figure of the young man in the scene. His movements were slow and gentle, as if he was stroking a precious and extremely fragile treasure. ¡°A¡¯ye¡­..¡± He whispered softly. Although those words were spoken very gently, it also somehow felt a little chilling, ¡°You never told me your name¡­¡­.big brother.¡± The blood gu fish turned around and rubbed its head against Ji Xuan¡¯s hand again, as if urging him. ¡°No, not yet. Now¡¯s not the time.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s gaze was fixed on the figure in the scene. He finally could no longer suppress the emotions in his eyes. Crazed paranoia and possessiveness as well as desire that was almost suffocating emerged. He slowly and gently spoke, ¡°I have scared him off once. I won¡¯t let something like that happen again so I should take it slowly¡­.¡± He restrained the tremor of his fingertips. Strong emotions surged within in scarlet eyes. He whispered, ¡°Best not to act too rashly.¡± The author has something to say: Ye Jia: I love making extra money! Ji Xuan: If you want, there is a way to make more money (hinting) CH 26 Chapter 26 Late night, in a residential area. Hu Haoying returned home in a good mood as he carried a grey coloured bag that didn¡¯t quite match his suit and leather shoes on his back. His wife Wang Jie came over curiously, ¡°What is it? Why are you in such a good mood?¡± Hu Haoying winked at her mysteriously and said in a lowered voice, ¡°I found a treasure.¡± He had a hobby of collecting antiques and his favourite activity was to visit the antique market after work to see if he could find some rare antique treasures. With his rich experience, he knew a lot in this field and would sometimes find something good. But it was rare for him to be this excited. Wang Jie was interested, ¡°What does it look like? Show me?¡± Hu Haoying carefully placed the grey bag he was carrying onto the table and took out the object inside. It was a very delicate statue of Guanyin for blessing fertility. (KKnotes: A Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion) The white jade looked especially smooth and delicate under the light, and the workmanship was exquisite. One could tell with one look that it was not anything ordinary. The only strange thing was that while most Guanyin statues would have half lowered eyes as it benevolently looked down over humanity, this one was raised. Those eyes were very lifelike and the two impurities in the jade were cleverly carved into eyes. Those dark eyes looked like they were alive, looking straight at them. For some reason, those eyes made Wang Jie feel a little uncomfortable. Please read this from kk translates She moved her gaze away from the statue of Guanyin and forced a smile, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°A Guanying statue.¡± Hu Haoying spoke without noticing anything wrong. He bent down and carefully wiped off the dust on the statue with a dry rag and admired it: ¡°I bought it at the second-hand market. Look at the material, the workmanship! It¡¯s amazing! It only costed me 800 yuan. I really picked up a treasure this time!¡± Wang Jie hurriedly glanced at the jade statue. The horrible and unpleasant feeling appeared again. She trembled but, seeing her husband so excited, she in the end didn¡¯t say anything about her true thoughts. Hu Haoying happily placed the Guanyin statue in his room. At night, after the lights turned off, Wang Jie tossed and turned. In the dark room, one could vaguely see the faint outline of the white jade statue in the distance. Although the facial features could hardly be seen now, those dark eyes were still very distinct. Wang Jie hurriedly closed her eyes and turned over. She tried to expel the thoughts which had been invading her mind. As the night deepened, her consciousness became hazier, and she gradually fell asleep. The next day, Wang Jie was awakened by her husband¡¯s trembling cry. ¡°A-A¡¯Jie¡­.y¡­.your¡­..¡± Wang Jie dazedly opened her eyes. She shrank back a little from the cold and asked sleepily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hu Haoying clutched the sheets tightly with one hand. His face was as white as paper and his forehead was covered with cold sweat. He stared firmly at Wang Jie¡¯s belly with constricted pupils, ¡°Your¡­.your belly¡­.¡± Wang Jie followed Hu Haoying¡¯s gaze and looked over. She saw her belly bulging out as if she was ten months pregnant and even her pyjamas were pushed up, revealing the blue and purple coloured belly underneath. The blood vessels on the belly were bulging as well, looking extremely terrifying, and the skin was so stretched, it was almost transparent. It seemed to be squirming about like there was some kind of terrible living creature in there. In an instant, all her sleepiness was gone. Wang Jie cried out in sheer horror, ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C!¡± Amidst the almost non-human screams, the white jade Guanyin statue for blessing fertility sat quietly on the opposite end of the room. The lips were turned up into a faint smile and the pair of pitch-black eyes silently looked ahead, as if admiring the scene before it. . The white jade statue sat on the table, looking completely harmless. ¡°Brother Wu, what do you think?¡± Ke Zheng, a dispatched member of the Combat Division, circled the table and looked up at Wu Su who stood on the side. ¡°It¡¯s probably a cursed item.¡± Wu Su rubbed his beard and shook his head, ¡°But I¡¯m not sure whether it came from there.¡± After all, the game was just too big and there were too many monsters and fierce ghosts inside. It was impossible for him to know them all. Wu Su turned and looked at the staff from the logistics department standing next to him, ¡°How is the victim?¡± The staff member seemed to be lost in thought. He had his head half tilted and his gaze was fixed on the white jade Guanyin statue as if he was thinking about something. ¡°Hey.¡± Wu Su called out a little impatiently, ¡°The victim¡¯s situation!¡± That staff member seemed to have returned to his senses. He slowly turned his head to look in Wu Su¡¯s direction. His hair and eyes were light brown, and his skin was a little sickly pale. He overall looked lazy and listless, ¡°Oh, the victim¡¯s condition has stabilised and the phantom pregnancy is also gone.¡± Wu Su seemed to be even more troubled. He pulled at his beard and stuffed a cigarette into his mouth but he took it out again when he remembered that smoking was prohibited here, ¡°Do you know the reason for the phantom pregnancy disappearing?¡± Of course. I dealt with it last night. Ye Jia yawned and shook his head, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Almost a week had passed since the ghost-faced spider incident and life had once again returned to its usual calm state. Zhao Dong had been discharged from the hospital and once again started to conscientiously bear most of the workload for their department. Nothing had happened on Ji Xuan¡¯s end. Even A¡¯mi remained quiet, as if it had never existed. Adding to that the extra money he earned from his ¡®part-time job¡¯, everything seemed to be moving in a good direction. Wu Su fiddled with the cigarette in his hand deep in thought but in the end, he couldn¡¯t think of anything. He was a little frustrated but he gave up pursing this further, ¡°Forget it. In any case, this cursed item is very dangerous. Xiao Ke, you should later cover it with the special protective film and then seal it in the treasury. Remember to mark ¡®high risk¡¯ on it so others won¡¯t touch it.¡± Ke Zheng nodded and got to work. Wu Su sighed and rubbed his temples wearily, ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on. Why are there so many cursed items lately?¡± Just as he turned to walk out, he heard a clear voice sound behind him, ¡°Cap Wu.¡± (KKnotes: Captain shortened to Cap) Wu Su was taken aback. He turned to look back. He saw that the logistics department staff member had raised his eyes and was looking directly at him. After storing away the absent-minded expression earlier, those light-coloured eyes appeared sincere and clear, ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Wu Su wasn¡¯t able to react for a while. ¡°Have a lot of cursed items appeared recently?¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Wu Su nodded, ¡°It has only been a few days, and this is already the third one. The items have also been different. What¡¯s worse is that they¡¯re more dangerous than the other.¡± He rubbed his aching temples, ¡°The one causing the ghost baby last night was still okay, at least the symptoms disappeared after staying away from the cursed item, but the others haven¡¯t been that lucky. Even now, they¡¯re being supervised on the topmost level of the hospital.¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He asked, ¡°Did the victims say where they got the cursed items?¡± Wu Su shook his head, ¡°No.¡± He suddenly remembered something, ¡°Oh yes. I remember the husband of the ghost baby victim mentioning that he bought it from the antique market near the city, but when our people went, we couldn¡¯t find the stall.¡± Wu Su shook his head seemingly disappointed. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. His long eyelashes concealed the thoughts that flashed across his eyes. When he raised his eyes again, all his true emotions had once again been hidden away. ¡°Oh right,¡± Ye Jia suggested, ¡°I remember there seemed to be a library for dealing with cursed items in the bureau. Have you tried searching that?¡± Wu Su was taken aback, ¡°You have something like that?¡± ¡°Yes. I remember it was built two years ago.¡± Ye Jia bent his eyes into a crescent shape, ¡°Only M City has it.¡± And it was absolutely accurate. ¡ª-After all, most of the entries in it were previously anonymously contributed by him. Wu Su¡¯s face lit up, ¡°Thank you little brother!¡± Ye Jia smiled, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. The others would also tell you this if you ask them.¡± After saying this, he bowed his head, cleaned up the files on the table and turned to leave. After leaving the room, the smile on Ye Jia¡¯s face gradually faded. Wu Su himself and his team should be able to handle the aftermaths of the curse. Please read this from kk translates Right now, he should find the culprit. ¡ª-Coincidentally, Ye Jia knew very well where the other party would be. . The rental room was small and cramped and it was filled to the brim with all kinds of strange things. No light was able to enter the room. The temperature in the room was extremely low. Dust was gathered everywhere and there was a disgusting decaying smell, as if something had died in there. Countless bottles and jars were stacked in the room with strange body parts floating inside the murky liquid. A shrunken human head the size of a fist covered in black grease quietly stared out at the grey world outside the jar. In addition to that, there were also tattered boxes piled up in the corner of the room. Just looking through the openings in the unsealed boxes, one could see all sorts of strange objects inside ¡ª- An old and tattered fan, a doll with a creepy smile, coins covered in dust etc, etc. In the centre of the room was a table. The table had been soaked in dark oil such that it was a shiny black colour and on it sat a thick pile of money. ¡°How much did you earn this time?¡± Asked a short and fat man sitting behind the table. He had his legs crossed and was picking at his yellow teeth with a toothpick. ¡°Not bad, not bad.¡± A tall and lanky man standing on the other side of the table bowed, ¡°There are already four or five old customers who want to continue ordering from us.¡± ¡°And the thief? Have you found them?¡± The tall and lanky man¡¯s expression fell. He spoke bitterly, ¡°Not yet¡­.also¡­.I¡¯m also a little worried¡­..¡± The short and fat man stopped picking at his teeth and narrowed his eyes, ¡°What are you worried about?¡± ¡°W-we¡­..¡± The tall and lanky man looked troubled, ¡°We won¡¯t get in trouble, will we?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± The short and fat man snorted, ¡°What could happen? Our customers are all mid to high end customers and it is promoted through word of mouth. Only a few of them were stolen and accidentally distributed into the market.¡± ¡°Even if we can¡¯t find the thief, how could that bureau find anything to accuse us with?¡± The short and fat man was confident, ¡°Those who can capture me¡­..¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªHaven¡¯t been born yet.¡± A soft laugh suddenly sounded from the darkness in the room. It naturally helped complete that line, ¡°Is that right?¡± In an instant, the short and fat man¡¯s face drained of its colour. He stared wide eyed at the place the voice came from with his face pale with fear and forehead covered in cold sweat. His mouth was wide open, but he couldn¡¯t make a sound. It was as if he had seen a ghost. A figure silently appeared. A pitch-black hood cast a dark shadow over the face, firmly obscuring that person¡¯s facial features. All that was revealed was a pale and sharp chin along with a pair of thin lips with graceful contours. There was a slight smile on the corner of those lips. ¡°Shorty, do you still remember what I said back then?¡± The short and fat man was covered in cold sweat. He subconsciously shrank back, ¡°N-no, you¡­..you can¡¯t be¡­¡­¡± The other party turned a deaf ear to his stammers. He just continued speaking with his usual gentle but lazy tone: ¡°¡ª¨CIf you do this line of business again, I will cut off your legs, break your fingers and throw you into the ghost-faced spider¡¯s nest.¡± CH 27 Chapter 27 The moment the other party finished speaking, Dong Gua seemed like he had just returned to his senses. With his legs trembling terribly, he turned and tried to escape. But his body was too uncoordinated. After only a few steps, he tripped over the pile of things gathered on the ground and collapsed onto the floor. The other tall and thin man had already fallen to the ground, his legs weak with fear. He stared dumbfoundedly at the scene before him. Ye Jia approached the two of them unhurriedly. ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t!!¡± Dong Gua screamed out in horror, ¡°Brother Ace! Let¡¯s talk it out! I-In order to live, I also had no choice!¡± ¡°No choice?¡± Ye Jia stopped. He tilted his head suspiciously, ¡°As far as I know, reselling cursed items in the game is not something someone who has no choice would do?¡± Yes, this wasn¡¯t this person¡¯s first time doing something like this. Dong Gua was a player. He had accidentally acquired the special ability where he was immune to all the cursed items in the game, so his thoughts began to go awry. He collected all kinds of items with insidious curses in the game and then used them to attack his teammates. Once his teammate died, he would then take their points as his own. On the side, he would also sometimes resell cursed items to players with twisted intentions to earn extra points. Relying on this ability. Dong Gua progressed smoothly ¡ª- This lasted until he and Ye Jia ended up in the same instance. At that time, the name Ace had already become a target many players vied to go after so Ye Jia had purchased an item that allowed him to conceal his name with a code name before entering the instance. Before entering, all the players could see the other players they had teamed up with and the points of these players would be arranged in descending order. Although Ace¡¯s name wasn¡¯t revealed on the leaderboard, he was still at the top of the list with the points he had. In the game, as long as a player was killed, all their points could be taken. As such, Dong Gua set his eyes on Ye Jia. He used his old tricks and tried to use a cursed item to kill the other person but didn¡¯t expect to run into a formidable foe. Please read this from kk translates No one knew what Ace did to him afterwards. All they knew was that from that day onwards, Dong Gua washed his hands clean and never dared to resell any of those cursed items anymore. He only relied on helping others deal with cursed items to earn some extra points on the side. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. He turned his head and looked in the crowded room before letting out a light laugh. ¡°After the game crashed, you seem to be living quite well.¡± The other ghosts and players all ran out and only Dong Gua seized this opportunity and started reselling things from the game to the real world. Dong Gua¡¯s face was pale. A smile surfaced on his face as he tried to flatter Ye Jia, ¡°B-big brother, t-this is also because I had no choice. You should know that it¡¯s hard making a living nowadays. After being inside the game for so long, when I came back out, I didn¡¯t have my ID card and all the skills I had had become redundant. Without any of that, how could I make a living?!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s voice didn¡¯t fluctuate. ¡°But why do I feel that you¡¯re raking in money?¡± The small black hand peeked out from Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and glanced towards the table. It gasped: ¡°Damn, it¡¯s true!¡± It continued angrily, ¡°And he¡¯s earning more than you!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡± There¡¯s no need to be so sharp eyed. He expressionlessly pressed the small black hand back and then stepped onto Dong Gua¡¯s knee. As he mercilessly exerted force down, the other party¡¯s kneecaps let out a tooth aching groan. ¡°Arghhhh!!¡± Dong Gua cried out, ¡°Please! I-I won¡¯t do it anymore! I swear I won¡¯t do it anymore!¡± ¡°All these things of yours, I¡¯ll be confiscating them.¡± Ye Jia pointed at the cursed items in the room and then stepped on the same place without a change to his expression, ¡°And you will go surrender yourself at the bureau. Understand?¡± Dong Gua¡¯s meaty face trembled. He wailed and nodded desperately, ¡°Yes, yes, yes!!¡± Behind Ye Jia, a bitter scream suddenly sounded, ¡°No!!!!!¡± The tall and lanky man had stood back up at some unknown point in time and was glaring angrily with bloodshot eyes at the person standing before him. In his hands was a large mirror. He proceeded to throw it at Ye Jia, ¡°No one can stop me from making money!! No one!!¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. His finger moved slightly and a large scythe appeared from his palm. Following a bright flash which lit up the room temporarily, there was the sound of the mirror shattering. The countless fragments were like stars as they fell to the ground. The next second, the young man¡¯s body swayed. ¡°Hehe¡­hehehehehe¡­..¡± The tall and lanky man laughed like a madman. ¡°And you were so proud just now. Let¡¯s see who has the last laugh.¡± His expression was a little crazed, ¡°No one. No one can stop me from making money!¡± The young man fell among the fragmented glass on the ground. ¡°Nooo¡ª¨C¡± Dong Gua¡¯s pupils constricted and he shouted out in despair. The tall and lanky man recovered from his fierce emotions and turned to look at Dong Gua, ¡°What is it? Was that mirror important?¡± Strangely enough, Dong Gua appeared more panicked than before. His face was pale and stiff like melted wax and his eyes trembled like crazy. He fearfully climbed up from the ground and splattered saliva with each word, ¡°Do you even fucking know what you just did?!¡± He rushed towards the door using the fastest speed possible, as if there was something terrible behind him. The tall and lanky man was still unaware of the situation, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? That person has already passed out. What are you afraid¡­..¡± He couldn¡¯t finish speaking. The next words were stuck in his throat. The temperature of the surroundings rapidly dropped. In an instant, it changed from the sweltering heat of summer to the chilling winter cold. An extremely terrifying ghost energy escaped from the young man¡¯s body. As if it had a mind of its own, it invaded the surroundings. This energy was particularly horrifying. Like a beast released from its cage, it unscrupulously displayed its strength and terror to the surroundings. Dong Gue had already reached to door at this time. He shook the doorknob frantically making a clanging sound. The doorknob however didn¡¯t move. ¡ª-Everything was too late. He leaned against the door with his face was as white as paper. He trembled like crazy and slowly slid down onto the ground, muttering, ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over¡­¡­..¡± The tall and lanky man stared in horror at the unconscious young man as well as the terrifying shadow behind him that gradually grew bigger. ¡°W-what is that¡­¡­.¡± He looked dazedly at Dong Gua, ¡°I-is that the mirror? What was inside it?¡± His question returned Dong Gua to his senses. Dong Gua raised his head and looked viciously at the tall and lanky man standing not far away. Under the influence of both despair and fear, his expression was particularly horrific, ¡°Mirror? Forget that mirror!¡± That was an ordinary mirror artefact that could draw people into the wonderful dreams it creates, leaving people in an extremely vulnerable state ¡ª- When used in the game against ordinary players, it could practically be used as a killing item. But it wasn¡¯t like this for Ace. Definitely not. In this room, there was only one monster. And that was the unconscious young man before them. Dong Gua¡¯s saliva splattered everywhere as he roared, ¡°Do you think I have never dealt with him before?! Do you think I have never tried to use those things against him?!¡± It was precisely because he had tried that he was so terrified at this very moment. ¡ª-No one knew what happened that day that made Dong Gua wash his hands clean and put a stop to it all. Even after rumours about Ace successfully clearing and leaving the game spread, he still didn¡¯t dare start his old business again. In fact, it was because he knew very well how terrifying of a monster this seemingly weak young man really was. People say that Ace was powerful and ruthless with no weakness to exploit and no instance he cannot conquer. But only Dong Gua knew that, compared to Ace when he was conscious, he was even more reluctant to face an Ace who had lost consciousness. That was a terrifying beast that hunted its prey purely using its instincts. It only had the violent desire for destruction, as it sought for blood and death. Dong Gua closed his eyes in despair. Looks like his life might really end here. Suddenly, without warning, an unfamiliar energy intruded into the space that was already covered in the terrible ghost energy. Like Moses parting the sea, a figure suddenly appeared in the cramped room and walked towards them. ¡°This¡­..!¡± Dong Gu¡¯s eyes widened in shock. A ray of hope burned in his eyes, ¡°Save¡­..¡± But before the rest of his words could come out, he found that it was stuck deep in his throat. The man didn¡¯t spare him any of his attention. Those scarlet eyes of his stared fixedly at the young man collapsed on the ground not far away. As if it was his entire world, he didn¡¯t have any energy to pay attention to anything else. ¡ª-But the reason why Dong Gua lost his ability to speak wasn¡¯t because of this. It was because he suddenly realised that the moment this man entered Ace¡¯s range of attack, the originally cold and fierce ghost energy didn¡¯t react to the intruder. It was as if it was already familiar with the other person¡¯s existence. What was even scarier was that the energies of the two people strangely blended well together. It seemed to have a terrifying sense of harmony. Dong Gua¡¯s back was wet with cold seat. He firmly kept his mouth closed. The reason why he was able to preserve his life for so long was precisely because of his good senses. ¡ª-Only monsters can live in harmony with other monsters. Ji Xuan slowly got closer and bent down. He gently picked up the unconscious Ye Jia and pulled him into his arms. The use of a blood mirror was limited. In fact, the image created using the blood droplet only allowed him to barely distinguish the other person¡¯s figure. At most, it was only enough for the blood gu fish to track their approximate location and it cannot reveal the other person¡¯s complete appearance. The worst thing was that one drop of blood could only be used a maximum of six times. As such, he didn¡¯t do anything this past week and only patiently waited for their meeting today. But when the day came, the shadow ghost reported that it had not been able to contact the other party. Hearing this, Ji Xuan used the blood mirror to check and saw the moment the other party collapsed. Since he could remember, no one except this person in front of him could make him feel such strong feelings. The heart that had been silent for so long felt like it was covered with sharp barbed wires. It tightened mercilessly until it felt suffocating, and panic spread all through to his fingertips. At that moment, no matter what it was, everything was instantly tossed aside. Ji Xuan lowered his head and stared deeply at the young man unconscious in his arms. ¡ª-It was only when he finally had the young man in his arms that he could finally felt relieved. A faint sigh escaped from his lips. His scarlet eyes narrowed in contentment. It was as if he had become complete again the moment he held the other person. Ji Xuan traced the other person¡¯s face with his eyes. Rubbing his cold and pale fingers carefully across the young man¡¯s chin, he looked at him as if he was a precious treasure. He had wanted to do this since their first meeting. Only God knew how much willpower he needed to use to restrain this impulse of his. ¡ª¨CTake it slow, don¡¯t rush. Ji Xuan looked at the young man in his arms. All the suppressed emotions in his scarlet eyes were finally able to be released. Deeply exposed without any reservation. Purely evil desires stirred in his eyes. Like a dark fire, it constantly burned, urging and enticing him to take more extreme actions. It would be great if he could eat this person. From his bones to his blood and flesh, consume everything into his stomach so that he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about the other person leaving again. They would never separate again. Ji Xuan took in a deep breath. He looked way with difficulty and tried his best to suppress the dark and vicious desires inside him. He lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the remaining mirror fragments on the ground. He then raised his eyebrows somewhat in surprise. ¡­¡­Mirror spirit? . Ye Jia stood in a bustling street. The people around him hurried past while only he stood still like a landmark. He knew exactly where he was. The one that was sealed in the mirror just now was probably a mirror spirit. It had the ability the create illusions and show a person their innermost desires¡ª-Whether it was power, reputation, beauty or wealth, anything could be obtained. It made people indulge in their own desires until they gradually forget about their real past, until they¡¯re completely swallowed up by this world. If one wanted to leave, one must find the mirror spirit¡¯s true body. It would take on the appearance of a certain person. It could be someone you are close two or it could just be a passer-by, or even an animal. Only by killing the mirror spirit could this illusion be destroyed. Ye Jia watched the endless stream of people pass by. He was a little troubled over where to start. ¡°¡­.Ye Jia?¡± A familiar voice sounded behind him. Ye Jia turned to look, only to see Cheng Cezhi standing behind him, looking at him with some surprise. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you going home after work? What are you doing standing here?¡± Ye Jia asked calmly, ¡°Do you know where my place is?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Cheng Cezhi smiled heartily, ¡°We happen to be in the same community. Do you need me to give you a ride?¡± Ye Jia was silent for a couple of seconds before accepting the offer. Although the mirror spirit could be any creature, based on his experience, this cunning monster liked to pretend to be the victim¡¯s most important person. The best method now was to stay still and watch the changes. Cheng Cezhi spoke a lot. Under Ye Jia¡¯s clever guidance, he was able to quickly dig out information about this illusory world. He grew up normally, performed stably in the college entrance examination and was admitted into university before finally joining this company through graduate recruitment. This year was his fifth year working in the company and a project had just been finalised today. The team originally planned to have a celebration banquet, but it was rejected by Ye Jia. Cheng Cezhi glanced over at Ye Jia through the rear-view mirror and said with a laugh: ¡°Brother Ye is a good family man.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t answer. He just narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to look at the lights flying past outside the window. They soon arrived at their destination. Ye Jia unexpectedly found that this was the same community as the one he was currently living in. Cheng Cezhi dropped him off and then hurriedly said goodbye, ¡°See you tomorrow Brother Ye!¡± Ye Jia looked up at the familiar residential building in front of him. He proceeded to step inside. When he got out of the elevator, he had reached his own floor. But before Ye Jia could take out the key from his pocket, the door opposite his place suddenly opened and a voice range out behind him, ¡°Xiao Jia? Why are you back so late?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s hand holding the key stiffened. He didn¡¯t look back. The other party¡¯s soft hand fell on his shoulder, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Jia placed the key back into his pocket and turned around without a change to his expression, ¡°¡­..Nothing.¡± The woman in front of him wasn¡¯t tall. Her hair had white strands mixed in and her face was thin. Even despite this, one could see the vibrance and liveliness from her youth. She glanced at Ye Jia accusingly and reprimanded not very seriously, ¡°You should have said something if you were going to come back so late. We almost couldn¡¯t wait any longer for you. Hurry up, dinner will get cold.¡± Ye Jia followed her into the place opposite his. Please read this from kk translates There were four or five familiar faces sitting at the dining table. The table was filled with food. They all smiled brightly when they saw Ye Jia and shouted at the same time, ¡°Happy birthday!¡± All the furnishings in the room were warm and cosy, filling up the small space. Whether it was a photo or an ornament, it was just like how it was in his distant memories. Ye Jia stood in the middle of the room. His gaze turned cold. His fingers habitually rubbed against each other. ¡ª-This mirror spirit was seeking death. His mother sat down at the dining table and called out, ¡°Hurry and sit. What are you standing around for?¡± Ye Jia turned and smiled softly, ¡°Coming.¡± He approached the table and pulled out the chair to sit but just before he sat, a large crescent-shaped scythe coldly cut through the air with a brief flash before retracting back into his palm. The blade however seemed like it only cut through water. Nothing had changed. The mirror spirit wasn¡¯t in this illusion. Ye Jia slightly clicked his tongue ¡ª¨C This one was quite cunning. His mother smiled at him, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why aren¡¯t you sitting?¡± At that moment, the other person¡¯s appearance and his memory overlapped. Stained with blood, pale and ashen without any signs of life, those lifeless eyes looked at him with stiff, half open lips. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and sat down. ¡°Just a little tired today.¡± At this moment, there was a soft knock on the door. ¡°Coming.¡± Just like how she was in his memories, his mother could never stay still. She wiped her hands on her apron, promptly stood up and went over to open the door. The yellow light in the corridor entered, falling onto her body. His mother smiled brightly, ¡°Xiao Xuan, you¡¯re here?¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He looked up. In his memory, there was no one called Xiao Xuan. He saw a black haired and black-eyed woman enter. Wearing a yellow duck oven mitten and holding a steaming pot of stew, she smiled shyly, ¡°Mother, please be careful not to get scalded.¡± She had a slender figure with long legs and her features were beautiful but also not excessively so. She gave off a natural feeling of gentleness. ¡°Why are you still so polite?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s mother pulled out another chair and placed it right beside Ye Jia, ¡°You even brought something over?¡± Xiao Xuan blinked a few times and smiled, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I¡¯m usually busy? Since I have time this time, I thought it would be nice to give it a go.¡± She glanced at Ye Jia begrudgingly, ¡°Otherwise Brother Jia might go find someone else to eat with.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s hand holding the chopsticks stiffened, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Now he understood. This mirror spirit must have a problem. In addition to dragging him into an illusory world, it even wanted to play matchmaker along the way. The not so savory meal soon ended. Ye Jia was a little absent-minded as he listened to the group of people in the illusion chat. He turned to look out the dark window. Night had fallen and the lights outside had quietly turned on. It looked almost no different from reality. Ye Jia retracted his gaze. After his ¡®wife¡¯ said goodbye to the others with a smile, she turned to look at him, ¡°Coming? Let¡¯s go home.¡± Ye Jia nodded and stood up. As soon as he stood up, he realised that something was wrong. Ye Jia was taken aback. He turned around and glanced at his tall and slim ¡®wife¡¯ beside him. Perhaps it was because of her figure, he hadn¡¯t noticed until now how tall she actually was. After standing up, he realised that his wife seemed to be a few centimetres taller than him. The others seemed to pay no heed to the height difference between the two and just enthusiastically said goodbye to them. Ye Jia and Xiao Xuan crossed the corridor and entered their place one after another. As soon as they opened the door, it was the same as his current place in reality. Looking at the tall woman in front of him, Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. The tip of his finger glowed slightly. Although he felt that the mirror spirit wouldn¡¯t be so stupid, it was better to be safe. But before he could make a move, the woman in front of him suddenly turned around pressed against him. Ye Jia was taken aback for a moment. For a while, he couldn¡¯t react. The woman¡¯s beautiful features were no longer as gentle as it was earlier, and it now looked sharp and aggressive. She proactively leaned down for a kiss. Her lips were very thin and couldn¡¯t be considered as soft. It actually conversely felt somewhat cold. She pressed down against Ye Jia¡¯s lips without restraint. Ye Jia: ¡°!!!¡± He was caught off guard and stumbled back a few steps from the force until his back hit the closed door with a ¡®bang¡¯. The kiss was intense and rough and filled with possessiveness, as if she wanted to eat him up. Ye Jia¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t working. When he finally returned to his senses, he noticed that the other party was pressed firmly against him, leaving no gaps. Ye Jia¡¯s entire body was stiff. He awkwardly avoided the lips of the other party who continued to kiss him and reached out to push the other person away: ¡°W¡­..wait!¡± Xiao Xuan narrowed her eyes. Her long, narrow eyes were dark and deep and her long, black hair fell past her shoulders. She curled up her dark red lips and looked rather seductive, ¡°Husband, what¡¯s wrong?¡± She moved a little closer again. Her slender and pale finger fell onto Ye Jia¡¯s chest, and she proceeded to undo his buttons one after another. Her voice was a little husky, ¡°No need to be shy.¡± ¡°No¡­..¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyelid twitched. He hurriedly stopped the hand that still wanted to continue, ¡°I¡­.don¡¯t¡­.¡± He took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and quickly pushed the other person away. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xiao Xuan sighed regretfully. Her gloomy black eyes slowly moved downwards, and her gaze lingered at the exposed collarbone and upper chest. It was hot and burning. A faint red light briefly flashed across her lowered eyes. It was like a flash of fire ignited inside a deep and dark abyss. It carried the desire to devour the other person. Under that gaze, Ye Jia felt extremely uncomfortable. For some reason, he felt as if the other person was using their eyes to strip him naked. But the next moment, Xiao Xuan withdrew her gaze nonchalantly. She stored away the aggressiveness earlier and smiled gently, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, do you want to go to bed early tonight?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll heat up some milk for you.¡± After saying this, she turned around and entered the kitchen. Ye Jia was left alone in the living room. He had to take a few deep breaths to finally pull himself back to his senses. He raised his hand and hesitantly touched his lips. He hissed in pain. Sore, hot and swollen. It was probably bleeding a little as well. There was the sound of bubbling in the kitchen. The milk was being heated up. A sweet scent slowly drifted out. Ye Jia pursed his still sore lips. He looked in the direction of the kitchen with some doubt. Through the semi-translucent door, he could see the other party busying around. Under the cover of the night, it looked exceptionally homely and nice. It was clearly a scene he liked. ¡ª-As long as he ignored the tear at the corner of his lips. Logically speaking, the illusions presented by the mirror spirit should be a person¡¯s deepest and truest desires. Ye Jia frowned and began to doubt life. N-no way¡­. Turns out¡­..his ideal type was actually like this?? CH 28 Late night. Ye Jia laid awkwardly in bed with his ¡®wife¡¯ sleeping closely next to him. Her cold and soft arms were wrapped around his arm like some kind of snake and her entire body was almost completely pressed up against him. The woman¡¯s long, dark hair spread out, enveloping him like a net. Some fell near his neck, reaching into his pyjamas like a living thing and creating a soft, itchy sensation. His wife raised her eyes and smiled sweetly. As if she didn¡¯t see the other person¡¯s look of rejection, she moved closer and kissed the young man on the lips. Ye Jia quickly dodged so the kiss only fell onto his cheek. The woman however didn¡¯t seem to notice anything strange. The smile on her face didn¡¯t show any changes and she just said softly, ¡°Goodnight my husband.¡± The corners of Ye Jia¡¯s lips twitched. He replied stiffly, ¡°¡­.Goodnight.¡± The smile on the other person¡¯s face deepened further. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Ye Jia¡¯s body was slightly stiff. He stared unblinkingly at the ceiling in the darkness. The breathing by his ear was shallow. It gradually become more uniform. She seemed to have fallen into deep sleep. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and looked at the woman resting on his shoulder. The pale, porcelain-like face looked particularly dazzling in the dark. Her long eyelashes hung down, leaving deep shadows on her face, and there was still a faint smile lingering on her thin lips. For some reason, Ye Jia felt that she shouldn¡¯t be the mirror spirit in disguise. After all, this character¡¯s personality was too¡­..fierce and strong. It was even to the point that it was difficult for Ye Jia to deal with. But it was better to be safe. The scythe¡¯s sharp blade quietly cut through the darkness. Without a single ripple, it passed through the woman¡¯s body. The woman was still asleep. Sure enough, she wasn¡¯t it. Ye Jia released the breath he had been holding in until now. He didn¡¯t know if it was due to relief or regret. Although he knew that the other person wasn¡¯t the person he was looking for, it was still impossible for him to sleep in the same bed as a stranger. After all, Ye Jia had been in the game for too long. In there, his opponents were not only the fierce ghosts and monsters lurking in the dark waiting for a chance to strike, but also players with hidden intentions. Wandering on the edge of life and death, once he lowers his guard and fall asleep, he may end up sleeping forever. He could never sleep with another person next to him. Even if he did fall asleep, he would be able wake up in an instant and enter a combative state in the shortest time possible. But for some reason, as darkness gradually invaded the surroundings, an unbearable sense of sleepiness rose from the depths of his body. The body next to him was cold and soft but it somehow gave him familiar sense of¡­¡­reassurance¡­.. His consciousness became more and more hazy. He was soon dragged into the dark abyss of sleep. Ye Jia fell into deep sleep. Darkness enveloped the small room. With the sound of steady breathing coming from the two of them, the silence appeared extraordinarily peaceful. Suddenly, one of them was gone. The elegant and graceful woman silently opened her eyes. Under her long eyelashes, her eyes turned into a scarlet, almost blood-like colour which looked particularly terrifying in the darkness. Her hands were soft and ice cold. It flexibly moved downwards, snaking around the other person¡¯s slender waist. The distance between them narrowed further and the two bodies were now almost completely pressed together such that they shared each other¡¯s heat. Ji Xuan raised his eyes. His line of sight moved boldly over to the young man¡¯s body and his scorching gaze slowly descended from the other party¡¯s sleeping side profile down to his slender and pale neck and over to the slightly open pyjamas. Using his gaze, he greedily licked over every inch of the other person¡¯s body. Please read this from kk translates He hooked up his lips. His sharp, white teeth was faintly visible between his thin, scarlet lips. He looked like a shark that had just smelt blood in the water. The young man had unsuspectingly fallen asleep beside him. He was completely unaware that the milk he drank before going to bed had been tampered with. Ji Xuan nestled himself into the other person¡¯s arms. He raised his head and pressed his cold lips on the place he wasn¡¯t able to reach earlier ¡ª- The other person¡¯s lips. After a while, he moved away and licked his lips. The soft voice had changed back to his original deep and hoarse voice. ¡°Husband, you forgot our goodnight kiss.¡± . The next day, Ye Jia woke up in bed. The sun was already high up in the sky. Bright sunlight filled the room like flowing water. Ye Jia blinked a few times in daze. It took him a few seconds to realise where he was. How long¡­.had it been since he slept so soundly? His entire body had become soft from the long and deep sleep. Ye Jia slowly got up from the bed and rubbed his messy hair. ¡°A¡¯Jia, you¡¯re awake?¡± Ye Jia raised his head and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw his ¡®wife¡¯ standing at the door, smiling at him. She wore a black professional dress that outlined her exquisite curves as well as light makeup on her face. She was probably about to go out, ¡°You slept too deeply. You didn¡¯t even wake up when I tried to wake you.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. As if she didn¡¯t notice his stunned state, his wife walked over in her heels, bent down skilfully and grabbed his pyjama collar to drop a soft kiss on his lips. Ye Jia¡¯s body stiffened instinctively but before he could do anything, the other party had already moved away. The woman with a gentle appearance had her eyes half-lowered. She looked at him with a smile in her eyes. She stretched out her hand and slowly rubbed her cold and pale finger against Ye Jia¡¯s lower lip to wipe away the lipstick. ¡°Get up. I have already left breakfast for you on the table.¡± He could still feel the lingering temperature and sensation on his lips. Ye Jia blinked in daze. He subconsciously pursed his lips but didn¡¯t notice the other person¡¯s gaze darkening because of that action of his. ¡°Alright.¡± His wife retracted her gaze and smiled gently. The smile on her face was flawless, ¡°I¡¯m going to work now. See you tonight.¡± After she was done saying that, she left through the front door. Ye Jia got up from the bed, stepped into his slippers and entered the bathroom. What was reflected in the mirror was his own face, but it also wasn¡¯t entirely his face either. The young man¡¯s face was gentle and warm, and the corners of his lips were slightly raised even when not smiling. Although his skin was fair, it was a normal level of fairness. His body was thin and looked weak due to lack of exercise, but it was still tall and straight. Ye Jia took in this unfamiliar self in the mirror. This was him¡­¡­if he wasn¡¯t dragged into the game. But when he looked straight into the depths of the reflected person¡¯s light-coloured eyes, he could see a familiar coldness and detachment, as if he was incompatible with his surroundings ¡ª That was the look that could only be seen in people who have crawled out from hell with great difficulty after experiencing torture no one could imagine. ¡­.Sometimes, he even felt that he couldn¡¯t be considered a human. Ye Jia lowered his eyes to conceal the complex emotions. Suddenly, his line of sight stopped in place. He looked up again, leaned a little closer to the mirror and frowned suspiciously. He tilted his head slightly and looked closely at his neck and collarbone. For some reason, there were a few red marks left on the side of his neck. It looked particularly eye-catching on his particularly pale skin. Ye Jia rubbed it with his fingers. Couldn¡¯t be wiped off. Was it a mosquito bite? Ye Jia¡¯s brow furrowed further. He fell into thought. How strange¡­..The mirror spirit this time was very strange. It even created an illusion that included the existence of mosquitoes? Wasn¡¯t it too realistic?! . A tall woman wearing a professional dress and high heels walked out of the community. Her body shape changed in an instant. In just a few short steps, she changed from a tall and slender woman to a tall, adult male and the clothes rippled like water before changing into a simple long sleeve top and pants. Ji Xuan looked up at the sky. His pale and slender fingers clasped around the air. The next second, something strange appeared between his fingers. That thing struggled desperately. Its body was of a translucent gelatinous form which constantly switched between a human face and an animal. In the end, it finally settled with the appearance of a snake with gorgeous colours on its body. These colours continued to change as it twisted around. ¡°Ahhhhhh forgive me! Forgive me!¡± The mirror spirit let out a shrill cry, ¡°I don¡¯t dare! I don¡¯t dare!¡± Ji Xuan looked down at it, ¡°Don¡¯t dare? Don¡¯t dare do what?¡± ¡°W-when I pulled him in, I didn¡¯t know he was one of your people!¡± The mirror spirit stuttered as it tried to explain, ¡°A-and I didn¡¯t do it on purpose! It was the person who forcibly threw me over so I just¡­..¡± ¡°Why are you so flustered?¡± Ji Xuan said casually, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that you didn¡¯t do well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± The mirror spirit was stunned. It dazedly repeated those words in its mind. It didn¡¯t expect to hear something like this coming from someone like him. Ji Xuan raised his eyes and scanned the surrounding environment. It could be seen that this mirror spirit¡¯s power and ability wasn¡¯t high. Although it did its best to imitate reality, it could only at most show a world that was similar on the surface, but the details were rough. It was more like a floating bubble reflecting a small part of the distorted reality. He retracted his gaze and his voice was calm: ¡°This is the world he desires the most, is it not?¡± The mirror spirit wasn¡¯t able to get what the other party¡¯s intentions were. It replied fearfully, ¡°I-it c-could be considered that¡­..¡± Ji Xuan smiled slightly. A hint of almost intoxicating tenderness surfaced in his eyes, but it still made one fearful. ¡°Then, as long as big brother likes it, I don¡¯t mind making it a reality.¡± This mirror spirit¡¯s power was too weak. But with his assistance, this world could become something that is no longer an illusion. The world rules as well as the blank areas would be filled in and it would no longer be a rough imitation of the real world and instead become an existence that could almost parallel the real world and run independently on its own. Every character could build on their existing memories and actually live on¡ª-If Ye Jia wasn¡¯t satisfied, he could also take people from the real world, erase their memories, and then bring them into Ye Jia¡¯s ideal world to play the part of a perfect supporting role. Of course, a great price would be required to achieve something like this. But if this was what Ye Jia really wanted¡­.. Then Ji Xuan would do everything he could to ensure that the world takes form¡ª¨C A peaceful world without fierce ghosts or monsters, no game and no death, no sorrow and no pain. It would only be warm and peaceful, continuing on forever like this. If Ye Jia was bored with this virtuous and gentle wife, he could also change into another look that was more in line with the other¡¯s preferences. It didn¡¯t matter what the gender and personality was, he would do everything to satisfy the other party¡¯s expectations of his partner. The mirror spirit stared at the man before it. Panic rose from the depths of its heart. As a monster that could read the hearts of others, although it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to directly read this person¡¯s heart, it was rather sensitive to emotions. Its instincts told it that this man was a terrible monster it had never encountered before. ¡ª¨CWhether it was his power or his soul. That was an abyss made of up obsessions. Dark, evil and bottomless, he would do anything until the goal was reached. The person he loves would suffer as much as the people he hates. It shuddered. For the first time, it felt sympathy for the person this man had set his eyes on. How unlucky must he be?! Ji Xuan lightly let out a sigh, ¡°A pity¡­.¡± The mirror spirit trembled slightly, ¡°W-what are you worried about?¡± ¡°I was warned by him not to do something like this again.¡± A look of frustration flashed through Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes. His eyebrows slowly furrowed as he seemed to recall some unpleasant memories. He still remembered the consequence of his last attempt to keep the two of them together forever. ¡ª-Not only was the other person scared away, but he himself almost disappeared. It was a painful lesson. Ji Xuan regretfully released the mirror spirit. He watched its translucent body with colourful patterns disappear into the air. He said softly, ¡°So this time, I have to be hundred percent certain.¡± . Ye Jia quickly finished his breakfast. This ¡®wife¡¯s¡¯ personality was a little too strange and she was too passionate towards him, but it had to be said that her cooking was exceptional. It was almost perfectly in line with Ye Jia¡¯s preferences. As expected of the spouse chosen for him by the mirror spirit. After eating, his phone rang. As soon as the call connected, Cheng Cezhi¡¯s voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°Brother Ye, why haven¡¯t you arrived yet?! Chief Liu will be angry again!¡± Ye Jia was taken aback, ¡°¡­.Liu Zhaocheng?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ye Jia hesitated for a moment and answered, ¡°I will be there soon.¡± Since the mirror spirit hadn¡¯t hidden itself in his ¡®family¡¯, it was very likely that it had hidden itself in his work environment instead. Ye Jia managed to draw out the address from Cheng Cezhi. ¡ª-As expected, the address of the company was the same as the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau in reality. He took a taxi there and familiarly went to the floor where the Bureau was located in his reality. There was similarly a ¡®Recycling Clean Energy¡¯ sign hung on the door. Through the translucent glass door which had been wiped clean, one could see the layout and furnishings inside which was completely different to that of reality. It was no longer an undercover secret government department. Instead, it was a private enterprise with a business licence. Ye Jia¡¯s gaze lingered on that sign for a moment. His footsteps stopped and he reached out to push the glass door open. As soon as he stepped into the company, he was greeted with a rain of curses. Liu Zhaocheng¡¯s face was flushed red with anger and his bald head shone brighter than usual. He pointed at the timetable on the wall: ¡°Ye Jia! Look at how many times you¡¯ve been late this month! You don¡¯t want your year-end bonus anymore?!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± He silently stepped away to avoid being hit by the other person¡¯s saliva. Wait a minute¡­¡­ Wasn¡¯t he in an illusion? Logically speaking, shouldn¡¯t his personal setting be of a good employee loved by the boss and admired by his colleagues? Not to mention the year-end bonus, shouldn¡¯t a promotion and salary increase be something given to him? Why was he still a corporate slave?! ¡ª-Ye Jia began to deeply question this mirror spirit¡¯s ability. . After testing out everyone in the company, Ye Jia finally confirmed that the mirror spirit wasn¡¯t hiding here. He frowned. He wondered if he had missed something. Soon, it was time to get of work. Ye Jia declined Cheng Cezhi¡¯s offer to give him a ride and took a bus home by himself. The setting sun dyed the sky outside the window a gorgeous rose red colour. People hurried past, rushing to their respective destinations. All the noises made it seem lively like a vegetable market. Ye Jia stared at the scene in front of him. The setting sun outside also painted the side of his face red. Hitting his eyes, it coated his light-coloured eyes with a layer of gorgeous crimson colour. He retracted his gaze, leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. When he got home, the sky had already darkened. The dark blue and golden red merged in the horizon. Ye Jia took out his key and unlocked the door. Please read this from kk translates A strong smell of food rushed out. The living room was still lit up by the sunset outside. Sizzling sounds of cooking could be heard from the kitchen. His place was filled with the ordinary sounds of daily life. Ye Jia stood in the hallway frozen in daze. The next second, the kitchen sliding door opened and his wife walked out carrying food. Seeing Ye Jia standing at the door, she was a little surprised. ¡°You¡¯re back so early today?¡± She had already changed into comfortable clothes and had an apron tied around her waist as well as a pair of childish yellow duck oven mittens on her hands. His wife placed down the food and passed another one over, ¡°Go and give it to mother.¡± Ye Jia reached out to receive it but was evaded by the other party. His wife glared at him, ¡°Not afraid of being burnt? Put on some gloves.¡± Ye Jia was silent for a moment, ¡°¡­..Oh.¡± Five minutes later, Ye Jia brought the food over to his mother¡¯s place wearing a pair of yellow duck oven mittens. He declined with difficulty the other party¡¯s warm invitation for him to stay for dinner and returned home with a new plate of stir-fried vegetables forcible pushed onto him by his mother. His wife had already taken off her apron. The dining table was covered with a checkered tablecloth and filled with steaming home-cooked dishes. All the lights had been turned on, making the scene look like a perfect, illusory dream. She came over and received the dish from Ye Jia before naturally leaning forward. Ye Jia tried to avoid it but was unable to completely escape. ¡ª-A cold kiss fell onto the corner of his lips. The two were very close. Ye Jia could smell the faint smell of cooking on her. His wife smiled and backed away, ¡°Quick, let¡¯s eat.¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes, pulled out a chair and sat down. Only the sound of dishes and utensils clattering could be heard in the quiet dining room. His wife as usual talked about the amusing things that happened to her during the day. Ye Jia listened quietly. There was no expression on his face, but his light-coloured eyes softened. After the meal, he took the initiative to wash the dishes. As night fell, the sky outside darkened further. In the dark room, Ji Xuan looked down at the sleeping young man in his arms. He leaned down and pressed his cold lips against the other party¡¯s soft hair. His low voice sounded in the silent room. ¡°Big brother, is this what you want?¡± ¡ª-No one answered his question. The young man had his eyes closed, his long eyelashes drooping down. Even in his sleep, his brows were still slightly furrowed, as if he was sleeping with worries weighing on his mind. The third day peacefully and quietly arrived. Everything was the same as the day before. Ye Jia got up, got dressed, and went to work. He arrived at his company on time, leaving Liu Zhacheng a little surprised. He didn¡¯t seem to expect him to be on time. On this day, Ye Jia saw the Ji Xuan in this world. In this perfect world, Ji Xuan was his university junior. After not seeing him for so many years, he unexpectedly found that the other party was the CEO of the competitor company. The man¡¯s dark eyes were filled with surprise. With his long legs and tall height, he only needed a few steps to reach him. There was a smile on his lips. ¡°Senior, I didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± His eyes were clean and clear. There wasn¡¯t the slightest hint of hair-raising darkness contained in them. It was just like the child in Ye Jia¡¯s memory who called him big brother and pulled at the corner of his clothes. He invited, ¡°Let¡¯s have dinner tonight?¡± Ye Jia looked at the other party scrutinisingly. After confirming that that the man before him had nothing to do with the moody Ghost King in reality, he smiled and turned down the other party¡¯s invitation. ¡°Sorry, I have to go home tonight.¡± Soon, it was time to leave work. Ye Jia left the company and returned home by bus. His wife greeted him with a smile. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a soft peck, ¡°Husband, you¡¯re back.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t avoid it this time. He allowed the other to kiss him. The smile on his wife¡¯s lips deepened. She pulled the chair out and sat down before turning to Ye Jia who was still standing in the hallway, ¡°Let¡¯s eat?¡± Ye Jia was silent for a moment. He then slowly took a step back. ¡°No.¡± He said. A red light flashed by in his wife¡¯s eyes. She tilted her head with confusion but the smile on her lips was still perfect. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Not hungry today?¡± Ye Jia raised his eyes and looked at her. His eyes were light and cold. As if all human emotions had been cut away, it was like there was heavy snow falling in his eyes and he appeared indifferent and distant. Ye Jia¡¯s gaze seemed to be looking directly at the other party, but it was also as if he didn¡¯t see the woman in front of him and was staring at an empty space in front of him. His eyes penetrated through the other person¡¯s body and fell into the distance. His voice was low. It sounded like he was mumbling to himself. ¡°¡­¡­Enough. ¡° A large pitch-black scythe slowly appeared from his palm. Sharp, cold light shone in the small room. An overwhelming power exploded from the depths of his body and extremely terrible energy surged around in instant like a violent hurricane. One drop, two drops, three drops. Blood fell to the ground. Shockingly bright red blood spread out from below Ye Jia¡¯s feet little by little, dying the ground into something resembling a scene after a massacre. It invaded and occupied the world before him as the temperature rapidly fell. One could faintly hear the sound of water vapour in the air condensing into ice and frost. The look in Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes changed. This was a ghost domain. The other party was serious this time. And the ghost domain released by Ace when he was serious was something even he himself was unwilling to face. After all, no one in this world knew how terrible it was better than him. Ye Jia raised his eyes and looked at the empty space not yet completely covered by the blood. He curled up the corners of his lips and revealed a smile that carried no warmth. He spoke slowly and softly: ¡°Since you are going to continue hiding, don¡¯t blame me for leaving you with nowhere to hide.¡± CH 29 Chapter 29 Ji Xuan quickly withdrew from the illusion created by the mirror spirit. The scene around him was the same as before he closed his eyes. Dark ghost energy tightly filled the entire room while two weak humans clung to the wall in fear, their faces pale and distorted as they waited for death to come. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and looked down at Ye Jia who was lying in his arms. The young man¡¯s head rested against his shoulder, his dark and smooth hair sticking out from under his hood. The tip of his chin was pale and delicate, and his beautifully contoured lips were closed tightly even while he was unconscious, making him appear cold and distant. Ji Xuan silently let out a sigh of regret. ¡ª-The passage of time in the illusory space created by the mirror spirit was different to that of real life. They had stayed in the illusion for three full days, but only a few minutes had passed in the real world. With this, the other party should soon wake up, Ji Xuan lowered his head, his gaze falling onto the broken mirror fragments on the ground. A dim light flashed across the depths of his eyes. It seems that¡­¡­Big brother didn¡¯t like that perfect world plan very much. But it didn¡¯t matter. He had time. Sooner or later, he can personally create the perfect ending belonging to the two of them. Ji Xuan curled up his lips and gently pressed his lips on the sleeping young man¡¯s forehead. He laid Ye Jia back down onto the ground and then stood up and walked towards the two fearful humans. Dong Gua trembled violently as he backed away but his back was already firmly pressed against the wall. There was no room for him to retreat. His face was as white as paper. He watched the man slowly approach him¡ª-The other party¡¯s strong oppressive presence made it almost impossible for him to breathe. It¡¯s over, it¡¯s over, it¡¯s over¡­.. Dong Gua chanted in his heart. But unexpectedly, the other party stopped about a step away from him. Ji Xuan looked down at the two pitifully weak humans before him and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s a pity. If I killed you here, he would realise that I was here.¡± Please read this from kk translates The two didn¡¯t dare let out a sound. They trembled in fear, waiting for their final sentence. Ji Xuan asked with a smile that didn¡¯t seem quite like a smile. ¡°So, you will keep it a secret for me, won¡¯t you?¡± Dong Gua breathed a little. Like a drowning man grasping onto something to preserve his life, he stammered, ¡°I¡­..I promise. I w-won¡¯t say a single word¡­.w-won¡¯t say anything.¡± The other tall and lanky man also quickly swore on it The next second, their voices abruptly stopped. It was as if some oath had taken effect. A strange feeling took over them. They instinctively realised¡ª-If they violated this oath, something extremely terrible would befall them. The two hurriedly looked at each other with a look of panic. They almost immediately understood that it wasn¡¯t just their imagination as soon as they made eye contact. Ji Xuan nodded in satisfaction. ¡°But¡­..¡± He seemed to have suddenly thought of something and continued. Accompanied by a slightly dragged-out tone, those scarlet eyes of his turned and fell onto the tall and lanky man. ¡°You¡¯re different.¡± Recalling what he saw in the blood mirror, the blood around Ji Xuan gradually thickened and congealed. Although his expression didn¡¯t change much but that look of joy and anger in his eyes made one instinctively even more frightened and fearful. He casually raised a finger. A scarlet light flashed and fell onto the tall and lanky man. As if it had a mind of its own, it dived into the depths of his body. ¡ª¡ª!!! The tall and lanky man suddenly widened his eyes. His unclear eyes were bloodshot, and his ugly face became strange and distorted with fear and panic. Ji Xuan raised his lips but there was no smile in the depths of his eyes. ¡°Enjoy.¡± . In the illusion. A crescent shape blade swung down, reflecting a bright light. The young man advanced step by step, the scarlet blood under him spreading as he moved. Wherever his ghost domain touched, it was as if it was corroded by strong acid. They all quickly twisted, shrivelled and shattered, turning into pitch-black smoke and scattering in the air Floors, buildings, roads, sky¡ª¡ª Everything that was covered seemed to be crushed by some terrible unknown force, turning into an empty and icy-cold void. Where the darkness and scarlet intersected, the young man¡¯s figure was like a sharp silhouette, forcibly splitting the world. The blade gleamed. It drew a large arc and cut the boundary between the void and the illusory world. Everything was dying out quickly, as if they were decaying and rotting. Suddenly, there was a fluctuation in the area ahead that had not yet been eroded. Cheng Cezhi, Liu Zhaocheng, Ji Xuan¡­..familiar figures emerged one after another. ¡°Brother Ye? What are you doing?¡± Cheng Cezhi looked at him with worry, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Ye Jia, what are doing outside at such a late hour?¡± Liu Zhaocheng frowned, ¡°You still have work tomorrow.¡± Ji Xuan slowly stepped forward. His expression was calm and gentle, and his dark eyes flashed with concern. He said, ¡°Senior, after finally meeting after so long, don¡¯t you want to reminisce old times with me?¡± ¡°We used to be such good friends.¡± Ji Xuan smiled slightly, ¡°I will never be your enemy.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s gaze indifferently swept across these illusory phantoms. The sea of blood roared behind him, charging ahead mercilessly. Those figures were quickly swallowed up. ¡°¡­..Xiao Jia.¡± At this moment, a gentle voice sounded from another direction. The look in Ye Jia¡¯s eyes wavered slightly. He turned and looked in the direction of the sound. His mother looked at him from a distance. The wrinkles on her face and the white hairs at her temples were gone. Wearing a light-yellow dress, she wore her favourite pearl necklace around her neck and her long hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She looked extremely elegant and beautiful. She gently smiled. She looked¡­..just like how she did the night before her death. Ye Jia looked at her expressionlessly. The fingers around the handle of the scythe tightened slightly. His mother smiled gently and slowly stretched out her hand to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to stay with us?¡± She said softly, ¡°Stay with me. I will never leave you again.¡± Ye Jia stood quietly in place. A certain dark emotion rolled about in the depths of his light-coloured eyes like turbulent clouds in the sky before a storm. He chuckled lightly. ¡°Shameless.¡± Ye Jia slowly stepped forward, his voice still calm, ¡°Do you realise how many bosses in that game have tried to use this trick?¡± He asked lightly, ¡°Do you know what I did?¡± In the game, what ordinary monsters and ghosts sought for was nothing more than satisfying their hunger and desire to kill. They wanted his life and he also wanted theirs. The essence of it was just a fight to their deaths between the two parties, there were no private grievances. But this kind of ghost who would try and read his memory, find his weakness and even involve his late mother¡­¡­. ¡ª¡ªIt had turned this matter it a personal enmity. The smile remained on Ye Jia¡¯s lips, but his eyes were as cold as frost. ¡°I will make your demise as long and as painful as possible.¡± The sea of blood behind him was no longer restrained. It swelled like crazy and instantly submerged the entire world. A scream sounded from a distance. A transparent snake with colourful patterns appeared, ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!¡± After being forced to reveal itself, the mirror spirit realised at this moment that it had miscalculated. When it was caught by that terrible monster earlier, it had originally thought that it was doomed, but it didn¡¯t expect the other party to just say a few inexplicable words and then let it go. Although the mirror spirit didn¡¯t understand that happened between them, there was one thing it was quite certain about. No matter what it was planning on doing, that powerful and terrifying existence was not going to intervene. And so, the mirror spirit began to act unscrupulously. Although it had heard of Ace¡¯s reputation and knew that this person wasn¡¯t someone it should provoke, it also smelt the powerful and enticing scent emanating from this person, enticing it to take the risk. After all¡­..No matter how amazing he may be, Ace was still just a human. As long as he was human, he would have weaknesses and desires, and it was a creature that bred on that desire. As long as it was given time, it could take that human and his soul and make it its own. But who would have thought that¡­..It seemed to have bought itself to its demise. Its eyes rolled around cunningly. It then began to beg for mercy, ¡°Big brother, please forgive me! I don¡¯t dare do it anymore! I promise!¡± Ye Jia looked down at it indifferently. Please read this from kk translates His eyes were cold and distant. He looked down from above, as if he was look at an insignificant piece of dust next to his feet. The mirror spirit¡¯s heart fell. An ominous premonition rose inside it. ¡ª-This person didn¡¯t seem to be the type to be moved by words. In instinctively shuddered and turned around to escape. But before it could take more than a few steps, the thick blood on the ground seemed like it had a consciousness of its own. They surged and wrapped around the mirror spirit. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡ª-!!!!¡± A painful scream reverberated through world that was covered with darkness and dark red blood. The mirror spirit tumbled around in the sea of blood. Its slender body seemed to have endured some kind of inhumane torture as it twisted and turned into strange shapes and let out sharp cries of pain. It had never experienced such a horrible feeling before. The pain was so intense, the word pain seemed to have lost its meaning. It struggled on the brink of collapse and was tortured by precisely controlled pain. It felt as if its body and soul were slowly being cut apart and that sensation had been magnified by at least a hundred times. For the first time, the feeling of regret and fear developed in its heart. But Ye Jia just stood on the side, listening calmly. It was as if he was appreciating some kind of beautiful melody. Those amber-coloured eyes were half narrowed as he stood before the bloody scene, making him appear cruel and frightening. After a long, long time, those miserable cries seemed to have become part of the background noises. The scythe blade moved slightly. It hovered above the mirror spirit as if it would fall any second and completely end the other party¡¯s life. ¡°You think that you have strong willpower, don¡¯t you?¡± The transparent snake laid on the ground with its body twisted up. It raised its triangular head, its pair of transparent eyes vicious and crazed. It hissed, ¡°¡­.What I created were all the truest desires in your heart.¡± ¡°You are very strong. You could choose to force me out like this from the very beginning, right?¡± The mirror spirit smiled bitterly, ¡°But you didn¡¯t. You chose to stay here for three days, didn¡¯t you? What were you thinking about during those three days?¡± It knew that it wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. Therefore¡­..even if it would be hurt, it wanted to make the other party feel the same pain as well! The mirror spirit¡¯s mouth opened wide, its transparent tongue sticking out as if it was tasting the emotional changes of the other party. It sneered coldly, ¡°Deep in your heart, haven¡¯t you had those thoughts before?¡ª¨CHow good it would be if all of that had never happened? How good it would be if this world was real¡ª-¡± ¡°You surrendered to your own desires. After spending three days living a life you could never live, how did it feel? Satisfying? Or despairing?¡± It raised its head and started to laugh uncontrollably. The malice in its voice couldn¡¯t be concealed. ¡°Who would have thought that the deeply concealed wish the famous Ace couldn¡¯t resist was to be an ordinary and insignificant human!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes were lowered. His expression was the same as usual. He seemed to be used to hiding all his emotions under a perfect mask. ¡°¡­..Yeah.¡± He suddenly spoke. His voice was calm, as if he wasn¡¯t affected by the other party. He just repeated indifferently, ¡°Who would have thought.¡± Nine to five, a busy life filled with trivial matters with days slipping away from the fingers like running water, a life so calm that one would barely notice the passage of time. ¡ª-Continuing until all his hairs turned grey, until he passed away. An extremely peaceful and boring life. But for him, it was so¡­¡­ Alluring. ¡ª¡ªSo alluring that even if he knew that it was all just an illusion, he couldn¡¯t help but desire it. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. The sharp blade cut down without hesitation. A cold light silently flashed. In an instant, the mirror spirit¡¯s life was terminated. As soon as the blade fell, the illusion around him every quickly fell apart. The scythe in his hand disappeared. Ye Jia stood alone at the junction between darkness and blood, his slender figure looking extremely lonely. His voice was very soft, so soft that it was about to be swallowed up by the air as soon as those words left his lips. ¡°What¡¯s fake will always be fake.¡± A pity. . With the mirror spirit gone, the illusion also dispersed. Ye Jia opened his eyes. Using his hands to support himself, he slowly got up. From the moment he woke up, the ghost energy around him returned to his body like a beast being restrained. The cold surroundings began to warm up again, and it also gradually brightened up. The small room returned to its original state. Ye Jia massaged his temples. His head was pounding. He raised his eyes and saw the two people hiding in the furthest corner of the room. They appeared to be extremely frightened and were trembling like crazy as they stared at him with horrified eyes. ¡°¡­..Mirror spirit?¡± Ye Jia was expressionless, ¡°You even thought of that.¡± Dong Gua squeezed out a smile with difficulty, but it looked worse than crying, ¡°Brother Ace, this was all done by that skinny guy. I didn¡¯t do anything!¡± He fearfully stood up as he supported himself using the wall, ¡°I-In order to express my sincere apologies, I will immediately go surrender myself!¡± This attitude was very good. ¡°Then what about your things?¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously. Dong Gua hurriedly explained, ¡°Of course, they will all be handed in! Including my account book and how these cursed items work and how to remove the curse¡­¡­I am willing to atone for my wrongdoings and actively cooperate!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s gaze fell onto the other man. His brows furrowed slightly, ¡°What about him?¡± That tall and lanky man¡­..looked a little strange. Dong Gua hastily added, ¡°He will do the same! He will do the same!¡± He kicked the other person and spoke half-truthfully, ¡°This man is very timid and was scared shitless by you. He will be better after some time.¡± ¡ª¨COr perhaps he won¡¯t ever get better. Based on the instincts he had honed during his time in the game, Dong Gua knew that he shouldn¡¯t let the young man in front of him know what happened just now or the consequences would be unimaginable. . Dong Gua pointed to the sky and vowed that he would actively cooperate with the Bureau¡¯s investigation. He even expressed that he would help with dealing with the other cursed items which may be circulating around¡ª-He threw himself into the deep end without any hesitation. Only after watching the other person¡¯s short winter melon-like figure disappear through the door of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau did Ye Jia truly believe in the other party¡¯s sincerity to turn himself in. ¡­¡­How strange. Although Ye Jia had long known about Dong Gua¡¯s ability to go with the flow and adapt accordingly to changes in power, he didn¡¯t expect him to have such a drastic change in attitude. . In the corner outside the building. A hooded young man stood quietly in the dark, his slender figure almost blending with the shadows around him. Ye Jia looked at the entrance to the Bureau not far away. A complex look flashed across his eyes. He perhaps had not been aware of it until now¡ª¡ª-Or perhaps, he was aware of it, but didn¡¯t want to admit it: Ever since he cleared the game, everything he had done was done in order to allow him to live what he imagined an ¡®ordinary life of an ordinary person¡¯ was like. Clumsy, difficult, and the occasional failure, but he never grew tired of it. If nothing happened, perhaps after a few years or after a decade, Ye Jia would be able to truly live the peaceful and ordinary life he dreamed of. However, reality was cruel. Just as he thought he had successfully escaped, leaving the past behind him, the game collapsed, and the ghost door opened. Fierce ghosts, monsters¡­.and even people he was acquainted with that he thought he would never see again appeared before him one after another. They reached out to him, trying to pull him into that nightmare again. They whispered in his ear¡ª¡ª It isn¡¯t over yet. You are still one of us. Don¡¯t think that just by putting on a superficial layer of human disguise, you can pretend that you have forgotten everything. Stop dreaming. The illusion of peace and tranquillity was like the moon reflected in a pond. You could only watch from a distance but can never touch it¡ª-He now deeply understood this. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. Please read this from kk translates He still remembered how panicked he was when he was first dragged into the game. He had struggled with all his might in attempt to survive in that dangerous instance. But now¡­¡­ Everything was different. Whether it was the world, the game or he himself. They were all no longer what it used to be. Ye Jia raised his eyes. His amber eyes gleamed as he looked at the distant sky. The clouds there were reflected in his eyes. At that place, rain fell heavily onto the city below. He couldn¡¯t be more certain. His current peaceful life was currently at risk. If he left it alone, that life would soon be no more. ¡ª-Since he couldn¡¯t avoid it, then he won¡¯t try and avoid it. Ye Jia raised his hand. He pulled down his hood with his pale and slender fingers, the shadow from it hiding those eyes that had turned cold. It was just a matter of returning to his old profession. He slowly stepped back, his figure instantly melting into the seemingly endless darkness behind him. . Wu Su had never expected that something so wonderful would befall him. While he was busy looking up information about the cursed items in the library, a short and chubby man pushed open the door to the Bureau. He held a large cardboard box in his arms which was completely filled with various cursed items. ¡°My name is Dong Gua.¡± Dong Gua said, ¡°Call your captain over.¡± Dong Gua¡¯s name was very familiar. This person was also someone from the game. It was said he was immune to curses and once took advantage of that immunity and was involved with some dirty work. Although he had washed his hands clean of this later, as someone with experience in the game, Wu Su didn¡¯t think that someone like him would be anyone friendly. Wu Su immediately put his guard up. He rushed to the interrogation room at the fastest speed possible. What he didn¡¯t expect was¡­. The other party actually came to turn himself in. Watching Dong Gua obediently give them his rental address, his keys and all the stolen goods he had smuggled out from the game and even provide them with a list of all the cursed items he had sold and the purchaser¡¯s details, Wu Su felt that the situation was unreal. T-that¡¯s it?? Don¡¯t even need them to question him¡­..?? Just that simple?? Just as Wu Su was still in confusion, Dong Gua seemed to have noticed his stare. He raised his chubby face and walked straight towards him. ¡°Wu Su?¡± Wu Su was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t expect the other party to know him. He nodded, ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Ace asked me to pass a message to you.¡± Dong Gua¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but it sounded like thunder exploding in Wu Su¡¯s ears. ¡°He wants to have a chat with you.¡± CH 30 There was still one hour until the agreed time. Wu Su was already fidgeting around. His back was straight, and his collar neatly buttoned. The uniform he wore was extraordinarily neat with no traces of dust or wrinkles in sight. Wu Su looked down at his watch again and again. He followed the movement of the second hand and countered the minutes. Even the people who weren¡¯t familiar with him could tell how nervous and anxious he was. Dong Gua gloated from the sidelines, ¡°Why are you so nervous? Others would think that you¡¯re about to see your in-laws.¡± Wu Su glared at him, ¡°Mind your own business.¡± Dong Gua obediently shut his mouth. Silence followed. Nothing could be heard in the silent room. After a few seconds, Wu Su couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He hesitated for a few seconds and then turned and asked, ¡°That, you and Ace, you¡¯ve met before?¡± Dong Gua, ¡°Just a few times.¡± ¡°Are you two familiar?¡± Dong Gua nodded pretentiously, ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Stop lying.¡± Ke Zheng sitting next to them couldn¡¯t hold back and interrupted, ¡°You think we can¡¯t tell why you came and turned yourself in?¡± To make a player with no moral bottom line willingly turn himself in, the person who threatened him must be someone he couldn¡¯t defy. Wu Su on the side seemed a little absentminded. It was as if he couldn¡¯t hear the conversation going on between the other two people. After checking his watch for the 105th time, he turned and looked at Dong Gua. He held himself back for a long time before asking hesitantly, ¡°Ace¡­.what¡¯s he like?¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ke Zheng on the side couldn¡¯t watch any longer. Everything else about his captain was good, but he had a tendency to idolise people too much. This question also stumped Dong Gua. Although he was good at judging people and he had also seen Ace more than once, when asked to describe what kind of person this mysterious person who occupied the top position on the leaderboard was, it was actually rather difficult. This person was too difficult to read. Even Dong Gua himself didn¡¯t know what the other party¡¯s intentions were. He frowned and thought hard for a long time. He only spoke after a long silence, ¡°Uh¡­¡­very strong.¡± And sometimes very scary. Wu Su and Ke Zheng: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Oh, forget it. What¡¯s the use of asking this now?¡± Dong Gua finally stopped making it difficult for himself. He shrugged and sighed, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see him anyway.¡± Seeing that he wouldn¡¯t be able to get any information out from Dong Gua, a hint of disappointment flashed across Wu Su¡¯s face. Ke Zheng was silent for a long time. Finally, he couldn¡¯t help but ask: ¡°Brother Wu, you¡¯re that nervous?¡± Wu Su insisted, ¡°I¡¯m not nervous¡­..¡± Dong Gua on the side snorted. Wu Su glared at him. He then turned back to Ke Zheng again and let out a deep sigh, ¡°It just feels like¡­¡­time is passing too slowly.¡± Speaking of which, it was quite strange. Generally speaking, meetings with mysterious people would usually be set in the middle of the night. After all, a quiet night was most suitable for one to conspire. But this master had taken a different approach and set the appointment at 6:15 in the afternoon. ¡­..It was even exact to the minute. Moreover, what made Wu Su even more puzzled was that the meeting place appointed wasn¡¯t somewhere in the middle of nowhere or a secret location. Instead, it was a small milk tea store on the other side of the city. Dong Gua even thoughtfully sent the location of the milk tea store to Wu Su. It was no exaggeration to say that when he saw the address that contained no mysteriousness, Wu Su was shocked. This¡­.What kind of person was this big boss? . In fact, the reason why Ace decided that they meet in that milk tea store was because¡­¡­ He liked their matcha milk tea. The other milk tea in this store was unremarkable and it usually wasn¡¯t very busy, but their matcha milk tea was a must try. Sweet but not greasily sweet and extremely refreshing. Whether it was the matcha or the milk, the flavour was very strong and perfectly blended together. It was simply very addictive. But because the store was too far from his place, Ye Jia didn¡¯t have much of a chance to go there. And the reason why it was set at 6:15pm¡­. It was because Ye Jia got off at six and the extra fifteen minutes was just in case anything happened¡ª-Such as suddenly being called by Liu Zhaocheng to inspect his work or the likes. In short, he had planned it all perfectly. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t time for him to get off work yet. Ye Jia sat obediently in his cubicle with a large stack of unprocessed documents in front of him. He sat there absentmindedly, diligently playing his role as a salted fish. Suddenly, Ye Jia realised that it seemed to be¡­..a little too quiet? Ye Jia finally remembered what he had forgotten. He raised his hand and touched his shoulder. He then tore off the limp black hand. It seemed to have fainted and the colour of its entire body had faded somewhat. Although it had already lost consciousness, it still continued to cling to Ye Jia¡¯s collar, as if afraid the other party would shake it off. Ye Jia shook the small black hand. A rare trace of guilt rose inside him. He knew how powerful the ghost energy he released while he was unconscious was. As the one closest to him, the small black hand was probably the first to be attacked by it. It seemed to have received a direct blow and hadn¡¯t yet regained consciousness. Ye Jia gave it some yin energy. Although it was still limp, the colour of the small black hand had mostly recovered. A few seconds later, the small black hand weakly regained its consciousness. The moment it saw Ye Jia, it let out a loud sob and complained, ¡°You¡­.You¡¯re so cruel!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..Cough, sorry.¡± The small black hand held Ye Jia¡¯s hand as it wailed, ¡°I thought I was about to die!¡± Ye Jia was silent for a while but finally couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He slowly spoke up: ¡°But, in a sense¡­..Aren¡¯t you already dead?¡± The small black hand was left unable to speak. It exclaimed angrily, ¡°You¡¯re still trying to find faults in my words at a time like this?! Do you have any sympathy?!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s attitude was good, ¡°I was wrong.¡± ¡­..It felt like it was punching cotton. The small black hand¡¯s anger had nowhere to go. It could only snort angrily and say reluctantly, ¡°¡­¡­I want to play on the phone later!¡± Ye Jia well-temperedly nodded, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Play three hours!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°I want to spend money to buy some in-game beans.¡± The small black hand was insatiable. Ye Jia shook his head without getting angry, ¡°Dream on.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The small black hand was even more upset, ¡°Y-y-you¡­..didn¡¯t you promise me last time that half the salary will be given to me?!¡± Ye Jia said, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He then added, ¡°Next months.¡± The small black hand, ¡°¡­..¡± After thinking about it more carefully, it really did seem to be the case. It had miscalculated. Ye Jia thought about it carefully and added again, ¡°If next month¡¯s performance bonus does not get deducted, you should still get a salary¡­¡­I think?¡± Small black hand, ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± You humans are all pig trotters!!! It angrily broke free from Ye Jia¡¯s hand and rushed into his pocket. Ye Jia chuckled lightly. He felt that the mood that had been ruined by the mirror spirit was better now. He raised his head and looked at the clock hanging on the office wall. 5:55. It was soon time to get off work. Ye Jia¡¯s mood became better. Please read this from kk translates He packed up the documents piled on his desk and then stared at the half open door of the Logistics Department as if he was quietly waiting for something. The moment the minute hand moved and stopped at ¡®12¡¯, Ye Jia loudly stood up and proficiently rushed out the door just like how he did thousands of times before. Liu Zhaocheng only felt a cool breeze over his bald head. When he raised his head, Ye Jia¡¯s seat was already empty and even his figure had long disappeared out the door. Liu Zhaocheng: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This spirit of never working a second longer than required and disappearing out the office before being noticed by the boss¡­.. It could be regarded as a unique skill. Below the administration building. As Ye Jia stood under the bus stop sign, a black car slowly drove out from the parking lot under the building. Inside the car, Ke Zheng saw him. ¡°Hey, Brother Wu, isn¡¯t that the staff from the logistics department from last time?¡± Wu Su looked even more nervous than before. He looked in the direction pointed out by Ke Zheng and his eyes stopped for a moment on the young man standing under the bus stop sign. For some reason, the other party made Wu Su become a little distracted. The young man was tall and slender, and his complexion was very fair. Standing in the sunset, he was particularly eye-catching. It was unknown why, but it was as if anyone who looked in that direction would find their eyes attracted to him¡ª-There was a strange air around him, as if he didn¡¯t belong to the world around him. It made him stand out amongst the crowd. Wu Su retracted his gaze and motioned the driver to continue driving, ¡°We will give him our thanks next time. Right now, we have more important matters to attend to.¡± ¡ª-A meeting with Ace. . 6:10. In the milk tea store on the corner of the street. Wu Su opened the door and walked in. The store was very quiet. There was no one else there besides him. He paused for a moment, his eyes circling around the empty store. After confirming that he was the only customer here, Wu Su concealed the disappointment that appeared briefly on his face and casually ordered a cup of coffee before sitting down near the window. The view from this seat was the best. From where he sat, he could see the main entrance not far away as well as the entire street outside. If a car drove down this street or someone walked in this direction, he would be able to see it immediately. Wu Su stared closely at the door, not daring to relax a single bit the entire time, as if worried that he would miss the other person if he got distracted. The muscles on his body were tense. Both physically and psychologically, he was in an alert state. With this, any change outside was enough to startle Wu Su. Minutes passed. As the appointed time drew closer, Wu Su¡¯s frequency of checking his watch gradually increased. He watched the second hand slowly move across the clock face as he waited in anguish. Three minutes left. The entire street was empty. Two minutes left. A leaf nearby was picked up by the wind, causing it to swirl around on the ground. Wu Su¡¯s heart sank little by little. Countless speculations formed in his mind¡ª¨CPerhaps Dong Gua had passed on the wrong message, perhaps the other party had changed his mind, or perhaps they were delayed by something unexpected? Or maybe this was actually all just a conspiracy to divert their attention¡­. Only one minute left. Wu Su slowly let out the breath he had been holding in and withdrew his gaze. Even if the other party didn¡¯t arrive on time, he was prepared to wait here for at least three hours. After all, this was the only player who had cleared the game. As someone who was involved with the game, Wu Su was very aware of how horrible the instances and the fierce ghosts in the game were. He couldn¡¯t believe that there would actually be a player who could clear it and return to the real world¡ª-It was simply something that was even more difficult than ascending to the heavens. He couldn¡¯t imagine how powerful and terrifying that person who was able to achieve this was. More importantly¡­. Now that the ghost gates are wide open, all the fierce ghost and monsters that had been contained inside the game had been released, bringing disaster to the real world. Getting help from Ace gave them their best chance of succeeding. At this moment, the staff cautiously approached him with the coffee he had ordered. The cup was a little too full and the contents shook with every step taken causing some to slowly drip down the edges. The rich and slightly bitter scent spread through the empty store. Wu Su nodded at her and pointed to the table, ¡°Put it here¡­..¡± Before he could finish his words, a hand stretched out from the side. The fingers were well-defined, and the skin was smooth and fair. It precisely stabilised the staff¡¯s somewhat unstable hand, ¡°Be careful.¡± The other party¡¯s voice was slightly cold. Like a cold spring, it was deep and clear. However, his voice was gentle and polite, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Wu Su¡¯s eyes widened. He turned his head in shock. He saw that hand gently take the coffee from the staff¡¯s hand and place it on the table. The bottom of the cup touched the table with a light sound. ¡ª-At the same time, the minute hand on the clock in the store moved to point to the number ¡®3¡¯. Wu Su felt like he had stopped breathing. The young man had entered quietly like a cat. He lightly appeared from Wu Su¡¯s blind spot like a shadow, and both quickly and silently sat down opposite him. He spoke up lightly: ¡°This store¡¯s matcha milk tea is better than their coffee. You should try it next time.¡± Wu Su felt that his heartrate had probably soared to 200 beats per minute. He could hear the sound of his heart pounding in his eardrums, making his surroundings sound particularly noisy. His mind was a big mess. He could hardly think clearly. Only a few words circled around in his brain: ¡°It¡¯s Ace, it¡¯s Ace, it¡¯s Ace¡ª¨C¡± Ahhhhhhh!!!! Wu Su cleared his throat. At some point, his voice had become hoarse, ¡°Just now, it was almost time, I didn¡¯t see you come and thought¡­..¡± He pretended to be calm, but his words were a mess. ¡°I like to be punctual.¡± The young man lightly laughed. There was a strange charm in him. It seemed to make those who talk to him instantly relax. Wu Su slowly took a deep breath. He then calmly took in the Ace sitting opposite him. He was dressed simply and low-key, but it accentuated his slender and long legs and straight posture. His hood was lowered such that the shadow from it concealed the other party¡¯s face, only revealing their pale chin and gorgeously shaped lips. Please read this from kk translates Even without needing to think, Wu Su knew that the other party must be using a special method to conceal his true appearance. In fact, he had never expected the other party to come and see him with his true appearance. After all, Wu Su had also heard about the hatred leaderboard. Needless to say, those terrible fierce ghosts and monsters would all try to find him in exchange for the reward. Even the players who managed to escape from the game, most of them weren¡¯t good people. They may even be more dangerous and unpredictable than those fierce ghosts. For Ace to be willing to see him, it was already a big deal. He was completely stunned when he heard it. ¡ª-Even now, Wu Su still couldn¡¯t believe it. He couldn¡¯t believe that he was currently sitting face to face with Ace in a milk tea store. Ye Jia ordered a cup of matcha milk tea. Hearing the staff walk away, he turned his head and looked back at Wu Su. His voice was steady and soft, ¡°I think we can talk freely now.¡± Wu Su straightened his back. With his hands on his knees, he looked more serious than students who have their teachers over for home visit. ¡°So, what happened in the game?¡± Ye Jia asked straightforwardly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Wu Su shook his head honestly, ¡°One second the game was still reporting our next instance and the next second it was no longer responsive. The players also fumbled around for several days before discovering that the door had been opened.¡± Ye Jia was originally not expecting an answer to this question anyway. He nodded and continued to ask, ¡°When did it happen?¡± ¡°About a month and a half ago.¡± Under the shadow from his hood, Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. Indeed, the time matched up. Around that time, the amount of work at the Bureau had increased significantly and the media began to report cases of missing persons and strange deaths. The matcha milk tea was served. Ye Jia gently rubbed the warm cup. He asked slowly, ¡°That Ghost King, you know anything about him?¡± ¡°A little, but not much.¡± Wu Su answered honestly. Ye Jia had cleared the game two years ago. Soon after he left, a mysterious and powerful fierce ghost suddenly appeared without warning. No player or ghost knew where he came from, and no one knew what of monster or ghost he was. All they knew was that his whereabouts were a mystery, he was very cruel, and he was mad to the point that he attacked everyone regardless of their identity. Soon after he appeared, he had wiped out several species. The Suckers were one of them. After such a brutal massacre, he very quickly rose to the S-level ranks. No one dared to provoke him. From then on, his strength and influence continued to grow. He unscrupulously took over the territories of the other S-level fierce ghosts and, after several bloody battles, one day, a line of bright red text appeared on the hatred leaderboard in the game, celebrating the birth of a Ghost King. One the same day, Ace¡¯s name appeared at the top of that hatred leaderboard. ¡°But ever since I returned to reality, I haven¡¯t heard much about this Ghost King.¡± Wu Su scratched his head and seemed to be puzzled, ¡°Right now at work we mostly deal with fierce ghosts A-level or lower.¡± After listening to the other party¡¯s narration, Ye Jia lowered his head and took a sip of his milk tea. A thoughtful look flashed across his eyes. He still remembered that time when A¡¯Mi interrogated the other shadow ghost about the force behind the spider queen. Clearly, the secrets among the high-levelled fierce ghosts were probably more complicated than expected. Ye Jia placed the milk tea onto the table and raised his eyes to look at Wu Su who sat opposite him: ¡°I am willing to help you.¡± Wu Su¡¯s expression revealed unconcealable joy. Ye Jia, ¡°If there is anything that you cannot resolve, you can contact me through this.¡± As soon as he finished saying that, a small black hand appeared from his shoulder and slowly pushed out a piece of paper. This was a way the players in the game communicated. They just had to write the message they wanted to convey and then fold it into a paper crane and burn it, and the paper crane would naturally return to the hands of the maker. Seeing the small black hand that suddenly appeared, Wu Su was surprised. His hands subconsciously clenched into a fist. This was¡­..Ghost Control. This was a very terrible forbidden skill. It allowed one to force a fierce ghost to do their bidding. But those without much skill were at risk of being swallowed up by the fierce ghosts they raised. Wu Su had seen a lot of players with this skill but something like this¡­¡­Where the ghost was still able to remain obedient and work without complaint was something he had never seen before. He looked at the young man in front of him with more and more admiration. The small black hand who had already retreated back silently swallowed its tears. Those game props often required one¡¯s yin energy to be used. In order to prevent other people from gaining information about him through that yin energy, Ye Jia chose a simpler method¡ªThreatening it out from the small black hand. So even if these props were taken by someone, all the information they could get from it would belong to this weak little ghost. The small black hand looked at its body which had become lighter in colour again and sniffled. ¡ª¨CDamned capitalist! ¡°But this kind of help is mutual.¡± Ye Jia spoke unhurriedly, ¡°In some areas, perhaps you can also help me.¡± ¡°No problem!¡± Wu Su said. ¡°Firstly, it¡¯s the skinning case some time ago.¡± After that ghost bus disappeared, that skinning case stopped happening. And this disappearance on the contrary worried him the most. ¡°And the other one is that ghost-faced spider¡¯s nest.¡± Ye Jia paused and then slowly continued, ¡°Search through every inch of that nest and don¡¯t let any clues be overlooked. Once you find something, contact me immediately.¡± Very soon, the conversation between the two was over. Before parting, Wu Su finally couldn¡¯t hold back his strong curiosity and asked: ¡°Oh right¡­..¡± The young man stopped in his steps. He turned and looked back, ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°That rumour¡­..is it really true?¡± Wu Su asked cautiously. Ye Jia frowned suspiciously, ¡°What rumour?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Wu Su was a little embarrassed. His face under his beard was shy, ¡°That thing, the thing about you deceiving the Ghost King¡¯s feelings¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± He slowly took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then slowly spoke one word at a time: ¡°Catch more ghosts and less gossip.¡± After saying that, he turned and left without looking back. Wu Su stood in place with a blank expression as he watched that leaving figure. He scratched his head. It was unknown if it was just his imagination, but why did he feel that the other party seemed to have said those words through gritted teeth just now? Also¡ª¡ª¨C Ace didn¡¯t seem to have clearly answered that question just now¡­¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had just discovered something incredible. . Ye Jia walked away with a dark expression. At this moment, the small black hand climbed up his shoulder and asked expectantly: ¡°Can I play on the phone?¡± Ye Jia took a deep breath. When he felt that his emotions had finally calmed down, he reached into his pocket and took out the phone, ¡°¡­..Here.¡± As soon as he took the phone out, the screen automatically turned on. Ye Jia¡¯s gaze swept across the screen before his movements suddenly stopped. He looked at the twenty-five missed calls from A¡¯Mi and the eighty-two unread messages and fell into deep silence. Today¡­¡­ It seems¡­.probably¡­.perhaps¡­¡­ Was the day he was supposed to report back to Ji Xuan? CH 31 As a ghost, A¡¯Mi had never experience such a tormenting twenty-four hours. It still clearly remembered the last time King was in such a bad mood. At that time, he had almost slaughtered an entire territory of S-level fierce ghosts¡ª¨CRegardless of who was his ally and who was his enemy, he only focused on venting his anger. Just when it fearfully felt that it might really die this time, King suddenly left. A¡¯Mi waited in fear. Never before did time feel this excruciatingly long. But what it didn¡¯t expect was that when King returned soon afterwards, his mood appeared to have visibly improved. ??? A¡¯Mi only had a look of confusion. It secretly contacted several high-ranking fierce ghosts working under King but found that their territories were still fine. It wasn¡¯t the bloodbath it had imagined. After putting down the phone, A¡¯Mi was even more confused. So¡­..what was the method for one to restore the bad-tempered King back to normal? Begging you, please save this child. It¡¯s so afraid of being eaten up one dayyy!! While A¡¯Mi was busy thinking this, King¡¯s voice travelled down from above. He spoke without much concern, ¡°Shadow ghost.¡± A¡¯Mi was startled, ¡°Yes!¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes lowered slightly. He asked, ¡°Any news from him?¡± A¡¯Mi wanted to cry without tears, ¡°¡­¡­.No.¡± Over the past few hours, it had tried every means possible to contact the newcomer, but the other side seemed to have fallen into the ocean or something and hadn¡¯t replied at all. A¡¯Mi knew very well that if it couldn¡¯t contact the other party the normal way, and if King¡¯s mood turned for the worse again, it may need to take some more extreme measures. ¡ª-And such extreme measures would often end in terrible and miserable endings. Although A¡¯Mi wasn¡¯t very familiar with the newcomer, it still didn¡¯t want to see the other party disappear like this. But unexpectedly, King only nodded and faintly made a sound of understanding. This time, it was A¡¯Mi¡¯s turn to scratch its head. It secretly peeked at Ji Xuan in surprise and muttered secretly inside. After King left and then retuned, he seemed to have become easier to talk to? It was to the extent that A¡¯Mi was still wondering if it was actually dreaming. ¡°Go.¡± Ji Xuan waved his hand eagerly, ¡°Report back after you get in touch.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A¡¯Mi gave a fearful bow and then turned and retreated. But, before it could take more than two steps, A¡¯Mi was called again, ¡°Wait.¡± The man¡¯s voice was low and hoarse. A¡¯Mi¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear when it heard it and quickly turned around, ¡°Please give me your orders.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes were slightly lowered. With his elbow resting on the armrest, his hand supporting his chin and his legs crossed, he was sitting in a relaxed posture. He looked thoughtfully at A¡¯Mi who stood not far away, and his dark red eyes narrowed slightly, the oppressive gaze making A¡¯Mi instinctively shrink back. While it waited fearfully for its unknown fate, it heard the other party slowly start speaking. ¡°Do you know how to understand a person?¡± A¡¯Mi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Huh? It suspected it had heard wrong. ¡°Understand a person¡¯s what?¡± A¡¯Mi asked carefully after some careful consideration. Ji Xuan casually tapped at his armrest with the tip of his finger, making a small, regular sound. His eyes were half-lowered, as if he was thinking about something. ¡ª-In fact, that experience last time in the illusory realm created by the mirror spirit was very thought-provoking. As a weak monster, the reason mirror spirits could survive until now was because it preyed on desires and used them as bait to firmly trap their target. Even if they were aware of the danger, they still couldn¡¯t help but find themselves falling into the illusion. And the reason for his failure last time was because of this. Therefore, in order to prevent the other party from escaping again, he must change his strategy. After a long time, Ji Xuan said, ¡°Everything.¡± This baffled A¡¯Mi. It wanted to ask a few more questions but it didn¡¯t dare speak¡ª-It was a fatal mistake for one to probe into King¡¯s private matters. After a few minutes of contemplation, A¡¯Mi suddenly had an inspiration: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! I heard that humans seem to have a lot of related books explaining the know-hows in this regard!¡± Ji Xuan raised a brow, his scarlet eyes flashing with interest. ¡°Oh?¡± . Ten hours later. Ye Jia finally arrived in a hurry. A¡¯Mi: ¡°¡­..You¡¯re finally here.¡± For some reason, Ye Jia felt like he could see despair and exhaustion on that indistinct face. ¡°Cough, it was just that I was busy recently trying to complete the task King gave me¡­.¡± He coughed dryly, ¡°And I forgot to unmute the phone.¡± A¡¯Mi: ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m begging you, please don¡¯t mute it next time.¡± It didn¡¯t want to repeat today¡¯s experience again. ¡°So, where¡¯s King?¡± Ye Jia cautiously didn¡¯t use Ji Xuan¡¯s name this time. A¡¯Mi pointed at the closed door behind them, ¡°Go. He¡¯s waiting for you.¡± Ye Jia checked the disguise on him several times and, after ensuring that he was safe, he reached out to push the door open and walked in. The meeting place this time was not the hall from last time. The curtains were tightly shut. Although the room was dim, one could still see the exquisite and luxurious decorations inside. Ye Jia looked around. He was lost in thought for a while before suddenly remembering the bonus the other party had given him some time ago. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± They all clearly came out from the same game but why was there such a big difference in financial abilities? This was unscientific. At this moment, there was a faint splashing sound not far away, as if there were waves moving. The faint smell of blood filled the air. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia was slightly startled. He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. A few steps away from himself, there was a large pool built into the ground. The pool was filled with sticky, deep-red blood and the rippling waves faintly flickered in the dim room, reflecting a faint red light onto the ceiling above as well. Ye Jia walked over. He saw a white goat skull slowly emerge from the pool of blood. The hollow and dark eye sockets stared at the young man standing next to the pool as drops of blood slowly rolled down its back. Soon, a large body that looked quite terrifying emerged from the blood as well. It was actually a blood gu fish. The tail of the blood gu fish moved and the huge body slowly moved closer. It stuck its goat head out from the bloody pool and looked at Ye Jia. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly, his muscles instinctively tightening as he prepared for a face off. At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, breaking the tense atmosphere in the room. ¡°It likes you.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He turned and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw Ji Xuan standing not far behind him with his arms crossed. The white shirt and black pants looked particularly eye-catching in the dim room and his pair of scarlet eyes reflected the glistening blood in the pool. His body gave off a strong presence that was hard for one to ignore. He slowly walked towards Ye Jia. The thick carpet on the ground absorbed the sound of his footsteps, making him seem like he was a ghost drifting over. ¡°You can touch it.¡± Ji Xuan said unhurriedly. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ??? Ji Xuan stopped not far from him. The two maintained a not too far yet not too close distance, but Ye Jia could still feel the oppressiveness coming from him. He quietly took a step back and then turned his head and glanced at the blood gu fish. One person and one skull looked at each other. Ye Jia slowly spoke up. ¡°¡­..No need.¡± Ji Xuan expressionlessly stepped forward again, instantly shortening the distance Ye Jia had just tried to increase. Ye Jia could smell the scent coming from the other person¡¯s body. The cold air carried a faint scent of blood, as well as some bitterness, a bit like crushed grass. Ji Xuan¡¯s voice was low. It was hard for one to tell what emotions were in there. He didn¡¯t seem to be allowing any room for discussion, ¡°Give it a try.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Alright then. He looked at the blood gu fish that had been quietly looking at him and then took a step forward, slowly stuck out his hand and reached towards their large skull. Those slender and pale fingers appeared steady and calm. Only the slight tension at the knuckles revealed the owner¡¯s vigilance. The blood gu fish stared back through those empty eye sockets. It seemed as if it was weighing up something. It slowly raised its head and seemed to be sniffing other person¡¯s scent in the air. After that was the sound of water rippling. The blood gu fish¡¯s tail flicked and its entire body suddenly charged forward. Ye Jia¡¯s fingers stiffened slightly. But the next second, the blood gu fish lowered its head and pressed its white skull against Ye Jia¡¯s palm, as if expressing affection. Ye Jia was a little surprised. He tentatively took another step forward and gently touched the other party¡¯s skull head. The blood gu fish nuzzled against his palm and flipped around in the pool in a very good mood. Its large body flicked with great force, splashing out bloody water. Ye Jia raised his hand and wiped the blood off his cheek. The blood gu fish floated upside down in the pool of blood, watching him through those empty eye sockets, its tail flicking. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why did it feel like¡­¡­it wanted him to scratch its belly? Moreover, it didn¡¯t have a belly! Ji Xuan on the other side was clearly a little surprised. He raised a brow, ¡°This is my first time seeing it like someone other than me so much.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Actually¡­..It¡¯s pretty cute.¡± ¡°You like it?¡± Ji Xuan turned and looked fixatedly at Ye Jia. Ye Jia quickly shook his head and denied it, ¡°¡­..No, it¡¯s not that. I didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± ¡ª-In fact, on his way here to see Ji Xuan, he had carefully thought about what he should do next. If the ¡®double agent¡¯ setting for Ye Jia was a temporary stoppage measure before, it had now become something that was to his advantage. After all, when negotiating with Wu Su earlier, something the other party had mentioned inadvertently drew his attention. At present, most of the fierce ghosts and monsters who have been causing a commotion had been A-Level or lower, while the S-Level fierce ghosts that could bring along the most terrible disasters have seemingly disappeared. Except for the ghost-faced spiders who started a large-scale hunt during its breeding period but was caught by Ye Jia, the other S-level fierce ghosts, especially the ones sitting at the top of the food chain, had been deeply hidden from the Bureau¡¯s radar. Moreover, there seemed to be some form of conspiracy being planned underneath all of this. And if he wanted to dig out the truth, he would need to find an opportunity to get close to them. ¡ª-Ji Xuan, who held the most power in the ghost world, became his best target. Although there was some deep enmity between them, Ye Jia could only take this risk to achieve his objectives. Furthermore, since Ji Xuan wanted to plant a double agent into the human Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau, it was better that he was the one playing the role¡ª-At least with that, he could control the amount of information coming in and going out and he would become the key to it all. So right now, he definitely shouldn¡¯t let his boss think that he is coveting his pet. ¡°Is that so?¡± Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze. A trace of imperceptible regret seemed to flash through his eyes. Ye Jia took a deep breath and began to report to Ji Xuan his work progress. ¡°¡­.I have now successfully infiltrated into the bureau and have also gained the trust and recognition from some of their members¡­¡­¡± In fact, he wasn¡¯t really lying. He had only hidden a few key details. Ji Xuan listened without much care, his hand stroking the blood gu fish¡¯s skull head. He asked, ¡°Which department are you in low?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..Logistics Department.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ji Xuan raised his eyes, ¡°And your current human name is?¡± ¡°Cheng Cezhi.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t hesitate at all. Based on the current situation, he was the best candidate. Not only did Cheng Cezhi happen to be a newcomer who had just recently joined the Bureau, in addition to the timing matching up, but because he is a relative of the director, his files would be more difficult to find. Even if Ji Xuan had other internal supports in the Bureau, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find any further information. And more importantly, Cheng Cezhi was also one of the few people who knew of Ye Jia¡¯s second identity¡ª¨CAlthough it was just a simple glance, it gave him enough reason to firmly keep the other party under his watch. The small wisp of ghost energy he left on the other party¡¯s body should also be enough to ensure his safety. Ji Xuan nodded and didn¡¯t continue pursuing this matter. He retracted his hand and the blood gu fish who was no longer being petted slowly sank back into the pool of blood. Its large body disappeared under the calm waters, as if it had never appeared in the first place. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and asked both slowly and carefully: ¡°May I ask if you have any instructions?¡± Only these instructions will reveal his true purpose. ¡ª-He needed to know, with Ji Xuan as the Ghost King, what was his intention after entering the human world? Ji Xuan stared at the young man in front of him. His icy scarlet eyes were half narrowed, as if he could see through the numerous layers of yin disguise on the other party¡¯s body and could see the depths of their soul. The seemingly penetrative gaze was enough to make one uncomfortable. Ye Jia waited quietly. A few seconds later, Ji Xuan withdrew his gaze and asked calmly, ¡°Cat or dog?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­.???¡± He took a deep breath. After confirming that he hadn¡¯t heard wrongly, he slowly asked, ¡°¡­¡­..Huh?¡± Ji Xuan patiently repeated: ¡°Do you like cats or dogs?¡± Huh????? What¡­..what¡¯s with this question? Ye Jia who was originally waiting for the other party to give him an order was left dumbfounded. He raised his head with a blank expression. His eyes fell onto the other man¡¯s expressionless face as he tried to figure out the reason for his strangeness, but it was to no avail. The other party seemed to purely¡­¡­want to know the answer to this question. Ye Jia built up some courage and answered, ¡°D-dogs, I guess.¡± Ji Xuan nodded. He turned around and left in the direction he came from earlier. With his back facing Ye Jia, he waved his hand, ¡°You can go.¡± Ye Jia watched the other person¡¯s leaving figure. His brain couldn¡¯t process this situation for a while. ¡­..That¡¯s it??? Even after leaving the room, Ye Jia was still in a dumbfounded state. A¡¯Mi who had been waiting for him at the door quickly approached him and asked in a small voice, ¡°How was it? Did King make things difficult for you?¡± Ye Jia recalled carefully, ¡°¡­.Not really.¡± ¡°Really?¡± A¡¯Mi was a little in disbelief, ¡°Then it seems that King is in a good mood today. You are really lucky.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..I guess.¡± A human and a ghost left together. A¡¯Mi continued to ask, ¡°Did King give you any instructions? Do you need my help?¡± ¡°No¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia frowned. ¡°He just asked me a very strange question.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Whether I liked cats or dogs.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s brows knitted even more deeply as he tried to figure out the meaning behind the other person¡¯s question. A¡¯Mi abruptly stopped in place. Its face with indistinct facial features seemed to have suddenly turned serious. It slowly asked, ¡°How did you answer?¡± Ye Jia was taken aback by its attitude. Could this be¡­..a trick question that would be problematic if you answered it incorrectly? He paused and said cautiously, ¡°¡­.A dog, I guess.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s presence now resembled a fierce ghost more than a human. As animals are more sensitive than humans, they tended to avoid him. Please read this from kk translates He had given up on any plans to keep a pet a long time ago. As for the only pet he had never raised¡­¡­ Probably the small black hand. But rather than a pet, it was more like free labour. There was no harm keeping it except for it spending a bit too much money in games. And there was no need to clean up after it. A¡¯Mi¡¯s face froze. As if it had heard something terrible, its gaze fell onto Ye Jia, and it seemed to be completely stunned. Ye Jia felt a little uncomfortable being looked at like that. He quietly took a step back, ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong?¡± A¡¯Mi looked at Ye Jia as if the world was going to end. It slowly spoke up, ¡°Y-you¡­..are actually from the dog faction?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± He took in a deep breath and then turned around and continued walking ahead. A¡¯Mi hurried after him and persisted, ¡°Why don¡¯t you like kitty cats? What¡¯s wrong with kitty cats?!¡± Ye Jia gritted his teeth and revealed a smile, ¡°I just don¡¯t like all animals.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the same! Kitty cats are different from other animals!¡± A¡¯Mi earnestly expressed, ¡°Just you wait! I must let you¡­..¡± Before it could finish speaking, the newcomer before it activated their ghost domain and disappeared without a trace. A¡¯Mi who was left alone: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Dammit!! Inside the room. The blood gu fish slowly swam around inside the pool of blood, its white skull reflecting a faint light in the dim room. It raised its head and used its empty eye sockets to quietly look into the distance at its owner. Its tail slowly swayed, causing ripples in the bloody water. Ji Xuan sat on the chair with his head lowered. His high brow bones cast a deep shadow over his face. His brows were furrowed, and his dark scarlet eyes were lowered as he looked down at a lit screen, as if deeply in thought. After a long period of silence, he tapped on one of the interfaces with his finger. After a soft ¡®ding¡¯, a pop-up screen appeared: The order has been submitted. Five seconds later, a new reminded appeared: The book ¡°Cats or Dogs: Understanding You Loved One¡± has been shipped. Please sign upon receipt of the parcel.¡± . For the next three days, Ye Jia was unable to have some peace and quiet. It seems that in order to let him appreciate the charm of cats, A¡¯Mi had begun to send him cute cat pictures and cat emoticons, and the notification on his phone showed that there were 99+ messages. Right now, whenever Ye Jia sees the other party¡¯s name on the screen, his eyelids would start twitching. He was even seriously considering the possibility of blocking the other party. The small black hand had even more complaints towards this. After all, as the actual user of the phone, it was the direct victim of the other party¡¯s emoticon barrage. However, in case he missed the work notice like last time, Ye Jia strictly prohibited it from blocking messages from the other party, so the small black hand could only play its games on the phone with great difficulty. ¡ª¨CIt had recently lost interest in Fight the Landlord and had begun to play MOBA games. From King of Glory to Game for Peace, basically all the competitive multiplayer online games on the market had been downloaded by it. As a ghost, the small black hand didn¡¯t need any sleep, so it was basically on the phone twenty-four hours a day, every single day. And so, A¡¯Mi¡¯s message barrage was even more deadly. After all, all those messages appearing on the screen while it played significantly affected its chances of winning. As a capitalist with no conscience, Ye Jia paid no heed to the mental wellbeing of his employee. Playing games was not a problem, as long as it didn¡¯t ask him for money to buy skins. But the only thing that made him uncomfortable was¡­¡­. ¡° ¡°Go, go, go, go! Are you a gold-medal delivery boy? Are you afraid of bad reviews and having your pay reduced? Why are you fucking using up so many buffs?¡± The small black¡¯s shouts resonated throughout the apartment, ¡°We¡¯re starting, we¡¯re starting, where are you Li Bai? Are you enjoying the scenery in the jungle?!¡± Cheng Cezhi withdrew his gaze. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke up: ¡°¡­..Your family¡¯s ghost is r-really with the times.¡± Ye Jia took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°What were you saying just now?¡± ¡°Oh yes.¡± Cheng Chezhi remembered the reason for his visit. He spoke seriously, ¡°It¡¯s just that there have been several paranormal incidents reported in the suburbs outside M City recently. It seems that it involved a certain villa out there. Because there is not enough manpower recently, we were sent to¡­.¡± Before Cheng Cezhi could finish, he was interrupted again by the small black hand¡¯s shouts: ¡°Go, go, go!!! Clear the fast line!! The crystal is about to be taken down!!¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His grip around his teacup tightened. He revealed a gentle and harmless smile. What should one do if their child is addicted to the internet? Just give them a beating. CH 32 Carrying two cups of milk tea, Ye Jia pulled open the car door and got in. He handed one of them to Cheng Cezhi and then asked casually, ¡°So, what happened to that villa?¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­..Brother Ye, you didn¡¯t read the report again?¡± Ye Jia act of inserting the straw paused. Without a change to his expression, he said, ¡°Too long.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± As expected of you. Forget it. He was used to it anyway. He heaved a sigh and said, ¡°It¡¯s a villa in the suburbs. It seemed to have been sold a long time ago, but no one moved in. Having been left vacant for about seven or eight years, it is almost completely deserted.¡± As Ye Jia drank his milk tea, he sighed, ¡°Rich people.¡± To be able to buy a villa and never live in it. As expected of the rich. ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Cheng Cezhi nodded in agreement with his sentiment but continued: ¡°Recently, the residents nearby have been reporting strange noises coming from that deserted villa as well as seeing strange figures at night, but it would be completely normal during the day with no signs of anyone living in it. As a result, that villa became a rather well-known haunted house. There happened to be residents in the area who had some contact with the Bureau, so they submitted an application to us.¡± Upon receiving a request from the public, the Bureau generally goes through three steps: Firstly, staff from the Logistics Department are dispatched to carry out inspections with relevant equipment to assess the danger level of the phenomena. If it was found that that there are really ghosts involved, personnel from the Combat Division would be sent out. Once the clean-up has been completed, members of the Logistics Department would then come again with their equipment for final data collection and to close the case. ¡ª-In fact, this task originally shouldn¡¯t have been done by them, but the Logistics Department was already short in manpower and Zhao Dong had only just been discharged from hospital, so all that was left was the salted fish Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi who had only recently joined the Bureau. Ye Jia had carried out inspections like this many times. In fact, most of the reports made had nothing to do with paranormal events. Sometimes, they were just strange noises caused by uneven heating of the underground pipes, or strange sights caused by light and shadow changes, so 99% of them would be not proceed onto the second step and require the Combat Division to be involved. Ye Jia was also too lazy to write the reports. So every time he was sent out to the field, even if it really was a paranormal event, he would solve it himself and then report it as if nothing was wrong. ¡ª¨CThat way it would save him a lot of trouble. Ye Jia lowered his head and took another sip of his milk tea. He looked out at the passing scenery with half narrowed eyes. Based on his past experiences, this task would probably be resolved within two days. But at this moment, a strange voice cried out from the back seat of the car. ¡°Mmmmmmm!!!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s expression remained the same, as if he hadn¡¯t heard anything. Cheng Cezhi looked up and glanced at the rear-view mirror. His expression changed into one of hesitation, ¡°That¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°W¡­.what¡¯s wrong with it now?¡± Cheng Cezhi retracted his gaze with a complicated expression On the back seat of the car, the small black hand was tied into a knot and then tied to a seatbelt. A couple of small fingers waved about desperately, trying to get the attention of the people sitting in the front seats, ¡°Mmmmmm!!¡± Ye Jia calmly drank his milk tea, ¡°The process of recovering from internet addiction is always painful.¡± ¡ª¨CEspecially after he recently discovered that the small black hand had secretly spent a large part of his savings. He lowered his eyes and slowly sighed, ¡°I really have to change the payment password.¡± Cheng Cezhi noticed something and turned his head and asked, ¡°What¡­¡­was your previous password?¡± ¡°123456.¡± Ye Jia answered. Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Why was he not surprised at all? The car gradually drove out of the city. The further it went, the more desolate the surroundings became. After driving for three full hours, they finally arrived at the suburbs indicated in the report. It did seem like it had been deserted for a long time Passing through the tall metal gates, one could see the villa in the courtyard. It had a total of three floors. From the outside, you could see the intricate designs and the thought put in when it was built, but unfortunately with time, the surface had become mottled, exposing the dark wall underneath. The metal gates outside were also covered with traces of rust and they were loosely held shut with two thick chains roughly looped around it a few times but there was still enough space for a person to fit through. Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi got out of the car and looked into the courtyard. Inside the metal gate, the vast courtyard was covered by weeds that almost reached their waist. It looked extremely barren and desolate. From a distance, one could see the dirty windows of the villa that were covered with grime. There were no traces of light through those dark holes. It really did seem like no one had lived here in a very long time. ¡°Mmmmm!¡± The small black hands muffled cry sounded from the back of the car. Ye Jia lazily glanced at it. He finally found his conscience and undid the knot. The small black hand sobbed as it crawled back onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Ye Jia was merciless, ¡°Your in-game expenses for next month is gone.¡± ¡°!!!¡± The small black hand was shocked. It¡¯s entire ghost body wilted. It clutched onto Ye Jia¡¯s collar and cried even more loudly, ¡°Wuuuuuu¡­¡­.¡± It had picked up a seed but lost an entire watermelon. What a loss!! Rubbish game, ruining my ghost life! Why did it have to release those skins at that time?! Please read this from kk translates Cheng Cezhi opened the trunk and took out some portable testing equipment. He then turned and said to Ye Jia, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two people squeezed through the gap between the metal gates one after another and then entered the courtyard covered in weeds. The weeds here were actually very fierce. It poked at the exposed skin, irritating their arms and calves. Every now and then there would also be strangely shaped tall shrubs. As soon as they entered the courtyard, their vision was almost completely blocked and all they could see were the dilapidated tiles on the roof as well as the dark windows on the uppermost floor. While he advanced forward with difficulty, Cheng Cezhi complained in a low voice, ¡°Although I know that M City is humid, but isn¡¯t it too extreme for the weeds to grow this much?¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly silenced him, ¡°Shh.¡± Cheng Cezhi was taken aback. He quickly stopped and listened with a bated breath. There were faint whispering sounds ahead, as if someone was speaking in a low voice, or as if it was just the rustling of the grass. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s heart was instantly tense. Could it be that¡­..this villa really had a problem? But Ye Jia only narrowed his eyes and walked towards the source of that sound. ¡°Hey!¡± Cheng Cezhi called out in a suppressed voice. Seeing that the other party was about to disappear into the grass, he gritted his teeth and, no longer caring if there were ghosts or monsters waiting ahead, he hurriedly chased after Ye Jia, ¡°Wait for me!¡± After a few steps forward, his vision suddenly cleared up. Cheng Cezhi only now saw that there were five young people standing at the entrance to the villa. They were huddled together seemingly discussing something. Three men and two women. They appeared to be in their early twenties and were dressed very stylishly. One of them carried a strange looking dark equipment in his hand as he scanned the front door with a serious expression. Seeing Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi emerge from the grass, they all seemed taken aback. Very quickly, the leader recovered from the shock and came to greet them, ¡°You guys also came to explore after hearing that this place is haunted?¡± He enthusiastically stretched out his hand, ¡°I am Guan Tianyi.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­..¡± Oh, that. He settled his emotions and asked in disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re¡­.here to explore?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Guan Tianyi nodded as if it was natural, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the famous haunted house?¡± The other boy behind him made a scary expression and leapt forward, scaring the other two girls who then turned around and angrily hit him. The others watching on laughed. Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re like those people who end up dying in standard horror movies? He pulled his thoughts back and sternly warned, ¡°This is not a place you should be. You better¡­.¡± Before Cheng Cezhi¡¯s words could be finished, he was suddenly interrupted by one of the girls. She had short hair and looked very lively and cheerful. She looked curiously at the equipment in Cheng Cezhi¡¯s hand, ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± Another boy¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Are you one of those professional ghost hunters?¡± Guan Tianyi was also excited. He quickly speculated, ¡°Ahh! Or could you be from some kind of secret government agency¡ª¨C¡± Seeing that he was going to continue talking, Cheng Cezhi hurriedly interrupted him, ¡°No, w-we¡­¡­..¡± He gritted his teeth and forced out, ¡°We are just fans of paranormal activities.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Guan Tianyi looked away with disappointment. He shrugged, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as us? Why don¡¯t we go in together?¡± Cheng Cezhi was already overwhelmed by how this conversation was going at this point. He could only stiffly nod, ¡°¡­¡­.Alright.¡± A long haired and seemingly quiet and delicate looking girl spoke, ¡°My name is He Lian. What are your names?¡± Her gaze drifted towards Ye Jia who stood on the side. Since the beginning, this young man who stood on the side hadn¡¯t spoken a single word, as if it didn¡¯t involve him. He had his head raised and eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the deserted villa before him and seemed to be quietly thinking about something. The afternoon sun fell onto him from the side, coating his light brown hair with a light gold sheen which helped accentuate the youth¡¯s pale profile and straight figure. He looked as if he was a handsome character who had just walked out from a virtual world. A faint blush formed on the girl¡¯s fair face. She suggested shyly: ¡°Let¡¯s get to know each other. We may end up being friends.¡± Ye Jia retracted his gaze and smiled at her, ¡°Ye Jia.¡± Seeing Ye Jia so cooperative, Cheng Cezhi could only also reluctantly report his name. Guan Tianyi turned around and reached out to push open the door of the villa. The door wasn¡¯t locked. The rusty hinges let out a low groan before slowly revealing the darkness inside. The smell of damp wood and dust rushed out, causing the two people standing at the forefront to sneeze a few times. Only after the dust settled could they finally see inside more clearly. The house was very dim. Faint sunlight spilled in through the grime covered windows, barely dispelling some of the darkness in the hall. The living room on the first floor was very large. There were several pieces of furniture scattered around but, based on the layer of dust gathered over it, they had clearly been left here for a long time. There were also several photos hanging on the wall. The pictures in them were already faded and only a faint outline was left. The entire villa was gloomy and quiet. Although it was summer, the temperature here was very low. It was so low that the cold sensation invaded their bones, making them shiver. ¡°Wow.¡± Guan Tianyi who was silent for a long time slowly exclaimed in awe. He turned and looked at the friend behind him, his eyes glowing with excitement, ¡°Isn¡¯t the atmosphere here amazing?!¡± Cheng Cezhi silently rolled his eyes. He pulled Ye Jia¡¯s arm and whispered in his ear, Let¡¯s go to the second floor and use the equipment.¡± Turning on the equipment in front of these youngsters would just bring them trouble. He didn¡¯t want to see a headline tomorrow saying something like ¡°Secret Government Agency Dealing with Paranormal Cases Appeared in M City¡±, so he felt that it was best that they acted separately. Ye Jia shrugged and looked away from the device in Guan Tianyi¡¯s hands. The seven of them walked towards the living room one after another. With the door open behind them, the bright sunlight entered from outside, drawing a clear boundary at the door. Past that was the cold and abandoned villa and outside of it was a sunny midsummer afternoon. One of the boys lowered his voice and moved next to the two girls. ¡°Did you know that the former owners here were a married couple? The wife went mad because of her husband¡¯s infidelity, and she killed her two children by strangling them, stabbed her husband to death and then hung herself. Since then, their tormented souls have been trapped inside this house, waiting for others to enter through the door¡­¡­.¡± His voice got lower and lower. Both girls had pale faces as they pressed close together. They were both excited and scared listening to the horror story. Cheng Cezhi who had heard the whole thing remained expressionless. ¡ª¡ªAll bullshit. Before coming, he had read the report of this building. Since it was built, no one had lived here so something like a terrible murder case involving the deaths of four people had never happened. If something like that really did happen, there wouldn¡¯t be two logistics staff standing here. It was because this place didn¡¯t seem dangerous, and no lives were lost so the Bureau had assigned it as a low-risk case. Cheng Cezhi revealed a professional fake smile: ¡°Let¡¯s do this. You guys can look around down here first, and we¡¯ll take a look upstairs.¡± ¡°U-um.¡± He Lian glanced at Ye Jia, her cheeks red, ¡°Actually, I want to go to the second floor too¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi turned and looked at Ye Jia. His eyes seemed to be saying: You caused it so you take care of it. Ye Jia smiled and lowered his eyes. That look made him seem somewhat deceptively gentle, ¡°Since no one has been living here for so long, the stairs may have aged. Let us go up first and if there is no danger, we will call you up. After all, we wouldn¡¯t want a young lady like you to get hurt.¡± He Lian¡¯s face turned even more red. She nodded in a dazed state, ¡°O-oh, okay.¡± This time, no one stopped them. The two of them were able to go upstairs without much trouble. The steps below them creaked and the voices of the people down on the first floor gradually grew smaller. Cheng Cezhi looked at Ye Jia in amazement, ¡°Brother Ye, amazing.¡± He signed enviously, ¡°There should be a lot of girls pursuing you?¡± The small black hand on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder muttered quietly, ¡°Hah, you stupid humans who are deceived by his appearance.¡± ¡ª-Only it knew this person¡¯s real face! Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± His eyelids twitching, he raised his hand and shoved the small black hand back before revealing a perfect smile, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to check this floor?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Cheng Cezhi nodded. He set up the equipment on the floor of the corridor and then looked down at the readings reported. The concentration of yin energy was much higher than normal, but it just happened to be stuck at the place just shy of being dangerous. Cheng Cezhi frowned. He looked at the equipment in his hand in confusion, ¡°This¡­..¡± Was it normal or abnormal?! Ye Jia had his arms crossed as he leaned against the door frame watching this like he was just a bystander. When Cheng Cezhi tried again, he narrowed his eyes and idly stared into the distance. There were indeed ghosts in this villa. ¡ª-And they also came out from the game. This was a D-level ghost called the Scare Spirit. Most ghosts feed on a human¡¯s negative emotions but these scare spirits fed on something extremely specific, a player¡¯s fear. They enjoyed scaring people and would often appear in some low-level instances. They alone weren¡¯t very dangerous so unless you lived with them for a very long time, they weren¡¯t life-threatening. And those reports of strange sounds coming from the villa and the strange figures¡­.What they heard and saw was probably done by these scare spirits. Ye Jia¡¯s focus was on¡­¡­.that device Guan Tianyi was holding. ¡ª¨CIf he wasn¡¯t mistaken, that was actually a prop from the game. It was a ghost detection device that allowed a player to perceive the arrival of danger in advance. Its level wasn¡¯t too high, and it could be exchanged for using four or five hundred points at most, but the accuracy was better than any of the equipment used by the Bureau. He should¡¯ve realised this earlier. Since there were people who would smuggle out cursed items from the game, the other props in the game should be no exception. These things may even have begun to circulate the black market. If they traced it back to the source, it should be possible for a considerable number of game props to be seized. ¡ª-And he might be able to find a better use for these props. Ye Jia lowered his eyes thoughtfully. His gaze fell onto the dusty ground as he seemingly examined the crevices. Downstairs. The five of them split up and slowly wandered around the villa. They were half excited and half scared as they explored the rooms. The floor under their feet let out a low creak from their weight. The air was damp and filled the smell of decaying wood, and the paint on the walls had mostly peeled off. ¡°Thud.¡± The sound of something heavy fell onto the ground upstairs. ¡°Clatter, clatter, clatter.¡± Something seemed to be rolling across the floor. Please read this from kk translates Guan Tianyi raised his head and glanced up. The two people upstairs probably knocked something over. He didn¡¯t pay it much attention. He lowered his head and carefully examined the piano which had one of its legs bent crookedly. The keys were covered with a thick layer of dust to the point that it was almost impossible to see the original black and white colours. He tentatively reached out and pressed a key. A low sound rang without warning, breaking the silence in the room. The short-haired girl glared at Guan Tianyi, ¡°Hey, stop scaring people!¡± Guan Tianyi smiled and raised his hands as if begging for mercy, ¡°Sorry, sorry, I was wrong¡­..¡± He turned and walked towards a wall. Just as he was looking at the paintings on the wall that were no longer distinct, the piano behind him suddenly rang again. ¡°Hah.¡± Guan Tianyi laughed and turned around, ¡°You think I will be scared by tricks lik¡­..¡± ¡°Have you had enou¡­¡± The others also turned around angrily. Their voices all stopped at the same time. They looked at each other as if they didn¡¯t seem to expect the other party to react like this. All five of them looked at the piano. The piano leaned against the wall with its keys covered with dust. There was no one beside the piano. Guan Tianyi broke into cold sweat. He pretended to be calm and nervously spoke up, ¡°Haha, nice job. If I hadn¡¯t used this trick before, I probably would¡¯ve really been scared by you.¡± The faces of the other four were also a little pale. They looked at each other in suspicion and seemed to be unsure if it was a prank done by one of their friends. ¡°Thud.¡± The sound of a heavy object falling onto the ground sounded again. It was very soft, almost inaudible from the other end of the room. But this time it came from the first floor. Something round rolled out from the darkness, hitting one of the boy¡¯s feet. The boy was taken aback for a moment. When he lowered his head and looked down, he saw a grey marble by his feet. It seemed to be covered in dust. He felt a little uncomfortable inside. This uncomfortable feeling even made the hairs on his body stand. The boy swallowed nervously. He slowly moved back, trying to distance himself from the marble. But as soon as he lifted his foot, the marble suddenly turned in his direction, revealing an eye¡ª- ¡°Ahhhhhhh!!!¡± The boy screamed and stumbled back. His back hit the corner of the table with a loud thud and his entire body fell to the ground. The others hurried over, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The boy pointed to the marble in shock. His voice was trembling, ¡°That¡­..that¡­..¡± The short-haired girl followed his gaze and looked over, and then boldly used the tip of her shoe to move the marble. It rolled a short distance, revealing the black and white intertwining lines hidden under the dust. It seemed to be a decorative piece that had fallen off from the stair railing. Everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The short-haired girl scoffed, ¡°You scared us earlier but look at you now. You¡¯re even more frightened than the rest of us.¡± The boy remained sitting on the ground in shock. His face still pale, his gaze fell back onto the marble. He couldn¡¯t seem to figure out what he saw just now. Was it all just his imagination or was it real? He Lian shuddered, ¡°This place makes me feel uncomfortable. Why don¡¯t we just leave¡­..¡± The sky outside the window had slowly darkened and the inside of the villa was only very faintly lit up by the remaining rays of sunlight. In a gloomy and silent living room, even the most courageous of people would feel uncomfortable. Guan Tianyi swallowed and nodded, ¡°Then, since you don¡¯t want to stay anymore, why don¡¯t we¡­.¡± Before he could finish speaking, the device he was carrying suddenly made a loud noise. ¡°Beep beep beep beep beep¡ª¡ª-¡° A sharp noise resonated through the villa, making one¡¯s eardrums hurt. Guan Tianyi fumbled around with the device, muttering in a low voice, ¡°This¡­.how to turn this off¡­¡± At this moment, he suddenly felt the air around him change. Guan Tianyi looked up. He saw that the other four in front of him were all extremely pale. One slowly raised their hand and fearfully pointed behind Guan Tianyi. At that very moment, a chill ran down his spine. Guan Tianyi¡¯s face was frozen stiff. He slowly turned and looked back. On the wall behind him, at some point in time the figures in the originally unclear paintings had gradually turned clear¡ª-It was a woman¡¯s pale face. Her features were blurred but her pitch-black and lifeless eyes stared at the five people standing in the room. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!¡± When Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi heard the commotion, they quickly packed up their equipment and rushed downstairs. What they were met with was this scene. The five of them were crowded at the door, desperately twisting the door handle, but it was as if the door was welded in, and it wouldn¡¯t open. Every one of them looked pale and frightened. Their device that had been thrown to the floor in the distance continued to beep loudly as they struggled at the door. All the noise made one¡¯s head hurt. Ye Jia frowned. At this moment, he heard a small voice sound above him, ¡°Ah, look. The handsome guy came down.¡± ¡°Should we scare him too?¡± The small voice seemed a little conflicted, ¡°But he looks so good. I¡¯m a little reluctant¡­.¡± ¡°Jeez, you don¡¯t understand. Handsome guys look even better when they¡¯re helpless and in fear!¡± The other voice came closer. It almost seemed like it came from above him as well, ¡°He has a nice smell¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, yes! And his figure is good, legs are long and his skin is so pale! I really want to know if he has any abs¡­..¡± The voice whispered, ¡°Hey, do you think it will be possible for him to take off his clothes while in panic?¡± ¡°Dream on!¡± Another tiny voice interrupted it, ¡°How can someone undress themselves after being frightened?!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right¡­..¡± The voice above his head silently sighed, as if it were very disappointed in the fact that they couldn¡¯t see the other party undressing. It said: ¡°T-then, should we forget about it?¡± Ye Jia who heard their entire conversation: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ??? W-wait a minute. Why was the style of these ghosts so strange? CH 33 Ye Jia calmly took a step back. His field of vision immediately widened. He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of those voices. He saw two translucent ghosts sitting one high and one low on the dusty chandelier. Their bodies had no specific shape, and their facial features were very simple, like they were roughly drawn on. It was twisted and crooked and looked overall a little awkward, as if not much attention was paid when it was drawn. Two small white arms of different lengths stretched out from the sides of the body, clinging onto the decorations of the chandelier nearby. ¡°That handsome guy seemed to have looked at me.¡± The smaller one said in a small voice. ¡°That are you thinking?¡± The other one ruthlessly tore apart its illusion, ¡°How could humans see ghosts?¡± The little scare spirit aggrievedly fell silent. ¡°However,¡± the big scare spirit suggested, ¡°why don¡¯t we let these humans stay a little longer this time?¡± ¡°Okay, he can¡¯t see us anyway. We might even be able to get closer!¡± The little scare spirit immediately became more spirited, ¡°We just need to drive them out before the sun goes down!¡± ¡°A-and you can stick to him!¡± Th big scare spirit became excited. Its face revealed a dreamy expression, ¡°His waist is so thin, and the lines look so good. I think he should have some abs! I¡¯m going to there later and touch it!¡± ¡°T-then I¡¯ll go on his shoulder!¡± The little scare spirit was unwilling to back down, ¡°The closer to his face the better!¡± A strange blush appeared on its face, ¡°If only I could kiss him, or he could kiss me.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± His expression was complicated as he silently listened to the two spirits above discussing how to take advantage of him. These¡­..These are two very unique scare spirits. They had already finished negotiating. They slowly floated down like two jiggling jellies and approached Ye Jia little by little. ¡°Achoo!¡± Cheng Cezhi seemed to have felt something and sneezed. He hunched his shoulders, ¡°Why is it suddenly a little cold?¡± Ye Jia turned and glanced at him. Although Cheng Cezhi possessed a mild degree of spiritual vision, he wasn¡¯t someone who had been affected by yin energy after all, so he could only see fierce ghosts that are relatively stronger. As for those such as wandering souls one would often encounter in life or little spirits that don¡¯t play a big role in the game, he wouldn¡¯t be able to see them and would only be a little more sensitive compared to a normal person. The big scare spirit reached out its small white hands and loosely hugged his waist, happily pressing its jelly-like face against his abdomen, ¡°So thin¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He closed his eyes and slowly took a deep breath. Endure. Endure. There are still five seeking death youngsters here. And the other little scare spirit floated towards Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. It stretched out its hand but just as it was about to hug Ye Jia¡¯s neck, it suddenly heard a thunderous roar. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡± The small black hand appeared from under Ye Jia¡¯s collar. It looked fiercely at the little spirit who was trying to steal its place, ¡°Don¡¯t you know first come, first served?¡± The little scare spirit was scared into tears: ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± ¡ª¨CIt was clearly a spirit specialised in scaring others, but surprisingly it wasn¡¯t very courageous. Cheng Cezhi on the other hand heard the small black hand¡¯s shout. He was taken aback for a moment. He turned back and looked in the direction of the sound: ¡°What happened?¡± Seeing that the situation was about to become a mess, Ye Jia made a decision. He tore off the big scare spirit that was clinging to his waist with one hand and used his other hand to grab the little scare spirit floating in the air above him and then quickly created a barrier using his ghost energy to ensure that the dialogue inside couldn¡¯t be heard. The two scare spirits were startled by Ye Jia¡¯s sudden action. They screamed in Ye Jia¡¯s hands, ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!!¡± The small black hand sat on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder as it gloated at the miserable spirits before it. It seemed to be very pleased with the current development. ¡°Y-y-you, you can see us?¡± The big scare spirit shrank back into Ye Jia¡¯s hand fearfully. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He cast his eyes down at them, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°T-t-then, you¡­..¡± The simple facial features of the scare spirit seemed to be a little dazed. A strange blush spread across its translucent face, ¡°You also heard what we were saying too?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± If he had a choice, he really didn¡¯t want to hear it. Seeing the complicated look on the young man¡¯s face, even if he didn¡¯t answer, the scare spirit knew the answer. ¡°Wuuuuuu. How embarrassing.¡± The little scare spirit sobbed, ¡°B-but, to be seen by such a handsome guy, I¡¯m also happy¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± The blush on the face of the other scare spirit spread even further. It rubbed its ice-cold cheek against Ye Jia¡¯s finger, ¡°Y-your palm is also very comfortable. As expected of a handsome guy¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± These two ghosts can no longer be saved. He forced himself to ignore his violently throbbing temples and slowly spoke up, ¡°Open the door.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The scare spirit used this chance to rub against Ye Jia¡¯s knuckles before revealing a silly smile, ¡°No problem!¡± Ye Jia let them go. The two scare spirits flew out the moment they were released and slowly floated upwards. The painting on the wall slowly returned to its original state and the pale-faced woman disappeared, revealing the original blurred landscape painting. The eye on the ground had also turned into a normal stair decoration. The two scare spirits floated towards the door and the next moment, the door that was originally firmly shut suddenly opened. The five people crowded at the door instantly lost their balance and stumbled out. Outside the door, the sun was gradually setting. There was only a golden glow left in the horizon and one could barely see the outline of the sun. The deserted courtyard still looked the same was before. As a breeze blew by, the weeds and trees in the courtyard would rustle. But the five of them clearly weren¡¯t in the mood to appreciate the scenery. They all rushed out of the villa, as if running for their lives. My god! In this world¡­¡­T-there really are ghosts!!! Although they liked to seek thrills, they were still atheists in the end. They wouldn¡¯t have been so keen to explore various haunted places otherwise. Their experience here¡­..could be said to have completed subverted their worldviews. Please read this from kk translates Suddenly, He Lian seemed to have remembered something. Turning back while panting, she was worried, ¡°What about those two? Could they have¡­¡­?¡± Another boy grumbled, ¡°You still care about this at a time like this? Just hurry and run!¡± But those words seemed to have reminded Guan Tianyi of something. He suddenly stopped. He turned and looked back at the silent villa behind him. After their desperate escape just now, they had already run a certain distance away from the eerie building and right now they could only see the villa with its door wide open vaguely through the tall weeds and grass. Guan Tianyi seemed to be conflicted inside. ¡°Hey¡­..¡± The short-haired girl tugged at his arm. Her slender fingers were a little pale and her voice was trembling, ¡°L-let¡¯s go¡­..What are you standing here for?¡± Guan Tianyi hesitated and finally slowly shook his head. His breathing was a little unsteady, ¡°W-wait a minute. I have studied haunted houses like this. Generally speaking, it should be safe after leaving the building¡­¡­..¡± His face was still pale, and his hands and feet were cold and trembling, but his eyes shined a scary light. The other two boys seemed to have calmed down. They exchanged a look and seemed to have similarly thought of something. They gritted their teeth and nodded boldly. ¡°O¡­¡­okay, then let¡¯s wait and see.¡± The five waited with trepidation, but even after waiting for a long time, nothing came out of the villa. It should be safe. Guan Tianyi calmed himself down and breathed a sigh of relief. He then dug out his phone from his pocket. Although his fingers were still trembling, it didn¡¯t hinder him from opening the live broadcast software. He pointed the front camera of his phone at himself. ¡ª-In fact, he and his friends were some relatively popular online stars on a social media platform. As someone who often formed a group and went to various famous haunted places, he had attracted a following with similar interests who liked paranormal events and conspiracy theories. Guan Tianyi¡¯s hands and feet were cold but there was still a flush of excitement on his cheeks. T-this was a great opportunity! ¡ª-Since he had become a social media star, this was his first time encountering such a realistic and conclusive spiritual experience! This discovery was too important. If he could seize this opportunity, he might become a big hit! Guan Tianyi pointed the camera at himself. His breathing was still trembling from the fear. He took a deep breath and then started to speak in a suppressed but excited voice, ¡°Friends, I promise you, t-the next words that I say are all true.¡± Several comments appeared on the scene: ¡¾Starting the live broadcast so early? ¡¿ ¡¾Are you going to explore another haunted house? ¡¿ ¡¾Those words again. Everyone let¡¯s go. If there really are ghosts in this world, he would¡¯ve already been taken away by them. ¡¿ Seeing the floating comments, Guan Tianyi wasn¡¯t angered. He only sighed solemnly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to believe me, but I was not the only one who experienced it just now.¡± He pointed the camera at the other four people. The shock on their faces didn¡¯t seem like it was faked. He Lian in particular was hiding behind one of the boys and on the verge of crying, ¡°Please stop filming, Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer.¡± The number of comments on the screen increased. More people had entered the live broadcast room. ¡¾¡­¡­Is it real? ¡¿ ¡¾It should be acting? ¡¿ ¡¾I follow that litter sister in Weibo. She¡¯s a very gentle person. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s someone who would lie!! ¡¿ Seeing that his live broadcast was attracting a large audience, Guan Tianyi pursed his lips in excitement. He turned around and zoomed out to ensure that the deserted villa was captured: ¡°It¡¯s here. This is a villa in the outskirts of M City, a famous haunted house. We originally didn¡¯t believe it was haunted¡­..¡± At this moment, Guan Tianyi saw two figures slowly emerge from the darkness behind the open door through his phone screen. He was shocked. His back was wet with cold sweat. The other four were clearly also frightened. Just as they were about to scream, the moment they saw the faces of the two people, they were all taken aback and the scream that was about to come out remained blocked in their throats. The expressions of the two looked normal, as if they weren¡¯t afraid at all. They walked out of the villa one after another. It was as if they hadn¡¯t experienced any scary incidents at all. Guan Tianyi turned and stared at the two people behind him. The phone in his hand was still recording. He stuttered: ¡°Y-you guys¡­..¡± Seeing such an unexpected reversal, the barrage of comments immediately became even more enthusiastic: ¡¾Wait a minute, what¡¯s going on? ¡¿ ¡¾So the two who came out of the villa are ghosts? ¡¿ ¡¾Hahahaha I think these liars were caught in their act! ¡¿ ¡°Huh?¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s first reaction was a look of surprise. He then looked like he suddenly realised something, ¡°Oh, were you scared just now?¡± ??? All five were dumbfounded. They looked at the two of them with blank expressions, as if they didn¡¯t understand the meaning of that question just now. Five minutes ago, in the villa. Ye Jia briefly explained the situation to Cheng Cezhi. He concealed the fact that these two scare spirits came from the game and only said that there were two spirits weak enough to remain undetected by Cheng Cezhi living in this villa and that they were basically harmless except that they liked to scare people. ¡°Is that so¡­..¡± Cheng Cezhi turned to look at the backs of the five who had run out and was troubled, ¡°But since there are indeed ghosts here, the Bureau would definitely send people here to continue the investigation. If those people go and spread the news and place this villa under the public and media¡¯s attention, it wouldn¡¯t be good.¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia lowered his eyes and didn¡¯t answer. Suddenly, Cheng Cezhi thought of something. His eyes lit up and he raised his clenched fist and smacked his palm, ¡°I got it!¡± Outside the villa. Cheng Cezhi revealed a deceiving smile, ¡°It seems that the owner bought this villa with the plans to make it into a haunted house, but the plan was abandoned after there were issues with funding. When we went to the second floor, we saw something that appeared to be a switch and accidentally touched it. After that we heard guys screaming below and realised that we must have activated a mechanism that was installed here before. Did we scare you? Sorry, sorry.¡± The five were dumbfounded. They looked at each other in doubt. This continued until Cheng Cezhi took out the eyeball¡ª¡ª He Lian let out a small scream. She tightly held onto the sleeve of the boy next to her. He asked, ¡°Did this scare you just now? Ye Jia who was standing on the side raised his eyes and casually glanced at the scare spirits floating beside him. One of them obediently touched the eyeball and Cheng Cezhi cooperatively acted like he had pressed a button under the ball. The next second, the scary eyeball turned into a wooden ball, ¡°Look, it¡¯s just a prop.¡± Guan Tianyi¡¯s face was frozen. His eyes wandered and he looked at Cheng Cezhi for a while and then at the villa behind him. The phone in his hand was still recording. Lines of hahahahahaha floated past. ¡¾Hahahahahahahahaha Famous paranormal internet star exposed live! ¡¿ ¡¾This face-slapping scene LOL. What do you call something like this hahahaha¡¿ ¡¾But speaking of which, that eyeball is really realistic. If it was me, I would¡¯ve also been scared. ¡¿ ¡¾Begging for the opening of this haunted house! ¡¿ Several inconspicuous comments were mixed in with the barrage of comments: ¡¾Say¡­..am I the only one who noticed that the last little brother was really handsome? ¡¿ ¡¾Sister upstairs, don¡¯t go! I also saw it hehe. Definitely a face that can make a debut! ¡¿ Guan Tianyi saw such comments as soon as he looked down. With a stiff expression, he directly turned off the live broadcast. Cheng Cezhi quietly breathed a sigh of relief. While the youngsters were busying discussing with each other, he pulled Ye Jia aside, ¡°Great. There should be no problem now.¡± He took out his phone to call Liu Zhaocheng, ¡°I will call the Chief to send over someone from the Combat Division and clean this place up¡­..¡± Although the two scare spirits floating in the air are a little airheaded, they weren¡¯t stupid. They hugged each other and trembled, ¡°Clean¡­.clean up? What do you mean by clean up?¡± The little scare spirit burst into tears: ¡°Wahhhhhh I don¡¯t want to die!!¡± ¡°Wahhhhh Me too!¡± The big scare spirit held it and their jelly-like bodies trembled together. Ye Jia raised his eyes and glanced at them. He raised his finger slightly. The next second, Cheng Cezhi saw two transparent, slime-like ghosts appear before his eyes. His hand shook and he almost dropped his phone, ¡°W-what is this?!¡± The two scare spirits froze for a moment before realising that the other human could now see them. They floated over and cling onto the other person¡¯s wrist, crying loudly, ¡°Wahhhhhhhh We only like to scare people.¡± The little scare spirit sobbed, ¡°Hu-human¡¯s fear is delicious, b-but we don¡¯t eat humans.¡± ¡°Y-yeah.¡± The big scare spirit also sobbed, ¡°The ghosts in the other places are too scary. W-we were afraid of being eaten so we came here. We only frightened the neighbours to get enough food¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi was troubled. For a while, he didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡ª-He knew very clearly what the Bureau¡¯s attitude towards paranormal creatures were. Regardless of whether they were good or bad, harmful or not, they would all be eliminated. In fact, it was easy to understand because although ordinary wandering spirits will not bring any harm to humans, once they are allowed to do their own things and if they happened to gather at a place with a lot of yin energy, they are likely to become fierce ghosts. It was better to cut it at the roots to avoid future troubles from arising. Although that was the case, Cheng Cezhi couldn¡¯t help but waver when he saw the two harmless spirits. He raised his head and looked at Ye Jia for help. Ye Jia shrugged without any change to his expression, ¡°They look like they have something to say to you.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It¡¯s over. He was feeling even more conflicted now. The little scare spirit clinging to Cheng Cezhi¡¯s wrist cried, ¡°Moreover, every time someone comes, we try to scare them away before the sun sets¡­..¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right!¡± The big scare spirit nodded desperately, ¡°We were protecting you!¡± Ye Jia paused. He remembered the conversation the two had before. At that time, the two scare spirits still hadn¡¯t realised that he could hear them and their words at the time ¡ª- ¡°We just need to drive them out before the sun goes down.¡± This was the second time this was mentioned. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and suddenly asked, ¡°The sun setting?¡± He asked, ¡°What will happen when the sun sets?¡± The little scare spirit looked up at him and replied as if it was normal: ¡°After the sun sets, the villa would come alive.¡± Its expression was so innocent, making the words it said just now sound even more terrifying. Behind everyone, the setting sun slowly sank. A large part of the sky was now dark blue with only a small corner glowing faintly. As soon as the little scare spirit stopped speaking, the remaining glow was swallowed up, leaving only the darkening sky. Cheng Cehzi¡¯s back felt cold. He quickly turned and looked back at the villa. In the dim and gloomy night, the deserted three-storey villa stood there quietly with dark windows looking like bottomless eyes looking back at them. The cold and eerie atmosphere enveloped the lonely building and, with the tall weeds surrounding it, it was a rather frightening sight. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. He could smell the scent coming from the villa in front of him. It was completely different from earlier. ¡ª-In the city, there would always be places where large amounts of yin energy would gather like how water would automatically gather at a place where there is a depression on an otherwise flat ground. This kind of place was called a Yin Pit. There was a total of three of them in M City and each of them are being closely monitored by the Bureau who would send people to clean the place up every once in a while. And this place was too desolate, too far from the population, and with the addition that it only activated at night, it was natural that it hadn¡¯t been discovered until now. Considering how long the villa had been left abandoned here, one could only imagine how much yin energy must have silently accumulated here. ¡°The villa would come alive¡±¡­¡­ It probably wasn¡¯t just an exaggeration. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s expression also turned serious. He turned around and walked quickly over to the five youngsters. He shouted sternly, ¡°What are you still hanging around for? Not going to leave?¡± The next second, Cheng Cezhi found that he couldn¡¯t speak. Ye Jia followed Cheng Cezhi¡¯s line of sight and looked over¡ª¡ªHe saw that the small group of five people now only had four. Guan Tianyi was gone. Cheng Cezhi¡¯s expression became ugly. He pulled one of them by their arm with such much force, his fingers were almost all white, ¡°Where is the other one?¡± The boy who was grabbed let out a painful cry. Seemingly scared by Cheng Cezhi¡¯s expression, he stammered, ¡°H-he went back¡­..¡± Before Cheng Cezhi could breathe a sigh of relief, another person interrupted, ¡°Yeah, he said that he accidentally left behind the ghost detection device he paid a lot for and went back to retrieve it¡­..¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s vision went black. He almost couldn¡¯t breathe. He let go and seemed to have lost his faith in humanity. While he was in panic, he heard a calm and steady voice behind him, ¡°You take them back to the car.¡± Cheng Cezhi turned back and saw Ye Jia standing not far away looking at him. The gradually rising moonlight spilled down, illuminating the side of his face. It dyed his shoulders white like it was snow. The young man¡¯s expression was exceptionally calm. It was as if he would never reveal any traces of panic on his face. His light-coloured eyes reflected the cold moonlight. For some reason, it made people feel a strange sense of trust towards him. He said faintly: ¡°You don¡¯t need to notify the Bureau. I will be back soon.¡± Cheng Cezhi returned to his senses. He gritted his teeth and nodded solemnly. ¡ª-He knew that this wasn¡¯t in compliance with the rules but¡­¡­for some reason, he just trusted in the words of the other party. As if it possessed some magical powers, it made him firmly believe that the other party must have a solution to this. The steps of the others were scattered and hurried. They quickly disappeared into the tall grass. Ye Jia raised his eyes and looked up at the villa before him. He narrowed his eyes and took a slow and deep breath¡ª¨CThe cold and humid air poured into his chest, bringing about a small shudder. Ye Jia could feel it¡ª¡ª¨C The extremely alluring and sweet smell emanating from the building in front of him. Under the temptation of that smell, the ghost energy lying dormant inside his body slowly regained consciousness. It stirred and whispered silently in his ear¡ª¡ª¡°Hungry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­So hungry.¡± He retracted his gaze and walked into the villa. CH 34 Holding his phone, Guan Tianyi entered the dark villa alone. The dark blue sky outside was hanging low and the last hint of sunlight slowly disappeared past the horizon. He carefully walked forward using the light from his phone to light up his way. In the darkness, the villa looked different from before. Every time the light from his phone swept across the room, Guan Tianyi¡¯s heart would always tense up. For some reason, his heart was beating very quickly. His heart raced restlessly in his chest to the point that his ribs hurt. The pounding resonated in his ears, making him almost unable to think. The sound of his footsteps was absorbed by the old carpet. Except for his heartbeats, Guan Tianyi couldn¡¯t hear anything else. It was as if he was alone in another world. Flustered. Guan Tianyi slowly took a deep breath. It took him a while before he noticed that his breathing was trembling slightly. He forced himself to calm down. It must be because his experience earlier was too thrilling, and he still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock¡ª¨C Wasn¡¯t this place just a man-made haunted house that hadn¡¯t been put to use yet? H-how scary could it be? After all, it was nothing more than props and mechanisms put in place. As a social media star documenting paranormal events, he was someone with experience. Having visited so many so-called abandoned hospitals, haunted villages and the likes, how could he be scared by these things? Guan Tianyi reassured himself and then raised his phone a little higher. The light flickered and swept across the floor. Guan Tianyi frowned. He slowly searched for something in this unfamiliar environment. The device that was said to be able to detect the ghosts was something he had bought from a close friend. His friend who had some connections in the black market suddenly came to him mysteriously one day and recommended this device to him saying that it was sensitive and scarily accurate. He even gave him a whole list of examples. By the time Guan Tianyi returned to his senses, he had already spent 24 thousand yuan to buy the device. But now it seems¡­..he had been completely deceived. It had suddenly gone off in this haunted house that hadn¡¯t been completely renovated, scaring everyone in the process. If it wasn¡¯t for this damned device, they probably wouldn¡¯t have been so scared. And it couldn¡¯t be turned off¡­¡­It was unknown which company made it, but it was simply too thoughtless. But no matter what, Guan Tianyi was already certain that he had been plotted against. The light from his phone scattered slightly into the distance, blurring the boundary between light and dark. It made it seem like there was something indescribable lurking in the darkness. Just as he was thinking about what he should do and how he should settle the accounts with that friend¡ª- The sky outside suddenly darkened, and the last ray of sunlight was completely gone. Night had silently fallen. ¡°Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep¡ª-!!!¡± Without any warning, a loud alarm sounded from ahead, startling Guan Tianyi. He raised his phone in shock, only to see a small black box lying on the ground not far away. The simple device lying alone in the deserted hall looked quite frightening. It turned out to be here. The moment he saw the device, Guan Tianyi sighed with relief. He hurriedly took a few steps forward and picked up the device. But strangely, the moment he picked it up, the alarm stopped. It was suddenly silent. Guan Tianyi felt a chill run down his back. The temperature of the surrounding air had at some point in time become cold. It felt like needles penetrating through his clothes and into his bones. The hairs on his body all stood on end. This feeling was very strange. Everything in front of him was shrouded in thick, inpenetrable darkness. Only the light from his phone could barely light up some of his surroundings. He couldn¡¯t see anything, by he could still feel it very vividly¡ª¨CIn the darkness in front of him, there was something slowly approaching him. Guan Tianyi¡¯s face was ghostly pale. He swallowed nervously. He was suddenly struck by fear and could hardly move a single step. His pupils constricted. He didn¡¯t dare blink. He raised his phone little by little. The torch light also slowly rose higher, illuminating the darkness ahead¡ª¡ª . ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s footsteps paused. He heard a vague scream come from the villa. The other party should clearly only be a dozen or so metres away from him at this moment, but that terrifying scream sounded like it came from a thousand or so metres away. The door before him was wide open and the inside of the villa was pitch black. It resembled a monster¡¯s wide-open mouth as it waited for new prey. Ye Jia no longer hesitated. He continued onwards. With every step, the air around his body changed. Thick and cold ghost energy surged around Ye Jia. By the time he reached the door, he no longer had any traces of human scent. The moment he entered the door, the atmosphere underwent some massive changes. The warmth and humidity belonging to a summer¡¯s night was instantly replaced by cold and gloomy yin energy. The darkness around him seemed like some form of sticky mucous. As if it had a mind of its own, it rushed towards him and surrounded him. Ye Jia heard¡ª¡ªIn the depths of this villa that couldn¡¯t be reached by any sources of light, there were some eerie chatters. It wasn¡¯t a language belonging to any creature, and he couldn¡¯t tell what was being said, but the maliciousness and greed in the voices could clearly be felt. Ye Jia¡¯s footsteps couldn¡¯t help but stop. He had to close his eyes and slowly take a deep breath¡ª¡ª- This feeling¡­¡­.. It was like throwing someone who had been starving for three days and three nights into a cave filled with delicacies. This sudden impact caused even Ye Jia to become a little distracted. Every pore in his body was screaming¡ª¨CSo hungry, so hungry, want to eat, want to eat, want to eat! They greedily swallowed the yin energy and that greed increased even further as more yin energy was consumed. They absorbed the yin energy in the air around him almost obsessively, like a plant sucking up moisture from the soil. Ye Jia could feel the ghost energy in him sighing contentedly. It tirelessly urged him to continue eating. But now wasn¡¯t the time for that. He barely suppressed the hunger in him and slowly walked forward. The yin energy closed around Ye Jia and swallowed up his figure. Please read this from kk translates But perhaps it was because the ghost energy coming from him was very strong and almost the same kind as itself, the villa didn¡¯t immediately reject his existence. It still continued to swallow up any prey that entered its domain, but it didn¡¯t immediately launch an attack at this intruder. Ye Jia calmly entered the villa. He could now understand what the scare spirits meant earlier by ¡°the villa would come alive¡±. It was entirely different from a ¡®haunted villa¡¯. The entire building seemed to have become an enormous living creature. All the bricks and tiles inside as well as the walls, floors, furniture and even the dust still attached to them seemed to have developed its own consciousness and had become catalysed by the yin energy, turning into some kind of terrible creature. They heartlessly consumed and swallowed any intruder who dared enter their domain. They themselves had formed the perfect ecosystem, just like the flora in a monster¡¯s stomach. They strangely managed to coexist with each other. Ye Jia¡¯s thoughts went a little astray. In fact¡­..this place made him feel like he was back in the game again. It was also a large and terrifying existence that nurtured more and more monsters with the yin energy it had, letting them kill each other, letting them coexist in harmony and letting them hunt the prey it occasionally lets in. But the difference was that the monsters in the game were much scarier and the environment inside was a lot crueller. Ye Jia returned from those thoughts that have strayed a little. Not far ahead, a dark figure had fallen to the ground. As if all the bones from his body had been removed, Guan Tianyi laid limply on the ground, completely soft. His phone that was still emitting light as well as the ghost detecting device was next to him. The light made his face appear bleak and pale and his features were distorted in panic with wide-open, bloodshot eyes staring fixatedly into the distance. He seemed to have lost his mind and was completely overwhelmed with fear. His mouth was wide open. Saliva flowed out from the corners of his lips as his body spasmed. When an ordinary person accidentally enters a Yin Pit, even if they were lucky and weren¡¯t swallowed up by it, they would go mad from the terrible fear inflicted onto them, resulting in irreparable damage. ¡ª-Fortunately, it had only been five minutes. There was still a chance of recovery. Ye Jia bent down and placed his cold fingers on the other person¡¯s forehead. A wisp of black air appeared, and it then quickly disappeared at his fingertips. The next second, Guan Tianyi¡¯s distorted and painful expression calmed down. His eyes were still dazed but his eyelids had slowly lowered, the spasming also became less frequent and his breathing had calmed down considerably. At this moment, the entire villa slowly began to shake. It seemed to have realised that this intruder was going to snatch away the food it was about to consume. Unforgivable! The surrounding darkness started to bubble like boiling water. It surged towards the young man standing in the middle of the hall. Like tens of thousands of dark insects, it let out a sharp cry and charged towards him! The dim light from the phone on the ground was swallowed up in an instant. In an instant, the small source of light was gone. The young man¡¯s pale face was shrouded in darkness. All that was left in the hall was the villa¡¯s low and angry roar¡ª-The floor trembled, the stairs squeaked, and the dust covered furniture creaked. Suddenly, a bright gleam tore through this darkness. It cut through the dense yin energy in the air. On the ground, the light on the phone lit up again. It was finally able to illuminate a small area in this villa. He could finally somewhat see the surrounding situation now¡­.. Darkness surged over from all directions like a violent hurricane. It rushed towards the centre of the hall and in the eye of the hurricane that was capable of destroying anything in its path stood a young man. He stood calmly in the middle of the chaos, like a lone lighthouse in the middle of a roaring sea. No matter how terrible the rain and wind were, it remained unmoved. His hand held a large scythe with a crescent shaped blade. It moved as if it was a part of his body, silently and accurately cutting through the surrounding yin energy. ¡ª¡ª¡ªIt was a tooth. The yin energy that was cut through were like food being consumed. They were very quickly sucked into the young man¡¯s body. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. The light on the ground illuminated him from below, outlining his beautifully contoured jawline and also lightly kissing his pale cheeks. Under the thick, slightly lowered lashes, those amber eyes gradually darkened. As if a drop of black ink had fallen in, darkness spread through in the depths of his eyes, swirling around like a deep whirlpool. It has been a long time¡­¡­¡­Still not enough¡­¡­¡­ Ever since he had returned to human society, he had been extremely careful with controlling this ¡®hunger¡¯ of his. But he shouldn¡¯t¡­..eat too much. A trace of clarity flashed in the depths of his eyes. Ye Jia struggled internally. The fingers holding the scythe were slightly white from the force as he struggled to retain his remaining reason. ¡ª-He shouldn¡¯t eat too much. His weapon was a part of him. As long as it was used, even if it wasn¡¯t his original intention, it will ¡®eat¡¯ a part of the opponent¡¯s power. The more that was eaten, the stronger he would become. The more that was eaten, the harder it would be¡­..for him to be human. Ye Jia had only experienced it once¡­..where he ate without restraint. But even at that time, he didn¡¯t reach his limit¡ª-He seemed to be like a bottomless pit that would never be satisfied. He was also unwilling to test out this bottom line of his. He didn¡¯t want to know what kind of monster he would become after eating his fill. Ye Jia shakily took a deep breath. The dark vortex in his eyes was forcibly suppressed. He bent down and picked up the device that had fallen onto the ground. His other hand grabbed Guan Tianyi¡¯s collar and dragged him out. He dragged him along as if he weighed nothing. The villa tried to stop him. But its powers had weakened considerably. Despite still possessing some yin energy, it wasn¡¯t enough to inflict any real damage on the intruder. On the contrary, it was more like it was offering up fresh food to the other party. For the first time, the yin energy in this Yin Pit decreased at a rapid rate. . Outside the metal gates. Cheng Cezhi sat in the driver¡¯s seat while the four youngsters were squeezed into the back seats. It made the originally not so spacious car become even more crowded. He checked his watch anxiously and watched the second and minute hand move little by little. Taking these four youngsters away from the villa was very easy. Guan Yianyi was originally the most courageous one and the reason why they were willing to stay after escaping was because of Guan Tianyi¡¯s persistence. In fact, after an entire day of fear and panic, they were already tired and hungry. Regardless of whether the building was really haunted or not, they didn¡¯t want to stay in such a terrible place after nightfall. Cheng Cezhi didn¡¯t even need to say anything for the four youngsters to agree to the suggestion of ¡®getting back to the car first and letting his colleague go in and find their friend¡¯ without any hesitation. But now that some time had passed, even these four youngsters felt that something wasn¡¯t right. In the back seat, He Lian asked hesitantly: ¡°Umm¡­¡­When will they be back?¡± ¡°Soon, very soon.¡± Cheng Cezhi replied absent-mindedly. He was however also unsure inside. He held his phone as fine beads of sweat formed in his palms. The wetness from his palms made his screen a little smudged. Cheng Cezhi was actually feeling very conflicted inside. Although he had subconsciously trusted Ye Jia, some doubts formed after he left. He didn¡¯t know how powerful the ¡®villa that would come alive¡¯ was. What if¡­..it was very powerful? What if Ye Jia had miscalculated and if he didn¡¯t immediately report to his superiors right now, his friend would be in trouble? The big scare spirit floated over and sat on his shoulder: ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Cheng Cezhi was taken aback. He quickly glanced at the youngsters in the back through the rear-view mirror and saw that they seemed to have not noticed anything before turning around and asking in a low voice, ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious.¡± The little scare spirit also floated over and sat on his other shoulder. It reassured, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, handsome men will always be fine!¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Why didn¡¯t he feel at ease hearing this? The big scare spirit looked around secretly before coming closer and whispering in Cheng Cezhi¡¯s ear, ¡°I can sense that that handsome man is very strong.¡± The little scare spirit nodded enthusiastically, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡± Cheng Cezhi was surprised. He subconsciously turned and looked at the villa in the distance. In the darkness, the villa was surrounded by the tall weeds, leaving only the dark roof visible. Just the sight of it was quite daunting. ¡­¡­..Very strong? Cheng Cezhi was a little surprised. He knew that this colleague of his was very mysterious and could see ghosts but¡­¡­very strong? For a while, he had some trouble associating that word with the Ye Jia who would habitually laze around like a salted fish¡ª-But now that he thought about it, he felt that it also fit him well¡­¡­ But why didn¡¯t he join the Combat Division instead? Cheng Cezhi felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach an answer even if he used every one of his braincells to think. The originally mysterious and unpredictable colleague seemed to have grown even more distant. While he was lost in thought, some sounds could be heard from the direction of the metal gate. Then, a vague figure appeared. He seemed to be¡­..dragging a person? Cheng Cezhi squinted his eyes to see more clearly¡ª-The other person¡¯s figure gradually came into view. With his back facing the thick darkness, the young man¡¯s expression was still calm and unwavering. His eyes were slightly lowered, and his hand dragged an unconscious person out from the tall grass. Please read this from kk translates He Lian who was sitting in the back seat let out an exclamation, ¡°¡­¡­.My god!¡± She hurriedly opened the car door and rushed outside. The others followed closely behind her. Ye Jia let go of Guan Tianyi¡¯s unconscious body and the body instantly collapsed onto the ground. The four other youngsters gathered around and looked at their companion with concern. ¡°W-what happened to him?¡± A boy asked nervously. ¡°The mechanisms in the villa weren¡¯t turned off.¡± Ye Jia answered lightly, ¡°Fainted from fear.¡± Everyone: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At this moment, the short-haired girl covered her nose and frowned, ¡°What is this smell¡­..¡± Everyone was taken aback. They looked in the direction of the smell¡ª¡ª Guan Tianyi¡­¡­.had wet himself. A look of awkwardness surfaced on everyone¡¯s faces. At this moment, Cheng Cezhi also hurried out from the car. Before he could take more than a few steps, he saw Ye Jia turn and look in his direction. His voice was calm. ¡°Call an ambulance.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes seemed darker in the night. It seemed a little different from usual. Cheng Cezhi was stunned for a moment before he finally reacted and pulled out his phone to dial a familiar number. After he was done reporting the situation and gave them the address, he hung up and subconsciously looked in Ye Jia¡¯s direction. The young man had already retracted his gaze at this moment and was looking down at the black device in his hand. Cheng Cezhi scratched his head. For some reason, he felt that¡­..the other party seemed a little scary? The phone call earlier was to the hospital that worked together with the Bureau. They had established a line specially dedicated for the Bureau¡¯s staff and, in addition to the usual Bureau¡¯s staff, they would also admit ordinary people affected by paranormal events. In this regard, they were already well versed in it. It was just that their current location was too far from M City, so even if the hospital was on the edge of the main city centre, it would take the ambulance at least half an hour to arrive. ¡ª-The hospital had clearly notified the Bureau. Several black cars followed behind the ambulance. Inside them were all staff from the Bureau. In just half an hour, the entrance to the originally abandoned villa had become much livelier. In addition to the hospital¡¯s ambulance and the Bureau¡¯s staff, some nearby residents had also gathered around, stretching out their necks in curiosity. Cheng Cezhi was a little nervous. He didn¡¯t have any feelings towards this villa, but he was very clear about the Bureau¡¯s attitude towards harmless ghosts. Cheng Cezhi hid the two scare spirits behind him. Zhao Dong got out of the car and walked straight towards Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi. He turned and glanced at Guan Tianyi who was being carried off in a stretcher by medical staff and sighed sympathetically, ¡°Pitiful thing. It might be a while before he can recover.¡± Cheng Cezhi cleared his throat and awkwardly tried to change the topic: ¡°Oh, right. About this haunted house, what do you plan to do?¡± ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll be sending in combat personnel to clean it up.¡± Zhao Dong shrugged, ¡°But I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s a bit more complicated this time.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This is private territory. We will have to get into contact with the owner first before we can send people over.¡± ¡°This place really has an owner?¡± Cheng Cezhi was a little surprised, ¡°And you managed to contact them?¡± He originally thought that this place was an abandoned asset, and the owner may have even forgotten that they had a place like this. That would explain why they left it untouched for so long. ¡°Yeah, the paperwork was passed over just half a month ago.¡± Wait a minute¡­¡­A place like this could actually be sold? Cheng Cezhi was even more surprised. Did that person get scammed?! Zhao Dong looked down at his watch and continued, ¡°The owner insisted on coming to the site so we¡­¡­.¡± Before he could finish speaking, there was an engine¡¯s roar coming from the end of the road. Bright headlights cut through the dark night. A sports car stopped not far away from them. Cheng Cezhi could recognise the car¡ª-It was something he wouldn¡¯t ever be able to afford even if he worked sleeplessly for a hundred years. He couldn¡¯t help but give the car a few more envious glances. The door opened and a man go out. Simple white shirt, black trousers, broad shoulders, long legs, pale skin and pitch-black eyes. This person gave off an air of superiority. ¡ª¨CWow. For a moment, Cheng Cezhi felt like he was also influenced by the scare spirits. He couldn¡¯t help but praise inside: Top rate handsome guy! He turned to look at the scare spirits hiding behind him to make a few quiet jokes and ask if they liked this type. But the moment he turned back, Cheng Cezhi couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. ¡ª¨CIt was completely empty behind him. Huh? Where did those two scare spirits who can¡¯t hold themselves back when they see a handsome guy go? CH 35 Ye Jia had his head lowered as he examined the detection device in his hands. His judgement at the beginning wasn¡¯t wrong. This was indeed a prop that could be redeemed in the game. The sequelae caused from ¡®overeating¡¯ in the villa still hadn¡¯t disappeared. He could still feel the hunger inside him and the Yin Pit behind him was extremely alluring at this very moment. It was as if there was something in the darkness calling out to him. Ye Jia had no choice but to divert part of his attention and use it to restrain that desire of his to prevent himself from succumbing to his desires and going back in there again. Suddenly, without any warning, he felt an even more powerful and alluring existence approach him from another direction. Comparing the two, the Yin Pit was no longer as fragrant. His attention was instantly pulled over. Ye Jia¡¯s fingers were slightly stiff. His throat couldn¡¯t help but bob. He raised his head subconsciously and looked in the direction of the smell. A sports car stopped not far in front of everyone. Ye Jia suddenly had a bad feeling. The car door opened. That bad feeling came true. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Please don¡¯t do this to me. He only had enough time to conceal the human scent from his body¡ª¨CThis wasn¡¯t a difficult task for him who had just emerged from the yin energy filled villa. But¡­.It was probably too late for him to escape. Especially since the other party was walking this way. The man¡¯s dark eyes were slightly lowered. His gaze that seemed to feel tangible slowly scanned across the people around him before it was retracted away. He stretched out his hand: ¡°Ji Xuan.¡± ¡°Zhao Dong.¡± Zhao Dong obliviously also stretched out his hand and enthusiastically shook the other party¡¯s hand, ¡°Hello, hello. Are you the owner of this place?¡± Ji Xuan: ¡°Yes.¡± Cheng Cezhi also extended his hand enthusiastically, ¡°Cheng Cezhi. Hello.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± His vision went dark. Sure enough, the eyes of that man changed slightly, and his pale lips hooked up imperceptibly. There was meaningfulness in his voice, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡ª-If he knew a day like today would come, Ye Jia would¡¯ve never lied about Cheng Cezhi¡¯s name. Just as he was feeling dizzy from this situation playing out in front of him, Ji Xuan¡¯s line of sight fell onto him. He lowered his eyes, his dark eyes like a deep abyss, and asked, ¡°And this is?¡± Ye Jia only realised now that among the three people present, he was the only one who hadn¡¯t introduced himself. Ji Xuan¡¯s fingers were pale and slender, and his joints were very well defined. He silently stretched out his hand towards Ye Jia. Ye Jia could only toughen himself up and hold the other person¡¯s hand with his right hand: ¡°¡­¡­..Ye Jia.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s hand was very cold, and his palms were dry. The handshake carried some strength. When he shook hands with the other two just now, it was only a brief and polite handshake. But right now, his fingers tightened slightly so that their palms touched each other intimately, and he had even used his thumb to gently rub the back of his hand. Before Ye Jia could react, Ji Xuan withdrew his hand. His eyes fell on Zhao Dong again, ¡°So, what happened?¡± ¡ª¨CHis expression was so calm and sincere, it was no different from an ordinary person who had accidentally purchased a deadly villa. Ye Jia himself was almost fooled by it for a moment. But in fact¡­¡­.. As a Ghost King, he had bought the only Yin Pit in the city that was not being monitored by the Bureau¡­.. How could he not have known that something like this would happen to his own property?! Zhao Dong began to explain the situation to him in detail and Cheng Cezhi occasionally added a few words. Ye Jia was distracted. His hand seemed to still have some lingering coldness left from the other party and he could also still feel the force from the handshake. Like some kind of phantom that wouldn¡¯t dissipate, that feeling clung to his skin, causing him to be¡­¡­¡­extremely hungry. His five senses that had yet to be sealed off took in the scent and energy in the air emitted by the other person greedily. This kind of strange restlessness made Ye Jia very uncomfortable. It was a very bad coincidence for Ji Xuan to come at a time like this. It just happened to be when he was suppressing his hunger after not having eaten his fill. While in a state like this, he was made to come face to face with something that could be considered the best quality food in this world¡ª- and it was even a top delicacy he had tasted before. This made Ye Jia instinctively want to get closer and take it all in. He forced himself to lower his eyes and fixed his gaze on his toes. But with his visual senses gone, his other senses became even more sensitive. He could smell the cooling air around the other person¡¯s skin. He could taste the subtle vibrations in the other person¡¯s vocal cords when he spoke. He could touch the rich and fragrant smell coming from the depths of the other person¡¯s body. ¡°¡­..So I told those adventure seeking youngsters that this was a haunted house attraction that was abandoned after there were issues with funding, but the mechanisms and devices inside were left in there¡­..¡± ¡°Issues with funding?¡± Ji Xuan raised an eyebrow. His voice was low and peaceful, and one couldn¡¯t hear any dissatisfaction, but it still for some reason made them nervous. Zhao Dong hurriedly tried to salvage the situation, ¡°No, no, Xiao Cheng didn¡¯t mean that. He had no choice at the time and said it to prevent information from leaking out¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan laughed softly, ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I just happened to be worried over what I can do with this place. Thanks to this¡­¡­Mr. Cheng, you have given me a good idea.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s words paused briefly at ¡°Mr. Cheng¡±. There was a hint of a smile when he said it. ¡°I should thank him instead.¡± This time Zhao Dong panicked, ¡°Wait a minute, are you really planning on making it a business? Did I not explain it clearly enough for you just now? This place you bought may actually be haunted¡­..¡± Ye Jia returned to his senses. Although his eyes were still lowered, he began to direct his attention to the conversation going on between the three of them. Even now, the people from the Bureau still didn¡¯t know that this place was a Yin Pit. That was understandable because they didn¡¯t have Ye Jia¡¯s ability to perceive yin energy. For them, it takes a long time to determine whether a place would automatically gather yin energy as that conclusion can only be reached after extensive experimentation and testing. To them right now, this place was no more than a villa that they suspect is haunted by ghosts. ¡°Yeah!¡± Cheng Cezhi echoed, ¡°Don¡¯t you know how dangerous this is?!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He will need to carefully think about how he should salvage the situation of ¡®Cheng Cezhi¡¯s¡¯ character the next time he reports on his progress. Ji Xuan was dismissive, ¡°I am a businessman after all. Your investigations and actions will interfere with my schedule. What¡¯s more, if this place attracts unwanted attention, wouldn¡¯t that make it lose value?¡± Business perspective or not, those words were understandable and reasonable. But the next second, Ji Xuan added: ¡°But¡­¡­..¡± Everyone¡¯s attention was instantly drawn over. Ji Xuan spoke slowly, ¡°Mass closure and testing would cause too much commotion. If you keep it low-key, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°You can send over a staff who will, with my accompaniment, check how dangerous this place is.¡± His gaze lightly fell onto the three people before him before finally stopping at Cheng Cezhi, ¡°How about you?¡± Cheng Cezhi froze, ¡°?¡± Please read this from kk translates W-why is it me? In order to conceal the fact that Ye Jia had gone in to save someone and to also protect the two innocent scare spirits, Cheng Cezhi actually hadn¡¯t told Zhao Dong and the others everything. To be more precise, he did tell the truth but the degree of danger of this place had been reduced a lot in his report. To the people from the Bureau, the level of haunting at this villa was at most at the lowest level¡ª-One that could only make people faint from fear. Because of this, Zhao Dong only needed a short moment of thought before agreeing, ¡°Alright.¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s expression was dejected. He aggrievedly felt himself choking up¡ª¨CThis was what people meant by lifting a stone and hitting themself in the foot! He didn¡¯t have the ability to leave that place alive! At this moment Ye Jia interjected in a timely manner, ¡°But it¡¯s too late today and we¡¯re all tired. How does tomorrow sound? Ji Xuan¡¯s gaze lingered on him for half a second before he finally nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± Taking along Ye Jia, Cheng Cezhi drove back to the city. As he drove, he was a little in daze, ¡°What should I do tomorrow brother? I¡¯m really not at the level where I can go in and out of a place like that¡­..And although it is during the daytime, I¡¯m still really scared!¡± He regretted it a little: ¡°Is this my retribution for lying?! Sure enough, a lie will need more lies to make it seem more realistic¡­¡­..Wuuuuuu I was wrong.¡± Ye Jia who had lied countless times: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ah, an arrow to his knee. Ouch. But fortunately, as early as the moment the three talked, Ye Jia had already thought of a countermeasure. He said to Cheng Cezhi without a change to his expression, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, tomorrow I will go instead of you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Cheng Cezhi was stunned, ¡°But¡­..Won¡¯t that owner be angry?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°I¡¯ll say you¡¯re sick and I came as replacement. The other person probably just randomly pointed you out. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± He added, ¡°Also, thank you.¡± ¡ª¡ª-Ye Jia knew why Cheng Cezhi concealed some matters about the condition of the villa so that it didn¡¯t appear dangerous. It was because this was the only way he could explain why Guan Tianyi survived without mentioning Ye Jia¡¯s involvement. He was so serious when he said that, it made Cheng Cezhi feel a little embarrassed. Cheng Cezhi looked away and said stiffly, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it for you. I was mainly worried that the Bureau would kill those two pitiful little spirits¡­..¡± After saying this, Cheng Cezhi remembered something: ¡°Ah, speaking of which, where are they? Why aren¡¯t they here?¡± Thinking back now, they seemed to have disappeared completely just now. Ye Jia knew the answer to this question very well. With Ji Xuan there, it would be weird if those two scare spirits didn¡¯t run away. He shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± At this moment, a small voice cautiously spoke up from the back seat, ¡°U-um¡­¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He turned his head and looked behind. He saw two transparent, jelly-like spirits sticking their heads out. They spoke weakly, ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± The little scare spirit choked up, ¡°We can¡¯t go back now. That place is now taken over by the demon king.¡± Cheng Cezhi didn¡¯t think much about it. After all, for weak ghosts like them, a Bureau that could determine their life and death was indeed an existence equivalent to a demon king. He sighed sympathetically, ¡°Haa, there¡¯s no other choice. That villa was too strange so the Bureau wouldn¡¯t let it go.¡± The big scare spirit nodded aggrievedly, ¡°But now we are homeless.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He suddenly felt nervous. Don¡¯t tell me these two want to go home with him? The next second, the two scare spirits slowly approached them and asked shyly, ¡°M-may we please stay at your place temporarily?¡± Cheng Cezhi was flattered, ¡°Mine? Of¡­¡­¡± The little scare spirit floated over and nestled on the edge of Ye Jia¡¯s seat. It looked at him with round and expectant eyes, ¡°Please?¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± My pride was hurt. They can¡¯t be cured! These two face-cons! Give me back my sympathy! Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Sorry, I really don¡¯t want to have two more strange ghosts living in my place. But before he could refuse, the small black hand lashed out first. It was completely quiet earlier when Ji Xuan was around and it had even hidden itself as much as possible in Ye Jia¡¯s scent, but it had now become lively again: ¡°Hey, what are you talking about?!¡± It held onto Ye Jia¡¯s collar as if sensing some a threat to its position, ¡°Don¡¯t just live in someone else¡¯s place so casually!!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Don¡¯t you feel embarrassed saying that? The scare spirits wouldn¡¯t back down. They got a little closer, ¡°Why can you stay but we can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Dream on! You just can¡¯t!¡± The small black hand shouted aggressively. Seeing that the three ghosts were about to start quarrelling, Ye Jia pinched the bridge of his nose, ¡°Stop.¡± The two scare spirits and the small black hand instantly stopped arguing. They all turned and looked at Ye Jia. Ye Jia said, ¡°You two can stay at my place for a few days.¡± The scare spirits were indeed harmless, but if an ordinary person really lived with them, it would weaken the yang energy in their body, so Ye Jia couldn¡¯t let Cheng Cezhi take these two spirits back with him. Small black hand, ¡°!¡± Like an eggplant that had been exposed to the cold, the entire black hand wilted. But before the two scare spirits could become excited, Ye Jia emphasised two words, ¡°Temporary stay.¡± Seeing the disappointed faces of the two scare spirits, the small black hand¡¯s mood inexplicably got better. It chuckled twice and nestled back on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder again. As Cheng Cezhi drove, he glanced at the small black hand sitting comfortably on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. A line suddenly surfaced to his mind: As long as I am not dead, you are all concubines. ¡­¡­It must be that his way of thinking wasn¡¯t right. He sighed and expressed, ¡°Your ghost fate is so good.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.I am willing to give this ghost fate to you, thank you very much.¡± The two scare spirits had at this moment secretly moved over to his side. The big scare spirit clung to his wrist while the little scare spirit squeezed into Ye Jia¡¯s palm. Ye Jia squeezed it subconsciously. Cool, soft and slippery. A bit like jelly. A strange blush appeared on the little scare spirit¡¯s translucent face. The big scare spirit had enough, ¡°Hey! I want to be squeezed too!¡± The small black hand gloated from Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Fight, fight, fight.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± He was now regretting his decision. . The next day. Ye Jia changed his scent and skilfully concealed his face before activating his ghost domain and once again arrived at the villa. To his surprise, Ji Xuan was already there. He was leaning against the mottled wall outside the villa with his long legs bent slightly and his eyes lowered as if he was thinking about something. A car was parked in the distance. Ye Jia didn¡¯t recognise this brand but even for someone who didn¡¯t know the specifics, he could tell that the car gave off the smell of money. He could however recognise that it wasn¡¯t the same one as last night. Ye Jia began to seriously ponder over a question. Clearly, everyone came out from the same game¡­. but why was there such a big difference in financial abilities? Ji Xuan raised his eyes and accurately looked over in Ye Jia¡¯s direction. The black colour of his eyes was now gone, and it was replaced by a strangely dark red colour. ¡°You¡¯ve changed back.¡± His tone was faint, as if he was just stating a simple fact. Ye Jia calmly said, ¡°More convenient like this.¡± Ji Xuan stood up and walked towards him. His eyes were lowered slightly, and his lips hooked up into a smile that also didn¡¯t seem quite like a smile, ¡°Your human disguise is very good. Even I couldn¡¯t detect your original scent on you.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± But of course. It would be strange if he could detect something like that on an ordinary human like Cheng Cezhi. Without a change to his expression, he said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing much.¡± ¡°So,¡± Ye Jia asked tentatively, ¡°what do you plan to do with this place, King?¡± Please read this from kk translates This place was the only place in the entire M City that wasn¡¯t being monitored by the Bureau. For the fierce ghosts, it was extremely valuable. Even without needing to think about it, Ji Xuan would naturally not give up a place like this. Therefore, depending on the other party¡¯s future objective, Ye Jia would decide whether or not he wanted to take the risk to clean this place up. Ji Xuan said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me King.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback, ¡°?¡± He subconsciously raised his head and looked at the other person, but he was met with those dark red eyes. It was like there were unknown undercurrents surging in the depths of it. Ji Xuan said casually, ¡°Just call my name.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­That wouldn¡¯t be good?¡± Ji Xuan raised a brow, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be good?¡± He asked, ¡°Did you think that I was the one who made them call me King?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± That¡¯s true. Even if Ji Xuan didn¡¯t take the initiative to use the ¡®King¡¯ title, those fierce ghosts and monsters probably didn¡¯t dare call him by his name directly because of their fear and admiration towards him. But¡­..If that was the case, it was even more impossible for him to agree. After all, if he became the only ghost who calls the Ghost King by his real name, it would make his existence too special. Just as Ye Jia was about to refuse, he heard the other person add lightly: ¡°Don¡¯t you admire me?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you the right to call me by my real name.¡± The smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips deepened, but his voice was still calm and indifferent, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel honoured?¡± Ye Jia: ¡±¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± He gritted his teeth. This damned kid. If you put aside the fact that the other party wanted to kill him a few years ago, he was a little cuter back then. He reluctantly squeezed out two words from between his teeth, ¡°¡­¡­Ji Xuan.¡± After getting what he wanted, Ji Xuan turned around contently. His pale and slender finger raised slightly. The heavy iron chain fell in an instant and the rusty gate creaked and slowly opened inwards. Ji Xuan stepped in. Ye Jia was stunned for a moment and also a little puzzled. Ji Xuan turned and looked at him, ¡°Follow me.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me what I plan to do?¡± Ye Jia let out an ¡®oh¡¯ and quickly caught up with the other party. They arrived at the villa again. The abandoned villa sat quietly amidst the tall grass and weeds. Unlike how it was at night, it appeared decadent and dead during the day, The status and attributes of each Yin Pit were not the same. Very clearly, the attributes of this place were completely different between night and day. Ji Xuan raised his finger slightly, The ground below bulged, and it was soon bleached red. A pale white goat skull emerged from the ground after being summoned and a huge body soon followed. ¡°Go on.¡± Ji Xuan said. The blood gu fish obediently swam towards the depths of this villa. Its tail flicked back and forth slowly as it disappeared past the front door. An indescribable scream emerged from the depths of the building. It was as if the whole villa was screaming, Because he had eaten a lot of yin energy there yesterday, even if it was daytime right now, Ye Jia could faintly sense the changes coming from the depths of the villa. As if its power was being drained by some external force, the yin energy in this Yin Pit rapidly faded away¡ª¨CUntil it was completely gone. The villa soon became a normal building. There were no more signs of life. Very soon, the blood gu fish appeared at the door. It swam around very slowly and took several seconds to reach Ji Xuan. Immediately afterwards, the blood gu fish raised its head and placed a small, pitch-black ball the size of a fist in Ji Xuan¡¯s palm. In the centre of it, there seemed to be some kind of black mist slowly swirling around. Ye Jia felt his stomach twitch when the familiar fragrance reached him. Ji Xuan rubbed its head, ¡°Good child.¡± The blood gu fish burped. It seemed to have finally noticed Ye Jia¡¯s existence. The blood gu fish turned around and swam to Ye Jia¡¯s side. It affectionately rubbed its large head against Ye Jia¡¯s palm and then turned over to reveal its belly made of blood and bones. Ye Jia hesitated for a moment. He then bent down and rubbed the other party¡¯s belly. It was cool and soft, like the surface of a wet ball¡ªBut he had to be careful not to let his hand sink in lest it got too strange. The blood gu fish who finally got what it wanted happily swung its large fish tail, almost splashing blood onto Ye Jia. Suddenly, Ye Jia sensed something familiar approaching. Ji Xuan bent down behind him, his strong presence suddenly invading Ye Jia¡¯s personal space. His voice was low and cheerful, and it sounded close to Ye Jia¡¯s ear: ¡°It is full.¡± Ye Jia mind went hazy and his limbs instantly stiffened. It wasn¡¯t because of anything else¡­¡­it was just that¡­¡­ It smelt really good. The black ball just now seemed to have aroused his already suppressed hunger. It made him particularly sensitive to the yin energy around him¡­¡­.just like last night. Ye Jia pressed the tip of his tongue against his teeth. He could tell that his molars were itching to eat. A strange impulse struggled inside him. ¡ª¨CHe wanted to pounce him. CH 36 At that moment, Ye Jia felt all the nerves in his body screaming out. The saliva in his mouth secreted crazily and his throat bobbed. It felt like there was a fire burning inside his stomach and throat. He quickly stood up. Ye Jia immediately strode past the blood gu fish in front of him. The blood gu fish was taken aback by this sudden action of his. It rolled over, turned its head and looked at the young man before it questioningly through its empty eye sockets. It didn¡¯t seem to understand why the other party suddenly stopped rubbing its belly. After moving away from Ji Xuan, the twitching in Ye Jia¡¯s stomach calmed down considerably. He let out a sigh of relief, turned around and then looked in the direction he had just came from. Ji Xuan slowly straightened up, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Jia paused for a couple of seconds, ¡°¡­.The breeze is stronger here.¡± Ji Xuan raised a brow. His scarlet eyes were locked firmly onto him. He repeated slowly, ¡°Breeze is stronger?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia braced himself and said, ¡°Yeah.¡± The other man slowly took a step closer, ¡°And now?¡± Seeing that the hunger deep inside him was surging again with the other party getting closer, Ye Jia¡¯s body stiffened slightly, and he instinctively retreated a little more, ¡°N-not anymore.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s gaze lingered very briefly on him. There was a hint of amusement in those scarlet eyes of his. He retracted his gaze, looked down at the pitch-black ball in his hand, and changed the subject: ¡°But, it¡¯s a lot smaller than I expected.¡± Ye Jia: ¡±¡­¡­¡­.¡± Yes, because I ate some. The blood gu fish slowly swam to his side again. It pressed its skull head against Ye Jia¡¯s palm. Ye Jia absentmindedly rubbed its head. He asked, ¡°So, did you buy this place because of the yin energy here?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Ji Xuan stored the black ball away and narrowed his eyes, ¡°These yin energy are just a drop in a bucket, but rather than letting it fall into another person¡¯s hands, it¡¯s better to end up in mine.¡± His voice was calm, but Ye Jia keenly noted a hint of coldness in his tone. ¡°Then¡­¡­.What do you plan to do next?¡± After stripping it of its yin energy, this place had now become an ordinary building, but as time goes on, yin energy would still slowly gather again. The time required for the energy to gather wasn¡¯t set and may even take a very long time, but Ye Jia didn¡¯t think that Ji Xuan would just leave it alone. ¡°Your suggestion was very good.¡± Ji Xuan said. Ye Jia was confused, ¡°?¡± His¡­¡­suggestion? ¡°Haunted house, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Ji Xuan glanced at him with a smile. Ye Jia now remembered what Cheng Cezhi said last night, ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°With human attention, the other side wouldn¡¯t dare act too rashly.¡± Ji Xuan continued casually, ¡°You can come every once in a while with the blood gu fish to let it have a meal.¡± Ji Xuan: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have plenty of funding.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Why did this person like to hold grudges? He actually remembered Cheng Cezhi¡¯s ridiculous lie about the owner having issues with funding. He thought for a while and then thought some more. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold back from voicing his doubts. ¡°King¡­.I mean, Ji Xuan.¡± Under the other person¡¯s threatening gaze, Ye Jia stiffly changed his words. He chose his words carefully and then spoke with some hesitation, ¡°How did you manage¡­¡­.to obtain so many assets in the human world?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Ji Xuan asked him back with interest. Ye Jia hesitated a little, ¡°Robbed the bank?¡± Ji Xuan: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Although he no longer needed to breathe as a ghost, he suddenly couldn¡¯t help but take in a deep breath. ¡°No.¡± It was unknown if it was just Ye Jia¡¯s imagination, but he felt that the other party seemed to have said that with some restraint. Ye Jia wisely didn¡¯t ask any further. He changed the subject, ¡°Oh right, as for this haunted house, I guess you¡¯ll need staff?¡± Ji Xuan raised a brow, ¡°You have someone to recommend?¡± . ¡°Wahhhhhhhhh Don¡¯t want to!!¡± The two scare spirits each pulled at Ye Jia¡¯s right and left arm as they cried pathetically, ¡°We don¡¯t want to leave waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!¡± They clearly hadn¡¯t even stayed at this handsome man¡¯s place for more than two days, why did they have to leave?! It¡¯s too sudden! They hadn¡¯t even had the time to peep at the other person¡¯s private photos yet!! Ye Jia tore the two of them off his arms and spoke very patiently, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you two can maximize your talents at a haunted house?¡± There is no better place than a haunted house for a scare spirit. They wouldn¡¯t even need to buy any additional mechanisms or props and the entire place would be controlled by the spirits instead. What could be more convenient than that? Moreover, each customer¡¯s play time will not exceed half an hour each time. In such a short time frame, it would be impossible for the scare spirits to drain them of their health. He continued, ¡°Also, not many people went to the abandoned villa before, did they? It would be different now. You will finally be able to eat your fill.¡± The two scare spirits wavered. Ye Jia was right. While they were living in that villa, they didn¡¯t often have visitors and because they were too weak, they also didn¡¯t dare go out in search for food so they could only create small illusions to scare the people living nearby and rely on that small amount of food to barely fill their stomachs. Eating their fill¡­¡­It was indeed very tempting! Ye Jia continued with his efforts of persuading them, ¡°And, did you know? This is a property of the Ghost King. After entering, you will be considered as one of his subordinates. No ghosts would dare bully you anymore.¡± The big and little scare spirits looked at each other. The thought of that was nice. They shyly asked, ¡°T-then, can we still see you in the future?¡± Ye Jia was already prepared to answer this question, ¡°Of course. I will visit you two every once in a while.¡± Please read this from kk translates ¡ª¨CAnd along the way feed the blood gu fish. The two scare spirits were moved into tears, ¡°Wahhhhhh Thank you. We love you wahhhhhhh.¡± Ye Jia smiled exceptionally warmly, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± After all, Ji Xuan had promised to give him 50% of the profits. . Guan Tianyi woke up in the hospital. He stared blankly at the white ceiling above his head, his mind still a mess having just woken up. For a while, he didn¡¯t know where he was. Guan Tianyi frowned and slowly began to recall what happened. He remembered¡­¡­that he and his friends had gone to explore a famous haunted villa located in the outskirts of M City and along the way they met two other people exploring the place as well. The villa was haunted, and they were all scared stiff by it, but it later turned out to be mechanisms installed into the house. Afterwards¡­..He remembered that he had left the ghost detection device behind so he went back to retrieve it¡­¡­and then? The more Guan Tianyi tried to recall, the more his head hurt. He however couldn¡¯t remember what happened next. He gave up struggling and slowly supported himself up. He reached for his phone on the bedside table. As soon as he turned it on, his phone vibrated and dinged. A WeChat message from a friend popped up, ¡°Brother, check the hot searches.¡± Guan Tianyi was confused for a moment. He suspiciously opened Weibo. The next second, he was shocked by the number of notifications he was receiving. In just one night, his followers had reached 100,000 and he had also received countless private messages. Guan Tianyi was ecstatic. He quickly checked the hot searches but in the twelfth rank he saw¡­¡­.. #Famous paranormal internet star exposed live# Guan Tianyi¡¯s hand shook. With trembling hands, he clicked it open and saw his live broadcast from yesterday sitting at the very top of the screen. Without clicking it, Weibo directly began to play it without sound for him¡ª He saw his panicked and excited face appear on the screen and immediately afterwards¡­.Two figures appeared from inside the door behind him, their faces annoyingly composed. Guan Tianyi: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His trembling fingers accidentally clicked open the comment section. Strings of ¡°hahahahahahahaha¡± made his head hurt. In addition to that, there were people seeking out the address of this haunted villa as well as people hoping that this place could start its business again through crowdfunding. The most liked comment was, ¡°I want the contact information of the handsome guy in the last five minutes.¡± This comment was shared by a beauty blogger ¡®A¡¯lianlianlianlian¡¯: ¡°Me too [Dog head]¡±. Guan Tianyi expressionlessly opened his private messages. The first one was, ¡°Do you know the Weibo of the handsome guy who walked out of the haunted villa? Begging you to share it. Those who do good deeds will live a good life!¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Guan Tianyi¡¯s grip around his phone tightened. Dammit!!!! At the Logistics Department of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau. Cheng Cezhi sneakily came over with his phone and showed it to Ye Jia, ¡°Brother Ye, you¡¯re famous.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± This was the fifth person to say that to him today. Cheng Cezhi scrolled through the comment section and sighed a little bitterly, ¡°How strange. I could also be considered pretty good looking but why has no one complimented me?¡± He lowered his head and pinched at the belly he had gained from sitting down all day in an office. ¡°Maybe I should go to the gym.¡± Ye Jia sucked in a deep breath and asked expressionlessly, ¡°Have you finished your work?¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°???¡± He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke, ¡°Brother Ye, it¡¯s my first time seeing you show so much passion towards work. You¡¯ve changed. I¡¯m a little scared.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Seeing that the other party was on the verge of exploding, Cheng Cezhi wisely slipped away, ¡°I¡¯ll go finish my report! Bye Brother Ye!¡± Watching Cheng Cezhi¡¯s leaving figure, Ye Jia massaged his temples. Social media¡­¡­.What an annoying thing! He lowered his head and looked under his desk, ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± In the darkness under the table, a phone screen was lit up. The small black hand quickly tapped on the phone. It replied, ¡°Almost.¡± After settling the matter with the scare spirits, Ye Jia went to the hospital and used some tricks to find out how Guan Tianyi managed to get his hands on a game prop. The only thing that gave Ye Jia a headache was¡­¡­ It was an online only black market. ¡ª¨CIt happened to be something he was bad at. And so, the small black hand was sent out instead. From the fake IP address to creating an anonymous account to access the black market and finally finding the seller, the entire process was done smoothly and professionally. It even made Ye Jia stunned¡ª¨CWasn¡¯t it too proficient in this? Five minutes later, the small black hand peeked out from under the table and proudly returned the phone to Ye Jia, ¡°Done!¡± Ye Jia repeated, ¡°Done?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The small black hand answered, ¡°It¡¯s an offline transaction. The address is on the screen.¡± Ye Jia received the phone and glanced at it. The address was very detailed and it even included the house number and the time of transaction which was midnight tonight. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Amazing. He raised his head and looked at the small black hand. For once, he felt generous, ¡°I will reward you with a skin.¡± The small black hand hugged Ye Jia¡¯s calf happily, ¡°Wooow! Thank you, boss!!¡± Please read this from kk translates Time went by very slowly while working but as soon as work was over, it was very spent very happily. In the past two days, Liu Zhaocheng very rarely appeared in the department. Ye Jia didn¡¯t know much about this. He only knew that he was probably cooperating with Wu Su¡¯s team, but he didn¡¯t know the specifics. But in any case, with Liu Zhaocheng not watching over this department, even the other staff had started to slack off. This was a good thing for Ye Jia. At least he wouldn¡¯t need to escape the department as quickly as he did before, as if he was chased by a ghost. He went to buy a cup of milk tea and then slowly returned to his apartment. The sky gradually darkened. It changed from a light blue to a dark blue and then finally turned into a deep black colour resembling black ink. Ye Jia looked up at the sky. He stretched his back and then checked the time on his phone. It was almost time. Ye Jia skilfully disguised himself. Since he wasn¡¯t sure whether the other party was a human or a fierce ghost, Ye Jia had made two preparations. He not only concealed his face, but he had also disguised his own scent in attempt to make himself seem as if he was just an ordinary human. Soon, he arrived at the address on his phone. It was in a seemingly ordinary residential area. Streetlights nearby dispersed away some of the darkness and the dim yellow lights lit up the path around him. The community was filled with life. Several windows in the not-so-tall buildings were lit up and one could vaguely see silhouettes through them. Ye Jia stopped in the darkness and checked. To his surprise, there were no abnormal energy fluctuations here. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He approached his destination and rang the doorbell. A lazy and rough voice called out, ¡°Hello? Are you here to buy things? Come in.¡± The other party paused for a moment, ¡°Oh right, the elevator is broken. You may have to use the stairs.¡± After saying that, there was a beep and the door to the apartment complex opened. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This was different from what he had imagined. He took a deep breath and walked in. This was a rather old building. Dust, oil fumes and garbage smells made it rather uncomfortable. The elevator was tattered, and the buttons were dark. It was clearly broken. Ye Jia briefly glanced at the elevator before approaching the stairs. The lights in the stairwell were also broken. He could only rely on the light from the streetlamp outside the window to see the stairs. But darkness wasn¡¯t a problem for Ye Jia. Halfway up, he suddenly came to a stop and then raised his hand to grab the small black hand on his shoulder and quickly stuffed it into his pocket¡ª¨C At that moment, he felt¡­..some sort of strange energy sweeping over him. It was mostly detecting and probing him out, it wasn¡¯t malicious. The door ahead was half concealed. This energy came from inside the door. Ye Jia calmly opened the door, only to see a sloppily dressed middle-aged man nestled in the sofa, looking at him lazily: ¡°What do you want to buy?¡± ¡°Detecting device.¡± Ye Jia said, ¡°I heard yours are very accurate?¡± The middle-aged man scratched his stomach and stood up. He pulled out a black box from under the sofa and approached Ye Jia: ¡°Of course.¡± He pointed at a dirty QR code on his coffee table, ¡°Forty thousand yuan. Just scan it.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes were sharp and keen. He very quickly scanned over the other party, as if evaluating him. ¡ª-Not a player and not a fierce ghost. Just an ordinary human. Even if he was involved with this transaction chain, he definitely wasn¡¯t the key member. He was likely just a dealer. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and scanned the QR code with his phone. With a ¡®ding¡¯, the money was transferred. The middle-aged checked his phone but was taken aback when he saw the amount. Shown on it was: Forty-five thousand yuan has been received. He looked suspiciously at the young man in front of him, ¡°This¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°When I contact you today, you should probably already know that I am an avid fan of the paranormal.¡± The other party¡¯s face was hidden in the darkness, but their temperament couldn¡¯t be concealed. He heard a hint of a smile in the other person¡¯s voice: ¡°If you have anything else like this, remember to contact me. Money isn¡¯t an issue.¡± After saying that, the young man didn¡¯t hang around. He promptly turned and left. The next second, the middle-aged man¡¯s rough voice called out from behind him, ¡°Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute, don¡¯t leave yet.¡± Ye Jia turned back to look at the other party. He pretended to ask in doubt: ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I only have this item in stock here.¡± The middle-aged man scratched his head and spoke somewhat hesitantly, ¡°But, if you don¡¯t mind, I can take you to another place? There are more goods there.¡± The smile on Ye Jia¡¯s lips deepened. His voice was extremely sincere: ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± . There was the sound of a microphone being tapped. ¡°Friends, I promise you, t-the next words that I say are all true.¡± The young man¡¯s voice trembled slightly, as if suppressing some fierce emotions. Through the screen, it sounded a little unreal. Immediately afterwards, the frame shook. A dark and gloomy building came into view. ¡°It¡¯s here. This is a villa in the outskirts of M City¡­¡­.¡± As the man continued to chatter, two figures walked out from the open villa door. The young man walking at the back was particularly eye-catching in a gloomy setting like this. He was tall and slender, and although he was thin, his steps were light and firm. He looked like he had just walked out from a painting. The young man¡¯s skin was very pale, to the point where it almost looked like it was glowing in the night. His eyes were nonchalantly lowered, and he gave off a particularly attractive temperament; elegant and distant, along with some devil-may-care laziness. Even through the low-definition recording, he appeared particularly handsome. It was almost as if the moment he made his appearance, people couldn¡¯t help but find their eyes drawn to him. Cold and pale fingers silently touched the screen. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes, his dark red eyes reflecting the other party¡¯s face. His touch was light and gentle, as if he was stroking the young man¡¯s cheek through the phone screen. The blood gu fish brought its huge goat skull head over and used its nose to rub the screen in doubt. It didn¡¯t seem to understand why the human it liked was smaller and confined inside this small black box. Ji Xuan gently stroked the blood gu fish with one hand and used the other to poke at the young man on the screen: ¡°You like him very much, don¡¯t you?¡± His lips changed into a smile and his voice was low and hoarse, ¡°¡­¡­Me too.¡± To the point that he wanted to lock him up and not let anyone else see him. Cut out the eyes of anyone who looks at him, cut off the hands of anyone who tries to touch him, and feed it all to his pet. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and pulled the video back to the beginning. ¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Friends, I promise you, t-the next words¡­¡­.¡± Watching the shaky recording on the screen, a certain dark desire overflowed from Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes. No. He had to hold back. The phone screen cracked from the force. A spider-web-like crack appeared on the screen along with the crackling of electricity. The screen went black. Ji Xuan threw away another scrapped phone, closed his eyes, and tapped his fingers on the chair armrest impatiently. After a long period of silence, he opened his eyes and his gaze fell onto a book not far away. The cover of the book had been torn off, but everything else was still in good condition. There were clear traces of it being read multiple times. Ji Xuan paused. He bent his finger slightly. The book flew into his hands. The pages flipped very quickly before finally stopping at a page in the middle: ¡¾After confirming your own feelings, how should you act? ¡­¡­.. 9. Cats or dogs: Creating opportunities to get along. So, is your beloved person a cat or a dog person? If they are a cat person, try inviting them to a cat caf¨¦. No cat lover would refuse an opportunity to be able to pet cats¡­¡­¡¿ Ji Xuan frowned and raised his finger slightly. The book again turned a few pages. ¡¾¡­¡­If either you or the other party have a dog, you can try and met them while walking the dog! In a sunny park, that person¡¯s surprised expression and an excited dog by their feet; the perfect setting for the seeds of love to slowly sprout. What else could be more suitable than this? ¡¿ ¡°Pa.¡± Ji Xuan closed the book. When he read this book last time, he had already determined something¡ª¨CThis was a trashy book. The topic was gimmicky, 90% of the content was complete rubbish, the theory inside was too rigid, the author¡¯s writing was messy and there were even spelling mistakes. But¡­.. He lowered his eyes and seemed to be deep in thought. After a long time, Ji Xuan raised his eyes. His gaze fell onto the blood gu fish sitting by his feet. The look in his eyes was inexplicable. As for a dog¡­¡­¡­. ¡ª¡ªThis should be similar, right? Sensing its masters gaze, the blood gu fish looked up and tilted its head in confusion: ¡°?¡± CH 37 M City was close to the mountains and the sea. The night was getting dark. Most of the city lights were out, leaving only a few remaining spots scattered around. On the other side, the sea was already calm. It was completely dark without a single source of light. One could only faintly hear the sound of waves crashing. A car stopped by the dock. There were many warehouses by the pier. In the darkness, it looked a little spooky. The car door opened and a middle-aged man wearing a singlet and shorts came out. He scratched his stubbled chin and then turned to the other person in the car, ¡°Wait a minute. I¡¯ll go talk to them first.¡± The young man in the car nodded, ¡°Okay.¡± The middle-aged man disappeared in the dark gap between the warehouses, his figure instantly swallowed up by the darkness. Ye Jia opened the car door and similarly got out. The temperature here was a little colder than the city. The salt-filled sea breeze ruffled his hair. Ye Jia raised his eyes and his gaze fell thoughtfully onto the warehouses. The dark sky above his head was reflected in the depths of his eyes. Ahead¡­¡­.Nothing. But this ¡®nothing¡¯ was completely different from what he felt from that man earlier¡ª¨CThat person didn¡¯t have any residual yin energy on him or traces of props being used and only had the scent of an ordinary human. This place however was different. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t feel anything at all. There was no yin energy, no signs of life, or even the moisture in the air from the sea. It was just completely empty. As if this place was cut off from the rest of the world by something. ¡­.Was it a prop? Ye Jia calmly analysed inside. If his guess was correct, then the other party¡¯s act of using it either meant that they are extremely cautious, or that they already knew that they were caught. However, as for whether it was the former or the latter, it was something he couldn¡¯t be certain about for the time being. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and seemed to be in thought. He pulled the small black hand out from his pocket, ¡°Smell it.¡± Small black hand, ¡°¡­..Huh? Smell what?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you feel it?¡± Ye Jia raised a brow and pointed at the darkness ahead, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that this place is a little strange?¡± The small black hand hesitated ¡°N-no?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ye Jia nodded and stuffed the small black hand back into his pocket, ¡°Don¡¯t need you anymore.¡± The small black hand in the pocket: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Am I just a tool for you to use?! . Ten minutes later. The middle-aged man hurried over. His aged face showed some frustration. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ye Jia asked. ¡°Haa, don¡¯t even ask.¡± The man¡¯s voice was filled with anger that had not yet settled. He complained, ¡°Didn¡¯t get any goods and instead got a scolding. They said I was too careless¡­¡­..Damn this.¡± Ye Jia said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I understand. After all, it¡¯s a grey area.¡± He smiled warmly and turned to get back into the car, but he heard the man behind him say: ¡°That¡¯s why, I¡¯m sorry about this, brother.¡± The middle-aged man raised his hand. There appeared to be a pitch-black monster sticking tightly to his palm. Its eight tentacles were wrapped tightly around the back of his hand, and it let out some odourless liquid from its sucker-like lips. As soon as that liquid reached the young man¡¯s back, it seemed to penetrate straight into him and disappear without a trace. Immediately afterwards, the young man swayed slightly and then weakly fell to the ground. The middle-aged man tore off the tentacles with a look of disgust and then proceeded to stuff the struggling eight-legged monster into a small glass bottle. He wiped his palm against his clothes and then spat onto the ground: ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s disgusting.¡± The middle-aged man bent down and shouted towards the darkness behind him, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s done.¡± Two figures stepped out from the darkness. They were pushing a cart which made a dull sound as the wheels rolled across the floor. The cart stopped beside Ye Jia. The two men bent down and placed the unconscious young man into the cart. The hood fell, revealing the young man¡¯s pale face and sharp chin. The middle-aged man commented, ¡°Looks pretty good.¡± The other two didn¡¯t pay him any attention. One of them took out a palm sized device from their pocket and carefully scanned it across the young man. It didn¡¯t emit any lights or sounds the entire time. ¡°How is it?¡± The other person asked. The man stored the device back into his pocket, ¡°No problem. Just an ordinary human. Not a fierce ghost or a player.¡± They seemed to be relieved. The middle-aged man listened to their conversation with a blank expression. He clearly understood the individual words, but he didn¡¯t understand it when it was strung together like that. He grumbled, ¡°What are you on about?¡± What fierce ghost, what player? The two seemed to only now notice his existence. One of them glared at him coldly, ¡°Something like casually bringing another person here should not happen a second time.¡± The middle-aged man tried to explain himself, ¡°Before he entered my place, I already scanned him with the thing you gave me. There¡¯s nothing wrong with him. He¡¯s just a rich idiot who likes the paranormal so I¡­¡­¡± Before he could finish his words, he was mercilessly interrupted, ¡°The next one to be lying here would be you.¡± That person sneered and warned darkly, ¡°And at that time, the cart won¡¯t be taking to you the memory clearing studio.¡± The middle-aged man immediately shut his mouth. His muddy eyes flashed with fear. Please read this from kk translates The wheels sounded again. Pushing the cart, the two men slowly disappeared into the dark night. Looking in the direction in which the two men disappeared at, the middle-aged man spat onto the ground, ¡°Fuck, I have been working my ass off for them and finally managed to bring a customer over but all I get is this kind of treatment.¡± He turned and got back into the car. A moment later, the engine roared and the lights turned on. He slowly drove away from the dock. The dock was silent again. Only the sound of waves could be heard. In the depths of the warehouses. The two men pushed the cart through a somewhat complicated terrain. They familiarly pushed it right and left through the dark, as if they had walked that route hundreds of times. After an unknown period of time, they finally stopped. One took out a key and opened the metal door to a warehouse. The door was rusted by the sea breeze. It let out a low groan as it opened. They pushed the cart in. The lights turned on. The inside of the warehouse didn¡¯t match with its deserted and barren external appearance. The white walls were clean and there were four metal carts placed in the centre. The space near the door was empty, waiting for the arrival of the cart they were pushing to fill up the gap. The back of the room was completely blocked. One of them went over and pulled open the curtain, revealing a huge water tank that took up the majority of the wall behind it. The water tank was filled with dark, murky liquid. He skilfully put on some thick protective gloves and then picked up a special clamp on the side and slowly inserted it into the water. A dark creature resembling a starfish was taken out. Its five arms were covered with grotesque-looking bumps and boils, and on its stomach was a mouth filled with jagged teeth from which foul-smelling secretion dripped out of. Those five arms struggled and squirmed about. It seemed to be wanting to break free from that strange metal clamp that was binding its body. The man carefully carried the ugly creature and turned around: ¡°Hold him down¡­..¡± As soon as he turned around, the rest of his words were stuck in his throat. He saw that the young man who should be unconscious on the cart had sat up at this moment. As his hood hadn¡¯t been put back on again, his slightly messy hair over his forehead and his lowered eyes were revealed. Under the light, his beautifully defined face appeared even paler than before. Next to him laid his partner who had at some unknown point in time fallen unconscious. The man stared at the scene before him dumbfounded. It was as if he couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing. At this moment, the other party raised their amber coloured eyes which seemed to contain a faint golden glow. It appeared distant and indifferent, as if the person who had taken down a brawny man just now wasn¡¯t he himself. Ye Jia hopped off the cart unhurriedly and landed lightly onto the ground, like a cat leaping down from a high place. He smiled and greeted, ¡°Good evening.¡± ¡ª¨CRegardless of what the other party¡¯s purpose was, for someone who would conceal themselves and hide their whereabouts, it was impossible for them to allow anyone to bring outsiders over to their hideout and risk having themselves exposed. The first scenario would be him being denied entry. The solution to that was very simple. He could just secretly sneak in later. The second scenario would be the other party not willing to take the risk of being exposed and trying to eliminate the risk entirely. That scenario was even better. ¡ª-It would save him the time to search for a way to enter without being detected. The only pity was that in order to disguise himself as an ordinary human, he could only use the hood. But it didn¡¯t matter anyway. After all, he had a way of making the other party forget himself. Ye Jia stretched his shoulders and slowly approached the man. A smile lingered at his lips, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, I just want to ask you a few questions.¡± The man¡¯s limbs were stiff. He instinctively slowly backed away until his back hit the cold tank. The next second, a vicious smirk appeared on his face and a huge head emerged from his stomach. In a flash, that head broke free from the skin shackling it and it charged towards Ye Jia with it¡¯s mouth wide open. This person was definitely a player. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes turned cold. A faint light appeared at his fingertip. ¡ª¨CThis was a forbidden technique where one strengthened themselves with ghosts. It was equivalent to gaining control of fierce ghosts in exchange for their life. Even in the game, very few players dared to do something like this. That head had its mouth wide open. Drops of mucous fell onto the ground, corroding away the surface. It had to be dealt with quickly. These players clearly weren¡¯t alone. If others were attracted over, then his ¡®secret infiltration¡¯ plan would be ruined. Just as Ye Jia was about to pull out his scythe, he suddenly heard the man behind that face cry out in pain. He was taken aback for a moment. The huge head before him revealed a painful expression. It then quickly disappeared into the air. Ye Jia looked ahead. He saw that the man had slumped down onto the ground. The metal clamp in his hand had fallen onto the pool of mucous which had accumulated on the ground and the starfish-like monster was at this moment clinging tightly onto his face. Its five arms were wrapped tightly around the man¡¯s head, and it seemed to be wriggling towards the other party¡¯s mouth. The man was convulsing. He was already unconscious. The small black hand floating next to him exclaimed angrily, ¡°Well deserved!¡± Very clearly, it had taken advantage of the time that face attacked Ye Jia to knock over the clamp in his hand and let that grotesque monster attack the other party. Ye Jia retracted the sharp blade and approached the other party. He looked down at the other party¡¯s face which was still covered by that monster for a few seconds. ¡°¡­¡­..Memory worm.¡± This was a monster in the game that lived by devouring human memories. The small black hand settled on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. It was a little nervous, ¡°Uhh¡­..I hope I didn¡¯t make the situation worse?¡± After all, this guy didn¡¯t seem to be in a state where he could be interrogated. Ye Jia shook his head, ¡°This person nurtured a ghost using his body and has become corrupted. Even if I manage to capture him, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out from him.¡± He retracted his gaze and put his hood back on again. A layer of yin energy appeared, covering up his scent. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Under the shadow of the hood, his eyes darkened. He felt that¡­..this matter of reselling game props wasn¡¯t anything simple. Ye Jia took out a set of keys from the unconscious man¡¯s pocket and then closed the warehouse door, making it look the same as usual. The night outside was dull and gloomy. Ye Jia carefully walked through the narrow paths. Everything was indistinct in the dark. It was as if there was a huge curtain covering this place that was filled with maze-like paths and alleys. Most of the warehouses were very normal. There were piles of goods transported from overseas as well as some neglected miscellaneous items. Ye Jia raised his head and closed his eyes. He seemed to be feeling for something. ¡ª¡ª¨CSince the other party had concealed themselves using props, he would not look for their scent and instead would search of a place that seemed ¡®isolated¡¯ or ¡®cut off¡¯. Where there is nothing at all, that would be the place he was searching for. He opened his eyes and fixed his gaze somewhere in the distance. There. To the east of the warehouses, there was a final row of large warehouses. The doors were tightly closed. In the night, it looked very lifeless and gloomy. Ye Jia stopped before one of them. He didn¡¯t plan on using his ghost domain. Because the other party must have detection devices for yin and ghost energy, the sudden increase would inevitably raise an alarm. Ye Jia tried the keys from the keychain he picked up just now and sure enough, he was able to successfully open the door with one of the keys. He stepped in. The space inside the warehouse was a lot larger than how it looked from the outside, but much of this place was empty. There were only a few large cardboard boxes in the corner, looking lonely and pitiful. This empty warehouse was filled with a strange stale smell. In the corner near the main entrance was a round sphere half his height. The surface was soft and smooth, and it looked like it was of a half-liquid state. It faintly flickered. It was unknown whether it was a monster or a prop, but regardless of which it was, it was something Ye Jia had never seen before. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. He lowered his head and looked at the marks on the floor. There probably used to be a lot of things piled up here but had been removed. Based on the scratches on the floor, it was probably only taken away quite recently. While Ye Jia examined this large warehouse, suddenly, a familiar noise sounded outside. Metal wheels rolled across the ground, making a low rumbling sound. It slowly got closer and closer. Faint voices could be heard through the door. ¡°¡­¡­Why didn¡¯t you lock the door?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t the last one to leave!¡± ¡°Dammit.¡± That voice cursed, ¡°It must be Sun Yuan that fucker. I¡¯ll kill him if he does this again.¡± Ye Jia stepped back a little and silently hid himself in the shadows behind the large boxes. The harsh sound of the metal door being pulled open broke the silence. Immediately afterwards, a container about five or six metres long was pushed in. ¡°Apart from this, that should be all?¡± ¡°Yes, this is the last one.¡± As Ye Jia listened to the two converse, he examined the large cardboard boxes in front of him. The tip of his finger gently twitched, and a faint light flashed. The edge of the box quietly split open. Inside was a large water tank very similar to the one in the one in the warehouse earlier. The tank was filled with severed limbs and body parts soaked in sticky, scarlet liquid. Some were half rotten while others were still intact. With bare bones revealed amongst the rotting flesh, it was both an eerie and terrifying sight. Ye Jia was slightly stunned. A skull the size of a fist in the tank suddenly turned around and looked at Ye Jia through its dark eye sockets and the next second a harsh scream escaped from its mouth, cutting through the silence. It frantically slammed its head against the glass, and the glass instantly began to crack. ¡°Who is it?!¡± The other two people outside suddenly became alert. Dammit. Ye Jia lowly cursed. The next second, a huge face identical to the one earlier suddenly charged out from one of the man¡¯s arms. It used its long, seaweed-like hair to violently attack the direction of the sound¡ª-! But unexpectedly, there was no one there. All that was heard was a crash as the water tank burst open. Viscous scarlet blood spread across the warehouse floor and countless severed limbs and body parts squirmed about. With the fist sized skull as the centre, the body slowly spliced together and a huge, deformed monster gradually took shape. ¡°Fuck!¡± A trace of panic flashed across the attacking man¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t seem to expect his attack to cause something like this. ¡°Dammit, what are you standing around stupidly for? Run!¡± The other person cursed, ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking know what that is?¡± The other person quickly returned to his senses. Please read this from kk translates They stumbled into the night and soon disappeared without a trace. Ye Jia stood in the middle of the pool of blood. His grip around the scythe in his hand tightened and his gaze was fierce. ¡ª-He knew what this was. This was a blood gu fish. Even in the game, the blood gu fish was definitely one of the most terrifying monsters. They were spawned from severed body parts of wronged souls and used dead corpses as a medium. Only extremely large amounts of blood and resentment could spawn a blood gu fish so even in the game, there were very few of them. In addition to this, they must also have a core to allow them to command all the body parts. Blood gu fish were terrible killing machines. They have no reason, no emotions and no intelligence and would only follow their instincts to consume and kill. Even fierce ghosts would be too afraid to be close to a creature like this that was created from pure resentment. ¡ª¨CThat was why Ji Xuan¡¯s blood gu fish was so special. And this one¡­¡­ Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and his gaze fell onto the core that was surrounded by numerous body parts. There was a small test tube floating in the blood that contained a green drop of blood. Among the severed body parts, Ye Jia saw frogs, cats, dogs, deer and even an arm with a suit sleeve and a watch. This was an artificially created blood gu fish. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t complete. As these severed body parts moved, small pieces of flesh broke off and scattered across the ground. The warehouse at this moment looked more like a slaughterhouse. It crawled across the ground, let out a sharp howl and charged towards Ye Jia, attacking him indiscriminately. Ye Jia for once was struggling. ¡ª-He wanted to use the scythe as little as possible. One should know that a blood gu fish is made up with pure resentment energy as well as terrifying malice. For Ye Jia, this was what he was most unwilling to eat. But in his ear, there was a small voice that got clearer and clearer. It quietly tried to bewitch him and persuade them. Use your weapon. Kill it. Eat it. Become stronger, and then continue to eat. Ye Jia gritted his teeth. His head was still roaring inside. He had no choice but to divert some of his attention to resist those desires. While he was distracted, the artificial blood gu fish seized this opportunity and attacked without any hesitation! The attack was tough and fierce, and its mouth was wide open, revealing sharp teeth inside. It seemed to be wanting to crush his throat. However, just at this critical moment¡ª¡ª¨C From a pool of blood, a huge goat skull slowly emerged. It roared and lunged towards the fake. The two blood gu fish quickly got entangled in a fierce battle. The smell of blood was overwhelming. Severed limbs and body parts in the pool of blood squirmed, as if it was struggling. The clacking sound of bone hitting bone, a large roar, the sound of blood falling to the ground. All these sounds echoed in the huge warehouse. The metal warehouse wall at this moment seemed like it was as fragile as a piece of paper. Another invisible force cut it open, and it soon became tattered. The blood gu fish suddenly bit the fake and slammed it against the wall. The next second, a figure swiftly stepped onto its ribs. Their hand moved and a large scythe suddenly appeared, accurately piercing the fake¡¯s chest. The test tube with the green drop of blood had rolled off somewhere. ¡°Clang.¡± It reached the open space in the distance. The fake no longer moved. The blood gu fish slowly swam back. As it left, the other party collapsed heavily like it didn¡¯t have any bones, directly hitting the containers behind it with a loud crash. Ye Jia jumped down. Several drops of blood spattered onto his pale face. He frowned slightly. A faint light flashed across his dark eyes. The blood gu fish slowly swam towards him and pressed its head against his palm as if it was asking to be praised. Ye Jia calmed his breathing and rubbed its head, ¡°¡­¡­Good child.¡± But logically speaking, since the blood gu fish was here, its master shouldn¡¯t be far away. Ye Jia raised his head and looked out the warehouse. But before he could find Ji Xuan¡¯s figure, his gaze was attracted by something else. The contents inside the containers that were crushed just now were now exposed. It was a row of hangers. But what hung from those hangers weren¡¯t clothes, but complete sets of human skin. Hair, face, fingers, nothing was missing. Like some kind of weird leather suit, it hung from the hanger neatly lined up in a row. Ye Jia was stunned. As if he enraptured, he stared fixatedly at one of the ¡®leather suits¡¯ and slowly approached the hangers. It was the appearance of a young girl¡ª-A fair complexion, brown hair and well-kept fingers. Ye Jia had seen her before in his files. She was one of the missing girls. She had mysteriously disappeared after entering a building and the surveillance camera at the entrance only captured her entering but had no recordings of her leaving. It wasn¡¯t until a week later when the residents complained about the foul smell that people eventually discovered her body that had been completely skinned inside room 404. ¡ª¨CHer belly swollen and expression peaceful, there weren¡¯t any traces of struggle. CH 38 Ye Jia reached out and slowly touched the wrist of that human skin. The texture was softer than rubber and it still carried a faint warmth. With some pressure, it even made a slight sticky sound. It was as if it was only just peeled off from the young girl not long ago. He raised his eyes and glanced roughly at the rest of the human skins. A total of twenty-five. Different faces and a variety of skin colours, several of them have appeared in the news or on case files while others were unfamiliar, as if they had never appeared in the public eye. Familiar or unfamiliar, they were all equally young. Ye Jia lowered his eyes, his gaze dark and deep. After surviving inside that game for so long, his ability to sympathise faded considerably. But when he saw the skins of so many young girls hanging in a dark, unmanned warehouse like this like goods for sale, even he would feel something strong and silent surge inside him¡­¡­.Anger. At this moment, the small black hand appeared on his shoulder. It lowly gasped, ¡°T-this is¡­¡­.?¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°Do you still remember her?¡± The small black hand looked carefully at the human skin before it and confirmed, ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± ¡°She was that soul in that building! I still remember. Her soul had a particularly¡­..terrible smell.¡± The small black hand unconsciously shuddered as it seemed to recall something, ¡°She tried to eat me at the time but was in the end eaten by me. As soon as I ate her, I felt that something wasn¡¯t right¡­.and I lost my mind because of her contaminated soul. And you already know what happened after that.¡± Yes. Ye Jia remembered. When he first met the small black hand, it had completely lost its sanity and was only left with instinctual desire to hunt for food. Even its powers had been greatly strengthened by the malice to the point that it could create a ghost domain when it normally couldn¡¯t. What kind of fierce ghost could bring about such a terrible effect on its victims? After peeling off their skin, there would still be such fierce malice left in the victim¡¯s souls such that it would even affect the ghost that devours the soul? He let go of the skin. The wrist that had lost its support limply fell back down. There was also the bus carrying fierce ghosts into the fog¡­.. At least, there was one thing that was clear now. Fierce ghosts and players were working together. Suddenly, Ye Jia was startled slightly. He raised his head and looked towards the open warehouse door. He saw a greyish white fog appear in the dark night. Like a drop of ink falling into a pot of water, it quickly spread out. The edges of the fog clung to the ground as it rushed towards the warehouse. It gave people an indescribable treacherous and evil feeling. Across a thin layer of broken metal, Ye Jia heard footsteps approach the warehouse and a voice that wasn¡¯t distinctly male or female speak: ¡°Delivering goods¡­..Such a simple task but they actually can¡¯t do it well.¡± That voice was low and soft and there was a strange buzzing sound mixed in. The person speaking sounded particularly arrogant, ¡°Hah, players. Useless humans.¡± ¡ª¨CIt was a high levelled fierce ghost that could activate ghost domains remotely. The look in Ye Jia¡¯s eyes turned cold. He pulled off his hood and his figure was swallowed up by the darkness that suddenly surged from behind, concealing himself completely. More fog passed through the cracks in the wall. It filled the chaotic warehouse. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes darkened. He remembered¡­..The fog filled ghost domain that bus drove into had the same smell as this. Before the fog could completely fill the warehouse, a figure slowly stepped in It was a person of medium build and height. From a distance, there didn¡¯t appear to be anything special about that person, but that person¡¯s facial features and body type seemed to give Ye Jia a strange feeling¡­..as if it was moving. When that person got closer, Ye Jia finally saw that this person was completely made up of a dense number of flies. The flies were like different coloured dots; brown, tan and black bodies, grey-white wings, green, black and blue compound eyes, various colours gathered together to form a complete human form. The buzzing in the voice grew stronger: ¡°¡ª¡ªIncompetent things.¡± Ye Jia subconsciously let out a breath. He knew who this was. Fly King. Please read this from kk translates An S-level fierce ghost in the game. Although his reputation and strength cannot be compared to the other S-level fierce ghosts, but because of his disgusting characteristics, he was a rather well-known leader amongst the ghosts. Ye Jia¡¯s gaze fell onto the test tube that had fallen onto the ground a certain distance away from him. The green drop of blood inside let out a faint glow in the dark. Could that have belonged to him? When he saw that condition of the warehouse, an obvious look of surprise flashed across the Fly King¡¯s face that was made up of countless flies. ¡°Huh?¡± His gaze moved from the thick pool of blood on the ground to the fake blood gu fish and finally to the rack of human skins. His buzzing voice turned cold, ¡°Such an important thing was almost destroyed. Those idiots.¡± ¡°However, this intruder¡­.¡± The Fly King quickly recovered his calmness, ¡°To actually be able to go against an out-of-control blood gu fish and cause such a big trouble for us. Had to be said that they are strong.¡± He snickered as his vicious eyes slowly moved around the warehouse. There was malice that couldn¡¯t be concealed in his voice: ¡°And I know you haven¡¯t left yet, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s breathing stopped. The moment the Fly King finished speaking, the thick fog seemed to come alive. It spread out in all directions, covering every crevice and every corner. The next moment, the pool of blood on the ground suddenly started to bubble. A large goat skull emerged. It silently stared at the fierce ghost before it through its empty eye sockets and then opened its mouth, revealing countless sharp, white teeth. With a swish of its tail, it charged towards the Fly King like an arrow¡ª¨C The Fly King didn¡¯t seem to expect another blood gu fish to suddenly appear. Caught off-guard, he took a few steps back. When the blood gu fish charged through his body, the large swarm of flies dispersed before slowly gathering together again to regain the shape of a human after the other party landed back into the pool of blood. Looking at the blood gu fish before it, a look of shock flickered across the Fly King¡¯s face: ¡°W-why is that here¡­¡­.?¡± The face made up of flies revealed a look of fear, ¡°If you¡¯re here, then¡­¡­.¡± Soon afterwards, a low voice suddenly sounded outside the warehouse. ¡°Then, what?¡± The dark night was cut apart. A trace of scarlet flashed like a sharp blade cutting through the air. It cut straight through the fog in front of him. A tall male figure appeared from the scarlet background. ¡°Fly King.¡± Ji Xuan walked over unhurriedly. His deep-set eyes were dark red. ¡°Long time no see.¡± The blood gu fish slowly returned to its master. It rubbed its huge head against Ji Xuan¡¯s palm as it seemed to be greeting him. The Fly King¡¯s expression returned to normal. He lowered his head and bowed to Ji Xuan before speaking with his cold, buzzing voice, ¡°¡ª-It has indeed been a long time, King.¡± He had spoken that last word with great force. It clearly carried malice. ¡°Why?¡± Ji Xuan looked at him with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, ¡°Came to visit but you didn¡¯t even let me know? You should at least give me a chance to do what is required as a host.¡± ¡°¡­.Just dealing with some private affairs.¡± The movements of the flies on the Fly King¡¯s face became more intense, ¡°No need to bother you.¡± Ji Xuan raised his eyes and scanned the warehouse in front of him. It looked like a hurricane had just passed through. The place was covered in blood and body parts as well as remnants of the containers crushed by the fake blood gu fish. His gaze lingered for a couple of seconds on the human skins. His voice carried unknown emotion: ¡°Is that so? But from the looks of it, it doesn¡¯t seem to be very private.¡± Ji Xuan stretched out his hand and lightly bent his pale finger. A smooth ball filled with fluid rolled towards him like it had been summoned. He chuckled softly, ¡°Even using a cover ball? Quite generous.¡± With those words, the scarlet behind him spread out further, quickly swallowing up the fog in the air. The Fly King¡¯s body dispersed and gathered repeatedly as his emotions fluctuated violently. He seemed to be wanting to retreat but he forcibly stopped himself from backing down. His voice sounded like he was gnashing his teeth, ¡°The humans have a good saying. Anyone can make mistakes, forgive them when possible.¡± Ji Xuan slowly took a step forward: ¡°What have you done that requires my forgiving?¡± The scarlet sea behind him started to surge. Even though they were far away, Ye Jia could still feel the terrifying energy coming from it. It was naturally even more obvious for the Fly King who was closer to Ji Xuan. His body was forced to change shape. That group of flies hovered around and seemed to be unable to maintain a human appearance while his voice had become fierce. No longer hiding it anymore, he laughed hysterically: ¡°Ji Xuan, you know you can¡¯t kill me. As long as Mother is around, you don¡¯t dare.¡± Ji Xuan lowered his eyes. His scarlet eyes fell emotionlessly onto the Fly King. There were no emotions on his pale and handsome face. That scarlet colour spread out further and slowly increased its pressure. The group of flies were now pressed down onto the ground, but the Fly King didn¡¯t seem to feel the slightest fear: ¡°I know Mother promised to give you that human¡­.¡± He laughed, ¡°But you have dragged it out for too long. We have been waiting for you to return with your spoils but what did you do? You offered that reward¡­.That reward!¡± The Fly King¡¯s strange voice continued, ¡°And you prohibited anyone from harming him.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­Don¡¯t you know¡­.?¡± Ji Xuan continued to watch the Fly King struggle on the ground expressionlessly. The Fly King¡¯s voice had changed, but it still sounded quite horrible: ¡°The first step of Mother¡¯s plan is to kill that human!!!¡± The Fly King¡¯s body scattered as he roared angrily, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t die, Mother will never be able to regain her former power¡­.¡± ¡°And now¡­¡­¡± The Fly King cackled, ¡°Mother has lost her patience.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re here to help you.¡± He said, ¡°You better know exactly¡­..which faction you are in.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes shook. The¡­..amount of information from this exchange was too much. Who was that Mother? Moreover, what does he have to do with that Mother regaining her former powers? Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but remember the small black hand¡¯s words. Are there any forces in this world that don¡¯t want to find you? ¡ª¨CProbably not. Ye Jia closed his eyes. While he was momentarily distracted, he suddenly heard the Fly King¡¯s painful scream. Swarms of flies frantically ran into the bloody barrier ahead. His voice grew weaker and weaker, but it also sounded more and more sinister: ¡°I originally planned to start later¡­..at least after the goods are sent out, but¡­..heheheh¡­.¡± The Fly King hissed, ¡°Humans have a phrase I really like.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªNight parade of one hundred ghosts.¡± At this moment, even Ye Jia could feel it. From the distant sky above, dark malice spread down. He could smell blood. Sweet and beautiful, like a drop of blood suddenly falling into a pool of sharks, it bewitched and enticed all the creatures of darkness to come out and greedily search for the source of that smell. Soon, in the direction of the city, strong yin energy that couldn¡¯t be ignored surged. A faint blood-like, scarlet colour appeared in the edges of the originally dark night sky. Ji Xuan was startled. The next moment, the Fly King took advantage of the other party¡¯s distraction and immediately fled through the sewers below. The city was suddenly awakened and submerged in terror. . Late at night. Wu Su was awakened by his deafening ringtone. He fumbled around his pillow and accepted the call. However, what came from the other end wasn¡¯t a human¡¯s voice. Strands of pitch-black hair slivered out from the speaker, immediately wrapping around his wrist. That cold and damp sensation immediately awakened Wu Su. He reached for the gun next to his pillow and fired several shots at his phone. The special bullets shattered the phone screen and the long stands of hair slowly receded. Wu Su stood by his bed breathing heavily. What was going on? Why was a ghost suddenly emerging from his phone? He turned and looked out the window. Through the curtain, he saw that the originally dark sky was now stained with a scarlet, blood-like colour. It covered the entire city like a huge net. Please read this from kk translates On the ground below, under the streetlights, low-level zombies emerged from the ground, slowly wandering through the streets. Pale-skinned ghosts emerged from the walls. They watched the humans in this world with a malicious stare. In the distant, screams sounded one after another. Wu Su felt his blood run cold. He hurriedly rushed to his bedside table and took out the paper Ace gave him. Unexpectedly, the other party responded very quickly. ¡°Contact your superiors immediately.¡± The young man¡¯s voice was hasty but firm as he gave out his orders, ¡°Gather any support you can and dispatch them. Save the people first.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Wu Su hurriedly asked. The other party didn¡¯t answer. Twenty minutes later. Throughout M City, all the combatants that could be dispatched were dispatched and even several logistics staff who could fight using props were also urgently summoned. Wu Su quickly briefed the teams and then assigned them their respective areas. ¡°There is only one objective.¡± Wu Su scanned across his pale-faced colleagues in front of him and emphasised each word, ¡°Eliminate the fierce ghosts and protect the civilians.¡± ¡°Roger!¡± Everyone shouted in unison. After watching the combat teams quickly set off, the staff behind him stepped forward and asked, ¡°Based on the current situation, we may not be able to last very long.¡± ¡ª-They had never seen so many fierce ghosts. They seemed to have all left their nests. Regardless of whether it was in the game or in reality, it was almost equivalent to an entire army of them. It was enough to bring an entire city into ruin. ¡°When will support arrive?¡± Wu Su didn¡¯t answer. In fact¡­..he had not been able to call for external support. The lines in this city were still intact and people who tried to contact their friends or family in the city could get connected and may even hear the terrible screams of them being eaten alive from the other end, but no one was able to call people outside the city. Like a terrible joke, all their connections to the outside world had been cut off, putting an end to the possibility of calling for external support. M City was isolated and helpless. Wu Su took in a deep breath before he turned to look at the staff behind him, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡ª-Right now, they could only do everything they could. The dark red sky now gave off the smell of blood. Screams could be heard in all directions. The dark night was lit by the colour of blood, but dawn would never come. In the streets east of the city. A loud ¡®bang¡¯ broke through the silence. Wu Su blasted through the head of another zombie, its body crumpling down and dark black blood seeping into the ground. More zombies appeared around him. ¡°Fuck.¡± He cursed inwardly and filled his gun with new bullets with a bloodied hand. Zombies were the lowest level monsters in the game. They were corpses with no consciousness and only acted on instinct but even so, a large number like this was difficult to deal with. Wu Su commanded for his team to stay back. Using a car parked on the side of the street as cover, he threw over a grenade. That grenade was specially manufactured. It would bring about great damage to ghosts and monsters carrying yin energy. The next second, a loud explosion was heard. Broken limbs, blood and flesh splattered and the stench of blood spread through the street. But before Wu Su could let out a sigh of relief, he heard a little girl¡¯s faint cry a short distance ahead: ¡°Ahhhhhh!!! My leg! My leg!¡± Wu Su¡¯s heart sank. ¡ª¨CCivilians were affected. He rushed out. In the pool of foul-smelling blood and zombie flesh ahead, a little girl was lying on the ground in a sorry state. Her calf was bloody, and one could vaguely see her bone underneath the mangled flesh. She continued to scream out in pain, ¡°It hurts! It hurts! Daddy! Mummy!¡± Wu Su stored the gun away and then carefully reached to the little girl, ¡°H-how are you?¡± The girl¡¯s long black hair loosely hung down, and her thin shoulders trembled as she cried. Wu Su¡¯s breathing was a little unstable, ¡°I¡¯ll stop the bleeding¡­.¡± But before he could finish his words, the little girl who was only a short distance ahead suddenly raised her head. Her dark hair moved away, revealing a small featureless face that only had a large mouth lined with countless sharp teeth. A child-like voice sounded: ¡°But uncle, I¡¯m hungrier.¡± Immediately afterwards, a tongue shot out from her mouth, hitting Wu Su¡¯s face. At least A-level. Wu Su¡¯s mind immediately made a decision, but it was too late. A long tongue with a fishy smell was already in front of him, about to piece through his skull the next second. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!¡± A terrible and deafening scream sounded. It was filled with agony, pain and resentment. Wu Su¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. For a while, he wasn¡¯t sure what he just saw. A cold, white light seemed to have swiftly and silently swept past his face like a gust of wind before disappearing before his eyes. The next second, the other party¡¯s tongue was cut off. It fell onto the ground with a splat, and it continued to writhe around even while detached from the main body. Black blood splattered out from the little girl. A shrill scream sounded from the depths of her throat. Immediately afterwards, a bloody line appeared around her slender neck and her head rolled off, the scream stopping in the process. Her small body twitched a few times on the ground before becoming limp and thick black blood flowed out from her severed neck, instantly dying the ground the same colour. Wu Su retreated in shock, avoiding the little girl¡¯s corpse. ¡°What are you dawdling around for?¡± An indifferent and youthful voice sounded from above. He looked up in daze. A slender young man stood under the blood-coloured night sky. He held a huge scythe resembling the crescent moon, the blade gleaming under the scarlet light. He looked down at Wu Su who was sitting on the ground in daze from above with his face covered by shadows. His pale lips opened and closed: ¡°Follow me.¡± Amidst the severed limbs as well as the blood and flesh, the young man¡¯s tall and straight figure was like a sharp knife that contained unconcealable murderous intent and bloodthirstiness. Just the sight of him made one feel like their eyes were about to be cut. Wu Su slowly got up from the ground and turned and looked at his dumbfounded team members. Everyone¡¯s expressions were frozen in horror and astonishment. It was clear that they still hadn¡¯t recovered from the sudden change in situation just now. Wu Su felt his heart race faster inside. All the despair from earlier faded. He tried to stabilise his trembling voice and slowly spoke: ¡°Let me introduce you. This is Ace.¡± A god-level player who once led an entire team of them to slaughter a huge group of ghosts with levels higher than the team members, the one at the top of the leaderboard that no one could surpass, the legendary character inside the game. The most terrifying enemy but also the most reliable comrade. His existence was like a stabilising force. It immediately stabilised everyone¡¯s fearful and anxious hearts. ¡ª-At that moment, Wu Su for the first time saw the early rays of dawn approaching. CH 39 The blood-coloured sky was starless and moonless. There was no trace of dawn coming. The entire city was shrouded in an eerie red colour. On the streets and inside the buildings, countless monsters and ghosts emerged from the darkness, turning the world into one that resembled hell. It was like an extraordinarily absurd and cruel dream. A police aircraft hovered in the air: ¡°¡­¡­.Residents, please stay at home and barricade your doors and windows. Do not leave your homes¡­..¡± How weak and feeble. Everyone knew that the walls and doors were not enough to stop these monsters and ghosts, but the monsters and ghosts outside in the streets and open spaces were even more terrifying. Hiding would possibly give them a small chance of survival as, once they run out, they would most undoubtedly die. After realising that the situation wasn¡¯t right, the Bureau immediately contacted the police and military for support and combat personnel were also dispatched to each area of the city. All personnel that were sent out to support them were taught how to use the props and equipment to fight against these ghosts and monsters as quickly as possible. But these people had never encountered a situation like this before and had never received any relevant training. What¡¯s more, for the first time, they came to know that those creatures of darkness they had imagined as a child truly did exist. The weapons and props that could be used to deal with these creatures were short in supply. They could only hold human weapons and watch fearfully as all kinds of ghosts and monsters crawled out. There was a total of 150 permanent combat personnel in M City. Adding to those the other non-frontline Bureau members who could be barely considered combat personnel, the total was still less than 200. And what they were facing was an overwhelming army of these creatures of darkness that swept through the city like a tsunami. Large cracks formed on the asphalt roads and soon a foul-smelling mud-like monster slithered out from underground. It was about three stories high and its tentacles that were made out of mud fell heavily onto the ground, instantly creating a spider-web-like crack with each impact. Below it were the comparatively tiny humans. ¡°Fire!¡± The leader shouted. Gunfire sparks illuminated the dark streets, but those specially made bullets only sank into the monster¡¯s body. It was angered and let out a deafening roar. The road shattered like cardboard under the heavy pressure and the surrounding buildings shook. ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± The person below shouted. It was too late. Numerous mud-like limbs stretched out and tore through the sky as it launched a deadly attack at the humans. ¡ª-But very soon, they froze in the air. The humans below raised their heads in shock and fear, only to see a dark silhouette appear above the monster. Very lightly, as if he was just a silent wind passing by, he landed onto the monster¡¯s back. Immediately afterwards, a crescent shaped scythe was raised. The sky¡¯s bloody colour was reflected on the blade. That sharp blade fell. Like a death god¡¯s kiss, it gently swept across the other party¡¯s neck without any resistance like a sharp knife cutting through a piece of tofu. The next second, the mud monster¡¯s head fell and its huge body instantly crumpled. The sticky mud that had lost its form spread out and flowed through the streets. The shocked people raised their hands to wipe away the mud that had splattered onto their faces. When they looked back again, that figure had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never been there before in the first place. If not for the mud on and around them, they would¡¯ve thought that everything that happened just now was their imagination. ¡°D-did you guys see that person just now?¡± One of them asked uncertainly. ¡°I saw¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw it too.¡± Such a shocking weapon that was both beautiful and cruel. It was as if it could instantly take everyone¡¯s breath away. As if the sight of it was burned deeply into their souls, they could never forget it. ¡°Did anyone measure that monster¡¯s level just now?¡± ¡°A¡­A-Level.¡± Silence followed. They had never heard of humans being able to put up a fight against an A-level monster and it was even¡­¡­ Instant kill. The same question lingered in everyone¡¯s mind¡ª- Who was this terribly strong person? ¡°Could it be someone from the Bureau?¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± One said with certainty, ¡°We would¡¯ve already known about it if he was.¡± The others nodded in agreement. As they packed up and got ready to fight against the other monsters, a small team suddenly appeared from the dark street ahead. Wu Su was running at the forefront. He appeared very tired, and his forehead was covered with sweat. Although his face and lips were pale due to exhaustion, his eyes were surprisingly bright. ¡°Brother Wu?¡± The other combat personnel were taken aback, ¡°Why did you come here? What about the district you¡¯re in charge of?¡± ¡°All cleaned up. The two districts we passed by as well.¡± Wu Su¡¯s breathing was heavy and quick. A flush of excitement appeared on his cheeks. He asked, ¡°What about you guys? Do you need our help?¡± ¡ª¨CThat¡¯s right, they had already cleaned up three districts. Wu Su had teamed up with Ace before. He knew the other party¡¯s fighting style. Clean, concise and straightforward. Without any hesitation, he ignored all the smaller, weaker ghosts and monsters and immediately set his eyes on the strongest and most difficult one to deal with and would then deal with that backbone of the ghosts and monsters quickly and efficiently. He was like the sharpest scalpel in a sophisticated surgery. There was a huge difference between ghosts of each level. The oppressiveness and strength of an A-Level ghost was much worse than a hundred B-Level ghosts. After the most troublesome one was eliminated, the difficulty of dealing with the remaining ghosts and monsters was greatly reduced. Please read this from kk translates After Ace joined, Wu Su immediately felt the pressure on his team lift. Morale rose immediately. All of them rushed in as if they had been injected with chicken blood. Even the ordinary members who had never had any experience fighting against ghosts and monsters no longer panicked. They all roared passionately and charged towards the zombies in the streets. For the first time tonight, they entered the battle with the desire for victory. Like dominoes, as soon as one had fallen, the rest also fell. Very soon, one district, two districts¡­..three districts. They who were at an extreme disadvantage had turned the situation around and now had a chance at winning. ¡ª-Humanity began their counterattack. They left behind a part of the team to continue cleaning up the remaining monsters in the district as the rest followed Ace in the pursuit for victory. Ace never looked back, and he also never stopped, but he would always appear in everyone¡¯s line of sight, like a symbol of encouragement, silently cheering the comrades behind him on. Far away but firm and calm. The blood-coloured sky was still deadly silent, but something seemed to be quietly surging underneath, getting ready to change the flow of the current situation. The other party seemed to be aware of their losing momentum. ¡°Drip.¡± A clear dripping sound could be heard coming from the city centre in the distance. The sound wasn¡¯t very loud but for some reason, everyone heard it very clearly. The moment that sound was heard, everyone, even ordinary people without spiritual vision, felt it. Something had changed. The temperature in the air dropped rapidly and it soon became icy cold. The zombies that had been wandering out without consciousness suddenly stopped in their steps. Something seemed to be writhing around in the depths of their skins and it soon burst through their blood vessels together with thick yellow blood. The devices hanging from their waists suddenly let out a shrill alarm. ¡°J-just now¡­.t-they were only E-Level just now!¡± One of the cried out in horror, ¡°N-now they¡¯ve broken through D-Level¡­.and are almost C!¡± This was a devastating blow to the morale the humans had just built up. After all, there was only one Ace and he had to deal with the most powerful, high-levelled fierce ghost. When the other ghosts and monsters were still low levelled, they were able to barely manage but now that they had levelled up, everything had changed. ¡ª-The other party wanted to overwhelm Ace with numbers. Ye Jia stopped. Standing at a high point, his tall and slender figure that was a dark silhouette under the dark red sky looked like a wound cut into the sky. Ye Jia looked towards the centre of the city. There. He could sense a strong power spreading out from there. If not stopped in time; the entire situation would be irreversible. But¡­¡­ Ye Jia lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto the humans struggling on the streets. The team of humans that had only gathered just now were now unable to put up a fight against the monsters that had suddenly levelled up. They struggled desperately against the barrage of attacks. Perhaps it was because he had been away from the game for too long, the heart that had toughened had now become soft. Ye Jia¡¯s knuckles were slightly white. He didn¡¯t expect that he would still care ¡ª¨C Care about being unable to save them. Fragments of his dream last night once again appeared before his eyes. Tragic screams sounded in the seemingly eternal night and a pale, blood-stained face desperately reached out towards him. ¡°Help me! Help me!¡±, those voices echoed in his ears again and again. In the dream, he turned away expressionlessly and walked on. Ye Jia¡¯s fingertips lost its colour from the pressure. ¡ª-No one could save them. He must leave. Before everything is too late, he must go to the city centre and destroy the power that is driving all these ghosts and monsters crazy. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and, just like his memory, he turned to leave. A zombie with four arms rushed towards a logistic staff, ready to bite into his shoulder¡ª-¡°Ahhhhh!!¡± A despairing cry reverberated through the dark streets, but no one could save him. Everyone was fighting for their lives. Ye Jia suddenly stopped in place. He remembered this voice ¡ª¡ª In the office, that voice once asked him with a smile, Brother Ye, would you like a cup of coffee? Brother Ye, are you getting off work now? Brother Ye, let¡¯s have dinner later? He would smile and take out his wallet and show the photo inside to Ye Jia, ¡°Look, my daughter. Isn¡¯t she cute?¡± ¡­¡­Dammit. Ye Jia turned back around, and a sharp blade appeared in his hand. But before he could jump down, the ground below suddenly turned a muddy scarlet colour, and it began to bulge out. Soon afterwards, a goat skull appeared from the ground followed by the rest of its body. It gracefully floated above the ground. Everyone¡¯s devices let out deafening alarms but before they could do anything, they saw that terrible monster slowly swim around them and an invisible force shot out. Almost in a blink of an eye, the zombie with four arms was cut into pieces. It silently swam through the streets, leaving cut up corpses wherever it went. No humans however were harmed. The blood gu fish raised its head and stared at Ye Jia who stood above using its dark, hollow eye sockets and waved its tail. Ye Jia was surprised. Colour returned to his white knuckles. He returned to his senses and couldn¡¯t help but raise the corners of his lips. ¡°¡­Good child.¡± After confirming that the crisis was resolved, Ye Jia habitually lowered his hood and turned and hurried towards the city centre. His figure quickly disappeared in the distance. Following a bright flash, another A-Level fierce ghost fell, and their power was absorbed by the blade, making it shine even more brightly. The blood gu fish followed closely behind him, swimming through the streets below. Humans watched on blankly as this terrifying monster swam past their heads. Its bones that were covered with flowing blood and the huge goat skull made people fearful, but wherever it went, the ghosts and monsters around it all seem to be cut up into many pieces in an instant. . Ji Xuan asked: ¡°Everyone here?¡± A¡¯Mi lowered its head, ¡°Yes.¡± Its blurred features were slightly distorted as it seemed to be holding something back. The impact of whatever the Fly King used had not only affected the ghost and monsters lurking in the city but because they had developed self-awareness and had further evolved, their resistance towards it was stronger. But even so, it was difficult for them to suppress their instinctive desire to kill. ¡°Very good.¡± Ji Xuan lowered his scarlet eyes, ¡°Go out and quell this rebellion.¡± ¡°All existences other than humans are your enemies.¡± A cruel smile appeared at the corners of his lips, ¡°I give you permission. You can all eat your fill without restraint this time.¡± Watching the high levelled fierce ghosts leave one after another, A¡¯Mi leaned forward and asked cautiously: ¡°That, King, may I ask, the blood gu fish¡­..?¡± A¡¯Mi knew very well how suitable the blood gu fish would be in a situation like this with its large AoE attacks but for some reason the normally inseparable blood gu fish was not by King¡¯s side at this moment. If it was before, A¡¯Mi wouldn¡¯t dare ask this question. But it seems that whatever the Fly King did had made A¡¯Mi more courageous. Ji Xuan raised his eyes, his gaze that was almost tangible fell onto A¡¯Mi. A¡¯Mi shrank back. ¡°It has already left.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s voice was low and calm. He didn¡¯t seem to be angered by the other party. ¡°It has a more important task to do.¡± ¡ª-He as well. In the sewer. A dense cloud of flies flew through the dark, underground pipes and more and more flies joined the cloud along the way. Very soon, the Fly King¡¯s figure became more distinct. He breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and left behind some devices in the city centre that could be activated remotely. If he hadn¡¯t done this, he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape from that place alive. Although the Fly King had long known about Ji Xuan and Mother¡¯s relationship, he had never expected such a terrible difference in power between himself and Ji Xuan. It was too terrifying. If it wasn¡¯t for the other party being still concerned about Mother¡¯s existence, the Fly King probably would¡¯ve been killed right then and there. Looks like he should be more careful with what he does from now on. He didn¡¯t want to confront Ji Xuan again. The Fly King¡¯s body that was made up of countless flies reached the small sewer opening and regrouped into a human form on the street, but before he could decide what to do next, he felt that there was something wrong with his body. On his arm, a small group of flies started to stir. Please read this from kk translates The next moment, a drop of scarlet blood floated out and quietly floated in the air in front of the Fly King. The Fly King¡¯s expression changed instantly. Not good! But before he could turn around and flee, the space before him was suddenly split apart by bright red blood. The next second, Ji Xuan¡¯s figure appeared in front of the Fly King. The Fly King immediately dispersed his body, but it was too late. A red translucent barrier firmly imprisoned his body. No matter how the flies struggled, they couldn¡¯t seem to escape. The Fly King turned back in fear. But there were no openings behind him either. With such a large difference in power, he had no chance of escaping. Ji Xuan walked over unhurriedly. A drop of scarlet blood floated in his hand. He asked, ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± The surrounding barrier slowly shrank as he spoke, squeezing the swarm of flies into a narrow space. The Fly King gritted his teeth, ¡°¡­..Ji Xuan, what are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Regardless of everything else, I¡¯m still a King.¡± Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and said slowly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know the price of betraying a King?¡± Fly King: ¡°¡­¡­.You!¡± He seemed to have finally realised that he couldn¡¯t escape so he quickly calmed down. The Fly King sneered, ¡°But since you¡¯re willing to come here and spend time with me, it seems that Mother¡¯s plan has worked.¡± Ji Xuan imperceptibly frowned. ¡°Hahahahahaha!! Looks like you still don¡¯t understand!¡± The Fly King cackled proudly, ¡°Our target has been that human from the very beginning! That Ace! Only by killing him will Mother recover. With your interference, the plan would not be able to proceed smoothly¡­.¡± The Fly King smirked, ¡°So I came to initiate the second plan.¡± ¡°As long as he is turned into one of us, everything will be resolved, isn¡¯t that right?¡± His voice became vicious and cheerful, ¡°Ji Xuan, no one should know it better than you. I¡¯m sure you know what will happen next?¡± ¡ª-The opening of the ghost doors and the controlling of those ghosts and monsters. It was all for one purpose. And that was to make him stronger and more terrifying, such that he was no longer a human. The Fly King¡¯s laughter was particularly sinister: ¡°After all, only the two of you are Mother¡¯s direct line of descendants.¡± . Downtown. The number of fierce ghosts here was simply outrageous. His scythe drawing a sharp arc, Ye Jia¡¯s figure was like a sharp blade. He cleanly broke through the dense encirclement of ghosts and like a death god, he absorbed the powers of the fierce ghosts one after another. After their bodies were destroyed by his weapon, they scattered into mist and drifted into Ye Jia¡¯s body, becoming a part of him. He more he ate, the stronger he became. Ye Jia could very distinctly feel himself become stronger and stronger and it was also at an extremely terrifying speed. The insatiable monster inside him sighed contentedly. ¡ª-Keep going, keep eating. A monster that originally might¡¯ve taken a few attacks to deal with now fell to the ground in just a few seconds. There was an abundance of energy surging through Ye Jia¡¯s body. Wherever he passed, the ground was littered with bodies. Countless powerful fierce ghosts had been swallowed up by him. He could feel a power in the darkness ahead calling for him. Drip. Drip. Something liquid was dripping in the darkness ahead, making a small but clear sound. Through the roars and cries of countless ghost and monsters, it was still very clear, as if it was right next to his ear. Ye Jia arrived before a building. Unexpectedly, the front hall of the building was dark and clean, without any traces of fierce ghosts around. The spacious and dark space was too normal that it felt abnormal. Drip. It was that sound again. Ye Jia suddenly noticed that everything was silent around him. He turned back and saw that there were no ghosts or monsters behind him. It was as if¡­..they didn¡¯t dare approach this place. The blood gu fish who had been following Ye Jia suddenly grabbed Ye Jia¡¯s pants with its mouth, seeming in attempt to prevent him from going any further. Ye Jia bent down and patted its head, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The blood gu fish didn¡¯t let go. Ye Jia could only pull out his pants from its mouth, ¡°I have to go.¡± This was the main source. If this main source wasn¡¯t cut off, the tragedy befalling this city would not come to an end. Ye Jia turned around and calmly entered the building. The blood gu fish circled anxiously at the door, making low whining sounds. It however could only watch as Ye Jia¡¯s figure was swallowed up by the darkness. The hall was extremely quiet. Blood red light from the sky entered through the glass door, casting a red glow across the ground and making it look like a murder scene. Drip. The sound of water dripping grew louder. It echoed in the empty hall. Ye Jia¡¯s mind was buzzing. Like a rusty machine, it wasn¡¯t working very well. He seemed to be unable to hear anything except for the sound of water dripping. Drip. His legs moved forward automatically. The closer he got, the stronger the pulling force ahead became. After walking for an unknown period of time, Ye Jia finally found the source of the sound. In the dark, a blood-red ball of flesh floated quietly in the air. It was only the size of the fist but large amounts of liquid seeped out from its uneven surface, dripping onto the floor ¡ª¨C Drip. A thin pool of red had accumulated on the ground. The scene before him was strange and terrifying but Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but feel¡­¡­ Inexplicably at peace¡­.. Like a wanderer who had finally returned to his hometown, all the exhaustion in his body resurfaced in an instant, spreading all across his body. Reliable, warm, intimate, protective. It was just like¡­.. A mother. Keep going. Faster. You¡¯ll be home soon. A voice inside urged him. The unreachable peace that he had longed for all this time was just ahead. He only needed to take one more step to reach it. Although it clearly didn¡¯t need to breathe, the small black hand felt suffocated from the fear and oppressiveness¡ªIt shouldn¡¯t have entered. Every cell in its body screamed this. But because it was bound to Ye Jia, it could only be dragged into the building together with him. The further he advanced, the more fearful the small black hand became. It shook Ye Jia¡¯s neck and cried out, ¡°Run! Hurry and run! Wake up!¡± It reached out and tried to pull Ye Jia back with all its strength, but the other party seemed like he was caught up in a nightmare. He continued to slowly but steadily walk on, approaching that thing the small black hand instinctively felt fear towards step by step. It floated before Ye Jia¡¯s face and tried to wake him up. But before the small black hand could speak, its voice was blocked in its throat¡ª- It saw the young man staring straight ahead into the distance. His originally glass-like eyes had turned a dark black, like a bottomless abyss. Something dangerous and terrible seemed to be swirling in its depths, like a vortex ready to swallow everything up. And in the depths of that darkness, a small scarlet spot was reflected. The red ball of flesh was close at hand. More secretions fell to the ground. Drip, drip, drip. The dripping became more hurried, as if it was urging him. The young man slowly stretched out his hand. His fingers were long and pale. It slowly and calmly reached forward little by little. Just as he was about to touch the ball of flesh¡ª- Suddenly, another hand firmly grabbed his wrist. That hand was slightly larger than his and the joints were well-defined. It clasped around his hand with great strength. The young man¡¯s pitch-black eyes stirred slightly. A trace of confusion flickered past, as if he didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Another hand reached out from behind Ye Jia. The cold palm gently covered his eyes. Behind him, a strong chest pressed against his back. The other party¡¯s low voice sounded next to his ear, causing him to tremble slightly: ¡°Shhhh.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look.¡± CH 40 The young man¡¯s hand was still hanging in the air. The veins on the back of his hand were even more prominent with the strength applied and his pale fingers trembled faintly in the dark, but it couldn¡¯t move any closer. Holding his wrist, Ji Xuan pulled his hand away from that ball of flesh little by little. The further away he got, the more the young man struggled. He instinctively resisted and struggled, but he couldn¡¯t break free from the other person¡¯s grasp. The chest his back was pressed against felt like an indestructible rock, firmly imprisoning him, preventing him from getting closer. ¡°Shhh¡­..¡± The man used a low and soft voice to comfort him. He leaned next to Ye Jia¡¯s ear and whispered, his voice gentle and indulging, ¡°That can¡¯t be touched.¡± That was a part of Mother. Even after it was removed from her body, her flesh could still remain alive for a certain period of time, constantly pouring out pure malice, polluting and bewitching the fierce ghosts. She was the mother of all the ghosts and monsters as well as the source of all the dark and evil thoughts in this world. She had generously presented a part of herself in front of Ye Jia, tempting him: Eat it. ¡ª¨CAfter eating it, he would become her child, her subject, her loyal pet. After eating it, he could go back, back to her dark and deadly embrace, and become a part of her. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes. His cold lips fell onto the young man¡¯s warm shoulders and neck. The other party¡¯s skin was delicate and cool, like a jade that had been warmed up slightly. At such a close distance, he could almost smell the blood flowing under the skin. It was incredibly tempting. It made him can¡¯t help but want to bite off a small piece and chew on it. He thought this, and he also did it. Ji Xuan indulgently kissed the soft skin between the other party¡¯s neck and shoulder. He deeply inhaled the young man¡¯s smell into his lungs, letting it fill up his cold and empty chest. Through his palm, he could feel the other party¡¯s long and soft eyelashes trembling slightly. It felt like the fluffy hair of a small animal, slowly and gently brushing against his palm. He wanted to tighten his fingers and hold that itchy sensation firmly in his hand, but he was also worried about crushing it if he used too much force. The desire to destroy and the desire to cherish competed against each other inside him. Ji Xuan rested his chin on the other person¡¯s shoulder and silently sighed. ¡ª¡ªIf only he was always this well-behaved. But on the contrary, Ji Xuan knew very well that as soon as the other party returns to his senses, he would return to that cruel and invincible Ace that would mercilessly cut him down. What a pity. Ji Xuan extended his ghost domain. A scarlet crevice opened in the air. It slowly opened and then carefully enclosed around the ball of flesh. Finally, that ball of flesh was completely sealed off. Mother¡¯s influence was gone. The changes in the city stopped. The blood-like colour in the sky slowly receded like a tide. It gradually returned to its original colour. On the ground, monsters and ghosts were no longer in a frenzied state. The extra limbs that grew on the zombies fell off and they stumbled back along the roads, disappearing into the holes on the ground. All the creatures that loved to hide in the dark slithered back into the darkness. Except for the evil spirits who liked to attack people indiscriminately, most of the other monsters and ghosts were no longer as dangerous as before. The army of monsters collapsed in an instant. The people fighting against them at this moment exchanged a look with each other in confusion. Everyone¡¯s faces were pale with exhaustion and their clothes were covered in blood and body fluids of various colours. They were in a particularly sorry state. Even their hands had little strength in them. All of them turned and stared blankly into the distance. The redness faded. In the horizon, brilliant sunlight penetrated through the clouds like a gold thread. ¡ª-Dawn had broken. In the building. The early morning light entered through the glass, falling onto the smooth floor and dispelling some of the darkness inside. But the depths of the building were still as dark as the eternal night, as if light could never reach it. After the scarlet ball of flesh disappeared and the scarlet light from it was similarly gone, the entire hall became cold and dark again. Ji Xuan¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much but his complexion was several shades paler. He looked almost as bleak as a ghost in this dark environment. The young man in his arms softened like a puppet whose threads had been cut off. Ji Xuan caught Ye Jian in time and then gently lowered him down. But before he could withdraw and leave, the young man in his arms suddenly opened his eyes. Ji Xuan¡¯s movements froze. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia lowly whispered something, but he couldn¡¯t hear what he said. His long eyelashes trembled lightly and then slowly raised, revealing the pitch-black eyes underneath, ¡°¡­..Hungry.¡± Please read this from kk translates Without warning, Ye Jia pushed Ji Xuan to the ground. ¡°Hungry.¡± His voice was low and soft, and a little nasal, as if he was acting spoiled, but his actions were strong and fierce and very aggressive. Like a predator, he very smoothly pressed his prey under him. Ji Xuan was slightly startled. He raised his eyes and stared at the young man pressing him down. His silent chest rose up and down very quickly, but he didn¡¯t struggle. Ye Jia leaned down and sniffed the other party¡¯s lower lip. The tip of his nose was cold. It slowly slid down the man¡¯s neck, gently touching the other party¡¯s skin. All the muscles in Ji Xuan¡¯s body were taut. His dark red eyes became an even darker shade such that it looked like there was a pool of blood swirling around inside a dark void. He raised his hand and pressed it onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder without much force as if he was encouraging him. Ye Jia thought blankly for a few seconds and then opened his mouth and bit the other party¡¯s throat. Ji Xuan hissed. ¡ª¨CBut it didn¡¯t hurt. The jut in his throat bobbed. It took him a long time before he could force out the next words from his throat. As if he was scorched by fire, his throat was so dry, one could hardly hear his original voice: ¡°¡­¡­Little ancestor, you¡­¡­¡± You¡¯re forcing me to commit a crime. Ye Jia was still in a confused state. His mind felt like it was stuffed with countless cotton balls such that his reason was pressed down to the deepest depths, unable to surface back up. ¡°Hungry.¡± He lowly said. The existence that made him feel at ease and tempted him had disappeared at some point. At this moment, all the power he had consumed earlier seemed to be running out of control. It rushed around inside his body as it tried to look for an exit. All the blood and bones in his body ached, but hunger overwhelmed all his other sensations. It screamed like crazy in his mind. Immediately afterwards, he noticed a particularly alluring smell next to him. Even without opening his eyes, he could still feel the other person¡¯s presence. It was like the only light source in the dark constantly radiating light and heat, that sweet smell was particularly tempting. Ye Jia loosened his mouth and gnawed on Ji Xuan¡¯s collarbone this time. This time, he bit rather hard. His sharp teeth cut through the skin and cold and sweet tasting blood gushed out from the opening. All of it was greedily swept up by a warm tongue. Ji Xuan¡¯s pupils constricted. His desire was surging violently inside him. He was almost at his limit of self-control. ¡ª-If this continues, he may really lose control and end up doing something irreparable. In fact, Ji Xuan didn¡¯t mind the other party eating him. But the problem was that the more Ye Jia ate, the closer he would be to a monster and the closer he was to that blurred boundary, the easier it would be for Mother to push him over to the other side. If it was the former Ji Xuan, he wouldn¡¯t mind that at all. Wouldn¡¯t two monsters be a better match? But¡­.Following what happened in the game last time where he was almost cut to death, Ji Xuan had received a wake-up call. If he once again got too hasty and resorted to desperate measures, the other party would probably never forgive him again. And there was a stronger, more selfish reason haunting Ji Xuan¡¯s heart. Although the days spent in the mirror spirit¡¯s illusory realm were short, they had left him with a deep impression. He discovered that what he really missed was the moment before everything had happened, when he got along well with Ye Jia as his child self. During their fight, the other party would lower his eyes and gently call out, ¡°A¡¯Xuan.¡± Unfortunately, for Ji Xuan at the time, that wasn¡¯t enough. He wanted more. ¡ª¨CHis insatiable desire pushed the two of them into a situation like this. But even now, Ji Xuan still hadn¡¯t changed. The only difference was that his old self was more easily satisfied. Whether it was by unscrupulously binding Ye Jia to his side, or by eating Ye Jia, or even letting himself be eaten, Ji Xuan was able to accept it and be content with it. But those three days spent in that illusory realm had made him more greedy and more difficult to satisfy. What he wished for before was no longer enough. Compared to those cruel and forceful methods, Ji Xuan hoped that¡­¡­.the other party would willingly stay by his side for eternity. Like a butterfly getting caught in a spider web, before it even realises it, it¡¯s gorgeous wings had become firmly entangled in the web, unable to escape. Ji Xuan squeezed his eyes shut and slowly pushed the other party away from his collarbone. Ye Jia looked at him silently through his pair of black eyes. His lips that are thin and well defined were half open at this moment and dyed a deep crimson colour from the blood. Just the sight of it was¡­..especially inviting. The jut on Ji Xuan¡¯s throat bobbed. Once one endures to a certain extent, they succumb to their desires. He raised his hand, pressed his cold and wide palm onto the back of the other person¡¯s neck and then rose up to kiss him. The kiss was fierce and passionate. Sharp teeth broke the skin in the other party¡¯s mouth, and their tongue and lips entangled amidst the metallic tasting blood. The yin energy gathered by the young man from his earlier killings were licked and consumed little by little by the other party. The cold fingers hanging loosely by his side gradually became warmer such that it was now the warmth of a human body. His heart that had slowed down earlier had also returned to the normal frequency of a humans. Ji Xuan could hear it through the other person¡¯s chest¡ª¨C ¡°Badump¡±¡ª¨C¡°Badump¡±¡ª¡ª¨C¡°Badump¡±¡ª¡ª¨C After a long time, he finally willingly let go of the other party. The young man¡¯s breathing was heavy and hastened because of the lack of oxygen. His eyes were half lowered but the eyes that could still be seen had returned to its normal amber colour. The pupils were however still a little dilated. He seemed to still be in a muddle-headed state. His eyes were a little misty as he looked at the other party with his bright red lips slightly parted. He seemed to be at loss and confused with the current situation. Ji Xuan couldn¡¯t hold back. He lowered his head and licked the other person¡¯s swollen lower lip. But this time, he only tasted it. There were many ways for him to turn the other person from a monster-like state back into their human state but out of selfishness, Ji Xuan chose the method most advantageous for himself. He bent his lips and gently laid the other person down onto the ground. Suddenly, as if noticing something, Ji Xuan turned and looked into the dark corner ahead. He hooked his finger. ¡°Ahhhhhh!!¡± The small black hand flew into his hand while screaming. The small black hand squeezed its eyes shut as it continued to scream fearfully, ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Ji Xuan frowned, ¡°Shut up.¡± Ye Jia had just returned to his human state but if this ghost continued to scream, he may be awakened. The small black hand immediately stopped. It could sense the energy coming from the other party. The overwhelming power made it unable to move at all¡ª-As long as the other party wanted to kill it, it wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back at all. The small black hand trembled. It was about to cry. ¡°Ki¡­..King¡­.¡± It was trembling so badly, it had afterimages, ¡°I-I-I-I-I didn¡¯t see anything just now¡­.¡± That was true. The moment Ji Xuan appeared, the small black hand had run away at the speed of light with its tail tucked in between its legs, but unfortunately, its spiritual body was bound to Ye Jia so it could only hide as far as possible and pray that the other party wouldn¡¯t find it. But even though it was far away, the small black hand still knew what had happened just now. King!!! Forget about the fact that he saved boss!!! He had actually taken advantage of boss!!! W-w-what was going on?! Only then did the small black hand truly realise what it meant by rumours not being credible. How the hell was it seeking revenge after being played with and thrown away? This was clearly the intention to rekindle old feelings and go after their body!!! The plot had suddenly changed from a revenge seeking story to one that is filled with dog-blood and perverseness!!! The small black hand¡¯s face was covered in tears. It felt that it would not only lose its life, but it may even be left with no ashes. My life is over!! Ji Xuan raised a brow and asked with some interest, ¡°Hmm? You didn¡¯t see anything?¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± It slipped up. Oh no. Its entire body was stiff. It was almost about to pass out. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you before.¡± Ji Xuan slowly played with the small black hand in his hand. He squeezed it into a ball and let go, watching it return to its original form, ¡°Looks like he has been hiding you very well.¡± ¡°It seems you are the ghost closest to him.¡± His words grew colder and colder. Please read this from kk translates When he said the last word, the small black hand could clearly feel the other person¡¯s deadly killing intent¡­¡­and jealousy. ¡ª¨CIf it had legs, it would now use both its legs to kick itself unconscious. What¡¯s scarier than King was a jealous King. Ji Xuan tied the small black hand into a knot and calmly watched the other party struggle to free itself. The corners of his lips curled up into an unsmiling arc: ¡°A pity.¡± If he killed it, Ye Jia would find out. And he remembered that when he first hurried here, it was this weak ghost who had tried to pull Ye Jia away from that thing. It could be said that it deserved a small credit. Ji Xuan casually thought this. Just when the small black hand thought it was out of luck and about to die here, the other party released it. It was dumbfounded. Still in a tied-up state, it looked at Ji Xuan. Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes were cold as the smile on his lips deepened, ¡°If I smell you on his body next time, I won¡¯t let you off so easily. Understand?¡± The small black hand nodded frantically. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and looked at Ye Jia. The young man was still lying silently on the ground. Still asleep, his expression was calm, his breathing was steady, and his slightly messy hair covered much of his forehead. The early morning rays entered the dark hall little by little, falling onto the ground and illuminating the lower half of his face. It was extremely picturesque. The coldness in Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes melted away. He leaned down and rubbed his finger against Ye Jia¡¯s lower lip. The wound on the other party¡¯s lip healed instantly. Although it was a pity, it had to be done to cover up his traces. Finally, Ji Xuan gazed at him deeply and nostalgically. Big brother, sweet dreams. He withdrew his gaze and turned and walked out. The blood gu fish was waiting outside the building, its hollow eye sockets watching the door intently. The moment Ji Xuan appeared, it immediately swam over like a cannonball and stopped in front of Ji Xuan. It anxiously waved its tail, circled around Ji Xuan and pressed its skull head against his palm. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ji Xuan patted its head, ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± The blood gu fish seemed to be relieved. It waved its tail in relief and began to habitually rub its head against Ji Xuan¡¯s palm. Ji Xuan however avoided it. He said, ¡°Go follow him the next few days.¡± The blood gu fish raised its head and looked at its master blankly. For some reason, it¡¯s master looked¡­.much paler than usual. Ji Xuan retracted his gaze. ¡ª¨CWhat he did just now was tantamount to directly rebelling against Mother. For a while after this, it would be rather chaotic on his end. Ji Xuan wasn¡¯t concerned about this. His status had never been derived from the so-called ¡®familial connection¡¯. His powers were something he had obtained himself step by step after trampling over mountains of bloody corpses. He however would need to step away for the next few days and he would not be able to watch over Ye Jia. He was more worried about Mother attacking Ye Jia during this time. And also¡­¡­.that ball of flesh. He had only confined it inside his ghost domain and hadn¡¯t yet tried to touch it or digest it, but it seems that Mother¡¯s powers were more difficult to deal with than he had initially thought. He would need to find another way to deal with it. Ji Xuan glanced at the blood gu fish, ¡°Protect him.¡± When he was done saying that, a scarlet crack opened in the air and he turned and stepped into it. There was no one left at the entrance of the building. . Inside the building Ye Jia slowly woke up. He blinked blankly a few times and then raised his hand to block the sunlight entering his eyes. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know where he was. Memories from last night soon flooded into his mind. The ghost doors had opened, and hundreds of ghosts appeared. In order to prevent the fierce ghosts from further evolving, he came to the city centre¡­.. And then? Ye Jia slowly sat up. His bones creaked in pain. He frowned and turned to take in his surroundings. A clean hall without the slightest trace of a battle. Everything looked normal. It was so normal; it was a bit strange. Yes, the sun came out and there was no yin energy or the smell of blood in the air, so everything should be over. But Ye Jia didn¡¯t remember anything from last night. He frowned and turned to look beside him. He saw traces of red fluid on the ground beside him. Although it had dried up, the colour was still strong. Ye Jia was surprised. This¡­..? At this moment many blurry and fragmented scenes appeared in his mind. The scarlet object in the darkness, the thickening pool of blood on the ground, and a fierce and passionate¡­..kiss? But before he had the chance to grasp onto those scenes, they all quickly disappeared without a trace. Ye Jia touched his lower lip. Cold and smooth and without a wound. A dream? He then remembered the small black hand. For some reason, the small black hand who used to like to stay on his shoulder was hiding far away. ¡°Yesterday¡­¡­.What happened?¡± After hearing Ye Jia¡¯s question, the small black hand stammered, ¡°I-I also don¡¯t know. I fainted as soon as we entered the building last night.¡± ¡ª¡ª-Of course, it really wished it had fainted. Ye Jia frowned suspiciously, but before he could continue asking, he felt something touching his forearm. He turned and looked. It was the blood gu fish waving its tail. Seeing that it had attracted Ye Jia¡¯s attention, it leaned forward and opened its mouth. There was a ¡®clatter¡¯ A special test tube fell out of its mouth. Ye Jia quickly picked it up. It was the core of the fake blood gu fish; a green drop of blood sealed inside a test tube. In the sun, it gleamed a strange colour. It was obvious that the blood inside of it belonged to a fierce ghost but the test tube outside definitely belonged to a human. As long as they followed this clue, they would most definitely be able to find more clues. Ye Jia raised the corner of his lips. ¡°You¡¯re very clever too.¡± The blood gu fish seemed to understand his compliment. Its tail waved faster. It gurgled and flopped over, happily exposing its belly to Ye Jia. It seemed to be acting spoilt. ¡°Alright, alright, alright.¡± Ye Jia sighed helplessly and smiled. He reached out and gently but not very skilfully rubbed the blood gu fish¡¯s belly. The other party just happy waved its tail and continued to act spoilt. The sun seemed to be too bright. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes were blinded for a moment by the reflecting light. He looked in direction of this light¡ªThe test tube laid quietly on the side, the metal tip gleaming in the sun. Ignoring the green drop of blood in the test tube, a sudden thought appeared in Ji Yushi¡¯s mind. The core of the blood gu fish was a fierce ghost¡¯s blood. His gaze fell onto the blood gu fish he was petting. He was in deep thought¡ª- If that was the case, which fierce ghost¡¯s blood was this one¡¯s core? The answer was about to appear. However, another conjecture also emerged. The belly of the blood gu fish was semi-liquid, viscous blood that slowly rose up and down and the feeling was like¡­¡­Putting your hand into a bowl of jelly. Ye Jia¡¯s palm applied some force, and it slowly sank into the depths of its stomach. The blood gu fish noticed that something wasn¡¯t right and turned to look at Ye Jia with its dark and empty eye sockets. It however didn¡¯t fight back, as if it believed that this human wouldn¡¯t harm it. Ye Jia¡¯s wrist also sank in. He frowned and felt around inside the blood gu fish¡¯s chest cavity. Finally, Ye Jia felt a warm and round core inside the blood gu fish that constantly radiated energy. He activated some powers on his fingers and felt it. The next second, Ye Jia¡¯s eyes widened sharply, and his breathing stopped. He seemed to be shocked by something unexpected. There was not one drop of blood in the core of this blood gu fish¡­.but two drops. One was the blood of a fierce ghost. And the other was a human¡¯s¡­.. Tears. After becoming aware of this fact, Ye Jia immediately withdrew his hand and fell back. His pupils constricted and his chest rose and fell heavily. A scene from his memory resurfaced. A thin and pale boy stood in a sea of blood. His hair was pitch-black, and his eyes were scarlet red. A large hole had been punctured through his chest. It was as if he had been pierced by some kind of sharp weapon. The young man was standing close to him. His face was pale, his breathing was irregular, and his thin lips were pressed into a straight line, but he still used the hand that was trembling uncontrollably to plunge the sharp blade into the thin boy in front of him. Blood poured out the boy¡¯s chest. The boy looked down at the wound in his chest curiously. His pale fingers were wet from the blood. The boy raised his head and looked at the young man in front of him. His originally calm expression stirred, and his scarlet eyes constricted. The boy was slightly stunned. He reached out towards the other party. A drop of transparent tear rolled down the young man¡¯s cheek, falling onto the boy¡¯s small, blood-stained hand. At that moment, the coldness, paranoia and madness in the boy¡¯s eyes dissolved like the melting ice. It all disappeared without a trace. He raised the corners of his pale lips and smiled happily and innocently: ¡°¡­¡­.That¡¯s great.¡± Then, the boy closed his eyes and softly fell back. The blood gu fish turned over and once again swam over to Ye Jia. It rubbed its head against the other person¡¯s palm. ¡ª¡ªTurns out, this was why you are so clever. ¡ª¡ªTurns out, this was why you like me. Ye Jia forced out a smile. But the next moment, another shocking thought came to him. The blood gu fish only showed affection towards two people ¡ª¨C Ji Xuan, and himself. So as the owner, would Ji Xuan not know what core his pet has? How could that be possible. The man¡¯s low voice sounded next to his ear: ¡°It likes you.¡± ¡°You can touch it.¡± That sudden thought struck him too suddenly, causing Ye Jia¡¯s brain to stop working. In his completely blank mind, there was only one line left. ¡ª¡ª Ji Xuan knew. CH 41 There had never been a night as long as this in M City. The morning rays in the horizon lit up the city as well as the completely wrecked streets. Dark red blood that had mixed together with other fluids on the roads evaporated, leaving behind an unpleasant and rancid smell. Although the army of ghosts and monsters were gone, but for the Bureau, their work had just begun. After a whole night of fighting, the members of the Logistics Department didn¡¯t even have the chance to rest before they were dispatched to all corners of the city to deal with the aftermath of that chaos. The remaining bodies of the ghosts and monsters had to be recovered as soon as possible or the yin energy and malice in them would spread through the air, bringing over more hidden dangers that they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to deal with. Furthermore, they also had to clean up the remaining ghosts and monsters and do a headcount of the casualties. The phones in the police stations as well as the hospitals were ringing off the hooks. There were civilians needing treatment and help everywhere. Moreover, the scope of the damages caused by this incident was just too large. An entire city losing contact with the outside world and becoming a haunted city overnight; something like this couldn¡¯t be concealed. The existence of paranormal creatures was now completely exposed, and the entire human world was shaken by this new revelation. Humans can no longer return to their previously peaceful life anymore. Just like dominoes, as long as the first piece fell, no one could control the chain reaction that followed. The phones in the Bureau rang non-stop. The superiors in the M City branch reported desperately to the main headquarters as the rest of them contacted other agencies and social media in attempt to control this news that was spreading far and wide. Numerous reports and follow ups following the incident reached the office. A certain mysterious existence appeared in those reports more than once. It was a young man in a hood whose appearance couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. Wielding a large crescent shaped scythe, his whereabouts were unpredictable, but his strength was as powerful as an A-level fierce ghost. This individual seemed to have been the main pillar of support that night. The same questions surfaced in everyone¡¯s minds. Who was he? Why did he suddenly appear and then disappear again? And more importantly¡­.. Where was he now? . In a certain building in the middle of the city centre. Usually at a time like this, the workers would have already clocked in, making the entire business district alive and bustling, but at this moment, the entire building as well as the entire business district outside was empty. Countless oddly shaped and mutilated monster bodies turned into dark-grey smoke and scattered under the sun, blanketing the area with a strong, foul stench in the process. It was however different near that building. With it as the centre, there was an empty circle, like the eye of a tornado. The ground was clean and there were no bloody residues whatsoever. In the depths of the building, the smooth floor was spotless. Compared to the shining sun outside, it was still rather cold and bleak in there. The blood gu fish floated quietly in the air with its huge goat skull tilted as it looked at the silent human before it in confusion. For some reason, the other party had been motionless for a long time. The young man had his eyes lowered. As if his feet had grown roots into the ground, he stood motionlessly in the empty hall. There were no superfluous expressions on his pale face, as if he was deliberately concealing his turbulent thoughts and emotions. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, he had habitually built up a tall and thick wall, hiding all his true emotions behind it it. However, although he remained expressionless, the blood gu fish could still keenly sense the gloomy and cold air coming from the other party that made the temperature of the surrounding environment drop several degrees. The blood gu fish leaned forward and cautiously pressed its head against the other person¡¯s hand. Ye Ji finally returned from his thoughts. He lowered his eyes, looked at the blood gu fish beside him and gently rubbed its head. Dark emotions were concealed deep inside those light-coloured eyes of his, much like the grey sky just before a storm. After stripping away all the details and carefully going through it all, Ye Jia was now very certain¡ª- Although he didn¡¯t know how, Ji Xuan had recognised him since the very beginning. But what Ye Jia couldn¡¯t understand was why he hadn¡¯t done anything after finding out his identity. ¡ª-Even after carefully and thoroughly examining through every minute and every second of his interactions with the other party, he couldn¡¯t reach a perfect answer to this question of his. Ye Jia scratched the blood gu fish¡¯s chin in thought. Seeing that it was once again receiving attention from its favourite human, it quickly threw aside the doubts it had and rolled over to make it easier for the other party to scratch it. But though Ye Jia¡¯s eyes were lowered, he wasn¡¯t looking at it. He seemed to have fallen deeply into thought again. ¡ª-So what if he couldn¡¯t figure it out? He cruelly asked himself: ¡ª¨CWhy are you still so stupid and na?ve? You still think you can understand a fierce ghost¡¯s logic? Ye Jia¡¯s eyes turned slightly cold, as if a layer of frost had gathered over it. In his memory, that thin little boy had always closely followed him around, looking up at him with his pair of clear black eyes filled with trust and reliance, as if he was looking at his entire world. He would use his cold hands to grab Ye Jia¡¯s wrist and lean his small body close before softly calling out ¡°gege¡±. There was no such thing as trust in the game. That was an ironclad rule. However, he had ignored this rule and unknowingly given him his trust. Whether it was in an instance or after he got ¡®Ya¡¯, he would always single-mindedly protect this child who would call him ¡®gege¡¯ whenever he was being pursued by the other players in the game and even felt guilty and regretful for implicating him. (KKnotes: Ya (ÑÀ): Teeth. He¡¯s referring to the scythe) He had kept a poisonous snake by his side, and blindly thought it was a companion. However much he cherished this child was however much pain he felt when he was betrayed. It was only at the very last moment that Ye Jia realised that this had been something that had been set up for him since the very beginning and he had unknowingly thrown himself into this trap without any hesitation. And so, in their final confrontation, he personally killed Ji Xuan. At the same time, he killed his once soft and blindly na?ve self. But he didn¡¯t expect that the other party not only didn¡¯t die, that person had actually chased after him into the real world. Ye Jia once again revisited everything that happened after he and the other party met again. ¡ª¨CIncluding his own cautious act of retreat, and the other person¡¯s act of getting close to him while wearing a fake mask. Ye Jia¡¯s breathing became slightly unstable. He raised the corners of his lips, revealing a faint smile. Seeing his smile in the distance, the small black hand couldn¡¯t help but shudder. It subconsciously retreated and pressed itself against the wall. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t smiling. Only cold anger burned inside them. Why hadn¡¯t he done anything to him all this time? It was probably just so that he could satisfy his malicious desires and see him suffer again. Ye Jia knelt down and gently touched the blood gu fish¡¯s belly. The smile on his lips was particularly brilliant: ¡°You will follow me from now on.¡± The blood gu fish tilted its head for a moment and then excitedly rubbed its body against him, seemingly happy with this proposal. The smile on Ye Jia¡¯s lips deepened. He distractedly petted the blood gu fish as a scythe slowly formed in his other hand. As for your other master¡­¡­ After today, he will no longer exist. . The small black hand had never in its life expected things to develop in such an absurd direction. It didn¡¯t know what Ye Jia was thinking. It only knew that, after the other party stood still for a while, for some reason anger and evil energy surged inside him and he had pulled out his scythe. The small black hand no longer had the time to worry about the warning given to it from King. It hurriedly jumped onto Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, grabbed his collar, and asked carefully, ¡°B-Boss, where are we going?¡± Ye Jia smiled and said, ¡°To kill a ghost.¡± The small black hand was confused, ¡°K-kill who?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°Ji Xuan.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡± It¡¯s over. Please read this from kk translates The dog-blood and perverted narrative was about to change into one of revenge and murder! Ye Jia first brought the blood gu fish back to his place and ordered it to stay there. After all, the blood gu fish had been with Ji Xuan longer. Ye Jia didn¡¯t think that it would help him when he and Ji Xuan were to go against each other so he decided that it would be better to let it stay out of the battle. Immediately afterwards, he concealed himself with his ghost energy and activated his ghost domain. The inside of the ghost domain was scarlet red. The small black hand gripped tightly onto his collar. It stammered next to his ear, hoping it could discourage Ye Jia¡¯s impulsive actions. Ye Jia briefly glanced at it, ¡°If you¡¯re scared of being implicated, I will let you leave just before I see Ji Xuan.¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia calmly continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if I lose, it¡¯s good news for you. The binding between us will be gone and you will be free.¡± The small black hand wanted to cry without tears, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± It didn¡¯t mean thatttttttt! Very soon, Ye Jia arrived at the place where he had seen Ji Xuan last time. The luxurious hall was still dimly lit but it was however completely empty. Even the bloody pool in the hall was empty. Ye Jia looked around. Ji Xuan wasn¡¯t here. But before he could do anything, a black and sticky monster suddenly leapt out from a corner of the room. Ye Jia quickly evaded to the side and a cold light flashed in his hand. Following the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air, that monster was split into two. It fell onto the ground and spasmed in pain. There were seven or eight large eyes growing on its body. Every one of them were black but there seemed to be a strange layer of scarlet mist over the top of it. Even for a fierce ghost, it was clear that its state didn¡¯t seem quite right. What¡¯s more, he had clearly used ¡®Ya¡¯ as his weapon but he wasn¡¯t able to consume the other party¡¯s powers. Ye Jia frowned slightly. He lowered his head and lightly nudged the monster with the tip of his shoe. The next second, the monster¡¯s body shattered and turned into dust. Ye Jia was slightly startled. At this moment, there was the sound of a door being pushed open, ¡°Oh, A¡¯Ye! You¡¯re here!¡± This cheerful voice. Who else could it be apart from A¡¯Mi? Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and turned to look behind him. A¡¯Mi¡¯s figure was still blurry like a shadow and its facial features were unclear but one could still tell that it was in a good mood, ¡°I have been trying to contact you for a long time but wasn¡¯t able to get through. I thought you were caught up in that rebellion and got killed!¡± Rebellion? Ye Jia was confused for a moment before he soon came to an understanding. Indeed, the incident last night was something initiated by the Fly King but to Ji Xuan, it could be considered a rebellion. He calmly asked, ¡°Do you know where King is?¡± A¡¯mi answered naturally, ¡°On the other battlefield of course.¡± Ye Jia frowned, ¡°But it¡¯s over.¡± How could there be another battle going on? ¡°Yeah, the rebellion last night had been controlled but King¡¯s subordinates were all sent out¡­.¡± A¡¯mi babbled. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­.Where were they sent to?¡± ¡°The West District.¡± A¡¯mi answered. A look of surprised flashed across Ye Jia¡¯s eyes. He was in the East District last night. He had the Bureau¡¯s communication device with him and he had gone wherever there were more calls for help so he had basically mostly been in the East District last night¡­.Ye Jia originally thought that it was because there were more high level fierce ghosts in the East District but he didn¡¯t expect that¡­¡­.It was because Ji Xuan¡¯s subordinates had been dealing with the monsters and ghosts in the West District. ¡°How many humans have died?¡± Ye Jia suddenly asked. A¡¯Mi didn¡¯t seem to expect Ye Jia to ask this question. It was stunned for a moment before finally speaking, ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­..¡± Before Ye Jia could say anything, A¡¯Mi continued, ¡°After all, we don¡¯t know how many people have been eaten by those rebelling monsters and ghosts.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­You guys didn¡¯t eat?¡± ¡°King didn¡¯t allow it.¡± A¡¯Mi replied without much thought, ¡°After all, our targets were the rebels. Just them alone were more than enough to fill our stomachs.¡± After saying that, it burped contentedly. ¡°Oh right!¡± A¡¯Mi seemed to remember what it was going to do, ¡°Hurry, hurry! We should hurry over to the battlefield as well. There is a shortage of manpower there. I originally thought we didn¡¯t have anyone else to send over but I didn¡¯t expect to see you here. With you being so strong, you will surely be of help!¡± Ye Jia found himself dragged along. A¡¯Mi activated its ghost domain and one human and one ghost entered it. A¡¯Mi¡¯s ghost domain was pure black, just like its race that liked to lurk in the shadows. Watching A¡¯Mi who walked ahead, Ye Jia asked, ¡°Since¡­¡­the rebellion last night is already over, what is going on now? Why is there another fight?¡± As A¡¯Mi walked through the ghost domain, it answered. ¡°It¡¯s Mother.¡± Its voice very clearly sounded rather down. ¡ª-This was Ye Jia¡¯s second time hearing this word. The last time he heard it, it was spoken by the Fly King at the dock. He repeated, ¡°¡­¡­.Mother?¡± A¡¯Mi nodded, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°The chaos last was directly ordered by Mother, but King had disobeyed her orders¡­¡­¡± It sighed, ¡°So this is Mother¡¯s punishment.¡± At this moment, Ye Jia had completely stepped out of A¡¯Mi¡¯s ghost domain. Seeing the shocking scene before him, he subconsciously held his breath. ¡ª¡ªHe couldn¡¯t tell were this was. Was this the human world? A ghost domain? Reality? Or game? Everywhere in front of him was densely packed with countless monsters resembling the one he saw in the hall just now. Dark and foul-smelling mucous dripped from its body as large, black eyeballs covered in a layer of scarlet mist rolled around creepily. Just the sight of it alone was particularly unsightly. They came in many sizes; the small ones were only as big as a fingernail while the larger ones were as large as a building. There was however no yin energy on them. Instead, there was something else eviller and more chaotic. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t tell what it was, but he instinctively felt repulse towards it. In the sea of these monsters, Ji Xuan¡¯s subordinates were particularly conspicuous. They fought back endlessly but those monsters before them didn¡¯t appear to be decreasing. Wave after wave, the monsters charged towards them. These monsters had no consciousness, and they also couldn¡¯t feel any pain. After dying, they would turn into dust instead of being converted into an energy source. Even if they weren¡¯t as strong as a B-Level or A-Level ghost, they were enough to taken on an army. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and concealed the complex look in his eyes. He raised his voice and asked, ¡°Where is King?¡± A¡¯Mi casually pointed up. Above their heads, a faint trace of scarlet could be seen through the dense crowd of black monsters. There were still many monsters charging towards that scarlet colour. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia increased his strength and lightly leapt onto the body of one of the nearby monsters before leaping onto another and another. He headed straight for that scarlet colour. Sure enough, Ji Xuan was there. He stood calmly in the air, his slender figure particularly tall and conspicuous amongst the group of ugly monsters. Behind him were scarlet-red waves of blood that mercilessly swallowed up any monster who dared to approach him. His face was extremely pale, and his scarlet eyes were dark and deep as he watched the huge monster before him with an indifferent gaze. The monster in front of him was almost the size of a football field and its body completely covered up the sky. It had countless large boils growing on its body which constantly secreted mucous. As it stared at Ji Xuan maliciously, a low growl emitted from the depths of its throat. Compared to that monster, Ji Xuan looked very small, as if he would be crushed by it in an instant. Unexpectedly, the huge and terrifying monster opened its gigantic mouth that resembled an abyss. As it approached Ji Xuan, it spoke. A strange, low voice travelled out from that mouth, but the tone was extraordinarily kind and gentle. That contrast made one couldn¡¯t help but feel fearful and uncomfortable. ¡°My child¡­¡­.¡± Was this ¡®Mother¡¯? As soon as this thought surfaced in Ye Jia¡¯s mind, he immediately rejected it. Not possible. It was more like a tool used to transmit Mother¡¯s voice. Ye Jia smoothly cut up several monsters approaching him while his attention was still focused on the conversation happening not far away from him. ¡°¡­¡­.Although you haven¡¯t fulfilled your promise,¡± The monster slowly approached him with all the eyes on its body looking at him, ¡°I still love you regardless. Don¡¯t let me down.¡± After saying that, the mouth closed again. It was as if the conversation had never happened in the first place. The monster changed back to its slimy appearance again. Then, as if it had finally lost the shackles binding it, it began to attack Ji Xuan with frenzy. The huge eyes were filled with insanity. Ye Jia was surprised by this sudden attack. It seems that although ¡°Mother¡± had said that she would love forever and would give him another chance, she still didn¡¯t hesitate to punish him, nor did she hold back. Ji Xuan didn¡¯t seem to be surprised by this. He responded to the attacks as he evaded and the blood around him continued to swallow up the surrounding monsters. But¡­..It was unknown if it was just Ye Jia¡¯s imagination, he felt that JI Xuan¡¯s condition didn¡¯t seem quite right. As a fierce ghost, he would always have a pale complexion but just now, Ye Jia noticed that the originally powerful ghost energy around Ji Xuan was no longer as oppressive. It was as if¡­¡­he had been severely injured before. Ye Jia originally wasn¡¯t sure about this but as soon as he saw the other party¡¯s slightly delayed response time, he became more certain. And that monster also realised this. The attacks grew fiercer and malicious greed flashed across its dark eyes. Ji Xuan had no choice but to divert some of the blood dealing with the monsters behind him and use it to block the other party¡¯s offensive attacks. With this, his back would inevitably lose some protection. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. His fingers tightened around the handle of his scythe and the blade glistened coldly. ¡ª¨CJi Xuan¡¯s current condition was poor. This was good news for him. It would be very simple. No matter how many facades there were and how many lies. With just one swing of the blade, all the grievances would be gone. He would finally be able to deal with the thing troubling mankind and also avenge his betrayal. How easy. The other monsters seemed to have noticed the opening in Ji Xuan¡¯s defences. They charged towards him like a wave, but as if he had eyes behind his head, they were all dealt with easily¡ª¡ª That huge monster seized this opportunity. Several thick, black tentacles cut through the air, rushing towards Ji Xuan That blow was blocked again. Several tentacles were cut off. It struggled and twisted around on the ground. But the opening in the man¡¯s defences had grown bigger again. The wave of blood that was used to block the blow had not yet had the chance to be retracted back. More monsters charged towards him. If he wanted to block this wave, he would inevitably expose a weak spot. ¡ª¡ªNow was the time. It would only be an instant. If he wanted to kill him, there was no better chance than this. A cold light glistened. It silently cut through the air, slashing forward like a meteor. ¡°Whooshh¡ª¡ª¡± As if he had felt something, Ji Xuan turned and looked behind him. Several monster¡¯s bodies turned into dust and scattered in the air. Other than that, there was nothing else. . In an empty room. The curled-up blood gu fish raised its head and looked in a certain direction. It wagged its tail and swam over. In the corner of the room, a young man¡¯s slender figure slowly emerged from the darkness. He knelt down and petted the blood gu fish¡¯s head. The young man¡¯s voice was very low, and it carried faint unwillingness and coldness: ¡°¡­¡­.For your sake, I¡¯ll let him off this time.¡± CH 42 Chapter 42 The light wasn¡¯t turned on in the room. The blood gu fish¡¯s skull reflected a dim, pale light in the dark. Ye Jia knelt down and gently scratched its chin. The small black hand stuck its head out from behind his shoulder and let out a long sigh of relief. It was still recovering from the scare, ¡°My god¡­¡­¡± Those past few hours felt like a rollercoaster ride. Ye Jia originally wanted to put it down before reaching the battlefield, but in order to prove its faithfulness and resolution, the small black hand would rather die than be torn off Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Fortunately, the two didn¡¯t really end up fighting, or the small black hand would¡¯ve probably been scared to death before they could even start exchanging blows. The blood gu fish raised its head and looked at the small black hand on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. It seemed to be wanting to do something. The small black hand shuddered and slowly hid under Ye Jia¡¯s hood. ¡°Thank goodness¡­..¡± It¡¯s muffled voice travelled out from under the hood, ¡°But boss¡­. why did you suddenly change your mind?¡± Although it was very satisfied with the final result, the small black hand couldn¡¯t help but be a little curious. After all, the other party had seemed like nothing would make him change his mind a moment ago. But he suddenly gave up on that thought at the very last moment. The small black hand couldn¡¯t get its head around it. Ye Jia¡¯s act of petting the blood gu fish froze for a moment but he didn¡¯t give it a response. But the small black hand didn¡¯t mind it. Seeing that Ye Jia wasn¡¯t answering, it didn¡¯t pursue it any further and just quietly sneaked off the other party¡¯s shoulder and hid itself in a corner of the room as far away from the blood gu fish as possible¡ª¨C In any case, its life was most important. And that fish was too scary! The small black hand wanted to cry without tears ¡ª- It didn¡¯t want to be fish fooodddddddd wuwuwu. Ye Jia lowered his eyes. His thoughts were a little erratic. ¡ª¡ªThe strong killing intent from earlier had cooled off and rational thinking had taken its place. One thing was clear. Ji Xuan cannot die. Ye Jia still couldn¡¯t determine what Ji Xuan¡¯s position was, but if his subordinates hadn¡¯t suppressed the rebellion in the West District last night, it would¡¯ve probably been difficult for the humans to be able to put up a fight against the army of ghosts and monsters. And that prohibition of humans being harmed¡­that was enough for him to reconsider his decision. More importantly, the current place where Ji Xuan was fighting wasn¡¯t far from M City. If Ji Xuan died, Ye Jia didn¡¯t know if ¡®Mother¡¯ would continue with her plans from last night and directly order another attack on M City. With M City¡¯s current state, they most certainly wouldn¡¯t be able to bear with another wave of attacks. No matter what grievances he and Ji Xuan may have, at least for now, both their existences were necessary. Ye Jia slowly took in a deep breath. Dark energy surged in the depths of his light-coloured eyes. The accounts he needed to settle with Ji Xuan could wait until another time. Now wasn¡¯t the time for that. The blood gu fish was happily being petted by him. It turned over and waved its tail even more intensely. Immediately afterwards, without any warning¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Clack¡± ¡°Crack¡± Something seemed to have been knocked over in the distance. The commotion it made was quite loud in the darkness. One human and one fish stiffened. Ye Jia suddenly had a bad feeling. He slowly raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound. Then, as if he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, Ye Jia squeezed his eyes shut and then reached out to turn on the lights in the living room. As soon as the lights turned on, the mess in the room was revealed. It was as if a tornado had passed through. Everything that could be broken were broken. A table that was missing a leg rested crookedly on the ground and there were clear tooth marks on its edges. The living room that was originally neat and orderly now looked like it had just been looted. It was almost impossible for one to see what it used to look like. Ye Jia slowly lowered his head and looked at the blood gu fish next to his feet. One human and one fish, a pair of big eyes looked at a pair of small eyes. The blood gu fish raised its head and looked at Ye Jia using its dark and hollow eye sockets. It carefully waved its tail. ¡°Clang¡­¡­.¡± Its tail hit something else, and a vase fell, shattering into a million pieces as soon as it fell onto the ground. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Despite his young age, he experienced what it was like to have a heart attack. ¡ª¡ª¨C ¡°Turn smaller!¡± ¡°Turn yourself smaller!¡± Cheng Cezhi who was coming up the stairs paused. He raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound. Clanging sounds could faintly be heard through the closed security door. Cheng Cezhi: ¡°???¡± He and Zhao Guangcheng behind him exchanged a confused look. They then cautiously approached the door and knocked. There were a few more clattering sounds inside. Soon afterwards, the door opened. Ye Jia¡¯s face appeared in the small door opening. When he saw who had come, he forced a small smile on his face and asked: ¡°¡­¡­What is it?¡± For some reason, Cheng Cezhi sensed some anger in his voice. Cheng Cezhi stammered: ¡°U-um, we weren¡¯t able to contact you all morning, so we came to see if anything happened.¡± He sniffed, his voice a little hoarse, ¡°Although the casualties in our department weren¡¯t as serious as those in the Combat Division, there are still several colleagues sent to the hospital and are under intensive care.¡± Cheng Cezhi looked at Ye Jia and his eyes welled up in tears, ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re still okay!¡± Seeing that Cheng Cezhi was still rambling on and not reaching the main point, Zhao Guangcheng stepped forward and interrupted him, ¡°¡­..Apart from that, there was also something else. The superiors have assigned the three of us with a task. We¡¯re responsible for cleaning up the three nearby districts.¡± Ye Jia nodded, ¡°Okay.¡± After saying that, without waiting for the two outside to say anything, he hurriedly added, ¡°I¡¯ll get changed.¡± Then, he slammed the door shut, shutting the two outside. Cheng Cezhi and Zhao Guangcheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That was too ruthless! After closing the door, Ye Jia turned back around. He watched the blood gu fish who was still in its original size quietly swim to his side and pinched his brows in frustration. Before leaving the blood gu fish at his place, Ye Jia had never considered the possibility of it destroying it. In fact, he should have expected this. After all, his place was indeed very small compared to Ji Xuan¡¯s place. But¡­¡­ This situation here was just too terrible. Ye Jia raised his head and looked around at the chaotic room. He almost didn¡¯t dare look at the mess directly. ¡ª-The fact that he originally wasn¡¯t very wealthy made the situation worse. Ye Jia bent down and started to negotiate with it, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go back to your master?¡± It might be needed in the West District. The blood gu fish wagged its tail and placed its head on Ye Jia¡¯s knee. It seemed to be expressing its reluctance to leave. But Ye Jia couldn¡¯t go and find Ji Xuan in the middle of the battlefield just to give him the blood gu fish and say: Here, take your fish. Ye Jia was very troubled. The two people outside were still waiting for him. Changing his clothes shouldn¡¯t take a long time. But Ye Jia no longer dared to leave the blood gu fish alone at his place. Just a few hours had left all his furniture like this, if he left it here for an entire day, the entire place would probably be destroyed¡ª-This was a rental place after all, he still wanted to get his deposit back. However, taking it with him also didn¡¯t seem appropriate. When the ghost doors opened last night and yin energy gathered, it was unknown how many people had acquired some degree of spiritual vision. Ye Jia suddenly had an idea. He tried to discuss with the blood gu fish, ¡°If you can turn smaller, I will be able to take you out with me.¡± The blood gu fish raised its head. It seemed to be very interested in this proposal. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Ye Jia revealed a smile and coaxed, ¡°I can take you to eat delicious food.¡± The blood gu fish began to frantically wave its tail. It hesitated for a moment and then seemed to have made up its mind ¡ª- Who cares about the dignity of a blood gu fish who was always by the Ghost King¡¯s side?! That was nothing compared to the temptation of being able to go out and eat good food! Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia watched the blood gu fish slowly shrink before his eyes. When it finally reached the size that could fit in his pocket, he raised his lips in satisfaction. ¡°Good child.¡± He placed the blood gu fish in his pocket and then pulled out a new shirt from the closet and quickly changed. As soon as Cheng Cezhi and Zhao Guangcheng heard him come out, they all looked over at him. Ye Jia smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± . Cleaning up the aftermath was very complicated. Moreover, although most of the ghosts and monsters had retreated, some could still be left behind and they had to be careful in case they suddenly run into one of them. Cheng Cezhi and Zhao Guangcheng walked at the front while Ye Jia deliberately walked a little behind. The way they dealt with the bodies of the ghosts and monsters was to collect the yin energy and store it inside a special container. Ye Jia¡¯s method was much more environmentally friendly. He fed the blood gu fish most of the yin energy and then placed the remaining small amount of yin energy into the special container so as not to blow his cover. The blood gu fish rolled about happily in his pocket, pleased with the food. The two at the front were chatting as they walked. Ye Jia on the other hand fed the fish as he listened to their exchange. They were speculating over the reason for the chaos last night and what measures the Bureau might take afterwards as well as what the public¡¯s response would be towards such shocking news. Finally, the two finally went on to talk about¡­¡­. ¡°Did you see it last night? That mysterious person?¡± Cheng Cezhi asked excitedly. ¡°Of course, of course!¡± Zhao Guangcheng also became very excited, ¡°At that time, my team and I were on the streets cleaning up a few low-level monsters when a huge, completely black fierce ghost with a pale face suddenly appeared from a side alley. Our detectors immediately started to go off. At that time, I really thought we were all going to die then and there¡­..¡± He recounted his experience very vividly. Cheng Cezhi swallowed nervously and asked, ¡°A-and then?¡± Zhao Guangcheng revealed a look of admiration. ¡°And then¡­.that mysterious person appeared. No one saw where he came from, it was as if he appeared from thin air. At that time, my mind was frozen with fear. Whenever I think back to that moment, all I could remember was the white light that appeared with him. There clearly wasn¡¯t a moon last night, but that blade seemed to glow very brightly. As soon as he appeared, that fierce ghost was taken down. I swear, I have never seen someone take down such a high-level fierce ghost so easily before. It was amazing¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi listened in fascination, ¡°¡­¡­.Wow.¡± Zhao Guangcheng took a deep breath, turned and looked around him to ensure that no one else around them was listening and lowered his voice: ¡°Do you still remember how I was attacked in that school?¡± ¡°I remember.¡± Cheng Cezhi nodded quickly. Zhao Guangcheng spoke mysteriously, ¡°I think that the person who saved me back then was the same mysterious person from last night. I heard the fierce ghost call him Ace, like it¡¯s an alias or something. I think he¡¯s probably from a certain mysterious organisation that works to maintain world order but despised the internal conflicts in the organisation, so he left and is now working on maintaining world peace alone.¡± Cheng Cezhi immediately understood, ¡°That sounds possible!¡± The two looked at each other and reached the same consensus: ¡°So cool!!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Their imaginations were very good. At this moment, Cheng Cezhi suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Ye Jia, ¡°Ah, speaking of which, Brother Ye, didn¡¯t you also go to that school? Did you see anything back then?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± See something my ass. He took in a deep breath, ¡°No.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Cheng Cezhi sighed, ¡°Too bad I didn¡¯t see him in the district I was assigned to last night.¡± Zhao Guangcheng patted his shoulder comfortingly, ¡°Hey, the other colleagues in the Bureau were talking about this today too. That big boss was mainly dealing with high levelled fierce ghosts so it¡¯s actually a good thing that you didn¡¯t encounter him. It meant that there wasn¡¯t much danger in your district.¡± Cheng Cezhi looked at Ye Jia, ¡°What about Brother Ye? Did you see him last night?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­No.¡± Last night, not all the members of the Bureau were present. Probably only about 40% of the employees arrived at the scene. This was very normal. After all, this was the first time something like this happened and some of them may have even encountered attacks in their own homes or weren¡¯t able to receive the notice to gather. Even if it wasn¡¯t because of the previous two reasons and they were just too afraid to come, that was understandable. After all, non-combatants still accounted for the majority of the employees in the Bureau. It would be too much of an ask to require them to be able to cope with an emergency like this. If it wasn¡¯t because he had picked up a communicator last night, Ye Jia even wanted to say that he didn¡¯t go as a support. Cheng Cezhi and Zhao Guangcheng sighed regretfully at the same time, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure there will be opportunities in the future.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Thanks. While the three chatted, suddenly, the detectors they had let out a loud alarm. Cheng Cezhi took out the detector and turned around in place before stopping in a certain direction: ¡°This way!¡± They turned a few corners and finally arrived at a residential area. The guard¡¯s room at the entrance was empty and the boom gate was broken off with dried blood stains left at the place where it was broken. The detector pointed towards one of the residential buildings. The door to the residential building was open but the corridor inside was dark. Almost nothing could be seen from where they stood. Zhao Guangcheng took out a gun and said to the two people behind him, ¡°Be careful and stay behind me.¡± After saying that, he walked towards the building. The broken light above them buzzed and flickered intermittently. Cold air carrying a faint putrid smell of blood travelled out from the darkness. The detector didn¡¯t show any reaction on the first floor, but as soon as it was aimed at the staircase that led upstairs, the numbers began to rise. As soon as they reached the second floor, that smell grew stronger to the point that it was almost suffocating. One of the doors there was half open. A slightly indistinct sound travelled out from the opening in the door ¡ª- ¡®Thud¡¯, ¡®Thud¡¯, ¡®Thud¡¯¡ª-It was dull and regular, but they couldn¡¯t tell what the sound was. Please read this from kk translates They exchanged a look and nodded. With the gun in one hand, Zhao Guangcheng used his other hand to carefully push the door open¡ª¨C The door let out a low creak, instantly breaking the silence in the building. When they saw the scene behind the door, everyone was stunned speechless. There were large patches of blood stains on the walls and even the ceiling was stained with blood. Torn off flesh and internal organs that were still dripping blood hung from the ceiling light. The place was a complete mess. In the middle of the living room, a woman with pale and ashen skin was lying in a large pool of blood with her lifeless eyes staring fixatedly towards the door and her expression frozen with despair and horror. The lower half of her stomach had already been completely mutilated such that its original appearance could no longer be seen. And beside her knelt a man covered in blood with a kitchen knife in his hand. Even now, he continued to from time-to-time stab it into the woman¡¯s mutilated body. The knife had already chipped but he still continued to mechanically stab at the woman, letting out regular ¡®thud, thud¡¯ sounds. It was unknown when it had started, but the detector in Cheng Cezhi¡¯s hand no longer sounded. The man seemed to have noticed their presence. He slowly raised his head, revealing a terrifying face that was covered in blood. His lips were twisted into something that resembled a smile. Holding the kitchen knife, he awkwardly stood up and then immediately proceeded to charge towards Zhao Guangcheng who was standing at the front. At this moment, Ye Jia¡¯s pupils constricted. The man¡¯s face was reflected in the depths of his eyes. ¡ª¨CThat twisted and terrible look coincided with another face in his memory. In the middle of the night, it was raining heavily outside. The door was half open. The young man reached out and gingerly pushed open the door. A lightning flash outside temporarily lit up the room. A woman laid in a pool of blood in the centre of the room with her pale and ashen face and lifeless eyes staring in the direction of the door. Her lips were half open, as if she had wanted to say something before she died. The hair that was usually tied up was loosely scattered and stained with blood. Her favourite pearl necklace had already snapped, and the individual pearls were now scattered across the ground, coated in a layer of blood. The man he called his father was kneeling beside that body, stabbing a kitchen knife into the woman¡¯s already mutilated body again and again. The young man stood stiffly at the door in shock. His breathing seemed to have stopped. The next moment, the man seemed to have noticed the young man standing at the door. He slowly stood up. With the kitchen knife still in his hand, he approached the young man standing at the door step by step, the blood under his feet squelching with each step. Another flash of lightning lit up the room. It also finally revealed the man¡¯s face. His pale face was stained with blood, and he stared at the young man with a crazed look. Even his lips were twisted into a terrible smile. On a rainy night like this, it was a particularly shocking sight. ¡ª¨C ¡°Boom!¡± The belated thunder sounded. ¡°Bang¡ª¨CBang¡ª¡ª-¡± Two gunshots broke through the silence, pulling Ye Jia back from his distant memory. In front of him, the man crumpled onto the ground. Blood spread out from under him. Zhao Guangcheng panted heavily, his face still revealing some shock, ¡°What happened to him?¡± ¡°Did you kill him?¡± Cheng Cezhi¡¯s voice was a little sharp from the tension. Zhao Guangcheng hastily shook his head, ¡°N-no, I avoided his vitals¡­.¡± Ye Jia stepped forward and bent down to check. Indeed, the two shots had hit his shoulder and arm. They weren¡¯t fatal wounds. His eyes were bulging out as he continued to stare at the ceiling with a twisted smile on his lips. Ye Jia reached out and placed his hand on the man¡¯s neck. ¡ª¨CNo pulse. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and then proceeded to turn and look at Zhao Guangcheng and Cheng Cezhi behind him, ¡°Call the police.¡± He wiped off the blood on his hand and then stood up and walked out. From the beginning to the end, he didn¡¯t look at the woman whose abdomen was completely mutilated. It was as if he didn¡¯t want to cast his eyes that way. . Night was approaching. Ye Jia and the other two reported back to the Logistics Department. With the current state of the city and a shortage of manpower, there were too many things that needed to be dealt with. All the remaining employees who were uninjured were all currently working in the office. ¡°Hey.¡± Cheng Cezhi elbowed Ye Jia, ¡°The collector.¡± Ye Jia seemed to finally return to his senses, ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± He passed over the collector to Liu Zhaocheng and then lowered his eyes again. Cheng Cezhi asked anxiously, ¡°Brother Ye, what¡¯s wrong? Why have you been so listless ever since we called the police?¡± Ye Jia raised the corner of his lips slightly and answered with his usual, calm expression, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just a little tired.¡± He parted from the other two and walked away. The smile on his face melted like snow in the sun. It completely disappeared without a trace. Ye Jia approached his desk in the office expressionlessly and sat down. There were thick piles of official documents waiting to be dealt with on the desk. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes fell on those documents, but what he saw were black spots all over the paper instead of individual words. He seemed to be lost in thought. There seemed to be a commotion at the entrance. But Ye Jia didn¡¯t seem to hear it. He was too immersed in his messy thoughts, like a drowning man struggling to remain afloat among the fierce ocean currents. None of the sounds from the outside world reached his ears. It was difficult for him to pull himself out from his thoughts. This was until the blood gu fish began to squirm around restlessly in Ye Jia¡¯s pocket. Ye Jia frowned. He lowered his head, looked down at the blood gu fish and gently patted the outside of his pocket in attempt to comfort it. It however didn¡¯t seem to do anything. The blood gu fish began to squirm about even more intensely. At this moment, Ye Jia heard the commotion outside. ¡ª-As well as the sound of steady footsteps coming closer. It stopped at his desk. Ye Jia saw a pair of high-class, dark leather shoes that were still stained with blood and flesh remnants appear in his lowered gaze. He looked up in astonishment. A tall man stood before him with his eyes lowered. His features were deep, and a faint red light flashed across his dark eyes. That man slowly raised the corners of his lips and then proceeded to stretch his hand out towards Ye Jia, his sleeves slipping back, revealing his pale wrist. His voice was low and magnetic, almost like a lover¡¯s whisper: ¡°I¡¯m here to turn myself in.¡± CH 43 ¡°Why is there another one turning themself in?¡± Wu Su put on his coat and hurried over. Last night¡¯s matter with the ghosts and monsters couldn¡¯t be concealed. The news was like an explosive, instantly causing a wave-like chain reaction throughout the internet. Countless conspiracy theories and conjectures flooded the forums and social networks and, with the sharing of recordings made by the general public, the government¡¯s secret organisation, the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau, had come to the public¡¯s attention. All the staff were ordered not to leave any comments on the internet or speak to the media until the officials have determined their next approach. As for Wu Su, the highest ranked member in M City¡¯s Combat Division, he had to bear most of the pressure from both his superiors and his subordinates. Although last night¡¯s chaos was over, his workload had increased several folds. After an entire day and night of working nonstop, Wu Su¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and his beard that had not been taken care of was messy. He however still appeared energetic. ¡°It¡¯s related to Ace again?¡± He lit a cigarette and asked incoherently, ¡°Just like Dong Gua from before?¡± ¡°Not this time.¡± Ke Zheng replied. He thought for a while but was unable to find a suitable way to describe the current situation. He could only say with a complicated expression. ¡°Umm¡­..In any case, Brother Wu, you¡¯ll know when you get there.¡± Wu Su: ¡°?¡± He glanced suspiciously at his vice-captain and finally didn¡¯t ask anything and went over to the place that was pointed out by the other party. As soon as he opened the door to the interrogation room, Wu Su¡¯s footsteps subconsciously stopped. The interrogation room wasn¡¯t very big, and the light above was cold and bright. The overall design of the room was very simple with a somewhat monotonous tone to it. Sitting in the middle of the room was a tall man. Dressed rather simply, he sat in a relaxed manner in the chair. He possessed almost killer looks, his dark eyes were half narrowed, and his pale hands rested on the table with eye-catching silver shackles around his wrists. Although he was sitting behind the metal table with special restraining shackles around his wrists, he seemed very at home. Oppressiveness emanated from deep within his bones, bringing others instinctive fear. And in the other corner of the room, Wu Su recognised him. Sitting there was the employee from the Logistics Department who had helped him out last time. The young man¡¯s amber eyes were lowered, and his handsome and pale face contained no expression, making him seem very distant. He seemed to have deliberately chosen this position in the room. It was neither too far nor too close to the man sitting behind the metal table. He constantly maintained a vigilant distance from the other man. The atmosphere in the room was so dignified, it even made breathing very difficult. For some reason, although the two hadn¡¯t interacted or communicated, Wu Su couldn¡¯t help but think that the two probably knew each other. Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± So what was with this strange atmosphere? As if noticing the new arrival, the man sitting at the table raised his eyes and casually swept his eyes that were as dark as the abyss across to Wu Su. In an instant, Wu Su felt a surge instinctual fear rise from the depths of his heart. A layer of cold sweat formed across his back and alarms went off inside him. The intuition he had honed during his years of struggle in the game constantly warned him of the danger. That hair-raising feeling he had when he looked into those eyes, that feeling where every cell in his body clamoured to escape¡­.. ¡ª¨CHe wasn¡¯t human. The other party clearly had no intentions to hide it. He continued to boldly reveal his nonhuman qualities, making no attempt to hide his strength and fearsomeness, much like a large beast slowly stretching out its body in a narrow room. Wu Su¡¯s heart was tense. He subconsciously reached towards the gun holster at his waist and asked sternly, ¡°Who are you?¡± Face with his vigilance, the other party¡¯s reaction was particularly calm. Ji Xuan raised his hand, the special shackles around his wrist knocking onto the metal table, and smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Wu Su only now reacted. The other party was bound using shackles specially developed by the Bureau that could restrain powerful fierce ghosts that they were unable to eliminate for the time being. As long as they are bound, all the yin energy in their bodies would be suppressed and they would no longer have the ability to harm others. But even so, Wu Su still couldn¡¯t relax his vigilance. Perhaps it was because the other party¡¯s attitude was too relaxed and too casual, making him subconsciously wary of him. Wu Su was tense all over. He narrowed his eyes and asked coldly: ¡°What is your purpose?¡± Ji Xuan chuckled, ¡°Isn¡¯t my purpose obvious?¡± This time, Ye Jia who was sitting a distance away also looked up at him. The young man¡¯s expression was still calm and indifferent, and his gaze as sharp as knives. Seeing that he had finally attracted the other¡¯s attention, Ji Xuan curled his lips faintly and said: ¡°Cooperation.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Cooperation?!¡± Wu Su repeated in surprise. Ji Xuan leaned back relaxedly, and half narrowed his eyes, ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about whether the ghosts who have escaped from the game have a leader and what their purpose is?¡± His said this with a light smile, ¡°Or¡­.Don¡¯t you want to know the reason for that chaos last night?¡± Under the man¡¯s gaze, Wu Su felt a chill run down his back. But it had to be said that every word spoken by the other party just now had hit the mark. Even now, humans had no idea what they were dealing with¡ª¨CWho was their enemy? What do they want? The fierce ghosts who had escaped from the game seemed to have their own objectives in mind. Some had scattered while others had gone missing. With the increase in paranormal events happening all over the country, regardless of what happened and the victims affected, there didn¡¯t seem to be any patterns or trends. But, as a player who have experience inside the game, Wu Su felt that there was something in the making, but he didn¡¯t have any evidence to prove this conjecture of his. And now, a powerful, high-level ghost had finally appeared before him, and he seemed to know the truth behind it all. Wu Su couldn¡¯t help but tremble ¡ª¡ª- Half of him was excited, and the other half was scared. He took in a deep breath, pulled a chair to sit opposite the man and slowly asked: ¡°Then let¡¯s start from the beginning ¡ª¡ª- Who is your leader?¡± ¡°Mother.¡± Ji Xuan answered, ¡°She is the source and also the leader of all the ghosts and monsters.¡± His expression was extraordinarily magnanimous, as if he didn¡¯t care much about the shocking words leaving his mouth. Wu Su looked at him suspiciously, ¡°When I was in the game, I have never heard of the fierce ghosts having a mother.¡± ¡°Low-level fierce ghosts and monsters are just inferior creatures spawned from yin energy.¡± Ji Xuan chuckled lowly, ¡°Only high-level fierce ghosts have the concept of a ¡®mother¡¯, and know of the existence from which they came from.¡± ¡°What about Ji Xuan?¡± Wu Su frowned, ¡°Isn¡¯t he your King?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± He unbearably looked away. Ji Xuan said without a change to his expression, ¡°Indeed, but the so-called King is just Mother¡¯s substitute.¡± ¡°Substitute?¡± Why?¡± There was a smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips. Dark red light flashed through the depths of his eyes and his voice was low and dark, making it seem quite frightening: ¡°¡ª¡ªBecause she is unable come out to the human world for the time being.¡± Wu Su swallowed nervously. He opened his mouth and asked slowly, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that these fierce ghost¡¯s main objective is to bring her to the human world? What happens when she does? What will happen?¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t answer. He just casually tapped on the table with his finger, making a soft, rhythmic sound, ¡°Mother¡¯s control over us is through our blood. This means that some information I cannot and am unable to reveal to you ¡ª¨C That¡¯s why, you should choose carefully what questions you want to ask.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± Wu Su took in a deep breath and changed the question, ¡°You are also a high-level fierce ghost, and you are also one of your mother¡¯s subordinates, but why are you choosing to help humans?¡± Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. ¡°Mmm¡­..We have a difference in opinion.¡± His gaze swept over to Ye Jia who was sitting nearby, and his lips raised slightly, ¡°She gave me an impossible task to complete.¡± The atmosphere in the air suddenly became strange. Wu Su wisely did not continue asking about this. He thought for a while and said, ¡°The capital is closer to the main headquarters than we are and there are more capable people there.¡± The one in M City was only a small, inconspicuous subdivision of the main headquarters. It stood to reason that if you wanted to seek cooperation, it would be wiser to go to the main headquarter in the capital instead. Wu Su believed that distance shouldn¡¯t be an issue for this man in front of him. He didn¡¯t understand why he would instead go out of his way to deliberately go up to a Logistics Department employee to ¡®turn himself in¡¯. It was too strange. Wu Su secretly glanced at Ye Jia and asked in a roundabout way: ¡°Why do you want to cooperate with us?¡± This time, Ji Xuan¡¯s smile deepened further. He spoke without hiding anything, ¡°To repay a debt.¡± The small black hand sitting on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder was concealed using Ye Jia¡¯s power ¡ª- As the ghost closest to Ye Jia, it could clearly feel the subtle changes in his body. It was a cold and murderous air. It was just like that time when he made up his mind to kill Ji Xuan. The small black hand was so scared, it didn¡¯t dare breathe. It was afraid that Ye Jia would suddenly step forward and stab the other party. It wanted to cry without tears. ¡ª¨CIf I am guilty, please punish me according to the law instead of putting me in between these two big bosses!!! Ji Xuan seemed like he hadn¡¯t noticed it. He just smiled and looked at Ye Jia, ¡°I believe you humans have a saying: The grace of a drop of water should be reciprocated with a gushing spring. Furthermore, it¡¯s a lifesaving grace.¡± (KKnotes: Basically means that even if it was just a little help from others, you should return the favor with all you can when others are in need.) Please read this from kk translates ¡ª¨CA lifesaving grace should be repaid with one¡¯s body. Ye Jia¡¯s expression grew even colder. Seeing Wu Su¡¯s questioning gaze, he calmly replied: ¡°¡­¡­It was just an accident.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes met with Ji Xuan¡¯s. His eyes were icy cold, and his expression was dark. He slowly continued, ¡°If I was given another chance, I believe I would not have made the same decision.¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute, was it really okay for him to say it so straightforwardly? ¡ª¨CEspecially when facing a high-level fierce ghost whose mood was unpredictable? He didn¡¯t know how much of an use these special shackles would be if this fierce ghost really got angered. Wu Su looked in the direction of the man in trepidation, but only saw the arc of his lips rise further and a hint of a smile flash across the depths of his dark eyes. He seemed to be in a rather good mood. Wu Su: ¡°???¡± Huh?? What¡¯s going on? Was my understanding of that line different from his? He began to doubt himself. Wu Su quickly pulled his thoughts back. He cleared his throat to break up this strange atmosphere and said, ¡°Then let¡¯s do this. I will report to my superiors about this and while we wait for their decision, you can¡­..¡± Ji Xuan interrupted him, ¡°Can I appoint the person I want to watch over me?¡± ¡°That¡­..¡± Wu Su was taken aback, as if he didn¡¯t expect the other party to make such a request. Ji Xuan shook the shackles on his wrist, causing it to clink, ¡°I will be very cooperative.¡± ¡°I decline.¡± Ye Jia interjected without hesitation. His eyes reflected the cold and icy light above his head and his voice was similarly cold and impolite, ¡°He is clearly very dangerous. I think we should still follow the rules and imprison him in a special cell. After confirming that his information is correct, we can decide on what to do next.¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡­¡­.That was too straightforward!!! His heart tensed up again for fear that the other party would be angered, but unexpectedly, Ji Xuan showed no signs of it t all and just nodded, ¡°Alright then.¡± ¡ª¨CNow it was Wu Su¡¯s turn to be in disbelief. Were fierce ghosts in the game all so easy to talk to??? The door to the interrogation room closed behind him, blocking the man¡¯s deep black eyes that seemed to see through people. Wu Su stood in the corridor in daze. What happened just now was almost like a dream. Even now, he felt a little in disbelief. After such a huge loss for mankind, they were now suddenly making such a big progress. A high-level fierce ghost suddenly willing to cooperate and he was even one who was easy to talk to, had come over personally to disclose precious information the humans had sought after for a very long time¡­..It was something he would have never even dared to imagine. That logistics staff turned to leave. Wu Su hurriedly shouted after him, ¡°Ye Jia!¡± The young man paused and turned his head slightly. His pale complexion seemed a little unnatural in the dark corridor. His voice was still calm, ¡°What is it?¡± Wu Su stepped forward so that he stood next to him and asked curiously: ¡°So how did you save that fierce ghost?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­All humans can make mistakes.¡± Wu Su: ¡°???¡± For some reason, he felt that the other party seemed to have said those words through gritted teeth. Ye Jia turned around to face Wu Su and said: ¡°Don¡¯t take him too lightly. I don¡¯t think those shackles have much effect on him. Ghosts are all good at lying and what¡¯s more, he¡¯s a powerful ghost. You should be wary of him. He may be plotting something.¡± Wu Su agreed, ¡°You¡¯re right. Especially since we don¡¯t know what his true purpose is, it is better to be vigilant.¡± ¡°But the information he provided was very important to us.¡± He comfortingly patted Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I will ask a trusted senior of mine for their opinion.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± I seem to know who this senior of yours is. He is currently standing in front of you giving you advice. However, what Wu Su had said was indeed reasonable ¡ª¨C For humans right now, the information provided by Ji Xuan was very important. He silently sighed. Looks like he can¡¯t do much about this. But what Ye Jia was most concerned about right now wasn¡¯t this. He changed the course of the conversation and said, ¡°Cap Wu, can you give write me a letter?¡± Wu Su: ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I encountered a problem while dealing with the cleaning up work this afternoon.¡± Ye Jia briefly explained the matter with the shooting incident and then added, ¡°For some personal reasons, I want visit the police station to check related reports.¡± Although he could indeed go there using his ghost domain, but because of the incident with the ghosts and monsters last night, the police station and morgue would most certainly be very chaotic. Ye Jia wasn¡¯t sure if he would be able to find the body and the related reports within that short period of time so, in order to save time and get it over with as quickly as possible, he decided that it was better to go through official channels instead. Wu Su thought for a while and then agreed: ¡°Okay.¡± He said: ¡°Based on what you have told me, it does indeed sound like there was something strange about this murder case. Take the machine along and remember to submit a report to me when you¡¯re back.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­Okay.¡± Unexpectedly, his workload had increased. . At the morgue. After the incident last night, all the police and forensic doctors had become very busy and even the morgue was overcrowded. Most of the bodies that were sent over didn¡¯t even have the chance to be inspected before they were stored in the freezer, and they even had to resort to using rented cold storage spaces to store some of the bodies that couldn¡¯t fit in the morgue. An intern led Ye Jia to one of the rented cold storage spaces and pointed to one of the compartments, ¡°There.¡± Once done, she hurriedly turned and left. She seemed to still have a lot of work waiting for her to complete. Ye Jia was left alone in the cold storage. He slowly approached that corpse. The clothes on the corpse had been removed and the two bullet wounds were no longer bleeding. Stored in a place with such low temperatures, the skin had turned grey and ashen. On the corpses face, the eyelids had already been lowered to conceal the bloodshot eyes but the corners of his lips were still raised and fixed in a crazed smile. Please read this from kk translates The device Ye Jia brought with him didn¡¯t react ¡ª- This was the equipment he had picked up from the youngsters at the haunted villa last time. It should be sensitive enough to detect something. Moreover, he himself didn¡¯t detect even the slightest of yin energy on this body. It was as if it was just¡­..a very ordinary corpse. There were no traces of paranormal changes at all. Even the yin energy fluctuations detected earlier seemed as if it had never happened in the first place. After all, after that chaos last night, small remnants of yin energy could still be detected almost everywhere, and the fluctuations earlier may have possibly been related to other ghosts or monsters that were not related to this murder case. Ye Jia pondered for a while and then pulled the small black hand out: ¡°Do you sense anything?¡± The small black hand shook its fingers blankly, ¡°No.¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes. His thin, pale lips flattened coldly. He didn¡¯t know what he was expecting to find. He silently let out the breath he was holding in and turned to leave but before he could take more than a few steps, his line of sight suddenly stopped at a compartment next to him. As if something had taken over him, Ye Jia walked over. He stretched out and pulled out the compartment. With a light clatter, another corpse appeared before him. The blood-stained face, the look of despair, the mutilated abdomen. ¡ª¨CThe stormy night, the blood-stained dress, the broken pearl necklace. As if he was trying to drive something away, Ye Jia closed his eyes. The device in his hand let out a few faint beeps. Ye Jia was startled. He opened his eyes and looked down at the device in his hand. The dial on the screen swayed for a moment before finally landing on zero. It no longer beeped. The small black hand was confused: ¡°Huh¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s strange?¡± It jumped off Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder and entered the corpses open wound. Two minutes later, it came back out: ¡°Her heart is gone.¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and a small gleam of light flashed across the depths of his eyes, ¡°Did you smell anything?¡± The small black hand thought for a moment, ¡°Well¡­..A little. But it seems to have disappeared now.¡± ¡°What was it?¡± The small black hand tried to describe it, ¡°A little like¡­..what I felt when I ate that soul back then?¡± Ye Jia was stunned. He stood beside the corpses in daze for a while before closing both compartments and turning to leave. The door to the cold storage closed behind him. Dark night once again enveloped the entire city. Ye Jia¡¯s expression was very cold, like icy snow that had never melted all year round. ¡ª¨CHe had never associated that incident with his parents with the game before. The game had crashed less than a month ago, allowing the ghosts and monsters restrained in it to have the chance to escape and come to the human world. And as for his mother and father¡¯s death, that was when he was eight years old. Fifteen years later, he entered the game. . Travelling through the night, Ye Jia returned to his apartment. He entered the building and just when he was about to reach his own floor, he suddenly stopped in his steps. His voice was cold, ¡°Who is it?¡± With the sound of footsteps, the sound activated lights in the corridor lit up, revealing a tall figure. It was Ji Xuan. He was no longer concealing himself. Under the lights, his dark red eyes resembled flowing blood. He slightly raised the corners of his lips and spoke lightly: ¡°Good evening.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s fingers hanging by his side subconsciously rubbed together. This was something he instinctively does before he launches an attack. He narrowed his eyes and didn¡¯t answer. Ji Xuan stepped forward and continued with a low and gentle voice, ¡°After having not met for so long, have you missed me gege?¡± ¡ª¨CThe young boy the monster had transformed into back in that residential building slowly overlapped with the man before him. Ye Jia looked at him expressionlessly. There was unconcealable coldness in his voice: ¡°Move aside.¡± Ji Xuan blinked back at him innocently and shook the shackles around his wrist. The chain in the middle was already removed and it now looked like two silver bracelets around his pale wrists, ¡°You superiors agreed to cooperate.¡± Ye Jia repeated, ¡°Move aside.¡± As if he had performed a magic trick, Ji Xuan pulled out a piece of paper. With a smile on his lips, his low voice was slightly muted and he dragged out his voice, ¡°Look, they agreed with my request for you to be my primary point of contact.¡± ¡°Congratulations.¡± Ye Jia hooked up the corners of his lips but there was no smile in his voice, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to.¡± He had just returned from the morgue and the earlier shock was still affecting him. He wasn¡¯t in the mood for this. Ye Jia calmly took out the key, bypassed Ji Xuan and continued upstairs. But just when the two were about to brush shoulders, Ji Xuan suddenly turned around and grabbed Ye Jia¡¯s wrist, trapping Ye Jia between himself and the wall. The distance between the two of them shrank instantly. Their noses faced each other, almost touching. But Ye Jia didn¡¯t back away. Instead, he leaned a little closer and narrowed his eyes dangerously. The tip of the scythe appeared in his palm, its cold blade emitting a beautiful snow-white glow under the dark night. His voice was cold, ¡°I don¡¯t mind finishing what I wasn¡¯t able to finish doing last time.¡± The next second, unexpectedly, the figure before him suddenly shrank. Ye Jia was surprised. Before he could react, the other party had turned into the young boy in his memory. He raised his small, pale face and rested his thin neck against the scythe in Ye Jia¡¯s hand, his scarlet eyes gleaming under the light. ¡°Okay.¡± The childish voice was a little hoarse and soft, almost as if he was acting coquettish. ¡°¡­¡­As long as gege is happy.¡± CH 44 The young boy raised his head. His scarlet eyes were dark and deep, and his pupils reflected the young man¡¯s cold and frosty face. It was as if the person before him was his entire world. He obediently placed his neck against the scythe¡¯s blade with his lips carrying a gentle smile. It was as if he was completely willing to give the other person control over his life and death, and allow him to do as he pleased. The two faced each other like this silently. The atmosphere in the air was heavy, making it difficult for one to breathe. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes coldly. ¡°You think by doing that I would become soft-hearted?¡± The blade moved closer. The blade was extremely sharp. It lightly cut into the young boy¡¯s thin neck. A thin, scarlet wound appeared on the pale skin, looking even more shocking under the dim corridor lights. A trace of blood oozed out like a scarlet-coloured snake. It slowly trickled down the boy¡¯s neck, reaching his neckline. The other party didn¡¯t avoid it. The young boy¡¯s tender voice was slightly mute and aggrieved, ¡°How could I¡­¡­¡± He raised his hand and unbuttoned his shirt one by one. He then proceeded to spread open the top of his shirt, revealing his thin clavicle and chest. The blade subconsciously cut more deeply. More blood flowed out. Ye Jia was stunned. His cold and distant voice carried some wavering. ¡°¡­¡­.What are you doing?¡± He saw a deep scar across the young boy¡¯s thin chest. It looked particular hideous on that otherwise smooth and pale skin ¡ª- The location was accurately over his vitals. It could be seen that the person who did it didn¡¯t hold back. Blood flowed down, reaching that already healed wound. It resembled tears of blood. Ji Xuan raised his hand to caress his chest. He leaned a little closer, the smile on his lips becoming brighter: ¡°Look, I have carefully kept the gift gege gave me.¡± ¡°If you become soft-hearted, then you¡¯re no longer the gege I know.¡± The young boy tilted his head, his expression na?ve and cruel. The next moment, he hit Ye Jia¡¯s blade with his neck without any hesitation. Ye Jia was caught off guard. He only had the time to materialise the weapon, but he didn¡¯t have enough time to retract it. Ji Xuan smiled and pressed his cheek against the other person¡¯s palm, rubbing against it slowly and affectionately. His cold and thin lips lingered on the other person¡¯s warm skin for a few short seconds. Ye Jia immediately pushed the other person away, as if he was being scalded. Fortunately, the current Ji Xuan wasn¡¯t an adult. He staggered back a few steps from the push. Ye Jia stared at him, seemingly in disbelief. It took a while before he could squeeze out the next word: ¡°Psychopath.¡± After saying that, he entered his apartment without looking back. Ji Xuan hurriedly followed after him, but what greeted him was the door mercilessly slamming in his face. He touched the tip of his nose that was almost hit by the door thoughtfully. ¡­..Perhaps he had taken it too far? But before he could think of a solution, the door before him suddenly opened again. The boy raised his head, a glimmer of joy appearing in his scarlet eyes. But before he could speak, he saw a dark object thrown out the door. Ye Jia¡¯s icy cold voice sounded: ¡°Take your fish.¡± The next second, there was another ¡®bang¡¯ and the door closed mercilessly. Ji Xuan lowered his head and looked at the blood gu fish in his palm. ¡°¡­..How did you become so small?¡± Ji Xuan frowned as he looked at the blood gu fish that could easily fit in his hand. Although the blood gu fish was usually well-behaved, it was a noble and arrogant species after all. It was almost impossible for it to abandon its original appearance and become smaller. The blood gu fish flicked its tail and glanced at its master who had taken on a young boy¡¯s appearance. It¡¯s dark, empty eye sockets seemed to say: Aren¡¯t you the same? Ji Xuan: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The blood gu fish pitifully turned back and glanced at the firmly shut door. As if convinced that the other party would never open the door again, it waved its tail a few times in disappointment, returned to its original size and then passed through the wall of this building and swam away. Only a thin boy was left standing alone in the deserted corridor. Ji Xuan reached out and gently touched the wound on his neck. The bleeding there had stopped but the hideous cut was still there. There was a faint throbbing pain coming from that wound. It was as addictive as a stimulant, causing all his nerves to tremble with excitement. His tongue gently licked the blood from his fingertips. The smile on the boy¡¯s lips deepened. His dark red eyes were slightly narrowed, and a trace of madness loomed in its depths. Goodnight, gege. Inside the apartment. Water from the faucet loudly flowed into the basin. Ye Jia lowered his eyes expressionlessly and furrowed his brows in annoyance. The back of his originally pale hand was now rubbed red. The small black hand who had shrunk into the corner in fear cautiously stuck its head out. It didn¡¯t know what had happened just now. As soon as Ye Jia stopped, it had noticed the presence of an extremely powerful fierce ghost. Mindful of Ji Xuan¡¯s threat last time, the small black hand immediately slipped through the wall ¡ª- It should let the two big bosses sort out their problems themselves. In order not the be dragged in, it should hurry and escape. Although the small black hand didn¡¯t know what had happened, it was its first time seeing Ye Jia so emotional. It cautiously asked, ¡°W-what¡¯s wrong? Are you okay?¡± Ye Jia twisted shut the faucet and dried his hands with a towel. He lowered his eyes when he heard those words and directed his murderous gaze towards the small black hand. The small black hand shuddered. It subconsciously pressed itself against the wall. Ye Jia sneered, ¡°I¡¯m doing very well.¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± But why did it think that it wasn¡¯t the case at all? The small black hand sat on the table which had one of its legs broken and thought seriously for a few seconds. Based on the current situation, King must still have lingering feelings for Ace. Although the small black hand didn¡¯t know what happened, it should still try and fix up their relationship somewhat ¡ª¨C After all, when the gods start fighting, it¡¯s the mortals that suffer! It racked its brains and finally decided to try and resolve the situation. It said, ¡°Actually¡­..King isn¡¯t all that bad¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia raised a brow and his eyes flashed a cold light, ¡°Not that bad?!¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± It silently shrank smaller. I seemed to have said something wrong. Ying. (KKnotes: Crying sound) Ye Jia took in a deep breath, as if supressing his anger, and then said through gritted teeth: ¡°He¡¯s a psychopath.¡± He was one in the past and is still one now. And having not seen him for so many years, his condition seemed to have become more serious. The small black hand was determined to avoid this dangerous topic, ¡°Then¡­..what do you plan on doing now?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Stay away from the psychopath.¡± Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± It didn¡¯t know what to say in response to this! Ye Jia left the bathroom and looked around at the apartment that was almost destroyed by the blood gu fish. Most of the furniture in there was almost completely destroyed but fortunately the bathroom was a separate room and the things in there were mostly able to escape the same fate. In any case, it was at least still enough for one to use. Ye Jia pinched the bridge of his nose. The fingers that had just been washed with cold water pressed against his eyebrows, gradually cooling down his heated emotions. ¡ª-It had to be said that Ji Xuan¡¯s interruption had pulled him back from the trance he was left in after his visit to the morgue. It also made Ye Jia clearly realise that although he wanted to figure out the truth behind what happened to his parents, it was after all something that had happened more than a decade ago and most of the clues from back then would have already been erased. The only connection between that case and the recent murder case was that skinning fierce ghost, but it had been in hiding for a long time. Ye Jia knew that there was no other option for him besides waiting it out. Moreover, there were more urgent matters waiting for him to attend to. According to the information from Ji Xuan¡ªIf he hadn¡¯t lied to them¡ª-Mother was still plotting something big and she clearly had no intentions to stop. And humans at present were completely unprepared for this. Whether it was intel or combative abilities, they were at an absolute disadvantage. If Mother decided to do that rampage again in the other cities, they would be unable to put up a fight. His top priority now was to raise mankind¡¯s ability to fight back. Suddenly, Ye Jia seemed to have thought of something. He quickly went over to his bedside table and opened the drawer which had a corner missing, revealing the paper he had used to communicate with Wu Su with. The above information was from two hours ago. It was probably sent to him when he went to the morgue. It was a message requesting a meeting. Ye Jia sighed silently. . At the dock. Wu Su hurriedly came here alone. There were sounds of waves crashing coming from the dark sea ahead. With the exception of a few stars scattered around, the sky above was pitch black. From a distance, he saw a slender young man standing at the end of the road, waiting quietly. His tall figure was like a silhouette in the light, quiet and peaceful. It was completely unlike his sharp image last night, but it still similarly made people feel at ease. Wu Su took in a deep breath, the salty and damp air pouring into his chest cavities, but he still couldn¡¯t calm his racing heart. Please read this from kk translates He quickly hurried over. After a short conversation, Wu Su told Ye Jia about the matter of a high-level fierce ghost wanting to seek cooperation with them: ¡°The superiors have agreed to his request and have also found someone to take care of him, but I still want to hear from you your opinion on this.¡± Ye Jia was silent for a moment before he nodded, ¡°Best to be careful.¡± Although he really didn¡¯t want to cooperate with Ji Xuan and didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with that psychopath, he had to admit that the other party¡¯s proposal was something that had come at a good time. The people in the Bureau didn¡¯t know of Ji Xuan¡¯s identity, but Ye Jia did. As the King, he was closer to the core of the puzzle than any other ghost. Therefore, it would be very rash of them to refuse the olive branch extended their way. Ye Jia asked, ¡°What do you plan on doing about the incident with the ghosts and monsters rampaging last night?¡± Wu Su: ¡°Hiding the existence of them is impossible now. After last night, it seems that the ghosts and monsters all over the country have become more active and there have been endless reports of paranormal incidents from all across the country. The superiors have decided to disclose the existence of the Bureau and set up more branch offices to more efficiently deal with these cases.¡± ¡°What about the game?¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. Wu Su shook his head and sighed, ¡°The superiors are not going to make that public.¡± ¡ª¨CParanormal creatures didn¡¯t only exist in fictional work. The incident last night had completely overturned most people¡¯s understanding of the world. Everyone was panicking and everyone was in danger. Society in its entirety was in the verge of breaking down. That¡¯s why the government couldn¡¯t disclose to the public the existence of a mysterious game which had been dragging people into its world over the past decade or so, let alone the fact that it had crashed and that the ghosts and monsters inside of it had been released to the human world. ¡°However,¡± Wu Su continued, ¡°at least we can recruit people publicly now.¡± He sighed, ¡°All our departments have been working under strained conditions for more than two months now and with that incident last night, we can no longer overlook the shortage in manpower. Our current recruitment methods aren¡¯t enough to meet our current needs.¡± So while revealing the existence of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau, the superiors would also start a recruitment drive. Although it was only posted earlier this afternoon, the Bureau had already received many applications. Wu Su added: ¡°Although so far a large part of the applicants are paranormal enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, there are also many who truly want to join the Bureau. We have reviewed some of the resumes this afternoon and the interviews will start tomorrow. Once the first batch of recruits are trained up, it should help with the current workload.¡± Ye Jia nodded thoughtfully. He gave Wu Su a piece of paper, ¡°When the official announcement is made, you can print this onto the corner of the recruitment brochure.¡± Wu Su received it and checked the contents. That piece of paper appeared extremely white under the starlight, making the lines on it look extraordinarily clear even in the dark. It looked complicated and weird, as if it was some kind of strange text and also as if there were rose branches entangling around each other. Wu Su recognised a few characters in the corner of the drawing. It formed three letters: Ace. He was shocked. He immediately looked up at Ye Jia, ¡°T-this is¡­.?¡± In the game, only players in the top 100 had a code name. Once there were sufficient points, the game would randomly assign corresponding code names to the players based on their previous performance and this code name would then appear on the leaderboard, visible for all the other players to see. Accompanying the code name would often be a decorative pattern that symbolised their identity. It was equivalent to their unique, personal signature, and generally no one dared to imitate or misappropriate them. There was a reward system in the game. Both points and yin energy could be exchanged into currency in the game on a one-to-one ratio. Fierce ghosts would use their yin energy to exchange for currency and use it to as a reward for a player¡¯s life or their limb on the hatred leaderboard, and the game would dynamically settle the rewards offered and rearrange the rankings on the said leaderboard. Players could also exchange their points into currency and use it to post tasks, request for trade or find teammates. All of them were public. This meant that if a player¡¯s signature was used to post something, the fierce ghosts after the bounty offered on the hatred leaderboard would surely go after the clues left by it. After all, most players with signatures weren¡¯t low on the hatred leaderboard. No one would be willing to help bear the burden. The higher the player¡¯s ranking, the less likely it was for them to use their signature to post anything. It was after all equivalent to exposing their location. Despite so many years in the game, Wu Su had never seen Ace¡¯s signature. He was a well-known solo player. He never actively sought out for teammates and also never posted anything. Furthermore, in the game it was also possible to gain a player¡¯s points by killing them. Therefore, as Ace¡¯s position on the leaderboard moved higher and higher, more and more players started to set their eyes on him. It was even more so compared to the number fierce ghosts after his life. As a result, no one dared to imitate his signature. ¡ª¨CThis was Wu Su¡¯s first time having the honour of seeing Ace¡¯s exclusive signature. As a player, he knew very well the meaning behind the other party¡¯s actions. One should know that the higher one¡¯s ranking was in the game and the longer period of time the player spent in the game, the more unique their temperament. Although many players had joined the Bureau together with Wu Su, they didn¡¯t rank high on the leaderboard. All the real bosses had basically gone incognito and disappeared. Therefore, although the Bureau was running a recruitment drive, Wu Su didn¡¯t hold any expectations over them making an appearance. At most, he only hoped that the new recruits would be able to help with the mountain of work that had piled up and help deal with some low difficulty paranormal events ¡ª¡ª If they were required to deal with a high-levelled fierce ghost, they were still too weak. But now, with Ace¡¯s signature, everything was different. As the only player who had cleared the game, the effect of his signature was terrifying. ¡ª-In other words, they may really be able to recruit an experienced team to help deal with the ghosts and monsters from the game. Wu Su felt a little dizzy at the thought of this. He carefully held that piece of paper in his hand, his heart pounding loudly and his throat a little dry, ¡°You¡­¡­¡­¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia interrupted him: ¡°But, you have to think over this carefully.¡± ¡ª- After all, this signature won¡¯t just attract players over. Those words were like a basin of cold water, instantly waking Wu Su up. Ace had been in the game for many years and has many enemies. Moreover, before the game crashed, the Ghost King Ji Xuan had also offered a reward, successfully pushing his name to the top of the hatred leaderboard. He started to feel conflicted. Now that the game had crashed, the competitive relationship between the players was gone, so it shouldn¡¯t matter much for the players. But it was different for the fierce ghosts. Wu Su wasn¡¯t a ghost after all, so he didn¡¯t know whether the ghosts who had left the game still recognised this hatred leaderboard of theirs. Ye Jia thought for a while, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the hatred leaderboard.¡± Wu Su breathed a sigh of relief. But he then heard the other party say, ¡°You only need to worry about whether the fierce ghosts who have a grudge against me will come.¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± A trembling heart and trembling hands. Seeing Wu Su¡¯s troubled expression, Ye Jia expressed his understanding. ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me an answer now. Go back and think about it. It¡¯s fine to just let me know after you have made a decision.¡± After Wu Su left, Ye Jia turned and went to the warehouse he had visited before to carefully inspect it. Everything in there had been taken away, including the water tank holding the monster and the rack of human skins. Even the traces left from the fight against that fake blood gu fish had been cleaned up. Very clearly, the other party had taken advantage of the chaos in the city to do this. They had dealt with it very thoroughly, leaving almost no traces behind. Ye Jia noted down the warehouse number and got ready to return to the Bureau tomorrow and look into it. But seeing how careful the other party appeared to be, he felt that he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to find any useful information. After leaving the dock, Ye Jia returned to his apartment. He had already been working non-stop for the past few days. Although his entire room was a mess, he didn¡¯t have the energy to deal with it. Ye Jia took a quick shower and then walked over to his still somewhat intact bed. But as soon as he sat down, the small black hand shuffled over, ¡°That human has replied.¡± Ye Jia raised a brow in surprise. It had only been two hours, but the other party had already made his decision? The small black hand passed the paper over. ¡°I reported to my superiors your suggestion and they think it is feasible.¡± Wu Su¡¯s voice travelled out from that piece of paper, ¡°After all, if you don¡¯t enter the tiger¡¯s lair, you won¡¯t be able to capture the tiger. If we don¡¯t mobilise all forces, humans will not be able to take on the monsters from the game and that Mother who is watching over everything¡­¡­Although it is very risky, we have no other choice.¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°Then am I now considered as a non-contracted employee?¡± Wu Su was surprised, ¡°¡­¡­I guess so?¡± Ye Jia smiled and continued, ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the remuneration.¡± The extra income from Ji Xuan¡¯s end was probably no longer possible, and he really didn¡¯t want to go through those days of working two jobs and only getting one source of income again. Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ??? How did the topic change so suddenly? . After finishing his discussion with Wu Su, the paper automatically started to burn in his palm. The bright red flame reflected in the young man¡¯s eyes, like a golden-red butterfly flapping its wings. The fire gradually went out. The room dimmed down again. The edges of the inky dark sky outside the window were turning a dark blue, signalling the arrival of dawn. A grey-blue light filtered in through the window, rendering the small bedroom a little hazy. Ye Jia lowered his eyes, patted off the ashes from his palm and slowly sighed. Now that Wu Su had agreed to his proposal, he must deal with that hatred leaderboard. He had a lot of enemies. If more fierce ghosts are drawn to M City because of him, it would make the situation even more difficult to deal with. ¡ª-He had only just said that he would stay away from that psychopath, but after less than half a night, he had to go against his words. The scene from their earlier confrontation outside in the corridor surfaced to his mind. Ye Jia felt a headache forming. How about¡­¡­.Leaving this matter until later? In any case, Wu Su wouldn¡¯t immediately issue an announcement anyway. Moreover, he was too sleepy. Ye Jia yawned. He blinked his eyes that had turned hazy from sleepiness and then fell back into his bed. The next second, there was a ¡®crack¡¯ and all four legs of the bed broke from the weight. Ye Jia laid in the ruins, calmly looking up at the ceiling. That sleepiness from earlier had long disappeared without a trace. ¡ª-He now had a second reason to look for Ji Xuan. CH 45 Ye Jia got up from the ground with a dark expression. He looked around at his apartment that looked like a tornado had swept through. From the bedroom to the living room and even the kitchen, it was all a mess. Only the bathroom managed to escape the same fate. Basically¡­..it probably wasn¡¯t in a state where one could live in. Ye Jia sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stepped over the furniture fragments scattered across the floor, went to the hallway and reached out to open the door¡ª¨C A small figure fell in. He had clearly been sitting against the door all this time and as soon as the support behind him was gone, he lost his balance and fell back. The boy laid on the ground, blinking his scarlet eyes. He looked up at the young man¡¯s surprised face above him and said in a small voice, ¡°¡­¡­Good morning.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His head was starting to hurt again. He took a deep breath, ¡°How long have you been here?¡± Ji Xuan got up from the ground and shook his head. He appeared extraordinarily well-behaved and sensible, and even a little pitiful. ¡°Not too long.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s hand that was holding the door handle tightened. Pretend. Just keep pretending. He raised his eyes, his gaze falling onto the ground next to Ji Xuan. On the ground were two boxes of biscuits, an apple, two bottles of milk and a large carton of juice all neatly arranged. Ye Jia was stunned. ¡°¡­..Where did they come from?¡± Ji Xuan followed Ye Jia¡¯s line of sight, ¡°Oh, these?¡± He thought about it, ¡°The neighbours gave it.¡± When he was sitting there, someone had passed by and asked in distress why he was sitting out there all alone. A thin boy sitting quietly with his back against the closed door, his eyes big and bright and his features small and delicate, he looked particularly sensible and well-behaved: ¡°Mother kicked me out, so I came to stay with gege.¡± ¡ª-In a sense, it wasn¡¯t a lie. ¡°He won¡¯t let you in?¡± The neighbour felt extremely distressed for him. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± The little boy sighed glumly and shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for doing the wrong thing. I¡¯m waiting for my brother¡¯s anger to pass.¡± ¡°Even so, he can¡¯t leave a child outside alone! Especially with everything happening right now.¡± The neighbour was a little angry, ¡°This adult is too irresponsible.¡± The neighbour asked gently, ¡°Would you like to come to my place and wait?¡± The little boy smiled, ¡°No I¡¯m fine. Thank you.¡± Seeing that he was determined to stay there, the neighbour could only give up and just forcibly stuff him a lot of snacks. Every time someone passed by, a conversation like this would occur. As a result, more and more snacks accumulated. Ji Xuan commented: ¡°Humans are so warm-hearted.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± He seemed to have guessed what had happened. Looks like he now had a high probability of dying a social death. He gritted his teeth and forced out, ¡°Have you become addicted to pretending to be a child?¡± Ji Xuan stepped into the apartment. Under the faint morning light as well as the dim corridor light, his small shadow instantly stretched out along the ground. The tall man lowered his eyes, his cold and deep eyes half-concealed in the shadows and his dark scarlet eyes half-hidden under his long eyelashes. He stared at the young man before him intently, ¡°Then¡­..Do you like me like this more?¡± His voice was low and suppressed. There was faint hoarseness and amusement in his deep voice, ¡°Gege?¡± The distance between the two had instantly shortened. The adult man¡¯s compelling aura spread out without reservation. Their noses were almost about to touch. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and stepped back to increase the distance between the two. His amber eyes gleamed a cold and hostile light in the dark. Looking at the young man who was immediately scared into backing away, Ji Xuan sighed regretfully. Despite clearly knowing that both his adult self and his child self were the same person and despite constantly saying that he wouldn¡¯t become soft-hearted, he had always been unable to be harsh to children. Gege has always been like this¡ª¨CIt¡¯s really too cute. ¡ª- In that case, don¡¯t blame him for taking advantage of that. Ye Jia spoke icily, ¡°No matter what you look like, it has nothing to do with me.¡± Ji Xuan smiled and nodded, ¡°I understand.¡± As if. Ye Jia cautiously glanced at the man in front of him and then took another step back. After ensuring that he was a safe distance away from him, he slowly asked: ¡°What is the real reason for you cooperating with humans?¡± Ji Xuan furrowed his brows feeling a little hurt. ¡°Gege, you actually don¡¯t trust me? Everything I said in the Bureau was the truth.¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly. He carefully assessed him but didn¡¯t speak. But his body language answered Ji Xuan¡¯s question ¡ª¡ª Yes, he indeed did not trust him at all. ¡°Alright then.¡± Ji Xuan stored away his playful look and answered seriously, ¡°I know I can¡¯t make you trust me, but right now, our purposes are the same.¡± He casually raised the corners of his lips and a cold look flashed across his face. ¡°After all, with her around, I as the King also don¡¯t feel at ease.¡± With an unshakable power looming over him, always instigating other S-Level fierce ghosts to challenge his authority, it would indeed leave him with some distaste after some time. This reason seemed to have convinced Ye Jia. After staring at Ji Xuan for a few more seconds, he finally backed down, ¡°¡­.Alright then.¡± ¡°But I need to see your sincerity.¡± Ye Jia continued, ¡°About the bounty on my head on the hatred leaderboard¡­¡­.¡± Before he could finish his words, Ji Xuan immediately expressed, ¡°I will immediately remove it.¡± ¡ª-At least his goal for tonight had been achieved. Ye Jia wanted to close the door. But he noticed that at some unknown point in time, the other party had already stepped past the threshold and entered the hallway. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He had made a blunder. Ji Xuan slowly took another step inside, ¡°Then¡­.Gege, shouldn¡¯t you also show your sincerity?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s muscles immediately tightened. His words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, ¡°What do you want?¡± Ji Xuan chuckled shortly, ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous.¡± A small scarlet crack appeared in the space next to him and a piece of paper lightly fell onto his palm. Please read this from kk translates He gave Ye Jia that piece of paper. ¡°I just want you to be my designated primary point of contact in the Bureau.¡± Ye Jia glanced at its contents. He had only briefly glanced over it last night and didn¡¯t have the time to look through it properly ¡ª- This was indeed a direct order issued from the people at the top of the Bureau, it wasn¡¯t forged. ¡°Your superior should be informing you of this today.¡± Ji Xuan looked down at Ye Jia and said in a low voice, ¡°I just wanted to share this news with you in advance¡­..Gege.¡± Ye Jia coldly gave him a look. He clearly wasn¡¯t going to fall for it. ¡°Fine, what else?¡± Ji Xuan silently sighed inside. ¡ª Sure enough, this trick only worked when he pretended to be a child. He said without a change to his expression, ¡°From today, I should interact with you using my earlier child appearance.¡± Ye Jia frowned, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Humans don¡¯t recognise my current appearance, but it¡¯s different for the ghosts and monsters.¡± Ji Xuan said lightly, ¡°¡­¡­You surely wouldn¡¯t want to expose your identity, do you?¡± He knew this very well. In some senses, Ye Jia was a very predictable person. Although the current series of events had brought him back to the centre of the vortex, he still longs to return to a peaceful and stable life after everything is over. He didn¡¯t want to be the saviour who is always under a lot of attention. On the contrary, he much preferred his identity as an ordinary logistics staff. Therefore, even if he appeared in front of everyone as Ace and participated in this fight, he still wished to hide his identity as ¡®Ye Jia¡¯. Ji Xuan liked this feeling very much. In this world, only he alone occupied his gege¡¯s two worlds. Just the thought of this made him extremely satisfied. ¡ª-That was why Ji Xuan was certain he wouldn¡¯t reject his proposal. He added more fire to the pit: ¡°Moreover, starting from today, you are my only primary point of contact so I will no longer appear in front of your colleagues in the Bureau again and they would also not know of my existence.¡± Sure enough, Ye Jia fell into deep thought. After a long time, he nodded, ¡°¡­..Alright.¡± The smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips deepened. He stretched out his hand, ¡°Happy cooperation.¡± Ye Jia glanced at him coldly. He then reached out to shake the other¡¯s hand and placed emphasis on the first four words, ¡°For the time being, happy cooperation.¡± Before he could pull his hand back, he felt the palm in his hand quickly turn smaller. Ye Jia was taken aback. For a moment, he even forgot to let go of the hand. The young boy in front of him stretched out his other hand, curved his eyes as he smiled and used both hands to gentle shake Ye Jia¡¯s arm: ¡°¡­¡­Long term wouldn¡¯t be bad either.¡± Ye Jia retracted his arm like he was scorched by fire. He tightly furrowed his brows. His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but when he remembered what he had just agreed to earlier, he swallowed those words back down. Ji Xuan seemed to have not noticed it. He looked around the room that was in tatters and raised his eyebrows in surprise: ¡°What happened to your place?¡± Ye Jia followed his line of sight. He seemed to only now remember the state of his place and his expression instantly darkened. He grumbled, ¡°¡­..It¡¯s all because of your fish.¡± Oh? It did such a good thing? Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes lit up. He concealed his joy and revealed a look of guilt and regret, ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s my fault.¡± Ye Jia frowned and looked at him vigilantly. Ji Xuan continued, ¡°I have a few properties under my name. You can take a look and see where you want to stay¡­..¡± Before he could finish speaking, Ye Jia interrupted him without any hesitation: ¡°No, just compensation is enough.¡± Ji Xuan followed the flow and nodded, ¡°Of course, compensation is a must.¡± He changed his words, ¡°But, until your place is fixed, surely you will need to find a place to stay?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..I¡¯ll stay at a hotel.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to bother you, I won¡¯t even cross the boundary by half a step.¡± Ji Xuan flashed a smile, ¡°It won¡¯t be any different from staying at a hotel.¡± There is a very big difference. Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to be anymore involved with him. The more distance between them the better ¡ª¨C Staying at a place under Ji Xuan¡¯s name would go against this intention of his. He shook his head resolutely, ¡°No thank you.¡± Ji Xuan tried to tempt him, ¡°You can keep an eye on me like this.¡± Ye Jia let out a laugh but there was no such emotion in his eyes, ¡°If in a place like this I still need to keep an eye on you, I don¡¯t think there is a need for this cooperation to continue.¡± Although it was a pity, Ji Xuan decided to back down. He had already achieved his original goal tonight. If he continued to take things too far, the situation may turn for the worse instead. ¡°Alright then.¡± Ji Xuan turned to look at the apartment that looked like a tornado had swept through and said, ¡°I will be responsible for finding someone to repair your place ¡ª After all, this is my fault. You shouldn¡¯t have a problem with that, right?¡± Ye Jia thought for a while and accepted reluctantly, ¡°¡­..Okay.¡± It could be regarded as both parties taking a step back and reaching a consensus. He tossed over a key to Ji Xuan, ¡°As soon as possible.¡± The smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips deepened, ¡°Of course.¡± . Ye Jia packed up some of his personal belongings and moved to a hotel not far away. Sure enough, the next day, an order was issued from the people above, assigning him to be in charge of a certain ¡®high-level fierce ghost who is willing to cooperate¡¯. This was a highly confidential matter. In other words, in the entire M City branch, only Wu Su and himself knew of the matter of a high-level fierce ghost cooperating with the Bureau and only Ye Jia had the authority to contact the other party. In the box was another new phone. Ye Jia took it out and fiddled with it. Even if he didn¡¯t know much about modern technology, he could tell that this phone was much more advanced and protected than the one Liu Zhaocheng gave him last time. But Ye Jia still found it a little ridiculous ¡ª- Using a phone to contact a fierce ghost. This was something he would have never imagined ten years ago. There was only one contact stored in the phone. The other person¡¯s profile photo was a chibi grim reaper holding a scythe, looking very cute. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. He felt that there was some meaning behind that photo. While he was staring at that photo, the other party¡¯s message appeared: It was a bouncy, joyful emoticon. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His hands were itching to move. After his fingers lingered over the block button for several seconds, he finally decided against it ¡ª For the sake of his job, forget it. He turned off the phone display and tossed the phone aside. On the other end. Ji Xuan looked down at the bright phone screen in his hand, the upward arc on the corner of his lips unable to be suppressed. Although there was no response from the other party, he was certain the other party had seen his message. Ji Xuan glanced at the book he had previously regarded as rubbish. One of the lines came into view ¡ª- ¡°Get the other party¡¯s contact information.¡± Not only that, but he was also the only contact on the other party¡¯s phone. This satisfied his deeply suppressed desire to monopolise the other party. Ji Xuan laughed out happily and put the phone away. At the door, the shadow ghost who had snuck in was scared stiff. It panicked and quickly hurried back out. Several other high-level fierce ghosts gathered around it and carefully asked with lowered voices, ¡°How was it?¡± The shadow ghost shook its head in daze, ¡°¡­..Very bad.¡± After King killed the opponent¡¯s leader, the rest of the monsters had turned into dust and the fight was over. But since then, King had become strange. Please read this from kk translates Not only did he withdraw the reward for Ace, but he had actually¡­..actually¡­.. A¡¯Mi slowly spoke with a heavy expression: ¡°I¡­..I just saw King smiling while looking at his phone.¡± The other fierce ghosts gasped in shock, ¡°W-what?!¡± ¡°I suspect King may have been cursed¡­¡­¡± A¡¯Mi felt a chill behind its back before it could finish its words. It slowly turned to look back. The door behind it was open. The blood gu fish had appeared behind them and was watching the group of fierce ghosts with its empty eye sockets. In the distance, Ji Xuan who was sitting on the throne narrowed his scarlet eyes slightly and asked slowly: ¡°Very bored?¡± All the fierce ghosts trembled: ¡°¡­¡­..King!¡± Ji Xuan curled his lips, ¡°Then I will find something for you to do.¡± And so, after being forced to play with the blood gu fish for an hour, all the fierce ghosts wanted to cry without tears. This was especially so for A¡¯Mi who was specially taken care of and was left tired and paralysed on the floor. They were too na?ve. Sure enough, King was still that moody and terrifying Ghost King¡­..Being cursed or whatever was just nonsense! . After the first batch of recruitment brochures were issued out, the Bureau quickly acquired a lot of fresh blood. Although the follow up work left by the rampage of ghosts and monsters in M City still hadn¡¯t been processed yet, the new recruits had helped immensely with reducing the pressure on the original staff. Even compared to before that incident, their current workload was now much easier to manage. The older employees at the Logistics Department basically had no new jobs to work on. While Ye Jia was now working on various jobs in the department dealing with training the new recruits, Zhao Dong remained in the Logistics Department to handle the remaining tasks and Cheng Cezhi was assigned to the Human Resources Department and was helping with interviewing the new recruits. Although the outside world was still in chaos, Ye Jia¡¯s life had been particularly fulfilling and peaceful over the past week. He went to work from the hotel every day and would sometimes take along new recruits to do some onsite work. During this time, although Ye Jia had never replied to any of Ji Xuan¡¯s messages, the other party still enjoyed harassing him online every day. Fortunately, this kind of harassment only stayed online. After all, the rampage last time had similarly affected Ji Xuan. After directly defying Mother¡¯s order¡¯s, it was estimated that he would be busy for a while. This continued until M City issued out the second batch of recruitment brochures. ¡ªThe content was no different from last time, except for the very faint pattern printed on the back. If you didn¡¯t look closely, you would easily miss it. The rose branches intertwined into a strange but gorgeous pattern, and within it were three letters that formed the word ¡®Ace¡¯. The day it was sent out, everything was calm and quiet. Nothing seemed to have changed. But in a place that couldn¡¯t be seen by others, dark tides began to surge, and uneasy whispers spread. At the centre of that whirlpool was a small city ¡ª¨C M City. When the dark night fell, the distant sky was enveloped by thick darkness, slowly swallowing up the stars and the moon. Ye Jia who was on his way back from work suddenly stopped in place. He raised his head and looked up at the sky thoughtfully. At this moment, the phone in his pocket vibrated twice. Ye Jia took it out, only to see a message from Cheng Cezhi. It was an address, nothing else. Strange. Ye Jia frowned. He knew this place. It was near the wilderness and would be practically completely deserted at night as very few people would go there ¡ª Why did Cheng Cezhi send that address to him? . At an abandoned factory in M City. Strong yin energy flowed through the dark night sky. Compared to other places, the temperature here was a lot lower. Faint ominous air exuded out from the empty and dark windows and doors, making people instinctively feel fear and panic. The originally empty factory was at this moment filled with strands of thick, dark hair. It slowly rose and fell like ocean waves. Cheng Cezhi struggled to get out of the thick, dark hair that reached up to his waist, but it was like he was stuck in a bog. No matter how he moved, that hair seemed like it was alive and would tightly entwine around his arms and legs, leaving him helpless and only able to wriggle about like a bug. ¡°Where is Ace?¡± A sharp and insidious voice travelled out from within the hair. Cheng Cezhi was almost in tears, ¡°I really don¡¯t know this Ace of yourrrss!!!¡± He had left a little late today so he took a short cut, but he had never expected that he would suddenly be kidnapped on his way back home. This was a B-level fierce ghost. As a logistics staff, he had no ability to fight back. As a result, not only was he trapped in this dark and gloomy place, but he was also constantly being asked about the whereabouts of this person he wasn¡¯t familiar with¡­. Who wouldn¡¯t find this situation ridiculous?! ¡°You lied!!!!¡± That voice suddenly roared. The anger in the voice was very obvious, ¡°I saw it, his signature, it wasn¡¯t a mistake¡­.It was from your Bureau. You know where he is¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. If you know him¡­..he will surely come¡­.heeheeheehee¡­¡­¡± Outside the factory. Four or five people all looked at each other. Zhao Dong broke the silence, ¡°You guys also received this address?¡± Wu Su nodded. He turned on his phone screen and showed Zhao Dong. The address of this place was displayed on the screen. He was now in charge of the Human Resources Department and Cheng Cezhi was his subordinate. He said, ¡°I contacted his family and they said that he hasn¡¯t returned home yet.¡± In fact, this was not the only reason why he was here. Wu Su was after all also working in the busiest Combat Division and he naturally wouldn¡¯t go out of his way to come here just because he was suddenly sent an address from his subordinate. But after sending out the second batch of recruitment brochures, the situation was different. After all, those in the Human Resources Department would naturally become the first to be targeted. As such, since it was sent out, Wu Su had begun to pay more attention to the movements of all his subordinates in this new department and had also assigned them with more equipment that they could use to protect themselves. But clearly, something like this couldn¡¯t be prevented. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Wu Su tugged at his beard and spoke with some anxiousness, ¡°I have already contacted the other members of the Combat Division. They should be here soon.¡± Ye Jia stood in the dark and didn¡¯t speak. He raised his head, looked at the factory and sniffed the air ¡ª- This smell was something he was very familiar with. Very coincidentally, this fierce ghost¡­..Was a boss he and Ji Xuan had met in an instance. Although its level wasn¡¯t high, it was a little difficult to deal with. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t be certain that the members of the Combat Division could handle it. He hesitated over whether he should find an excuse to leave and then go and save the other person himself. But at this moment, he was slightly startled. The smell inside¡­..seem to have changed. . Ten minutes later, heavily armed members of the Combat Division arrived at the scene, but before they could start discussing their battle plan, they saw the gates to the factory slowly open from the inside. Cheng Cezhi limped out with a smile on his face. A young woman was supporting him. Wu Su was taken aback, ¡°You¡­¡­..¡± The young woman smiled at him, ¡°The fierce ghost inside ran off. You can try and go after it but I don¡¯t think you would be able to catch it. Wu Su¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­..!!!¡± The young woman nodded generously, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Maid.¡± Rank 15 on the leaderboard, Maid. She frowned with some annoyance, turned to look at Cheng Cezhi who was standing beside her and complained, ¡°I originally also wanted to tie him up, but that fierce ghost got to him first¡­.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°???¡± Why? Why??? As if seeing through his mental breakdown, the young woman chuckled, ¡°Because you are the weakest in the entire department.¡± Cheng Cezhi: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Okay, that¡¯s enough. Anymore and he would be annoyed. Zhao Dong who was waiting with the medical staff helped Cheng Cezhi away. The young woman¡¯s gaze fell onto Wu Su, ¡°Since you have already recognised me, I won¡¯t hide my purpose of coming here ¡ª Where is Ace?¡± Wu Su was already prepared for this. He took in a deep breath and slowly spoke up, ¡°Why are you looking for him?¡± The young woman revealed a shy expression. She poked at the ground with her toe and said: ¡°Confess.¡± Ye Jia who stood in the distance: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡ª- Since Cheng Cezhi is safe, he i]wasn¡¯t needed here anymore. He turned around, ready to leave. Suddenly, Ye Jia felt a familiar presence appear behind him. An icy smell of blood emanated out through the ghost domain. Ye Jia¡¯s back stiffened. The young boy¡¯s soft and hoarse voice broke the silence. He asked calmly: ¡°Gege, who is she?¡± CH 46 For some reason, the moment the other party said those words, Ye Jia felt a chill run down his back. He lowered his head and glanced at Ji Xuan who was standing beside him. The boy raised his head and looked back at him. He had his small, pale face tilted up and there was a faint smile on his face, making him appear calm and well-behaved. It was as if he was only casually asking a very ordinary question. Ye Jia: ¡°???¡± Could he have been mistaken? ¡°Mhn, she¡¯s someone I used to know.¡± Ye Jia thought for a moment and added, ¡°A chance meeting.¡± Soon following that, he seemed to have thought of something and lowered his head to ask, ¡°Why did you come?¡± The young boy held onto Ye Jia¡¯s hand with his cold fingers. His voice was soft and slightly hoarse, and even seemed to be a little aggrieved, ¡°I can¡¯t be here?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°???¡± What¡¯s going on? Why did the conversation suddenly develop in a weird direction? He even forgot to pull his hand back and just let out a confused, ¡°¡­¡­.Huh?¡± Ji Xuan inched closer and inserted his fingers between Ye Jia¡¯s fingers, turning it into an interlocked handhold. ¡°Or¡­..did gege not want me to come?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± What the hell? After successfully holding Ye Jia¡¯s hand, the surging killing intent in Ji Xuan¡¯s heart finally subsided. Ji Xuan slowly narrowed his eyes and a gloomy and cold light flashed across the depths of his scarlet eyes, resembling an oncoming thunderstorm in the night sky. A warm smile flickered across his lips. He raised his eyes and looked into the distance. ¡­¡­..A chance meeting? The empty and abandoned factory was shrouded in darkness in the dark night. The strong yin energy had still not yet dissipated, making the dark doors and windows appear particularly terrifying. Standing in front of the factory was the young woman. She was petite and slender, and her features were soft and sweet. With the gloomy building looming behind her like a terrible monster, the contrast was particularly impactful. She pursed her lips shyly with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. She was like a young woman in spring, completely harmless. Wu Su however couldn¡¯t help but remain tense when standing before her. He naturally knew who this great god was. ¡ª¨C Maid, fifteenth on the leaderboard. Her fighting style was extremely brutal, and her favourite weapon was the chainsaw. That chainsaw was a weapon that required a scarily high number of points to redeem in the game and its durability was also exceptionally low so it could be considered a not so cost-effective weapon, but Maid favoured it very much. In her words: ¡°A horror movie without chainsaws and gore is not a good horror movie.¡± Many people had speculated that the reason for her remaining around the 20th or so rank on the leaderboard was because a large number of her points was used to redeem her weapons. Moreover, although Maids body was frozen into that of a young woman¡¯s appearance, her experience actually even exceeded Ace¡¯s. Although Wu Su knew that as soon as Ace¡¯s signature is released, there would definitely be strong players making an appearance, he didn¡¯t expect that the first one to appear would be Maid. Like Ace, she was similarly a very unique player who rarely teamed up with others. Even if she was assigned to one in an instance, she would throw them aside using the fastest speed possible and do everything alone. As such, it was very difficult for Wu Su to associate her with Ace. Especially¡­..with a reason like that. ¡°¡­..Confess?¡± Wu Su slowly repeated her words with a complicated expression. The young woman nodded, ¡°Yes.¡± She poked the ground again with the tip of her shoe and a bright and lovely smile formed on her lips, ¡°You have a problem with that?¡± Wu Su was taken aback. He quickly shook his head, ¡°No, of course not!¡± He swallowed with difficulty and spoke, ¡°Um¡­..I will contact Ace and let him know of your arrival but what comes after that is beyond my control¡­.¡± The young woman narrowed her eyes and scanned over Wu Su, ¡°What is your code name?¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t have one.¡± Only those in the top fifty have a code name given to them by the game and Wu Su was only in the fifties and sixties. The young woman looked away in disappointment, ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so weak.¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Well, I¡¯m very sorry about that! Wu Su couldn¡¯t help but want to gossip, ¡°How did you and Ace meet?¡± Maid kicked a pebble with her foot, ¡°In a team instance.¡± Wu Su quickly understood, ¡°Oh, you were teammates?¡± The woman pursed her lips shyly, ¡°No.¡± Wu Su: ¡°???¡± Listening to the conversation between the two of them not far away, Ye Jia was left speechless. ¡ª-Of course he remembered the other party. Maid, even in the game, could be regarded as a difficult to deal with character. At that time, Ye Jia had just received his code name Ace and Maid was already a top player with a strong reputation. It was a competition-style instance. Players who were in that instance were all those with high ranks and they were divided into three teams and allowed to explore the deserted village in the instance freely. At the end of the instance, the two teams with the lowest number of points would be required to take part in a cruel elimination instance while the single player with the highest number of points could directly clear the instance regardless of which team they were in. Ye Jia and Maid just happened to be in two different teams. At that time, there was a black sheep in Ye Jia¡¯s team. That player didn¡¯t want to clear the instance and was more concerned with taking the other players points, including those of his teammates. Unfortunately for him, in an instance like this, players were not allowed to directly harm their own teammates. And so, he had made use of a game prop to summon an evil god in the deserted village and led everyone over. Ye Jia habitually acted alone. By the time he found out about this, the other party had already accomplished his purpose. There were originally five people in their team, but now only Ye Jia and him were left. Maid however could be regarded as an experienced veteran player after all. After the evil god appeared, she was still able to clear out a bloody path for herself and, in the end, only Maid and that player were left in the evil god¡¯s temple. Although all the monsters were dead, only one of them could walk out of that place alive. If neither of them killed the other person and there were still two people in the temple when time was up, then the person who had summoned the evil god would die as sacrifice. Maid however didn¡¯t have the time to wait it out. Her team had fallen behind, so she had to kill the other party, or she would still be forced to take part in the elimination instance when the instance was over even if the other party was killed from his actions backfiring. By the time Ye Jia arrived, both of them were already covered in blood. That player¡¯s body was covered in pitch-black viscous fluid as he panted heavily while using a table to support himself. As the person who had summoned the evil god, although he would be immune to the monster¡¯s attacks, he was also unable to participate in the battle, so he could only escape from Maid¡¯s offensive attacks time and time again. Maid had already gone through a fierce battle earlier. One of her legs was broken with her bone jutting out through the bloody wound, half her face was peeled off and she was also missing an eye, but her other eye was burning with hatred and anger, shining brightly like a cold star in the dark temple. The chainsaw in her hand had already lost its durability with its gears broken. Standing there with clothes that one could no longer see the original colour of, she looked like a ghost who had just crawled out from hell. The evil god¡¯s low voice echoed through the dark sky. ¡°Only one can be saved.¡± The other player¡¯s eyes lit up. He immediately called out with a stammer, ¡°A-Ace! We¡¯re teammates! Hurry and save me!¡± He gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°As long as you save me, I will give you half the points I got in this instance!¡± Outside the ancient temple, the slender young man raised his head and looked at the sky in the distance. There was a large leaderboard floating in the air. There were still three minutes until the end of the instance. Of the three teams, one had been completely annihilated while the remaining two teams had a similar number of points with Ye Jia¡¯s team being slightly higher. If Maid was left in the evil god¡¯s temple, her points would be counted as the other player¡¯s points and Ye Jia¡¯s team would directly achieve first place in this instance, no longer requiring him to take part in the cruel and gruesome elimination instance. ¡ª- That was a purely hell-level instance. All the players thrown into that instance were required to kill each other and only the strongest could leave. No one wanted to take part in such an elimination instance. Outside the temple, the young man withdrew his gaze. He wasn¡¯t wearing a hood. His light-coloured hair was ruffled by the wind that carried a strong smell of blood and his glass-like eyes were calm and cold. Inside the temple. The young woman whose appearance could no longer be seen clearly gritted her teeth with pure hatred burning coldly in her eyes. She looked like she could swallow up the two men before her and crush them to death with just her glare alone. Please read this from kk translates She spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered, her voice filled with unconcealable irony. The young man lowered his eyes and swept his gaze across the blood-soaked ground before him thoughtfully. At this moment, there was only one minute left before the end of the instance. The young man raised his eyes and said calmly, ¡°I will save my teammate.¡± Unsurprising. Maid threw away the broken chainsaw in her hand and dragged her weak body over to a wall and slowly sat down. The moment Ye Jia said those words, the points she had accumulated in this instance was transferred over to the other player. On the leaderboard, Ye Jia¡¯s team took first place. ¡ª-Now, as soon as the game ends, the young woman in the temple would become the evil god¡¯s sacrifice. Maid snorted in disdain and closed her eyes. She thought optimistically ¡ª¡ª Dying here like this wasn¡¯t too bad. At least she didn¡¯t need to take part in the elimination instance. The player who was covered in black fluid stumbled out of the evil god¡¯s temple. He wiped some of it off his face and happily slapped Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Thank a lot, brother.¡± However, the moment the other person¡¯s hand was about to make contact, the young man suddenly stepped forward, avoiding the other person¡¯s touch. The player was slightly taken aback. Immediately afterwards, the young man with the light-coloured hair lowered his eyes and tapped his watch a few times. There were still thirty seconds until the end of the instance. On the leaderboard in the sky ahead, a message slowly appeared, ¡°Player Ace has transferred all his points in this instance to Player Maid¡¯s account.¡± Inside the temple, Maid opened her eyes in astonishment. She looked down at her watch ¡ª She was now the player with the most points in the entire instance and her team had also moved up into first place. Since she had the most points, even the evil god couldn¡¯t do anything about it. She would naturally be directly sent out of the instance. The young woman looked out of the temple in disbelief. ¡°You¡­¡­you¡­¡­.y-y-y-you!!!¡± That player¡¯s face was distorted with shock, horror and anger, ¡°You actually fucking let the opposing team win?! Do you realise what we will have to face ne¡­¡­.¡± Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by the young man¡¯s unchanging voice, ¡°Elimination instance, no?¡± The player was left unable to speak. He looked at him as if he was looking at a madman. The young man let out a short chuckle, ¡°We¡¯re teammates in this instance and cannot directly kill each other.¡± He narrowed his eyes and a cold smile flickered across his lips, but his voice was still as calm as before: ¡°But it¡¯s different in the elimination instance.¡± The instance was counting down ¡ª¨C ¡°¡­¡­.5, 4, 3, 2, 1.¡± The moment it reached zero, the instance was officially over. A door slowly appeared in the distance at the entrance of the deserted village. The young woman stood up blankly and looked at the place where the two other players were standing originally ¡ª- That place was now empty. As the defeated team, those two were sent to the elimination instance. A fight to their deaths, until only one remained. As if she was possessed by a ghost, Maid rejected the option to be sent out of the instance and waited in the same place for five days. On the sixth day, a bloody figure appeared in the place where they had disappeared earlier. The young man was in a particularly sorry state. From head to toe, he was completely covered in blood and even now, blood and flesh continued to fall from his clothes. His face was pale from blood loss, but his amber coloured eyes were still shining brightly like eternal flames that could never be extinguished. Even now, strong killing intent brought about from all that killing continued leaked out from his eyes. His gaze swept past Maid who stood nearby, and he seemed to be a little surprised. The young woman who had used her points to repair her body stepped forward and slowly spoke up: ¡°You could¡¯ve chosen to save no one.¡± If the other party had chosen not to save anyone, Maid would be sent to the elimination instance and the other player would die from his actions backfiring. At that time, no matter what choice he made, he would still be the winner. He didn¡¯t need to take part in the elimination instance. But he had chosen the most difficult path to take ¡ª He had entered the elimination instance together with that other player. The young man raised a brow. He softly spoke with his slightly hoarse voice: ¡°That would be letting him off too easily.¡± Maid was surprised. Why did the other party choose to save the player who had played dirty? It was because if he wasn¡¯t saved, he would remain in the temple and die as the evil god¡¯s sacrifice. Dying like that was letting him off too easily¡­¡­. He didn¡¯t deserve that. ¡°But aren¡¯t you worried about not being able to get out from that elimination instance?¡± Maid asked the question that had been on her mind the entire time. The elimination instance was extremely cruel. One could die in it as soon as they lowered their guard. The young man chuckled. His eyes were cold and deep, like a sky covered by clouds, but the curve of his lips softened his overall appearance. His voice was even and gentle, and contained an almost arrogant level of confidence: ¡°No.¡± The young man¡¯s bloody figure stood tall and straight, like a sharp blade cutting through the night sky, solitary and arrogant. ¡­..He was really handsome. . At the entrance to the abandoned factory. The petite young woman withdrew from her distant memories. She glanced at the bearded man before her and muttered a little jealously, ¡°Why are you his contact person¡­..¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­..You have a problem with that?¡± Maid flattened her lips and complained bitterly, ¡°How can you be worthy of such an important role?!¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Although he knew that he wasn¡¯t very strong, saying something like that was too much! He no longer cared that the other party was a powerful player. He crossed his arms and deliberately provoked her, ¡°Then I¡¯m really sorry about that. As I am the one who specially liaises with him, we have already met several times. How about you? How many times have you two met in the game?¡± Seeming to have had a sore spot poked, Maid fell silent, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Wu Su added more oil to the fire, ¡°And he was the one who took the initiative to find me the first time we met. How about you? Was it like that for you?¡± Maid gritted her teeth and glared at the man who as half a head taller than her in anger. She was so jealous, her eyes were red, ¡°¡­¡­You!!¡± Far away, in a corner unnoticed by the others. Please read this from kk translates The young boy¡¯s slender figure was concealed in his darkness but his cold and gloomy scarlet eyes that glistened coldly in the dark was particularly noticeable. His voice was even calmer and softer than before, and it even sounded like he was acting coquettish. ¡°Gege is really popular.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He only now realised that the other party was holding tightly onto his hand. He broke away uncomfortably. He raised his eyes and glanced at the two people who were quarrelling like elementary students in the distance and a complicated look flashed across his eyes: ¡°No, their filter is just too thick.¡± Ji Xuan wasn¡¯t annoyed that he had broken free from his hold. He instead reached out and grabbed the corner of Ye Jia¡¯s shirt and raised his head to smile at him, ¡°No, gege is indeed really good. It¡¯s just that¡­..¡± ¡ª¨C It would be better if he was the only one who knew that. Ye Jia didn¡¯t hear him clearly, ¡°What?¡± Ji Xuan shook his head, his smile particularly harmless, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°So why did you come?¡± Ye Jia hadn¡¯t forgotten his question from earlier. ¡°I received a report from my subordinates. There were some abnormal changes here.¡± As they were cooperating with each other, Ji Xuan naturally knew of Ye Jia¡¯s current plan, so after the recruitment brochures were sent out, he had similarly sent out more of his subordinates to watch over the Bureau. Ye Jia raised a brow, ¡°This fierce ghost is only B-Level, but it actually drew your attention?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be because of it.¡± Ji Xuan shook his head. His eyes darkened slightly, ¡°This time, the abnormal changes here was something that couldn¡¯t have been done by a B-Level fierce ghost.¡± Ye Jia was slightly surprised. ¡­..Indeed. He and this fierce ghost had only met in the campus instance and at that time, he was still considered a newcomer. Although he managed to clear the instance in the end and also destroyed the fierce ghost¡¯s den along the way but compared to the other fierce ghosts who held grudges towards him, this was a matter not worth mentioning. No matter how he looked at it, this fierce ghost shouldn¡¯t hate him so much so that it would actually rush over to M City as soon as it heard news about him. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, ¡°What are you suspecting?¡± Ji Xuan answered, ¡°I have sent my subordinates after it. After capturing it, the truth will be revealed.¡± Ye Jia nodded. He raised his eyes and once again looked at the abandoned factory in the distance. Now that everything was basically all settled ¡ª- Maid and the Human Resources team had successfully established contact and Cheng Cezhi was no longer in danger ¡ª- there were only some follow up work left to do that didn¡¯t require his involvement. He turned to leave but then seemed to have suddenly thought of something and turned to look back at Ji Xuan. ¡°Has my apartment been repaired?¡± Ji Xuan shook his head without a change to his expression, ¡°There were too many things to deal with. I will tell you as soon as the repairs are done.¡± Ye Jia glanced at him suspiciously: ¡°¡­¡­.Alright.¡± ¡°If you get tired of staying in the hotel, gege, you can actually¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan wasn¡¯t able to finish before Ye Jia interrupted him: ¡°No need, I like hotels.¡± The young boy smiled and let out a regretful sigh, ¡°Alright then.¡± As he watched the other party¡¯s back disappear, he suddenly said: ¡°The blood gu fish misses you a lot.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s actions paused briefly, but he still left using his ghost domain. . The next day. Ye Jia stared at the familiar factory in front of him and slowly sighed. He had only said that he wasn¡¯t required here last night but in the end he was still sent over. Seeing the newcomers¡¯ busy backs, Ye Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Now he can finally slack off in peace. At this moment, a voice sounded from behind him, ¡°Hey, are you also a staff of the Bureau?¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He turned to look behind him. A young woman was wearing a pink dress. She tilted her head and looked at him, a thoughtful light flashing across the depths of her large and round eyes. ¡­..Maid. Ye Jia¡¯s muscles tensed up instinctively. He replied slowly, ¡°¡­.Yes.¡± Did she notice something? That couldn¡¯t be. The young woman suddenly laughed, ¡°That¡¯s great. I thought all the employees here would be like that big beard last night. Looks like there are handsome guys too.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± He breathed a sigh of relief. The young woman stretched out her hand and smiled at him, ¡°Hello, my name is Wei Yuechu.¡± ¡°Ye Jia.¡± ¡°So, what are you guys doing?¡± Wei Yuechu watched the newcomers busying about inside the factory with curiosity. Ye Jia answered, ¡°Collecting the remaining yin energy to analyse and destroy later.¡± Wei Yuechu nodded, ¡°I see¡­¡­.¡± She wrinkled her nose, ¡°Your job is so boring.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Oh.¡± Wei Yuechu seemed to be a little disappointed, ¡°But I¡¯m also bored¡­..¡± She sighed and said, ¡°I came to M City to find someone but I still haven¡¯t managed to get in contact with him so I can only wait.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Oh.¡± Wei Yuechu frowned, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you asking me who I¡¯m looking for?¡± Ye Jia did as she asked, ¡°¡­.Who are you looking for?¡± Wei Yuechu pouted her lips in frustration, ¡°You¡¯re so boring.¡± ¡°But since you¡¯ve asked, I will tell you.¡± She giggled, ¡°I came here to find my future boyfriend!¡± The young woman had her hands on her waist as she scanned her eyes over Ye Jia. She sighed, ¡°If my heart didn¡¯t already belong to someone, your appearance is actually my type¡­.¡± The corners of Ye Jia¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± ¡°No need, no need.¡± Wei Yuechu nodded with a serious expression. She seemed to be about to say something else. But suddenly, a soft and charming female voice travelled over from the other side of the door: ¡°Um¡­..Is Ye Jia here?¡± When Ye Jia heard his name, he was taken aback. He turned and looked back. Standing at the door was a tall woman with an extremely sexy figure and waterfall-like and wavy hair that shimmered in the sun. She wore a tight-fitting red dress that cleverly outlined her gorgeous lines, and her appearance was also especially exquisite with dark eyes and deep features that contained a few degrees of coldness. Just one glance was enough to take their breaths away. The moment she saw Ye Jia, her eyes lit up: ¡°Darling!¡± She quickly leapt into his arms, ¡°I missed you so much!¡± All the hairs on Ye Jia¡¯s back instantly stood on end. He had almost turned around and ran off in fear. What the fuck?! Ji Xuan, what the fuck are you doing?!!!! CH 47 Chapter 47 Caught off guard, Ye Jia was embraced by the other party. The other party¡¯s body was as cold as ice and as soft as a snake. It didn¡¯t carry any warmth at all. Their arms wrapped around his shoulders and arms like a clingy ghost. Ye Jia instinctively wanted to avoid the other party but as soon as he tried to pull his arm out, he came into contact with something soft. He stiffened, ¡°?¡± You actually have that too?! Ji Xuan didn¡¯t think that there was any problem with it. He turned his head, his black, wavy hair falling like a waterfall, and narrowed his dark eyes slightly as his gaze fell onto Wei Yuechu who stood before Ye Jia. His thin scarlet lips were slightly raised, revealing an amorous small smile and he asked in a soft, coquettish voice, ¡°Who is this little sister?¡± At this moment, Ye Jia¡¯s brain had crashed. His expression was stiff, neither moving nor not moving, and the word ¡®rejection¡¯ was written all over his body. After hearing the other party¡¯s question, Wei Yuechu immediately frowned. ¡ª¨C Ji Xuan¡¯s words just how had hit a sore spot. Because she wasn¡¯t very old when she was dragged into the game, although her mental age was now particularly mature, after leaving the game, her physical age still remained at when she was still a young woman. Although she didn¡¯t say anything about it, Wei Yuechu wasn¡¯t particularly happy with this appearance of hers. She asked back in a bad tone, ¡°And who are you? This is a private premise. Uninvolved people cannot enter.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes darkened further. He was very tall but he leaned against Ye Jia like he had no bones supporting him up. He tilted his head slightly and rested his sharp chin on Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. Those devilish eyes of his narrowed slightly, ¡°I am his girlfriend.¡± The people around them watching the show gasped in shock. Wow, amazing. Ye Jia finally returned online. All the hairs on his body were now standing on end. He no longer cared what the other party was doing. All his efforts were concentrated on breaking free from the other party¡¯s shackles. Ji Xuan didn¡¯t show it on his face, but he was holding onto him with a lot of force. He leaned close to Ye Jia¡¯s ear, rubbed his cold lips lightly against the other party¡¯s earlobe and said in his low and hoarse male voice, ¡°I have found a clue¡­.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He glanced at the other party. Ji Xuan blinked back at him, teasing him ambiguously. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Suddenly had an urge to kill a ghost. But in the end, he took a deep breath and suppressed the surging anger inside him. Ye Jia turned to look at Wei Yuechu who was becoming increasingly suspicious and forced an unnatural smile, ¡°Myself¡­..and this¡­.¡± ¡°Girlfriend¡­.¡± That word seemed like it was spoken with much difficulty, ¡°¡­need to have a talk outside¡­.¡± Wei Yuechu shrugged, ¡°Alright then¡­¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia dragged Ji Xuan out. His steps were hurried, as if there was something coming after him. On the contrary, the woman beside him smiled faintly. She followed along with graceful steps. She even had the time to turn back and wave at the others. Outside of the factory, Ye Jia threw away Ji Xuan¡¯s hand. Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes had already turned dangerously scarlet. He gracefully leaned against the wall and played with his long, black hair, ¡°So heartless? Darling¡­.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Damn you and your darling. Fearing that he would do something irreversible, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and then asked with each and every one of his words forced out through gritted teeth, ¡°What the fuck do you want?¡± He rarely cursed. But he really couldn¡¯t hold it in this time. The person before him always seems to be able to find a new way to step on his bottom line. The smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips deepened, but he still continued to voice his innocence, ¡°I promised you that I wouldn¡¯t appear in front of your colleagues using my previous two appearances but I was anxious to look for you so I¡­..¡± Ye Jia was about to explode, ¡°So you came to find me looking like this?!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ji Xuan did a little twirl in front of him, ¡°I don¡¯t look good?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Deep breaths, deep breaths. He closed his eyes and squeezed out a few words with much restraint, ¡°What, on, earth, do, you, want?¡± Seeing that the other party might really explode, Ji Xuan was keenly aware that he shouldn¡¯t mess around any longer. He cleared his throat and said seriously, ¡°In the early hours of this morning, my subordinates caught the fierce ghost in the eastern parts of the city and discovered something inside it.¡± Ji Xuan stretched out his hand. A long thread as thin as spider silk gleamed in the sun. It swayed in the air like it was alive and trying to break free. ¡°A puppet thread¡­.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. He hadn¡¯t seen this thing in a very long time. In his memory, this was something used by a certain fierce ghost.¡± Ye Jia raised a brow, his expression instantly turning solemn, ¡°Puppet Master?¡± ¡°Correct¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan nodded. He lightly narrowed his eyes, his voice cold, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to come to this city.¡± Puppet Master, a renowned S-Level fierce ghost. His signature weapon was the puppet thread. His own ability wasn¡¯t particularly powerful, but it was one that was difficult to deal with. Regardless of whether it was a fierce ghost or a player, as long as he captures their weak point, he would be able to draw out the soul and turn them into a puppet that he could manipulate. Being able to manipulate a troop of thousands of puppets, he belonged to an existence that no one wanted to face in the game. Ji Xuan put away the thread and continued, ¡°I also caught another fierce ghost close to A-Level in strength to the west of the city that was also looking for you. It also had a puppet thread like this in its body.¡± He looked at Ye Jia and casually added, ¡°Everyone knows how much he treasures his puppets¡­.I had no idea the feud between the two of you was this bad.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He averted his gaze. He didn¡¯t want to talk about this. He asked, ¡°Have you managed to locate him?¡± Ji Xuan laughed and didn¡¯t continue asking about that matter just now, ¡°I did find some clues¡­.¡± He asked, ¡°Want to come hunting together tonight?¡± Ye Jia thought about it for a while and agreed. If he let an S-Level fierce ghost that can manipulate other existences wreak havoc in the city, who knew what kind of trouble it could lead up to. Furthermore, Puppet Master had come to this city in order to find him. ¡ª¨C If that was the case, then he would go find him himself. Ye Jia lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the cold light in his eyes. Ji Xuan chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it¡­..¡± Fighting together. How long had it been since they did it last? He could no longer remember. Ji Xuan retracted his gaze, his expression still calm. Just as he turned to leave, he was suddenly stopped by Ye Jia behind him, ¡°Wait¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan was surprised. He turned to look at Ye Jia. Please read this from kk translates He saw the other party quickly glance over at him before slightly averting his gaze and asking with some difficulty, ¡°You¡­..Will you be like this tonight too?¡± Ji Xuan almost couldn¡¯t hide the smile deepening on his lips. He pretended to be disappointed, ¡°Oh¡­.you don¡¯t like this?¡± ¡°Then¡­.¡± He once again used his sweet female voice to ask, ¡°Gege, which appearance of mine do you like?¡± In an instant, Ye Jia felt goosebumps forming all over him. As if he had encountered a snake, he quickly retreated back to increase the distance between the two of them, ¡°Just¡­.just the one from before is fine.¡± The enchanting woman blinked a few times, ¡°Big one or small one?¡± Ye Jia was embarrassed, ¡°Big one¡­..¡± He realised that something wasn¡¯t right as soon as he said that and a blush immediately formed all over his thin skin. Ji Xuan¡¯s gaze fell onto the base of the other party¡¯s red ears, his eyes dark. He slowly raised the corners of his lips and used his low adult male voice, ¡°Understood¡­..¡± After sending Ji Xuan away, Ye Jia returned to the abandoned factory wearing a cold expression on his face. The newcomers he was guiding immediately surrounded him. They had been working with Ye Jia for a while and already knew that the other party wasn¡¯t a superior who liked to place himself above the others. All their faces were flushed with excitement for gossip as they stared brightly at Ye Jia and asked, ¡°Hey, Brother Ye, who was that just now?¡± ¡°Your girlfriend? So blessed!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah. She was certainly very beautiful, but I didn¡¯t expect Brother Ye to like this type of beauty¡­.¡± ¡°Huh, what are you talking about? If my girlfriend looked that good, no matter what type she is, I would always wake up with a smile on my face, alright?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a pity. There were several ladies in the other departments who have asked me for Brother Ye¡¯s WeChat. If they knew that Brother Ye is already taken, they might be very upset.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Hearing them gossiping next to him, he maintained a wooden expression. Inside, he viciously drew a cross next to Ji Xuan¡¯s name. Sooner or later, I will kill you! That night¡­¡­.. Ye Jia arrived at the agreed place. As soon as he stepped out of his ghost domain, he was almost knocked over by the blood gu fish who had charged over. It had been too long since it last saw him. The blood gu fish seemed to be particularly excited to see him again as it wagged its tail and swum around him over and over again. From time to time, it would press its skull head against Ye Jia¡¯s hand, asking to be pet. Even if he had already made up his mind that he was only here for official matters, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but smile and scratch the blood gu fish¡¯s chin. Ji Xuan stood on the side. He had returned to his true appearance. With his sharp and deep features, broad shoulders, tall height and long legs, even if he didn¡¯t say anything and just stood there, he still gave off an invisible oppressive air. He lowered his eyes, his scarlet blood-like eyes hidden under the long eyelashes, and his gaze stopped on Ye Jia who was petting the fish not far away. There was no particular expression on this man¡¯s face, but the air he gave off was exceptionally soft. Ye Jia finally broke free from the overly enthusiastic blood gu fish and stood up and looked over at Ji Xuan, ¡°How was it? Have you found Puppet Master?¡± Ji Xuan pointed at a dark street not far away, ¡°Mostly.¡± It was a traditional street located in M City with bluestone slabs on the ground gleaming bleakly under the moonlight and rows of traditional shops lining along both sides of this street. As the city had not yet completely recovered economically, the shops here hadn¡¯t been open for a while and even some of the doors hung lopsidedly from the doorframes. Overall, the entire street looked dark and desolate in the night. There were no unusual yin energy fluctuations here but if one had enough experience, it was clear that¡­¡­.. Something wasn¡¯t right. The blood gu fish slowly sank down into the ground. A few minutes later, circles of blood-red ripples appeared on the ground and the blood gu fish¡¯s skull head appeared again. It gently rubbed its head against Ji Xuan¡¯s palm. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and narrowed them slightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡­¡± ¡ª¨C Looks like it had found a clue. Ye Jia nodded. The two walked towards that street one after another with the blood gu fish slowly swimming beside them, but before it could swim more than a few metres, it was stopped by Ji Xuan: ¡°Wait for us here.¡± The blood gu fish looked at Ye Jia and waved its tail as if it was pleading. Ye Jia, ¡°He¡¯s right¡­..¡± Puppet Master¡¯s ability was too difficult to deal with and he was also an S-Level fierce ghost. If the blood gu fish was accidentally taken control of, then the situation wouldn¡¯t be very good ¡ª¨C When facing Puppet Master, the fewer people, the better, or it would give the other party a chance to retaliate. The blood gu fish hung its head in disappointment. It obediently waited at the entrance to the street, no longer following them. Ji Xuan retracted his gaze and raised a brow, ¡°Compared to me, it seems to listen to you more.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t look at him. He just said coldly, ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t you do some self-reflection?¡± Ji Xuan, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The two walked on side by side. Cold night wind slowly swept through the unmanned shops on both sides of the street and the cold and distant moon above them would occasionally be hidden by the dark clouds blown its way, making the street appear particularly dark and gloomy. In the dead silence, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard. Suddenly, a hoarse creak sounded not far ahead. Two door panels slowly opened to both sides, revealing the darkness inside that couldn¡¯t be dispersed by the moonlight. It seemed to be inviting them in. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes, his fingers emitting a cold light. The two approached the open door. The moment they crossed the threshold, a dim light slowly lit up, illuminating the shop. The space inside was unexpectedly large, but it was also unexpectedly crowded. From the top to bottom, on the tables and on the shelves, they were all filled with dolls, leaving only a narrow passage in the middle. Those dolls that filled the place were either standing or sitting or lying down, but they all maintained the same strange smile on their faces which looked particularly eerie in a dim room like this. All of them stared straight at the door, their soulless eyes watching the intruders. ¡°This really is his style.¡± Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and scanned across the row of dolls sitting on the table. The door behind them slammed shut. Ye Jia looked around at the inside of the shop and reached a conclusion¡ª¨C This place had been transformed by yin energy. It was almost half a ghost domain. And the other party was hiding inside it, waiting for their arrival. Ye Jia gripped his weapon tightly and wordlessly followed the passage. As he advanced ahead, the surrounding dolls also turned their heads, following his figure with their soulless eyes. At this moment, a hoarse voice travelled over from above his head, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the great Ghost King to come in person.¡± Please read this from kk translates ¡°Heeheeheehee¡­.¡± Puppet Master let out strange laugh, ¡°Did you know? Mother is very upset about you.¡± ¡°But our loving Mother still has no idea that you have taken refuge with the humans. She still holds hope for you, believing that you wouldn¡¯t lose your way and would return to her arms and become her good child.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice moved from one end of the place to the other, ¡°Heeheehee, but I don¡¯t think so¡­.Your well-behaved act may have fooled Mother, but you can¡¯t fool me¡­.You have never had the same goals as us, have you?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s expression was calm. It was as if he wasn¡¯t affected by the other party¡¯s words at all. He raised a brow, ¡°So you were sent here by Mother?¡± ¡°Heeheeheehee¡­¡­¡± Puppet Master let out a low laugh, ¡°Yes, and also no.¡± His voice again moved to the other end of the room. It seemed like it was coming from all directions, ¡°It could be said that we all want the same thing and we all want to achieve the same goals¡­.Perhaps you are the same, no?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes darkened. Of course, he knew what the other party was talking about ¡ª- But this was the only thing he wasn¡¯t willing to give up on. The moment Puppet Master was done speaking, the sound of something sharp cutting through the air broke the silence¡ª- As fast as lightning, numerous puppet threads that were as sharp as knives flew towards them! Ye Jia was already in a highly alert state. His crescent shaped scythe appeared in an instant, drawing a gorgeous arc in the air. Along with loud snapping sounds, countless broken puppet threads slowly fell, resembling falling snow. ¡°Heeheeheehee¡­¡­¡± Puppet Master seemed to have already expected this. His strange laughter sounded from all directions. The broken puppet threads on the ground seemed to be alive. It crawled towards the surrounding shelves and swiftly entered the lifeless dolls there. Following that, clattering sounds could be heard in the dark. It sounded like bones rubbing against each other. Just the sound alone made one feel a chill run down their backs. All the dolls started to move. Their bodies expanded and strange smiles hung from their pale faces. Their limbs twisted and moved and, using a terrifying speed, they charged towards the two people standing in the middle of the room! ¡°Even after all this time¡­.¡± A male voice spoke with some mockery, ¡°you still like to use the same old tricks huh?¡± Scarlet waves surged from the ground. They charged towards the dolls. The sea of blood contained a terrible power. All the dolls were crushed and washed away as soon as they were hit by the waves. Sounds of their joints breaking echoed in this dark space. The surging blood-red waves rushed through between the shelves, dividing the entire place into dark and red colours. It swallowed up anything within its reach. Only Ye Jia who stood in the middle of the room was completely untouched by the bloody waves. ¡°So crude¡­.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice became a little dark. He seemed to be in a bad mood, ¡°You think you can get away with destroying my collection?¡± ¡°But¡­.before I left, Mother gave me a small gift. It¡¯s something that would allow me to no longer be threatened by you, or that so called direct descendant connection of yours.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice turned sharp. He began to cackle loudly, ¡°Hahaha, Mother¡¯s love, isn¡¯t it just wonderful?¡± The next second, Ye Jia¡¯s vision turned hazy. The sea of blood and Ji Xuan, they were all gone. Only darkness was left as well as the seemingly endless shelves that were filled with dolls of all sizes, all staring at him with different expressions. Silence filled the place. Ye Jia gripped tightly onto the scythe in his hand and vigilantly looked around at his surroundings. He quickly made a judgement inside. No matter how powerful this so-called Mother¡¯s gift was, it was impossible for one to directly eliminate the Ghost King, Ji Xuan. As such, the only possibility was that the other party and himself may have been sent to two different locations. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and scanned the shelf in front of him. He was a little surprised. The dolls here didn¡¯t look the same as the ones before. Although each of the dolls earlier had their own characteristics, they were all of human figures and they all had the same strange smile on their faces, but here, it was different. In addition to human dolls, there were also ugly and grotesque ghosts and monsters. All their expressions were extremely exaggerated and fixed in looks of fear, panic and despair. ¡ª-This was that Puppet Master¡¯s real collection. Ahead, Puppet Master¡¯s voice sounded. ¡°Look¡­¡­.¡± Two large hands appeared from the darkness. Those hands had no skin or flesh, it was purely bones with sharp needle-like fingers. In the large palm that was almost half his size sat a small doll. That doll had light-coloured hair and amber eyes. It held a scythe in its arms and looked at Ye Jia with a sorrowful gaze. ¡°Only one more step until it¡¯s complete.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice trembled with uncontrollable excitement, ¡°You will become part of my most precious collection.¡± Ye Jia sneered, ¡°Go to hell¡­¡­¡± ¡°Heeheehee¡­¡­.¡± Puppet Master slowly stored away the doll. His voice was low and vicious, ¡°Last time I let you leave, but it won¡¯t be the same this time.¡± As soon as he was done speaking, thin puppet threads appeared above him and the countless puppets on the shelves started to let out low whispers. Ye Jia raised his head. As if the lid covering a huge doll box had been removed, a bony hand appeared in the darkness above. Countless puppet threads fell onto the dolls on the shelves. The clattering sounds could be heard again. Countless fierce ghosts who had become a puppet raised their heads and began to move. They faced Ye Jia and their mouths all opened and closed at the same time. ¡°Welcome¡­¡­¡± . On the other side. With a cold expression, Ji Xuan followed the narrow passage. The sea of blood around him roared and, following his steps, it engulfed all other existences along his path. ¡°Where is he?¡± The man¡¯s scarlet eyes held clear killing intent. Dark energy surged in the depths of his eyes as he enunciated each word with great emphasis, ¡°Where is he?¡± The surrounding dolls tied to resist, but they were all completely swallowed up by the blood. ¡°Heeheeheehee¡­..¡± Puppet Master chuckled, ¡°He¡¯s mine now¡­..¡± Ji Xuan immediately narrowed his eyes. His expression had never been this terrifying. Terrible ghost energy rose from his body, cutting through everything around him like a sharp knife. The darkness was torn apart by that overwhelming force, revealing what¡¯s concealed behind it. A young man¡¯s figure appeared. With light-coloured hair and amber eyes, he turned and looked at Ji Xuan with a sorrowful gaze, ¡°A¡¯Xuan¡­..¡± He said. CH 48 Ye Jia had met Puppet Master twice. The first time they met, he had not yet been given the name Ace. At that time, he and his teammates had entered an instance created by Puppet Master and of the fifteen players, six had died and eight were turned into puppets. Only Ye Jia managed to escape. The second time they met, he was ranked 23rd on the leaderboard and had entered a dual boss instance. In order the escape the death trap set by the other boss, Ye Jia had made use of Puppet Master¡¯s strange hobby of collecting puppets. Faced with the opportunity to once again obtain the player who had managed to escape last time and make him a part of his puppet collection, Puppet Master took the bait but in the end¡­..Ye Jia had flipped his collection room upside down, destroying several of his favourite puppets in the process, and managed to escape. And so, the enmity between them formed. Since then, Ye Jia would often see his name appear on the hatred leaderboard and Puppet Master would always be the one offering the highest reward. Looking at the hideous puppets before him, Ye Jia raised a brow thoughtfully, ¡°Looks like your collection has increased considerably since last time.¡± ¡°Heeheehee¡­..Do you like it?¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice carried strange gentleness and obsession, ¡°You will become one of them too.¡± Ye Jia chuckled lightly and looked up at the manipulating hand floating in the dark sky above him, ¡°Why? You still haven¡¯t learnt your lesson?¡± Although his tone was relaxed, his eyes were sharp and alert. ¡ª¨C Even in the game, Puppet Master wasn¡¯t a particularly easy character to get along with. Not to mention, the other party had also come with preparations. Sure enough, the moment he finished speaking, those puppets that were under the control of invisible threads began to charge towards the young man standing in the middle of the darkness. A bright light gleamed in the darkness as a scythe silently cut through those fierce ghosts. It was fast and swift. At that moment, the sound of threads snapping could be heard. All the puppets that had lost its threads instantly fell limply to the ground, as if it had their bones removed. For a moment, Ye Jia wasn¡¯t able to process this. Wait a minute¡­..that was it? It can¡¯t be? Before he could figure out what was happening, the puppet threads on the ground squirmed and swiftly entered the bodies of those puppets. The sound of skin and flesh being pierced through sounded. It was as if something was being sewed up. Those countless twisted and awkwardly angled limbs all moved in the same direction, as if they were pulled by some invisible force. The countless pale and grotesque bodies slowly stitched together, forming a horrifically large monster. Ye Jia had to raise his head up to barely be able to see the monster in its entirety. ¡°Heeheehee¡­..¡± Puppet Master¡¯s voice travelled over from afar. His pride was evident in his voice, ¡°This is my latest masterpiece. Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± He took in that enormous monster with difficulty, took in a deep breath and slowly asked, ¡°F-fusion?¡± Puppet Master: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His voice suddenly turned shrill. He seemed to be extremely angered, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can still be this arrogant after seeing this!¡± The thin fingers above Ye Jia suddenly moved. Immediately afterwards, that huge and grotesque monster moved. With every step taken, the ground would tremble violently, causing the surroundings shelves to topple over one after another and the entire place to shake along with it. Ye Jia tightened his grip around his scythe and cautiously took a few steps back to increase the distance between himself and that monster. Ridiculing may be ridiculing, but this monster was indeed much stronger than all those puppets earlier. What was worse was that this one didn¡¯t have any obvious puppet threads that he could see as they were all deeply concealed inside that grotesque monster. This made it harder for him to locate its weak point. Ye Jia tried a few things on it. But he soon discovered that all the limbs he cut off would always reattach back onto that monster in another location. He was completely unable to inflict any damage to it. ¡ª In that case, in order to capture the bandit, one must first capture the ringleader. Ye Jia¡¯s thoughts moved very quickly. He immediately stepped onto the shelf beside him, his figure agile and light. He quickly dodged the monster¡¯s giant and pale hand that was thrown his way and jumped up into the air! The scythe in his hand drew a beautiful arc, but it only sank into the darkness above him. He couldn¡¯t feel it coming into contact with anything. Puppet Master¡¯s hand however was indeed right in front of him. Ye Jia was stunned. ¡ª¨CWhat was going on? . Ji Xuan¡¯s steps subconsciously came to a stop. Ahead, the young man stood at the junction between light and dark, his figure tall and straight. His amber eyes reflected the scarlet waves not far in front of him. He stretched out a hand towards Ji Xuan. His fingers were extremely pale and slender, almost becoming a blur with the bright light behind him, as if it was about to melt into it like snow. ¡°A¡¯Xuan¡­¡­¡± The young man¡¯s voice was calm and sorrowful. It carried a strange sense of vulnerability. Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, those scarlet eyes filled with indecipherable emotions. In that instant, several puppet threads that were as tough as steel attacked from behind him. With that angle, it was impossible to avoid! The sea of blood silently rose, swallowing up those puppet threads. Almost at the same time, a large scythe appeared in that young man¡¯s hand and a cold and dangerous light flashed across the depths of his amber eyes. In an extremely fierce manner, he cut down. Accompanying it was the sound of a blade cutting through the air. Ji Xuan quickly backed away, dodging this attack. A strange colour flashed in the depths of his eyes. He had known from the very beginning that this definitely wasn¡¯t Ye Jia. With Ye Jia¡¯s current attitude towards him, not immediately charging over to cut him down was already very unlikely, let alone calling him A¡¯Xuan. But¡­¡­ Ji Xuan once again avoided the other party¡¯s attack. Brushing past the blade and stopping next to the young man, he lowered his head and gently sniffed the other party¡¯s scent. It was cold, with a hint of blood. Although the smell was very faint, it indeed belonged to the other party. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the Ye Jia who continued to attack him. The young man¡¯s eyes were cold and fierce, and he moved as if he had undergoing thousands of battles, extremely skilled and dexterous. His entire being was like an unsheathed blade, shining a dangerous cold light. But unexpectedly, that young man suddenly stopped attacking and suddenly leapt up into the air and slashed at the darkness above him, before landing back onto the ground. Ji Xuan was slightly startled. What was going on? On the other end. Ye Jia furrowed his brows. The monster¡¯s attacks were becoming more and more fierce, but he couldn¡¯t inflict any real damage to it. It was like a huge quagmire, swallowing every attack he threw at it. And even more strangely¡­. Using the time he had in between avoiding the attacks, Ye Jia glanced up at the sky above him. As long as it was an existence from inside the game, his weapon could cut through it, but he had attacked Puppet Master¡¯s hands just now and it just went through as if he was cutting through nothing. There were only two explanations for this¡ª- Either Puppet Master¡¯s hand wasn¡¯t actually there, or¡­.he wasn¡¯t where he thought he was. Ye Jia pieced together his thoughts while continuing to avoid the giant monster¡¯s attacks, his mind working fast. He went through every detail from the moment he entered this shop in his mind ¡ª¨C Nothing seemed to be off except for when he and Ji Xuan was suddenly separated. Why were they separated? Logically speaking, it would be in order to deal with them individually¡­. Ye Jia seemed to have realised something. He looked up at the sky. Please read this from kk translates The two hands were still floating above him. The thin fingers flew about as if they were dancing. If it was to deal with them individually, why was Puppet Master only staying on his end? In any case, Ji Xuan was the Ghost King. Ye Jia didn¡¯t think Puppet Master would overlook his existence and just deal with himself, leaving Ji Xuan alone. ¡ª-Perhaps¡­.the two of them weren¡¯t actually separated in the first place. . Ji Xuan dodged. The surrounding waves of blood piled on top of each other, surging into the air wave after wave, blocking the young man¡¯s attacks. He cautiously stepped back, distancing himself from the other party and began to ponder over the identity of the young man before him. A puppet? Didn¡¯t seem to be the case¡­¡­ If Puppet Master wanted to create a puppet, he would need to put the other party¡¯s soul into a container he created so that he could control it anytime and anywhere ¡ª- The entire process was like an intricate operation and it must be done when the victim¡¯s mentality is at its weakest so the stronger one¡¯s mind was, the longer the process. Ji Xuan didn¡¯t think that Puppet Master would be able to subdue Ye Jia and complete this operation in such a short period of time. But he could definitely smell Ye Jia¡¯s scent coming from the other party. Although it was faint, it was something that couldn¡¯t be faked. Looks like this has something to do with that gift Mother gave. Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes. The bloody waves around him moved at his will, condensing into a sharp blade. It cut through the air and charged straight towards the young man. It was aimed directly at his heart. . Ye Jia furrowed his brows as he watched the huge monster in front of him change its attack. It¡¯s sturdy pale limbs turned into a almost blade-like shape and immediately began to aim at his heart. Every attack was deadly, he almost couldn¡¯t find the time to think about the current situation. He could only use his own fighting abilities to resist and counterattack again and again, but. again, he couldn¡¯t inflict any damage to it. Above him, Puppet Master snickered silently in the dark¡ª¨C He had never been so happy. Not only did he have here the Ace that had managed to escape from him several times, but he also had the so-called Ghost King playing in the palms of his hands. How wonderful, how refreshing, how exhilarating this was! Mother knew these two really well ¡ª- They both fought the same way and were used to killing without mercy. With just a little trick, without even needing to do anything, they had become puppets manipulated by him on his stage. Heeheehee¡­¡­.. . Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly. When he saw the other party block his attack, he was able to confirm one thing. ¡ª- The other party was able to respond to his attacks. If that was the case, if his guesses were right, the enemy Ye Jia was fighting against on his end had probably thrown out a similar attack. The young man¡¯s sudden jump just now was a sign that Puppet Master couldn¡¯t directly control Ye Jia¡¯s actions. So, he could only control that enemy. And in order to ensure that every one of Ye Jia¡¯s attack would land, Puppet Master had to ensure that the enemy¡¯s position would always correspond to his position when attacking Ye Jia. In that case, the enemy must be large enough to avoid missing Ji Xuan¡¯s position. Very clever. But how to clear through this? Because whether or not Ji Xuan attacked, the enemy on the opposite side wouldn¡¯t stop attacking. So in order to protect himself, Ye Jia also couldn¡¯t stop. Ji Xuan silently curled up the corners of his lips and glanced at the darkness ahead with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite like a smile. The next second, a large bloody wave swelled up to a terrible size, charging straight towards the young man. All the surrounding bloody waves also condensed into sharp blades. There were so many of them around him, the young man¡¯s figure was almost completely swallowed up. Puppet Master became excited. Was Ghost King finally getting serious? Was he finally done with testing the other party out and ready to end this fight? He stared at the two overlapping spaces before him, his entire body trembling with excitement. In order to ensure that the two would be in battle at the same time, he had only copied Ye Jia¡¯s appearance, but Ji Xuan¡¯s stand-in was different. The only link that was made with Ji Xuan was his location, but as for how and when the attacks were launched, it was all manually manipulated by Puppet Master. This would prevent them from stopping at the same time and noticing that something wasn¡¯t right. However, because the two were too powerful, even with Mother¡¯s help, Puppet Master couldn¡¯t maintain control of both ends at the same time, so this kind of manual manipulation could only be maintained for a short period of time. Once they have become fully immersed in the fight, he was finally able to loosen his control and let his puppets move on its own. And now, Ji Xuan had finally stopped avoiding the attacks and began launch out attacks himself. ¡ª He could finally achieve both his and his mother¡¯s objectives. Only like this could Ji Xuan be the one in full control of that last fatal blow¡ª¨COnly like this could he destroy that fierce ghosts¡¯ arrogance and pride and, at the same time, render that human he had long coveted after into a truly weak state. Thinking this, Puppet Master connected another thread onto Ji Xuan. He smiled in the darkness, happily waiting for what was to come after this. . Ye Jia stared coldly at the giant puppet before him. For some reason, it seemed to have suddenly changed its way of attacking. Countless severed limbs floated in the air, condensing into sharp tips. Every joint on its body let out a harsh rubbing sound and roar before it began to charge towards him. Ye Jia however had already started to form some doubts over his current situation. And so, he didn¡¯t face those attacks head-on and just dexterously drew back. Surrounded by waves of blood, a faint smile flickered across Ji Xuan¡¯s lips. A touch of irrational obsession and madness flashed in the depths of his scarlet eyes. Just as the attacks were about to make contact, he suddenly stopped and hit the edge of the other party¡¯s blade with his neck¡ª- Ye Jia was startled. The puppet before him had suddenly stopped attacking and instead charged towards him, only to press its weakest point against his blade. ¡ª-This position was very familiar¡­.. It almost reminded him of¡­¡­. He suddenly realised something. In an instant, everything made sense. Ye Jia¡¯s pupils instantly constricted. He almost didn¡¯t even need to think and acted purely on instinct. The sharp scythe in his hand suddenly turned and cut towards the top of his head¡ª¨C ¡°Snap¡ª¡ª¡± The sound of a puppet thread snapping seemed particularly loud in the dark and silent space. ¡°No!¡± Puppet Master¡¯s shout sounded above his head, almost causing the entire space to tremble. Several shimmering threads fell from above his head. Unlike the earlier puppet threads, these ones were thinner and softer, and it glistened a blood-red colour under the dark background. . The bloody waves slowly receded, and the black and white boundaries slowly began to blend with each other, gradually revealing the doll shop¡¯s earlier appearance. The young man before him was gone. Ji Xuan who stood alone in a blank space spread open his hand. After the thread was cut, a small doll had fallen from the air, landing in his palm. Light-coloured hair, amber eyes, small arms carrying a scythe that was completely different from its original size and a sad expression on its small face. So cute¡­¡­ Ji Xuan pinched the small doll in his hand and then poked the scythe it was holding, the corners of his lips hooking up slightly. While he was indulging himself with playing with the little Ye Jia, the real Ye Jia¡¯s voice sounded from behind him ¡°Hey¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan quickly stuffed the doll in his pocket and then turned to look back, ¡°Hmm¡­.?¡± As soon as he turned around, the young man behind him punched him in the face with great force. Please read this from kk translates Ji Xuan: ¡°?¡± Did he see him playing with the doll just now? But before he could react, Ye Jia sneered, ¡°You really like to hit you neck against my scythe?¡± He held Ji Xuan¡¯s shoulders and fiercely kneed him in the stomach. Ji Xuan, ¡°Cough, cough, cough!¡± Ye Jia coldly watched the man bend over and cough, ¡°Are you fucking stupid?¡± His scythe appeared again in his hand, and he pointed the blade at Ji Xuan. The cold light coming from the blade was rather bright in the dark space, ¡°Are you addicted to it? Come, why don¡¯t you give it another go?¡± Ji Xuan lowered his head. His couldn¡¯t stop the corners of his lips from rising. But when he raised his head again, his expression had returned to his earlier look of innocence, ¡°I knew you must¡¯ve realised that something wasn¡¯t right and just needed a small hint¡­..¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes dangerously, ¡°Hint?¡± In fact, when the scene around him gradually disappeared and the previous appearance of the doll shop reappeared, Ye Jia had realised what Puppet Master had done. He and Ji Xuan in fact hadn¡¯t been separated in the first place but were trapped in two nearly overlapping spaces. That was why Puppet Master could simultaneously manipulate the two spaces he and Ji Xuan were in. And Mother¡¯s gift was probably that blood-red puppet thread. It could create a stand-in without affecting the mind of the person it had been implanted into and that stand-in could replicate the other party¡¯s position and attacks. This gift and that overlapping ghost domain were almost complementary to each other. They helped each other and cooperated very smoothly. However, Puppet Master had also retained a certain degree of control of the situation the entire time so that he could guide the everything and ensure that it developed the way he wanted it to develop. As such, Ji Xuan¡¯s behaviour just now was extremely stupid. As the Ghost King, Ye Jia didn¡¯t believe that he didn¡¯t have other ways of giving him a ¡®hint¡¯. For him to choose to take the most dangerous path, it was simply¡­.. ¡°Psychopath¡­..¡± Ye Jia coldly threw that word out and stored the scythe away before turning and walking deeper into the shop. Puppet Master hadn¡¯t been caught yet. He didn¡¯t want to waste his time here. The corners of Ji Xuan¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help but raise. He quickly chased after him, ¡°Gege¡­.¡± ¡°If you call me gege again, I will cut off your tongue.¡± The young man warned without looking back. Ji Xuan: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Looks like he had taken it a bit too far this time. After the ghost domain was gone, the shop had returned to its normal appearance again. But that giant puppet from earlier didn¡¯t disappear together with the ghost domain. It continued to stand in the depths of the shop with dense ghost energy circling around it. It continued to unconsciously send out attacks. Behind the giant puppet. ¡°Why¡­¡­.why?!¡± Puppet Master was in disbelief. He found that he couldn¡¯t activate his ghost domain anymore. At some point in time, all the yin energy in his body was gone. He couldn¡¯t even escape now. Following the sound of something being stabbed, the scythe cut the giant puppet in half. It¡¯s broken body immediately collapsed, exposing Puppet Master who was hiding behind it. The moment he saw the other party, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but be surprised, ¡°Puppet Master?¡± Without his yin energy, even the illusion he had created was gone. A child stood behind the puppet, glaring at them viciously. His voice had lost the hoarseness and maturity from before, but the childish voice was equally dark and bitter, ¡°You dare look at me?! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­¡± Speaking of which, he had never seen Puppet Master¡¯s true appearance. Every time the other party appeared; it was always two large hands with sharp, needle-like fingers. He had never expected that to have been an illusion. No wonder he liked to play with dolls. But although he had now seen the other party¡¯s true appearance, Ye Jia still couldn¡¯t sympathise with the fierce ghost before him. He knew very well the difference between a fierce ghost and a human. The child before him may only appear about seven or eight years old, but he may have lived for more than seven or eight hundred years. Furthermore, having interacted with this fierce ghost more than once, he knew very well what a vicious and terrifying existence this one was ¡ª¡ª Killing it was the best option. The scythe in his hand glowed. Ye Jia stared coldly at the child before him before silently hooking up the corners of his lips. A cruel light flashed across his amber eyes, ¡°I really want to know how you would taste.¡± The scythe cut through the air and fell down¡ª¡ª- Puppet Master wasn¡¯t afraid. He let out a vicious laugh, ¡°HAHAH! Whether you kill me or torture me, you can¡¯t stop Mother from sending more fierce ghosts¡­.¡± Ye Jia was slightly stunned. He stopped his attack, ¡°You¡¯re right¡­..¡± Puppet Master: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Ye Jia stored the scythe away, ¡°I should torture you a little.¡± He pointed at the child and then turned and said to Ji Xuan, ¡°I¡¯ll leave him to you. Remember to torture out Mother¡¯s next plans from him.¡± Puppet Master: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± At this moment, a faint fluctuation could be felt from a distance. Ji Xuan, ¡°Your Bureau¡¯s people have come.¡± Sure enough, as soon as he finished saying that, a delicate female voice sounded not far away, ¡°Hello? Is anyone here?¡± ¡°If not, I¡¯ll be entering!¡± Following that was the roar of a chainsaw and the door panel was instantly cut in half. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± Oh no¡­¡­. Because he had come out with Ji Xuan this time¡­..he had forgotten to wear a hood. It would also be too late activating his ghost domain now. After all, the changes made when it is activated may not be noticed by ordinary people from the Bureau, but it was something that couldn¡¯t be hidden from players with high rankings. Ji Xuan raised his hand and gently held Ye Jia¡¯s waist, pulling his stiffened body into his arms and pressing him against his cold chest. He lowered his head and brought his thin lips close to Ye Jia¡¯s ears. In a low voice that carried a hint of a smile, he said, ¡°Gege, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here.¡± CH 49 Wei Yuechi entered the shop. She carried a chainsaw that didn¡¯t match her small figure. It continued to roar loudly, the sound particularly deafening in the dark night. Ye Jia subconsciously took a step back, but his back hit the other man¡¯s chest. As soon as he stopped, he turned and glanced back at Ji Xuan. The other man looked down at him. His scarlet eyes that gleamed in the dark carried a trace of amusement. He raised his hand and placed his index finger on his lips, silently making a ¡®shush¡¯ gesture. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Aren¡¯t you being immature? Wei Yuechu looked around the chaotic storefront, her gaze passing them as if she couldn¡¯t see them, before stopping at the giant puppet in the depths of the shop. The lifeless body which had lost the threads controlling it laid silently on the ground, forming a small mountain. The air was filled with a thick bloody scent. It made the scene before her look like one that came out from a nightmare. The young woman stepped forward without a change to her expression. She lowered her head and examined the corpse before her. She reached out and traced the large wound on that ran through the corpse ¡ª It seemed to have been cut by something sharp. It had managed to cut through the monster¡¯s sturdy body without much trouble. The roar of car engines could be heard outside. Wei Yuechu stood up and turned to walk back out. Wu Su hurriedly got out of the car, ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°The battle is already over.¡± Wei Yuechu sighed and turned off the chainsaw in her hand. Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Why do you sound disappointed? Wei Yuechu turned and glanced back at the dark shop, ¡°It¡¯s Ace.¡± ¡°Ace?¡± Wu Su was taken aback. Wei Yuechu asked sternly, ¡°Did you really contact Ace?¡± Wu Su: ¡°Of course I have!¡± When Maid showed up, the first thing he did was to contact Ace about it, but the other party hadn¡¯t responded even after a whole day had passed. Wei Yuechu lowered her head and kicked away a stone beside her feet. She grumbled, ¡°Then why does he have time to deal with this but not see us?¡± Wu Su had a gloating expression, ¡°Maybe the relationship between you and Ace isn¡¯t really as good as you think it is.¡± Wei Yuechu narrowed her eyes and looked up at Wu Su murderously, ¡°What?!¡± Wu Su glanced at the chainsaw in her hand and immediately changed his attitude, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s probably because he¡¯s too busy.¡± One should know when to back down. Wei Yuechu let out a cold snort and decided to let him off this time. She pointed at the shop behind her and said, ¡°The thing inside has already been dealt with by Ace so there is no threat, but there may be a lot of fierce ghosts and players appearing for the time being, so I suggest you pay more attention and send some people out to patrol the area or something.¡± Wu Su: ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± Several members of the Bureau had already begun to do their jobs behind them. They put up yellow tape and then entered the shop while fully armed to clean out the place. At this moment, Wei Yuechu seemed to have felt something. She immediately turned to look towards the end of this street. A rare solemn look flashed across her eyes, ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡­.¡± . A scarlet crack suddenly appeared inside the empty hotel room. Immediately afterwards, two figures appeared in the centre of the room. Both were tall adult men. In an instant, the small hotel room became a lot more cramped. As soon as he landed, Ye Jia immediately moved to create some distance between himself and Ji Xuan. He pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. In fact, thinking about it now, there were actually many ways of avoiding Wei Yuechu at the shop just now, but after Ji Xuan interrupted his thoughts, his mind seemed to have stopped working and he actually followed him to a corner of the room, held his breath and waited for the other party to leave the shop before activating the ghost domain to leave the scene. How stupid of him. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t even bear to think back to it. It seems that every time Ji Xuan is around, his mood and ability to think seemed to be more or less affected. This feeling made him uncomfortable. As expected, everything will be fine as long as he stayed away from him¡ª¨CYou will be fine, I will be fine, everyone will be fine. Using a business-like tone, Ye Jia tried to subtly make the other party leave, ¡°So, do you have any other business to attend to?¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t answer. He stood in the centre of the room with his scarlet eyes half narrowed. Invisible threads of energy spread out, probing every nook and cranny of this small hotel room. Ji Xuan slowly looked around the room and frowned, ¡°You¡¯re staying here?¡± The surprise in his tone was evident. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± He took in a deep breath and slowly spoke up, ¡°If you could fix my apartment earlier, I wouldn¡¯t need to stay here.¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t seem to hear the irony in the other person¡¯s words. He pulled out a chair, and, as if he was the owner of this place, sat down and crossed his legs, ¡°How are you going to interrogate that Puppet Master?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°I believe you should know of more ways than me.¡± Ji Xuan raised a brow, ¡°That may not necessarily be the case¡­.¡± He raised his finger slightly and a small child tied up securely appeared before them. Pure anger poured out from those glaring eyes of his as his short legs struggled about. The viciousness in his eyes couldn¡¯t be concealed, ¡°Mmmmm!¡± Ji Xuan tapped the table with his finger at a regular rhythm. He continued, ¡°All S-Level fierce ghosts have a strong tolerance for torture. Even if you peel off their skins and pull out their bones, you won¡¯t be able to get anything out from them.¡± Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling onto Puppet Master before him, and asked slowly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Puppet Master: ¡°Mmmm!¡± Ye Jia frowned slightly. That was indeed quite true. Whether it was a player or a ghost, as long as they have spent some time in the game, their threshold for pain and torture would¡¯ve improved significantly. If they used the normal methods of torture, it would be almost impossible for them to get anything out from him. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°Where are his puppets?¡± Ji Xuan understood Ye Jia¡¯s intentions. He hooked up his lips, ¡°Give me some time¡­.¡± Puppet Master seemed to have realised something. His eyes immediately widened, and he glared viciously at Ye Jia. It was as if he wanted to kill Ye Jia with just his eyes, ¡°Mmmmm!¡± Suddenly, Ye Jia remembered something. He turned to look at Ji Xuan, ¡°What about the blood gu fish?¡± Ji Xuan, ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Ah, I forgot. His expression however didn¡¯t show any changes. He just lightly cleared his throat and looked at the night sky in the distance, ¡°It will be here soon¡­¡­¡± . At the entrance to the street. The dark night was like black ink. The blood gu fish emerged from the ground with its goat skull raised slightly as it used its dark, hollow eyes to take in the tiny humans before it. Along with the terrible sight of blood swirling around inside its body, the terrifying oppressiveness it gave off was something any ordinary human would be unable to withstand. Wei Yuechu gripped tightly onto her chainsaw. Her slender palms were a little sweaty. She held her breath and got ready to fight, but for some reason the giant blood gu fish before her didn¡¯t seem to show any intentions to attack. It just tilted its head, as if pondering over something. Suddenly, that blood gu fish seemed to have sensed something. It raised its head and sniffed the night air. The next second, it turned around and sank back into the ground. The originally hard ground turned into something that resembled scarlet mud, instantly swallowing up blood gu fish¡¯s figure. That dangerous oppressiveness disappeared in an instant. There was still a faint smell of blood in the air. Wei Yuechu slowly breathed out. Feeling the breeze brushing past her back that was covered in cold sweat, she felt a chill run through her. Although she could be considered to have had extensive experience in the game, but when facing something like a blood gu fish, she couldn¡¯t be confident that she would win. After all, as long as that thing appears, it would bring along with it death and disaster. Very few players could escape from a blood gu fish unscathed. Upon seeing that the blood gu fish had left, the people standing behind her hurried over. Wu Su asked, ¡°How was it?¡± Wei Yuechu rested her chainsaw on the ground and used it to support herself before answering with a solemn expression, ¡°That¡¯s the Ghost King Ji Xuan¡¯s blood gu fish.¡± Her expression was still a little poor, ¡°Why would it appear here?¡± ¡ª¨CThe Ghost King Ji Xuan¡¯s blood gu fish appearing near the body of a monster that is a least A-level in strength. It made this entire situation more complicated. Wu Su was surprised, ¡°That was a blood gu fish?¡± Wei Yuechu nodded, ¡°Of course¡­..¡± The blood gu fish was a mutated species made up of various monster parts. Although they can be very different in appearance, but as long as you have encountered one, you would never mistaken it for anything else after that ¡ª- That cold hostility and that extremely powerful and terrifying presence was undoubtedly a blood gu fish. Wu Su¡¯s expression was a little strange, ¡°That¡¯s the Ghost King Ji Xuan¡¯s blood gu fish?¡± Please read this from kk translates It was now Wei Yuechu¡¯s turn to be confused, ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Wei Yuechu frowned. She was a little angry, ¡°I have been in the game for so many years and have only encountered one blood gu fish that could think for itself. How could I be mistaken?¡± Wu Su took a deep breath and slowly spoke, ¡°Um¡­.Do you remember the incident before where the monsters went on a rampage in M City?¡± Wei Yuechu nodded. ¡°I saw it¡­¡­¡± Wei Yuechu frowned. She didn¡¯t seem to understand what the other party was trying to say. Wu Su continued, ¡°It was following Ace and helped us clean up almost half of the ghosts and monsters attacking the city.¡± Wei Yuechu, ¡°Oh¡­¡­Huh?¡± Wu Su nodded and sighed, ¡°I am certain that it¡¯s the same one.¡± The other team members behind him also nodded to express that they also saw it that day. Her eyes shook. She stammered, ¡°B-but¡­..¡± Wu Su¡¯s expression became even more complicated. He waved his hand to get the others to leave and then asked, ¡°Have¡­.have you heard about the rumours?¡± It was said that Ace cleared the game after playing with and then throwing the Ghost King away and that was why Ji Xuan had issued a reward in return for any information about Ace. He wanted revenge. Wei Yuechu, ¡°That¡¯s just a rumour!¡± Wu Su sighed, ¡°I originally thought that too.¡± Wei Yuechu, ¡°Originally?¡± Wu Su, ¡°After capturing several ghosts a while ago, I discovered from them that even despite the game crashing, that hatred leaderboard still exists. Ace was originally still at the top of that leaderboard, but it was suddenly taken down. It seems that the Ghost King took it down himself.¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Wu Su patted Wei Yuechu on the shoulder and sighed, ¡°Regarding the matter about confessing, why don¡¯t you forget about it?¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± . Ye Jia didn¡¯t expect that Ji Xuan¡¯s so-called ¡®give me some time¡¯ actually referred to the next day. The phone by his pillow buzzed twice. He opened his eyes and checked the screen. Ji Xuan¡¯s message arrived, ¡°Found it¡­..¡± He sent over an address, and it was then followed by a cheerful emoticon of a person jumping. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± His finger hovered over the screen for several seconds before finally landing on the screen. He only briefly replied with a single word: Understood. Ji Xuan stared at that single word on his phone for a while. The corners of his lips couldn¡¯t help but rise. He took a screenshot and saved it. Ji Xuan then turned and looked at the small doll sitting next to him. He reached out and gently poked its soft check, his scarlet eyes that carried a smile narrowing. ¡ª-Gege, this is your first time sending me a message. How nice¡­. On the other end¡­. Seeing Ye Jia reply, the small black hand placed down the other phone and slowly inched over. After seeing the message on the other person¡¯s phone, its mood instantly fell, ¡°Ah¡­..You¡¯re going to see King again?¡± Ye Jia raised a brow, ¡°Why?¡± He suddenly realised that every time Ji Xuan appeared, the small black hand would quietly hide itself in his pocket, not daring to breathe, and would only dare come out after Ji Xuan was gone. Ye Jia, ¡°Are you afraid of him?¡± The small black hand¡¯s voice turned small, ¡°W-who wouldn¡¯t be afraid of King?¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes, ¡°He threatened you?¡± Small black hand: ¡°!¡± Its eyes were filled with tears. It really wanted to nod its head like crazy ¡ª¨C Yes! He threatened me! As long as he smells my scent on you, he will kill me! But the small black hand was bound to Ye Jia and couldn¡¯t move too far away from him, so the only thing it could do¡­..was to hide whenever Ji Xuan was around. As long as the other party doesn¡¯t see it, that threat doesn¡¯t exist! And so, the small black hand could only live in fear every day, as if it was walking on thin ice, but it also didn¡¯t dare complain about it to Ye Jia and could only say pitifully, ¡°N¡­.No¡­.¡± Ye Jia nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll speak to him.¡± The small black hand¡¯s eyes welled up. ¡ª¡ªWahhhhh Mum is the best! Ye Jia suddenly thought of something and asked, ¡°By the way, I haven¡¯t seen you playing games lately?¡± In the past, whenever it was free, the small black hand would be preoccupied playing games on the phone but perhaps it was because he had been too busy lately, he only now noticed that those sounds coming from the games had at some point in time disappeared, but the time the other party spend on the phone wasn¡¯t any less than before. And he would also sometimes see it giggling to itself. Something didn¡¯t seem right. The small black hand immediately hid its phone behind its back and said with a guilty conscience, ¡°Haha¡­.Nothing much, just surfing around¡­.¡± Behind it, the phone screen was still lit up. The screen displayed: ¡°Ghost Marriage: The Overbearing Ghost King Fell in Love with Me¡± Reading progress: 52%. Next chapter preview: Pregnant with a ghost baby. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and looked at it with some distrust. Forget it. As long as it didn¡¯t spend as much money as it did before, it should be fine. Ye Jia looked away and then put on his clothes and got ready to leave. Before leaving, he paused and looked back at the small black hand, ¡°You should know the human world very well by now, no?¡± Having managed to narrowly escape the matter with the phone, the small black hand let out a small sigh of relief before proudly puffing up its chest, ¡°Of course!¡± Ye Jia asked, ¡°Do you know what kids these days are most afraid of?¡± ¡°How old is the child?¡± Ye Jia thought for a moment and slowly spoke up, ¡°Probably the age that likes to play with transforming toys¡­..¡± . At the Bureau. Wu Su slowly let out a yawn. Ever since Cheng Cezhi was attacked, he didn¡¯t dare let the employees with little combat experience to take up the position of an interviewer and would often sit in the office to watch over the situation. He had happened to stop by on a whim today to see if there were any good candidates. But¡­..although there were many people being interviewed, very few were suitable. Wu Su wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes, a small part of himself regretting this impulsive decision of his. Please read this from kk translates It was too boring. It might¡¯ve been better if he had gone to deal with Wei Yuechu that young madam instead. Just as he got ready to leave, a man in a suit entered the office. His features were ordinary, and his expression restrained. The suit he wore didn¡¯t fit him and he wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses. That man very well-manneredly placed his resume on the table, pushed it over and then turned around and sat properly in the chair on the other end of the table. Wu Su flipped through the resume. Hmm, graduated from a prestigious university¡­.hmm, used to be a designer¡­..and have won many awards¡­.. Everything seemed to be quite normal. Wu Su scanned through the contents roughly before stopping on the last line. The question of whether or not they have encountered a paranormal event had the ¡®yes¡¯ box ticked. Wu Su was a little surprised. He raised his head with interest and asked, ¡°What kind of paranormal experience have you had?¡± The man appeared rigid and restrained. He moved his chair closer and whispered, ¡°I once entered a game.¡± Wu Su: ¡°!¡± The man continued, ¡°My name is Red.¡± Wu Su: ¡°!¡± Holy shit. Tenth in ranking, Red? The man before him pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and asked cautiously, ¡°Excuse me, is Ace here?¡± Wu Su¡¯s expression was blank. He slowly asked, ¡°What¡­..are you looking for him for?¡± Red pursed his lips and revealed a shy smile, ¡°Revenge¡­.¡± . Not long after receiving the news, Ye Jia arrived at the location sent to him by Ji Xuan. It was a villa area near the outskirts of the city with large plots of land and very few people. As soon as he stepped out of his ghost domain, he smelt a familiar yin energy in the air. Ji Xuan was waiting for him not far away. He brought Ye Jia over to a certain villa¡ª¨C The inside had been completely transformed by yin energy and the space inside that was twice as large as how it appeared from the outside was densely packed with shelf after shelf of various dolls large and small with various contorted expressions of pain and fear, as if they were frozen at their very final moment in life. There was a single chair placed in the centre of the room. Puppet Master was tied to that chair. His small face was twisted with viciousness and his dark eyes were filled with hatred that didn¡¯t match his young appearance. Ji Xuan snapped his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m going to peel off your¡­..¡± Puppet Master cursed with his childish voice. Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes coldly. The next second, Puppet Master¡¯s mouth was immediately blocked by something invisible, making him only able to let out muffled sounds. Ye Jia smiled, ¡°Can you speak properly?¡± Puppet Master glared at the two of them darkly but seeing that he was in a disadvantageous situation, he could only restrain his anger and nod. Finally, the restraints blocking his mouth were gone. Puppet Master coughed a few times before slowly recovering and speaking darkly with his childish voice, ¡°I know what you want to do. Aren¡¯t you just going to threaten me with my collection? I admit, I do treasure my collection, but I will never betray Mother. Even if you smash them all in front of me, it¡¯s useless!¡± Although he said that, his eyes didn¡¯t look at the shelves surrounding him, as if by doing so, it would minimise his heartache. Ye Jia¡¯s amber eyes rippled a gentle light, ¡°We won¡¯t touch your collection.¡± Puppet Master, ¡°?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s expression was kind, ¡°Only you will decide whether or not your collection will be destroyed.¡± Puppet Master, ¡°?¡± He then saw the young man in front of him hook his finger. A small black hand huffed and puffed over with a large pile of things and threw it all in front of Puppet Master, sending dust scattering in the air. Puppet Master looked down in confusion at the items before him. His small face that was contorted with various emotions looked a little funny. This¡­.what is this? ¡°Linear Algebra: From the Basics to the Complex Concepts¡±, ¡°Advanced Mathematics¡±, ¡°Integrating Complex Functions¡±¡­¡­ He clearly recognised the individual words but why was it that¡­..he didn¡¯t understand it at all when they¡¯re strung together?! ¡°Let¡¯s play a little game. I¡¯ll give you a chance to save your treasured collection.¡± Ye Jia chuckled lightly, ¡°The rule of the game is to take an exam every twenty-four hours. With every wrong answer, a doll is broken and with every correct answer, a doll is saved.¡± Puppet Master looked down at the pile of textbooks and then looked at the two people standing before him. He seemed to be a little excited and a little puzzled. He asked carefully, ¡°So you¡¯re really not going to touch my collection?¡± Ye Jia nodded and continued slowly, ¡°Just like what I said just now ¡ª- Only you will decide whether or not your collection will be destroyed.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s eyes lit up. But he still suppressed his excitement and tried to keep calm. He originally thought that the other party would smash his treasured collections one by one in front of him after finding them. Although Puppet Master was confident in his loyalty to Mother, he couldn¡¯t say that he wouldn¡¯t pass out from the heartache of seeing his treasures being destroyed in front of him. He didn¡¯t expect these two to actually be so stupid and would choose to punish him using books instead. ¡°Heeheehee¡­..¡± Puppet Master snickered, ¡°You two have made the wrong choice this time but that¡¯s fine. Since you have agreed not to touch my collection, I¡¯ll agree to play this game with you.¡± The small black hand picked out two copies of ¡°Five Years of College Entrance Examination, Three Years of Mock Exams¡± and placed it on the desk in front of Puppet Master. It chuckled twice and said, ¡°You can start with these for now.¡± Ye Jia turned to look at Ji Xuan, ¡°If you incorporate this space into your ghost domain, you should be able to control its time flow, right?¡± Ji Xuan hooked up the corners of his lips, ¡°Yes¡­..¡± Ye Jia continued benevolently, ¡°Then let¡¯s start with half a year first.¡± CH 50 The room was deadly silent. Wu Su slowly blinked a few times. He suspected his ears, ¡°Um¡­.What did you just say?¡± The man sitting opposite him pushed up his glasses and patiently repeated, ¡°Revenge¡­..¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± What should he do about this?! Just as he was at a complete loss, someone knocked on the door to the interview room. Those three polite knocks broke the awkward atmosphere in the room. As if he was saved, Wu Su hurriedly shouted, ¡°Come in!¡± A man with light coloured hair and amber eyes entered the room with a stack of documents. Ye Jia, ¡°Cap Wu, this`¡­¡­¡­¡± The man in the suit turned to look at the door and their eyes met. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Wu Su stood up and quickly went over to receive the documents. He lightly coughed and asked, ¡°Is it urgent?¡± Ye Jia returned to his senses, ¡°Actually¡­..¡± They¡¯re just the usual documents. Just signing it is enough. But when he was met with Wu Su¡¯s eyes that were winking like crazy, he immediately changed his words, ¡°Yes¡­.¡± Wu Su breathed a sigh of relief and took the documents. He then turned back and looked at Red who was still sitting properly on the other end of the table, ¡°Ah, sorry, I may need to quickly deal with this. Let¡¯s do this instead. You can¡­¡­.¡± Wu Su¡¯s eyes landed on the innocent Ye Jia standing next to him and he suddenly had an idea, ¡°You can talk to him first! I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Red nodded, ¡°Alright, take your time.¡± After saying that, Wu Su rushed out the room as if there was something chasing after him ¡ª¨C He had to quickly contact Ace. Such a strange development couldn¡¯t be concealed. And¡­.he also didn¡¯t know how to deal with ittt!! ¡ª-However, that very Ace himself was stuck in the interview room, sitting face to face with that Red. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Fuck¡­¡­ He had actually only just arrived at the Bureau. Although the time lapse in a ghost domain could be controlled, half a year still wasn¡¯t very short and would take at least a few days in the real world. Knowing this, Ye Jia had no intentions to wait in there until Puppet Master gave him the answer he was looking for and he instead asked Ji Xuan to contact him as soon as it is over before leaving the ghost domain and returning to the Bureau to continue with his usual work¡­.. He however didn¡¯t expect to be stuffed with a stack of documents by Liu Zhaocheng as soon as he arrived and be asked to send it over to Wu Su. ¡ª-And then, such an unexpected development followed. Ye Jia could only brace himself and sit down in the seat Wu Su sat in earlier. He lowered his head and slowly looked through the resume in front of him. His eyes lingered on the first page for a moment. Next to the small photo was the candidate¡¯s name: Chen Qingye¡­. Turns out this was his name. Ye Jia raised his eyes and looked over at Red who sat opposite him. The face was exactly the same as the one in the photo and he wore a suit that had no folds or wrinkles. Even his sitting posture with his hands on his knees and his expressions were all extremely proper. He clearly had no intentions to hide his identity from the very beginning. That was why, despite having a completely different appearance now, Ye Jia was still able to connect him with a player in his memory. Red, ranked tenth on the leaderboard. A¡­..very difficult to deal with person. In fact, Ye Jia had expected this person to come after sending out his signature, but what he didn¡¯t expect was that Red would make his appearance so quickly. Ye Jia could only brace himself and ask, ¡°Um¡­..What position are you applying for?¡± Chen Qingye, ¡°You mean apart from looking for someone?¡± He thought for a while and answered earnestly, ¡°If possible, I hope to become a member of your Bureau¡¯s Logistics Department and if possible, I do not wish to be involved in any fighting. But please believe me, I have sufficient experience in dealing with paranormal events so even if I don¡¯t fight, I can still contribute a lot to the Bureau.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± While he was racking his brains thinking of what to ask next, Wu Su entered the room again. He looked a little absent-minded as he held an unlit cigarette in his mouth. The smell of fire still lingered on his fingertips. Ye Jia knew in one glance that Wu Su probably tried to contact him just now. But clearly¡­..he didn¡¯t receive a reply from Ace. Ye Jia stood up and stepped aside, ¡°Cap Wu, please sit.¡± Wu Su flattened the cigarette in his mouth and sat down, ¡°What¡­..What were you two talking about?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°This¡­.Mr. Chen wishes to apply for a position in the Logistics Department.¡± Wu Su: ¡°What?!¡± His eyes widened and he looked up, the cigarette falling out of his mouth. Wu Su didn¡¯t move to pick it up and just looked incredulously at Chen Qingye who sat opposite him, ¡°What a minute¡­..The Logistics Department? You¡¯re not joining the Combat Division?¡± While Wu Su was left stunned by this unexpected news, Ye Jia used this opportunity to open the door and sneak out. Chen Qingye¡¯s line of sight followed the other party¡¯s figure until he was out of the room. Wu Su¡¯s voice sounded again, ¡°Are you serious? Logistics?¡± Chen Qingye¡¯s attention was drawn back. He turned to look at the shocked Wu Su and nodded solemnly, ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think that the Logistics Department is a dispensable existence and its importance in the Bureau is not any less than the Combat Division. If I join the Logistics Department, I believe I can make use of my strengths.¡± As he said that, he patiently smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes. Wu Su still had difficulty accepting this, ¡°But¡­..but¡­¡­.¡± Although it is said that the Logistics Department and the Combat Division are equally important, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Combat Division is the core department in the entire Bureau and, with all these ghosts roaming around everywhere, there is currently great pressure on the Combat Division, and they were in serious shortage of staff. As the top ten ranked boss on the leaderboard, Red could only display his full strength in the Combat Division! At this moment Chen Qingye asked, ¡°By the way, who was that person just now?¡± Wu Su who still hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock just now answered absentmindedly, ¡°He¡¯s from the Logistics Department, an old employee.¡± He looked up and asked, ¡°Why?¡± Chen Qingye shook his head and looked back, ¡°Nothing¡­.¡± Wu Su didn¡¯t purse this any further. He took a deep breath and asked as calmly as possibly, ¡°Um¡­¡­Can I ask why? Why are you choosing the Logistics Department instead of the Combat Division?¡± Chen Qingye¡¯s expression darkened in an instant. The originally normal and plain face became a little scary, ¡°I can¡¯t lose any more of my babies.¡± He turned to reveal his palm. The next second, Wu Su could feel his breathing stop. He saw several huge bugs burrow out from under the man¡¯s sleeves. One looked like a centipede with a hard, metallic-like black shell that had been strengthened using yin energy. Numerous long legs stretched out from both sides of its body and there were openings on its body which had eyes inside. In addition to that one, there were also two large and colourful worms with a huge mouth on their backs that were lined with sharp teeth. Transparent and colourless liquid continued to flow out of their mouths. Chen Qingye took out his handkerchief and lovingly wiped their saliva. Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He had a small urge to run. He just didn¡¯t know if it was too late to do that. Chen Qingye put away his handkerchief and sighed with some sorrow. He gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°Especially after what Ace did to their mother¡­¡­.¡± In the corridor¡­.. Ye Jia let out a long sigh of relief. Speaking honestly, he really didn¡¯t know how to deal with this Red who had come after him. After all¡­..the grudge between them was something that was difficult to explain with a single sentence. But if he really had to make a long story short and briefly summarise what happened, it was like this: It really was just an accident. He had once by chance formed a team with Red. At that time, Ye Jia was too focused on clearing a side mission, so it took him a little longer than the others to find the boss of the instance and when he arrived at the scene, he found that the battle was already over with traces of fighting still left in the scene. Very clearly, someone had arrived before him and defeated the boss. Although it was a pity, at least the side mission gave a generous reward. Ye Jia turned to leave. The next second¡ª¨CThere was a squelch from under his foot. Ye Jia was taken aback. He lowered his head and checked. A white bug the size of a thumb just happened to be stepped on by him. At this moment, a heart-wrenching scream sounded from the distance ¡ª¡ª ¡°Xiao Bai!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Only then did the game confirm the death of the boss, resulting in the instance directly coming to an end. All the players in the instance were teleported away. Ye Jia only found out after leaving the instance that it was a mother gu raised by the player called Red. It had eaten the body of the instance¡¯s boss at that time and turned back to its original appearance to digest, but was accidentally¡­.. Crushed by his foot¡­¡­¡­ Ye Jia raised his hand and covered his face, embarrassed. Please read this from kk translates He had wanted to talk to Red several times after that, but every time they met in an instance, the other part would immediately release a bunch of gu insects to go after him to avenge his Xiao Bai. It was really, very difficult to deal with. At this moment, Zhao Dong hurried over. His eyes lit up when he saw Ye Jia, ¡°Hey! Have you seen Cap Wu?¡± Ye Jia nodded and pointed at the closed door beside him. Zhao Dong raised his hand and was about to knock on the door but the door opened before he could do that and Wu Su¡¯s face appeared, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­..¡± Zhao Dong was taken aback. He then quickly recovered, ¡°Oh! The superiors have assigned us a task to clean up the Yin Pits so I¡¯m here to ask you which team to send over.¡± Normally, the Yin Pits didn¡¯t need to be cleaned so frequently. Because although it would gather the yin energy from the city, the speed it did it was very slow, and it could remain harmless for more than ten years. But with so many things happening recently, from the ghost doors opening in the human world and the ghosts and monsters rampaging the city, the yin energy in the city had skyrocketed. Although the alarm systems they had put in place didn¡¯t go off, it was better to be careful, so the superiors had asked them to send over a team to inspect and clean the Yin Pits. Generally speaking, such a team would require at least three members of the Combat Division and two members of the Logistics Department. Wu Su¡¯s eyes lit up. He turned and looked at Chen Qingye behind him, ¡°Just in time, this one here is about to apply for the Logistics Department!¡± Wu Su looked at Chen Qingye, ¡°How about treating this as a probationary period to see if you are suitable for this job?¡± Chen Qingye stood up and then carefully moved the chair he was just sitting on so that it was returned to the correct position, ¡°No problem.¡± Wu Su secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he didn¡¯t know what kind of grudge there was between Red and Ace, so he didn¡¯t dare directly accept his application. It was just that, although he can be a little strange, Chen Qingye was still top ten in the rankings so Wu Su couldn¡¯t help but selfishly hope that the other party would realise that the Combat Division is actually the most suitable department for him and not the Logistics Department that typically deals with cleaning up the aftermath. He turned to look at Ye Jia who stood on the side, ¡°Ah, and just right. You go and bring along the equipment and teach the newcomer.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Oh how he regrets not leaving this place earlier. Ye Jia gave Chen Qingye two devices. One was a detection device and the other was a cleaning device. Chen Qingye didn¡¯t take it and just raised his head to look at Ye Jia, ¡°So are we going to clean up the yin energy in this place?¡± Ye Jia nodded. Chen Qingye said, ¡°Thank you senior, but I won¡¯t need this.¡± He raised his hand and showed Ye Jia the bugs hidden in his sleeves, ¡°They can eat it¡­¡­¡± The one that looked like a centipede stared hostilely at Ye Jia. It hissed threateningly at him while baring its fangs. A hint of tenderness flickered across Chen Qingye¡¯s eyes. He gently rubbed the centipedes head and covered its eyes with his fingers and apologised, ¡°Sorry, my family¡¯s A¡¯Chang isn¡¯t usually like this but for some reason it¡¯s reacting a bit more strongly towards you today. It might be hungry.¡± Chen Qingye softly coaxed A¡¯Chang, ¡°Be good, I¡¯ll take you to eat.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Fuck¡­.. Although he was confident in his ability to hide his scent, but when faced with strange creatures like the gu insects, he didn¡¯t know how effective his disguise was. It would be better to stay as far away as possible. He took a deep breath and gave the detection device to Chen Qingye, ¡°Then you should still carry this. It is used to detect and measure the amount of yin energy and the data collected will be used for research. It¡¯ll also help you when you write your reports.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thank you senior.¡± Chen Qingye nodded and received the detection device from Ye Jia, ¡°Are there any other things I should pay attention to?¡± Ye Jia shook his head, ¡°No¡­.¡± If it was a logistics staff being dispatched for their very first time, there were still a lot of rules and regulations but for Red who had already spent some time in the game, all those precautions are basically all nonsense. Very soon, the car reached the location of the first Yin Pit. It was an abandoned building. Even just looking at it from outside, it gave off a dark and gloomy air. Ye Jia stopped at the door, ¡°Ah, I suddenly remembered I had something else to attend to today. Sorry, I might have to head off first.¡± Two of the three people in the Combat Division were newcomers who had trained with Ye Jia and are very familiar with him. Although they have long grown used to Ye Jia¡¯s salted fish behaviour and habit of slipping away from his job, but Ye Jia had always been very serious when he is dispatched out and this was his first time doing something like this just before starting their task. They were a little surprised, ¡°Brother Ye, this isn¡¯t like you? You really have other matters this time?¡± Ye Jia nodded and was a little apologetic, ¡°Yes, I only just remembered it. I¡¯ll treat you all to a meal next time.¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡­¡± They waved at Ye Jia, ¡°Remember to get us milk tea when we get back!¡± Ye Jia smiled and looked at Chen Qingye, ¡°Will you be okay alone?¡± Chen Qingye calmly nodded, ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t worry senior, you should attend to your other matters quickly. Don¡¯t waste time here.¡± If you ignored the grievances between them, Chen Qingye was actually a very good teammate¡ª¨CAt least, he was better than Maid who would usually make the situation worse instead. Ye Jia silently sighed and turned to leave. ¡ª-In fact, to some extent, it wasn¡¯t a lie. Ye Jia did indeed want to stay away from Chen Qingye¡¯s gu insects, but it was also because he suddenly remembered something. There are actually four Yin Pits in M City. Another one was located in the villa that was under Ji Xuan¡¯s name. He should have taken the blood gu fish there to clean the place up once in a while but because too many things had been happening lately, he had forgotten all about it. The task this time just happened to remind him to take a look at that place. Ye Jia activated his ghost domain and arrived at the pool of blood at Ji Xuan¡¯s place. The blood gu fish was swimming around leisurely in that pool. As soon as it smelt a familiar scent in the air, it immediately raised its head and looked over. As soon as Ye Jia arrived, he was almost knocked over by the blood gu fish that had charged over. He raised the corners of his lips and scratched its chin, ¡°Didn¡¯t I only see you not long ago? Why are you so excited?¡± He raised his head and looked around the room. Ji Xuan was not around. Ye Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Please read this from kk translates If he was around, he would probably cling to him again. However, in a certain sense, Ye Jia didn¡¯t really want to take the blood gu fish out to eat together with Ji Xuan. It somehow gave him a feeling of¡­¡­excessive intimacy. Ye Jia brushed off the awkward feeling inside him and thought for a moment before taking out his phone and sending Ji Xuan a message, ¡°I¡¯m taking the fish out.¡± The other party didn¡¯t answer. He was clearly busy. Ye Jia placed the phone back in his pocket and then patted his legs and said to the excited blood gu fish, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to eat.¡± At the villa. As soon as he entered the gates, Ye Jia could feel the yin energy coming from the villa in front of him. It seems that during this time, the changes in M City had affected this Yin Pit here too. However, what Ye Jia didn¡¯t expect was that this villa had really been transformed into a haunted house. He had originally thought that Ji Xuan was joking about it. The grassy courtyard and the rusty gates had been left as is to maintain the mysterious and scary environment but, because of the recent incidents in the city, the haunted house is currently not in operation. Ye Jia went through the gates and approached the villa. The villa was almost no different to how it was when he first came. Although there was yin energy gathered, it clearly had not reached a level that would allow the villa to return to its former state. As soon as he pushed open the door, the blood gu fish rushed in excitedly. Sounds of it happily eating away echoed through the villa. ¡°Ahhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Two screams sounded. Soon afterwards, two transparent jelly-like figures dashed out of the villa. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Oops, he had forgotten about these two. The big scare spirit habitually hugged Ye Jia¡¯s waist while the little scare spirit hugged his arm in a very proficient manner. Both had an almost intoxicated look on their faces, ¡°Wahhhhh! You¡¯re finally here to visit us!¡± The big scare spirit was aggrieved, ¡°You said you would come and visit us!¡± The little scare spirit was aggrieved, ¡°But you never came!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s lids twitched. He answered awkwardly, ¡°Sorry¡­..¡± At this moment, the blood gu fish who had already had its fill slowly swam back out of the villa. It raised its skull head and used its dark and empty eye sockets to stare at the two scare spirits clinging onto Ye Jia. A cold, oppressive air emanated from the blood gu fish. The two scare spirits trembled but they still continued to cling onto Ye Jia. No matter how scared they were, they still turned and stuck out their tongues at the blood gu fish below them, ¡°Lueluelue, you can¡¯t hug him!¡± The blood gu fish seemed to understand what they said. It flicked its tail and then leaned over and tried to wrap its body around Ye Jia. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Fuck, this is too much for him to handle. He ruthlessly tore off the two scare spirits and then moved away from the blood gu fish, instantly increasing the distance between himself and the three ghosts, but before he could get too far, his phone buzzed a few times. Ye Jia stopped in his steps and checked his phone. Ji Xuan sent, ¡°Okay¡­.¡± It was followed by an emoticon of a puppy waving its tail. The three ghosts used this opportunity to cling to him again. Ye Jia sighed. But before he could do anything, Ji Xuan called. He paused for a moment before accepting the call. The man¡¯s low voice travelled over from the other end of the phone, ¡°Your method was very effective. Puppet Master just gave me a very useful piece of information.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°He agreed to cooperate?¡± Ji Xuan laughed. The low voice sounded particularly nice through the phone, making his ears a little numb, ¡°Not yet, but I think he will soon. After all, the reason why he gave me this information is in exchange for a day off.¡± Ye Jia rubbed his ears and silently brought his phone further away, ¡°What information did he tell you?¡± Ji Xuan said, ¡°Before he looked for you, he hid a pupa in the city and is now waiting for it to hatch.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s expression turned serious, ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°I just sent it¡­.¡± Ji Xuan said. Ye Jia checked their chat interface. Sure enough, Ji Xuan had sent him an address. And that address¡­..looked particularly familiar¡­.. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, he was taken aback. He seemed to have remembered something. That was where one of the Yin Pits are! CH 51 The sky outside gradually darkened. In the bleak twilight, the abandoned building appeared even more desolate and haunting. One of the combat personnel turned to look at Chen Qingye who stood at the back of the group all prim and proper, ¡°This is the last one. How was it? Were you able to get used to today¡¯s work?¡± Chen Qingye didn¡¯t answer. He looked up at the abandoned building before him, seemingly in thought. ¡°What is the detector reporting?¡± That combat personnel asked. Chen Qingye retracted his gaze and glanced at the detector hanging from his waist, ¡°Very low¡­..¡± By now, they had already cleaned out the other two Yin Pits. The superior¡¯s worries were indeed correct. Following the rampage of monsters and ghosts, a large amount of yin energy had accumulated in these pits. Although it had not yet reached the level for the alarm systems in the detectors installed to go off, the high concentration of yin energy was enough to cause unusual changes which made their cleaning task more troublesome. It was however still at a level that they could manage. More precisely, the concentration of yin energy in this last Yin Pit was the lowest of the three. The expressions of the members of the Combat Division relaxed, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can go home after we¡¯re done with this place!¡± Chen Qingye however calmly said, ¡°Sorry senior, but I think something isn¡¯t right here.¡± The other party was stunned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you notice something?¡± Chen Qingye shook his head, ¡°No¡­¡­..¡± He stuck his fingers under his sleeve and rubbed the heads of his insects in attempt to calm them down. He lightly drew his brows together and appeared to be a little troubled, ¡°But my babies seem to be showing a strong reaction.¡± The other members of the Combat Division all looked at each other. Finally, the leader spoke up, ¡°I understand that you have some special skills, but if there is no actual evidence, we can¡¯t just put a stop to our mission, so besides your¡­..babies, do you have any other evidence supporting this thought of yours?¡± Chen Qingye shook his head honestly, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t.¡± In fact, even he himself didn¡¯t sense anything strange about this building but for some reason the gu insects he had raised seemed to be very restless. It was almost the same as this afternoon ¡ª¨CHe clearly didn¡¯t sense anything strange about that logistics staff but A¡¯Chang was very hostile towards him. Did they have an upset stomach? ¡°Then let¡¯s go in.¡± The leader said, ¡°But everyone must be extremely vigilant. Always remember to ensure that you can communicate with the outside world.¡± Everyone nodded. The small team headed towards the Yin Pit. The abandoned building was very dark. The exposed concrete walls that were covered in messy graffiti and the rusty pipes made it appear very gloomy and strange. Everyone cautiously walked on. From time to time, they would check the readings on the detector. But as they went deeper, although the readings on the detector showed some increase, it was still within a normal range. They didn¡¯t encounter any abnormal changes caused by the yin energy the entire way, let alone any ghosts wandering around. Compared to the other two yin pits, this one was too normal. The small team soon arrived at the centre of the building. Chen Qingye spread open his hand but the gu insects didn¡¯t come out like it would normally to suck in the yin energy in the air and instead, they wrapped themselves tightly around his wrist, hissing at the darkness around them. He frowned and raised his head to look at the other team members, about to say something, ¡°Senior, I¡­¡­ But before he could finish saying anything, one of them exclaimed, ¡°Hurry and look at this!¡± The metal door was covered in rust and the paint on the surface had almost all peeled off such that it was almost impossible for one to tell what its original colour was. The door was slightly ajar and the team member who had looked in just now looked particularly alarmed. Chen Qingye retracted his hand and quickly went over. He looked at what the team member was pointing at. Ahead of them was a large and spacious clearing that was filled with dust and rubble. In the depths of this empty site was a half-translucent pupa that was the size of a human floating in the air. The surface of it appeared especially soft with folds and creases circling around it and there seemed to be something slowly wriggling about underneath. The surrounding air that emitted a faint stench had a strange texture to it. Chen Qingye was taken aback by the sight. Immediately afterwards, a fierce look flashed across his eyes, ¡°Move away!¡± As soon as he said that, the viscous glue-like membrane around the pupa suddenly started to move around with more intensity. In less than a blink of an eye, a large, gelatinous tentacle flew out! The next second, the members of the Combat Division felt their vision turn black. A black centipede had appeared in front of them, it¡¯s huge body almost filling the entire corridor. The dark shell shone a cold light as the numerous eyeballs on its body rolled around widely. It waved its huge mandibles, making clicking sounds, and then fiercely slammed itself against the tentacle that was charging over. The entire building shook. Dust and debris fell from above, obscuring everyone¡¯s vision. Chen Qingye shouted at the other team members, ¡°Run!¡± But it was too late. The moment it hit the centipede, that gelatinous tentacle seemed to have morphed into fluid, scattering into the air and spreading at a speed that was completely impossible to catch up, immediately encasing the entire building. After everything was done, the scene before them had completely changed. It was still an empty corridor of this building, but the beginning and ends of it were nowhere to be seen. The place where the pupa was originally floating in was once again an empty space and the air had become murky and dark, as if they were shrouded in thick smog. Looking out the window, the scenery outside was no longer the empty clearing from earlier and had instead become completely foggy such that one could no longer see their own fingers before them. The leader¡¯s face was extremely pale. He took out his phone and checked ¡ª¨C No signal. Even the radio communicator only let out noisy buzzing sounds. They were unable to contact the outside world. Chen Qingye reached out and rubbed A¡¯Chang¡¯s huge body. The expression on that plain face of his was particularly solemn. A yin pupa¡­.. It takes an extremely large amount of yin energy for one to cultivate a yin pupa, so it had been placed here to absorb the yin energy that was continuously gathered in the Yin Pit. That was probably why the yin reading was much lower than the other two places. Before they are fully matured, a yin pupa could not be detected by any detection devices. That glue-like membrane covering it could not only hide its presence, but it could also eliminate any humans who have discovered the yin pupa¡¯s existence. Before the pupa hatches, there was no way of knowing what kind of monster was inside. But once it hatches, things will grow out of control. ¡ª¨CAt the lowest, it could be B-level, and at the highest, it may even exceed S-level. But now, this pupa was clearly on the verge of hatching. Fortunately, what it had done right now was just producing an incomplete ghost domain. Although it looked scary and the space seemed larger than before, as long as you returned the way you came earlier, you could still leave this place. Chen Qingye turned to look at the other members of the Combat Division and said solemnly, ¡°Senior, you¡¯d better leave now. In order to protect the pupa, it will release yin energy to attract the surrounding ghost and monsters.¡± The team leader was a little anxious, ¡°T-then what about you?¡± Chen Qingye touched the hard shell next to him, ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can find the pupa before it hatches.¡± The pupa couldn¡¯t be tracked. Only his gu insects may have a small possibility of being able to find it. He said, ¡°After you leave, hurry and contact the Combat Division and get them to come and take over.¡± The leader¡¯s face became even more pale, ¡°Is it very serious?¡± ¡°Yes¡­..¡± Chen Qingye nodded, ¡°And I¡¯m only in charge of tracking it down, I don¡¯t have any plans on fighting, so I hope the Combat Division seniors can arrive before I find the pupa. The situation may otherwise become more difficult to deal with after it hatches.¡± The other team members nodded in understanding and quickly ran back they way they came from. The road ahead seemed long and distant, as if the end could never be reached. The bleak corridor was extremely narrow. Only the patter of footsteps could be heard in the silence. After making another turn, they found themselves running into a fierce ghost roaring and charging towards them. ¡°Get ready for battle!¡± The leader ordered. Although this team of combat personnel were all newcomers, they had received extensive training. After a brief moment of panic, they quickly gathered themselves together and got ready to face the fierce ghost. Amidst the roars, gunfire sounded. These noises echoed down the hazy and narrow corridor. At this moment, one of them felt his neck itch. He touched his neck. But found his fingers coming into contact with strands of long, black hair. Faint gurgling could be heard from above. That team member slowly raised his head and looked up. A female ghost on all fours hung upside down from the ceiling with her dark hair hanging down. She stared at him viciously with her pair of scarlet eyes. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Screams sounded one after another from the team members. The leader quickly glanced back behind him. He found himself faced with a particularly terrible scene ¡ª- A female ghost hanging from the ceiling, a skeleton climbing in through one of the windows along the corridor, a rotten corpse slowly emerging from the ground as well as the roaring fierce ghost he was currently dealing with. Before they knew it, they were surrounded. Chen Qingye¡¯s warning came true ¡ª- That strange pupa had attracted many fierce ghosts over. Faced with attacks coming from all directions, they could only barely defend themselves, unable to proceed any further. The leader was particularly anxious. Chen Qingye had said earlier that his main task was to track down the pupa¡¯s location, not fight it. But they were now in a difficult position, unable to leave this place and request for support ¡ª- It was like they were facing a dead end. Suddenly, without warning, the skeleton climbing in through the window seemed to have sensed something. It immediately supported itself up and looked in a certain direction, a low growl sounding from the depths of its throat. The next moment, it turned back and disappeared into the fog outside. The leader was surprised. What was going on? Before he could think of an answer, the next second, a huge figure appeared in the darkness not far ahead. A pale, white skeleton approached. Its large mouth that was filled with sharp, jagged teeth bit down onto the roaring fierce ghost¡¯s leg, swallowing it whole. That fierce ghost couldn¡¯t put up a fight at all. That level of oppressiveness was overwhelming. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run through him. The leader¡¯s voice had become high pitched from the fear, ¡°Retreat! Retreat!¡± But that large monster didn¡¯t move to attack them. It instead pulled out the rotten corpse that was climbing out from the ground and proceeded to gobble it up. The leader: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He slowly took in a deep breath and carefully looked over at the monster whose appearance could now be seen clearly. Goat skull, empty eye sockets, skeleton body covered in blood and a fish tail. Why¡­.did it look familiar? The leader then realised, ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± That strange fish that helped clean up those ghosts and monsters that night! Since it has appeared, then¡­.. Before the leader could think any further than that, the female ghost above him let out a shrill cry. She glanced at the fish below fearfully and then quickly ran along the ceiling into the darkness ahead, as if doing that would allow her to escape from the blood gu fish swimming around below. Although her limbs were distorted and twisted, she crawled away extremely quickly and almost instantly disappeared into the dense fog. ¡°Swoosh¡ª¡ª¨C¡± Alongside the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air, a bright flash of light flashed briefly in the darkness. Soon afterwards, that female ghost let out a scream and the corridor once again became quiet. Footsteps approached. A slender figure belonging to a young man slowly emerged from the darkness but to the others present, he was like a fire torch penetrating through the dark night. That invisible light and heat helped dissipate the cold and fear in them, giving them a sense of reassurance and safety. The blood gu fish swum over and intimately rubbed against that young man. The team leader¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Great god! Great god, it¡¯s really you!¡± The other team members behind him were also very excited. Everyone¡¯s eyes lit up like a 200-watt light bulb, ¡°Great god, you¡¯ve come!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Although he didn¡¯t know what happened but¡­.. It¡¯s a little blinding. Ye Jia had recently been slaving away in the Logistics Department, completely unaware of the fact that he had become some kind of legendary existence in the hearts of the members of the Combat Division ¡ª- The kind of existence that would appear at the most critical times and then silently disappear without a trace. With the addition of the propaganda spread by those who had been rescued by him, he was almost about to become a living god that everyone worshiped before they set off on a mission. Met with everyone¡¯s excited eyes, Ye Jia felt a little uncomfortable inside. He coughed lightly, ¡°Where is the monster?¡± ¡°One of our members is tracking it!¡± The leader¡¯s words were a little incoherent due to his excitement. He nervously stretched out his hand, wanting to shake hands with Ye Jia but he quickly returned to senses and took it back. He cleared his throat and pretended to be calm, ¡°W-we¡¯re currently on our way out to call for reinforcement!¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia nodded. Indeed, to track down a pupa that hasn¡¯t hatched, only Chen Qingye¡¯s gu insects could do it. ¡°After this matter is over, c-can we ask for an autograph?¡± One of the members asked eagerly. The others nodded frantically beside him. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± He responded uncertainly, ¡°Sure?¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t interrupt your work now!¡± The team members all had bright and shiny eyes, ¡°We¡¯ll call for reinforcements now!¡± Weirdos. Ye Jia watched them disappear into the distance. According to the information provided by Puppet Master, this pupa is an S-level fierce ghost and is due to hatch today. The reason why he only told them this news today was probably because he hoped that they would fail. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and raised his eyes to look in a certain direction upstairs. Although he also couldn¡¯t detect the location of the yin pupa, he could trace Chen Qingye¡¯s gu insects. ¡ª¡ªHe should be on the third floor right now, and he¡¯s still going up. Fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor. Chen Qingye suddenly stopped in place. A¡¯Chang next to him tapped twice and then used its long and thin legs to crawl towards the rooftop. Chen Qingye hurriedly grabbed one of A¡¯Chang¡¯s legs and whispered, ¡°Wait a minute. Come back.¡± A¡¯Chang turned back and stared at him with several of the eyes on its body before shrinking back to its smaller size and slithering back into Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeve. Chen Qingye breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Bai was a female gu. This meant that as long as Xiao Bai was around, even if all his gu insects were fatally wounded and even if they were on the brink of death, they could still recover very quickly¡­.But¡­.. Chen Qingye¡¯s expression darkened. Ace. That man was simply a devil incarnate! H-he actually trampled his Xiao Bai to death! Since that day, Chen Qingye has never dared to let his treasured gu insects participate in battle. The reason why he wanted to join the Logistics Department was also because of this. The Combat Division¡¯s work was too involved with the combative side of things. Although he alone should be able to handle it, but¡­.perhaps one day, something unexpected would happen. He didn¡¯t want to lose any more of his treasured babies. Chen Qingye carefully opened the door and looked in. The large pupa hovered in mid-air. The outer membrane was now almost completely transparent, and you could see the winding blood vessels as well as the grotesque limbs squirming about inside. Based on his experience, it probably would break out of that membrane in about ten minutes. Chen Qingye lowered his head and stroked A¡¯Chang¡¯s head in his sleeve. He was a little hesitant inside. He didn¡¯t want to be involved in battle. However, there were only ten minutes left¡­.and he knew that support wouldn¡¯t come that quickly. If he left that pupa alone, the consequences would be unimaginable. While Chen Qingye was feeling conflicted, a voice suddenly sounded from behind him, ¡°Hey, let me take over now.¡± The young man¡¯s soft and gentle voice suddenly broke the silence in the corridor. ¡ª- It was extremely familiar. It was a voice that made his heart fill with anger whenever it appears in his dreams. Chen Qingye¡¯s face distorted with anger, clear hatred gushing out from the depths of his eyes. He turned back and his eyes locked onto the hooded young man, ¡°Ace!¡± All the old and recent grudges erupted together. Seventy or eighty colourful gu insects charged out from his sleeves, rushing towards Ye Jia! Ye Jia avoided the gu insects chasing after him and said a little helplessly, ¡°Now is not the time to talk about this¡­..¡± But Chen Qingye was already blinded by his anger. He shouted, ¡°I want you to pay Xiao Bai¡¯s life with your life!¡± More gu insects flew out from his sleeves, frantically attacking Ye Jia. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Yes, again it was like this. Every time he tried to talk to Red in the game, the situation would be like this. No matter what situation he was in or what crisis he was facing at the time, as long as Chen Qingye saw him, he would undoubtedly lash out at him, ignoring everything else. Although every player had their own strange quirks, Red¡¯s was the worst among all the players he had interacted with. Ye Jia sighed. ¡ª-He had long grown used to it. As he avoided the attacks, Ye Jia looked over at the half-open door. The monster inside the pupa was moving around more violently, its thin limbs trying to pierce a hole in the thin membrane enveloping it. The already completely transparent pupa membrane had softened like a plastic bag, clinging tightly around the fierce ghost¡¯s body ¡ª- At most it would take another minute or two for it to break through. There was no time to waste now. Ye Jia promptly ducked down and cut through the heavy encirclement of gu insects using rather tricky angle and charged towards Chen Qingye. Chen Qingye¡¯s pupils constricted, ¡°!¡± The other party¡¯s speed was too fast. Before he could even release A¡¯Chang, he felt the other party¡¯s cold hand grip tightly around his wrist. Oh no! Seems like this time he would die in this person¡¯s hands just like how Xiao Bai did. That thought flashed through Chen Qingye¡¯s mind. But the next second, he felt the other person forcefully throw him off the rooftop! Icy cold wind whizzed past his ears as Chen Qingye fell freely. He blinked a few times in confusion and then suddenly felt a weight under him ¡ª- A¡¯Chang¡¯s body had grown larger again and it had wrapped around him to slow down his falling speed. Before Chen Qingye could land safely, he felt a surge of hostile air erupt from the rooftop he was on moments ago. In an instant, the wind and skies changed, and the world darkened. ¡ª¨C The pupa membrane had been broken through. Only S-level fierce ghosts would have such a terrifying birth ceremony. And the first thing the other party did¡­..was to throw him out of the danger zone? Why? On the rooftop¡­. Ye Jia was waiting for this moment. He summoned the blood gu fish. The moment the pupa membrane broke, Ye Jia pulled out his scythe and slashed it at its weakest point. Splash! A large amount of viscous fluid poured out and a newly born S-level fierce ghost¡¯s grotesque figure also fell out. ¡°Now!¡± Ye Jia commanded. The blood gu fish opened his mouth and immediately bit down onto the fierce ghost using its sharp teeth ¡ª The fierce ghost tried to struggle, but because it hadn¡¯t completely undergone the ¡®breaking through the pupa membrane¡¯ process, its skin was still soft and covered by a thin layer of the membrane and it still required four to five seconds to fully take shape. Facing the blood gu fish who had already experienced hundreds of battles, it couldn¡¯t put up any resistance at all and was immediately chewed and gobbled up. The pupa membrane that had lost its host quickly shrunk. Ye Jia knelt down and stored it in his pocket. Downstairs¡­¡­¡­ The fog had all completely dissipated, but the concentration of yin energy in the air was still so strong, it made it hard to breathe. Chen Qingye raised his head and looked up towards the rooftop, the reflection on his black-rimmed glasses making it difficult for one to see the look in his eyes. He stood in place downstairs, seemingly thinking about something. After a long time. A young man¡¯s slender figure appeared from the darkness inside the building. He stepped out through the dusty air and walked straight towards Chen Qingye. Chen Qingye¡¯s finger¡¯s reflexively twitched. ¡°Wait!¡± Ye Jia said, ¡°Don¡¯t attack!¡± Colourful gu insects circled around Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeves. For the first time, they didn¡¯t immediately charge towards the young man. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and slowly approached Chen Qingye, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about Xiao Bai.¡± He stretched out a hand and spread it open. A white and tender bug wrapped in translucent gu membrane sat quietly in the centre of his palm. Ye Jia said, ¡°This is a mother gu larva. When it is cultivated from the pupa membrane of an S-level fierce ghost, it can once again grow into a mother gu ¡ª I know it can¡¯t replace Xiao Bai¡¯s place in your heart, but I hope it can make up for even a little bit of the hurt I have caused to you.¡± Chen Qingye¡¯s eyes widened. He almost forgot to breathe. Even in the game, mother gu larvae are extremely difficult to obtain, not to mention, to cultivate a mother gu, you would at least need the pupa membrane of a fierce ghost that is A-level or greater ¡ª-He had only managed to cultivate Xiao Bai after much hardship and after using up all his luck so no matter how much he wanted to cultivate another one, he was unable to achieve that same success a second time. Especially now that the game had crashed, he thought all hopes of cultivating a mother gu insect was gone. Yet now¡­.now¡­¡­ Chen Qingye¡¯s trembling hands reached out and received the larva from Ye Jia. He held it cautiously in his hands like a treasure and very carefully examined it. A long time later, Chen Qingye raised his head and looked at Ye Jia with tears in his eyes, ¡°I want to call her Xiao Xiao Bai.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°That¡¯s pretty good¡­¡­.¡± Seeing Red¡¯s teary look, he slowly let out a breath. He had finally put an end to this old grievance ¡ª- Although he had paid a big price for it. After all, a mother gu larva¡­.is really difficult to obtain. Ye Jia didn¡¯t even want to think about it. On the other end. Ji Xuan narrowed his scarlet eyes as a faint smile lingered on his lips. He was clearly in a good mood. He stared at the room before him with eyes filled with joy. The originally empty room now contained a certain someone¡¯s personal belongings, giving the room life. ¡ª- Finally. Gege has agreed to move in. CH 52 At this moment, a large shout broke the silence, ¡°Hurry, hurry! Over here!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± The next second, the Combat Division team members who had withdrawn from the building earlier rushed over like a hungry tiger charging towards its food. He soon found himself surrounded by them. Several pairs of shiny eyes stared at Ye Jia and babbled, ¡°It¡¯s great that great god hasn¡¯t left yet!¡± ¡°I knew you would be able to take on any situation no matter how dangerous it is!¡± ¡°Great god, please give me your autograph!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Just as he was feeling a headache forming because of these fanboys of his, he suddenly heard a loud exclamation coming from the back, ¡°Ace?!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Fuck¡­¡­ That was a familiar voice. He took in a deep breath and slowly turned to look in the direction of that sound. It was a petite young woman carrying a huge chainsaw that didn¡¯t suit her size. Her brown eyes widened and her expression showed astonishment and joy. With flushed cheeks, she immediately rushed over, ¡°Ahhhhh!! You¡¯re here!!¡± Wu Su finally caught up from behind. He panted heavily and complained, ¡°Little ancestor, slow down!¡± When he saw Ye Jia who was surrounded by these people, Wu Su was also taken aback, ¡°Ace¡­¡­.¡± At this moment, Wei Yuechu shot through the crowd like a small cannonball. Ye Jia who was startled by her hurriedly shrank back. Wu Su who followed closely also dashed over. He glanced nervously at Chen Qingye who was also standing nearby as if fearing that the other party would choose to take revenge at a time like this and whispered quietly, ¡°D-did you receive my message?¡± He indicated with his eyes and mouthed, ¡°Red is here!¡± At this moment, the Red he was referring to was still carefully taking in the small gu larva in his hand with teary eyes, completely immersed in his own world. He was completely oblivious of the changes around him. ¡°What? Red?¡± Wei Yuechu immediately stopped in her steps and asked loudly, ¡°He¡¯s also here?¡± Upon hearing his name, Chen Qingye raised his head and looked over. Two brightly coloured gu insects crawled out and carefully moved the mother gu larva into his sleeves to protect it. He pushed up his glasses, stored away the emotions from earlier and replied stiffly, ¡°Hello, that¡¯s me.¡± Wei Yuechu¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. Holding a huge chainsaw in her hands, she sneered, ¡°What? Are you here to seek revenge again?¡± Chen Qingye slowly answered, ¡°Yes, but¡­¡­¡± Before he was able to finish speaking, the chainsaw in Wei Yuechu¡¯s hand began to roar. She continued with her sweet voice, but her words seemed to be laced with poison, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a bug? You sure are relentless. Aren¡¯t you embarrassed? To think that you would chase after him even outside the game. Do you need me to help you fix your head up a little so that you can return to your senses?¡± Chen Qingye narrowed his eyes and slowly repeated, ¡°Just a bug?¡± His words were still calm and without emotion, but Wu Su could keenly sense a trace of danger in his words, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This isn¡¯t good. Sure enough, the next second a centipede with numerous eyes on its body baring its teeth and brandishing its claws suddenly appeared. Its eyes stared coldly at the petite young woman before it. The members of the Combat Division had already witnessed A¡¯Chang¡¯s strength earlier, so they no longer dared to ask for an autograph and quickly retreated to make way for the big bosses. Wei Yuechu chuckled lightly, ¡°Tenth in ranking? Let me see how great tenth place is.¡± Chen Qingye touched A¡¯Chang¡¯s dark black shell and pushed up his glasses, ¡°It just so happens that my baby is also hungry¡­¡­.¡± A¡¯Chang hiss of warning and the young man¡¯s chainsaw¡¯s roar mixed together. The smell of gunpower filled the air. A fierce battle was imminent. Ye Jia pinched the bridge of his nose. He raised his voice and shouted, ¡°Stop!¡± A¡¯Chang, Wei Yuechu and Chen Qingye, one insect and two humans all turned to look at the source of that sound at the same time. Ye Jia slowly let out a breath, ¡°You guys calm down¡­¡­.¡± Chen Qingye scratched his slightly messy hair and lowly answered, ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡­.¡± The next second, A¡¯Chang¡¯s figure turned small again. It swiftly returned into his sleeve. Wei Yuechu was dumbfounded, ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Wait a minute? Why was Red so obedient? She dumbfoundedly watched Chen Qingye slowly walk to Ye Jia¡¯s side and solemnly push up his slightly slanted glasses, ¡°Apologies¡­¡­¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Huh? What¡¯s going on? Wu Su who was standing to the side was also at a loss ¡ª- Are all you big bosses all so fickle? Ye Jia was surprised as well. He didn¡¯t expect Chen Qingye to be this cooperative. Standing next to him, Chen Qingye proceeded to spread open his hand. Soon afterwards, the pitch-black A¡¯Chang and several other colourful, strangely shaped gu insects crawled out from under his sleeves. Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± He then heard Chen Qingye begin to enthusiastically introduce them to him, ¡°This is A¡¯Chang¡­..¡± (KKnotes: Chang = Long) ¡°This is A¡¯Hua¡­¡­¡± (KKnotes: Hua = Flower) ¡°This is A¡¯Lu¡­¡­..¡± (KKnotes: Lu = Green) Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± This style of naming his insects was really impressive. Very straightforward and fresh. (KKnotes: The phrase that was often used in this novel to describe the gu insects was »¨»¨ÂÌÂÌ (hua hua lu lu) which means colourful/brightly coloured hence the joke here) Wei Yuechu curled up her lips, turned off her chainsaw, and hurried over to Ye Jia. The fight that was about to start was thus resolved just like that. Wu Su couldn¡¯t seem to process this scene. He raised his eyes to look at the three figures standing not far away ¡ª- Red and Maid surrounded the young man. The tense atmosphere from a moment ago was completely gone, as if it was never there in the first place. At that moment, Wu Su couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Thousands of words condensed into one line: Ace is amazing! After listening to Chen Qingye¡¯s introduction of his gu insects, Wei Yuechu rolled her eyes and coldly snorted, ¡°Humph! Your naming skill is just too pathetic. A¡¯Chang, A¡¯Lu, A¡¯Hua, what kind of names are those?¡± Chen Qingye narrowed his eyes: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± A¡¯Chang who was sitting on his thumb raised its head and hissed. It once again prepared to launch an attack. Ye Jia immediately intervened and broke up the tense atmosphere, ¡°I think you two should already know what the current situation is like now, yes?¡± Chen Qingye and Wei Yuechu were both successfully distracted. They both turned to look at Ye Jia at the same time. Wei Yuechu tilted her head and asked, ¡°Are you referring to the game crashing and the ghost doors opening?¡± Chen Qingye calmly mocked, ¡°Thank you for your reminder¡­¡­¡± Wei Yuechu glared at him, ¡°You¡­¡­¡­!¡± Ye Jia once again interrupted the two, ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡­¡± The two glared at each other for a moment before bitterly looking away. Chen Qingye asked after some thought, ¡°I am actually very curious about why you sent out your signature ¡ª Based on what I know, this seems to be your first time doing this?¡± ¡°I also want to know this ¡ª- Especially since it won¡¯t just attract friends, it would also attract enemies.¡± Wei Yuechu glanced at Chen Qingye. Chen Qingye ignored her and just lowered his head and focused on calming the agitated A¡¯Chang. Wei Yuechu retracted her gaze. Her clear brown eyes stopped on the young man before her and she slowly asked, ¡°So, for what reason did you take such a big risk to gather the players?¡± This question went straight to the point. Ye Jia hooked up his lips. His voice was gentle and calm, ¡°Ever since the game crashed, humans have always been at a complete disadvantage. We have no idea who our opponent is, what their purpose is and what their next plans are. Don¡¯t you feel aggrieved?¡± The other two were left stunned. They both looked towards the person who asked them this question. The young man¡¯s voice was soft and it even contained a hint of a smile but that wasn¡¯t enough to conceal the dangerous air in his words, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fight back?¡± . Ye Jia rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. He suddenly felt tired all over. The things that had to be dealt with today were too complicated. After all, once players were involved, things would inevitably become more complicated ¡ª- This was also the reason why he didn¡¯t reveal himself to Maid before. But with the Yin Pit incident, all the earlier reservations he had were thrown off the table. Fortunately, the solution wasn¡¯t bad. Both Chen Qingye and Wei Yuechu were very interested in his proposal ¡ª- By getting them involved, he was able to successfully take the first step in his plan. Ye Jia habitually activated his ghost domain. As soon as he stepped into the hotel room, he was met with a loud scream. Please read this from kk translates Standing before him was a tall and fat middle-aged man wrapped in a bath towel. He covered his chest and screamed, ¡°AHHHHH!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Fuck. ¡°Sorry, my mistake.¡± He smiled awkwardly and then once again activated his ghost domain and left. The middle-aged man stared at the empty space before him in confusion, ¡°?¡± Wait a minute. Did I see wrongly just now? Standing on an empty street, Ye Jia slowly let out a sigh of relief. The sleepiness from earlier was now completely gone and he finally remembered the deal he had made with Ji Xuan. After the game crashed, there was no other way of obtaining the gu larva apart from getting it from Ji Xuan. And so, in exchange for the mother gu larva, Ye Jia had agreed to stay at Ji Xuan¡¯s place until his apartment was repaired. Ye Jia could feel a headache forming again. He dug out his phone and turned on the screen. Two hours ago, Ji Xuan had sent him the address. The small black hand leaned over from behind his shoulder and exclaimed, ¡°Wow¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Huh?¡± The small black hand said enviously, ¡°This place is a very expensive place in M City.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± No wonder he had no impression of it. The small black hand sighed, ¡°Haa, if I had this much money, I wonder how many skins I could buy¡­¡­.¡± It quickly stopped there and secretly glanced at Ye Jia. Ye Jia didn¡¯t pay the small black hand any attention. Looking at the address displayed on his phone screen, he lowly sighed. ¡ª¨C Everyone clearly came out of the same game, but why was there such a big difference between them? There was still no answer to this question that had been bothering him for a long time. If it really wasn¡¯t from robbing a bank, was Ji Xuan able to magically conjure up money? He really wanted to know his secret to getting rich. The small black hand secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It held onto Ye Jia¡¯s collar and asked nervously, ¡°Hey¡­..Speaking of which, now that you are going to live at King¡¯s place¡­¡­would you run into him often?¡± Although Ye Jia had already warned Ji Xuan not to threaten it anymore¡­. But¡­¡­. The small black hand still couldn¡¯t help but shudder when it recalled the moment that man glanced at it expressionlessly. Ahhhhhh help!! It still wanted to hide as far as possible from him!! Ye Jia stored away his phone and shook his head, ¡°No, I have already confirmed it in advance.¡± He still remembered Ji Xuan¡¯s answer to this question ¡ª¡ª ¡°As a fierce ghost, I don¡¯t need to rest.¡± In his memory, the man¡¯s eyes and lips contained pure kindness. He didn¡¯t seem to be lying. The small black hand, ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Why do I have a bad feeling? Ye Jia activated his ghost domain again and then arrived at the address on his phone. There were traces of this place being hidden by yin energy, making it almost impossible for one to enter using their ghost domain. He took out a key and unlocked the door. The spacious apartment was decorated very simply such that it had cleverly blended luxury with simplicity. Although the word ¡®rich¡¯ was evident just looking in from the door, it looked extremely comfortable to live in. Ye Jia glanced around. For some reason, he felt that this place seemed like a more luxurious and upgraded version of the apartment he was living in. His personal belongings had already been unpacked and left in various places. It made it seem as if he had lived here for a long time. For a moment, an extremely realistic scene that had never happened before couldn¡¯t help but appear briefly in Ye Jia¡¯s mind. ¡ª¨C Ji Xuan stood in front of him, declaring proudly, ¡°See? Isn¡¯t it better than staying in a hotel?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He raised his hand again and pinched the bridge of his nose. Sure enough, he should get some rest. This place was too big. Ye Jia didn¡¯t bother going upstairs and just simply laid down on the sofa and closed his eyes to nap for ten or twenty minutes. Hazy sleepiness soon drew him in. A familiar dream once again enveloped him. Red and black slowly intermingled and a strange scene gradually formed. The monsters he had encountered in the game, the companions who had died, familiar faces, they all mixed and blended together into a both unfamiliar and familiar figure that circled around him again and again. He silently held his weapon and indifferently watched on. Those physiques were distorted and stretched, and small, fragmented whispered reached his ears from time to time. The blood-coloured world was then split open, leaving only endless coldness and darkness. Ye Jia suddenly opened his eyes. He firmly grabbed the hand that was reaching towards his cheek and then turned, flipped and suppressed ¡ª Like a sleeping beast who was suddenly startled awake, he instinctively bared his claws and fangs, a habit he had deeply burned into his bones. It was all done fluidly, as if it had been done millions of times, and he firmly suppressed the person under him. His eyes were clear. Only cold killing intent shone in his eyes. A frosty light glistened at the tip of his finger. The blade rested under the other party¡¯s jaw. The coffee table beside the sofa was completely smashed. A man with scarlet eyes laid amidst this mess; his vitals completely exposed to the person above him, his life and death hanging from a thread. Ji Xuan didn¡¯t resist. He lazily spread open his arms, his hands resting on both sides as if surrendering. He turned a blind eye to the danger before him and even seemed to be smiling faintly. Ye Jia seemed to have finally returned to his senses. He narrowed his eyes coldly. The cold blade in his hand had slowly disappeared, but the muscles in his body were still tense, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± His voice was a little hoarse and somewhat cold and detached. Ji Xuan blinked innocently. He spread open his left hand, allowing the thin blanket to slip from his fingers and fall onto the ground. ¡°Gege, you¡¯ll catch a cold sleeping in the living room.¡± Ye Jia stared fixatedly at him for a few seconds before slowly releasing his grip and getting up. Ji Xuan remained lying on the ground. The gaze he used to look at the young man moving away from him seemed to show a trace of disappointment. He asked, ¡°Nightmare?¡± Ye Jia looked away and didn¡¯t answer. He raised a hand and massaged his aching forehead, ¡°I¡¯ll pay for the coffee table.¡± ¡ª¨C Just giving yourself to me will be enough. But Ji Xuan naturally didn¡¯t dare say that line in front of the other party. He curled up the corners of his lips, ¡°Okay¡­.¡± Ye Jia lowered his head and glanced at him with a frown, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ji Xuan slowly sat up and dusted off his clothes. He raised his eyes to look at Ye Jia innocently, ¡°This is my home, why can¡¯t I be here?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Home?¡± Ji Xuan nodded without a change to his expression, ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t need rest?¡± Ye Jia who couldn¡¯t understand drew his brows together, ¡°Why is this place considered your home?¡± Ji Xuan curled up his lips, ¡°Sometimes, I need some personal space.¡± Ye Jia expressionlessly asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you have a lot of places under your name?¡± Ji Xuan, ¡°But I like this place the most.¡± Ye Jia took in a deep breath. He suppressed his anger and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Okay, then let me move to a place you don¡¯t like.¡± Ji Xuan looked at him and blinked a few times, ¡°But wherever gege is is the place I like the most.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Shameless. Utterly shameless. Just as Ye Jia was left speechless from his shamelessness, Ji Xuan got up and patted off the rest of the dust from his body, ¡°Since you¡¯re awake, you should go and wash your hands.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°?¡± Ji Xuan lightly chuckled and then suddenly leaned over. Ye Jia instinctively wanted to back away, but he forced himself to remain in place. He stared coldly at Ji Xuan who was getting closer. The distance between the two gradually shortened. The man stared fixatedly at him with his dark red eyes for a moment before suddenly lowering his eyes and lightly picking off a piece of dust from his shoulder. His voice was low and deep, like a lover¡¯s whisper, ¡°Dinner is ready¡­¡­¡± Please read this from kk translates In the bathroom. Water flowed into the white, marble sink as small droplets spattered out. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and watched the water flow along his fingers. He seemed to have lost his mind for a moment. By the time he returned to his senses, he had already entered the bathroom ¡ª- He was probably still half-asleep. He picked up a handful of water and hurriedly washed his face. A young man¡¯s wet face was reflected in the mirror. Water droplets slipped down from his brows and his wet hair stuck to his forehead. A pair of amber eyes stared at his reflection in the mirror. The coldness in his eyes that had yet dissipated as well as his exhaustion from earlier intermingled on his contrarily calm appearance. ¡ª- It had been a long time since he left the game. It took Ye Jia a long time to adapt to his current peaceful life and it took him an even longer time to stop himself from habitually counterattacking every time he was awakened. Now that the ghosts and monsters as well as his acquaintances from the game had appeared in the real world, they had also brought along with it his nightmares and habits from the game. The time it took to regain all that was much shorter than the time it took for him to change it. ¡ª¨C No matter what, he had to have a proper chat with Ji Xuan. He was not ready to maintain such a close relationship and distance with the other party. Living together was absolutely impossible. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and reached for the towel next to him. He briefly dried his face using it and then turned to leave the bathroom. Unexpectedly, Ji Xuan was waiting for him outside. Ye Jia noticed something off in his expression. He swallowed back the words that he had wanted to say earlier and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ji Xuan hooked up his lips, ¡°You should take a look¡­¡­¡­.¡± He snapped his fingers. The next second, Ye Jia found himself in the large warehouse from before. The numerous shelves that were originally filled with dolls were now pitifully empty. Sitting in the middle of the warehouse was a small mountain of books. The white pages were almost blinding. ¡°Wahhhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¨C¡± Puppet Master with the appearance of a seven- or eight-year-old child sat in the middle of this, wailing tearfully while holding his broken dolls, ¡°I don¡¯t want it do it anymore!¡± He cried especially miserably with his hair dishevelled and his little pale face filled with despair. The dark eyebags under his eyes made it seem like he had been punched in each eye. Even after seeing Ji Xuan and Ye Jia, Puppet Master continued to show no intentions to get up from the ground. He wiped away his tears and wailed, ¡°I-I hate maaaaths!¡± Ye Jia almost let out a laugh. He deliberately suppressed the corners of his lips that were slowly rising and then bent down and put on a gentle, big brotherly expression, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, then you don¡¯t have to do it.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± Puppet Master asked between his sobs. Ye Jia smiled benevolently, ¡°Of course. All you need to do is to answer a few of our questions.¡± Puppet Master was a little hesitant, ¡°B¡­but¡­¡­.¡± Ji Xuan spoke up nonchalantly, ¡°Do you know why you were captured by us?¡± Puppet Master was taken aback. Tears were still rolling down his face. ¡°Even if we managed to render your puppet skills useless, you shouldn¡¯t be left in a state where you are unable to slip away using your ghost domain.¡± Ji Xuan narrowed his dark red eyes and a faint smile lingered on his lips, ¡°Or did you really think that it was a gift from Mother?¡± Puppet Master lowered his head. A long time later, he looked back up, the sinister look returning to his eyes. He gritted his teeth, ¡°W-what do you want to know?¡± Although the ghost doors had opened, the fierce ghosts that had appeared in public had only been A-Level at most. Even the few S-Level ones that had appeared were not the backbones of the game ¡ª Fly King and Puppet Master were both relatively weak existences among them. The real S-Level lords had not yet made their appearance. They seemed to have disappeared, completely hidden from the public¡¯s sight. Although not many humans seemed to have lost their lives because of them, but it was this very disappearance that made him all the more concerned. Because of the bloodline restraints, Ji Xuan couldn¡¯t reveal to him Mother¡¯s plans. However, based on the information they had gathered, those S-Level fierce ghosts, including Ji Xuan, Fly King and Puppet Master, they each had their own tasks. ¡ª¨C Tasks that were directly assigned to them by Mother. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and slowly said, ¡°I need to know where those S-Level lords are.¡± . ¡ª¨C ¡°Don¡¯t you want to fight back?¡± In the dark night, the eyes under young man¡¯s hood shone a cold light. The young woman and the bespectacled man slowly turned to look with each other. They both saw determination and resolve in each other¡¯s eyes. ¡ª¨C Of course we do. CH 53 ¡°Are you going to find them?¡± Puppet Master¡¯s face was still wet from his tears. Mixed with the distressed and shocked look in his eyes, it looked particularly ridiculous. He repeated again in disbelief, ¡°Are you serious?¡± Ye Jia raised a brow, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Puppet Master looked like he had just seen a ghost, ¡°Even I don¡¯t want to see them!¡± S-Level fierce ghosts were greedy to no end. They even wished to devour their own kind to make themselves even more powerful. As a result, the conflicts between them are typically far fiercer and more terrifying than other fierce ghosts. Although it may appear calm on the surface, but in fact, if they really encountered another fierce ghost in their territory, it didn¡¯t matter what Mother¡¯s orders were; they would devour them without a second thought. ¡°Looks like your brotherly relationships aren¡¯t very strong.¡± Ye Jia asked with a fake look of concern, ¡°Won¡¯t your mummy be upset?¡± Puppet Master¡¯s expression was a little distorted. He looked like he had just swallowed a bug, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Upset my ass. Ye Jia casually pulled out a piece of paper from the pile of books nearby and glanced at the contents. All covered in red. He looked up and shook the paper in his hand, the paper lightly rustling as he did this, ¡°So, are you ready to cooperate?¡± Puppet Master¡¯s eyes fell onto the paper in Ye Jia¡¯s hand. A trace of fear surfaced onto his small face. He swallowed with difficulty and then finally forced out: ¡°It¡¯s not my fault if you die.¡± ¡°You want to know where they are?¡± Puppet Master sullenly retracted his gaze. He then looked up at Ye Jia, ¡°Of course I can tell you that, but¡­¡­.¡± He paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°Apart from their location, I won¡¯t tell you anything else.¡± Ye Jia calmly looked back at him. His amber eyes were slightly narrowed, as if he was thinking about something. Puppet Master glanced at Ji Xuan who stood on the sidelines and then once again looked back at Ye Jia and continued meaningfully, ¡°I think you should already know that us fierce ghosts are restricted by Mother¡¯s bloodline so the information we can reveal is limited. Moreover¡­.the closer in blood relation, the stronger the suppression.¡± His dark eyes seemed to be hinting at something. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and asked back, ¡°Even at a time like this, you think that trying to sow discord between us would be useful?¡± Seeing that his plans were thwarted, Puppet Master could only snort and continue, ¡°Anyway, I can only give you this much information, and I¡¯ll only give you a little each time.¡± He was pretty clever. He knew that by not revealing everything in one go, he wouldn¡¯t be killed immediately. Ye Jia agreed, ¡°Alright¡­¡­¡± After reaching an agreement, Ye Jia left the ghost domain first. Ji Xuan also turned around preparing to leave, but Puppet Master behind him suddenly called out, ¡°Ji Xuan, have you really thought this through?¡± In the middle of the warehouse, a seven- or eight-year-old child sat on the ground holding a destroyed doll in his arms with his head raised. Those dark eyes of his seemed to be filled with poison and he didn¡¯t attempt to hide the malice leaking out from it, ¡°Your power is linked with Mother¡¯s. If Mother is weakened, you will similarly be weakened¡­.After all this time, surely you have already felt it?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s footsteps paused slightly. ¡°If we were in the game, I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up a fight against the past you.¡± Puppet Master narrowed his eyes, as if reminiscing and savouring the past. His lips then silently curled upwards to reveal a sneer, ¡°But¡­.it¡¯s different now.¡± Although he was still defeated that day, Puppet Master had noticed that the air around Ji Xuan seemed different from usual. The failure with the city rampage, mother losing a part of herself as well as Fly King¡¯s death ¡ª all of that weakened Mother¡­.and all S-Level fierce ghosts were closely connected to Mother. As Mother¡¯s direct line of descendant, Ji Xuan was affected more than any of the other S-Level fierce ghosts. Coupled with Mother¡¯s deliberate act of suppression and punishment, it made him unable to be at his full strength. Looking at Ji Xuan¡¯s unperturbed back, the arc of Puppet Master¡¯s lips raised even further, ¡°So are you sure you want to go against those S-Level lords who once rivalled you in your current state?¡± ¡°Helping humans is harmful to you.¡± Puppet Master snickered and added, ¡°Mother knows this, you know this, I also know this¡­.but he doesn¡¯t know it does he?¡± The sinister look on that child¡¯s face didn¡¯t match with his appearance. He continued looking at the man standing with his back to him and said, ¡°You doing all this¡­..¡± The malice and joy in his voice was very obvious, ¡°Is it really worth it?¡± ¡°Say, if he knows about this, would he feel bad or would he breathe a sigh of relief?¡± Ji Xuan was expressionless from beginning to end, his dark red eyes showing no joy or anger. It was only when the other party said those words that his eyes stirred a little. He turned to look at Puppet Master behind him. His finger raised slightly. Puppet Master felt a powerful and terrifying force slam him to the ground. Every bone in his body creaked under the weight and his internal organs felt like there were being crushed into pulp. His dark and bloodshot eyes rolled back as a painful groan was emitted from the depths of his throat. In his narrow field of view, a pair of spotless shoes appeared before him. The man¡¯s voice that contained no emotion travelled over from above. That low voice was extremely calm but also extremely dangerous and terrifying, ¡°Looks like you really have too much time on your hands.¡± ¡ª-Puppet Master not only manipulated dolls and puppets, but he also manipulated people¡¯s hearts. In short, he liked to sow discord.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll help find something for you to do.¡± Ji Xuan slowly said this as he looked down at Puppet Master who was lying by his feet. Puppet Master¡¯s expression froze. The next second, all the papers as well as the broken dolls next to him came alive. Roaring with hatred, they all slowly approached him. Puppet Master¡¯s pupils instantly constricted. He seemed to be wanting to say something, but his throat was firmly suppressed by that unknown force, and he could only spit out incomprehensible garble. Ji Xuan raised the corners of his lips but that smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. He clapped his hands, ¡°Have a pleasant time¡­.¡± He then turned and left the warehouse from which muffled screams rang out. Ji Xuan stepped out of his ghost domain. Ye Jia was sitting at the dining table, looking down at a piece of paper that had an address written on it. He looked up at Ji Xuan who had suddenly appeared and asked nonchalantly, ¡°Why did you take so long?¡± His light-coloured hair looked fluffy under the warm yellow light. As he raised his eyes slightly to look in his direction, those glass-like eyes of his seemed to contain patches of sunlight. His expression was calm, with all the former hostility and vigilance stored away. Like a sword in its sheath, all that was left was gentleness ¡ª- Although it was just an illusion, it still carried near-fatal temptation. Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and imperceptibly hooked up the corners of his lips, ¡°Just dealing with some personal matters.¡± Puppet Master¡¯s question was very silly ¡ª- ¡°Is it worth it?¡± As if he was a victim, silently sacrificing himself without asking for anything in return. How could that be the case? All fierce ghosts are insatiable and selfish existences. ¡ª¨C Everything he did and all the sacrifices he made were all carefully calculated bargaining chips. It was all done to invest in the final reward he desired. He would do anything he could, little by little, to achieve this desire of his. Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes darkened slightly. He cleverly hid the dark look under his thick lashes. He pulled the chair out and sat down opposite Ye Jia before coughing lightly to pull the other person out from his thoughts. With a smile on his lips, Ji Xuan warmly suggested, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. The food would get cold soon.¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia who was still lost in thought responded with an ¡®oh¡¯ and slowly picked up his chopsticks. After picking up two mouthfuls of rice, he belatedly realised that he had forgotten his original purpose of having a proper talk with Ji Xuan after being interrupted earlier. Ye Jia lowered his head to look at the food in his bowl, ¡°¡­¡­¡± He had miscalculated. He raised his head and looked at Ji Xuan who sat across from him. The man had one hand supporting his cheek as he stared at him. After seeing him look over, he smiled and asked, ¡°How is it?¡± Ye Jia looked away, ¡°Mhn, pretty good.¡± . Chen Qingye lowered his head and carefully read the address on the piece of paper in his hands. He then looked up at Ace who sat opposite him and asked, ¡°What do you think?¡± Wei Yuechu stirred the green tea milk tea in front of her and interrupted without restraint, ¡°What else could he think? Of course we¡¯ll attack them!¡± Her eyes burned with fighting spirit, ¡°Now that we have the address, we should go and drag that fierce ghost out and then torture information out from it!¡± Chen Qingye, ¡°¡­¡­¡± He sighed, ¡°You really don¡¯t use your head. Do you always use force to solve problems?¡± ¡°Of course¡­..¡± Yue Weichu narrowed her eyes dangerously, ¡°Do you want to give it a try?¡± A¡¯Chang who was leaning against the coffee cup with its head lowered as it drank milk tea raised its head and looked at the young woman sitting opposite it. Its eyes gleaming similarly dangerously. Ye Jia sighed helpless, ¡°You two get your heads straight. We¡¯re still in someone¡¯s shop.¡± Wu Su who sat to the side nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡± He lowered his head and drank another mouthful of the green tea milk tea and was accidentally scalded by the heat, ¡°But Ace is right, this place¡¯s green tea milk tea is indeed very good.¡± Except for the four of them, there was no one else in this milk tea store. A yin barrier had been activated to prevent others from hearing them. Ye Jia took away the piece of paper from Chen Qingye and the gazed thoughtfully at the contents, ¡°This information is reliable, but the source¡­.¡± ¡ª¨CVerbal contracts made in a ghost domain must be abided. Since Puppet Master had agreed to cooperate, the information he had given them must be true. However¡­.. It didn¡¯t mean that the other party didn¡¯t have any malicious intentions. ¡°Source?¡± Chen Qingye keenly sensed the hidden meaning in Ye Jia¡¯s words, ¡°Is it a fierce ghost?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Yes¡­..¡± The four people present all fell silent. They had interacted with many fierce ghosts during their time in the game so they knew very well that no fierce ghosts would give them information that was completely harmless ¡ª Even if the content is true, the intention behind it would often be malicious. If you unsuspectingly believed in the information given to you by them, you would most certainly fall into their trap. Don¡¯t believe the words of a fierce ghost. That was one of the most basic rules in the game. ¡°Jeez, so what?!¡± Wei Yuechu suddenly jumped up and slapped the table, causing the cups on the table to shake and soaking A¡¯Chang in the process. Chen Qingue frowned and reached out to straighten the cup before him while looking accusingly at Wei Yuechu. ¡°Apart from this, we don¡¯t have any other clues!¡± Wei Yuechu exclaimed frankly, ¡°Are we just going to wait for those S-Level fierce ghosts to complete their respective tasks and then come and kill us?¡± Chen Qingye took out a tissue and used it to wipe A¡¯Chang¡¯s face. ¡°Although I don¡¯t like Miss Maid herself¡­.¡± He neatly folded the dirty tissue and threw it in the bin and continued in all seriousness, ¡°But this time, I agree with her ¡ª We have no other options. We can only go and see what happens.¡± Wei Yuechu was surprised, ¡°Oh, I thought you would argue against me.¡± Chen Qingye pushed up his glasses and didn¡¯t say anything in return to that. He just continued to express his own thoughts, ¡°Although it is like this, but I also think that we should prepare ourselves properly in case of anything unexpected. After all, regardless of whether or not the information we were given is harmless, that is still a S-Level fierce ghost. It would naturally be dangerous.¡± Wu Su nodded, ¡°I agree¡­..¡± Ye Jia chuckled, ¡°Since you don¡¯t have objections, then so be it.¡± Chen Qingye pulled out another tissue and started to wipe the table. A¡¯Chang who had drunk its fill of milk tea let out a small burp before slowly crawling back into Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeve. Wei Yuechu frowned, ¡°Are you mysophobic?¡± Chen Qingye shook his head, ¡°I just like to keep clean.¡± ¡°Then why do you raise bugs?¡± Wei Yuechu who couldn¡¯t understand asked. Chen Qingye narrowed his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly said, ¡°They are not bugs.¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­¡± Wei Yuechu raised her hands in surrender and shrugged, ¡°If you say they¡¯re not, then they¡¯re not.¡± Chen Qingye, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± While the two of them continued with their usual bickering, Ye Jia turned to Wu Su, ¡°We may need to leave M City for a while, so I suggest that you remove my signature for the time being. After all, you don¡¯t know who may be attracted over.¡± Wu Su nodded, ¡°Okay¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia, ¡°We will try our best to clear out the high-level fierce ghosts in M City before we leave so as to reduce your burden.¡± Wu Su nodded vigorously, ¡°Okay!¡± Ye Jia, ¡°So don¡¯t forget my remuneration.¡± He pointed at the other two, ¡°And also theirs¡­.¡± Chen Qingye and Wei Yuechu were both taken aback. They both stopped their bickering and turned to look at Ye Jia with equally confused expressions. Wei Yuechu, ¡°Remuneration? You get remuneration for doing this kind of job?¡± Chen Qingye was a little hesitant, ¡°Then¡­.Are we considered hired employees now?¡± Wu Su smiled, ¡°Of course! You are now all special employees of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau and the remuneration is equivalent to the amount special class members of the Combat Division receive. In addition to that, there are also performance bonuses!¡± Wei Yuechu¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Special class? How much is that?¡± Chen Qingye who had already done his homework before coming hesitated for a moment before leaning over and whispering a number. Please read this from kk translates Wei Yuechu¡¯s eyes became even brighter, ¡°Wow!¡± She stood up and rushed to the counter, ¡°Give me two more cups of green tea milk tea please!¡± Ye Jia smiled mysteriously. ¡ª- What could be better than making money alone? It¡¯s making money together. At this moment, Wu Su¡¯s phone rang. Out of politeness, he rejected the call. But less than two seconds later, another call came. Wei Yuechu, ¡°Pick it up. It might be something urgent.¡± Wu Su sighed helplessly and accepted the call. As soon as he brought the phone to his ear, a loud shout travelled over from the other end, almost rendering Wu Su deaf, ¡°Captain!!¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He wordlessly brought the phone further away from his ear and then asked angrily, ¡°What is it? Speak properly!¡± The other side hesitated again and again, ¡°Um¡­..I think you should come back to the Bureau and have a look yourself.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just say it through the phone?¡± Wu Su frowned. But before he could finish asking this, the other end had hung up. Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­¡± When I get the chance, I must replace him with someone more reliable! After learning about how much money she could make, Wei Yuechu was particularly energetic. She immediately shot up again and said, ¡°Let go! Is there something happening at the Bureau? I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Chen Qingye sat with his back straight, ¡°If senior needs help, I am always available.¡± Ye Jia was very pleased to hear this, ¡°Since we have you two helping, I can rest assured.¡± He had said it exceptionally grandiosely. Before the other three could react, they saw the young man slowly stand up, pick up the green tea milk tea he had not yet finished drinking and turn to leave. The old god even waved his hand, ¡°I¡¯ll see you later¡­¡­.¡± The other three: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Wait a minute, why aren¡¯t you following the usual routine? And Wu Su on the side couldn¡¯t help but have a thought ¡ª- This blatant slacking off behaviour¡­..Why did it seem a little familiar? Ye Jia who had already left didn¡¯t feel the slightest guilt at all. ¡ª- After all, he was considered someone with multiple jobs. Although the matters here were done, he still had to check in at the Logistics Department. After leaving the store, Ye Jia leisurely changed his clothes and then hurried over to the Bureau. He got onto the elevator and just as he was about to reach the door to the Bureau, he felt that the atmosphere didn¡¯t seem quite right. It was too quiet. There should be people coming and going but at this moment, it was so quiet, even the sound of a needle falling could be heard. Through the frosted glass door, he didn¡¯t see any figures moving around. Ye Jia frowned. He reached out and pushed open the door. The next second, a hand reached out from the side, firmly grasping onto Ye Jia¡¯s wrist, ¡°Shhh!¡± Ye Jia was startled. Fortunately, he was able to recognise the other party in advance and stopped himself from retaliating. Cheng Cezhi pulled Ye Jia aside and whispered nervously, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come!¡± Ye Jia glanced at the scene ¡ª- The main hall of Bureau was in tatters. It was as if a storm had swept through. Various Bureau staff were huddled together in the corners of the hall, as quiet as a quail. He frowned and asked in a low voice, ¡°What happened?¡± Cheng Cezhi, ¡°I actually also¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, a table that had been melted by high heat such that it still glowed a red light was thrown out. The next second, a lazy voice sounded from that direction, ¡°So, you don¡¯t know where Ace is?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Damn¡­¡­ He seems to know who this person is. He saw a man slowly walk out. His appearance was handsome, and his hair was dyed fire red in colour. With several ear piercings as well as a T shirt with a skull pattern and a pair of jeans with metal chains, he appeared unrestrained and arrogant, ¡°Do you think I would believe in those lies? If no one tells me where he is, I¡¯ll destroy this damn Bureau!¡± Ye Jia closed his eyes in despair. Damn, it¡¯s really him. ¡°It¡¯s you?!¡± Wei Yuechu kicked open the door with a chainsaw in her hand and stared in shock at the man before her, ¡°Blast?¡± Blast, a player whose ranking often fluctuated between seventh place and twenty-fifth place. He earned a lot of points but he also squandered a lot of them too, especially as he liked to take part in gambling among the players. There was even one time where he fell out of the top thirty ranks because he had lost too many points. Although their appearance in the game was not the same as what they actually looked like, but as long as you have seen him before, it would be impossible not to recognise him ¡ª- After all, the way he dressed and his hair was just too unconventional. A player¡¯s appearance and their outfit could be adjusted using points in the game. In order to stay away from their enemies and to avoid trouble, many players would spend points to modify their appearance from time to time but Blast on the other hand, no matter what appearance he had, he would always maintain that eye-catching red hair. Ye Jia looked away in despair. In a sense, he really had too many enemies. ¡°You¡¯re also here?!¡± Blast¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Then that means Ace is really here?¡± Wei Yuechu narrowed her eyes and said coldly, ¡°Where I am doesn¡¯t concern you. Hurry and let go of those hostages or I will no longer be polite.¡± Blast snorted arrogantly, ¡°You? If you have the ability to stop me, why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Wei Yuechu scowled. She picked up the chainsaw and charged over. The roaring of the chainsaw mixed together with the crackling of the flames. In an instant, it exploded in the Bureau¡¯s main hall, the powerful yin energy scattered paper and debris everywhere in the process. ¡°A¡¯Chang¡­..¡±A voice slowly sounded at the door, ¡°Go help her¡­¡­.¡± The next second, a pitch-black centipede suddenly grew bigger but it seemed to have taken into consideration the building¡¯s size and didn¡¯t grow into anything too big. Blast swiftly dodged and avoided A¡¯Chang¡¯s attack. He fixed his eyes on the place he was standing at just now and was met with the multiple eyes on A¡¯Chang¡¯s body. Blast, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± His face instantly paled in fear, ¡°Ahhhhh!! Bugs!!!¡± He instinctively threw out fireballs towards A¡¯Chang¡¯s direction. A¡¯Chang¡¯s body may be large, but it was very flexible. It was able to skilfully dodge those attacks flying towards him. As a result, the burning fireball that was so hot that it made the air slightly distorted flew straight towards the trembling employees behind¡ª- Everything seemed to have slowed down. And Ye Jia happened to be standing right in thaat fireballs trajectory. CH 54 The burning fireball crackled in the air. Its terrible heat that could scorch through flesh made the air around it slightly distorted as it flew towards the screaming crowd at an unstoppable speed. The young man at the front of the crowd raised his eyes and looked at the yin fireball coming his way. His pale face was illuminated red by the fire and his amber eyes reflected the flames that were getting close enough to scorch his skin and hair. Blast¡¯s eyes widened in shock. He anxiously called out, ¡°Hurry and dodge!¡±¡± Wei Yuechu could feel her heart grow tense. She immediately turned and rushed towards the fireball, but it was too late. In less than a second, that fireball would swallow up those people there. The same thought appeared in everyone¡¯s mind at this moment¡ª¨C It¡¯s over¡­.. As for Ye Jia, everything was done subconsciously. Having had his life hanging on a thread for so long, everything seemed to be etched into his bones. He reflexively moved without needing to think. A cold and bright light flashed, and a faint shape of a blade emerged from his hand. Following that, a crescent shaped afterimage seemed to cut through the air and light, immediately colliding with the scorching fireball. That ball of fire that was hot enough to make anything that it comes into contact with melt made a loud sound before rising up several feet and bursting into smaller fire particles. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but look away. When the dust and smoke finally settled, they anxiously looked back. The young man stood in place unscathed with no traces of burns on him and, about a step in front of him, the floor and ceiling was scorched black. As if a small bomb had gone off, the surroundings had been flattened by the blast but there seemed to be a dividing line right before the young man. Everything before that line was scorched black while everything behind it was still completely unaffected. As for Ye Jia who stood at this junction between light and dark, his tall and straight figure was like a protection talisman. Reaching everyone¡¯s eyes, it was a sight that made their eyes hurt. ¡°This¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Shocked whispers rang out from the crowd. Everyone couldn¡¯t believe their eyes. They couldn¡¯t seem to be able to process the scene before them. What happened just now? They turned and looked at the others beside them, but they only saw the same confusion and disbelief on their faces. Blast looked at Ye Jia dumbfoundedly. The red hair that fluttered in the air seemed to have frozen in place. A¡¯Chang who was half the size of a human once again turned smaller and returned into Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeve. Together with its owner, they both looked at the young man standing before them. Wei Yuechu stopped in place. Carrying the large chainsaw that didn¡¯t match her size, she looked at Ye Jia in daze. She similarly didn¡¯t expect something like this. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± She took in a deep breath and then asked the question everyone wanted to ask, ¡°How did you do it?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Oh no. In a spacious conference room. This was the only room that was not destroyed by Blast and it still had most of the necessary equipment including tables and chairs. The door was closed, blocking out the curious and inquisitive looks from the other employees. The chains on his clothes clinking, Blast crossed his arms and leaned against the door with a look of annoyance. Wei Yuechu who stood to the side frowned and fixed her eyes on him vigilantly, ¡°What are you looking for Ace for?¡± ¡°None of your damn business¡­¡­¡± Blast rolled his eyes and said impatiently, ¡°Why? Only you¡¯re allowed to look for him and I¡¯m not?¡± The next second, A¡¯Chang stuck its head out from Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeve. Blast¡¯s face turned pale and he subconsciously backed away, ¡°Fucking hell¡­.¡± Wei Yuechu gloated, ¡°What? Afraid of bugs?¡± She laughed happily and patted Chen Qingye¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Brother, I¡¯ll leave it up to you.¡± Chen Qingye pushed up his glasses and slowly made a sound of acknowledgement. The next second, countless gu insects rushed out from his sleeves. Purple, green, blue, those with shells and those without, there were all sorts of gu insects. Just the sight of it was enough to make one¡¯s scalp go numb. Even Wei Yuechu who wasn¡¯t afraid of insects couldn¡¯t help but hide to the side and rub the goosebumps on her arms. Blast jumped all over the place, his face pale, ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Seeing that he was subconsciously about to retaliate, Chen Qingye hooked his finger to call back half of the gu insects, leaving the rest hovering not far away from Blast. Blast¡¯s complexion was very poor as he had his back pressed firmly against the wall. He slowly swallowed, ¡°A-a-are¡­¡­are you a psychopath?¡± Chen Qingye acted like he didn¡¯t hear him. He continued to sit with his back straight and tall and expressionlessly pushed up his glasses. Wei Yuechu was a little astounded, ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re this afraid of them, how did you manage to survive in the game?¡± There were many instances in the games that involved insects. Even if they weren¡¯t important existences in the instances, there were also many scenes in there with disgusting bugs like cockroaches and maggots. Those who were afraid or disgusted by them pretty much all had a very difficult time in the game and basically anyone who managed to survive had at some point become desensitised to these things. Blast smirked arrogantly. A single flame appeared at the tip of his finger, ¡°Can¡¯t I just burn them?¡± Chen Qingye stared at him. The gu insects flying in the air quietly got a little closer. Blast chocked. The smile on his lips froze slightly and seemed to be faintly twitching, ¡°K-k-k-keep them away from me.¡± ¡°Tell me why you¡¯re looking for Ace.¡± Wei Yuechi rested her arm on Chen Qingye¡¯s shoulder as she said this. Chen Qingye expressionlessly moved away, causing her arm to fall off his shoulder, and dusted the place that was touched by her earlier. Damned mysophobia¡­¡­ Wei Yuechu silently rolled her eyes and continued, ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll ask this Mr. Red here to release some of his insects, follow you home and then have them lay eggs in your ears!¡± She deliberately tried to scare him. Blast¡¯s expression was completely green. He gritted his teeth, ¡°You think I would fall for that?¡± Wei Yuechu shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether or not you believe me¡­..¡± In fact, she also didn¡¯t know whether Chen Qingye could do something like this. In any case, it didn¡¯t matter whether or not it worked, it was better to try it anyway. Blast¡¯s gaze moved between the two people present. Finally, he messed up his hair in frustration and said, ¡°Anyway, it doesn¡¯t matter even if I tell you. The reason why I¡¯m looking for him is so that I can fight against him again.¡± His head of messy red hair was like a blazing fire and his eyes carried strong fighting spirit, ¡°I lost to him in the game last time but he left the game before I could challenge him again. This time, I must win back my honour!¡± Seeing another fighting fanatic like herself, Wei Yuechu¡¯s hand felt itchy, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try it out with me?¡± Blast glanced at her and stuck up his pinkie with a contemptuous expression on his face. Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Who are you looking down on?! Before she could explode in anger, Blast lazily continued, ¡°Besides, I also want to take revenge.¡± Wei Yuechu let out an ¡®oh¡¯ in understanding. She elbowed Chen Qingye, ¡°He¡¯s the same as you.¡± She said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you try and persuade him?¡± Blast was stunned for a moment. He looked at Chen Qingye, ¡°Hey you, you also have a grudge against him?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Chen Qingye thought for a while and after holding back for a long time, he finally added, ¡°But Ace is actually pretty nice.¡± He rubbed his hair, his face a little flushed. He actually looked a little shy. Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Why did she suddenly feel danger? She took a deep breath and looked back at Blast who stood before her, ¡°Why not talk about it? What grudge do you have against him?¡± Blast¡¯s expression stiffened and even his entire body froze. His eyes drifted around for a while and soon a faint flush appeared on his cheeks. He angrily roared, ¡°It¡¯s none of your damned business!¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Why did that feeling of danger seem to have doubled? Ye Jia who hadn¡¯t said a word the entire time was happily watching the show ¡ª- This continued until their conversation shifted to him. In fact, the bet that had caused Blast to fall out of the top 30 rankings was because he had run into Ace. There were various underground black markets and arenas in the game. It didn¡¯t belong to the game itself and was only popular among a small group of players who liked to compete. There were many ways one could gamble; the number of kills in an instance, the longest survival time in an instance, and of course the simplest one was an in-person PK between players. Various items could also be used to make the bets, including points and game props. Blast enjoyed gambling and had always been reaping large profits until¡­..he ran into a hard nail. It was an S-Level prop. He originally listed it for auction and the highest bidder would receive it, but just before the points were transferred, Blast saw the buyer¡¯s real name and instantly changed his mind. At that time, Ace was ranked sixth and Blast was ranked seventh. He had always wanted to test out the strength of this player who was ranked above him so he challenged him to enter the same instance and compete in the number of kills. The other young man thought for a moment and agreed. Please read this from kk translates The ending was just as you imagined. But the difference between the two wasn¡¯t too big. Blast wasn¡¯t satisfied so he proposed a new bet ¡ª-A one on one fight. Ace stared at him silently for a while. His amber eyes flashed thoughtfully. Blast felt a little unnerved by his stare, ¡°W-what is it?¡± Ace retracted his gaze and replied calmly, ¡°Nothing. I accept.¡± But before Blast could get too happy, he heard the other party add, ¡°However, I would like to raise the stakes.¡± Blast excitedly agreed, ¡°No problem! How would you like to raise it?¡± The young man smiled faintly, ¡°Your hair¡­¡­¡± And so, after that round of betting was over, Blast not only dropped out of the top 30 rankings, he even had to shave off the red hair he was most proud of ¡ª- And don a bald head for an entire year. Blast took in a deep breath and pulled himself out from those memories. He said through gritted teeth, ¡°I want him to pay for what he did to me back then!¡± Wei Yuechu and Chen Qingye, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Why am I not surprised? Wu Su on the other end slowly spoke up, ¡°But there is no need for you to charge into the Bureau and hold the employee¡¯s hostage.¡± Blast pulled a face and said in a bad tone, ¡°I didn¡¯t hold them hostage. You can go out and ask whether or not I said that they could go.¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± But the problem is, with you acting like this, who would dare leave? Wei Yuechu frowned, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for someone blocking it, you would have caused a big catastrophe.¡± Knowing that he was in the wrong, Blast scratched his head awkwardly and muttered, ¡°It was all because of those bugs.¡± He suddenly remembered something and his eyes widened instantly. He rushed over to Ye Jia who hadn¡¯t said a single word until now and looked at him up and down with great interest, ¡°Hey, speaking of which, how did you do that?¡± Blast spread open his hand and a ball of fire appeared, ¡°I have never seen anyone be able to put out my yin fire!¡± Everyone¡¯s attention was now on Ye Jia who had silently shrunk back into the corner of the room, avoiding bringing attention to himself. Everyone¡¯s expressions carried obvious curiosity. Blast retracted his hand and muttered a little reluctantly, ¡°Of course, except for that person.¡± Until now, his fire had only failed before one person. It was that wicked and nasty Ace. He didn¡¯t expect that he would actually run into someone else who could do it today. ¡°What?¡± Wei Yuechu didn¡¯t hear him clearly. Seeing that his cover was about to be blown, Ye Jia¡¯s heart fell. He quickly tried to explain, ¡°Actually, this wasn¡¯t something I could do alone.¡± Blast frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ye Jia took in a deep breath and explained slowly, ¡°I believe Cap Wu has already told you about a fierce ghost willing to cooperate with the Bureau.¡± Indeed, Wu Su did mention that before. A lot of the information they had were obtained from this fierce ghost who was willing to cooperate with them. Ye Jia continued, ¡°I am his main contact person.¡± Everyone was shocked. Ye Jia finished off with the excuse he had prepared beforehand, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. So, in order to ensure his anonymity and to also ensure his own interests, he gave me a prop that could block a fatal attack.¡± As he said this, he pulled out the small black hand from his shoulder, ¡°See? It¡¯s this one.¡± The small black hand, ¡°?¡± Fuck¡­. Ye Jia¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, ¡°But it¡¯s no longer effective now.¡± He shook the limp small black hand in the air. Small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Damned conman! But the situation at hand was more important. It could only play dead in Ye Jia¡¯s hand and let him shake it around. The small black hand was passed around the people present. Wei Yuechu poked at it and exclaimed, ¡°So soft!¡± She tugged at it, ¡°And it¡¯s stretchy!¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± M.US.T E.N.D.U.R.E. Chen Qingye lowered his head and carefully examined the small black hand who was still playing dead. He slowly nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a very powerful prop. Even if it is now no longer useful, I can still feel strong yin energy coming from it. It¡¯s almost at the level of a B-Level fierce ghost.¡± The small black hand: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Your uncle, I AM a B-Level fierce ghost! At this moment, A¡¯Chang stuck its head out from Chen Qingye¡¯s sleeve and inched closer towards the small black hand. The small black hand: ¡°!¡± Ahhhh Fuck!!! Seeing that it was about to expose itself, Ye Jia hurriedly took the small black hand back from Chen Qingye and said, ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s what happened.¡± After seeing that very powerful prop, everyone was convinced. Wei Yuechu breathed a sigh of relief and patted Ye Jia on the shoulder, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re okay. I really thought that fireball was going to hit you just now. If you encounter anything like this again, you should try and get away as quickly as possible or the outcome would be unimaginable.¡± Chen Qingye who stood behind her lightly commented, ¡°Why haven¡¯t I seen you treat others this nicely before?¡± Wei Yuechu angrily turned back and glared at him, ¡°I just like to treat handsome guys nicely, it¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Then what about Ace?¡± Wu Su asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to confess to him?¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­¡± She had lost her courage after seeing him and didn¡¯t dare mention it. She looked at Wu Su expressionlessly and gritted her teeth, ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to speak, you should just keep quiet.¡± After walking out of the office, Wu Su pressed the button for the elevator. ¡°So where will we be working for the time being?¡± Ye Jia asked. All the employees had been evacuated out of the building. Because the Bureau had basically been destroyed and also because the yin fire would still continue to release yin energy even after it is extinguished, it wasn¡¯t suitable for ordinary people to be there. The building could only be used once it is dealt with by the professional team. Wu Su, ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what the people above says.¡± The subtext of that was ¡ª I also don¡¯t know. Wei Yuechu turned to glance at Blast and said icily, ¡°Look at what you¡¯ve done.¡± Blast: ¡°¡­..¡± He said half irritably and half guiltily, ¡°T-then I can just help with cleaning up this place, alright?¡± Wei Yuechu smiled faintly, ¡°Of course. If you didn¡¯t do it, I would¡¯ve let Chen Qingye¡¯s A¡¯Chang have some close interaction with you.¡± Chen Qingye sent her a look of disapproval, ¡°A¡¯Chang isn¡¯t something dirty. Don¡¯t talk about him like that.¡± It seems that Chen Qingye¡¯s quirk of raising insects had left Blast with a psychological shadow. He silently stepped back to increase the distance between them and then snorted, ¡°I am a man of his word!¡± ¡°A man who¡¯s afraid of insects?¡± Wei Yuechu gloated. Blast¡¯s eyes widened and his handsome face flushed slightly, complementing his red hair, ¡°You!!¡± The elevator before them dinged and the door slowly opened. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia turned to look at Wu Su and asked, ¡°Then we won¡¯t need to work overtime for the time being, right?¡± Wu Su: ¡°Have you been waiting to ask this the entire time?¡± Ye Jia smiled shyly, ¡°Yes¡­..¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± The elevator slowly descended, but it suddenly started shaking! The lights above them flickered a few times. Soon afterwards, the screen displaying the floor suddenly turned dark and red numbers appeared instead. Wu Su was stunned, ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡± The expressions of the other people present turned serious ¡ª They all felt the sudden surge in yin energy in the air. At this moment, the numbers on the screen suddenly stopped ¡ª¨C A bright red ¡®100¡¯ was now displayed on the pitch-black screen, resembling half-coagulated blood. ¡°Damn¡­..¡± Blast rubbed his red hair in annoyance, ¡°They should just come out instead of playing these stupid tricks.¡± As he said that, a ball of fire appeared from his hand. He then proceeded to press it against the elevator wall, almost instantly melting a big hole through the thick metal. Golden red melted metal flowed down from that hole, sizzling as it made contact with the ground. ¡°Wait¡­..¡± Chen Qingye¡¯s words were stuck in his throat. What appeared outside the elevator wasn¡¯t a reinforced concrete wall, but pitch-black darkness. That darkness covered the entire world, the lighter parts and the darker parts mixing together. Above them, a large eye stared down at them. It was a particularly terrifying sight. ¡°Ghost domain!¡± Wei Yuechu gasped and tightened her grip around her chainsaw. ¡ª At least S-Level. It may even be one of the lords. The next second, the elevator they were in seemed to have lost its support and it suddenly fell downwards at an alarming speed. Chen Qingye grabbed Wu Su while Wei Yuechu dragged Ye Jia, and they all jumped out from the hole in the wall. Behind them was a loud crash. The elevator they were in only moments earlier had crashed into the ground, turning into a large pile of scrap metal. Everyone managed to safely land onto the ground. In the dark and barren ground ahead, several cracks suddenly appeared. From those cracks, a terrifyingly large human figure slowly crawled out. The woman¡¯s limbs were thin and pale. Her long, jet-black hair fell onto the ground, every strand curling and slithering around as if they were alive. She slowly raised her head, revealing her face that was covered with numerous eyes and looked towards the people present. Strong, crushing yin energy enveloped everyone, causing all their hairs to stand on end. Everyone stared warily at the fierce ghost before them with their weapons in their hands. Wei Yuechu lowered her voice and asked, ¡°Have you seen this one before? This..¡± ¡°No¡­.¡± Chen Qingye slowly shook his head, his expression similarly serious, ¡°It¡¯s an S-Level fierce ghost I have never seen or heard of.¡± Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. That¡¯s right¡­.. He also didn¡¯t have an impression of this fierce ghost. It was very strange ¡ª-Logically speaking, such a powerful existence like this shouldn¡¯t have no name or title. The woman¡¯s voice seemed like it was coming out from her all parts of her body. She murmured softly, ¡°Ace¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At least he knew who the other party had come for. The next moment, the woman¡¯s hair shot out like arrows, attacking the people present from all directions. ¡°Hah, at least I can now warm up my body.¡± Blast¡¯s eyes burned with fighting spirit. He laughed out loud as flames appeared next to him. ¡°Would you like to have a match?¡± Wei Yuechu revealed a slightly crazy smile as she held her chainsaw in her hand. Chen Qingye didn¡¯t speak. He just silently released countless gu insects from inside his sleeves. However, something unexpected happened. They watched that woman¡¯s hair suddenly make a sharp turn and then charge straight towards Ye Jia! ¡°Whoosh¡ª¡ª¨C¡± Ye Jia raised a brow, a cold light flashing briefly across his amber eyes. Icy cold killing intent was evident. ¡ª- In that case, there was no need for him to continue acting. His fingers twitched slightly, and the shadow of a scythe gradually appeared in his hands, the crescent shaped blade reflecting a bloody light. However, without any warning¡ª- A cold and slender hand held Ye Jia¡¯s waist from behind. The hair missed their target. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment and the shadow of the scythe disappeared. Following a few faint sounds, those sharp strands of hair fell to the ground and were then slowly retracted back. The woman¡¯s numerous eyes looked in his direction. The next moment, a man¡¯s low and slightly hoarse voice sounded close to his ears. It carried a familiar hint of a smile with seemed to be teasing but also seemed to be showing concern, ¡°Gege, be careful.¡± CH 55 After realising that the fierce ghost wasn¡¯t targeting them, the others all felt their hearts plummet ¡ª- Oh no! They quickly recovered from this shock and turned to rescue Ye Jia but just as they turned back, they were met with something completely unexpected. The ground that had just been hit by the fierce ghost¡¯s hair was a mess. But the young man who had been standing there only moments earlier had already been pulled away. A tall and handsome man was now standing behind him, his pale hand wrapped firmly around the young man¡¯s waist. The two were in an extremely intimate and ambiguous position. As soon as they saw that, everyone was silent. Ye Jia¡¯s mind had gone blank for a moment. He looked down at the hand wrapped around his waist and then up at the players standing in front of him. Everyone was staring at him in shock, their expressions all carrying the same dumbfounded look. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Fuck¡­¡­.. Behind them, the huge female ghost slowly twisted her pale neck and the numerous eyes on her face turned to look at the man who had suddenly appeared before her. Immediately afterwards, her body slowly sank down and she disappeared back into the ground. Wu Su was the first to recover from the shock. He cleared his throat and felt that he should introduce them to each other, ¡°Ahem, actually, this is the fierce ghost who is cooperating with the Bureau¡­..¡± ¡°Cooperate?!¡± Blast was so shocked, he jumped up into the air, ¡°Do you fucking know who this is?!¡± Wei Yuechu seemed to be unable to control her expression. She stiffly turned to look at Wu Su and asked slowly, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡­.that internal spy you found who is cooperating with us¡­..is the Ghost King himself?¡± Wu Su: ¡°¡­..¡± He was stunned, ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Xuan lowered his eyes. The originally dark eyes of his had now turned scarlet, resembling flowing blood. He raised the corners of his lips slightly, and his low voice carried a devil-may-care attitude, ¡°That¡¯s great¡­.¡± The arm wrapped around the young man¡¯s waist tightened further, bringing him closer into his embrace. The smile on Ji Xuan¡¯s lips deepened, ¡°Looks like I won¡¯t need to introduce myself.¡± ¡°?¡± Wu Su¡¯s expression was stiff. He looked back and forth between the two groups of people in confusion, temporarily unable to digest the information. Except for Wu Su, all the other players who had seen Ji Xuan in the game before had their vigilance up high. They stared at him hostilely with their weapons ready. A¡¯Chang even arched its back slightly and got itself ready to fight. Wei Yuechu said coldly, ¡°What do you want?¡± Ji Xuan smiled lightly, ¡°Why are you all so nervous for? At least at this stage, our objectives are the same.¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Blast cut him off and ordered arrogantly, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what your purpose is, set that innocent hostage free first!¡± Wei Yuechu: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This person really knows how to read the room. The innocent hostage Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He took a deep breath and then patted Ji Xuan¡¯s hand, ¡°Let me go.¡± Ji Xuan lowered his eyes and looked fixatedly at the young man in his arms. There were no other expressions on that man¡¯s pale face, no sorrow or joy. Just as everyone had their hearts in their throats, they saw Ji Xuan slowly loosening the arm that was wrapped around the other person¡¯s waist. Everyone, ¡°?¡± Wait a minute. Why were things developing so differently compared to their expectations? Just as everyone was still recovering from the shock, the ground suddenly started to shake. A huge eye stared creepily down at people below from above and the next moment, numerous cracks appeared on the ground. Soon, the ground started to disappear. All that was left was a dark abyss that seemed to be pulling them in. ¡°Ahhhhh!!¡± Wu Su who stood in the distance let out a scream as he fell. Ye Jia¡¯s expression was cold. Just as he subconsciously wanted to summon his scythe, he felt a cold and slender hand grab his wrist. He was taken aback for a moment and looked up. Ji Xuan¡¯s handsome and bewitching face appeared very close to his face. That pair of deep and scarlet eyes seemed like it could draw people in. His pale and thin lips opened and closed, and a low voice reached Ye Jia¡¯s ears through the noise around them ¡°Don¡¯t¡­.¡± The next moment, Ji Xuan suddenly leaned forward and pressed his cold lips onto Ye Jia¡¯s. He bit lightly onto his lower lip, bringing about some pain. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes widened in shock, ¡°!¡± Wha¡­¡­?! A strong force could then be felt. He felt Ji Xuan throw him up, the upward force counteracting the pulling force from the depths of the abyss. Immediately afterwards, Ye Jia felt himself land heavily onto the ground. Because of how heavily he landed, he rolled across the ground several times. ¡°Hiss¡­..¡± Ye Jia sucked in a breath and then raised his head. There was no seemingly endless darkness before him this time. Instead, it was a long and narrow corridor. This corridor seemed to be a mixture of old and new. The dark green wallpaper seemed to be from several decades ago, the pattern on it blurred by dust and grime and the original colour of it only faintly visible. The dark red carpet on the ground also emitted an old and greasy smell. Although the overhead lights weren¡¯t very bright, they were stable and helped illuminate the seemingly endless corridor. It seemed to be a completely different place compared to earlier. But Ye Jia knew very well that even though the appearance may have changed, he was still in the ghost domain created by that S-Level fierce ghost from earlier. ¡ª This should be a semi-manifested ghost domain. The conditions to activate it is usually quite simple so it made it easy to catch people unaware, but it also meant that even if the fierce ghost was the master of this ghost domain, she couldn¡¯t do anything she wanted to and must similarly follow the rules of the domain. That was a good thing for Ye Jia. Ye Jia raised his hand and touched his lips. A cold and soft sensation still lingered there. Ye Jia¡¯s fingers trembled slightly. He withdrew from his messy thoughts and then slowly opened his mouth and took something out. It was a slightly warm, light-green coloured stone that was triangular in shape and it also had an eye-shaped hole in the centre. ¡ª¨C This was what the other party had put into his mouth using his tongue just now. Ye Jia knitted his brows and carefully examined this stone. He didn¡¯t remember seeing a prop like this in the game, but he recognised the shape. The Omniscient Eye, also called God¡¯s Eye. It symbolised all-knowing and all-seeing, allowing one to see through fakes and lies. Why did Ji Xuan give him this? Also, what did that ¡®don¡¯t¡¯ mean? He didn¡¯t want him to directly confront that fierce ghost? That fierce ghost¡¯s strength was at least lord level so it shouldn¡¯t be so unknown, but Ye Jia had no impression of this fierce ghost. Moreover, he remembered that when he was first dragged into this ghost domain, he still had his scent disguised, but the other party had managed to instantly recognise him. ¡ª- There was something off about this fierce ghost. Ye Jia got up from the ground. He wiped the stone clean using his shirt and then slowly advanced through the corridor. The corridor was deadly silent with the thick carpet below him absorbing the sounds of his footsteps. It seemed like it would never end. Every few steps, he would encounter an old door, but none of them could be opened. It was like they were firmly embedded into the walls. Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia thought of something and then proceeded to take out the triangular stone. He placed the pale green stone before his eye and looked through the eye-shaped hole in the middle. As if a curtain had been lifted, the corridor before him was now completely different in appearance. The original pale green wallpaper was dirty and mouldy and covered with dark sticky spots and blurry handprints that looked like dried blood from many years ago. As if a terrible massacre had occurred here, the carpet on the ground was also slashed into pieces by something sharp and scattered messily along the corridor along with rotten pieces of flesh and messy bloodstains. The lights above him were dull and dim, glowing weakly through the thick spider webs covering it. There were no doors on either side of the walls. After lowering the stone back down, Ye Jia¡¯s eyes darkened, and his brows tightly furrowed. This didn¡¯t seem to be a ghost domain and instead seemed more like an¡­¡­ Instance¡­.. Ye Jia walked along the corridor, taking the small stone out from time to time to look around. Very soon, he saw one of the doors similarly remain present when he looked through the stone. He reached for the doorknob. Unexpectedly, before he could even touch it, the door slowly opened on its own. A large and spacious hall appeared before Ye Jia. Dark green wallpapers, reddish-brown carpet and an overhead hanging light. In the middle of the hall was a long table used for banquets that was filled with shiny porcelain and glassware. There were a total of six seats with one at each end, and every one of the seats were empty. Ye Jia raised the Omniscient Eye and looked through. The walls were completely made up of long strands of dark hair. It silently contained the long table in the centre of the room. There were indistinct figures sitting in each of the seats at the table as well as a door behind each of the seats. Ye Jia guessed that one of it was probably his, but Ji Xuan who had sudden appeared had taken his place. He moved the Omniscient Eye to the seat at the head of the table and was a little surprised inside. He saw a pale woman sitting there with her head down, her long black hair hanging loosely from her head, slowly squirming around and forming the ground and walls. She was completely motionless, as if she was deep asleep. Ye Jia moved the stone away from his eye. The seat at the head of the table was empty. But since the two sides were connected, it meant that that fierce ghost must be sitting in that seat. This semi-manifested ghost domain had the same binding effect on both outsiders and the master of the domain, but Ji Xuan¡¯s last-minute act of pushing Ye Jia out had actually helped push him outside of the rules of the game, giving him an extremely big advantage. As long as this fierce ghost is killed, the ghost domain would naturally disappear, and everything would be resolved. Ye Jia¡¯s finger twitched slightly, and a faint shape of his scythe slowly appeared. He narrowed his eyes slightly, the murderous intent evident in the depths of his amber coloured eyes. He seemed to still be able to feel the other party¡¯s cold touch on his wrist. He seemed to hear a soft and low voice speak next to his ear: ¡ª¡ª ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia stood in place, staring thoughtfully at the scene before him. He seemed to be seriously pondering over something. Finally, after a long time, he slowly breathed out and looked away. He will trust in him just this once. Ye Jia worked his arms and let out a long sigh. A dark light flashed across his eyes that were half concealed by his eyelashes ¡ª- It had been a long time since he was in an instance. He didn¡¯t know if his skills had deteriorated. He really missed it. In that case, he should just think of it as a short walk through an instance. He retracted the scythe and walked towards on of the doors behind the seats. After pushing one of it open, he promptly stepped in. The door disappeared behind him. Before him wasn¡¯t a room, but an entire world. With the sun shining brightly above his head, there were traffic on the roads around him and humans bustling around. However, something didn¡¯t seem quite right. Ye Jia reached out and grabbed the arm of one of the passers-by, but only felt the sleeve he grabbed hang loosely in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and pulled at the sleeve, causing the shirt to turn limp and countless colourful insects fly out from underneath. Ye Jia threw away the shirt and carefully took in the world around him. From the ground to the buildings to the pedestrians and the cars, they were all made of densely packed groups of insects of various colours. Those insects constantly moved around, making the entire world seem like it was covered in some sort of strange filter that constantly changed. With every step, the insects under him would be crushed, their bodies leaking out internal organs of various colours. It was particularly disgusting. Ye Jia could guess whose room this belonged to. He raised the Omniscient Eye and searched around this world of insects. Finally, his movements came to a stop. In one of the buildings in the distance, there was a small glowing dot. It was particularly obvious amidst the sea of insects. Ye Jia stored away the stone and ran in that direction. It was a residential building that was almost completely in tatters both inside and outside. A scorched smell could be smelt in the distance. Numerous insects crawled out from all directions in a very orderly manner, slowly restoring the building into its original appearance. Without a change to his expression, Ye Jia pushed open the door that was made up of insects and stepped in. The further he went, the stronger that smell became and there were even burnt marks along the walls and floors. The corridor was crooked and slanted such that the third and second floors were almost integrated into one. The entire building seemed like it was slowly shrinking. Following the stone¡¯s guidance, Ye Jia opened another one of the doors. Just as he pushed it open, he heard a crash and numerous insects fell from the ceiling, smashing down onto the ground before him. The insects were all of different colours, allowing them to form the world, but the insects on the ground looked more like a giant pool of colour. It was quite a dazzling sight. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­..¡± He remembered how Blast had responded to Wei Yuechu¡¯s question back at the Bureau. His way of avoiding insects was to burn them with fire. Once they¡¯re gone, he would no longer be scared. Please read this from kk translates Very clearly, fire wasn¡¯t going to work on these insects here. Not only was it impossible for one to burn all the insects here, but if the fire happened to destroy the building¡¯s structure, the result would be the entire building collapsing, burying the people inside within the rubble. It was very cruel. Ye Jia bent down next to the pool of colour, rolled up his sleeve and reached in. Through the pool of insects, he soon came into contact with a person¡¯s wrist. Ye Jia held onto the edge and slowly lifted Blast out from the pool of insects. The originally handsome and extremely arrogant man was at this moment in a very sorry state. His red hair hung down lifelessly and his entire being seemed to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. Ye Jia considerately patted his face, ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Blast seemed to only now slowly return to his senses. His eyes moved around, moving from the pool of insects on the ground to the walls made up of insects, and he immediately shot up into the air as if his tail was set on fire, ¡°AHHHH!¡± He scrambled out of the pool and then held onto the door and began to vomit, ¡°Bleurgh!!¡± Ye Jia slowly looked away. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell Blast that there were also insects wriggling about in what he vomited out. After Blast basically emptied out everything that was in his stomach, he raised his pale face and finally noticed that the door he was supporting himself¡­..with felt a little soft! He looked over¡ª- ¡°Ahhhhh!!¡± Tears flew out. Blast threw himself at Ye Jia in fear and clung tightly onto the only normal person present like a drowning man clinging tightly to a piece of driftwood. to stay afloat. He hung from Ye Jia like a koala, ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± So heavy¡­. So noisy¡­.. He took in a deep breath and enunciated each word clearly, ¡°Calm. Down.¡± Blast continued to cling tightly onto Ye Jia, ¡°N-n-no¡­.¡± Ye Jia almost couldn¡¯t breathe because of him. He rolled his eyes and then proceeded to tear Blast off from him. After doing that, he grabbed the other person¡¯s jaw. Blast only felt that the other person¡¯s strength was astonishing. Like an ice-cold clamp around his jaw, his head was slowly turned to the side, forcing him to look at the pool of insects from which he had just climbed out from. The other person¡¯s voice was cold and ruthless, ¡°Should I throw you in again?¡± Blast: ¡°!¡± He suddenly felt like a small prey who was being targeted by a terrible predator. That sensation instantly won over his fear of insects, sending a chill down his spine. He didn¡¯t suspect the other person¡¯s words at all. Blast immediately got off Ye Jia. With his body finally freed, Ye Jia slowly let out a sigh of relief and looked over at Blast, ¡°Can you walk properly?¡± Blast swallowed nervously and gave a small nod. He carefully took in the young man standing before him. Light coloured hair and eyes, handsome face and pale skin. It was clearly the same face but for some reason, it seemed to be completely different from before. The harmless air from earlier had disappeared at some unknown point in time and replacing that was an extremely terrifying and aggressive air like those belonging to a large carnivorous beast. When his gaze swept over his body, it was much like a sharp blade that reflected a cold light, cutting through his flesh and blood. There had only been one person in the past who had given Blast this exact same feeling¡­¡­.. While he was intently studying Ye Jia, the ground suddenly began to shake. Those squirming insects on the ground jolted along with the shaking. Blast¡¯s face paled. He subconsciously reached out to grab Ye Jia¡¯s sleeve. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes and looked in a certain direction. He then grabbed Blast¡¯s wrist, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡­.¡± As he said that, he dragged Blast who was still unable to return to his senses out the corridor and towards the streets outside. Blast stumbled along behind him. With a green face, he would flinch in fright from time to time from the insects falling onto him, but he no longer screamed or threw himself at Ye Jia. When the two managed to run outside, they saw the surrounding buildings collapse under an invisible force and the sea of insects rush in a certain direction. Ye Jia¡¯s eye hardened slightly, and he looked up. Perhaps because this world had become aware of the presence of an intruder, it seemed to be adjusting itself to counter that change. They saw the dense group of insects gather into one gigantic insect that slowly crawled closer towards the two humans present. That terrifyingly large body could almost cover the entire sky, blocking out the sun. Small insects would fall from it from time to time, but more entered its body, allowing it to continue growing in size. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª-¡± The giant insect opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar. Blast was completely dumbfounded. With a pale expression, he slowly swallowed and fine beads of cold sweat formed across his forehead. Blast in the end still remembered that Ye Jia was just an ordinary person. He immediately stepped forward, shielding the other party. A ball of fire appeared in his hand, but like its owner who had suffered quite a strong scare, it looked particularly lifeless and weak. Blast steeled himself and stammered, ¡°D-don¡¯t be afraid. L-let me take this¡­¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, he felt a hand on his shoulder and then a force pulling him backwards. The young man with amber eyes glanced lightly at Blast. There were no other expressions on his face and even his eyes contained a nonchalant look. Those eyes seemed to be saying: Just take a break. The moment the two passed each other by, Blast saw something slowly appear in the young man¡¯s hand. The next second, he saw it clearly. It was a crescent shaped scythe, its sharp blade reflecting a cold light. As if it contained the physical manifestation of moonlight, it seemed like it could cut you even just by looking at it. Blast: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± His eyes slowly widened until it reached its limits. Blast¡¯s expression went from dazed to shocked to disbelief and then it changed to white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. It was almost as if an entire colour palette had appeared on his face. He gaped, unable to speak, and tremblingly raised his hand to point at the young man before him, ¡°Y-y-y-you¡­.You¡¯re¡­.¡± Ye Jia turned and glanced back at him with a look of amusement and a faint smile, ¡°Oh, looks like I won¡¯t need to introduce myself.¡± CH 56 The sharp edge of the blade pierced through the sky causing hundreds of insects to fall like heavy rain. With the giant insect cut down, the entire world seemed to similarly be on the verge of collapse. Blast¡¯s expression was still frozen with shock. He foolishly watched the young man before him lightly land back onto the ground and then straighten up. He was still unable to process the information he was suddenly presented with. After the young man lightly dusted off the insect fragments from his clothes, he proceeded to store away the scythe. Ye Jia went over to the still dumbfounded Blast and considerately waved his hand in front of his face, ¡°Hey, return to your senses.¡± Blast¡¯s eyeballs moved stiffly, and his gaze focused on the young man before him. He seemed to have finally called back the soul which had left his body and he immediately stumbled back a few steps and pointed at Ye Jia with a trembling finger, ¡°Y-y-you!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± He was stunned by the other party¡¯s exaggerated reaction just now. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, he asked, ¡°Even after all this time you still haven¡¯t managed to accept this truth?¡± Blast jumped up like a cat who had burnt its tail and shouted in disbelief, ¡°You really think you spent a long time dealing with that just now?¡± That terrifying monster insect just now didn¡¯t even have a chance to put up a fight, alright?! As soon as those words left his mouth, Blast belatedly realised that he had actually unconsciously praised the other party. He quickly shook his head, as if trying to toss aside something from his mind, ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± He took in a deep breath and then asked with a tone of disbelief, ¡°So uh¡­.You¡¯re Ace?¡± Ye Jia was expressionless, ¡°You¡¯re only realising this now?¡± Blast: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± I feel that you¡¯re looking down on my intelligence. ¡°Of course not!¡± His words had hit the mark, but Blast jumped up in protest, ¡°I-I just couldn¡¯t believe it!¡± Suddenly, Blast sucked in a breath, ¡°So you have been acting in front of us the entire time?¡± From the matter with the yin fire back at the Bureau to the series of lies made up in the meeting room and also the hostage moment after they entered this ghost domain¡­.He had completely deceived them! Blast¡¯s eyes widened in horror, ¡°You¡­.you fucking¡­.¡± ¡ª-That innocent and harmless look of his was all just an act?! What a terribly scary man! The red-haired young man before him seemed to then realise something. He stared at the other person before him intently. With his pale and fear-stricken face, he looked like he had seen a monster. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± He didn¡¯t really want to know what kind of nonsense thoughts were going on in the other person¡¯s mind. ¡°Ahem, oh yes¡­..¡± Blast slowly took in a deep breath and then continued weakly, ¡°I-I want to have a rematch!¡± Ye Jia pointed behind him, ¡°Here?¡± Ever since that giant insect was cut down, the entire world seemed to be in the process of falling apart. Buildings had fallen and the ground had collapsed. Everything had turned into swarms of squirming insects of various colours, looking like a whirlpool of colours. Blast seemed to only now notice the gathering of insects around him. His small face paled even further and all the arrogance in him was completely gone, ¡°O-outside is fine too.¡± Ye Jia glanced at him with a smile that wasn¡¯t quite a smile. He raised the Omniscient Eye stone before his eye and saw that somewhere ahead was a glowing door. He then stored that stone away and pointed in that direction, ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡­.¡± The young man¡¯s figure was fast and agile. He jumped several metres in one go, leaving the trembling Blast behind. Blast hurriedly tried to keep up, ¡°Hey! Wait for me!¡± Very soon, the two arrived at the door. Blast looked like he was about to lose his soul. He didn¡¯t know how many insects he had trampled on with his feet on his way here, but that sticky and squishy sensation could clearly be felt through his shoes. It was enough to give someone like him who feared insects a critical hit. No compare, no despair. In comparison to this, those gu insects raised by Chen Qingye seemed much better¡­. Ye Jia suddenly came to a stop. He turned back to Blast and lightly added, ¡°Oh right, don¡¯t say anything after we leave this place.¡± Blast: ¡°!¡± This evil guy still wants to continue his lies! He huffed arrogantly, ¡°W-why should I listen to you?! What are you going to do if I refuse?!¡± Ye Jia expressionlessly responded, ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave you here.¡± Blast: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He turned and glanced back at the insect filled world behind him, the expression on his face becoming distorted. You¡¯re really vicious! He gritted his teeth, ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say anything¡­..¡± Ye Jia curled up the corners of his lips, revealing a sincere and harmless smile, ¡°And what about the grudge between us?¡± Blast slowly took in a deep breath before softly surrendering, ¡°T-this can be considered as you saving my life so, I guess the grudge is written off.¡± Ye Jia smiled, ¡°Good boy¡­¡± Blast wanted to cry without tears. That Chen Qingye was definitely lying. Ace is a good person?! How could he be a good person?! He¡¯s more like a villain, alright?! Ye Jia pushed open the door and, together with Blast, they both walked out. The door slammed shut behind them. Ye Jia once again found himself standing in the dark green hall. Ye Jia checked behind him and found that both the door and Blast were gone. He raised the Omniscient Eye and quickly scanned the hall ¡ª One of the seats at the table was now empty and the original shadowy figure sitting there was gone. The hair that was connect to that place had also shrivelled up like dry straw. The rest of the room was however the same as before. It seems that Blast should have already left. After confirming that this method was effective, Ye Jia hooked up his lips and approached the door behind the second seat. As soon as he pushed open the door, he found himself back inside the game. It was very clearly a punishment instance from the game. Severed limbs, blood and monsters. The sky was dyed a terrible red colour and the ground was filled with bodies such that one could no longer make out the world¡¯s original appearance. Distorted, lifeless faces with turbid eyes gazed fixatedly up towards the sky. The sound of clashes travelled over from a distance. The roar of monsters, the clang of weapons, the sound of deafening gunshots. All those sounds were nauseatingly familiar. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and followed the sounds. In the centre of this blood-stained world, an entire team madly launched attacks at one person. Their pale faces carried terrifying expressions and their bodies were littered with fatal wounds, ¡°It¡¯s all your fault! If it wasn¡¯t for you, how could we have died?!¡± Wu Su blocked their attacks but was clearly at a disadvantage. He steadily retreated when faced with their relentless attacks. Although he was in a battered state, he still cursed out in anger, ¡°Bullshit! You¡¯re just not skilled enough! Don¡¯t blame it all on me!¡± At this moment, a lazy voice sounded from the depths of the battlefield, ¡°Is that so?¡± Please read this from kk translates Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± Wait a minute. Why did it sound so familiar? Everyone present stopped their attacks and slowly stepped aside to make way for someone. That person walked out from the darkness behind them. Wu Su gasped. When he saw that person, his eyes widened in astonishment, ¡°!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes also widened in shock, ¡°!¡± A hooded young man unhurriedly walked over. His facial features were hidden under the shadows of his hood and only a faint, seemingly mocking smile on his lips could be seen, ¡°Then let me see how good you are, trash.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This is slander! I have never said such a thing! The phantom of a large scythe appeared in the young man¡¯s hand, and he then proceeded to mercilessly attack Wu Su. Wu Su who was clearly powerless against this quickly retreated. He gritted his teeth and shouted, ¡°I¡¯m not trash!¡± A hint of madness flickered across in the depths of his eyes. He dug out a bullet with a blood-coloured mark from his pocket and inserted it into his gun as he avoided the attacks. Jist as Wu Su was about to raise the gun¡ª¡ª He felt a heavy blow hit him from behind. It was precise and merciless. His vision went black and his body went soft. A pair of pale and slender hands firmly supported him. The Ace wearing a hood and holding a scythe stopped his offensive attacks and stared fixatedly at the young man who had suddenly appeared before him. That Ace seemed to be deliberating over something. Ye Jia lowered his eyes and placed Wu Su who had passed out onto the ground. Following that, he straightened back up and looked back at the Ace standing opposite him. The two young men stood face to face in a wasteland filled with blood and corpses. They were similar in appearance but dressed differently and one held a sickle while the other was bare-handed. A faint light glowed and soon a crescent shaped scythe identical to the other persons appeared. Ye Jia cracked his neck and a flicker of cold amusement flashed across his amber eyes. His lips raised into a cynical smirk, ¡°Let¡¯s see to what extent you can imitate me.¡± As the weapons intersected, loud sounds reverberated across the bloody wasteland. Icy cold light flashed as the sharp blade cut through the air. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes reflected the blade¡¯s cold light and the corners of his lips raised slightly. His eyes were filled with killing intent. The next second, the blades collided. Following a crack, the crescent shaped scythe drew a perfect arc in the air, cutting through the other person and their scythe in one go. ¡®Ace¡¯ let out a miserable scream before letting out sizzling sounds and disappearing. Ye Jia lightly lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto the place where the other person had disappeared. His expression was calm and indifferent, ¡°Cheap counterfeit.¡± After clearing out all the monsters and players in this wasteland, Ye Jia picked up the still unconscious Wu Su and went over to the door. Just like last time, as soon as he stepped out of the door, Wu Su who was slung over his shoulder and the door behind him disappeared. Another one of the seats was now vacant. Ye Jia looked at the female ghost sitting at the head of the table through the Omniscient Eye. She seemed to have noticed that someone was interfering with her plans. Although her head was still lowered and her pale limbs were still in a relaxed state, the skin on her body was starting to move, as if something was struggling to come out. Ye Jia lightly rubbed the tips of his fingers. Although he really wants to do it now, but¡­.. He sighed somewhat regretfully. After storing away the Omniscient Eye, he went towards the next door. The things behind the third door were something Ye Jia didn¡¯t expect. To be more precise, there was nothing inside. It was pitch black and silent, much like an eternal night. There was no sky and no ground. It was basically an empty and dark void. It was too quiet. It was so quiet, Ye Jia could almost hear his own breathing and heartbeats. He looked out through the hole in the Omniscient Eye and saw a small spot of light somewhere in the distance. It should be there. After walking for who knows how long, Ye Jia suddenly realised that the darkness around him had gradually changed, slowly changing into the shapes of buildings and streets. Post office, restaurant, school¡­. An empty town slowly took shape. The streets were all filled with traces of destruction, much like an architectural model that had suffered some external damage. Although there was still no light or sound, with Ye Jia¡¯s ability that he had acquired through all those years in the game that allowed him to see things in the dark, it wasn¡¯t too difficult for him to find his way around. Following the traces of damage, he turned left and right along the streets before finally stopping before one of the buildings. It was a residential building. All the colours had been taken out from the building. The dark and grey made the school look like it was two dimensional, almost resembling an abstract painting that was stripped of any signs of life and time. Ye Jia raised his head and looked into the window on one of the floors. Behind every door was what someone fears the most and what was behind this door seemed to be self-evident. Loneliness¡­¡­. Ye Jia retracted his gaze and continued on. In a dark room. A little boy with big, black-rimmed glasses sitting on his face sat curled up in the corner. Those thick lenses covered up almost half of his thin and pale face which carried no expression and ill-fitting clothes hung loosely from his malnourished body. A centipede laid quietly beside him. It was picked up and held tightly in the boy¡¯s arms. It also seemed to have shrunk to a size several times smaller than its usual size and no longer appeared as terrifying and scary. Starting from its tail, a dull grey colour slowly spread upwards. It seemed to be sucking away its life and colour. Chen Qingye quietly placed A¡¯Chang¡¯s head on his knees. From time to time, he would kiss its outer shell and pet its head over and over again. A¡¯Chang weakly raised its head in response. However, it didn¡¯t change the fact that it was slowly growing weaker. He didn¡¯t cry or say anything and just quietly held the centipede while huddled in the corner of the room, waiting for it to die. At this moment, Chen Qingye suddenly heard something in the silence. It seemed to be the sound of footsteps slowly approaching his way. Step after step, the tapping on the ground was light but it seemed as if it was stomping heavily onto his heart. Chen Qingye raised his head vigilantly and looked in the direction of the sound. He held tightly onto the knife he had procured from the kitchen earlier for self-defence. A¡¯Chang moved its body, wanting to fight, but Chen Qingye pushed it back into his arms, ¡°Shhh¡­¡­¡± In the darkness, a young and slender figure emerged. Ye Jia opened the door and looked with some surprise as a small figure attacked as soon as he entered the room. The sharp knife in his hand glistened a cold light in the dark. He quickly grabbed the other party¡¯s wrist and lifted the little boy from the ground. ¡°Clang.¡± The knife fell onto the ground. Chen Qingye pressed his pale lips tightly together and his expression was blocked by his thick glasses. He didn¡¯t make a sound and just fiercely attacked the other party. Although his hands and feet were small, they were full of strength. Ye Jia had to restrain the other party with a lot of effort, ¡°Hey! It¡¯s me!¡± Chen Qingye who couldn¡¯t put up much of a fight could only give up. He narrowed his eyes and both carefully and vigilantly examined the young man before him. Ye Jia sighed, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± He said, ¡°When I let go of you, don¡¯t attack me, alright?¡± Chen Qingye stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding, Ye Jia slowly loosened his grip. But the moment he loosened his grip, the other party immediately bent down to pick up the knife on the ground and once again charged at him. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Alright then¡­. This was indeed the kind of mentality experienced players should have. They would never trust others and would rather kill an innocent person by mistake over letting someone suspicious off. It was all in order to ensure their own safety. But¡­..The other party is now a child and his strength has been greatly reduced. This is good news for him. Please read this from kk translates If being gentle didn¡¯t work, he could only do the opposite. With that thought, Ye Jia pulled off the sheet from the bed next to him, tore it into strips and firmly tied up the child before him. Along the way, he also sealed his mouth with the remaining strips before carrying him on his shoulder like a bag of rice and walking out. The little boy on his shoulder struggled about, letting out miserable whimpers. It sounded particularly tragic, as if he was howling. Ye Jia was taken aback. He paused for a moment and slowly sighed. Haaa¡­. Ye Jia freed Chen Qingye¡¯s mouth and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Large drops of tears rolled down his small face, dampening Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder. His glasses were foggy as he stared at the dying centipede, ¡°A-A¡¯Chang.¡± ¡ª¨CFrom the very beginning, he hadn¡¯t been attacking to protect himself, but to protect his precious centipede. Ye Jia sighed again. He dried Chen Qingye¡¯s face with his sleeve, ¡°This fierce ghost lets you experience the thing you fear the most.¡± Ye Jia pointed at the slowly petrifying A¡¯Chang and asked, ¡°With it looking like this, does it make you afraid?¡± Chen Qingye was also an experienced player after all, so he immediately understood what the other person meant. He slowly asked hoarsely, ¡°So you mean, it¡¯s fake?¡± Ye Jia: ¡°Yes¡­¡­¡± Chen Qingye glanced down at A¡¯Chang and then back at Ye Jia. He seemed to be hesitating over whether or not he should believe him. Ye Jia rubbed his hair forcefully and continued, ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me¡­..what about Ace?¡± Chen Qingye was taken aback. He looked up with surprise at Ye Jia with his pair of wet eyes, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ye Jia lightly raised the corners of his lips and asked with a faint chuckle, ¡°Have you forgotten about where you got your Xiao Xiao Bai?¡± In this world, apart from him, there was only one other person who knew of the origin and name of Xiao Xiao Bai. Chen Qingye stared at him blankly for several seconds before finally realising something. His eyes immediately widened and his mouth opened in shock, ¡°Wait, you¡­.you!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia silently sighed. Since that incident with Blast, he had already grown sick of seeing this expression. Chen Qingye was shocked. He stammered, ¡°S-so that¡¯s why A¡¯Chang reacted like that when he saw you last time!¡± Ye Jia shrugged, ¡°Gu insects are very sensitive creatures.¡± Chen Qingye blinked a few times and then rested his head against Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I believe you now. Let¡¯s go.¡± It was now Ye Jia¡¯s turn to be curious, ¡°Why?¡± While leaning against Ye Jia, Chen Qingye pushed up his glasses and said seriously, ¡°Because a fierce ghost wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with something like this. Even I don¡¯t know that you¡¯re Ace so it is even more impossible for her to create an illusion like this. Moreover, what you said earlier about the thing I fear the most made sense ¡ª- This is indeed what I fear the most.¡± He pursed his lips and appeared a little embarrassed, ¡°Y-you should put be down now.¡± Ye Jia let out an ¡®oh¡¯ and then proceeded to free Chen Qingye and place him back onto the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± Ye Jia asked. Chen Qingye turned to glance at A¡¯Chang who had already become completely petrified before cautiously grabbing Ye Jia¡¯s hand and nodding, ¡°Mhn!¡± The two left the building and walked into the darkness they originally came from. Chen Qingye¡¯s face was a little flushed. He turned to look at Ye Jia and asked, ¡°Then¡­..what should I call you from now on?¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Anything¡¯s fine¡­.¡± Chen Qingye pushed up the thick glasses on his face and asked hesitantly, ¡°C-can I call you Brother Ye?¡± (KKnotes: The ¡®you¡¯ here is an honorific you. Cheng Qingye is basically referring to Ye Jia very respectfully.) Ye Jia, ¡°Sure¡­.¡± He paused for a moment and added, ¡°But the honorifics is not necessary.¡± Ye Jia seemed to have suddenly remembered something and proceeded to turn and look at Chen Qingye solemnly, ¡°Oh yes, only you know my identity. Can you keep it a secret for me?¡± W-what? He¡¯s the only one who knows Ace¡¯s true identity?! What an honour it is! Chen Qingye was flattered, and his cheeks were flushed from the excitement. He nodded sincerely, ¡°O-of course that¡¯s not a problem! I won¡¯t tell anyone even if I die!¡± Ye Jia, ¡°Not the honorifics¡­.¡± Chen Qingye¡¯s eyes welled up, ¡°B-brother Ye.¡± ¡°Mhn¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia raised the corners of his lips without feeling any guilt inside and rubbed Chen Qingye¡¯s head, ¡°Good boy.¡± After leaving the third door, Ye Jia found himself in the dark green room again. He let out a long sigh of relief and habitually took out the Omniscient Eye to look through it. The seat at the head of the table was empty. Ye Jia was taken aback. The next second, a strong gust of wind blew past his ear. Ye Jia instinctively dodged it. That cool breeze brushed past his cheeks and proceeded to leave several deep scratches on the wall behind him. Ye Jia used the Omniscient Eye to look towards the place he was standing just moments earlier and saw that the female fierce ghost had at some unknown point in time left her original seat and was standing there with her face covered by her hair. Past the long, black hair, he could see her eyes staring at him unblinkingly. Sharp nails extended from the tips of her fingers. She attacked Ye Jia again. A scythe appeared in Ye Jia¡¯s hand. With a loud clang, those sharp nails where blocked just inches away from him. The female ghost¡¯s arms and fingers were cut by the scythe¡¯s cold and sharp blade. The dark red blood on the surface of the blade was instantly absorbed. Ye Jia¡¯s slowly swallowed. Deep in his amber coloured eyes, a dark light flashed by. He could smell an alluring scent coming from the other party and he could also feel it very distinctly¡­.Although the process may be more difficult, but as long as he wanted to, the other party could become his prey ¡ª¡ª- As long as he slashed the other party, he could¡­.. ¡ª¨C ¡°Don¡¯t¡­..¡± A man¡¯s voice that was especially clear in the whistling wind reached his ears. Ye Jia gritted his teeth and proceeded to block an attack from the female ghost. He was gradually forced further and further away from the fourth door. The female ghost continued to advance closer, but Ye Jia only defended. It couldn¡¯t continue like this. Through the corner of his eyes, the fifth door was not far away ¡ª- That was the door Ye Jia originally planned on entering last, but¡­.. Looks like he has no other choice now. Ye Jia braced himself. As soon as he opened the last door, his entire body fell in. A familiar blood scent surrounded him. In a confused state, he seemed to hear a man¡¯s low chuckle: ¡ª¨C¡°Gege¡­.¡± CH 57 There was no ground under his feet. Gravity pulled Ye Jia down. Icy wind carrying a heavy smell of blood rushed past him, blowing his clothes up such that it resembled a bird¡¯s desperately flapping wings. It was completely silent. There was no one around. So that voice just now¡­..was it just his imagination? Ye Jia knitted his brows and looked up towards the place where he had just fallen from ¡ª- That pitch-black door slowly closed. As it moved further and further away from him, it gradually became just a fuzzy outline before finally disappearing into the distance. The feeling behind this door¡­..was different. Ye Jia stabilised himself while suspended in mid-air and looked around. The sky was of an icy red colour. That eerie colour gave this place an ominous air. It wasn¡¯t solid ground below him but a turbulent scarlet coloured sea with waves surging one after another that blurred with the sky in the distance, forming this eerily red coloured world. Above the sea in the distance was a city made out of bones. It floated above the waves like an island. Those white coloured bones contrasted greatly against the red background, looking especially haunting. And the smell¡­¡­ Ye Jia furrowed his brows. A deep wrinkle formed between them. Behind the other doors, although the general settings were different, it was obvious that it was the work of that fierce ghost as there was cold ghost energy filling the entire space. But it was completely different here. This place had been completely taken over. For a moment, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t tell whether this place belonged to that female ghost or¡­.. to Ji Xuan. At this moment, he had a very bad feeling. Suddenly, a voice sudden sounded from the palm of his hand, ¡°Ah, I slept really well.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. As soon as he loosened his grip, a light green coloured stone fell from his hand. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh¡ª¡ª¡ª-¡± That voice let out a scream as it fell towards the sea of blood. Ye Jia hurriedly flew down and caught the Omniscient Eye just before it was about to fall into the sea. ¡°Hey! You scared me to death!¡± The green stone reprimanded fiercely, ¡°Can¡¯t you hold onto me more tightly?!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°My apologies¡­.¡± He examined the triangular shaped stone in his hand and then raised it up into the air with a look of surprise, ¡°You can speak?¡± Omniscient Eye, ¡°Of course I can¡¯t¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Hnnngg! It feel¡¯s great¡­..¡± The green stone let out a lazy sound that sounded like it was stretching and then replied, ¡°I indeed can¡¯t speak, but haven¡¯t you noticed that this world has distorted?¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. His eyes darkened, ¡°Distorted?¡± ¡°The direct confrontation between two lord-level ghost domains, such huge amounts of energy could cause a distortion in time, space and matter, like right now.¡± The green stone¡¯s voice carried some excitement, ¡°Hey, it looks like the one from your family has the upper hand. His ghost domain is currently taking over the other party¡¯s control little by little. It won¡¯t be long until he swallows up the other party from inside out.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­.¡± Wait a minute, what do you mean by the one from my family? But before he could say anything to refute it, he heard the green stone continue, ¡°It will probably take about another three hundred or so years.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± He blinked a few times and asked, ¡°Three hundred or so years?¡± You call that ¡®not long¡¯? The Omniscient Eye seemed to have read his mind, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what time and space distortion is? Time and space distortion!¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes to conceal the thoughtful look in his eyes and slowly said, ¡°The flow of time is different.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct¡­..¡± The green stone said, ¡°In fact, if you came a little later, this would¡¯ve probably already ended.¡± Ye Jia was taken aback. So¡­Was that the reason why that ghost suddenly awakened and forced him into this door? Because in the real world, in just a little more than ten minutes, she would be swallowed up by Ji Xuan from within? ¡°What is the situation?¡± The green stone, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. The more intense the confrontation, the more serious the distortion in time and space.¡± Ye Jia raised a brow, ¡°So why do you know so much about this?¡± The green stone spoke with some pride, ¡°An Omniscient Eye would naturally know everything, understand?¡± Ye Jia remained expressionless, ¡°Skip over that nonsense and just talk about the restrictions.¡± It wasn¡¯t his first time dealing with these things. The more exaggerated their so-called omnipotent powers are, the greater the restrictions. It was just like a powerful weapon with poor durability. The green stone sitting in his hand remained silent. Ye Jia, ¡°Hey!¡± That Omniscient Eye sat quietly in his palm, like an ordinary stone without life. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± I see. Looks like its restriction is probably time. He raised the Omniscient Eye in front of him and looked through it. The scene through the small hole was completely different from the worlds behind the other doors. The sky, the sea of blood, the city of bones; all of that turned into a dark black and deep red colour which seemed to be competing with each other ¡ª¨C In a certain sense, it represented this world¡¯s true nature where two powerful forces were going against each other. Ye Jia stored away the Omniscient eye and flew towards the city of bones. He felt a little uncertain inside. What was happening behind this door was something he had not anticipated at all. He wasn¡¯t sure if his original plan would still work. More importantly¡­.. Ye Jia wasn¡¯t certain. How long has Ji Xuan been here? He stepped onto the ground that was made of bones and looked around. The world created by the female ghost was still visible between the gaps in the bones. The asphalt road was made fragmented by large bones and the buildings made with reinforced concrete were confined inside cages made of bones, looking particularly strange. At this moment, footsteps could suddenly be heard. Ye Jia quickly hid behind a building nearby. He saw four or five strange looking creatures appear at the end of the road¡­.For some reason, they looked a little familiar. Ye Jia narrowed his eyes slightly and carefully assessed their appearances. He was a little surprised. ¡ª- Those monsters approaching him were actually a tall and thin streetlamp, two bicycles and a dented snack bar sign. On the tattered surface of that snack bar sign, the words ¡®Sichuan Street Food¡¯ could be made out. It was both a strange and an amusing sight. They still maintained the appearance of what they originally used to be and just had thin, bony limbs stretching out from those structures, allowing them to move around on their own. ¡°I don¡¯t want to patrol¡­.¡± The snack bar sign complained. The tall and thin streetlamp hit the snack bar sign¡¯s metal frame, ¡°If boss hears you, you¡¯re dead.¡± One of the bicycles whispered, ¡°Are you sure there are strange fluctuations here?¡± The snack bar sign raised its thin arm and rubbed the place where it was hit just now, ¡°That was what boss said.¡± ¡ª¨CDistortion. Ye Jia thought of the word the Omniscient Eye used just now. Very clearly, these originally lifeless objects had similarly become influenced by the large amounts of energy such that they now had the ability to walk and talk. A little worried, Ye Jia reached into his pocket to touch the green stone. Only after confirming that there were no strange growths coming out from its smooth surface was he able to breathe a sigh of relief. The Omniscient Eye growing arms and legs; how strange of a sight would that be. He took out the stone again and used it to scan the world. It was still the same as earlier with black and red competing with each other. Ye Jia however couldn¡¯t tell where Ji Xuan¡¯s current location was. This city of bones was too big. Ye Jia didn¡¯t plan on searching aimlessly. He stepped out of his hiding place and revealed himself generously to those five monsters. With a smile on his face, he waved cheerily, ¡°Hi, can you take me to see your boss?¡± The five monsters all cried out in surprise and looked like they had seen a ghost, ¡°Is it him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± ¡°Hurry up and capture him!¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He looked at the monsters charging his way and proceeded to pinch the bridge of his nose in exasperation, ¡°How troublesome¡­¡± A few seconds later. A streetlamp, two bicycles and a snack bar sign rolled across the ground, clutching their bony limbs in pain while screaming. Ye Jia stepped forward and proceeded to kick one of them, ¡°Oh yes, where were you going to take me again?¡± ¡°O-of course it¡¯s to our boss!¡± The streetlamp stammered fearfully. ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± Ye Jia thought for a while, ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­..¡± The monsters: ¡°¡­¡­¡± They then saw the young man stretch out both his hands, his loose sleeves slipping down, revealing a pair of pale wrists. The young man raised the corners of his lips to form a harmless smile, ¡°You can capture me then.¡± The monsters: ¡°?¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t expect that the boss they were referring to was actually a bus. It stood upright with bony limbs stretching out from its long, metal body, looking extraordinarily huge. Ye Jia had to crane his neck up to see it clearly. With a low creak, the bus turned to look at Ye Jia before slowly retracting its gaze and muttering contemptuously, ¡°Again¡­.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± Although he didn¡¯t know what the other party was talking about, he wisely decided not to ask. The bus slowly bent down, ¡°Put him on.¡± Please read this from kk translates The monsters all exchanged a fearful look with each other. Their bony limbs still seemed to hurt. They reached out but, in the end, still didn¡¯t dare touch Ye Jia. Ye Jia lightly glanced at them and proceeded to hop onto the bus himself. The bus was completely unaware of these turbulences on their end. It just slowly started itself up and began to move. With his hands bound by bone shackles, Ye Jia sat with his legs crossed like an ancient god on the top of the bus. He turned to take in the passing scenery around him. He had to raise his voice to be heard over the whistling wind, ¡°Where are we going now?¡± ¡°Going to see King¡­..¡± ¡ª¨C It should be Ji Xuan this time. Ye Jia breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°To be more precise, only you will see King.¡± The bus said with a huff, ¡°We don¡¯t dare set foot near the castle.¡± Ye Jia felt the steel body below him tremble. It seemed to be afraid of something. He fell silent: ¡°¡­¡­¡± It had to be said that Ji Xuan is indeed an expert in spreading fear. Even in the real world, there were very few ghosts who weren¡¯t afraid of him. This corporate kind of environment is very unhealthy. After travelling along for a long time, the bus slowly came to a stop. This place seemed to be the centre of the island. The bony changes here were more significant compared to the other places. There were almost no traces of modern society left. The huge castle made of bones sat in the centre of the scarlet land, looking cold and lonely. Ye Jia jumped off the boss and indicated in that direction with his chin, ¡°It¡¯s that place there?¡± Ye Jia turned to leave. At this moment, the bus behind him suddenly turned around and stared at Ye Jia with its ugly and deformed eyes, ¡°You are a little different from the others.¡± ¡°Yes¡­..¡± Ye Jia asked calmly, ¡°Others?¡± ¡°Of course¡­.¡± The bus started itself up again, ¡°You¡¯re the second one today.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The fuck? The bus let out a low chuckle. There was clear malice in its voice, ¡°I hope you can survive a little longer than the others.¡± Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± At this moment, he suddenly heard a terrible scream coming from the castle made of bones ahead. That voice was very familiar. It seemed to be¡­. His own voice. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Fuck. He arrived at the door to the castle and carefully pushed open a small gap. A squelching sound was mixed together with those hoarse and painful screams. The spacious hall amplified those sounds, making it appear even more terrifying. In the hall¡­.. A tall man stared fixatedly at the young man before him with lowered eyes. From his cold and pale fingers, thick droplets of blood fell. He raised his hand and slowly reached towards the young man in front of him. The young man with light coloured hair and amber eyes looked back at him with deep fear. His face that was covered in cold sweat was pale and distorted. While trembling, he got up and tried to run towards the door but was soon dragged back by some invisible force. His entire body hovered in the air with his arms and legs spread out. As if they were tightly bound by something, he couldn¡¯t break free no matter how hard he struggled. The pupils in those amber coloured eyes constructed and trembled. It reflected the tall man¡¯s approaching figure. That man¡¯s eyes were scarlet red and his features were handsome, but the cold air around him made him seem more like Shura from hell. He raised his hand and gently stroked the young man¡¯s cheek with his cold fingers. He raised the corners of his lips and spoke in a low voice, ¡°How beautiful¡­¡± Those pale and slender fingers pinched the young man¡¯s chin with great force and forced him to look his way. He lightly caressed his face as if he was touching his lover¡¯s cheek. Following that, his eyes that carried unknown emotions lowered and the smile on his lips deepened, ¡°But¡­.how clumsy.¡± The next second, the young man let out another terrible scream. The tall man had deeply embedded his nails into the young man¡¯s face, causing a warm flow of blood to trickle down from the wounds, becoming one with the bloody river under the bone castle. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve having the same face as him.¡± The man said softly, much like a whisper. He raised the other party¡¯s face and slowly and carefully proceeded to peel the young man¡¯s face off. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± A terrible cry echoed through the hall. The man smiled and added lightly, ¡°You also don¡¯t deserve having the same voice as him.¡± He raised his hand and slowly pinched the young man¡¯s jaw to force him to open his mouth and then proceeded to pull out the other party¡¯s tongue. A bloody tongue fell with a splat onto the ground. At this moment, the young man who was in a terrible, bloody state could only let out weak groans. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Looks like he came at the wrong time. More importantly¡­.He may need to change his plans. Ye Jia slowly took a step back. The bones under him let out a low creak. ¡°¡­.¡± Damn¡­.. The man in the hall raised his eyes and looked towards the door. He let go of the young man who was on the verge of death, letting him collapse weakly onto the ground beside him. Ji Xuan didn¡¯t spare him a single glance. He raised his hand and a pure white handkerchief appeared. After he was done wiping off the blood from his hands, he asked in a calm voice that carried some danger, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you coming in?¡± The next second, the door made of bones in front of Ye Jia slowly opened. And the second after that, Ye Jia found himself receiving the same treatment as the person just now. ¡ª- An invisible force had wrapped around his four limbs in an instant and dragged him in. There were three types of ghost domains; a fully manifested domain, a semi-manifested domain, and a control domain. The female ghost¡¯s ghost domain was a semi-manifested one so despite it being easy to activate and to drag others in, there were also many restrictions that would apply to everyone, including the owner of the domain. At most, it would only make her a little stronger. It was equivalent to a home field advantage. The conditions for a control domain can be extremely harsh. The range it covers is smaller and it is also more difficult to drag the enemy in. Please read this from kk translates However, as long as they have entered it, the master of the domain could have almost 100% control of the other party ¡ª As long as they are in this space, they are gods that have control over everything. All experienced players should know this. They all know that no matter what, they must never enter a fierce ghost¡¯s control domain, or they would essentially become their prey. Ye Jia was equally clear about this. He didn¡¯t trust Ji Xuan so the only time he entered Ji Xuan¡¯s materialised domain was when he went to the warehouse where Puppet Master was held at. At that place, although Ji Xuan had more control, Ye Jia was also confident that he could put up a fight against the other party. At the very least, he didn¡¯t have to worry about losing his life. But before he pushed the door open, Ye Jia had never expected that the space behind the door had become taken over by Ji Xuan. Compared to a semi-materialised ghost domain, it was more of a control domain. He was now in a very awkward situation. Ye Jia struggled and found that he couldn¡¯t break free at all. He could only watch himself get closer and closer to Ji Xuan. Finally, the distance between the two was only several feet. Ye Jia greeted awkwardly, ¡°Hi¡­..¡± Ji Xuan was slightly startled. He stood in place, not moving for a long time. His scarlet eyes stared fixatedly at the young man in front of him. As if his gaze carried real heat, it burned Ye Jia¡¯s skin as it scanned across every inch of his face. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but feel his hair stand on end. That instinctive feeling of danger filled his bones, screaming for him to escape. He gritted his teeth and a scythe materialised in his hand. He proceeded to cut off the invisible bindings and turned to run towards the door. But the next second, he found himself dragged back again. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­.¡± This scene was too familiar. The man¡¯s cold fingers stroked Ye Jia¡¯s cheek. He could almost smell the blood coming from the other party. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± This scene was not just familiar. But what he didn¡¯t expect was that after staring at him for a long time, Ji Xuan suddenly let out a light chuckle. Those deep features on his face softened with that laugh, instantly casting away the cruel and bloody air around him. He stared at the young man in front of him, as if he was looking at his entire world. The smile lingering on his lips was exceptionally tender and affectionate. Ji Xuan lowered his head and pressed his cold forehead against Ye Jia¡¯s forehead and whispered, ¡°Gege, you have come to find me.¡± His voice was muted, and the final word was dragged out, making it seem like he was acting coquettish. Ye Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he could tell the difference between a real and a fake. He nodded, ¡°Yes¡­..¡± Now it was time to talk about business. Ye Jia¡¯s expression turned serious, and he began to speak, ¡°You have probably already realised that we are currently in that female ghost¡¯s ghost domain. She has the ability to make you see the thing you fear the mos¡ª¡± His words were suddenly stuck in his throat. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes widened slightly as he looked at Ji Xuan who was kissing the tip of his fingers and asked slowly, ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me¡­.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s lips carried a faint smile, ¡°Please continue¡­.¡± He stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his lower lip. His scarlet eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. Ye Jia: ¡°?¡± He only discovered now that the other party¡¯s pupils had at some unknown point in time become a slit resembling those belonging to cold-blooded animals. It looked very strange against the scarlet iris, making him look almost nonhuman. Ye Jia frowned, ¡°You¡­..How long have you been here?¡± Ji Xuan thought for a moment before answering indifferently, ¡°I don¡¯t remember anymore. Probably a very long time.¡± It was bad. Ye Jia had a bad feeling. He slowly requested, ¡°Let go of me first¡­.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s actions stopped. He stared fixatedly at Ye Jia and whispered gently, ¡°Why? Something is making you uncomfortable?¡± The next second, the young man who had fallen unconscious on the ground earlier was suddenly startled awake. He let out a muffled gasp and then continued to struggle. Ji Xuan¡¯s smiles showed no flaws, ¡°Is he making you feel disgusted?¡± He lowered his head and once again kissed the tips of Ye Jia¡¯s fingers before continuing, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll get rid of him right away.¡± ¡°Wai¡­..¡± Before Ye Jia could finish speaking, he saw an invisible force crush the bloodied young man on the ground. With the crunching of bones and the squelching of flesh, the other party who wasn¡¯t even able to let out a sound was instantly turned into a pile of crushed flesh. Blood flowed out from between the bones and flesh, joining the river of blood below. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and decided to adopt a gentler approach, ¡°Um, you should put me down first. Let¡¯s talk it out¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s lips contained a smile. He gently twisted the thin strands of hair next to Ye Jia¡¯s face and his cold finger lingered on his lips briefly. His voice was still soft, but the contents of his words made Ye Jia¡¯s hairs stand on end, ¡°But why should I do that?¡± Ji Xuan leaned closer, the scarlet in his eyes darkening. His red tongue slowly licked the tip of the finger that touched Ye Jia¡¯s lips just now and continued, ¡°Why should I let you escape?¡± CH 58 The man¡¯s voice was low and soft, and his muted voice seemed like it was coated in honey, but when it echoed through the empty hall made of bones, it made Ye Jia¡¯s hairs stand on end. Ye Jia could feel all the hairs on his body stand on end. A thin layer of cold sweat formed across his back. Something is wrong¡­ Ji Xuan¡¯s current state wasn¡¯t right. But he was in a very disadvantageous position at this very moment. Unlike the other doors, he couldn¡¯t use force to take the other person out of this place. Although Ji Xuan appeared to be very sane, he definitely wasn¡¯t in a state that could be communicated with. Ye Jia forced himself to calm down. He replied calmly, ¡°Indeed¡­.¡± ---- In any case, he should calm the other party down first. He continued, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I definitely won¡¯t run.¡± Ji Xuan who had his head resting against Ye Jia¡¯s shoulder let out a low laugh. He opened his mouth and bit Ye Jia¡¯s cold earlobe and gently nibbled at it, ¡°Of course¡­¡­¡± The man¡¯s cold fingers gently stroked Ye Jia¡¯s bound wrists. His voice carried a hint of a smile, ¡°Look¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± The next second, Ye Jia felt the other party¡¯s hand touching his waist. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Wait a minute¡­..This¡­.couldn¡¯t be what he¡¯s thinking it is? A scene suddenly surfaced to his mind without warning. Whistling wind blew past his ears and gravity pulled his figure down. The man¡¯s handsome face suddenly moved closer and following that, there was a cold and soft sensation on his lips. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes widened. Clearly nothing had happened but he felt a strong burning sensation coming from his lips, as if they were burnt by something hot. That heat traveled from his lips all the way to his cheeks. No, no, no, this can¡¯t be. Impossible. He must be overthinking this¡­.. But before Ye Jia could drive away this scary thought, the other party¡¯s fingers had slipped under his clothes. Cold fingers traveled across the young man¡¯s slender waist, causing him to shiver. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia¡¯s eyes shook: ¡°!¡± My great granddaddy!! I-it¡¯s really what he thought it was! T-this isn¡¯t right¡­.. After a brief moment of confusion, Ye Jia¡¯s mind started to work like crazy. He racked his mind, trying to find a way to communicate properly with this person. His gaze swept across the bloodied body in the distance and he suddenly had a flash of inspiration,¡°O-oh, that¡¯s right...¡± Ye Jia¡¯s entire body was stiff. He forced himself to ignore the strange sensation coming from the other party¡¯s palm and continued, ¡°T-the bus outside said just now that I was the second one today. W-what did it mean by that?¡± Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes and indifferently played with the ends of Ye Jia¡¯s hair. He commented nonchalantly, ¡°Well, I might have been a little too excited at the time.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I was much calmer the next time.¡± Ji Xuan said with a low chuckle. The second corpse emerged from the pool of blood. The body this time looked more complete ---- Except for the fact that the bones and internal organs had been completely removed from the body below the head, leaving a thin layer of skin fluttering in the air. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Calmer? Ji Xuan raised his hand and the third one emerged. Unexpectedly, there was something else that came up together with it¡­.. Ye Jia was stunned. Only after carefully examining it, he realised what it was. It was two people cruelly pieced together forming a bloody ball of flesh. Ji Xuan¡¯s calm and unwavering voice sounded from above his head, ¡°That fierce ghost played a little trick.¡± He lowered his head and kissed the top of the young man¡¯s head, his voice soft like a whisper, ¡°She made you get married, and you even forgot about me.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­..¡± Although he knew that Ji Xuan was a little crazy, he didn¡¯t expect him to be this crazy. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. He asked, ¡°So if something like this happened in reality¡­.you would also do this?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s actions paused very briefly. He narrowed his scarlet eyes slightly, and a treacherous look surged in its depths. His voice however was still very gentle, ¡°Of course not¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± After seeing the tragic outcomes of so many of his fakes, he found it difficult believing the other party¡¯s answer. Ji Xuan¡¯s arms around Ye Jia¡¯s waist tightened further, bringing him closer into his embrace. He whispered gently, ¡°None of them were the real you.¡± The corner of Ye Jia¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°I believe you¡­.¡± ¡°But can you let go of me now?¡± He softened his voice and tried to communicate rationally with the other party, ¡°I promise I won¡¯t run. The current position is a little uncomfortable¡­¡± Ji Xuan: ¡°No¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s suggestion persuaded the others in the team. As a result, the balance flipped, and Ji Xuan was able to successfully join the team. Outside the gates, that small figure quietly disappeared into the darkness. Although the next few instances were all different, the difference in difficulty wasn¡¯t too big. The two of them teamed up several times but most of the time they were not assigned to the same instance. This was until a few months later when they happened to find themselves in the same instance. It was originally set as a C-Level instance but upon entering, it was discovered that it had actually become an A-Level instance. Most of the players were caught off-guard and died as a result. In the confrontation with the monsters and ghosts, two of the four members of the team died. Only Ye Jia and Ji Xuan were able to escape. When night came, Ye Jia warned, ¡°Follow me and don¡¯t wander off. If you run into danger because you were running around recklessly, I won¡¯t be able to save you.¡± The little boy nodded obediently. A faint red light flashed across his big and round eyes. But in the end, when the next wave of monsters attacked, Ji Xuan and Ye Jia were separated. The little boy¡¯s face was pale and fearful as he was dragged into a dark mass of monsters. Players all ran off, paying no attention to those left behind. Enveloped by the monster¡¯s black mist, the boy¡¯s expression filled with horror disappeared like the winter snow. Once he could no longer be seen, he calmly leaned back. He supported his cheeks and watched the escaping players in the distance with interest. He really wanted to know¡­..What expressions will these players have when they see what is waiting for them ahead? Especially that person----- But at this moment, the black mist not far in front of him was suddenly split open and a powerful light emitted from a high-level prop caused the nearby monsters to burst into flames. The monsters screamed and retreated back but those flames had left horrible wounds on their dark skin. The young boy was taken aback for a moment. While he was caught off guard, the black mist under him was blown away, causing him to fall onto the ground. Immediately afterwards, a tall and slender young man charged through the opening in the mist and proceeded to drag him out. The light emitted from the prop had not yet dissipated. Under the almost scorching light, the young man was panting heavily. His amber coloured eyes were slightly squinted under the strong light and one eye was in semi-dried blood, making him only able to open one eye. His face was pale and covered in cold sweat. He held tightly onto the young boy¡¯s thin and weak shoulder, the tips of his finger turning white from how much force he was using. Ji Xuan raised his head and smiled faintly with his innocent and beautiful face, ¡°Stay by your side and not wander off, right?¡± Ye Jia was a little stunned, ¡°Yes¡­¡± The young boy¡¯s eyes were dark and deep. Something dangerous seemed to be swelling inside the depths of his eyes. His pale lips were slightly pursed, and there was an inexplicable sense of fragility coming from him. He tilted his head, ¡°Forever?¡± Ye Jia raised his head and looked up at the instance time that was about to reach its end. His mood turning for the better, he rubbed the young boy¡¯s head and answered with some gentleness in his voice, ¡°Yes¡­.¡± * That delicate young boy¡¯s face in his memory slowly overlapped with the handsome man¡¯s face in front of him. That same obsessive gaze seemed like it could pull someone into a deep abyss. The man¡¯s grip around him tightened. His scarlet eyes with vertical pupils lowered slightly as he gently pressed his icy cold nose against Ye Jia¡¯s, ¡°You must uphold the promises you make with a fierce ghost.¡± The curvature of his lips deepened, but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes, ¡°If you can¡¯t do that, we would come back and claim it with interest.¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Maybe I should charge some interest first.¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s eyes darkened. The next second, he kissed Ye Jia¡¯s lower lip and oppressively began to bite and lick the other party. One hand firmly restrained the other party¡¯s wrists above their head while the other hand held the other party¡¯s thin waist, bringing him closer and pressing him against the arm of the throne made of bones. Like a drowning man struggling to reach the water surface, a cold sensation that seemed to penetrate deep into his bones poured in from all directions, weighing down on his chest, making him unable to breathe. All forms of resistance were futile. Suddenly, without warning, the landscape in the distance started to shake. It was as if the world was shaken by some unknown force. The walls and floor made of bones around them similarly started to shake, letting out clattering sounds. But Ji Xuan didn¡¯t stop. Just as Ye Jia was about to faint due to lack of oxygen, he heard a careful knock on the door. Ji Xuan reluctantly moved back. He frowned and muttered with displeasure, ¡°A pity we were interrupted.¡± Ye Jia gasped for air. Dry air poured back into his lungs, leaving a dull pain in his throat. He felt a little dizzy and his vision was slightly blurred from the lack of oxygen. Ji Xuan lowered his head and gently licked the other party¡¯s lower lip before smiling contentedly: ¡°Gege is great¡­..¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­.¡± I have the words ¡®fuck your uncle¡¯ but it might not be appropriate to say it. The light knocking at the door sounded again. It was louder than the one before but it was still done equally as cautiously. Ji Xuan slowly sat up. He continued to hold Ye Jia who was still unable to move in his arms and he hooked his finger to open the door while in a good mood. The bus had now shrunk to a size a third of its original size. The streetlamp and snack bar sign followed behind it. It lowered its bony head and spoke with a trembling voice, ¡°K-King¡­.The world in the east is beginning to collapse.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s voice held no anger or joy. The bus: ¡°¡­..¡± The bus carefully raised its head and looked towards the throne. The next second, it was so shocked by the sight, its mind almost stopped working. The human it had thought would be immediately torn apart by King was sitting on the throne completely unharmed. Not only was he unharmed, but he was even held intimately in the King¡¯s arms. Scattered hair covered the flushed corners of his eyes and cheeks and his lips that were half open were slightly swollen and red. It resembled an overripe fruit whose skin would burst with a tiny prick, allowing sweet nectar to flow out. His collar was messy and open, revealing his slender neck and defined clavicle. The bite mark there was particularly eye-catching. The man¡¯s well-defined fingers held the young man¡¯s waist possessively. The bus: ¡°?¡± T-this didn¡¯t seem right? Just as it was beginning to doubt its worldviews, its eyes suddenly met Ji Xuan¡¯s icy stare. The bus: ¡°!¡± The next second, a terrible force struck from all directions, pressing down on it. It felt as if its life was firmly in the hands of the other party, and it instinctively started to shudder. Every inch of its body screamed out in pain. Just before it was crushed into a pile of waste metal, the young man sitting on the throne suddenly spoke up. His voice was hoarse, as if it had been ground by sandpaper, ¡°Hey¡­..¡± Ji Xuan¡¯s actions stopped. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and tried to stay calm. He gritted his teeth and continued, ¡°If you have something to do, go and do it.¡± He said calmly, ¡°What you need to worry about now is whether you can win in this confrontation with that fierce ghost outside and, most importantly, the flow of time in here compared to outside is different, right? If that is the case, as long as you defeat this fierce ghost from inside, we will naturally be able to return to the outside world.¡± Ye Jia closed his eyes, as if suppressing his anger, ¡°So for the time being, I won¡¯t be leaving¡­..¡± He raised his eyes to look coldly at the man before him. It was as if the person who was at a disadvantage and the one who couldn¡¯t move was not him, as if the cruel deaths of those substitutes didn¡¯t bother him at all. Although the corners of the young man¡¯s eyes were still faintly red, the earlier disorientation and bewilderment had been swept away. Those amber coloured eyes were deep and only calmness and calculation that have been exercised frequently during his time in the game remained. He had used this to reasonably infer and examine the current situation and make the most favourable decision. Ye Jia said slowly, ¡°As a temporary comrade in arms, I give you my guarantee.¡± ---- He once again became Ace, the uncrowned king of the players. Ji Xuan¡¯s expression was indecipherable. He gently brushed his finger across the bite marks on Ye Jia¡¯s lips and let out a light laugh, ¡°Gege, you¡¯re always like this.¡± ¡°Always so rational¡­.¡± He smiled and continued, ¡°No matter what the circumstances are, you can always remain calm and find the most suitable solution, isn¡¯t that right?¡± I really want to¡­crush that calmness of yours. Watch you cry, watch you scream. Ye Jia took in a deep breath. He avoided this seemingly dangerous remark and returned to the topic at hand, ¡°So are you going or not?¡± The man¡¯s eyes deepened and his lips curved, ¡°Not going¡­¡­¡± Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Facing someone he couldn¡¯t communicate with, he was a little angered, ¡°Are you fucking out of your mind?¡± Ji Xuan leaned in and kissed him, ¡°Of course¡­..¡± Ye Jia frowned and turned his face to avoid the other party. His tone was particularly bad, ¡°Don¡¯t mess around!¡± Ji Xuan stopped. He stared fixedly at the irritated young man before him and suddenly said, ¡°Alright then¡­..¡± Now, it was Ye Jia¡¯s turn to be stunned. Ji Xuan smiled. His scarlet eyes were half-narrowed and his thin pupils were slightly dilated. His mood seemed to have suddenly improved significantly. He pointed at his lips and said, ¡°If gege kisses me, I won¡¯t mess around.¡± CH 59 The man leaned down. His scarlet eyes reflected the young man¡¯s astonished face and his lips contained an affectionate smile. It was as if he was acting coquettish to the other party. Ye Jia was slightly surprised. ¡°As long as one¡¯s instinctive fears are amplified, no matter how firm their minds are, they would be unable to control the instinctive fears they have even if they know that the thing before them is just an illusion.¡± Indeed, if it only used fear to mess with the human heart, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to cause those experienced players to have such a strong reaction. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly said, ¡°But Ji Xuan doesn¡¯t feel any fear.¡± If it was said that he was overwhelmed by his instinctive desire, it would indeed be consistent with Ji Xuan¡¯s current abnormal state. But when facing so many of his fakes, Ji Xuan¡¯s emotions were more of anger and contempt compared to fear. Was it because he was a ghost? He threw the Omniscient Eye back into his pocket and stood up. The hall was deadly silent. Red light from the sky in the distance penetrated into the hall through the gaps between the bones making up the walls, casting a red glow in the room. Ye Jia looked around. His eyes darkened. He slowly raised his hand and touched his lips. ¡°Hiss¡­¡­.¡± It stung a little. Ye Jia¡¯s eyes grew colder and colder. He roughly wiped his lips with the back of his hand and proceeded to step towards the door of the castle. Ye Jia tentatively reached out and pushed open the door before him. Unexpectedly, the door wasn¡¯t seals shut and he was able to open it without much effort, revealing the blood-coloured sky and city made of bones. A large world appeared before him. Tremors caused by the fight between the two ghosts spread across the world and it seemed to be causing some changes to the world along with it. Thick yin energy spread throughout, making it impossible for one to perceive the changes that were occurring. The entire city of bones was an island floating over a sea of blood. The castle was located at the centre of this island of bones, but there was a larges sea of blood underneath the castle? ---- The dead bodies of those fakes all came up from below there. If he was a paranoid ghost, where would he hide something? The answer was quite obvious. He would put it together with his obsession. A large scythe appeared in Ye Jia¡¯s hand and a cold light flashed. The white bones under his feet split open. Small pieces of the bones fell into the pool of blood below without making any sounds. He stared at the bottomless abyss below him and then took in a deep breath and leapt in. Splash¡­.. Salty liquid rushed towards him. It seemed to carry huge destructive power, charging relentlessly at this intruder. Ye Jia¡¯s mouth was filled with the taste of rust. He opened his eyes but still couldn¡¯t see very well. He used all his strength to resist the strong currents around him and continued to dive deeper down. The young man¡¯s slender limbs were as flexible as a fish. He was able to avoid the strong currents and swim downwards. Dark shadows flickered faintly in the distance. Ye Jia struggled to swim in that direction. It took Ye Jia about half a minute to recover. Ye Jia raised his head and looked above him. Those blood coloured waters, and corpses had disappeared at some unknown point in time. Replacing it was a sky of the same scarlet colour. His nose was filled with the suffocating smell of blood. For a moment, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t tell whether this smell was left from the bloody waters earlier or if it was from the air. He wiped dry his face and slowly got up. Ye Jia looked around at the scene around him and was taken aback. He remembered this place. The scene before him was one that was deeply burned into his memory. It was one that he would never forget no matter how much time passed. The pitch-black ground was soft and damp. If you squeezed it hard enough, you could even squeeze out some blood. There were countless bones buried deep under the ground and even the air was filled with the cold scent of death. This was an old battlefield. It was an instance of the greatest difficulty that no one has ever challenged. ---- It was also the place where he personally killed Ji Xuan. Ye Jia stood in the middle of the wasteland with his eyes slightly narrowed. The wind carrying a strong scent of blood rustled past his hair. He stepped forward and walked in the direction in his memories. In the barren wasteland, the young man walked alone. In the distance, there was a large black cliff with steep peaks. Below that was a giant cave. That was the place where he bid farewell to his former good friend. The memories he thought had been buried broke free and flashed through his mind frame after frame. Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to remember but those memories were so vivid, it was as if it only happened yesterday. Extremely clear and vivid, with a strong air of hatred. What was more painful than being betrayed by the person closest to you was finding out that the other party had been lying to you from the very beginning and had always planned to eat you up. Suddenly, Ye Jia seemed to have thought of something. He was taken aback. ---- He suddenly realised that this wasn¡¯t a scene from his memories. He and Ji Xuan had entered the cave together. There was no situation where the other party entered it alone and at this moment, he didn¡¯t see another him around. At this moment, the young boy stopped in his steps and looked into the distance. His young voice was cold and calm, ¡°Mother¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s heart trembled. He turned to look in that same direction. Above a familiar pool of blood was a large lump of flesh suspended in the air. It was so large, it almost covered the entire cave. Thick blue veins squirmed about on its greasy surface looking terribly disgusting. This is Mother? Ye Jia¡¯s pupils constricted slightly. That lump of flesh squirmed, making strange sticky sounds. That terrible sound reverberated throughout the cave. Ye Jia had to use all his self-control to endure this sound. Ji Xuan however seemed to understand it. He nodded, ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± Ye Jia could guess that it was a case of the other party accepting the task issued to him by Mother. His eyes darkened slightly, and coldness resurfaced. Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to continue watching this. He reached out and tried it again. But before he could touch the other party, the young boy before him raised his head slightly and, as if he thought of something very pleasant, he curled up the corners of his lips to reveal an almost innocent and pure smile. That beautiful but gloomy face seemed to brighten up and those scarlet eyes shone bright with expectation, ¡°Then we will be able to be together forever, right?¡± CH 60 What did that mean? This place was an instance. But for some reason, Ye Jia couldn¡¯t remember how he managed to clear it. He frowned and tried his best to remember but it was all to no avail. At this moment, a terrible scream sounded from ahead. It contained pain and agony that seemed to penetrate one¡¯s heart. It was much like a beasts last cry before it dies from torture. As if something ahead was pulling him in, Ye Jia stepped towards the direction of that sound. In the middle of all these tall buildings was an empty field. It was like a giant alter sitting in the depths of a deep sea. There were dark red lines on the ground and the surroundings were shrouded in darkness, giving it a strange and creepy air. The fist sized ball of flesh hovered in the air in the centre of that open field. The surface of it seemed to be slowly writhing around. A young man was curled up in the centre of those red patterns on the ground, his thin back and protruding shoulder blades were particularly vivid under his thin shirt which was wet from his sweat and stuck to his body. His body trembled violently like leaves rustled by the wind. The scene was much like a butterfly on the verge of death, struggling desperately against the spider web binding it. That ball of flesh slowly descended. ¡°Ahhhhhhh---------¡± He screamed in pain. Pale fingers clawed at the ground, the broken nails and skin leaving bloody trails. The young man shuddered and was forced to raise his head by some unknown force. His wet hair was stuck against the sides of his bloodless cheeks and his lips that had been bitten raw were wide open as he gasped for air. The moment that ball of flesh touched him, it was like a raindrop falling into a pool of water. It disappeared without leaving a trace behind in a blink of an eye. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± The young man continued to scream miserably. The next second, from the centre of his chest, a hard and straight handle slowly emerged. ¡°Riipp-----¡± Ye Jia¡¯s closed his hands again. The scythe disappeared. Ye Jia took a deep breath and slowly raised his head to continue watching the following events. What happened next was the same as what he remembered. Among the players, he quickly became the target of public criticism. Those in his teams all died one after another and those he thought could be considered as friends betrayed him one after another. After that final siege, he finally became a lone wolf and, in the end, the only person standing by his side was Ji Xuan. Slowly, Ye Jia noticed that no matter where he went, he would always attract a large number of ghosts and monsters, like insects flocking towards the only light source around. He rarely allowed Ji Xuan to be in a team with him when entering an instance. Even after entering an instance, he would stay as far away from the rest of the team and act alone. Every ghost and monster that tried to kill him were conversely swallowed up by Ye Jia. As he became stronger and stronger, he also became less and less¡­..human. This was until¡­.he reached the top of the leaderboard rankings and could no longer be surpassed. Those scenes from the past flashed before Ye Jia¡¯s eyes. During this time, Ye Jia tried to touch Ji Xuan, but the other party was still like a phantom, unable to be touched, let alone dragged out. Perhaps he had to wait until this is all played out? Ye Jia could only give up struggling and go with the flow. Fortunately, time progressed very quickly in this world and every scene were broken snippets rather than a continuous, uninterrupted flow. Ye Jia didn¡¯t want to relive his years in the game all over again. That would be too boring. Soon, the final moment arrived. Ye Jia pulled himself out from his memories. He took in a deep breath, followed the two figures before him and entered the cave. That large and swollen ball of flesh from earlier was already no longer in the cave. It had been replaced by a rippling pool of blood. In the distance, Ji Xuan and himself seemed to be talking about something. Ye Jia however had no interest in listening in. He yawned, sat down on one of the stones and rested his chin in his palm with a bored expression. Suddenly, there was a strange sensation at Ye Jia¡¯s ankle. It was sharp and it poked at his ankle not too lightly but also not too heavily. Ye Jia looked down. Only then did he realise that the place he was sitting on wasn¡¯t in fact a stone, but a pile of mud coated bones. Near his angle, one of the larger skulls had rolled out from that pile and he could vaguely see its shape through the mud. Ye Jia bent down and wiped off the dust and dirt from the skull with his sleeve. It was a lifeless skull of a goat. The horn on the head was what had poked Ye Jia¡¯s ankle just now. Was this¡­..the blood gu fish¡¯s head? Ye Jia stood up and dug through the pile of bones. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. ---- Turns out this was what it was made up of! At this moment, the ground suddenly shook. Countless rubble smashed down, falling into the pool of blood below with a loud sound. Ye Jia staggered unsteadily and quickly reached towards a wall to stabilise himself. Suddenly, a shrill cry sounded from not far away. The young man slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were as dark as ink, much like the eternal night, and terrifying yin energy flowed around him. Even without much experience, one could tell that this was most definitely a high-level, fearsome ghost that had the ability to turn the world upside down and disrupt the universe. Ye Jia stood fixed in place as he looked up at that face that was both unfamiliar yet familiar. For some reason, he instinctively knew---- Yes, that was indeed possible. When his powers finally go out of control and the powers he consumed finally breaks free from his shackles, he would become like this. A complete monster. The young man in the distance slowly descended from the air. The muscles on his body were smooth and defined and his skin was gorgeous and firm, like a living work of art, but he also gave off an overbearing force that made others instinctively feel fear. He lowered his eyes, his dark pupils sweeping across Ji Xuan who stood not far away. His pale lips opened and closed and his voice seemed like it came from a place very far away, ¡°Many thanks¡­..¡± The young boy raised his scarlet eyes and stared fixedly at the young man standing not far away from him. He slowly narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t tell?¡± The young man slowly approached him, ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been waiting for me?¡± The boy¡¯s pale hand reached towards the young man¡¯s chest. It pierced through the flesh and he directly held the other party¡¯s heart. The young man panicked, ¡°No, wait, I¡¯m your gege, Ye Jia! You don¡¯t recognise me anymore?¡± Ji Xuan looked at the other party¡¯s face. His eyes were dark, like a dead abyss, and there was also a touch of madness within. He didn¡¯t answer anything. With a low sound, the blood-stained hand was taken out of the other party¡¯s chest. Little by little, that hand crushed the heart in his hand. The young man¡¯s body collapsed and was firmly caught by the other party. The entire world was shrouded in darkness. A scarlet river of blood flowed under the ground, slowly diving into the depths of the earth. With the young man¡¯s already cold body in his arms, Ji Xuan slowly sat down. He lowered his head and didn¡¯t speak, breathe or move. It was as if he had turned into a lifeless statue, successfully blending in with the dead. Ye Jia slowly stepped forward. The soft soil under his felt squelched with each step but he knew very well that the other person couldn¡¯t hear it. The young man stopped before the young boy and looked down at him with a complex and deep look in his eyes. He couldn¡¯t forgive Ji Xuan¡¯s betrayal, but¡­.. The young boy in front of him suddenly blinked and a large teardrop fell from his lifelessly pale face. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but speak up, ¡°Hey¡­.¡± He subconsciously reached out ----- But unexpectedly, he managed to touch the other person this time. His warm palm pressed onto the other party¡¯s thin shoulder. Ji Xuan trembled. He raised his head in astonishment, his scarlet eyes reflecting the face of the young man standing in front of him. His hoarse voice contained disbelief and cautiousness, as if he was afraid of waking up from this dream, and it also trembled in fear and confusion, ¡°Gege?¡± CH 61 Ye Jia was also surprised when he realised that the other party could now see him. Everything around them was quickly disintegrating. The sky above them gradually turned scarlet in colour, revealing a bloody pool. Those severed limbs tumbled about, hitting the barrier separating the two spaces. Alongside a loud boom, a large boulder fell into the dark abyss below. This place was soon about to be swallowed up. Ye Jia bent down and picked the young boy up. He raised his voice to speak over the howling wind, ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Ji Xuan looked at the young man in daze. The other party¡¯s profile was pale and gorgeous. He was looking into the distance with his glass-like eyes slightly raised and his thin lips tightly pursed. Those lips were much like a bow that had been pulled to its limits and there was strong determination in his eyes, as if nothing in this world could stop him. Ji Xuan slowly spread open his arms and gently wrapped them around the young man¡¯s neck. He tightened his grip ever so slightly as he embraced the treasure he had lost but finally recovered. Ji Xuan buried his face into the young man¡¯s neck and took in the warmth coming from the other party¡¯s chest. Ye Jia turned and glanced at the other party. Something flashed in the depths of his eyes. ---- Forget it. In any case, the situation at hand wasn¡¯t real. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and raised his hand to support the young boy¡¯s slender back. He then proceeded to rush towards the scarlet vortex in the distance. His body was light and agile. His feet lightly tapped the surfaces of the remaining stones on the ground before flying up into the sky for several seconds and landing back down. He was much like an antelope who could lightly leap across mountain streams and bypass cliffs. The scarlet vortex was close at hand. Ye Jia reached out and his pale and slender fingers sank in------- The moment his fingers touched it, he felt a strong force pull him in! Lightheaded and dizzy. Ye Jia fell heavily onto the ground. He had to roll several times before being able to stop. He coughed heavily a few times and raised his head. He was back in a familiar castle made out of bones. The young boy in his arms was already gone. Ye Jia turned and looked behind him ---- The originally surging pool of blood had returned to its original appearance at a very fast speed. The corpses within let out a sharp cry and then soon disintegrated. At this moment, a familiar voice sounded from his pocket. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± That pale green stone was taken out of the pocket by Ye Jia. It yawned as it praised, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve succeeded!¡± Ye Jia¡¯s footsteps stopped. ¡°Aren¡¯t you omniscient?¡± He asked without a change to his expression, ¡°Why would you use the word ¡®probably¡¯?¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­.¡± The Omniscient Eye coughed somewhat awkwardly, ¡°Uh, isn¡¯t that because this world has stopped distorting¡­.¡± Something didn¡¯t seem right. Ye Jia frowned and looked down at the stone in his hand and his eyes narrowed slightly, ¡°Lost his ability to move? Why?¡± After a long period of pushing and pulling, this place was now almost completely under Ji Xuan¡¯s control. Even if the fierce ghost outside finally managed to figure out his true fears, as long as they are in here, he had an absolute advantage over the other party. Why would he suddenly lose his ability to move? The Omniscient Eye¡¯s voice sounded a little sly, ¡°Why would you care about this?¡± It continued casually, ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve achieved your purpose now, no? You can take him out and immediately put a stop to this world behind the door. What¡¯s the need to know the answer to that question? It won¡¯t change the current situation anyway.¡± Ye Jia didn¡¯t answer. He turned and looked thoughtfully at the pool of blood behind him before slowly asking, ¡°What were those scenes I saw earlier?¡± The Omniscient Eye snorted, ¡°I¡¯m not telling you¡­..¡± Ye Jia fell into thought. ----- A memory? Impossible. The latter part never happened. Therefore, an illusion was the only explanation for it. From the very beginning, Ye Jia had treated it as an illusion ---- Ji Xuan had built his most feared scene over the top of an existing memory before sealing it up. It sounded very logical and reasonable. However, there were always some parts that couldn¡¯t be explained. First of all, Ji Xuan didn¡¯t know his name at that time so he naturally shouldn¡¯t show any reaction to the words ¡®Ye Jia¡¯¡­..But the young boy in there clearly associated that name with himself. Secondly, when he used the Omniscient Eye to scan the entire world, only Ji Xuan himself was glowing. If it was just an illusion, why did this phenomenon occur? It was as if¡­..it was just like the other players trapped behind the doors. Moreover, Ji Xuan¡¯s reaction after seeing him appear was a little too realistic. Ye Jia didn¡¯t believe that the other party would have expected him to enter the illusion he had created and had instead created a corresponding response. Or rather, a part of him. He had created his deepest fear with his own hands and then placed a part of his soul in it, making it experience the same torturous experiences over and over again for an extremely long time. That was also why that fierce ghost couldn¡¯t do anything to him. It wasn¡¯t because Ji Xuan was immune to the other party¡¯s abilities, but because he had already inflicted the same damage to himself and in an even more ruthless and merciless manner. The Omniscient Eye sighed emotionally, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it earlier? He is one ruthless man.¡± Ye Jia lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes hiding the look in his eyes. The pale green stone in his hand continued to ramble on, ¡°However, the sequelae of doing this can be very detrimental. Even if the sequelae start acting up, it would be after you two have left this place, but clearly, the seal had been broken too early and the sequelae have started acting up earlier than intended. He is very likely in a state where he is no longer able to move right now¡­.¡± Before it could finish speaking, the other party mercilessly stuffed it back into their pocket. The Omniscient Eye¡¯s voice was muffled, ¡°Hey, hey! My time is not up yet! Let¡¯s chat a little longer!¡± No one answered it. The Omniscient Eye stared at the inside of the wrinkled pocket before it. It could clearly feel the movements increase and there was also the sound of wind rushing past as if the owner of the pocket was moving at a very high speed. It coldly snorted. If you¡¯re worried then just admit that you¡¯re worried. What need is there to be so stubborn? The Omniscient Eye turned itself over inside the pocket and found itself a comfortable position ---- Sleeping is the best! When Ye Jia arrived at the place with the abnormal fluctuations, that place had basically been completely transformed into an illusion by the female ghost. A vast battlefield spread out under the faintly scarlet coloured night sky. Countless bodies were buried deep within the blood-soaked soil. Soft whispers of the undead could be heard and the smell of death lingered in the air. A tall figure stood firmly in the middle of this wasteland. His eyes were lowered and there were no expressions on his pale face. His prominent brow bones cast a deep shadow across his eyes, hiding the vertical pupils which shone a cold, scarlet light in the darkness. There seemed to be something off about him. Ye Jia stopped a few steps away from the other party. His eyes swept across the land around the man. Completely bare earth could be seen under his feet. There weren¡¯t even any bones or body remnants there, making it appear eerie and strange. Ye Jia frowned slightly. He bent down, picked up a stone from the ground and threw it in Ji Xuan¡¯s direction. The next moment, that stone seemed to have hit something invisible in the air. It was then dragged in and a destructive force crushed that stone into dust in just a blink of an eye, the small particles later drifting away with the wind. Ye Jia: ¡°¡­¡­..¡± Was this what it meant by ¡®no longer able to move¡¯? He shouted, ¡°Ji Xuan!¡± He spread open his palm and a scythe appeared in his palm. The moment the blade came into contact with the air, Ye Jia could feel it ---- He was currently eating. He rapidly swallowed up Ji Xuan¡¯s ghost energy. That satisfying feeling of his needs been met spread all across his arms and legs. Ye Jia was startled by this. He instinctively retracted the scythe back. The more he ate, the closer he would be to a fierce ghost --- According to the information he had received from the illusion earlier, that was exactly what Mother wanted. Perhaps this was the reason why Ji Xuan didn¡¯t want him to directly face that fierce ghost outside. Then¡­..What should he do now to get the other party out of that door? Ye Jia was troubled. He turned to look at the world around him that had almost completely turned into the bloodstained battlefield he once saw in an instance and then he raised his eyes to look at Ji Xuan who had lost all consciousness and was only attacking using his instincts. That man stood silently in the middle of the battlefield, rooted to the ground like a lifeless sculpture. Somehow¡­..the other party¡¯s state seemed a little familiar. Ye Jia was slightly surprised by this thought. A memory quickly appeared in his mind. In the middle of a blood-stained wasteland, a young boy sat calmly on the devastated ground. His head was lowered, his black hair hanging down such that the shadows covered his pale face. That boy looked as if his soul had left his body. Ye Jia opened his mouth to speak. Because his throat was a little dry, he could only spit out two words with much difficulty, ¡°A¡¯Xuan¡­.¡± It was spoken very softly, almost disappearing into the howling wind around him. It was like broken sleep talk, the words softly melting into the silence of the night. He didn¡¯t know if it was his illusion, but Ye Jia seemed to see that tall man who was still expressionlessly standing in the middle of the field¡­.. Tremble slightly¡­.. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and raised his voice a little, ¡°A¡¯Xuan¡­.¡± He raised his hand. This time, he didn¡¯t cover his cold and pale fingers with any protection, exposing his vulnerable skin and flesh to the air. With a trace of uncertainty and hesitation, he slowly reached out towards the invisible field in front of him. Ye Jia held his breath. The other hand holding the scythe tightened around the handle. He prepared himself for his arm to be brutally crushed and shredded¡­¡­ But, unexpectedly¡­.. Ye Jia¡¯s hand came into contact with an invisible wall in the air. He was a little surprised. What he had expected to happen didn¡¯t happen. His fingers seemed to have touched something soft that felt like glue. It tentatively wrapped around the tips of his fingers and, like some kind of insect that couldn¡¯t communicate verbally, it¡¯s soft tentacles carefully touched him. Ye Jia took in a deep breath and slowly took a step forward. From his arm to his shoulder to his entire body. He entered Ji Xuan¡¯s attacking range. The man still had his eyes lowered as he stood there lifelessly like a sculpture. His dark eyes that held a trace of scarlet stared emptily into the distance. Ye Jia cautiously raised his hand to touch Ji Xuan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Hey¡­¡­¡± Ji Xuan didn¡¯t move. Ye Jia reached out and waved it in front of Ji Xuan, ¡°Can you hear me?¡± Ye Jia¡¯s vision darkened from his tight embrace, ¡°I¡­..I can¡¯t breathe!¡± The other party however still showed no intention to hold back. Ye Jia shouted angrily, ¡°A¡¯Xuan!¡± As soon as he said that, the other party¡¯s suffocating embrace loosened slightly. Ye Jia used this opportunity to escape from that embrace. The man before him seemed to have somewhat returned to his senses. He lowered his eyes, his dark scarlet eyes still showing some confusion. Ye Jia sighed. ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling troubled, ¡°Can¡¯t you turn yourself smaller in a situation like this?¡± Ji Xuan continued to stare at him, his eyes unfocussed and his thin and pale lips tightly pursed. There were no changes to his expression. It was unknown if he understood what was said just now. Ye Jia, ¡°¡­¡­..¡± He looked up at the sky above him that was in the process of changing its colour and knew that things cannot continue like this. And so, he rubbed his face and once again cautiously moved closer. But before he could get any closer, the man before him swayed and fell in his direction. Ye Jia¡¯s heart tensed. He subconsciously reached out to catch the other party, but what fell into his arms was not the tall and heavy body belonging to an adult man, but a small and tender child. He lowered his head in astonishment and looked down at Ji Xuan in his arms. The other party¡­..had really turned himself back into a child. The boy¡¯s small body clung tightly to his chest, his messy black hair covering his expressionless and pale face. His entire body was curled up in the other person¡¯s arms. Despite appearing docile, he domineeringly took up the young man¡¯s entire embrace. The attacking range slowly grew smaller. Ye Jia couldn¡¯t help but sigh again. He wrapped the other party¡¯s arms around his neck and then proceeded to lift Ji Xuan¡¯s body up and walk out. The next moment, Ye Jia stopped in place. He looked down at the boy in his arms in shock. Ye Jia¡¯s collar was still slightly spread open, revealing his slender neck and defined collarbones. There was a bite mark there that was still burning in pain and oozing blood. With his walking motion, the young boy¡¯s cold and soft lips seemed to intentionally or unintentionally rub against that part, sending a strange feeling of numbness through his body. The young boy¡¯s eyes were however still closed, and his pale face resembled a lifeless, marble statue. He didn¡¯t seem to have regained consciousness. Ye Jia hesitated for a moment before continuing on. But after just a few steps, that familiar sensation appeared again. Gently and softly, like a feather sweeping across, like a lover¡¯s flirtatious touch. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Ye Jia¡¯s ears suddenly turned hot. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath before mercilessly removing the other party¡¯s arms from his neck and then proceeded to lift him up over his shoulder instead. ------Carrying you like this suits you more. 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