Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 35: Golden Finger

At 6 in the morning, the boy woke up.

The soft sunlight shone through the windows of the wooden house, illuminating the fine dust with its beam of light. It was a sunny day outside, with carriages passing by from time to time on the road. In the distance was a towering castle, with birds gathering around the spire.

Not far from him, Ge Tingting was curled up and sleeping soundly.

She claimed to be 16 years old, but based on how slender and thin she was, she appeared to be at most 14. Because of this, Ge Tingting didn’t have the physical oppression of an adult, which made the boy like this companion very much.

Unfortunately, since he came to this world, except for Ge Tingting, he hadn’t met other “fellow citizens”.

Not long after the boy woke up, the waiter in the tavern came over. He stretched out his hand, muttering in a different world language, and looked as if he was asking for money.

The boy—Feng Qi—rummaged in the small bag for a long time, managed to count ten coins, and handed them over carefully. The waiter clicked his tongue and muttered again, looking unhappy.

The young dragon, Ibby, stopped on his shoulder. “Ignore him. We won’t come here again anyway.”

It spit out a small mouthful of fire, causing sparks to appear in its nostrils. In the sun, the white scales of the young dragon’s body shone like pearls.

“Sister, sister.” Feng Qi nudged Ge Tingting’s shoulder. “We should go.”

Ge Tingting sat up first, then opened her eyes in a panic. She looked at Feng Qi for a while, then said slowly, “Go do the task now?”

According to Ibby, Ge Tingting came a few years before him. Her accent was so strangely distorted that Feng Qi had to concentrate hard in order to understand it. He assumed she was probably influenced by the other world’s language.

“Yes,” Feng Qi replied confidently. “Finish sooner, and we can make the wish sooner. We are on a hidden route! If things go well, maybe we can finish within a week.”

Ge Tingting paused for a moment. “A week…?”

“Well, the enemy last time was an ordinary monster, so there’s no special drop. It stands to reason that there’s no need to fight.”

Feng Qi opened the operation bar out of thin air and viewed the task information.

“This time, it’s an elite monster. Ibby said it has a clue—after defeating it, we only need to defeat the ‘black market boss Pepafer’.”

Get Tingting: “The game you mentioned, is it so easy to clear?”

Feng Qi opened his inventory panel. “How is it easy? I came here with the system and an archive.”

“I have been playing <The Legend of Resurrection> for more than two years. Most of the materials required for the mission have been collected, leaving only the scale of the Dragon of Destruction. If we go the traditional route, we’ll have to keep leveling up until we face the Dragon of Destruction Oberskras… That takes a really long time.”

“But our luck is good—the black market boss Pepafer owns a scale. All you have to do is defeat him and take it away,” the young dragon, Ibby, yawned as it added in a crisp voice.

“Ibby, stop talking. She can’t see you.” Feng Qi shook his head helplessly. “In short, as long as we defeat Pepafer, we can get the prop to finally clear the game.”

Ge Tingting closed her eyes for a while before she finally opened them.

“Defeat ‘Pepafer’,” she repeated with some difficulty.

Feng Qi stood up and grabbed his small backpack. “Don’t worry, as long as we upgrade a bit, we have the ability to challenge him. In short, let’s fight that elite monster first today—as long as you and I join forces, there will definitely be no problem.”

“Really…?”

“Nn!” Feng Qi stroked the little dragon.

Ibby felt cool and slippery to the touch, giving him a good feeling. It was as light as a feather, so even when perched on his shoulder, Feng Qi could hardly feel any weight.

“Do you know where your abilities came from?” Ge Tingting took out a piece of dry bread and divided it in half, giving Feng Qi the part with jam. “I have never heard of this kind of ‘system’ ability.”

Feng Qi glanced at her and tightened the strap on his bag. “Secret.”

A few hours later, the two returned from the outskirts of the city to the vicinity of Shangguan District.

This time, they didn’t approach no man’s land but walked towards the old town that was still barely functioning.

The terrain in the area was uneven, and various forks splintered off in all directions. The old buildings were extremely dilapidated, looking like living things that were pushing on each other with a nerve-like clothesline attached in the middle.

The anti-theft fence was rusty, and the greenery was wildly growing on it. The doors to some of the courtyards were left open, and from time to time sound of clattering from mahjong and dogs barking would resonate from inside.

This area was full of residences and cameras, but they were a mess. Feng Qi nimbly weaved through the alley, perfectly avoiding each camera—even if it was dirty and integrated with the surroundings, he could distinguish them from a glance.

“Castle Maze! This level is my favorite! You have to avoid the sight of the gargoyles here. It’s one of the basics of the game.”

Feng Qi smiled, seeming to very much enjoy the process of avoiding.

“I’m not sharp enough. My dad is better than me.”

This was the first time she heard of this. Ge Tingting was silent for a while before saying, “Where are your parents?”

“They are waiting for me at home,” Feng Qi said. “I like this world very much, and it’s better than home, but if they can’t find me for too long, mom and dad will definitely be worried…”

The young dragon on his shoulder suddenly “shushed”.

“Don’t just say everything,” Ibby prompted in a low voice. “Don’t you think Miss Ge Tingting is in a bad mood? Maybe she’ll compromise with the Knights.”

Ge Tingting wasn’t able to hear Ibby’s voice. At this moment, she bit her lip and continued hesitantly, “Why don’t you contact the police… the Knights? They are only looking for me. You’re still young. They won’t make things difficult for you, and maybe they can help you.”

Judging by his size and the way he spoke; Feng Qi was probably only in his early teens.

It was reasonable to say that boys of his age weren’t too much different from dogs, but Feng Qi seemed to have a good family upbringing. He didn’t pick up rotten food, didn’t make a fuss because of a bad environment, and paid close attention to manners when talking to others.

Such a well-behaved child suddenly changed his expression at this moment.

“Knights? I’m not going to the Knights! I’m not the kind of person who abandons my companions.” Feng Qi’s expression darkened. “Ibby said that they have been eyeing you recently. If you’re locked up now, you won’t be able to clear the game with me.”

He ran in front of Ge Tingting with a strained face that wasn’t like a child.

“Sister, you don’t understand <The Legend of Resurrection>. You’ll be stuck here forever! And you promised to help me get home—” he said angrily. “Our mission is almost complete. Why do you want to push me out at this time?”

“I just think your ability to ‘defeat’… Uh, maybe it’s better to use it less…” Ge Tingting carefully selected her words.

She was completely taken aback when she saw the child grinning and observing Wu Tao’s corpse pile back then.

Now that she was clearer on the situation, Feng Qi probably had no idea what he “did”.

Sure enough, Feng Qi suddenly laughed when he heard Ge Tingting’s words.

“Ah, so it turns out you care about my ‘defeating’ skills. This matter was originally a secret, but for the sake of our team, I should be more magnanimous as the captain—”

Feng Qi raised his head proudly, and a dimple appeared on his face.

“It’s okay. I can’t hurt you.” His tone was relaxed. “Only bad NPCs with ‘sin value’ can be attacked. The system’s judgment will never be wrong.”

“How do you know there can be no mistakes?”

“Because I am the protagonist, and this is my world.” Feng Qi’s words were full of confidence. “Shh, keep your voice down. A monster is coming!”

Ge Tingting accompanied him to squat behind a trash can, waiting for the so-called “monster”.

Compared to other residential areas, there weren’t many people around their location. There weren’t many residents nearby and the surveillance in this area was damaged, so people seemingly deliberately avoided this place.

In the afternoon, the sunny day turned cloudy, gradually sinking the old neighborhood into the shadows.

With a creak, a huge claw covered in mucus opened an iron door.

Ge Tingting was stunned on the spot. She had to rub her eyes hard.

…That was a genuine “monster” that didn’t exist in reality.

The monster was wearing a tattered black cloth robe, with two half-eaten human hands pinned around its waist. It held a bloody, sharp knife in its claw.

Looking closely, that thing was almost as tall as an average person. Its waist was bent, it was bald, and its body was like a fat sweet potato.

On a face that was similar to a human’s, a pair of protruding eyes slanted in two directions. Its teeth were crooked, and its stinky saliva dripped down from its fangs.

Ge Tingting narrowed her eyes, and for a moment, a faint double image appeared on the monster’s body, but when she looked again, the image disappeared.

The mark on her clavicle became slightly hot, causing her to subconsciously press her hand to her chest. Her heart was beating so fast that she felt it would break her ribs.

Monster? People?

Attack? Don’t attack?

Could it be that she was actually crazy—she had really “transmigrated” into a so-called game, and the modern society that was in front of her was just her desperate delusions? Ge Tingting’s scalp was going numb. Her legs went soft, and she almost couldn’t stand still.

Her hearing and language skills had been abnormal for ten years, and her vision was also problematic, so what she was witnessing now didn’t seem unbelievable…

Just as she was entangled, the monster turned its head and roared in the area.

Immediately, a child’s shrill cry came from a stone house, along with an old man’s panicked whispering. Just as in the past ten years, Ge Tingting still didn’t understand what they were saying.

After roaring, the monster contentedly picked up a hand and sniffed it happily. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its mouth was spouting ragged breath, clearly excited.

“That’s the elite ghoul, Jiang Ke.” Feng Qi rushed out. “I’ll attack the monster. Cover me!”

“Wait—”

Seeing Feng Qi appear, the monster was slightly startled at first, then laughed. It roared senselessly and lunged towards Feng Qi.

“Watch out!” Ge Tingting raised her hand.

Countless rat bones drilled out from the nooks and crannies and rushed towards the monster, entangling its feet. The monster roared in dissatisfaction and kicked Feng Qi, who was closest to it.

“Three.” Feng Qi gritted his teeth.

There were some movements in the stone house. The ghoul’s bloodshot eyes rolled as it tried to stab Feng Qi again. Under the interference of the rat corpses, Feng Qi barely dodged; his shirt was cut, leaving behind a bloody gash.

“Two,” Feng Qi continued to count.

Seeing that it missed, the ghoul roared again and grabbed Feng Qi by the back of his collar—

“One!”

“Hostile relations are officially established.” Ibby flew around the ghoul for a while until a suspended HP bar appeared on the ghoul’s head. “The battle is starting! The battle is starting!”

The ghoul paused its movements as it looked dully at its hands. It then scratched frantically at its back using its other hand, which wasn’t holding the knife. After muttering vaguely, those bloodshot eyes turned to Fang Qi again.

“Go!” Feng Qi hurriedly covered his wound and dexterously drilled into the depths of the alley. “The terrain here isn’t good. Quickly lead it to the ‘mass grave’ in front!”

The rat bones moved in response to the sound and assembled into a giant rat with some deformation. Ge Tingting stepped on its back and hugged Feng Qi’s waist. The ghoul roared frantically while stumbling after the two of them.

“Go forward, turn left, avoid the gargoyles… Yes, it’s just a little further. We’re almost there!”

The “mass grave”, as he called it, was the “junkyard” in her eyes.

There was no one around. The stench of decay rushed into her nose all at once. The ghoul was waving its knife from side to side with eyes fixed on the two children.

Ge Tingting gritted her teeth. More insect corpses poured out of the junkyard and covered the bones of the mice, barely transforming it into a skewed half-human form.

The huge humanoid held her in its arms with one hand while the other hand blocked the tip of the knife. Ge Tingting wiped her surging nosebleed, and the soreness all over her body became stronger.

“You, hurry up!” She shouted hoarsely with a mouthful of blood. “I won’t last long!”

Feng Qi took out a plastic sword from his backpack and rushed towards the ghoul. It deftly avoided the attack. As the plastic sword drew across the ghoul’s body from time to time, even without inflicting any horrific wounds, blood was still dripping from it.

The duel between plastic and metal was quite ridiculous.

Feng Qi was cautious. He took advantage of his size to circle around the ghoul and attack, then retreat. After an attack with his plastic sword, Ge Tingting would follow up with her insect corpses, disturbing the ghoul’s movements. While the ghoul dealt with the insect corpse, Feng Qi rushed up and stab with his sword.

This pattern continued, and while it was clumsy, it did work.

Amidst the swirling corpses, the ghoul finally lost enough blood. It was panting heavily on the ground. At this moment, it seemed to realize something and kowtowed to Feng Qi again and again, as if begging for mercy.

Feng Qi struggled to stand up and staggered over.

“Begging for mercy?”

The ghoul slammed its forehead against the ground, wailing silently.

“It’s useless to beg for mercy.” The ghoul’s tearful face was reflected in the boy’s eyes. “I can see your sin value—nine people have died because of you.”

Feng Qi coughed up a mouthful of blood. He was weak and tired, but his voice was still high. Ge Tingting could hear it clearly.

“You are even worse than the previous one. That rogue indirectly killed four people.”

Indeed, in that dark alley in the beginning, Feng Qi had also rushed out with a plastic sword like this, firmly protecting her in front of him.

The same treacherous and bizarre ability, the same solitary wandering. Despite the fact that Feng Qi spoke complete nonsense, Ge Tingting couldn’t let the child go.

As for the reason why, she herself couldn’t figure it out.

Perhaps it was because he saved her back then, or perhaps it was because she hadn’t communicated with the living for so long.

Seeing Feng Qi’s excited look, Ge Tingting finally turned her head and said nothing.

Feng Qi smiled weakly at her as he raised the plastic sword.

“Ding ding ding ding ding ding—”

The music representing victory sounded in both their ears.

Glowing lattice-like cracks appeared on the ghoul’s body. In the next moment, it spread out from head to toe, turning into small squares that were exactly the same size. The small square rolled into a neat corpse pile, just like Wu Tao, and the props on its body exploded around the corpse pile with a “ding” sound.

In addition to clothing, it also exploded a self-locking sword, a string of brass keys, and a pile of crumpled cash. Along with that, there were also several bags of white powder—one of which was open and half empty.

Finally, there was a note with a time and address.

The young dragon Ibby stopped next to the note, which was neatly folded and emitted a distinctive golden glow.

Feng Qi picked up the cash and note and didn’t look at anything else. He took a moment to catch his breath and handed the note to Ge Tingting. “This is the clue to the ‘black market boss Pepafer’. Sister, help me decipher it.”

Ge Tingting lifted her baggy shirt and wiped her face full of blood from her nosebleed. She lightly picked up the note, and a drop of blood dripped onto the paper.

[23:00 on the 23^rd, Xizhao District, Jiu’an Road, Ping’an Manor.]

Ge Tingting marked the location on Feng Qi’s map. In her blurred vision, the surrounding garbage gradually became distorted.

For a moment, they looked like a cluster of tombstones of a mass grave.

“The 23^rd! Wow!”

Feng Qi didn’t care about the bloodstains and filth all over his face. He held the map next to the minced meat pile as if he had obtained a treasure.

“Today is the 20^th. We still have 3 days to prepare—”

The boy had a big smile on his face, and his eyes were full of yearning light.

……

Night

Ping’an Manor, Room 601, Building 4.

After the outbreak from the day before yesterday, Miss Hu Tao kept to herself in the home next to Zhong Chengshuo’s residence. Yesterday, she came back like a ghost again, with heavy evil qi around her.

As for what she saw that day, she didn’t say, and Yin Ren didn’t plan to ask. If evil things considered privacy, then the love and hate that supported their existence could be regarded as their most private information.

He decided to talk to Hu Tao about another topic.

Hu Tao: “Prepare? For what?”

“Starting today, I’ll teach you some spells that ghosts can use.”

“Ah… I’m good.” Hu Tao leaned against the corner absentmindedly. “I don’t want to be the number one ghost in Haigu. They say that distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors*. If you need it, I’ll definitely help, but—”

*(远亲不如近邻) Idiom referring to in an emergency, distant relatives aren’t as timely as neighbors nearby. It also refers to the fact that there is more contact between neighbors than between distant relatives, which makes the relationship between neighbors stronger.

Yin Ren didn’t smile. “The ability I can exert depends on how strong you are.”

“Ah? Does a ghost master rely on ghosts that much?” Seeing Yin Ren wasn’t joking, Hu Tao became more serious.

“…Sort of.”

“Well, you’re so powerful. You can easily find ambitious ghosts.” Hu Tao patted her stomach. “Didn’t you have some ideas a few days ago? You have the group Coffin Nails, no? Why don’t you pull a few more?”

“It’s better to hold your horses. I’m not in a rush.” Yin Ren raised his arms. “Don’t worry. Ghost art isn’t as difficult as you think. You can do many things after learning it—at least you won’t be confined here.”

“Let me think about it.”

“I can teach you flying skills first. You can only float a little bit off the ground now, right? Do you want to fly higher?”

“Can I do that kind of thing?!” Hu Tao became interested. “Okay, I’ll try it first. Hey, Yin Ren, I—”

“You’re back.”

A smile suddenly burst onto Yin Ren’s face. Hearing the sound of footsteps, he turned to greet Zhong Chengshuo, who had just opened the door, returning from his night run.

“Did uncle and auntie cook supper today?”

“Chicken stew with shiitake mushrooms.” Zhong Chengshuo put the food on the table. “I’m going to take a shower, then we’ll continue playing <The Legend of Resurrection>. Yesterday, I asked an acquaintance in the industry and found a few quick speedrun strategies.”

“Oh, those always feel kind of bland… Forget it, what did uncle and auntie say about your blind date yesterday?”

“The man complained to the introducer, saying that my private life is too chaotic, and he wasn’t interested.” Zhong Chengshuo wiped his face with a towel, which muffled his voice. “The introducer told my parents—they knew about it but didn’t say much.”

In fact, when she heard this, Cheng Xuehua laughed out loud while she was packing up the chicken stew. “You’re terrible at lying. If you really have the ability to make trouble, your father and I would be happy while beating you.”

Zhong Youde also poked his head in the kitchen. “Huh? Our son isn’t in love? What did Lao Liu say?”

“The young man said that Xiao Zhong was being promiscuous with other men.”

Zhong Youde was immediately overjoyed. “Hahahaha, that’s bullshit! Being promiscuous? Has our son even held a living person’s hand?”

“The kid is still here. Pay attention to what you’re saying.”

Zhong Chengshuo quickly grabbed the chicken stew and fled the scene as if he had sprouted wings.

After thinking about what happened just now, Zhong Chengshuo looked at the packed food with a bit of melancholy.

Yin Ren came to a probable conclusion. He played with the controller in his hand and didn’t continue to ask. “Anyway, this is just a suggestion, but if you need my help blocking a blind date, just let me know.”

“Okay.” Zhong Chengshuo heated up the chicken stew and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

The two played this game yesterday and had already made some progress. On the screen, Yin Ren was manipulating a character that was running around the avatar “Zhong Chengshuo”.

<The Legend of Resurrection> had a high degree of freedom in designing the avatar. The avatar “Yin Ren” on screen also had black hair and red eyes. Yin Ren’s character had long hair, a flowing black robe full of runes, and in the profession column, it said “vampire prince”.

Zhong Chengshuo’s character was stopped at the save point. His character had black hair and eyes and wore a pair of silver round-rimmed glasses. In contrast with Yin Ren, Zhong Chengshuo was wearing a uniform-style white coat, and his profession was “vampire hunter”.

Because there was no friendly fire, Yin Ren ran around Zhong Chengshuo, casting various spells at the tiny Zhong Chengshuo.

“Yin Ren, did you deliberately ignore me just now? I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

When the sound of water coming from the bathroom sounded, Hu Tao spoke again.

She expressionlessly stopped next to a green plant and casually played with the tips of its leaves. The leaf tip of the green plant seemed to become frozen as it shriveled and curled up.

“You seem to know a lot about ghosts—I always suspect that you don’t really have amnesia. Who are you?”

“Who am I… This question is quite difficult to answer,” Yin Ren muttered casually. He stopped teasing Zhong Chengshuo’s avatar.

He stared at the little avatar of himself on the screen and thought seriously for a few seconds.

“Certainly not a good person,” he said softly.

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The author has something to say:

The two elders of the Zhong family; your son has forever lost the opportunity to hold hands with the living.

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Kinky Thoughts:

Golden finger refers to cheats you can use. In the context of a novel (usually a transmigration novel), they are basically built-in cheats that help the character. In games, it refers to cheating software. Both meanings are applicable in this context.

Happy Lunar New Year.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 34: Crossing

Monday.

Yin Ren looked at Lu Xiaohe in shock—after not seeing her for a weekend, she had dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep and looked a bit like Minister Fu.

And for some reason, Professor Li Nian was also sitting in their office.

Professor Li had his arms crossed across his chest and was expressionless. He turned the thermos cup in his hand and lowered his gaze to the ground, not even bothering to look at them.

Were the big leaders of Shian so idle? After Fu Xingchuan tortured them physically yesterday, was his partner about to torture them mentally? Compared with Fu Xingchuan, who wasn’t a science post, Yin Ren didn’t know which person was more difficult to deal with.

“You guys are here.” Lu Xiaohe had two cans of energy drink in her hand. “Friends, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”

Yin Ren: “Bad news.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Good news.”

The two looked at each other.

Yin Ren: “…Okay, let’s go with the good news first.”

Lu Xiaohe shook the remote control weakly. The original screens full of data were cut into a bunch of game screens.

The game screen was rough, and there was no modeling, like a pseudo-3D effect made with pixels. The game art was barely passable, belonging to the classic style of painting without experience or merit.

<The Legend of Resurrection> had a bit of cuteness despite the solemn title, unlike some bad games.

“The good news is that I know what happened to Wu Tao and Wu Pengpeng.”

Lu Xiaohe wiped her face and nodded to Li Nian.

“Look at this picture.”

She showed a screenshot of two cute female characters doing tasks. They seemed to be confronted by a certain heinous NPC, and in the dialogue box was the phrase: “Haha, bitch. You’re here now but want to go back?”

Lu Xiaohe zoomed in on the NPC’s smooth face—because it was a pixel-like 3D effect, there were no bumps on the NPC’s face; only drawn facial features.

“This is an NPC unrelated to the plot, and it’s a set of henchmen from the gangster boss.” Lu Xiaohe tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I checked the code. He only has this one line in the entire game. Does this sound familiar?”

“As for the marks on Wu Pengpeng’s body… <The Legend of Resurrection>, like other games, has a hatred system. The mark on his back is the symbol of a ‘combatable enemy’.”

Lu Xiaohe brought up the photos they took. The mark was exactly the same as the mark in the game.

In other words, If Wu Pengpeng hadn’t run fast enough that day, they would have found more than just one corpse pile.

Zhong Chengshuo sat upright. “Then Wu Tao?”

“Seeing this, my mother and I studied passionately yesterday. The way to die in this game is quite lazy.” Lu Xiaohe changed the picture to a video.

On the screen, two female characters were hacking, stabbing, fighting, and killing monsters in various ways. Defeated or destroyed items turned into regular little piles of pixels with drops scattered around them.

Item markers were marked on top of the pixel pile to indicate the nature of the pile.

Debris would be marked with a “stone” marker, while materials would be marked with a “leaf” marker. As for the defeated people and monsters… A white skull was used as their marker.

Extremely neat piles of particles, neatly surrounded by debris, and a skull on top of the minced meat.

The corpse pile in the early hours of that morning was only a pool of blood.

Zhong Chengshuo’s expression froze for a second. “Could it be that Wu Tao’s death scene—”

“Yes, that death scene wasn’t some cult ritual. I guess Wu Tao was just, uh, defeated.” Speaking of this bizarre guess, Lu Xiaohe’s own tone also became hesitant.

“In the game world, the defeated NPCs will appear again after resetting… but there’s no reset in the real world.”

Yin Ren nodded.

People could not come back from the dead. Even in the metaphysical world, this was still an unbreakable iron rule.

At most, the dead would become mindless corpses or, more rarely, ghosts. After that, the corpse would decay and break or the ghosts would weaken and disappear, and then there would be no “after”.

For thousands of years, people studied immortality and resurrection, but it was like chasing the moon in the water or the flower in the mirror*.

*Metaphor referring to something that can be seen but not touched. 

“In other words, someone is using the same methods as this game to influence others and even kill people.”

Zhong Chengshuo rubbed his lower lip. “I have heard of <The Legend of Resurrection>. Very few people have played it.”

“Yes, this game had a mediocre reputation, and its sales weren’t exactly skyrocketing. I know what you want to ask. The game itself is fine—its production team has been disbanded long ago, and the producer at the time switched to selling barbecue. This was even in the news.”

Lu Xiaohe drank the remaining half of the energy drink, and her eyes became a little straighter.

“When I came to work today, I had a comprehensive physical examination as soon as possible. The results were completely normal. All these materials were obtained from my game, so… the information… should be solid.”

The amount of information on the screen was huge. There were many rules that needed to be verified, one by one. It seemed that Lu Xiaohe spent the night organizing the report.

Yin Ren: “…What’s the bad news?”

Lu Xiaohe was yawning halfway when she froze on the spot. She closed her mouth, stopped talking, and looked at Professor Li, who had remained silent the entire time.

Professor Li cleared his throat. “Human cognitive abnormalities shouldn’t interfere with reality.”

Yin Ren: “?” This was too abstract, so he couldn’t understand it.

He slowly titled to Zhong Chengshuo, who understood and whispered, “Just like Gao Mengyu before, people with cognitive anomalies only have problems with their own perceptions, and it doesn’t affect the real world.”

“Cognitive abnormalities are very common. Most of them have nothing to do with ‘evil things’. Many patients in Haigu Mental Hospital have this symptom.”

Professor Li waited for the two of them to finish whispering before calmly continuing. “Even considering anomalies, there has been no precedent for ‘fantasy interfering with reality’ before. Humans shouldn’t have this level of power. This time, the confrontation will be tricky.”

“I see,” Yin Ren enthusiastically responded. “Do you want to transfer this to a more advanced investigation team?”

Professor Li glared at him coldly. “These are only inferences, and there is no clear evidence. The C-level investigation team needs to continue their follow ups. We’ll transfer a B-level personnel to assist.”

Yin Ren’s smile gradually disappeared. “I see.”

Since everything had to continue normally, what the hell was he doing here?! Trying to form a male and female host pair with Lu Xiaohe?

As if hearing his thoughts, Professor Li said, “Fu Xingchuan isn’t free, so he can’t come here in person. I’m here to help him confirm something—Yin Ren, you made contact with a ghost master outside of Shian last night. Why didn’t you report this?”

Professor Li pulled up his sleeve, revealing an electronic dial flashing with dense data. They were all conspicuously blood red, like some kind of modified detector.

Zhong Chengshuo looked inquisitively at Yin Ren. “You really ate luosifen mixed with 82-year-old evil spirits?”

Yin Ren: “…I did encounter a ghost. It was trying to force me to change jobs, and I finally escaped.”

Professor Li: “How did you escape?”

“Two days ago, I made contact with a ghost near my residence, and she helped me.”

Zhong Chengshuo was surprised. “Is there really a ghost in Ping’an Manor?”

Yes. Two days ago, Miss Hu Tao was passionately singing karaoke in our living room. Yin Ren gave a dry laugh and continued to answer Li Nian’s question. “In short, the ghost I found ate all those other ghosts. Isn’t this considered a done deal?”

“Don’t judge whether the matter is over without authorization. All abnormalities must be reported immediately.”

Professor Li raised his eyes, as if to judge the authenticity of Yin Ren’s words. After a while, he stood up and threw a copy of <Modern Unofficial Metaphysical Organization Yearbook> at the both of them.

“There will be unified training later.” He walked to the door and paused. “…Now it seems that some people are quite interested in you.”

Yin Ren: “Oh God, how terrible.”

Yin Ren dared to bet his lunch that Fu Xingchuan and Li Nian were hanging around them every day, probably not because they cared about their subordinates, but it seemed he wouldn’t be clear of the label of “suspected to be in contact with an Evil Spirit” in just a few weeks.

However, there was also good news today—in order to make them more familiar with <The Legend of Resurrection>, Li Nian ordered the two of them to play it well, and overtime would be calculated according to the length of the game.

For the first time in his life, Yin Ren felt that the word “overtime” wasn’t so bad.

As soon as it was time to get off work, Yin Ren took the initiative to carry the game console. He didn’t even plan to eat dinner in the cafeteria, wanting to rush home as soon as possible to start playing. Who would have thought the person who refused to cooperate with overtime work this time was Zhong Chengshuo.

“Is it okay if we start after 8?” Zhong Chengshuo asked apologetically.

“Why?” The excitement in Yin Ren’s steps dissipated instantly.

Zhong Chengshuo’s mood didn’t seem high either. “Blind date. I can’t push it off.”

Based on Yin Ren’s experience of watching dramas with Hu Tao, he could guess what a “blind date” was.

In the head of Lord Ghost King, a blind date was equal to the words of a matchmaker that was ordered by his parents, which meant he needed to get married soon, as marriage was a major event in life.

Yin Ren’s words gradually became calm. “These are things in life that can’t be helped. I wish you hundreds of years of harmony, early birth…”

Zhong Chengshuo: “I’m meeting with a man.”

Yin Ren: “?!”

“I don’t want to get married, but my parents arrange it too often. Last time I was a little too anxious, so I told them I like men.” Zhong Chengshuo had a vague look of despair on his face. “I didn’t expect them…”

Yin Ren was speechless. No wonder, last time he was at Zhong Chengshuo’s parents’ place, the two elders had such a strange attitude towards him.

Yin Ren rubbed his forehead. “So this is to say, you don’t want to go at all?”

“Nn.”

“That’s easy then. When the time comes, send me a message on WeChat, and I’ll call you to tell you that work has come up and you need to go.”

Yin Ren’s understanding wasn’t particularly in place, but he had seen this routine many times and was familiar with it. If it weren’t for how limited the conditions were, he would prefer the plan of “finding a child to rush in and hug Zhong Chengshuo and call him dad”.

Zhong Chengshuo exhaled with a solemn expression. “It’s okay. If it’s just a meal, I’ll probably get home by seven.”

“Where are you eating?” Yin Ren casually asked.

“Luofang House in Xizhao District.”

Yin Ren quickly searched for it and saw that the average bill was around four thousand and had a super high rating, causing his hand to tremble slightly.

HuaDiao drunken crab, roasted deer tendon in abalone sauce… It looked delicious.

“Why don’t I go with you? In case Shian suddenly has something for us. Don’t worry. I’ll sit at a different table.” Yin Ren sincerely suggested, as his eyes remained glued to all the pictures of the food. “So if the other party is difficult, I can still rush up and indicate that the situation is urgent.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “……” If he hadn’t heard the faint sound of swallowing, he would almost believe it.

In the evening, Luofang House.

This place was more private. The restaurant wasn’t too big, and its decoration was antique, showing how extravagant it was at a glance. The restaurant owner seemed to be associated with Shian, as Shian employees didn’t need to make reservations, which was quite convenient.

Yin Ren tied up his hair and went to the corner of the restaurant. At this angle, he could vaguely see the table where Zhong Chengshuo was sitting.

Zhong Chengshuo’s blind date looked to be about 30. He was decent to average-looking and was dressed in a suit that looked quite expensive. His leather shoes were shiny, without a single speck of dust. Roughly speaking, this seemed like a successful person.

Yin Ren suddenly felt some familiarity. Wasn’t this the standard look of CEOs in television and films?

In comparison, Zhong Chengshuo wore a shirt and sneakers that weren’t quite formal. Fortunately, Comrade Xiao Zhong had a tender face, and compared with Mr. President, he looked more like a college student who had just graduated.

Zhong Chengshuo abandoned <The Art of Communication> and got straight to the point. “I’m sorry, sir. I have no plans to fall in love for the time being. This time I really couldn’t push it off, and I took up your time… To make up for it, let me treat you to this meal.”

The “President” smiled, seemingly not offended by his words. “You didn’t even mention being friends? Why not try that at first?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “We’re not in the same circle, so we probably don’t have much in common.”

“How do you know if we don’t talk? Although my parents have arranged this, I do indeed have some interest in you.”

The “President” rolled up his sleeves slightly, revealing a watch on his wrist that was expensive looking.

“Ph.D. in Finance from B University. Graduated in x8.”

“Master Degree in Biology from A University. Graduated in x9,” Zhong Chengshuo replied as he eyed the menu.

“A University. I wanted to go there, but unfortunately I was a point or two short.”

The man didn’t seem to be impressed. His eyes stayed on Zhong Chengshuo’s facial features for a moment, then fell to his long cuffs.

“…Speaking of the Department of Biology at A University, did something happen to you when you were an undergraduate? There was a lot of buzz online when they opened the dorms.”

“There was.”

“It was said that there was prostitution going on. Everyone involved was arrested except for one person, and the entire dorm was completely destroyed. It’s rumored that the person who didn’t get arrested was the one who reported them. Ah, I don’t know what that person was thinking. I certainly wouldn’t do it. I’m jealous… What happened to that reporting dog later? Have you heard anything about him?”

“I heard that the whistleblower is me,” Zhong Chengshuo replied calmly. “Is there anything wrong?”

Mr. President: “……”

The man took a few sips of tea and laughed awkwardly. “So it’s you. You know, it’s not easy for people to get into A University. If it’s a big deal, it can cut off people’s futures. Even if you have the hobby of saving the world, you should pick a time when your classmates aren’t there…”

“Those women were victimized and deprived of their personal freedom. The youngest was still a minor. My roommates knew about it, but they used it as a bragging point.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s tone remained calm.

“I persuaded them to explain the situation to the police and turn themselves in as soon as possible, but they didn’t listen.”

“This… Hey, everyone must have thought you were joking and didn’t take you seriously. Young people are hot-blooded, and it’s not uncommon to play outside.”

When he was at B university, he heard that the “whistleblower dog” was severely outcast at A university. However, despite talking for so long, Zhong Chengshuo’s face remained calm and collected. Obviously, what he said didn’t have any effect, so he decided to change his angle.

“What did your parents say about this?”

“They said I ‘did a good job’ and took me out to a big dinner.”

“My judgment is correct.” Zhong Chengshuo raised his eyes. “It seems that we really don’t have anything in common.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Your suit is expensive, but the subtleties are badly worn. Your economic conditions are not as well-off as you appear. You first show up throwing your education, and after you couldn’t press me down, you decided to talk directly about the scandal at A University to try and preach to me. You don’t really want to communicate with me as ‘a person’… Rather, you’re more eager to prove your excellence.”

Zhong Chengshuo crossed his fingers and placed them on the edge of the table.

“There are hickeys on the lower part of your neck, and the traces are fresh, proving that you have had intimate contact or sex within the last few days, but you still came to meet me, claiming to be ‘interested in me’. This means there are only two possibilities: either your view of love is very open or you only plan to ‘play’ with me.”

“Are you sick?!”

The man’s face quickly flushed, and he tried to lower his voice.

“How brazen. A lowly worker like you trying to—”

“By the way, your watch is fake. You should find the seller and defend your rights,” Zhong Chengshuo continued as if he didn’t hear the other party. “Please order the food. I’m in a hurry.”

The man’s forehead snapped as blue veins started popping.

“In a hurry? Ah, what’s the big deal? I’ll be honest with you. An idiot like you only deserves to live with your right hand for generations—”

“Here you are.”

A hand pressed on the table.

The two of them raised their heads at the same time, seeing Yin Ren’s warm smile that was like a spring breeze blowing flower petals about.

The man’s eyes glossed over for a moment. “You are…?”

“I heard about your blind date, so I rushed over to find you.” Yin Ren grabbed Zhong Chengshuo’s hand. His voice was pillowy soft. “It was hard trying to find you.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s hair exploded all at once. “??????”

“I thought for a long time and finally figured it out.” Lord Ghost King tried to recall the emotional drama that he had just recently watched and made an effort to squeeze out tears, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed. “Chengshuo, I don’t want you to be taken away by someone else. I like you. Come with me.”

Zhong Chengshuo was completely numb. He seemed to want to call for help for a moment.

“I…” He spat out this word with difficulty, trying to jerk his hand away but not actually pulling it.

“I’m going. I’m going! What the hell.” His blind date was embarrassed. He cursed as he quickly got up. “What fucking bad luck… Me, the third wheel. You two take it easy.”

After the man clicked his tongue several times, his figure quickly disappeared out of the restaurant. Before he left, he was still muttering something like “just wait and see”.

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

Yin Ren: “……”

Zhong Chengshuo: “The said ‘work emergency’….”

Yin Ren quickly let go. “Hey, that bastard’s an eyesore. Besides, if you two really fight, it’ll cause trouble in the store—why are you in a daze? Let’s order food. It’s not easy to come here.”

“Ah.”

“Also, I think you’re doing a great job. Don’t listen to that kind of nonsense from that asshole.”

Yin Ren hummed as he looked at the menu—this restaurant’s menu was on a scroll, which had an old-fashioned feel to it.

“Nn.”

“If it’s hard to tell your parents, then just say you’re dating me. I don’t mind.”

“Not good.” Zhong Chengshuo thought about it for a moment and seemed to be a little shaken.

Yin Ren didn’t take it seriously. “What’s wrong? You don’t plan to talk about it anyway. Old people are worried about your lack of love. They’re afraid you’ll end up with no one to take care of you—we might have to be partners for eight or ten years. It’ll save us from all this trouble, and we can have more fun.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s home was so comfortable that Lord Ghost King didn’t want to move out at all.

“Oh, if you do fall in love one day, just let me know.” Considering that other people’s life events couldn’t be delayed, Yin Ren reluctantly added.

Zhong Chengshuo looked at him with complicated eyes for a while. “…Okay.”

Ten minutes later, the table returned to silence.

Yin Ren was happily chewing on his food slowly while letting out a soft, comfortable sigh from time to time. Zhong Chengshuo felt a bit restless and would just stare at his chopsticks.

“What, are you afraid your parents will find out? As long as we don’t spend the night at their place—”

“It’s not about this. I’m thinking about <The Legend of Resurrection>. Judging from Ge Tingting’s experience, she shouldn’t have access to this game. The person who uses cognition to influence reality is the ‘corpse splitter’.”

Zhong Chengshuo frowned.

“Yin Ren, what would you do if one day you suddenly had the ability to decide the life and death of others far beyond ordinary people?”

‘Good question,’ Yin Ren thought.

He casually took a piece of deer tendon. “Hide it and do nothing. It’s good to live like this.”

“Well, you are more of the ‘pacifist’ type. People like that just now will probably use this ability to show off or make profits… If it’s me, I would probably contact relevant people and report the situation.” Zhong Chengshuo pushed up his glasses. “Suddenly encountering such a situation, the behavior pattern of adults will be clearer.”

“You mean…”

“With such an ability, the purpose of the corpse splitter is very vague. Moreover, the main focus of <The Legend of Resurrection> is cooperative exploration, which isn’t the kind of game for adults.”

Zhong Chengshuo put down his chopsticks. It was rare that there was nervousness in his tone.

“It’s normal that Uncle Sun’s side hasn’t found a clue for so long… I have a bad guess.”

“Let me guess.”

Yin Ren swallowed the food in his mouth and similarly frowned.

“Are you trying to say the ‘corpse splitter’ may be a child?”

……

A boy sat by the window and looked at the sunset on the horizon.

He rested his arms on the windowsill of the wooden house. Outside, there were rolling mountains and strange and bright plants that were illuminated by the sunset. The river flowed leisurely, the lights of the lampposts swayed, and cute plush balls were bouncing among the grass.

Around him, the country tavern was bustling with square flowers on the table. The guests who came and went had different hair colors, dressed close to the Western Middle Ages, and spoke obscure languages. Some held small magic weapons in their hands that would flash with brilliance of magic from time to time.

There was a black-haired girl sitting beside him.

They came from the same “hometown”, and since he “put her in the team”, he had been able to understand what she said. Although the girl couldn’t directly talk to people in the other world either, she knew how to use their words well.

She said her name was Ge Tingting, and she was a powerful necromancer.

With this fellow countryman, his adventure would definitely go more smoothly, but at the moment, the boy encountered a little problem…

“We have no money,” he whispered.

Ge Tingting: “It’s okay. I can go to the restaurant and do odd jobs.”

“But those bad guys are looking for you…”

Ibby told him that the Knights of the garrison were searching for Ge Tingting, the “evil necromancer”.

“I can just say I lost my ID,” Ge Tingting whispered. “There’s not much to eat, so there’s nothing we can do. The problem is on your side. Are you sure the information is correct?”

“Yes. Ibby is never wrong. He’s the official game guide.”

The boy stroked the young dragon on his shoulder. The young dragon let out a soft cry and rubbed against the boy’s face. It had big eyes and a round body, looking adorable.

“Ibby said today that the next clue is still in Shanguang District. After completing the next task, I can upgrade to another level.”

“…I see.”

“It’s really great to meet you sister after crossing over. Don’t worry. We can definitely return to the original world.”

Under the hazy sunset, the boy’s eyes were wide open, reflecting the red haze outside the window.

“This is definitely the world of <The Legend of Resurrection>. I’m very familiar with this game, so I’ll be able to take you through it. When we pass the level, we can also make a wish to the court magician. When the time comes, sister, if you make a wish for us to go back, I will…”

He didn’t continue, but once again looked out the window.

“This world is so beautiful.”

The boy looked at the dreamlike scene and sighed repeatedly.

“Sister, don’t worry too much. You like to watch anime and read novels, right? There are many works on this theme. We’re the protagonists of this world, so absolutely nothing will happen.”

Ge Tingting nodded in silence.

“Amazing adventurers, it’s the end of the day again.” The young dragon on the boy’s shoulder opened its mouth. Its voice was clear and cute. “Rest well and have sweet dreams.”

The boy smiled at the little dragon, retracted his body, and spread out his clothes.

When the young dragon gathered by his side, the boy hugged it tightly and curled up again. “Ibby, good night. Sister, I’m going to sleep first.”

Ge Tingting sat crossed-legged with a worried expression. When the boy quickly fell asleep, Ge Tingting stood up and looked out the windows as well.

In her eyes, this was a dark internet café on the outskirts of town.

The old-fashioned computer illuminated a small area. The walls of the room were peeling, full of water marks, and there were many outdated posters from the last century.

There were only piles of garbage and grass outside the window, plus a smelly sewage river. The illuminated streetlights were broken in all directions, and shadows of mice would pass by from time to time.

The snoring around them fluctuated with a steady stream of yelling and cursing. The smell of smoke and feet mixed together, creating a nauseating stench.

Ge Tingting took a bite of her rice ball and looked at the boy silently.

The boy said that this was a “different world” and that they were on a magical adventure. The boy said that he has to hold “Ibby” to sleep every day, and today was no exception. However, at this moment, there was nothing between his virtual arms.

……She wasn’t sure now whether the boy was crazy or she herself was.

---

The author has something to say:

A terrible possibility of transmigration (×

——————

Xiao Yin, after you get married, you don’t have to move out!

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Whether you like men or not, you will be bent Zhong Chengshuo, and soon your right hand will get a break.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 33: The Legend of Resurrection

A beautiful Sunday came, but Yin Ren didn’t manage to play the game.

He had specially planned that if Lu Xiaohe or Sun Qinghui contacted him, he would pretend to have twisted his ankle or be absent. However, the person who contacted them was Fu Xingchuan—his top boss, the strongest combat power in Haigu, and the Minister of the Emergency Management Department.

Today, Haigu was sunny and cloudless. There weren’t many people in Shian Park like usual.

At this moment, Yin Ren was standing with Zhong Chengshuo on Shian’s training ground. Lord Ghost King seemed to be stretched so thin that one poke from a finger would make him collapse.

He knew that Shian would pay overtime, but he would rather stay at home.

Yin Ren looked at Zhong Chengshuo recently. If this person hadn’t reported Ge Tingting’s situation on Saturday, the two of them would be happily playing games right now instead of being dragged to the training ground.

The training ground was a vast dirt field, surrounded by exceptionally thick cement walls.

In front of them, Fu Xingchuan was dressed the same as always, but this time, he was empty-handed and didn’t have his long knife.

“I’ve learned about the general situation, and I’m pretty sure that the girl is a rogue corpse servant.” Minister Fu rolled up his sleeves. “Corpse servants are difficult opponents. They are good at physical attacks, so you need to get familiar with them in advance—especially Zhong Chengshuo.”

Zhong Chengshuo humbly sought advice. “But she hasn’t received formal training.”

“Anyone can become a corpse servant as long as they have the talent coupled with hard training. Even if rogue corpse servants have no one to guide them, their talent can’t be underestimated.”

Yin Ren: “Then we should find Qin Ge to spar with…”

Fu Xingchuan smiled. When he snapped his fingers, it caused the ground to suddenly move.

Above the trembling soil, smoke and dust accumulated as mud splattered. On the grassless ground, a three-meter-high wolf made of bones quickly took shape.

Rat bones, bird bones, snake bones—countless fine bones were flying in the air.

The smell of soil and bones mixed together and quickly bonded into strong wolf claws and sharp fangs. The huge skull was pieced together by countless small skulls. The tiny eye sockets turned into dense black holes that overflowed with a strong evil qi.

The bone wolf circled Fu Xingchuan for a while, then stopped by his right hand and lowered its head obediently.

On Fu Xingchuan’s left side, a human corpse emerged from the dust.

The corpse was wrapped in a linen robe full of talismans and iron chains. Its flesh clung to its body, showing an abnormally dark blue color. Its hair was thinning, its eyes were shriveled and cloudy, and its nails were frighteningly long. Its deformed mouth was slightly open, stuffed with a dark red object that they couldn’t tell whether it was a cloth or stone.

Compared to the humble “bone wolf”, this corpse that had just stopped by Fu Xingchuan’s left side wasn’t as subservient.

“Proficient in both the abilities of a ‘ghost master’ and a ‘corpse servant’ and integrating them, this is a ‘ghost general’—the rank I happen to be in.”

Fu Xingchuan lit a cigarette and slowly blew up a mouthful of smoke.

“Today, I’ll only use the ability of a corpse servant to fight you.”

The ten fingers of the human corpse were slightly open, allowing its nails to reflect a metallic-like light. The giant wolf leaned down, assuming a position as if it were ready to pounce at any moment.

‘What bullshit,’ Yin Ren thought. In principle, the two of them hadn’t had any combat training. Forget himself, Zhong Chengshuo would be beaten to the ground in an instant.

“There’s equipment on the other side of the table. I’ll give you ten seconds for you to pick one. Ten—”

Zhong Chengshuo: “That corpse…”

“Former colleague who donated his corpse as a teaching aid… Five, four, three—”

The two rushed to the table.

Zhong Chengshuo picked up a gas mask, while Yin Ren casually grabbed an umbrella.

Fu Xingchuan made no comments. When the two stood still, he picked up his cigarette and made a gesture.

The giant wolf let out a silent howl and rose into the air, trampling on Yin Ren’s umbrella and instantly bending it. It spread out its ribs at the same time, causing countless extremely thin bones to drill towards Yin Ren’s mouth and nose.

Yin Ren floundered symbolically, then allowed himself to be stepped on by the wolf’s paw and started coughing frantically.

At the same time, the human corpse flashed behind Zhong Chengshuo.

Zhong Chengshuo’s movements weren’t chaotic. He sidestepped, blocked with his hands, and took advantage of the attack to kick the corpse in its knee. As a result, the corpse didn’t even buckle, and he only reaped pain in his toes.

This distracted him, which the corpse took full advantage of to bully him further. A sharp fingernail tip had poked a hole in Zhong Chengshuo’s neck.

As long as it wanted, it could easily tear open Zhong Chengshuo’s throat in an instant.

The whole battle lasted less than ten seconds.

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

Fu Xingchuan’s cigarette burned only for a short time. He chuckled as he approached the two lying in the mud and looked at them from top to bottom.

Yin Ren spat out a bone in a daze with blank eyes. “I should have run away.”

Fu Xingchuan glanced at him speechlessly. “…And Xiao Zhong?”

“I chose the wrong opponent.” Zhong Chengshuo was still lying down as he contemplated. “Judging from the props we chose, it was more appropriate for me to deal with the bone wolf and Yin Ren to deal with the human corpse.”

“Bullshit,” Fu Xingchuan said. “Do you think your opponent is a meal waiting for you to casually select it?”

He stretched out his hand and pulled the two of them up. The smell of smoke sprayed all over their faces.

“The strengths of corpse servants may be different, but their weaknesses are uniform. They’re good at manipulation, but they can’t be distracted from casting spells, and can’t protect their bodies… Now, I’ll give you two minutes to discuss tactics. Nothing will change when we resume again.”

Fu Xingchuan flicked the cigarette butt away and stood back in his original position.

Yin Ren didn’t want to suffer this kind of torture again. Zhong Chengshuo was staring at the mud on his cuffs and seemed to be thinking about a similar problem. A few seconds later, the two of them took a step forward almost at the same time.

“I have an idea…” “We’ll wait…”

“You first…” “Ah, no, you should speak first…”

In the end, it was Zhong Chengshuo who spoke first. Just like the game yesterday, the two’s tactics were immediately in sync.

The two minutes passed quickly. The bone wolf and the human corpse attacked again.

This time, the two acted together. Yin Ren took the lead in pouncing on the corpse. With a turn of his feet, he hooked the neck of the corpse with the end handle of the umbrella and held it back. “Zhong Ge, hurry!”

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t hesitate for half a second. He put on the gas mask, slid underneath the giant wolf, and rushed straight to Fu Xingchuan.

The giant wolf instantly jumped back and tried to bite Zhong Chengshuo. At the same time, the bone fragments on its body spread out again and rushed towards Yin Ren.

Yin Ren was still trying to hold the corpse back. Seeing the bone fragments coming at him, he buried his face directly into the corpse, pressing his mouth and nose on the linen clothes of the corpse.

Wasn’t it just the smell of corpses? He could endure it.

In a sense, was this like the underworld version of <It Takes Two>? Lord Ghost King was having fun while suffering.

Zhong Chengshuo seemed to have encountered a tough opponent. He was rolling around, and his clothes were torn up. He seemed quite panicked. However, the giant wolf couldn’t hold him down. Zhong Chengshuo managed to evade it and successfully rush to Fu Xingchuan.

Then he was swept to the ground by Fu Xingchuan.

“Good, you catch on quick,” Fu Xingchuan commented with satisfaction. “If you really want to fight that girl, as long as you can get close, you’ll have a considerable advantage—ah, remember to be careful of knives and stun guns.”

“The training is over?” Yin Ren slid down from behind the corpse and asked hopefully.

“What are you thinking? It’s only been a few minutes.”

Fu Xingchuan bared his teeth.

“Continue. Practice until you can grab the cigarette in my mouth.”

“You, uh, aren’t you busy?” Yin Ren moaned. “We already grasp the concept. Can’t we just go back and practice by ourselves?”

“Practice with what? Air? You must practice in a real combat situation with the threat of death. I just happened to have the day off. Let’s see… It’s 10 now, so I’ll accompany you until 4.”

Yin Ren grimaced. It was hard to hold back, saying, “You call this a day off?”

“And,” Fu Xingchuan glanced at him lightly, “aren’t you completely useless, ghost master?”

……

At 4 in the afternoon, the training ended.

Zhong Chengshuo finally grabbed the cigarette from Minister Fu’s mouth. It had to be said, the number one powerhouse of Shian was like a flood—from beginning to end, in addition to only using the abilities of a corpse servant, Fu Xingchuan only dealt with Zhong Chengshuo with one leg.

The training lasted for most of the day, but Fu Xingchuan only used his hand to light his cigarettes, pull people up, and snap his fingers.

The strength of the cultivators in Shian couldn’t be underestimated.

Yin Ren was paralyzed at the refreshment bar outside the building, making no effort to hide the exhaustion on his face.

With Fu Xingchuan watching him, he was forced to use a little evil qi and try his best to act the part of “a ghost master without a ghost” as naturally as possible.

Throughout the battle, Yin Ren had to pay attention to controlling his strength and suffered just as many blows as Zhong Chengshuo, who was repeatedly beaten. Lord Ghost King was full of grievances and ordered three ice cream sodas in one go.

As for his partner… After training, Zhong Chengshuo went to wash himself in Shian’s bathroom for over an hour. Given the state of the training ground’s hygiene, Yin Ren suspected Zhong Chengshuo intended to scrub his skin off.

By the time Zhong Chengshuo finished cleaning himself, the horizon was already stained with a red haze.

“Are we still going to play games when we go back?” Yin Ren sucked up the last bit of cream in his soda and asked pitifully.

He really needed a little leisure to comfort himself.

“There’s no time. I have to run at night after dinner.”

Yin Ren: “…Didn’t we exercise enough?!”

There were obvious bruises on Zhong Chengshuo’s neck and shoulders. Although Fu Xingchuan sent them special medication for bruising, Comrade Zhong Chengshuo didn’t look like he was okay.

“But the night run must be done three times a week. It’s already Sunday today. Anaerobic exercise is not the same as aerobic exercise,” Zhong Chengshuo explained.

Yin Ren: “……”

What aerobic and anaerobic? Yin Ren only felt that his partner was slightly ill.

Would most people be so cruel to themselves? Having said that, Fu Xingchuan seemed to be the same way. Was the corporate culture at Shian like this?

“I see. You can go.” Yin Ren finished the last sip of soda wearily. “I plan to go out for dinner tonight, so don’t wait up.”

“Bring your phone and don’t go too far.”

“Yes, yes,” Yin Ren replied listlessly.

Zhong Chengshuo stared at him for a while. “…I’ll play with you for a bit before going to bed.”

Yin Ren’s spirit lifted. Not bad, Comrade Xiao Zhong. It seemed that <The Art of Communication> occasionally had positive effects.

……

That night, Yin Ren decided to try luosifen, which was prohibited from takeout by the “household rules”.

He had staked out a luosifen shop near Ping’an Manor in advance. Since Miss Hu Tao didn’t like this kind of food, she couldn’t give him any recommendations and could only make a few references.

“Put on your mask and tie your hair into a bun… Yes, it looks more low-key. Choose a corner of the shop. If someone tries to take pictures of you, scare them by claiming you’ll sue them for portrait rights.”

“I remember. Thank you.”

“Nn, remember to turn off sleep mode on the tablet and keep the automatic continuous broadcast.” Hu Tao replaced Yin Ren and was sitting upright in front of the tablet.

Facts had proven that luosifen did have a strong smell, but in the end, it was nothing compared to a pile of rotting corpses. The rice noodles were fragrant and smooth, and the soup had a spicy and sour taste. Yin Ren had a lovely time slurping it up.

However, at the moment he stepped out of the shop, his shoulders sank inexplicably.

From the corner of his eyes, Yin Ren saw two ghost hands on his shoulders. The ten fingers of the ghost’s hand were as long as a human arm and were sticking firmly to him. The surrounding scene seemed to be covered with fog, and the neon lights became cold and dim.

The human voices in his ears disappeared instantly, leaving only a low, empty laughter. His limbs appeared to be bound by something and dragged to move on their own.

This visitor wasn’t good.

Yin Ren felt for a moment that there were five evil spirits attacking, and they all had good morals. He sensed the smell of a ghost master, so it wasn’t easy for him to add them to his meal.

Yin Ren himself was dragged away, gradually stepping into a dark and desolate area, and finally walking into an abandoned bungalow.

He wanted to see what kind of medicine in gourds these little kids were selling.

At the moment he walked into the bungalow, the windows and doors on the four walls of the empty place suddenly disappeared. The entire room turned into a gloomy, closed box, with only a little blue light of unknown origin left.

There were two-meter-tall “people” standing in each of the four corners. They were pale and thin and stood facing the corner, mumbling endlessly. Those raving words seemed to have substance, sealing the room’s surroundings tightly.

Yin Ren’s shoulders lightened, and the next moment, an evil spirit flashed in front of him.

When he raised his eyes, he saw three smelly, black holes.

That evil spirit had a baby-like head, no beads in its eyes, and no teeth in its mouth. Its body was deformed, extending two meters long. A pair of withered arms grew from the ground, and its lower body was like the tail of a snail that had been torn off. Its innards and flesh were rolled together and mixed into a ball of oozing, wet mucus.

This thing was strong, but it couldn’t compare to Shian’s Xiang Jiang; it was probably on par with Fang Yuanyuan.

There was a nervous look on Yin Ren’s face as he secretly made a judgment in his heart.

“Ghost master, Yin Ren.”

The evil spirit approached a little closer. Its voice was cold.

“…It’s not easy tracking the insect corpses of a corpse servant.”

“Insect corpse? What insect corpse?” Yin Ren gulped and decisively played dumb.

The ghost smiled but didn’t respond. Its three holes were still staring straight at Yin Ren.

Yin Ren took two steps back and continued to spout nonsense. “Not to mention this, but why are you looking for me? I’m just a newcomer and don’t even remember who I am. Let me go.”

There was a ghost master behind these evil spirits, and with him hiding his strength, Yin Ren couldn’t distinguish if they were enemies. Yin Ren didn’t intend to fall into the traps of others.

“Newcomer. Haha. Newcomer… Well, you’re certainly a newcomer with great abilities. Don’t you have a purpose for joining Shian?” The ghost’s dark eyes rushed towards Yin Ren. “It’s better to join forces with us… We can help you.”

“Help me? Who are you guys?”

“Now that things have come to this point, don’t act like you don’t know.” The ghost snorted. “Let me say this one last time. Don’t play dumb.”

In an instant, more than a dozen fingers popped out from the surrounding walls and firmly grabbed Yin Ren.

Yin Ren: “……” He felt wronged. He really had no idea the origins of these evil spirits.

The ghost approached again, its rancid breath spraying on Yin Ren’s face.

It whispered seductively, “We don’t care about your purpose. It doesn’t matter what you want to do… Join us. Money, status, women—we can give you things that Shian can’t…”

“Are you willing to stay at Shian and climb up little by little? With Fu Xingchuan and Li Nian in charge, you will never reach the top. Why reject what’s near and instead seek the far?”

Yin Ren suddenly came to a realization.

Yin Ren: “I see. You’re poachers.”

Ghost: “……”

Yin Ren: “I have no plans to change jobs for the time being.” He didn’t need money, status, or women. He just wanted Shian’s cafeteria.

He took out his cellphone and gripped it tightly.

“What a fool. Pity he doesn’t know what’s good from bad!” The ghost laughed angrily. “There’s no talisman paper. I’d like to see how you—”

Yin Ren had gotten proficient at typing with one hand.

[Yin Ren: @Hu Tao Jie, SOS.]

[Yin Ren: There are perverts.]

Ghost: “……”

Ghost: “?” What kind of strange summoning method is this?

Evil qi started to overflow, creating a fishy storm.

A female ghost covered in blood emerged from behind Yin Ren. Her robe was soaked in black blood, and the edges were full of tear marks. Her face was severely distorted, and her long, black hair fluttered in the wind, covered with broken flesh and blood scabs.

Evil qi and resentment exploded in the small room, causing the temperature to plummet.

The four ghosts at the corners turned around in an instant. They raised their heads, which didn’t have any facial features, and all “looked” at Hu Tao as they continued to whisper loudly. The ghost retreated to the base of the wall as more fingers poked out of it.

Did this kid actually form a pact with such a powerful ghost? The ghost tightened its grip on Yin Ren’s body while its dark eyes turned toward Hu Tao.

If he were allowed to develop in Shian, it would be better to kill the grass before it roots.

Hu Tao, making her grand debut: “……”

Hu Tao: “Didn’t you go out to eat luosifen? What the hell is this place?! What’s going on with that wall? So gross! It’s like popping blackheads. Urgh, I’m gonna be sick…”

Yin Ren: “Please, sister. I’ll buy you milk tea later. Don’t worry, they are all weaker than you.”

“Leave it to me!” Hu Tao floated valiantly to the middle of the room.

One second, three seconds, ten seconds; everyone remained motionless.

Hu Tao turned her bloody face and said, “Okay, now what should I do?”

Yin Ren, Ghost: “……”

Yin Ren: “Attack them?”

“Oh, I’m not very good at fighting.” Hu Tao laughed awkwardly. “I just died and didn’t receive continuing education after death…”

“Sister, just treat them like they’re your enemy.”

Yin Ren felt helpless. He put his hand behind his back and quietly performed a spell. He decided to give Miss Hu Tao some help—if it was just a small illusion, it shouldn’t be too noticeable.

Seeing the ghosts in front of her gradually change their appearance, Hu Tao stopped laughing. She slowly tilted her head and stared at the ghost closest to her without saying a word. The blood on her body was getting thicker.

With strong evil qi accompanied by cold killing intent, Hu Tao felt like a severe winter storm, especially with her clothes and hair swaying violently. In the next second, she flashed in front of the ghost and grabbed its chest.

Ghost: “Wait—”

Squish.

Hu Tao tore open the ghost’s chest. The “flesh and blood” full of evil qi were torn by her like a vegetable leaf.

Under her hands, the thousands of fingers were like grass being ripped up with a slight pinch. The sound of flesh being torn was endless.

Squish.

The four faceless ghosts weren’t spared either, as they were torn meticulously by her. Hu Tao looked like she was sorting out her clothes as the remnants of those evil beings were neatly packed into a pile by her.

Squish.

She tore the ghostly remains into small pieces and chewed and swallowed them carefully. She hummed a small tune as the room’s walls gradually turned black and red.

When those eyes full of hatred turned around, Yin Ren had already stepped back without leaving a trace.

…What exactly did she see?

It seemed that compared to Zhong Chengshuo, he still needed to get to know this one better. Yin Ren sighed and lifted the illusion.

“…Enough, sister. Calm down,” he said. “That’s enough.”

On a bloody Sunday, except for the five ghosts, only Zhong Chengshuo was injured.

When he came back from his run that night, Yin Ren was already waiting upright in front of the game console. Zhong Chengshuo finished tidying up, and he sat down beside him. Out of some kind of habit, he subconsciously sniffed when he was close to Yin Ren.

Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

Zhong Chengshuo’s face distorted a bit. “…What did you eat tonight?”

“Luosifen mixed with 82-year-old evil spirits.”

“……”

“I’m just joking.”

At the other end of Haigu, upstairs of “Xiaohe Supermarket”.

Lu Xiaohe helped massage her mother’s body with a smile. “Mom, let me tell you, my new colleagues are so fun.”

Xiaohe’s mother leaned quietly on the bed. Under the torture of cancer, she was a little thin and out of shape. However, her facial features were quite similar to Lu Xiaohe’s, and her eyes were full of brilliance.

“Happy with work?” Xiaohe’s mother’s tone was relaxed.

“Yes, today I even saw them wail in the group chat, saying they wanted to get off work early so they can play games—haha, I told you my position isn’t hard, right? I don’t have to work overtime like they do.”

Hearing “game”, Xiaohe’s mother smacked her lips. “It’s a pity your father is out. Otherwise, the three of us could still play poker.”

“He can’t get off today.”

“Let’s play for a while?” Xiaohe’s mother propped herself up. “What kind of games are there in the store? The one where we can play together like we used to.”

“Oh, <The Legend of Resurrection>, right? I’ll get the console.”

Lu Xiaohe got up to get the console.

<The Legend of Resurrection> was released eight years ago and was relatively unpopular. In a sense, it could be described as a failure.

The plot was simple—a prince was taken away by Death. Players needed to collect various materials and hand them over to the palace magician so he could resurrect the prince’s soul.

It focused on “offline scenes” and was mainly a game aimed at families and gatherings. The management, exploration, and combat systems were comprehensive, but the process was too long and didn’t meet the actual needs. At first, many small shops bought the console and planned to rent them to students to play, but the business was bleak.

Xiaohe Supermarket was one of the unlucky businesses.

Lu Xiaohe kept the game. Starting a few years ago, they would play together on weekends. Later, when Xiaohe’s mother’s health deteriorated and Lu Xiaohe joined Shian, they forgot about it.

“When did we last play this?”

After turning on the console, Lu Xiaohe slowly checked the save archives.

“Yes, yes! Haha, we haven’t finished the novice village mission yet. Come on, mom. It’s time for us to rescue the ‘harassed girl’… Do you remember the controls?”

“Who do you think I am? Of course I remember.”

On the rough screen, two characters stepped into the mission scene. Beside the girl NPC with braided hair, a rogue NPC was laughing…

[Haha, bitch. You’re here now but want to go back?]

---

The author has something to say:

Comrade Xiao Zhong asked for help overnight: What should I do if my partner is marinated in luosifen? Help!

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 32: Ravings

Friday, July 16^th, the third day of the incident.

“I have seen this mark.”

Lu Xiaohe showed them the analysis report. Today, she was wearing a t-shirt that said [Community Animal Land*].

*It’s a homonym for the idiom “put yourself in (other people’s shoes)” (设身处地), which means empathize with other people’s situation.

“The physical manifestation of the mark is similar to that of an indentation, which is why Xiao Zhong could observe it with the naked eye. As for the cause, it’s most likely the effect of anomalous phenomena… As for the meaning of the mark itself, there’s no record of it in Shian’s database.”

Yin Ren also didn’t recognize the mark. It was rare that his expression was as serious as Zhong Chengshuo’s—as long as he didn’t have to fight with Excel, he was willing to listen to whatever Lu Xiaohe said.

Zhong Chengshuo spoke with resignation. “If only there were a few more observers. Lu Jie, does your drone have a camera function?”

“No,” Lu Xiaohe said. “Even if there is, it’s unlikely Shian will let me use it.”

“Why?”

“Some concepts are quite important. As a veteran employee, it’s necessary for me to emphasize this with you two. Do you know why the rear command must be a science post?”

Yin Ren meekly shook his head.

Thousands of years ago, mortals were more or less superstitious. There were very few people like the “science post”, let alone forming a large organization. To him, every rule of the science post was brand new.

Zhong Chengshuo answered as if he were reacting to something. “In order to stay as sober and objective as possible?”

“Correct.” Lu Xiaohe put away her smile, and her expression became serious.

“As the rear commander, I cannot access conventional visual and auditory information. In my case, they will be converted into infrared imaging, data text, or waveforms. Coupled with the innate resistance of the science post, this will block ‘unknown influences’ to the max.”

Zhong Chengshuo remained silent.

Lu Xiaohe normally acted casually. However, in an actual situation, data, text, charts, and images would flood in over a short period of time. To make an accurate judgment, the rear commander had to have strong computing power, concentration, and excellent reaction speed.

This job really wasn’t something a newcomer could do.

Lu Xiaohe continued, “In case the field science post loses their judgment for various reasons, the rear commander is the last line of defense. Once the rear commander also falls…”

She didn’t continue, but both of them understood. If the last line of defense also collapsed, the field team would be in dire straits.

“Well, that’s the gist.” Lu Xiaohe clapped her hands. “And Xiao Zhong, I heard people say you seem to be quite reckless all the time, eh?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Uh…”

“This is the second point I want to make. Your indicators are very good, but don’t think you’re absolutely safe from anomalies.”

Zhong Chengshuo sat upright with his knees together, pretending to be listening attentively. With interest, Yin Ren drew his feet together and slid closer with his swivel chair.

Lu Xiaohe: “The principle of this thing isn’t easy to explain, so let me give you an analogy.”

“You can think of everyone as a computer, and your thinking patterns as the system. In this way, ‘non-science posts’ and ‘science posts’ are two types of systems. Do you get it?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Yes.”

Yin Ren: “Uh… Yes.” He actually couldn’t quite wrap his head around the concept, so he felt a bit guilty.

Lu Xiaohe nodded. “The ‘influence of unknown phenomena’ can be compared to a pile of data—for some systems, it’s equivalent to a computer virus, which can damage or paralyze the system; but for incompatible systems, it’s just junk data and won’t cause much damage.”

“Of course, everyone sees the world differently. The ‘two major systems’ are only roughly divided. In actual situations, everyone is affected to different degrees.”

“But Zhong Ge’s indicators are top-notch,” Yin Ren interrupted.

As long as he was proactive enough, no one could tell whether he really understood or not, Lord Ghost King thought confidently.

Lu Xiaohe rubbed her face and smiled gloomily. “It’s true that Xiao Zhong brand computer will not be affected by the virus at all, but if it were smashed by a mallet, thrown into the bottom of the river, burned into pieces… Do you think this computer can still turn on?”

Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren: “……”

“Listen, according to Shian’s records, even in abnormal cases, more than 90% of them have living people intervening behind the scenes.”

“It’s true that Xiao Zhong won’t be possessed by evil spirits, but he could also be attacked by villains with ulterior motives. The number of records of people harming people is tens of millions of times more than that of evil things harming people… I know he’s young and strong and can fight, but what about this?”

Lu Xiaohe stretched out her right hand and made a gun gesture. The “gun muzzle” was pointed directly at the spot right in the middle between Zhong Chengshuo’s brows.

“Bang!” She mouthed the word.

Zhong Chengshuo leaned back cooperatively. “I’m dead.”

Lu Xiaohe: “See?”

Yin Ren: “……” Is this guy still a kid? How enthusiastic.

Yin Ren changed the subject. “Xiaohe Jie, how are your indicators?”

“Well, it’s barely in the upper middle level. So, about average.” Lu Xiaohe scratched her head and resumed her lively tone. “I used to burn incense and pray for luck before my entrance exam, so I don’t have a steel will like Xiao Zhong.”

“Isn’t this job quite troublesome for you?” Yin Ren was a little confused.

Regardless of the intensity of work, Lu Xiaohe had limited mobility, so it was difficult for her to escape if she encountered danger. She wasn’t as durable as Zhong Chengshuo either, so the possibility of her being affected by anomalies was higher.

If she wasn’t careful, she would lose her life.

Lu Xiaohe answered straightforwardly. “Shian has a high salary, and it’s close to my home. I need a lot of money.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Why?”

“Xiao Zhong, this is private. You shouldn’t just ask so casually.” Lu Xiaohe gave him a sideways glance. “Forget it. We’re in the same boat, so it’s best we get to know each other.”

She moved her gaze back to the complicated operating table.

“It’s not a profound reason. My mother is ill, and I just want her to live better. Because of this, I also… believe in it a little. I want to believe that there’s something after death.”

……

When it was almost time for them to get off work, Zhong Chengshuo’s phone vibrated. Seeing the name “Sun Qinghui” on the notification, Yin Ren’s hair almost exploded.

However, when the call was connected, Officer Sun’s voice was like heavenly music.

Sun Qinghui: “It’s the weekend. Let’s have a meal together after you get off work. My treat.”

Zhong Chengshuo quickly glanced at Yin Ren. “Uncle Sun doesn’t need to. We can pay for ourselves.”

Sun Qinghui picked a Sichuan restaurant close to Shian.

The decoration of the restaurant was a bit old-fashioned. It focused on Jianghu cuisine, which attracted mostly middle-aged and elderly people in the neighborhood. Sun Qinghui wore the same black leather jacket as usual. When he saw the two people enter, a smile appeared on his straight face, and his brows relaxed quite a bit.

Like Liang Shan, Officer Sun also booked a private room in advance.

“Hope you’re hungry. The food here is great. It’s the weekend, so it’s time for rest and relaxation.” Though Sun Qinghui said this, he didn’t order any alcoholic beverages for himself but instead stuck with cans of coconut juice.

Zhong Chengshuo was holding a menu in his hand, but his mind wasn’t on ordering food. “Uncle Sun, have you found anything yet?”

“Hey, so quick? Let’s chat while we eat.” Sun Qinghui checked the fresh pepper chicken. “Don’t be nervous. I’m not here to have a meeting with you two. I just want to hear Shian’s opinion.”

“Shian submits case analysis reports regularly,” Zhong Chengshuo said suspiciously.

Sun Qinghui chuckled. “Reading reports is different from chatting with living people. Don’t worry. You two have authority, so don’t stress about breaking the rules.”

Yin Ren, who was sitting next to Zhong Chengshuo, was busy ordering a few more dishes—he was witnessing a Hongmen Banquet* while discovering new dishes! Lord Ghost King was crying tears of joy and pain.

*It’s a metaphor nowadays used to describe superficially inviting someone to a meal, but the host has some ulterior motives. It comes from the historical event of the Hongmen Banquet where Xiang Yu tried to have his rival Liu Bang killed during a feast. || In this context he’s happy because he gets to try new food but in pain because Sun Qinghui’s invitation to a meal was all a ruse to discuss work (which he hates).

The restaurant quickly served their orders. All kinds of small pots and plates were quickly filled in front of the three of them.

The duck blood was steaming hot, the fatty intestines and taro chicken were dyed bright with red oil, and the boiled pork slices were sizzling in the heat. Classic laziji, twice-cooked pork, and other Sichuan dishes weren’t missing; they filled up the entire large table.

Sun Qinghui’s eyes almost popped out when he saw all the dishes that could feed up to 10 people.

He resisted the urge to delve deeper into the matter and said, “Do you have any ideas about this case?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “At the time of the crime, in addition to Wu Tao, who’s deceased, and Wu Pengpeng, there should be two more people at the scene. One of the two is a woman, but we haven’t determined the relationship between these two people.”

“I see. Good points. We also thought this too. The ‘target woman’ who was attacked by Wu Tao is somewhat suspicious, but it’s difficult to dismember an adult male in such a short period of time if she was alone.”

Officer Sun’s thinking was obviously more logical.

“On the other hand, we also visited all of Wu Tao’s enemies. They either have an alibi or didn’t meet the conditions to commit the crime. However, during the investigation process, we found some clues about the ‘target woman’, but we haven’t conducted an in-depth investigation… Ah, let me tell you first.”

Zhong Chengshuo paused the motion of his chopsticks. “What clue?”

Yin Ren, who was gnawing on a bone in his hand, also slowed down.

“Wu Tao sometimes publishes women’s private information on a hidden forum.”

When he said this, the corner of Sun Qinghui’s mouth slightly frowned, and the disgust on his face couldn’t be concealed.

“He’s very cunning. He only goes to that forum at internet cafes and always uses other people’s ID to register. If it weren’t for us carefully checking surveillance and internet records, we would have probably missed this… Here, take a look, you two.”

Sun Qinghui took out his phone and handed it to them.

Wu Tao’s ID on the forum was “Emperor Wanxing”. He was very active in this hidden forum that was called “The Emperor” by others.

He posted photos and short videos of women, mostly with their faces exposed. They were young and looked confused, some delirious, and the surrounding environment was dirty and dim.

Just a few days before he was killed, Wu Tao was still interacting with people on the forum.

On July 8^th, he replied to a photo in a post called “Haigu Women Appreciation”, with the comment: [Look, dear friends. What score would you give her?]

The photo was taken from a candid perspective and was very blurry. Many people clamored that they couldn’t see it clearly, so they asked him for more “HD uncensored”.

That night, Wu Tao posted a few more photos. The photos were still from candid angles, without a clear picture of the girl’s face. Only a tiny bit could be seen.

The following reply was as unsightly as expected.

[New harem? When will you be spoiled?] [It’s alright, but tender enough, junior high maybe high school.] [Your Majesty, get it done soon and share more. A good man lives a safe life.]…

Zhong Chengshuo furrowed his brows while Yin Ren slowly put down his hand and scratched the meat bones. For the first time after waking up, Yin Ren suddenly lost his appetite.

The girl in that group of photos was less than 1.6 meters tall, with shoulder-length hair and a thin body. Her face was beautiful and dainty, with a pair of phoenix eyes that didn’t look too bright.

The clothes she was wearing didn’t look like they fit her, and she lacked youthful vigor between her brows. It looked as if she suffered a lot.

“Our comrades from the anti-pornography and anti-illegal activities department are following up on that forum. We also found the internet café registration of the little girl in the photos.”

Sun Qinghui took back his phone and looked for something for a while before handing it over again.

“According to the background of the photo, it was located in a small internet café on Wanxing Road. The internet café owner had some impressions of her, but unfortunately, the ID card she used wasn’t her own.”

According to the ID number, the police found the information of the relevant person…

Ge Jiaojiao, 19 years old. Born in Gejazhuang, Shouguan County, Haigu.

In the photo of Ge Jiaojiao, she had a long face and a large mole on her chin. Her appearance was about half as similar to the girl in question, but it was obvious they weren’t the same person.

“Can you contact Ge Jiaojiao?”

“It took a lot of effort, but we did. This Ge Jiaojiao is working in Province F. She hasn’t returned to Haigu in over three years. She said she had lost her ID once.”

Sun Qinghui scratched his head, looking a little uncomfortable.

“Ge Jiaojiao’s parents passed away more than ten years ago. Her family lives on subsidies, and only her grandmother and younger sister are left.”

Yin Ren took the initiative and inquired, “Sister?”

“Yes, named Ge Tingting, from listen obediently¹. She said her parents wanted to name her Ge Tingting², but they had a heavy accent and were illiterate, so they registered her name wrong.” Officer Sun forced a smile. “Although the evidence isn’t sufficient, Wu Tao’s target was most likely Ge Tingting.”

¹Her name [Tīngtīng] (听听) derives from listen obediently (听话的听).
²Clarity: Her parents actually wanted to name her [Tíngtíng] (婷婷) which means graceful. Since her parents had heavy accents (the first and second Tingting have different accent marks in them) and were illiterate, they registered her name as [Tīngtīng] (听听) instead of [Tíngtíng] (婷婷).

“I see. We’ll also pay attention to this person.”

“Our people are already looking for her. It stands to reason that this child shouldn’t be difficult to find.”

Sun Qinghui sighed heavily. “Ge Tingting is actually only 16 years old, with only a middle school education… and she’s deaf and mute.”

……

The next day, the two ushered in their first weekend after entering Shian.

Zhong Chengshuo was busy in the kitchen, as there were, in a rare event, leftovers heating in the pan.

“It’s surprising you didn’t finish eating everything.” Zhong Chengshuo served the laziji as he glanced at Yin Ren on the sofa.

Lord Ghost King glanced back at him. “I felt like vomiting after seeing all those disgusting people.”

“Oh.” Zhong Chengshuo thoughtfully looked at Yin Ren for a while, then turned back to the kitchen. “As far as finding someone, the police are more authoritative than Shian. Don’t worry too much about it.”

“I know. Sun Qinghui is a good policeman.”

Yin Ren was able to “see” this in a literal sense based on the righteous aura around Officer Sun.

Smelling the aroma of food, Yin Ren rolled in a half circle around the sofa, changed to a lying position, and continued to watch his show on the tablet—Zhong Chengshuo had completely given up on the idea of taking back his tablet, and silently bought a new one.

“What are your plans for today?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Eight hours of sleep, five hours of reading, three hours of entertainment, three hours of housework, two hours of exercise, two hours of cooking, and one hour of laundry. How about you?”

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren: “…I plan to lie down all day.”

Originally, he wanted to ask this person to go out for a stroll so he could get a feel of the city in a new era, but after hearing Zhong Chengshuo’s terrifying arrangement, Yin Ren decided to reconsider.

“Three hours of entertainment.” He tried to pick the least scary part. “What entertainment?”

Zhong Chengshuo paused his movement of serving rice. “I’m going to play a game. Do you want to join me?”

“Yes!!!” Yin Ren let go of the tablet and did a kip-up on the spot.

After their meal, Zhong Chengshuo struggled for a bit before handing Yin Ren a controller. Yin Ren sat on the soft cushion as he excitedly pressed it.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t played simple mobile games, but this was Zhong Chengshuo’s collection, so the play style should be more interesting than those small games.

Zhong Chengshuo pulled over a cushion and sat next to Yin Ren after finishing his struggle.

It didn’t take long for a movie-like picture to appear on the big screen. The antiquate Yin Ren exclaimed loudly, clucking with excitement.

“This game is called <It Takes Two>, and it requires two people to play,” Zhong Chengshuo explained patiently. “It’s a cooperative game, which is good for us to work on our teamwork and understand each other better.”

Yin Ren stared at him suspiciously.

“…Also, I didn’t have someone to play with before,” Zhong Chengshuo looked away as he added solemnly.

To Yin Ren’s surprise, the game style was quite childlike but interesting. He thought Zhong Chengshuo would like the style of a scientific disaster movie, but he didn’t expect such a fresh side to this person.

Unfortunately, with Zhong Chengshuo’s explanation, the cute style of the game changed a bit.

“In terms of setting, we’re a couple preparing to divorce, and we have to find love through various levels.”

Zhong Chengshuo said in a serious tone, “Do you want to be the wife or the husband?”

Yin Ren: “…You mean which one to ‘choose’? Why not choose the one with glasses? It’s easier to recognize.”

“Okay, then you’re the husband.”

“Partner. Partner is fine. No need to stick too closely to the setting.”

“Okay.”

The game started.

Even when it came to entertainment, Zhong Chengshuo’s expression was still unusually serious. He sat cross-legged, motionless. If it weren’t for the controller in his hand, this person would look like a monk meditating in a temple.

Yin Ren was different—this was the first time he came into contact with a large-scale game. Lord Ghost King was extremely excited.

“Is this ability real?” He clenched the controller tightly, and his body staggered with his character’s movements. “Can a fuse really run away with long legs? …Ah, what does this prompt mean?”

Zhong Chengshuo tilted his body and stretched out his hand. “Press this button.”

“You pulled my hair,” Yin Ren hissed.

“Sorry.”

……

Except for the initial hiccup, the cooperation between the two was quite good. Since they needed to work together, the room was livelier than usual with dialogue.

Yin Ren had to admit that he hadn’t been this happy for a long time. Even Zhong Chengshuo’s brows were stretched out, and a faint smile hung on his face.

During the game, Yin Ren peeked at the bookcase filled with games and wished he could stick himself there seven days a week. This kid, Zhong Chengshuo, seemed quite ascetic, but he seemed to enjoy it a lot.

Time seemed to disappear in an instant. When Zhong Chengshuo stopped, Yin Ren hadn’t even reacted.

“It’s already three hours?” Yin Ren looked at the sky in shock.

“Yes, I have to go clean.”

“But where in this room is it dirty?” Yin Ren continued in surprise. Zhong Chengshuo would simply clean up every day. In his opinion, their residence could be photographed right now and be an illustration in a magazine.

“Potted plants have to be maintained, the floors have to be mopped, and the bathroom and kitchen have to be cleaned carefully.” Zhong Chengshuo had already started wiping down the controllers and the game console. “There’s still a lot to be done, such as the carpets, towels, and the like. The mites need to be removed…”

Back in the day, Yin Ren would casually lay down in the wilderness or on mountains of corpses or a pool of blood, so hearing this made him at a loss—before hearing what Zhong Chengshuo said, he had never considered the existence of such a problem as ‘removing mites’.

Speaking of which, what was a ‘mite’? Sure enough, he still had many things he needed to learn.

Yin Ren nestled back on the sofa. “Continue tomorrow?” He really liked these new toys called “games” very much.

“Okay. I’ll play for another three hours tomorrow.”

“Are the ones in your bookshelf all fun? I didn’t know you had this kind of hobby.”

“Well, they’re all kind of similar games.”

Zhong Chengshuo slowly closed the cabinet.

“Choose an identity, go on an adventure, and finally get an answer. They have fixed goals and endings and are more likely to bring satisfaction than the uncertainty of reality.”

“Fixed goals and endings…”

Yin Ren stretched out on the sofa and narrowed his eyes. The afterglow of the setting sun poured diagonally into the window and trickled down from the ceiling, causing the walls to reflect a faint golden red.

“I thought people didn’t like things like ‘destiny’,” he murmured softly.

“What did you say?” Zhong Chengshuo looked up when he heard Yin Ren’s voice. He was busy tinkering with the vacuum cleaner, so the room was full of mechanical rumbling.

“…Nothing.” Yin Ren picked up the tablet again. He touched the fried chicken box on the table, grabbed a drumstick, and bit into it as he replied vaguely.

……

In the corner of the city, a narrow, dark internet café.

A girl sneaked back into the cubicle. She ducked down and took out a small, braised chicken leg from a plastic bag and two pieces of bread.

“I’ve tasted it. The chicken’s a bit sour, but it can still be eaten,” she whispered, carefully tearing off the meat from the bone and stuffing it into the dried bread. “Let’s make do. We have to keep up our strength.”

“I’m sorry.”

The girl didn’t raise her head. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“……”

“Okay, hurry up and eat.”

“I never thought we would run out of money so quickly. If I had known, we should have taken those things…”

“Shhh.” The girl glared at the other. “It’s not right to take it. Trust me.”

“…I see. I’ll listen to you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help you,” the girl said. “Didn’t we agree that I’ll help you to the end?”

“Thank you.”

“What’s all that noise?!” There was a loud shout from not far away. “You’re annoying me with all your gibberish! Fucking creepy!”

Soon a clerk came running over. “What’s wrong, brother? What happened?”

“The two of them!” The young man who scolded them stood up and spat. “Why did you let psychos in here? Do you know how to do business?”

“This… Haa, how about I give you a bottle of coke? Don’t worry about them.”

“Not worry? Listen, they’re saying weird shit again! Listen to it yourself. Isn’t it creepy?”

The girl looked coldly at the young man. She turned to her companion, slightly moved her lips, and softly uttered some words.

“Don’t worry. It’ll be fine,” she whispered.

“Burn the meat to death and seize the oil from the mud,” they heard her say.

“Did you hear that? Those two have been like this all this time. The stuff they say is all full of crazy nonsense.” The young man pointed to the girl’s nose. “They might have escaped from a mental hospital. You may not care, but I’m going to call the police.”

He even dialed 110 on the interface and deliberately shook the phone in front of the girl.

The girl stood up silently and bowed her head at the young man. She raised her hand and showed her phone screen, which had a line typed on it.

[Sorry for disturbing you.]

“Tch, can’t even open your mouth to apologize.” The young man rolled his eyes and sat back down while muttering.

The girl’s shirt was loose. When she bowed her head, the collar slid down slightly, revealing a little dark mark below her collarbone, like the corner of some kind of mark.

---

The author has something to say:

There is a part in here that makes me uncomfortable. I hope that all Wu Tao throughout the world is cleaned up as soon as possible.

——————

Xiao Zhong and Xiao Yin are playing <It Takes Two>, a very cute game.

Because of the same reason as Xiao Zhong, I haven’t played it yet…_(:з”∠)_

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Kinky Thoughts:

Well, 0 sympathy for what happened to Wu Tao.

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