Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 29: Strange Smell

“Except for the skull, Wu Tao’s muscles, bones, and internal organs were precisely divided into cubes with a side length of 1 mm.”

Lu Xiaohe pointed at three pictures and arranged them in order.

“This is the segmented bones, muscle, and fat. The muscle and fat are deformed because of corruption, so it took a lot of effort from forensics to discover this pattern. The bones are more obvious—look, the grains are clearly separated.”

The cubes in the picture had a smooth cross-section and an extremely standard shape. They were closer to some kind of industrial product than human bones.

Yin Ren thought about it for a while and didn’t think any kind of evil creature would have such a strange hobby. He tugged on Zhong Chengshuo and said, “Can technology nowadays do this?”

“If the human body is frozen and finely cut under certain conditions, theoretically it can be done.”

Modern humans are so terrible. Yin Ren couldn’t help but click his tongue.

Lu Xiaohe said approvingly, “Indeed, but Wu Tao’s body didn’t have any traces of being frozen, and there was no such condition at the crime scene.”

“To carry out such a crime, this wasn’t something done through improvisation… Lu Xiao… Lu Jie, can we look at Wu Tao’s social relations?”

Like Sun Qinghui said, regardless of the technique, as long as the murderer was a living person, then their motives for killing weren’t that much different than those of an ordinary murderer.

It was very likely the murderer had contact with Wu Tao in some way.

“You’re a bit late there. The police are also having a headache with that.”

Lu Xiaohe slightly frowned. “It’s common for Wu Tao to owe money and not pay it back, and extortion is pretty common. He has hundreds of enemies in terms of money, and he’s also indispensable in gangster fights around Haigu. This guy has committed a lot of bad crimes and offended many people.”

“What’s more disgusting is that this bastard often harasses little girls. He only picks out girls who go into the city for work. He would get drunk first and insult them, then coerce or try to seduce them, then pretend to date them for a few days, and finally kick them to the curb with some bullshit excuse.”

Yin Ren: “Why isn’t he locked up?”

“This man is a frequent visitor to the detention center, so he’s quite smart. He only targets girls who are timid and don’t know how to preserve evidence. The simple ones are deceived by his slick tongue, and they just thought things didn’t work out. The smart ones know something’s up, but they are afraid of retaliation from Wu Tao’s gang, so they don’t dare say anything—since no one reported a crime and there’s no evidence, it’s difficult for the police to catch him.”

As she spoke about the deceased, Lu Xiaohe didn’t have the slightest trace of sympathy.

“Officer Sun has been handling the case steadily. They should now be investigating nearby surveillance records and looking at Wu Tao’s related contacts.” Zhong Chengshuo thought for a bit. “We can put our energy into other areas first.”

After Zhong Chengshuo finished speaking, the two science posts looked at Yin Ren simultaneously.

Yin Ren: “?”

Lu Xiaohe: “I don’t understand the metaphysics angle, so I invite Master Yin to speak.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Yin Ren, you’re the one who discovered the insect corpses. Do you have any other thoughts?”

Yin Ren was about to pull out his phone and search for human freezing when he retracted his hand resentfully and gathered his hair. “A corpse servant.”

“…What?”

“I don’t know anything about cutting living people into cubes, but a corpse servant can indeed manipulate insect corpses. When I entered the physical examination, there were three insect corpses as one of the props during the Three Divisions of Heaven test.”

Lu Xiaohe slid her chair in front of a computer and typed in a few strings of text. The screens on the wall were instantly covered with results.

“There’s only one lineage of corpse servants left. Central South Qin’s family. There are a total of 79 registered corpse servants in Shian, of which there are only 4 in the Haigu branch. They are all from the Qin family. Wait a minute…”

Lu Xiaohe pulled out a list of employees and quickly locked on one of them.

The call bell rang, and within ten seconds, a middle-aged man with a crying face appeared on the screen. “Lu Xiaohe?”

“Hello Qin Ge. There’s something we need your consultation on. Is it convenient for you to talk right now?”

A few strange sounds of unknown origin came from behind the middle-aged man, which were followed by a burst of black blood that splashed on his cheek. Qin Ge turned his head to look, causing the camera to shake violently. “Wait a minute. Ah, I’ll find a place to hide first… Now, this is good. What’s up?”

“We have a case in hand that may involve corpses.”

“Kid, you know the situation of the Qin family. There are not many corpse servants left, and most of them have joined Shian.” Qin Ge was speaking hurriedly, so his accent leaked. “I’m working every day. How could I go out and cause trouble?”

“Is it possible that it could be a rogue corpse servant?”

Qin Ge: “Not possible. It’s not enough for a corpse servant to have talent. Someone has to teach them. Our family is the only one in China, and we haven’t accepted any foreign apprentices for many years—haa, we can’t even convince our own family members.”

Yin Ren said curiously, “Isn’t the corpse servant quite powerful? Why can you not retain them?”

Thousands of years ago, there were dozens of families who focused on necromancy. The types of corpses raised were divided into men, women, old, and young. All kinds of corpse raising techniques were used with flying colors. Given such a scene, after thousands of years, how was it that there weren’t even over 100 people in this business?

The family tradition was dying, but Qin Ge didn’t seem regretful at all. “Blame that on cremation. There are also laws against vandalizing corpses. More than half the techniques handed down by our ancestors can’t be used nowadays.”

“And there are some techniques in my family… Well, they are quite common. Half of the younger generation went to orthopedics, and the other half became physical therapists. The one third of us that are left aren’t book smart and are forced to inherit the family business.” Qin Ge cracked his knuckles, showing a look of longing.

Zhong Chengshuo: “…” So that’s why you can’t study well.

Lu Xiaohe: “Thank you, Qin Ge. I see. Then I’ll let you go first—”

“Hey, wait. I suddenly remembered something. It seems there have been rogue corpse servants before.”

Qin Ge patted his head.

“I heard this from my grandmother, who heard this from her second master. Nearly a hundred years ago, there was a foreigner who became a corpse servant in the Qin family’s territory.”

“That person didn’t listen to people, nor did he speak human language. No one knew where he came from, but he just walks around hand in hand with carrion corpses every day, shitting and pissing his pants. My grandmother’s second master said that the man was a complete lunatic and soon died of illness.”

Yin Ren got distracted and started playing with the tip of his hair.

Thousands of years ago, he had only heard of a case of a “self-taught” corpse servant. Coincidentally, a lunatic was also involved in that case.

Beside him, Zhong Chengshuo was taking serious notes.

“If it’s really a crime committed by a rogue corpse servant, the murderer may be mentally unstable and very capable, given how he could create such a murder scene in that short amount of time…” Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips. “But what is the meaning of that murder scene?”

“I have some ideas—I’ll go to the library to get something. You two can rest for a bit.” Lu Xiaohe stood up and walked to the door.

Only then did the two of them realize that Lu Xiaohe’s right leg was a bit lame.

Her sneakers had been specially modified, and the soles on both sides weren’t quite symmetrical. She walked with slightly smaller steps, slower than normal, and her body would subconsciously lean left.

However, Lu Xiaohe walked briskly with her head held high, and soon her figure disappeared from their vision.

Zhong Chengshuo lowered his head and was just about to continue organizing his notes when a fist suddenly stretched out in front of him, causing him to lean back. “What’s the matter?”

“Didn’t you fix my phone for me last night? Here’s my promised return gift.” Yin Ren opened his palm to reveal a keychain.

The keychain had a cream-colored hamster hanging on it, with its two small paws holding a red banner that read “Wealth and Prosperity”. The overall craftsmanship of the keychain was rough, but it wasn’t too bad—in fact, it gave it a rustic and cute look.

Yin Ren kept the “Blessing and Luck” keychain for himself and had already hung it on his cellphone. Lord Ghost King wasn’t too fond of money and firmly believed he needed more luck.

“For me?” Zhong Chengshuo asked as he took the keychain with both hands. His expression showed a bit of surprise.

Yin Ren: “Yes. I treated it with a method I learned at Shian. It can ward off evil spirits. You don’t like it? You can switch models if you don’t.”

Zhong Chengshuo rubbed the plastic keychain for a while, then carefully hung it on his cellphone. Yin Ren thought this person would say something like “a science post doesn’t need it” but who thought Zhong Chengshuo was being extraordinarily cooperative at this time?

The rhetoric that Yin Ren had prepared for so long became useless.

“So you like this kind of thing too.” Yin Ren felt very satisfied with his vision. “Look, it’s quite suitable, no?”

“No one has ever given me a gift like this before.”

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren: “No way.” How could Comrade Zhong Chengshuo be this friendless?

“My parents will give me birthday gifts,” Zhong Chengshuo kept observing the dangling keychain on his phone, “but that’s different.”

“You never got anything from your friends?”

Zhong Chengshuo stated frankly, “From kindergarten to graduate school, I didn’t have particularly close friends. Some suitors would give me gifts, but they were conditional, so I didn’t accept them.”

“No, when you were studying…”

“I have never broken any rules and have been studying hard,” Zhong Chengshuo said confidently.

In kindergarten, while countless children fought for building blocks and toys, he was reading books; in elementary school, while primary students were playing games and collecting cards, he was reading books; from junior high to high school, while boys’ and girls’ feelings started to bud and they began to engage in ambiguity, he continued to seize all his time and read books.

This behavior continued until his graduate student days, when Zhong Chengshuo was promoted to the number 1 book king of University A. Originally, his handsome face earned him a lot of points, but they were all deducted by his behavior of “eating two steam buns for all his meals and spending all his time in the library”.

But wasn’t the focus of school to “study”? Besides, he wasn’t interested in having fun. Zhong Chengshuo felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. Naturally, it wasn’t like he was a complete loner, but for various reasons, most of his “friends” maintained a general acquaintance status.

Under this situation, he only received group messages from them every New Year’s holiday.

“Maybe I have a bad personality.” Zhong Chengshuo concluded.

“Really?” Yin Ren was puzzled. “I think you’re a very nice person.”

In terms of ordinary people, this guy was indeed a bit out of touch, but “out of touch” didn’t equate to being “bad”.

Lord Ghost King reminisced about his former neighbors—they were either focused on making all kinds of racket and causing all kinds of disasters, or they were busy killing the weak, or finding opponents to fight. Of course, those that rushed up to Yin Ren to pick a fight were turned into ingredients for his breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Zhong Chengshuo knew when to get to bed on time, knew how to respect life, didn’t steal his food, and even took the initiative to fix his phone.

How could this comrade of his say that he has a bad personality?!

“As long as you learn to get along with people, you’ll be very popular,” Yin Ren said seriously.

“But I don’t need to be popular.” Zhong Chengshuo touched his keychain again. “And I get along fine with you.”

Silly boy. That’s because I’m not human. Yin Ren sighed in his heart—he had lived sober for nearly four hundred years. If he couldn’t fool a youngling, then he would really live to a dog’s age*.

*(年纪都活到狗身上) Saying referring to living a life in vain.

“In short, the first step is to get along with people. Don’t worry.” Lord Ghost King continued to speak solemnly.

……

The top floor of the Shian Building.

The Evil Spirit pursuit came to an end. Fu Xingchuan’s face finally had more color in it. He was lying on the sofa of the office with a magazine titled “World Tourist Attractions” smothered against his face.

“What do you think?”

It wasn’t Professor Li that was in the office, but Xiang Jiang, whom he was addressing.

Xiang Jiang was still dressed haphazardly like a hobo. He sat expressionlessly in the reception chair with his head lowered as he fidgeted with his cup of coffee.

Fu Xingchuan sighed.

“…If he really has amnesia.”

Xiang Jiang: “If you want to ask me for a second confirmation, I have only one conclusion. There’s no sign of Yin Ren being possessed by a ghost.”

“Right, I didn’t notice anything either,” Fu Xingchuan murmured. “Except for amnesia, this person’s situation is too strange—there’s no record of this person in the face authentication database, and there is no missing person report that matches him. We even specifically asked the big guys to analyze him, and they found no signs of plastic surgery.”

“Yin Ren is good at communication, so he must have been in contact with society. With his appearance, it’s impossible not to have any splashes on the internet, but so far, we have found no videos, photos, or comments about him online.”

“So he should have been exposed to society in his early years and failed to show up for various reasons during his growth period. There are no signs of abuse on his body besides his skin being excessively pale. Not to mention illegal confinement; he could have been imprisoned somewhere for a long time… Regarding this matter though, most people related to the metaphysics would intervene.”

“Metaphysicians imprisonment… Raising human sacrifices? Making corpse puppets? Soul shifting?” Xiang Jiang finally raised his head and moved his face slightly.

“I’m not sure. There are too few existing clues, but he had that dagger. If such a thing could be picked up so easily, our archeologist would be rushing up and beating me silly with it.”

“You can check Sunken Society.”

“Already doing it. Yin Ren is a nominal ghost master. As his senior, your contact with him is indispensable, so help me keep an eye on him. Hao Wenzhe is also watching—Yin Ren GPS position, keyword search records, internal group activities, and data browsing are all being kept under close watch.”

“Nn.”

“You two can discuss it. Issue a comprehensive report every week and hand it directly to me.”

“How long do we have to keep watching?”

“Good question.” Fu Xingchuan lifted the magazine on his face and scratched his unshaven chin. “Keep an eye on him until you are sure who he is.”

Xiang Jiang hummed back with a lack of interest again. “Is there any progress on Hao Wenzhe’s side?”

“One feedback has been collected so far.” Fu Xingchuan slowly put the magazine back on his face.

“What?”

“After Yin Ren joined Shian, the meat consumption in the cafeteria has increased by 2%. The cafeteria also asked the logistics department yesterday if they had any clues as to why.”

Xiang Jiang: “……”

Given that they went in for their shift in the afternoon, work ended in a blink of an eye.

The culprit of the “cafeteria meat evaporation incident” had just finished his meal. Yin Ren was still reveling in the aftertaste of the fatty, honey-flavored char siu pork when his cellphone suddenly “barked” weakly.

How did this happen? This thing had learned reluctance as it only responded with dull “barks” for its ringtone.

[Hu Tao: Boss, are you off work?]

[Hu Tao: Shian is on Jiangxue Road. I remember there’s a Master Bao nearby. Bring me some seaweed and meat floss cake and a milk tart.]

[Hu Tao: @Yin Ren 👀*]

*Secretly watching emoji

Yin Ren: “……”

Why did he have the feeling that the GPS in this app is a bit off? Traditionally, ghost masters communicated with their ghosts in one direction by burning talismans, and even then they rarely did that. Was this the price he had to pay for a paperless office?

[Hu Tao: I’m also your first employee, so you need to provide me with some company benefits. Come on, ghost master. I know you’ve read my messages.]

[Hu Tao: I’m a local, so I know where all the delicious food is. Want my recs? Sister will tell~]

[Yin Ren: I’ve written it down. I’ll buy it later.]

[Hu Tao: 🙏]

“You can go back first. I’m stopping by to get some snacks,” Yin Ren said thoughtfully as he thought about Zhong Chengshuo’s unshakable schedule. “I’ll take the subway. I remember where our home is.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “I’ll join you.”

“Although you have to be present when I spend money, there’s no need to be so strict. I ordered takeout a few times, so I’m familiar with the prices now.”

Yin Ren was confident in his adaptability to society. He had become stronger. At least he wouldn’t be taken for a ride by merchants’ various tricks.

Zhong Chengshuo: “I want to go with you.”

“…To improve your communication skill?”

“Nn, it at least meets the demand of the job.”

Although the motivation was Zhong Chengshuo’s personally, Yin Ren didn’t care. Instead of going straight to the subway station, they walked slowly around two intersections looking for the Master Bao.

The city was full of traffic at this time. An endless stream of people came and went, filling up both sides of the streets. Neon lights flickered among noisy slogans and music playing from loudspeakers. Zhong Chengshuo began to hold Yin Ren’s wrist after he almost got off track due to fried chestnuts.

Yin Ren: “…” Although he didn’t care, the eyes of passersby looking at them felt a bit weird.

It seemed that a thousand years later, people were still not as open. Yin Ren shook his head spiritually and sighed.

“I saw the Master Bao.” Zhong Chengshuo decisively ignored the passersby. His goal was single-minded.

There were a lot of people lined up in front of the shop. The shop exuded a very nice baking aroma. Yin Ren took a deep breath and sucked up all the sweet fragrance. He decided he’d have a few servings of everything. Zhong Chengshuo stood quietly behind him, seemingly unmoved.

Even though the mask covered most of his face, Yin Ren’s long hair and sharp eyebrows were still eye-catching. When it was his turn to buy, the uncles and aunties next to him became enthusiastic. They started chatting and recommending the popular stuff on Twitter. The clerk was happy to see that Yin Ren didn’t refuse any of their recommendations.

After paying, Yin Ren was holding paper bags in both hands, while Zhong Chengshuo shared one side.

Yin Ren took the opportunity to take out an egg tart and gestured to Zhong Chengshuo. “Everyone said it’s best when it’s freshly baked. Try it while it’s still hot?”

A flash of hesitation appeared on Zhong Chengshuo’s face. “It’s not very healthy.”

“Even if it’s poisonous, it depends on the dose eaten.” Yin Ren’s smile didn’t fade. “And the first bite is the most delicious, greatest fun, and least expensive—a good mood is equally important as health. Here.”

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t resist anymore. He lowered his head, leaned slightly, and took a bite of the warm egg tart.

Crunch.

The meringue of the egg tart was crisp and crunchy, the egg filling was silky and slightly sweet, and an explosion of burnt fragrance filled his mouth. The sweet aroma penetrated deep into his tastebuds, as if it were caressing the velvet of his mind. Zhong Chengshuo wiped the corners of his mouth and said, “It’s very delicious.”

“Shee?” Yin Ren directly stuffed the rest of the remaining egg tart into his mouth, making his voice muffled. “Ish yur mood butter nao?”

“Nn.” Zhong Chengshuo nodded firmly. “What benefit does this have for learning how to communicate…?”

Yin Ren glanced at him and put his mask back on. “It’s a great thing to be happy in life, so there’s no need for any deeper meaning. Well, it’s hard to… There are some things you have to experience before you can better understand, ahem, other people’s thoughts.”

Zhong Chengshuo paused. “Speaking from experience?”

“Guess?” Yin Ren curved his eyes.

“…When we go back, let’s buy some fried chestnuts.”

“You catch on quick.”

“I’ll eat one, and the rest will be considered the tuition fee.” After all, it was Yin Ren who really wanted to eat them.

“As expected from an outstanding student certified by Shian. Zhong…”

Yin Ren’s expression suddenly froze. His empty hand moved without a trace, instantly pinching a small black dot into his palm.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just a bug.”

A dead fruit fly was lying in the palm of his hand. Its insect body was shriveled, indicating that it had died some time ago. The corpse had just been flying around them for a while. When it saw the two of them focusing on their conversation, it crept closer and tried to get into Yin Ren’s bag.

The insect corpse had a very light evil qi on it. The person who controlled it was on an abysmal level. Undoubtedly, this was a novice.

The problem was elsewhere…

There was an indescribable smell to that evil qi. From the moment Yin Ren caught the bug, the smell began to quickly dissipate. It was a scent that Yin Ren had never been exposed to before. It made his chest throb, and his hair slightly stood up.

Absolutely unfamiliar, yet all too familiar.

As an inexperienced newborn Evil Spirit, it took Yin Ren a while to determine the source of the subtle feeling.

The smell was extremely weak but decadent, like an ember of a fire buried in the deepest part of the ashes, which could be extinguished at any time.

But there was no doubt that it came from his kind.

…On that insect corpse, there was a faint “smell” of another Evil Spirit.

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The author has something to say:

Qin Ge: 1/2 plus 1/2 plus 1/3 equals 1. Is there any problem?*

*Clarity: For those who missed the joke, this is why he’s a corpse servant instead of being in a medical profession like the others… though I don’t think math is really required for it…

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Kinky Thoughts:

Apparently, the place Hu Tao sent Yin Ren to is called 包师傅. It’s a pastry and dim sum shop.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 28: Autopsy Results

Since it was so late, the two had to take a taxi to the crime scene.

Zhong Chengshuo had cleaned up neatly, but his entire being was lingering with the breath like he was about to die. Yin Ren couldn’t bear looking at him like this, so he held a dark brown object under Zhong Chengshuo’s nose.

“What’s this?”

“Devil’s spicy duck wings. I just bought them tonight.” Yin Ren reluctantly parted ways with some of his food. “I haven’t touched it. Have some so you can refresh yourself.”

He didn’t know if it was due to drowsiness or determination, but Zhong Chengshuo actually grabbed the duck wing and took a bite, which was then followed by a shiver.

As usual, his spirit was the same, and even his eyes became completely dead.

Until they got out of the car, Zhong Chengshuo was inhaling frantically. The culprit behind this expressed regret as he ate up the remaining spicy braised vegetables.

When they approached the scene, the two of them put on unilateral headphones assigned by Shian. After a while, Lu Xiaohe’s voice came through.

“I see you two have almost arrived at the scene. Go another 900 meters and turn right. I have to check in with the police. You can head directly to the crime scene.”

“We have just been promoted to the C-level investigation team? Are we even allowed to take on criminal cases?”

“No, this case isn’t strange at the moment,” Lu Xiaohe said in a cheerful tone, then proceeded to speak in rapid fire. “If the matter was more serious, Shian would assign a more advanced investigation team to intervene. Aren’t you two experienced in this aspect, you two cat catchers.”

It seemed that the company-wide criticism still had its aftereffects. Now they were even given inexplicable titles.

“By the way, the evil qi index near you two is normal. All living beings are recognized. There’s no need for special attention for the time being.”

Yin Ren was surprised. “How do you know?”

Wasn’t Lu Xiaohe a science post? Could it be that she possessed the long-lost ability of clairvoyance?

“Haha, I’m above you.”

Yin Ren immediately raised his head, catching sight of a bat-sized drone hovering in the air. It flew smoothly and quietly, making it difficult to notice.

“Have I not introduced myself yet? Lu Xiaohe, Ph.D. in neuroscience from University A. I’ve been in Shian for two years… Hey, pay attention. You’re about to arrive at the crime scene,” the female voice said cheerfully.

Zhong Chengshuo: “Nice…”

“I’ll hang up first. We’ll talk later.” With a beep, the call was disconnected.

“…to meet you, sister,” Zhong Chengshuo finished dryly.

Yin Ren patted Zhong Chengshuo sympathetically.

Several police cars were parked at the scene of the crime. A cordon was already drawn at the scene. A man wearing an old black leather jacket that looked to be in his forties walked over. He had a solid build, a square face, and a lot of white hair sprinkled on his cropped head.

Seeing the two approaching, he took out his ID from under his arms with a flat face, but when he saw Zhong Chengshuo, the man immediately became happy.

“Hey, what a coincidence. Xiao Zhong, aren’t you working in research? Why are you here?”

Zhong Chengshuo was taken aback, then said, “Uncle Sun.”

Yin Ren took the lead, stepped forward, and stretched out his hand. “Hello, Uncle Sun, I’m Zhong Ge’s colleague.”

When Uncle Sun saw Yin Ren, his smile dimmed imperceptibly for a moment, then he stepped forward enthusiastically and shook Yin Ren’s hand. “I’m Sun Qinghui. Don’t call me uncle. Just call me Lao* Sun.”

*Generally used to address people older than you to show closeness/respect.

Sure enough, he was a policeman, and a pretty good veteran at that. Yin Ren retracted his hand and made this judgment silently.

Naturally, those who fought on the battlefield and upheld justice carried a fierce aura of righteousness. The more energetic these people were, the stronger their momentum. Thousands of years ago, the fierce soldiers on the battlefield could break evil qi and kill ghosts based on this principle.

Evil beings were usually reluctant to touch these kinds of people. On the other hand, in order to prove his “innocence”, he must step up his efforts to foster a good relationship.

So, Lord Ghost King smiled even more brightly. “My name is Yin Ren. Zhong Ge and I are here to help. Please give us your guidance.”

“Ah, so you’re the ones Xiao Lu mentioned.” Sun Qinghui guided them around the cordon. “Who would have thought it would be you guys. Xiao Zhong didn’t mention anything. Xiao Yin, is this your first time seeing such a scene? Are you scared?”

Yin Ren, who had been lying on a pile of bones for more than a thousand years, said, “A bit.”

Sun Qinghui smiled heartily and patted Yin Ren on the back. “It’s okay. If you need to vomit, just go ahead. You’ll eventually get used to it.”

“Uncle Sun, have you worked with Shian before?” Zhong Chengshuo asked solemnly as he followed them.

“For so long that I’ve lost count of how many years.” Sun Qinghui turned his head. “What, Boss Cheng and them didn’t tell you?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “No, I just… I thought you didn’t believe in strange forces.”

“Believe it or not, isn’t Shian just engaged in high-tech stuff? Maybe there are reasons behind it.”

Sun Qinghui waved to the forensic staff at the scene and led the two into an alley.

“Whether a person is stabbed to death by a knife, killed by a gun, or dies strangely, they are all killing methods. The important thing is that a murderer killed someone—and if there’s a murderer, we must catch them. It’s normal to find a third party to cooperate. It’s not a big deal.”

Zhong Chengshuo respectfully nodded.

Yin Ren was enlightened. In the eyes of this veteran detective, “anomalies” were just a classification of clues on the scene. Since that wasn’t something easy for the police to investigate, they outsourced the relevant work to Shian.

However, Zhong Chengshuo’s attitude was a bit strange.

This person usually wasn’t good at getting along with people. Despite his gentle look, he was quite abrasive when handling things. Seeing that Sun Qinghui was around, the atmosphere around Zhong Chengshuo seemed to have softened a bit.

“Here.”

Sun Qinghui stopped at the corner of the alley.

The crime scene was on the edge of the old city. The nearby buildings were old and dilapidated. The city hadn’t had time to tear them down and build new ones. The area was sealed off, and there were no residents living there. At most, they would have a few homeless people who would sneak in for a day or two.

There wasn’t much surveillance around, and this alley happened to be in a blind spot.

“The case was reported at 1:25 a.m. The informant is from the Urban Planning Committee, an intern.”

Sun Qinghui sighed.

“According to regulations, you have to enter this kind of place during the day and be accompanied by Party A and a government personnel. The intern lost his phone here, so he secretly came here alone since he was too scared to trouble Party A.”

As a result, the unlucky kid found his phone but also gained some major mental trauma. The person who reported the crime wasn’t at the scene. It was said he was taken away for emergency psychological intervention.

The three of them stopped near the body and were completely speechless for a while.

At the end of the alley stood a crimson cone with a diameter of less than a meter, organized like a large barricade. Under the moonlight, the crimson cone shone with the color of raw flesh, which appeared to look like it was made of minced meat.

On top of the cone was a human skull placed upright. There was no flesh or blood on the skull; it looked extremely clean, like a specimen.

Below the cone was a round pool of blood, which the cone was centered around, and it emitted a heavy smell of blood.

The edge of the pool of blood was surrounded by more than a dozen miscellaneous items. They were spaced at an exact distance from each other, and they seemed to be tracing the edge of the round pool of blood. These miscellaneous items were so neat that they looked creepy—a t-shirt, shoes, pants, and socks were stacked neatly; a kitchen knife that looked brand new, and even wads of things like toilet paper and receipts were flattened and neatly folded.

There were also a lot of dark things there. Zhong Chengshuo took a closer look and found that it was a small pile of hair.

Zhong Chengshuo looked at the clump of minced meat in the center and said, “…This is the corpse?”

Based on the size of the meat and the amount of bleeding, the victim was probably an adult.

‘It is indeed a corpse,’ Yin Ren replied in his heart. The pile of meat exuded a strong human smell. The victim must’ve died just now.

Sun Qinghui: “Yes, it’s a corpse. According to the Urban Planning Committee, it wasn’t here around 9 p.m. There are no tire tracks nearby, so there are no signs of transportation. Whether this is the first crime scene and how many people have died, we still have to analyze and study it.”

Yin Ren covered his mouth cooperatively and retched a few times.

“The residual evil qi index on the corpse is 0.01~0.02fR. This person has been exposed to an evil being, but he didn’t die from an attack from it.” Lu Xiaohe’s voice sounded in their ears again. “Shian didn’t find any similar cult rituals in their database either. Please actively follow up on this, you two.”

“The sense of ritual is strong, like the kind of thing a lunatic would do.”

Sun Qinghui stood by the pool of blood with his brows tightly locked.

“Haigu has never had this kind of modus operandi before. We’re already investigating unsolved cases in the nearby area. Feel free to look around and update us if there’s any news.”

The temperature on summer nights was high. Many insects followed the smell of flesh and blood and crawled around the minced meat. Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren put on gloves, with the former checking the surrounding environment while the latter squatted down to observe the corpse pile.

Zhong Chengshuo almost rubbed his face on the nearby wall. As they investigated, the sound of pictures being taken intermittently sounded. Two hours later, he and Yin Ren were squatting together. Seeing his partner’s face, which looked like he was hesitant to speak, Yin Ren opened his backpack knowingly and handed him a bottle.

“Oolong tea, sugar-free.”

“Thank you. I’ll pay you back for it,” Zhong Chengshuo said sincerely.

“No, it’s fine. It’s rare for you to have such an oversight.” Yin Ren pulled out a can of peach-flavored soda and downed half of it gleefully.

“I can’t fit it in my backpack.” Zhong Chengshuo drank a few sips of tea and let out a small sigh. “Science posts have to carry medical kits and simple tools when going to work, so it’s inconvenient to carry other things.”

…How miserable.

After briefly sympathizing with his partner, Yin Ren cleared his throat. “Did you find anything?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any trace of a fight. Whether this thing was fresh or not, the police should be analyzing it. What about you? Can you… talk to the dead or something?”

As an atheist, Zhong Chengshuo asked this question with extreme uncertainty.

Yin Ren patiently explained, “There’s no way to talk, let alone the fact that it’s difficult for people to turn into ghosts. Even if it becomes an evil spirit, most of the time they can’t communicate well, which makes their testimony even less credible. People can’t know everything while alive, and they won’t suddenly open their eyes after death.”  

“That’s what the Shian textbook says,” Yin Ren thoughtfully added.

“I see.” Zhong Chengshuo drank two more sips of his tea. “If I was suddenly hit by a car while walking down the street, I might not even be able to react to how I died.”

“Exactly.” Yin Ren shook the can at him. “That’s a good example, but you shouldn’t use yourself as an example next time.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze stopped on the shaking can for a moment. He thought for half a second, then picked up his oolong tea bottle and clinked it with Yin Ren’s can.

Yin Ren: “……”

Yin Ren: “Have you started reading that book, <The Art of Communication>?”

Zhong Chengshuo blinked, and the bottle was frozen in the air, seemingly at a loss.

“Haha, a toast is quite good.” Yin Ren couldn’t help laughing. “Cheers!”

Suddenly, a pair of hands pressed down on their heads.

“What are you doing at a crime scene? Be serious.”

“Uncle Sun.” Zhong Chengshuo hurriedly greeted.

“Did you find anything?”

Zhong Chengshuo: “There are no traces of fighting. No obvious bloodstains or damage. The conclusion of the crime scene investigator should be more comprehensive than mine.”

Sun Qinghui nodded. “Xiao Yin, how about you?”

Yin Ren: “I found four dead bugs.”

Seeing the confused faces of Sun Qinghui and Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren explained, “There are small black insects buzzing around the meat pile. The person who is that meat pile had just died not long ago, but the bugs in the meat have been dead for four or five days.”

Sun Qinghui was shocked. “Hah? Can you talk to the soul of a bug?”

Yin Ren was helpless.

He suddenly understood the feelings of programmers online who often ranted about “not wanting to fix code anymore”.

“I particularly like natural science,” Yin Ren said solemnly. “Look, it can be seen with the naked eye.”

He couldn’t advertise that he was familiar with all kinds of corpses in front of a criminal detective.

“I see. I’ll make sure forensics pays more attention to it later.” Sun Qinghui yawned. “The forensic pathologist is about to enter. If you two are finished, I’ll take you for a meal.”

Zhong Chengshuo hesitated. “We—”

“Go if you want to. Shian’s regulations aren’t so tight. Officer Sun Qinghui is an acquaintance of yours, right?” Lu Xiaohe also yawned through the earphone. “Just record the scene and continue investigating tomorrow… Uh… I mean, continue during the day.”

She was about to fall asleep.

As for Yin Ren, he would readily agree.

……

A street away, Sister Xu’s Spicy Hotpot was brightly lit.

The storefront wasn’t very large, and it was fairly clean. The plastic tables and chairs were polished, and the tiles on the floor weren’t messy with dirty footprints. The proprietress specialized in night business, and the ingredients in her plastic basket looked fresh.

She saw Sun Qinghui come in and boldly waved her hand. “Night shift again? Still with… Ah, this crop of newcomers is so handsome.”

“They’re not our newcomers. Xu Fang, don’t you recognize the one wearing glasses? That’s the son of Lao Zhong.”

“How would I be able to recognize him? The last time I saw him was when he was seven or eight, but I do have a bit of an impression. That kid kept saying he wanted to be a police officer when he grows up.” Xu Fang’s eyes widened with a smile, revealing a homely look. “I’ll take care of drinks tonight, so eat as much as you want.”

Yin Ren piled up a mountain of ingredients in his basket and muttered in a low voice, “You originally wanted to be a policeman?”

“Yes, but my parents disagree.”

Unlike Yin Ren, he wasn’t a fan of synthetic meat products. Zhong Chengshuo picked out some quail eggs, mushrooms, and vegetables. The proprietress neatly weighed the baskets and attached the price to them.

“They’re getting older, and I wasn’t insistent on doing it, so I changed my employment direction.” Zhong Chengshuo spoke calmly despite his failure to become a police officer.

“Xiao Zhong’s temperament is too strait-laced, which really isn’t suitable for a criminal police officer,” Sun Qinghui interjected with a smile. “If you want to do well in this profession, you have to be refined. Criminals are cunning, so watching people order food* is a required basic skill.”

*(看人下菜) Metaphor referring to treating people unequally and/or different. || Basically, he’s saying you have to treat criminals differently, but Zhong Chengshuo is too upright for such a profession (which I find kind of ironic).

“Maybe it’s because Xiao Zhong is afraid he will follow Fengfeng’s old path.” The boss sighed. “I say, Fengfeng was such a nice little girl…”

“Hey, Boss Cheng and Lao Zhong aren’t that kind of people. Speaking of which, Xu Fang, Xiao Zhong is now a top student at University A. Isn’t that amazing?” Sun Qinghui interrupted her with a smile.

The boss’ eyes lit up, and the topic turned to her child, who had entered high school.

The spicy hotpot was rich and fresh. Yin Ren dipped it in a ton of sesame sauce and ate it with relish. Zhong Chengshuo was caught up with the boss trying to tell him her “secret recipe” and was making a painful look as if he were constipated, while Sun Qinghui looked on happily.

The small shop didn’t really have a quiet ambience. Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren noticed that within a few minutes, night shift workers, drivers, medical staff, and the like joined in on the conversation, creating a bustling myriad of dialogues accompanied by heat steaming everywhere, which was quite lively in the early hours of the morning.

When Yin Ren emptied his third bowl of spicy hotpot, it was already close to 5 a.m. The sky had gradually lit up, signifying the start of a brand new day.

Beside him, two workers toasted and started singing a song out of tune. A nurse had added a filter as she photographed her hotpot, while another kept peeking back at Yin Ren. Sun Qinghui was busy chatting with the boss about her children’s further studies while a driver was talking to Zhong Chengshuo about the fees at University A.

However, in the midst of this lively atmosphere, Yin Ren suddenly felt a prickly itch as if he were being watched.

He stopped abruptly and looked outside the door.

In the gradually thinning night, a vague figure flashed by, leaving behind an afterglow. Yin Ren looked intently at the door again but found there was nothing outside.

The streets in front of the store were empty, and he didn’t sense the feeling of evil beings or remnants of evil qi—there was nothing.

Yin Ren watched for a while.

‘How interesting,’ he thought. ‘This case may not be so simple after all.’

The next day.

After a night out in the field, the two of them went back to Shian’s office in the afternoon. Considering the rich lunch served at Shian’s cafeteria, Yin Ren dragged Zhong Chengshuo straight back to Shian.

“We just joined the company, so we have to behave positively.” Lord Ghost King spoke generously.

<The Art of Communication> failed to stop Zhong Chengshuo from saying, “You just want to eat in the cafeteria.”

Yin Ren didn’t even blush. “Yes, but this doesn’t conflict with our good performance. Besides, we haven’t met our new colleague in our group yet. Wouldn’t it be good to greet each other?”

Zhong Chengshuo was speechless as he clung to <The Art of Communication> in confusion.

Was it because his communication level was too low or was Yin Ren’s amnesia too strong? For the first time in the 28 years of his life, Zhong Chengshuo’s self-esteem was hurt by his EQ factors.

Not long after, Comrade Zhong Chengshuo’s self-esteem suffered a second blow.

As a C-level investigation team, they had an office in Shian. The office wasn’t large; one side had two desks adjacent to each other, each equipped with a computer and a bookshelf. The wall directly opposite of the door was full of multi-screen monitors, and the equipment underneath looked as complicated as an airplane cockpit.

In front of the “cockpit” was a girl sitting on an engineering chair, smiling at the two of them.

The girl was about 30 years old. She had a round face and eyes and wore light makeup. Her hair, which was slightly coarse and stiff, was tied up in a high ponytail. She wore a loose cow-print t-shirt and casual pants, accompanied by a pair of sneakers.

She didn’t look pretty, but her facial features gave off a warm feeling. Just from a first glance, they could tell she belonged to the “good character-type”.

“Wow, nice to meet you. You two are really handsome,” Lu Xiaohe said with a smile; the pace at which she spoke was still as fast as ever.

“I’m Lu Xiaohe from last night. You can call me Lu Jie or Xiaohe. If you have any questions about Shian, I’ll be happy to answer them at any time—oh, yes, I got your contact information and sent out a friend’s request. Remember to accept it.”

Yin Ren turned on his phone and found a friend application from “Milky Way”. Their “Shian—Farmer Orchard (3)” had now become “Shian—Small Work Group (4)”.

“Remember to use the Shian’s app for check-in and communication. Reserve the WeChat group for gossip and external communication,” Lu Xiaohe said. “I’ll provide you with tech support, information, and strategic rear support. You can rest assured. I’m very reliable.”

Yin Ren was full of expectations. “Really?”

Lu Xiaohe: “Really. I’ve been on this job for two years, and all the field teams I’ve supported are alive, and none have any serious disabilities.”

Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo: “……”

“Just kidding,” Lu Xiaohe chuckled. “Let’s get down to business.”

She grabbed the remote control casually, without looking at it, and pressed the power button. The screens all over the wall suddenly lit up, forming a large image. On the screen were all kinds of gory details that had to be mosaiced, as well as pictures of bugs that were a bit too detailed.

“The preliminary autopsy results from the police have come out. Shian will continue to follow up on this matter.”

“There was only one victim. Wu Tao, 36 years old. A famous gangster in Shangguang District. In other words, this guy is 100% pure scum. He’s been eating, drinking, gambling, and causing trouble with the local vagrants. When he was young, he was caught for petty theft. The police have this on file.”

Lu Xiaohe leaned back in her chair and turned half a circle, then switched the screen to Wu Tao’s profile.

“The clothes, skull, pile of meat, and hair you saw last night belonged to him. Wu Tao’s time of death was around 1 in the morning last night. The cause of death… could not be determined.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Why?”

“Well, the problem lies in the bugs Xiao Yin found last night.”

Lu Xiaohe switched the screen.

“Forensics isolated 547 fruit flies from that pile of meat. The insect corpses probably gathered in Wu Tao’s mouth, nasal cavity, and trachea. A large number of bugs poured into his trachea in a short period of time, which indeed can kill.”

“But those fruit flies have been dead for more than a day, so it’s theoretically impossible to attack Wu Tao like that.”

“And when Wu Tao was pulverized into minced meat, his vital signs hadn’t completely disappeared. In addition, leaving aside the cause of death, the pile of minced meat is also very strange.”

Lu Xiaohe zoomed in on the pile of the shapeless corpse and continued without changing her expression.

“He wasn’t shredded up artificially, or this was done by some kind of machine.”

“Except for the skull, Wu Tao’s muscles, bones, and internal organs were precisely divided into cubes with a side length of 1 mm.”

---

The author has something to say:

Me to my gay friend: I need materials, buddy. I’m looking for a corpse finder who also works in urban planning. The body is in the closed area of the old city. The idea now is that the discoverer is trying to find his phone that he lost there at night, so I want to consult for some industry details.

Gay friend: Oh, that’s easy. You can create a scene where the planning group of a design institute is sent to investigate the old city. When work ended at midnight, a helpless person forgot his cellphone at the research site. The research records were all on his phone, and he had to submit the report tomorrow. After receiving feedback, the leader said he shouldn’t trouble Party A, but the report must still be submitted on time, so he needs to find a way himself.

Me: .

Gay friend: .

Me: That’s too heavy.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 27: Criminal Case

No.

Yin Ren stood still in front of the pile of debris with a panicked look.

The spirit weapon that resonated with him wasn’t even on the shelf but in a pile that looked like garbage. This kind of thing made Lord Ghost King extremely unhappy. At the same time, he was also a bit vigilant—how did this thing perceive him?

“Any thoughts?”

Xiang Jiang had suddenly appeared right behind him and spoke in a soft tone.

“Shian has a saying that the registered spirit weapon reflects the character of the Black Seal.”

Xiang Jiang was 1.9 meters tall, which was taller than Yin Ren. Yin Ren didn’t look back, nor did he pay any attention to the hoarse ringing in front of him. He stood still as he replied casually to Xiang Jiang, “Senior Xiang, what’s your registered spiritual weapon?”

“A dagger that will never become dull,” Xiang Jiang answered.

Yin Ren: “……” Ah, was this the taste of jealousy?

He didn’t know what the thing that was ringing frantically under the debris was, but it sounded like a cellphone. However, if it were an alarm clock or some cheap children’s toy, this thousand-year-old Ghost King would not know how he would maintain his face.

“Could it be voice-activated?” Among the rapid ringing, Yin Ren tried to squeeze out a little modern knowledge to find an excuse.

Xiang Jiang ignored him and hastily commanded, “Hurry up and take your spirit weapon, and stop wasting other people’s time.”

With no options left, Yin Ren had to dig through the pile of debris with a bitter face, acting like he was sorting out garbage. Not long after, he grabbed the thing that was ringing crazily.

The moment he took it out of the pile of debris, the ringing suddenly stopped. This was so unexpected that Yin Ren thought he had gone deaf for a moment.

The thing was a broken, old phone.

While it was still a touch screen, the style wasn’t very modern; at least compared to the ones issued by Shian, it was significantly worse. The screen was cracked with a few gruesome marks, and the phone was covered in scratches and dents. Yin Ren flipped it around—this thing could still power on, and there wasn’t a password set.

The phone only had a few basic apps installed, and the wallpaper was a pitiful big yellow dog. In the upper-left corner, a notification prompt kept frantically flashing, saying that there wasn’t a SIM card installed, indicating this thing didn’t have access to Shian’s network.

There was a faint evil qi coming from it, but it didn’t feel like it came from the craftsman who made it but rather from something that was stuck in it.

The phone was stained with sticky residue and exuded a sour smell. Yin Ren put it down in disgust and wiped his hands.

As a result, as soon as he got rid of this terrible thing, the harsh “ringing” resounded again throughout the entire warehouse, blasting into everyone’s eardrums. The bell sounded like wailing and was so shrill that even Zhong Chengshuo had to plug in his ears and retreat to the entrance.

“It seems that this is your spirit weapon.”

Amidst the noise, Xiang Jiang stood in place. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and glanced at the number behind the phone.

“I’ll do the registration. Keep that thing with you. If you lose it, the value multiplied by ten will be deducted from your salary.”

Yin Ren grabbed the phone in despair, and the ringing abruptly stopped again.

The label on the back of the phone was scribbled: [The phone often replaces original apps with ghost apps, so it sometimes displays weird content.]

When he flipped the phone back around, it seemed to be trying to show itself off. In just the blink of an eye, the “message” on its desktop changed to “disheartened”*, and the icon of the original notification box also became heart-shaped.

*Clarity: The original “message/information” [xinxi] (信息) was changed to “disheartened” [xinxi] (心息). The latter is a word that means to be disheartened. || Basically, the phone is mocking Yin Ren.

….How subtly annoying. Yin Ren didn’t even want to click on it.

What was the practical use of this thing? Could it be used to scare Zhong Chengshuo? He could imagine Zhong Chengshuo advising him to reinstall the system as soon as possible, but then again…

“Does this thing always work without batteries since it’s a spirit weapon?”

Xing Jiang: “Yes.”

Yin Ren: “We have to find a way to change it into a rechargeable treasure.”

Xiang Jiang gave him a confused look. The phone, noticing something, began to ring wildly in Yin Ren’s hand. It seemed to want to go back to the pile of debris.

Yin Ren sneered and put it in his pocket, then tapped hard on it twice. “You’re the one who called to me. Don’t try to back out now.”

Even if he disliked this thing, he had to confirm and see if it would ring when it was held by other people or if it could detect something that couldn’t be detected.

The old cellphone lingering in Yin Ren’s pocket: “Ring…”

It rang weakly; it was unknown whether it was responding to Yin Ren or not.

“Well, seeing that my spirit weapon is registered, Senior Xiang, is there any kind of symbolic meaning to this kind of muddied phone? I don’t think this has anything to do with my character…”

“Maybe you prefer to fish at work*.” Seeing that Yin Ren’s spirit weapon was mediocre, Xiang Jiang seemed to have lost interest.

*Refers to basically slacking off while at work. This derives from the idiom “catching fish in troubled water” (浑水摸鱼) which means to cause chaos for the enemy and then take advantage of it to gain benefits. || He’s mostly correct because Yin Ren’s entire goal is to be a slacker with no ambition (a salted fish) and try to get by in life by “working” at Shian.

Yin Ren choked. Isn’t this a bit too accurate? Shian was truly terrifying.

……

Night.

Yin Ren squeezed through the subway again. When he finally entered through the door, he threw down his bag and flung himself onto the sofa.

This thing was softer than a bedboard, so Yin Ren liked it a lot. He quickly nestled onto it and stretched out lazily.

Since Shian gave them three meals a day on weekdays, there was no need for Zhong Chengshuo to cook tonight. He stood in front of the sofa, showing a tangled face.

“What?”

“Do you mind if I sit here for a while?” Zhong Chengshuo sat at the edge of the sofa with clasped hands. “I’m not used to staying in the bedroom all the time.”

“This is your place. Why are you being so polite? I don’t mind as long as you don’t mind me eating.” Yin Ren tucked in his legs and opened the food delivery app on his phone.

It seemed that this time he had to behave properly, which made Yin Ren somewhat regretful. Still, the feeling of living with someone day and night was quite new to him. Seeing Zhong Chengshuo’s stiff posture, it was most likely he felt the same as well.

The quiet atmosphere only lasted for half a minute.

Zhong Chengshuo scooted inward on the sofa and sat upright. “We didn’t train together today. What did you do on your side?”

He paused for a moment, then added solemnly, “I need to understand what you experienced.”

“Nothing. I was just handed ghost master training materials and was given a work task—find a ghost-like evil creature, talk to it, and try to get on good terms with it.”

That sounded weird.

Yin Ren narrowed his eyes at his bag. The bag was an induction gift issued by the personnel department. It had the logo of Shian printed on it and was filled with books, post-it notes, and talismans that were accompanied by a large number of soft-headed cinnabar brushes.

Thousands of years had passed, yet the tools a cultivator used had remained the same.

Yin Ren didn’t worry about his metaphysical task. He could just talk with Miss Hu Tao next door some other day and easily complete it. Even if Hu Tao didn’t want to cooperate, he could just go for a stroll in the community and randomly capture some unlucky “kid”.

The real headache was the non-metaphysical tasks.

Yin Ren’s handbag had a huge bulge in it due to the thick manuals of <Shian Combat Fundamentals>, <Wilderness Survival Manual>, and <Compliance: The Encyclopedia of Laws You May Come into Contact With>. When Lord Ghost King swept his eyes over those books, he felt as though he was almost suffocating.

Zhong Chengshuo looked at the bookshelf speechlessly. The training materials on his side were already sorted out. In addition to the same three books Yin Ren had to read, his also included <Common First Aid>, <Common Mechanical Repair>, and <The Art of Communication>.

<The Art of Communication> was handed to him by Fang Yuanyuan herself, who said that it was a special treatment only for him among all the newcomers this year.

Seeing Zhong Chengshuo’s gaze floating to the bookshelf, Yin Ren propped himself up. “Do you want to read here? Then I’ll go to the dining table to eat.”

As soon as Yin Ren got up, the old cellphone slipped out of his pocket and fell to the floor. Its screen smacked on the floor, and it made two exceptionally weak “ring”.

Zhong Chengshuo pinched a piece of tissue and used it to pick up the dirty old phone. Looking at its weakly lit screen, which now had a freshly new crack, he saw a 1% battery life.

“…This is your ‘registered spirit weapon’?”

“Yeah, I have to take it with me every day. It doesn’t seem to have any special use except having too much power that never runs out.”

“This is a classic model from six years ago.” Zhong Chengshuo looked at the phone curiously. “If there are no other major problems, you can ask Shian if you can use it. In many cases, ‘endless power’ is an incredible advantage.”

The phone vibrated twice on the spot, and the battery level soared to 10%.

Yin Ren: “…” Is the battery the mood index of this thing?

Yin Ren: “It looks in such bad condition. Can it really be used?”

“Wait a minute.” Zhong Chengshuo stood up.

He walked to his bedroom. The sound of rummaging through boxes and cabinets could be heard coming from the room. Since Zhong Chengshuo had always closed and locked his bedroom, Yin Ren hadn’t seen what it looked like.

Soon, Zhong Chengshuo walked out the door carrying a small toolbox along with a cellphone that was the same model as Yin Ren’s spirit weapon. Unlike the spirit weapon found in the garbage pile, this old phone looked as if it was brand new.

Zhong Chengshuo sat at the dining table and lined up the shiny silver tools. “I happen to have the same model. They don’t make them anymore. I can help you repair yours… The particularity of this thing isn’t in the case or the screen, right?”

“No, it’s not… Forget it. You can do your thing first.”

Considering that this phone had to be kept close to his body at all times, it was better to clean it up first.

The cellphone spirit weapon lay obediently on the table, and its battery power rose to 50% out of nowhere, as if it were inexplicably eager to give it a try.

Zhong Chengshuo’s movements were as precise as if he were doing surgery. He gently removed the outer case and screen, disassembled the parts, and carefully cleaned the accumulated dirt and dust that was inside the phone. A bright light illuminated his face, showing eyes full of concentration, as if what he was holding in his hands was the top priority in the world.

Seeing him so serious, Yin Ren felt awkward slumping on the sofa. Lord Ghost King pulled a chair over and sat next to Zhong Chengshuo. He propped up his face and watched his partner swipe with a soft brush and then wipe with a silk cloth.

While one person operated quietly, the other was watching silently. There was only a slow breathing sound left in the room, making it seem as if time had stagnated.

Yin Ren couldn’t understand the purpose of Zhong Chengshuo’s movements, but this person’s hands were indeed beautiful. There were no wounds or calluses on his hands, his fingers were slender, his joints were distinct, and there weren’t many obvious blue veins in between them.

Yin Ren thought absentmindedly that the bones underneath his skin must also be extremely beautiful.

With neat movements, the old phone was cleaned up with a new case and screen, allowing Yin Ren to successfully install his phone card. The old case engraved with Shian’s number was removed in a small strip and polished before it was glued to the back of the new case, making it look like a delicate and unique ornament.

Zhong Chengshuo then used a soft cloth soaked in alcohol and wiped the entire case carefully. “It’s fixed.”

When the phone returned to Yin Ren’s hand, it looked completely brand new, as if it had never left its packaging.

After one cleaning, its power had increased to 100%.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t miss a single thing. Even the apps that Yin Ren often used were already installed on it. Yin Ren fidgeted with the phone for a quick moment and found that it operated quite smoothly—this thing seemed to be honest and didn’t give him any weird apps.

Well, he would have plenty of time to study it in the future.

Yin Ren thought for a bit, then opened the settings page and changed the default ringing to a barking dog.

“Thank you, Zhong Ge,” Yin Ren said as he happily played with the spirit weapon. “It looks really good now, and there’s no need to look for an outlet in the future.”

Zhong Chengshuo nodded and glanced at the time. “I’m going to sleep now. Good night.”

“Good night.” Yin Ren was still excited. “I’ll prepare a surprise for you tomorrow.”

That night.

“What? You want me to attach evil qi to this phone chain?” Hu Tao scratched her head.

In front of her were two tacky phone ornaments, which were the fruits of Lord Ghost King’s triumphant first attempt at online shopping last night…

The two pendants were shaped like chubby hamsters, with one saying “Wealth and Prosperity” and the other saying “Blessing and Luck”. It seemed to be a popular style among elementary and middle school students.

Hu Tao looked at Yin Ren with almost pity after taking a closer look. “You’re… not going to use this for yourself, right?”

No matter how she looked at it, the cost of these two things didn’t exceed two yuan.

“Gold and red look very joyful.” Yin Ren couldn’t put it down. “If you get the aura of a powerful ghost, the average evil spirit won’t get close.”

Despite the fact that Zhong Chengshuo seemed unaffected by evil beings, they could still bring trouble to the people around him, which could implicate him. Hu Tao’s strength wasn’t weak, so if he used her evil qi, it could ward off other evil spirits.

“Then why not just do it yourself?” Hu Tao scratched her nose as she muttered.

“It’s inconvenient for me.” Yin Ren tore off a post-it note. “Hu Tao Jie, as long as you do me this favor, I’ll give you an apple. What is your birth date?”

Hu Tao suddenly cheered up. “Deal!”

Then she came back to her senses and said, in disbelief, “…Wait, hearing your intentions, are you planning to give them away?”

Yin Ren made a pained expression. “I’ll give one to Zhong Chengshuo as a thank you. Originally, I wanted to keep them both.”

Hu Tao: “…” Whatever, as long as you’re happy.

Two minutes later, Hu Tao got her offering and was munching jubilantly on an apple while Yin Ren was staring blankly with a solemn expression at the talisman with Hu Tao’s fate* and birth date written on it.

*Ba-Zi. It’s a Chinese astrological concept of a person’s destiny or fate that can be divined by two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour.

Hu Tao: “What are you thinking? If you’re not going to watch a show tonight, I’ll go back first.”

“I have another little favor to ask of you.”

“Say it.”

“The so-called ghost master, in essence, has to do two things. The first is to strike a deal with an evil being and obtain a contract, and the second is to use a talisman to designate the specific evil being and provide them with time and location information so they can contact them.”

“…Uh, I studied accounting…” She grew up under the sun, and even after she died, she hadn’t been exposed to such weird knowledge.

“It’s okay if you don’t understand. Just cooperate with me later.” Yin Ren took out the cellphone spirit weapon and knocked on its case. “Buddy, it’s time to get to work.”

“Woof woof.” The ringtone of the phone had changed, so now it was ringing out weak barks.

Yin Ren went through the phone and clicked on new software on the screen. “Get a ghost app. The one I just clicked on.”

“Woof.”

“Good boy. I’ll give you some evil qi later.” Yin Ren opened the ghost app and looked satisfied.

He then picked up the talisman paper that Hu Tao had written her name and birthdate. “Miss Hu, as a confirmation, you will lose some evil qi.”

Hu Tao did so unwittingly—Yin Ren had been gone for so many years that he couldn’t let himself be so easily deceived.

He tossed the talisman into a porcelain bowl, and it started slowly burning. Yin Ren’s cellphone started vibrating—

A notification from an app called “Coffin Nails” popped up. After opening it, there was an internal group called “What to Eat Today” at the top.

There were only two members in the group.

[Hu Tao: ……]

[Hu Tao: ??????????]

[Yin Ren: It really worked. Registration was originally a variant of forming a bond, then using the spirit weapon for text communication… The principle is exactly the same, thanks to modern technology.]

[Yin Ren: Is this called a “paperless office”? It’s nice to not have to carry talisman paper and cinnabar every day.]

[Yin Ren: @Hu Tao, you can contact me any time, and I can summon you from your place of bondage.]

[Yin Ren: I see you have read it.]

[Hu Tao: 1]

[Hu Tao: Not to say no… Help, why can’t I get rid of this even after I’m already dead!]

[Yin Ren: Don’t worry, I’ll share evil qi and offerings with you. Happy cooperation 🤝]

The phone spirit weapon was more useful than Yin Ren thought. A ghost master needed to summon ghosts on the spot, and this made it 10,000 times easier than tearing up talisman paper, drawing runes, and then burning them. Very good. This week’s work task was completed ahead of schedule.

The thing inside the phone probably didn’t expect to be used in this manner, as its battery level had dropped to 60%.

Hu Tao glared at Yin Ren angrily. Her friendly mode was crumbling, and the bloody color on her body gradually became more intense. Yin Ren didn’t panic in the slightest. He slowly opened the refrigerator door and patted his chest. “Come, Miss Hu. You can choose from half of my snacks.”

Ten minutes later, a sharp and loud alarm bell rang throughout the home. Zhong Chengshuo got up, opened the door vigilantly, and poked out his head that was wearing a nightcap… only to see Yin Ren frantically burning paper.

The living room was filled with smoke. As moonlight spilled in from the window, it wandered through the smoke, creating a dreamy scene.

Zhong Chengshuo: “…”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Why are you burning paper indoors? The smoke alarm is going off.”

Yin Ren: “Don’t worry. Just surveying some feudal superstitious customs. I’ll pay attention next time.”

“Well… Remember to quickly open the door to ventilate the space,” Zhong Chengshuo said drowsily.

He yawned, then slowly retracted his head, and slammed the bedroom door shut. In the world that Zhong Chengshuo couldn’t see, Hu Tao was sitting on the refrigerator, holding cured meats as she ate them bitterly. A mountain of snacks was piled around her.

However, soon after Comrade Zhong Chengshuo returned to the bedroom, a sharp ringing was accompanied by the sound of an electronic dog barking, as if it were singing along with the smoke alarm.

Zhong Chengshuo slowly stretched out his head again, causing the nightcap to tilt so much that it fell off. “Mr. Yin, what on earth are you…”

“This isn’t me this time!” Yin Ren was busy putting out the fire in the bowl. “It’s the phone. Our phones are ringing!”

Zhong Chengshuo glanced at his watch painfully and saw it was 2 a.m.

“Hello, how are you?” Zhong Chengshuo rubbed his face fiercely and took the lead to answer the phone. “May I ask who is calling?”

“Shian, Lu Xiaohe, Science Post, your rear commander.” A loud female voice sounded. “Come on, comrades. It’s time to get up and work overtime. The one named Yin Ren lives with you, right? Wake him up and take him with you.”

Zhong Chengshuo glanced at Yin Ren, who was currently fighting with the smoke alarm. “Something happened to him, and he can’t leave. Can we do this tomorrow—”

“Haha, I don’t want to get up at this hour either.” The female voice paused and laughed helplessly. “I can’t help it. My old contact from the police station just called me urgently. The scene isn’t waiting for anyone.”

“You two, this time it’s a serious criminal case.”

---

The author has something to say:

Electronic pet (???) get!

Sister Hu Tao replied with the word “1”, which is actually commonly used by social animals… After receiving the job request, answering “1” means I already know/seen it/ok. Explaining it to those who may not know this. _(:з”∠)_

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 26: Employee Code

Shian’s working hours started at 9 a.m., but the two received a call from Fang Yuanyuan at 7.

Fang Yuanyuan said that Shian’s guards were particularly strict. They still need to go through the final process of joining the company before they can clock in and out normally. The two only had time to eat half an apple and fill up a cup of soy milk before they left home in a hurry.

Zhong Chengshuo’s home wasn’t far from the subway station. Today was when Lord Ghost King finally experienced human morning rush hour for the first time.

In order to avoid trouble, Zhong Chengshuo prepared a mask for Yin Ren. When he got off at the bus station, Yin Ren’s eyes were glazed over, and his mask was tilted. The steam bun he had been carrying was squeezed into mush.

Fortunately, Yin Ren didn’t need much sleep, so he didn’t struggle to wake up. He had to say that the apples Zhong Chengshuo bought were delicious; at least they saved his mood along the way.

However, his only remaining good mood came to an abrupt end after entering the Shian building…

Fang Yuanyuan confiscated Yin Ren’s lamb and carrot steamed buns.

“Miss Fang…” Yin Ren wanted to stupidly protest.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Yin. Since we’ve entered the office area of Shian, food is not allowed here.”

“But isn’t this a bit wasteful?” How could Shian have more rules than Zhong Chengshuo’s home?

Fang Yuanyuan put the steam buns in her pocket and put on her signature smile. “Don’t worry. There will be other employees that’ll help solve it.”

She led them around seven or eight turns before walking into an isolated conference room.

The small meeting room was separated by glass and had two rows of sofas. Which could seat a maximum of six. It was full of green plants, and there was a large water cooler in the corner.

The water dispenser seemed to have been used for a long time, as the plastic lever was a washed-out yellow. There was a row of half-used disposable paper cups stacked by the water dispenser. The cooler was half full of clean water. The waterspout seemed to be a little damaged, as it kept making a ticking sound.

“It’s not easy for the two of you to get here. Please be sure to abide by the staff rules. A more detailed manual will be sent to your inbox later. The information on this piece of paper is the most important, so keep it in mind.”

Fang Yuanyuan’s voice was sweet as usual. She had a new manicure and colorful contact lenses, and she was wearing a long dress that went down to her ankles.

“Remember it, firmly.” She emphasized again with a smile.

Then she took out the document bag and gave them each a piece of paper with a brand-new official work ID. The original work ID was taken away and cut in half with a simple click.

“Mr. Yin, if you have something you don’t understand, you can ask me anytime.” Fang Yuanyuan threw the remnants of the cut ID into the file bag and clapped her hands as she added this last sentence.

Perhaps it was because the water temperature had dropped, but the water dispenser suddenly made a rumbling sound, and the green light on the dispenser turned red.

Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips and glanced at the water dispenser.

“After reading the employee rules, be sure to sign them. You can go to the cafeteria for a meal later. Your official work card can be used as a meal card.” Fang Yuanyuan’s tone was brisk. “We have mini mushroom wontons this morning. You can eat together after you’re done.”

Hearing that there was a cafeteria with food, Yin Ren quickly scanned the contents of the paper.

He was sure he could basically understand it, but the content of the so-called “employee rules” was a bit weird…

[Code of Conduct for Employees of Shian Corp—Non-science Posts (Black Seal)]

[Job instructions: Emergency Management Department Internal Line: 509

1. Only sealed packaged beverages such as bottled water are allowed in the office area, or you can bring your own drinking water provided by the dorms. Please do not drink water in the office area. Violators will be punished. Please eat in the company cafeteria. It is strictly forbidden to bring food into the office area.
2. Personal belongings are permitted. The size cannot exceed that of a child. Coats with no more than 1m in length can be worn, and the storage of such clothing shall not exceed 24 hours. It is strictly prohibited to take the initiative to bring live animals into the office area (including, but not limited to, potted plants, pets, children, ect.). If you bring animal/human corpses into the office area due to work reasons, please give us 12 hours in advance notice.
3. If a colleague (or other foreign body) behaves abnormally (including, but not limited to, abnormal body shape, abnormal facial features, and weird speech and behavior) is observe in the office area, please do not continue to observe and resume working normally.
4. Trespassing into the security room is strictly prohibited. If you want to enter, please ensure that at least one science post employee is with you.
5. If you need to leave the company for 7 days or more (including personal leave), please bring the company’s registered spirit weapon and clock in when you return to the office area. If you don’t show the spirit weapon, you are prohibited from entering. If the spirit weapon is lost for any reason, please contact the Emergency Handling Department immediately.]

Yin Ren pondered for a while, then turned to Zhong Chengshuo. “Can I take a look at yours?”

“Yes, let’s exchange.” Zhong Chengshuo appeared to be lost in thought and handed Yin Ren his paper absentmindedly.

Yin Ren glanced at his partner’s expression carefully. After Zhong Chengshuo had finished reading the paper, there were still no changes to that scholarly face.

But the rules he handed over were also not normal.

Sure enough, their job categories were different, and the version of the employee code was also different. Zhong Chengshuo was in the “science post”. The content had changed beginning with the second rule…

[……..

2. You can bring personal belongings. The size of personal belongings shall not exceed that of a child. Coats with no more than 1m in length can be worn, and the storage of such clothing shall not exceed 24 hours. You can bring potted plants. If the appearance of the potted plant you see is different from that described by your colleagues, please contact the security personnel immediately.
3. If you smell an odor in the office area or see unexplained stains of unknown origin and the duration of their existence is more than 10 minutes, regardless of whether you are the only one observing, please contact the security personnel immediately.
4. If a colleague (or other foreign body) behaves abnormally (including, but not limited to, abnormal body shape, abnormal facial features, and weird speech and behavior) is observe in the office area, no matter how long the abnormality lasts, do not judge without authorization. Please go to the security room immediately and contact the Emergency Handling Department.
5. If you need to leave the company for 7 days or more (including personal leave), please set the key via the company’s intranet before leaving…]

Yin Ren: “……”

He was enlightened. In a nutshell, as a reserve employee in a non-science post, he just had to eat and sleep on time and mind his own business. Science post employees were just the opposite. They had to wade through all the bullshit and take care of everything.

How miserable. He had started to sympathize with Zhong Chengshuo.

Tick.

…The water dispenser was really annoying. Yin Ren quietly closed half his ear canal and automatically reduced the ambient volume.

Not far away, Fang Yuanyuan was still standing there. She stood smiling as she stared at them affectionately.

Tick.

“Come, follow me to the security room.” When Yin Ren finished reading the two papers, Zhong Chengshuo abruptly stood up.

Fang Yuanyuan became a little confused. “Hey, hey, Xiao Zhong, you haven’t signed yet, and there are still things I have to say before we finish—”

“Both versions of the code of conduct have repeatedly emphasized that water cannot be drunk in the office area.” As Zhong Chengshuo spoke, he pointed to the dripping water dispenser.

“…Why is there such a thing in the conference room?”

There was silence in the conference room.

“Security personnel wouldn’t make this kind of mistake. According to the code of conduct, it can be judged as a ‘foreign body’.” Zhong Chengshuo spoke slowly, emphasizing his speech.

Fang Yuanyuan’s smile became a bit more awkward. “Uh, Mr. Zhong, that’s the test product that the administration put here. Attention to detail is a good thing. If you’re not at ease, I’ll go to the security room with you later. In short, let’s finish the process first.”

The water was still dripping, little by little. The disposable paper cup that was catching it was filled, and the water gradually overflowed along the mouth of the cup.

Yin Ren looked around but couldn’t see anything wrong with the water dispenser, but he suspected there was something afoot. Lord Ghost King crossed his arms and decided to stand on the sidelines.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhong Chengshuo tensed his body and spoke again without any wavering in his tone. “It’s a ‘foreign body’. This is my judgment.”

This sentence wasn’t a statement but rather a kind of test for Fang Yuanyuan.

Seeing his attitude, Fang Yuanyuan’s smile widened a bit.

She grinned and clapped her hands. “Very good, very good. Few newcomers would be alert at this level.”

“This is a small test. There will be additional bonuses if you pass. Now, take the employee code of conduct and sign it…”

Zhong Chengshuo turned to Yin Ren and said in a firm tone, “Follow me.”

“I’ve already said it’s a test, Mr. Zhong. Please cooperate with me.” Fang Yuanyuan patted her forehead. “You two are in the penalty period for violating the rules. If you violate the rules again during this period, I’ll be scolded by Minister Li.”

Zhong Chengshuo turned a deaf ear to what she said. Yin Ren glanced at Fang Yuanyuan and stood up slowly.

[No matter how long the abnormality lasts, do not judge without authorization. Please go to the security room immediately and contact the Emergency Handling Department.]

Zhong Chengshuo was putting the code of conduct into practice.

Yin Ren probably understood what was going on. Now that they were partners, the two of them were in the same boat, so he was justified in acting with his partner—even if it was explicitly against the rules, Shian couldn’t punish him because of this.

“Let’s go,” Yin Ren said crisply.

Zhong Chengshuo stretched out his hand and grabbed Yin Ren’s wrist through his sleeve. He ignored Fang Yuanyuan’s warning, dragged Yin Ren all the way back, and headed straight to the security room.

The security room was at the entrance of the building, which made it quite conspicuous. Zhong Chengshuo sprinted quickly as he kept his grip on Yin Ren’s hand while using his other hand to make an internal call.

At the moment they opened the security room, both their phones and applause sounded simultaneously.

In the security room, besides two security guards in uniform, Fang Yuanyuan and an unfamiliar man were standing there.

As if the scene had just been replayed, Fang Yuanyuan smiled and applauded. “Xiang Jiang, what did I tell you? The quality of this newcomer is really good.”

Zhong Chengshuo was stunned. He let go of Yin Ren’s wrist. “That was…”

Another “Fang Yuanyuan” caught up from behind. The stiff smile on her face had not yet dissipated. She stopped at the door of the security room and stared straight at Zhong Chengshuo and Yin Ren without blinking.

“It’s a spirit weapon made by me. Isn’t it realistic?” Fang Yuanyuan walked to her “twin” and grimaced.

‘It is really realistic,’ Yin Ren thought to himself.

The spirit weapon moved naturally, and its breathing and heartbeat were well imitated. Its hair was probably from Fang Yuanyuan herself and was soaked in the aura of the living so that most ordinary evil things couldn’t distinguish it. Cultivators referred to this as a “flesh figurine” thousands of years ago, and it was one of the most difficult spirit weapons to create.

This girl’s level of craftsmanship was quite high.

Zhong Chengshuo clenched his phone tightly. He still hadn’t disconnected the internal call.

“You can stop the call. Emergency Management Department, Xiang Jiang.” The unfamiliar man in the room connected the call and motioned for Zhong Chengshuo on the other line. “I’m certifying that all this is indeed a test. Continue.”

When he said that, he propped up his eyes and glanced at the two men; his gaze lingered on Yin Ren for a few seconds longer.

Yin Ren, likewise, was also observing him.

Xiang Jiang looked less than 30. He wore a flurry of unmatched items that had no aesthetic appeal. There were mismatched earrings, socks, and shoes. He was unusually thin and could barely be considered handsome. His complexion didn’t look very healthy, and his eyes were cloudy like those of an old man.

As a cultivator, this person could be considered a master, but he was much weaker than Fu Xingchuan. He had an extremely strong evil qi on his body, most likely because he had coexisted with it for a long time.

Fang Yuanyuan patted Xiang Jiang. “Xiang Jiang, our genius ghost master of Haigu. Xiao Yin, this is your future senior.”

Hearing the word “genius”, Xiang Jiang showed an unconcealed expression of disgust.

“I have limited time, so hurry up.” He casually spat out his words and averted his eyes, obviously not interested in the two newcomers.

Fang Yuanyuan seemed to be used to this. She pulled back the topic. “This is the induction practice of Shian, and you’ve done a stellar job. Zhong Chengshuo wasn’t confused, and Yin Ren also chose to trust his partner. If you guys hadn’t recognized the water cooler trap in time, you’ve probably be a little frightened—”

She made a casual gesture, and the throat of the spirit weapon beside her made a few “cracking” sounds. Suddenly, the head split open and exposed two large hyacinth bouquets.

“Congratulations on your official entry to Shian!” Fang Yuanyuan distributed the bouquets to the two of them.

Yin Ren: “…..” Was there a misconception? Miss Fang’s sense of humor was slightly morbid.

Zhong Chengshuo took the bouquet, broke through the casserole* and asked, “Why can’t you drink water in the office area?”

*Metaphor referring to investigating the root of things.

“Ah, well before, water dispensers could still be used.” Fang Yuanyuan straightened her hair. “Then there was a vicious cognitive pollution—at that time, Shian introduced a patrol machine, and the machine found that the water dispenser that the employees had been using for over half a year was actually the body of a missing colleague.”

Yin Ren and Zhong Chengshuo: “…”

Yin Ren: “Then the water at that time…”

“Corpse water, followed by residues of who knows what.” Fang Yuanyuan smiled bitterly. “The worst thing was that the deceased was still alive when he disappeared. According to the judgment of experts at the time, he probably thought he was a water dispenser.”

Yin Ren didn’t understand, but he was still greatly shocked.

Zhong Chengshuo: “Then what was in the meeting room just now…?”

“Oh, that.” Fang Yuanyuan waved her hand dismissively. “That’s an antique water dispenser I had a colleague bring in.”

Zhong Chengshuo breathed a sigh of relief.

“The rule ‘you can’t bring personal belongings the size of a living person’ is also to reduce the number of incidents like this,” Fang Yuanyuan calmly added. “After all, we have a colleague who disappeared in the office area two years ago and hasn’t been found yet.”

Yin Ren slowly put down the bouquet, suddenly feeling that the thing he was holding in his hands was a bit hot.

He thought sadly that there was no job in the world that could earn a lot of money with less work.

“In short, the employee code of conduct is written to protect you. It’s important to remember this. Now there’s one last step—Xiang Jiang, please take our new Black Seal to pick up his spirit weapon.”

“Keep up.” Xiang Jiang opened the door of the security room with an impatient face.

Zhong Chengshuo, who was still holding his bouquet, said, “I’m going too?”

“Since you two are field partners, it’s best to know more about each other.” Xiang Jiang snorted. “You science posts should pay more attention and make sure the people around you haven’t been replaced.”

“…” Zhong Chengshuo slowly put down the bouquet, and his expression gradually became complicated.

……

The place where registered spirit weapons were selected wasn’t far from the security room. It looked like an abandoned warehouse.

Rows of elevated buildings were filled with scattered debris, many of which had been specially packed in cardboard boxes. Those sundries weren’t big. This wasn’t so much a regular spirit weapon warehouse than a storage room for goods from a second-hand market.

There were dirty pens, pencils, utility knives, and rulers covered with dust. A bear keychain that was missing an eye, the cover of a notebook that was stained with suspicious spots, a calculator that had a screen that kept flickering, and nothing looked new on the entire shelf.

Yin Ren began to miss his dagger spirit weapon fiercely. Compared to these modern rags, his dagger was exquisite and more atmospheric.

Unfortunately, he could only see it in a museum now.

“Do I get to pick one myself?” he asked bitterly.

The focus of Zhong Chengshuo was elsewhere. “Are there anomalies in these items?”

There were a few thousand pieces of “scrap” here, and he didn’t know how long Shian had recorded their anomalies.

Xiang Jiang gave them a sideways glance. “These things are not worthy of being recorded as anomalies. They are the lowest-level inferior spirit weapons and can only be used as proof of identity for employees.”

Zhong Chengshuo curiously picked up a fountain pen, opened the cap, and took a look—except for a line of identification numbers engraved on it, the pen was no different from other fountain pens.

He turned the pen’s body and found a warning label on the pen holder: [A small probability the ink in the pen will turn blood red.]

Zhong Chengshuo: “…” Objectively speaking, this thing was pretty useless.

He put the pen back in place, speechless.

Yin Ren was holding a tape measure that would “100% cut your hands when pulled out”. “Then I’ll just take whatever…”

“No.” Xiang Jiang leaned against the entrance of the warehouse. “The spirit weapon has to respond to you, so it will be more difficult for the outside world to forge it.”

Yin Ren: “What if it doesn’t respond to me?”

Yin Ren suppressed his power thoroughly. For these spirit weapons, there was basically no difference between him and Zhong Chengshuo. Even the flesh figurine couldn’t detect his abnormality. If there was a spirit weapon that could detect his anomalies, then such a thing would never appear in this ghost of a place.

Xiang Jiang ignored him. “Walk back and forth along the shelf and see if there are any spirit weapons that resonate with you.”

Yin Ren had to pace slowly between the shelves. His mind had already drifted to the cafeteria in the park. It was almost 9 now, and he didn’t know what kind of breakfast Shian’s cafeteria would serve…

Just like that, Yin Ren wandered around the warehouse while counting all the dishes in his head.

“Ring ring ring—”

Yin Ren subconsciously touched his pocket. How weird. He should have muted his phone when he walked into the building earlier.

“Ring ring ring—”

A default ringtone from a cellphone came from the pile of debris. Yin Ren wasn’t sure if he was thinking too much, but the ringtone sounded slightly weak.

“Ring ring ring ring ring ring—”

The ringing kept going until he finally stopped in front of a pile of debris that looked like a mountain of garbage.

---

The author has something to say:

Xiao Zhong & Xiao Yin: This company of yours is really harmful. _(:з”∠)_

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Happy New Year.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 25: Living Together

Yin Ren had no concept of what a modern room was.

Zhong Chengshuo’s parents’ home was ordinary. It was small in size, had few furnishings, and was simple. Since Zhong Chengshuo was a person with few desires, Yin Ren guessed that his place would be similar in style.

As soon as the door to the home opened, Yin Ren stood frozen at the doorway.

‘…No wonder Zhong Chengshuo didn’t want to live in Shian’s dorm,’ Yin Ren thought.

Zhong Chengshuo lived in a community called Ping’an Manor. The building was relatively new, with lush greenery around, including a lake with multiple pavilions. The residence itself was about 130 square meters, and the door faced floor-to-ceiling windows.

The windows almost covered the entire wall. The floor Zhong Chengshuo lived on was neither too high nor too low, so it had an excellent view of the scene. The lush landscape nearby complimented the brightly lit buildings in the distance.

The home was comfortably warm, and the wooden floor was clean and heated. The decoration of the entire residence had a homely style to it, filled with the fragrance of life; there was even the smell of fresh flowers floating in the air.

The walnut furniture was paired with a variety of lush green plants, and the ghost standing in the corner added a touch of dark red, which complimented the entire space.

Yin Ren exclaimed, “The TV says that housing prices are expensive, so you are quite good.”

Zhong Chengshuo handed him a pair of slippers. “No, it’s because there are so many murders in this community that the price is very cheap.”

Yin Ren cast another glance at the ghost in the corner that seemed to be facing the wall and fell into contemplation.

Not to mention anything else, the lady in the corner was powerful, at least one level stronger than Mr. Rose—her long hair was covered with blood scabs, and her pajamas were dyed a dark red with blood. Evil qi was emanating everywhere from the female ghost. When she turned her head 180 degrees, a white eye could be seen peeking through the gap in her hair.

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t seem to notice her. “In terms of living, this is one of the safest communities in Haigu—many of the small apartments in the community are owned by police officers, forensic pathologists, or medical staff.”

Compared with a murder house, a mortgage was more terrifying.

Yin Ren stood in awe. “Why didn’t you buy a small apartment?”

“This one was cheaper,” Zhong Chengshuo replied solemnly.

Got it. Most likely, this home was a tragic crime scene.

Seeing Yin Ren still standing at the doorway, Zhong Chengshuo said, “You have special abilities. I don’t know if you can get used to it. If you really can’t stand it…”

“It’s fine. I just didn’t expect your house to be in this kind of style.”

How could he not stand it? Yin Ren wiped his face. From the moment he moved in, he was the strongest murderous presence in this home.

“I originally wanted to move my parents in to live together.” Zhong Chengshuo spoke as he hung his coat next to the ghost, whose bloodshot eyes kept following him. “They couldn’t bear leaving their old neighbors, so they were reluctant to move. Because of that… Well, I moved here first.”

“I understand.” Yin Ren glanced at the ghost from the corner of his eyes.

For some reason, when it came to this topic, the ghost suddenly exuded a strong sense of helplessness.

She turned her head and stared at the two of them for a while, but seeing that Yin Ren had no obvious reaction, she bitterly floated through the wall and left.

“This is your room. Let me know if you’re missing anything,” Zhong Chengshuo said as he opened the door.

The bedroom that Zhong Chengshuo had prepared for him wasn’t small. It was clean and warm, and there was even a vase full of fresh flowers on the table. The room had a separate bathroom, and the carpet in the room was exceptionally soft.

The large furniture in the room showed no signs of being used. This was probably the parents’ room that Zhong Chengshuo originally reserved for them.

The only catch was that this bedroom window faced the atrium, so it was exceptionally quiet. Yin Ren reluctantly glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, where the lights from outside were bright, creating a lively atmosphere.

The fabric sofa was wide and soft, so it was comfortable to lie on.

“Let’s go to the living room.”

Zhong Chengshuo hesitated for a bit before saying, “…Okay.”

Yin Ren got what he wanted as he stretched himself out on the sofa. “You’re the owner of the house, so is there anything I need to pay attention to?”

Zhong Chengshuo silently pointed to the decorative painting at the entrance. Only then did Yin Ren find out that this guy had even written down the covenants and hung them at the door—not to mention the handwriting was quite beautiful and it was even encased in a picture frame.

[“Co-living Agreement”]

[1. Division of housework: Zhong Chengshuo is responsible for shopping, cooking, and cleaning the room; Yin Ren is responsible for washing dishes and taking out the trash.]

[2. Daily expenses: Zhong Chengshuo is responsible for the expenses of food, water, electricity, and other daily expenses; Yin Ren is responsible for takeout, online shopping, and other activities done by the individual.]

[3. Precautions: put garbage in the trash cans, put dirty clothes in the laundry bin, clean the bathroom consciously after showering; please do not make loud noises after 23:00, please do not enter the private space of others without permission, and please do not eat strong-smelling food in public areas (including, but not limited to, durian, luosifen, stinky tofu, canned hearing, ect.)]

Yin Ren was silent. He thought that with Zhong Chengshuo’s character, he would come up with strange rules, but he didn’t expect them to be so loose. Well, there were a few things he cared about very much…

Yin Ren excitedly asked, “What’s takeout and online shopping?”

And he hadn’t tried any of the strong-smelling foods mentioned.

Zhong Chengshuo seemed to instinctively become aware of something, and his expression stiffened as he quickly tried changing the subject. “…We’ll talk about that later. Also, don’t move the things on the bookcase in the living room casually. I’ll put commonly used daily necessities outside.”

Only then did Yin Ren notice the bookcase.

He and Zhong Chengshuo stared at each other until the latter finally gave in. Zhong Chengshuo opened the cabinet slowly as his gaze became evasive.

The entire bookcase was exposed in front of Yin Ren’s eyes.

There were all kinds of books. Two-thirds of them were academic-related large books, which were interspersed with a number of history books, and the rest looked like novels. The books had traces that they’d been flipped through, so they weren’t just used for show.

The focus was on the inside cabinet door—it was full of SD cards and various discs, as well as two small boxes labeled PlayStation and Switch. From a glance, it was clear they were well organized by Zhong Chengshuo.

Zhong Chengshuo cautiously blocked half the front of the cabinet. “They are games and television-related things and are very fragile.”

Seeing Yin Ren’s eyes getting brighter, light traces of sweat started to form on Zhong Chengshuo’s forehead. He quickly shut the cabinet door. “These are all collections, and there’s a more convenient way to watch—what movie do you want to watch? You can use my tablet to log into my account.”

“Is there any that has humans fighting monsters?” Yin Ren’s attention was instantly drawn away.

Shian’s lounge was full of mild emotional films. He wanted to watch something practical, at least to get an idea of the public’s thoughts and reactions to monsters.

Zhong Chengshuo rushed to his bedroom, shut the door for a while, then ran out with a tablet.

There was a note attached to the back that specifically listed the recommended viewing order for series like <Godzilla> and <Alien>. Next to the tablet was a headphone case that exuded a faint smell of alcohol.

“I’m going to sleep. If you want to watch, please use the headphones.”

Zhong Chengshuo bent down in front of Yin Ren and stretched out his hand.

He held his breath, gently brushed away Yin Ren’s hair, and carefully put on the left earphone for Yin Ren. Zhong Chengshuo’s fingertips were warm. He lightly stroked Yin Ren’s ears, causing his long hair to shake lightly.

He didn’t seem to like the idea of skin-to-skin contact, as his movements were too cautious, as if Yin Ren were some kind of snow statue that would break at first touch.

Zhong Chengshuo’s face was so close that Yin Ren couldn’t help but look into those dark eyes. At this distance, he could hear the other party’s somewhat fast heartbeat—looking at the man’s taut face, it was probably due to tension.

“Don’t worry. I won’t touch your treasures casually,” Yin Ren thoughtfully stated. “If there’s something I don’t understand or am curious about, I’ll definitely go to you first.”

He also wanted to tell Zhong Chengshuo that this “harmless partner” worked for a long time and didn’t intend to dwell on such trivial matters.

Zhong Chengshuo pursed his lips. “Thank you for your understanding.”

“So, what exactly are takeout and online shopping?” Yin Ren asked with enthusiasm.

……

2:00 a.m.

Zhong Chengshuo had shown Yin Ren how to register, and by the time he finished explaining how to use the food delivery app, it was already close to 1:00 a.m. He yawned and went to bed, not forgetting to close his bedroom door.

Yin Ren was lying on the sofa while watching a movie.

In order to ensure a comfortable posture, he specially grew a bony ghost hand to fix the tablet in front of his face. His black hair was floating midair, transforming into a mercury-like texture, and covered the takeout he had bought.

After all, given his current posture, it wasn’t good for eating, so Yin Ren didn’t mind using another mouth to eat.

Not wanting to disturb the sleeping Zhong Chengshuo, Yin Ren turned off the lights in the living room, which made the splendid lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows even more conspicuous. With the window slightly open, the breeze swayed the plants inside.

The scenery around him was peaceful and quiet, while what was shown on the small screen was thrilling. Yin Ren relaxed his entire body and stared at the tablet without even blinking.

In the corner, where the moonlight didn’t shine, a pool of dark blood oozed from the wall. As the bloodstain expanded, a human head slowly surfaced.

It was the ghost just now. She had appeared in the corner again. The ghost leaned half her body out, looked around with a bloodied face, and locked her gaze on Yin Ren.

Then she let out a shrill scream that ripped the clouds apart.

The scream pierced Yin Ren’s ears through the headphones. He was at the high point of the movie. At the climax, he was shocked by the scream and saw a ghostly hand slip down in front of him, causing him to smack the plate, sending it flying into his face. The hair that was gnawing on the duck’s neck almost choked on the bone.

“What are you—?!” The ghost suddenly moved back a few steps and shivered as she pointed to Yin Ren’s ghost hand and hair.

She even glanced at Zhong Chengshuo’s bedroom as if she wanted to rush in and complain.

The ghost even had the ability to speak, which was exceptional among evil creatures, but unfortunately, she met the wrong opponent.

Yin Ren unhappily moved the tablet away and removed his headphones. He carefully lowered his voice. “Miss, I’m trying to watch a movie.”

Female ghost: “…” Aren’t you missing the point?

Female ghost: “I’m warning you. Don’t mess around. I’m registered with Shian!”

Yin Ren took out his work ID from under the cushion and shook it at the female ghost. “What a coincidence. So am I.”

Since Zhong Chengshuo was a living human, it was good to be cautious, but for ghosts that could go through walls, Yin Ren could tighten his guard if he really wanted to hide. He could pretend to be perfect, but just because he wanted to stay in Shian didn’t mean he wanted to constantly live in fear.

It was better to just “greet” this ghost in advance.

The world in the eyes of evil beings was usually distorted, so their testimony was difficult to take seriously. Evil beings hardly even communicated with each other, let alone doing things like gossip. Yin Ren wasn’t worried about this ghost leaking secrets.

Sure enough, when she saw his work ID, the female ghost became silent.

After a while, the fierce ghost changed into pajamas, reverted her face back to normal, and her dirty hair became clean. She twirled her hair and continued to hide in the corner. “Who are you to Zhong Chengshuo?”

This was probably the ghost’s friendly mode. In this way, except for her pale skin, she looked like a normal woman who was about 26–27 years old.

“I’m his colleague. Who are you?” Yin Ren asked curiously.

He had just watched <Ghost> at Shian and wondered if he had bumped into the real-life version.

“This house used to be mine. It’s all bad luck, so let’s not mention it.” The ghost clicked her tongue loudly.

“I just have nothing to do in my spare time. When I heard someone was moving in, I stopped to take a look—anyway, that kid, surnamed Zhong, can’t see me. I just usually, ahem, stop by to watch movies and dramas.”

Yin Ren: “…” He felt there was some underlying connotation to this.

“Yin Ren, right? It’s good you’re from Shian.” The female ghost was still talking. “My name is Hu Tao. I’m a ghost that’s bound here. Now, I live in the empty home next door…”

“Isn’t this your house?”

“Why would I live with a stranger who’s a single man? How inconvenient.” Hu Tao snorted. “My life is gone, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still be particular.”

Although the ghost was powerful, she seemed relatively sober. Yin Ren didn’t know if Shian had used some means on her.

Yin Ren stood up while lost in thought and went to the refrigerator to grab a drink.

Zhong Chengshuo had already cleaned up the fridge in advance, putting the fruit drinks on a separate layer, and then dividing them neatly into two sections. Yin Ren grabbed a bottle of sugar-free yogurt drink, took a sip, and wrinkled his face in sourness.

He glanced around and saw an apple on the table.

The apple was bright and red, with a regular outline and no damage to the skin. It was placed in a white porcelain dish that sat against the wall, and it exuded a unique, sweet aroma of apples.

Although there were lots of apples in the fridge, Yin Ren didn’t bother to open it again and instead stretched out his hand at the table…

“I suggest you leave that alone,” Hu Tao said.

Yin Ren’s hand stopped in midair.

“Zhong Chengshuo always puts an apple here and changes it every day. It’s weird,” the ghost commented affectionately. “He seems to take the matter very seriously. You’d better eat the ones in the fridge.”

“Is this… an offering?” This was Yin Ren’s first reaction, but this wasn’t something someone like Zhong Chengshuo would do, so he was a little surprised.

“Who knows. I’m the strongest in this community, but it’s not for me. I don’t get him at all.” Hu Tao looked at the red apple greedily. “Ugh, I also want to eat it too.”

Yin Ren took another apple from the fridge and was holding it in his mouth. Hu Tao looked away in pain. “Okay, I’ll leave first. Since you can see me, I’ll knock on the wall first next time I come.”

With that, the ghost Hu Tao shrank into the wall, leaving half of her head exposed.

“Oh, yes. When you watch a TV show, remember to knock on the wall and call me—”

Yin Ren waved his hand and agreed.

He returned to the sofa and continued to watch his movie.

……

Early the next morning.

Zhong Chengshuo finished washing up and opened the bedroom door, as if he suspected an enemy was on the other side.

He took away the apple from the table and replaced it with a fresh one. After completing all this, Zhong Chengshuo held the apple in his left hand and a sharp fruit knife in his right hand and stopped two steps away from the sofa.

As he expected, Yin Ren didn’t go back to his room honestly—the man was sleeping on the sofa, wrapped in a thin blanket; his long hair draped over it, almost touching the floor.

But there were also things he hadn’t expected.

It was clear that Yin Ren had ordered takeout last night. Zhong Chengshuo recognized the bags from the nearby braised duck and skewers shop, but they were all neatly packed up.

There were no leftovers on the table, no suspicious oil stains or crumbs, and the room didn’t smell too bad. The finished skewers and bones were tied up in plastic bags and put away in the takeout bags, and the empty drink cans were neatly organized. Even Yin Ren’s socks were folded up and placed in one of the slippers.

The tablet was tightly hugged in Yin Ren’s arms. It was clear that he was very satisfied with his movie night.

Zhong Chengshuo approached lightly, slowly pulled out the tablet, and placed it on the small table by the sofa. Yin Ren smacked his lips and turned over lazily.

The curtains weren’t drawn, so the early morning sunlight slanted into the room, illuminating the tips of Yin Ren’s hair. The light white blanket reflected off the yellow color, making it appear extra soft.

Zhong Chengshuo’s movements stagnated.

As Yin Ren turned over, a vague smell emanated from his body. The smell didn’t belong to the house, but it smelled good, like fine, fragrant wood that could only be found in high-end stores.

Zhong Chengshuo got closer, leaned down, and lightly sniffed.

It wasn’t his illusion.

Zhong Chengshuo tilted his head and looked at Yin Ren for a while. During this period, his slender fingers on his right hand moved unconsciously, turning the knife several times between his fingers.

“Yin Ren.” After standing quietly for a few minutes, Zhong Chengshuo took a few steps back and suddenly spoke.

Lord Ghost King was bleary-eyed. “…Hm?”

“Do you want to eat boiled corn or steamed stuffed buns?”

Yin Ren sat upright. “What kind of stuffed buns?”

“Pork and green onions, or lamb and carrots, with boiled eggs, soy milk, and apples.” With a snap, Zhong Chengshuo cut the apple in half.

“Lamb and carrots!” Yin Ren stated happily and rushed into the bathroom to wash up.

Zhong Chengshuo picked up the apron on the hanger. The brown apron had the words “Dangerous Person” printed on it and looked clean without even a single wrinkle.

“Movie…” Zhong Chengshuo tied his apron as he spoke. “How was the movie last night?”

“I found a few to watch, but they were all pretty similar.” Yin Ren’s answer was muffled as he was brushing his teeth. “The monster doesn’t consider the subsequent quality of life, runs to the human side to wreak havoc, and then the main characters achieve family, love, or friendship. Haa, how uneconomical.”

“I see.”

“I like <Alien> the most,” Yin Ren said.

“Why?”

“……”

Yin Ren was silent for a moment before he spat out the foam in his mouth. He raised his head and looked at himself in the mirror.

“Because it knows that camouflage and concealment are the most effective when it hasn’t grown up yet.”

Zhong Chengshuo didn’t reply.

In the midst of the silence, the ringtones of two cellphones sounded simultaneously.

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The author has something to say:

I didn’t mean to say that the Godzilla series isn’t good—_(:з”∠)_

Congratulations to Comrade Xiao Yin for acquiring “takeout” and “online shopping”, the two strongest skills of modern people!

Xiao Zhong: Don’t order luosifen. Please don’t order luosifen—

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Kinky Thoughts:

My thoughts when Yin Ren looked at the apple was… is he going to eat a fake apple?

For those who didn’t get the reference of why Yin Ren said he likes Alien best… Well, you can read the Wikipedia for the movies to get the plot (the first movie is good enough and also contains a very infamous scene). Warning, it’s bloody and gory.

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 24: His Parents

Fu Xingchuan returned to the office half-dead and fell face down on the sofa.

“You suspended tracking on the Evil Spirit?” Smelling the smell of smoke, Professor Li opened the window.

“Well, it’s been a week, and we found no trace of it. We still have to investigate, but we’re pulling back the manpower.” Fu Xingchuan turned his head with difficulty. “Eh, your screen…”

Minister Fu’s eyes were good. He was able to read the words “Files of Death Row Prisoners in Haigu” on Professor Li’s phone screen.

The page stopped at a photo of a man and woman.

They were upright-looking, both under 30. Compared with the other prisoners’ sluggish and sinister look, those two people in the photo looked quite relaxed; they were smiling softly and casually.

“Haa, why did you suddenly think of this? What about checking on the newcomer’s household registry?”

“I’m just looking at the information on file. Strictly speaking, Zhong Chengshuo said it was not in their household registry.” Professor Li closed the archives. “His biological parents were captured by his adoptive parents. I don’t know how much Zhong Chengshuo knows.”

The infamous serial killers, Wei Huaxian and Kong Miao, were executed according to the law more than 20 years ago.

The two were lovers. They were cunning and acted with extreme cruelty, and their bad influence was widespread. They were finally captured when Kong Miao made a mistake during the cooperation between the two due to recently giving birth. According to the records from the Haigu Public Security Bureau, in this case, Cheng Xuehua, the former chief of the Haigu Criminal Police Division, and Zhong Youde, the former deputy captain, made great contributions.

“Xiao Zhong shouldn’t have access to this file.” Fu Xingchuan yawned. “I’ve also interrogated that at the beginning. Xiao Zhong respects his adoptive parents. There’s no doubt about this.”

“Well, I’m just a little curious.”

At the same time, in Xizhao District, Zhong Chengshuo’s parents’ home.

An old lady carried a large pot of stewed meat and potatoes to the table. There were braised trotters, steamed beer, and sweet and sour fish already on the dining table. Small dishes like scrambled eggs with leeks and stuffed lotus roots were there as well. The dining room wasn’t large, and the aroma of home-cooked food filled the area.

In the kitchen, an old man was still busy over a stove. The lid on the pot on top of the stove was gurgling as if it would boil over at any moment.

Zhong Chengshuo stood still in the kitchen like a decoration.

“Dad, why don’t I come help?” He asked carefully.

“Fuck off. You know shit. There’s no oil and sauce in any of your dishes.” The old man’s voice was like a great bell. “Thirty years, Zhong Chengshuo! Did you know that if you bring friends over, your father has to show off?”

“But I’m not even 30 years old…”

“Ah, you’re picking a fight with your father?” Zhong Youde’s eyes widened. “Okay, okay. I remember that you have a light taste. I’ll make you something clear later.”

Zhong Chengshuo’s entire body was silent, as if he were frozen solid. He continued to stand in the kitchen while handling the plates from time to time.

At the table, even though the food in front of him was full of delicacies, Yin Ren also didn’t dare move either. He tried to stand up to help, but Zhong Chengshuo’s mother pushed him back to the chair.

The old lady was sitting opposite of him. Right now, it looked as if he was being interrogated with some kind of weird enthusiasm. If it weren’t for the old lady’s lack of killing intent, Yin Ren thought he would be skinned alive just by her eyes.

“Are you two colleagues?” Cheng Xuehua’s gaze was burning.

“Yes, we entered about the same time in Shian,” Yin Ren obediently answered.

“How long have you two known each other?”

“About a week.”

“A week and you’re already living together?” The old lady’s tone was deep.

Yin Ren: “…The company requires it.”

This was really a requirement of Shian’s. In order to facilitate operations, the core partners of each investigation team had to live together. They could live in Shian’s dorm for free, but they were both reluctant.

Although Yin Ren liked Shian, he didn’t really want to live under their noses all the time. Zhong Chengshuo said he had a house in Xizhao District, so he thought that was a more convenient place.

Fang Yuanyuan responded to this by saying, “In this case, the company also has relevant plans. You can choose to live in your own residence, but Yin Ren also needs to move in.”

Zhong Chengshuo said blankly, “Ah, this is a bit…”

Fang Yuanyuan: “During Yin Ren’s stay, Shian will give you a monthly co-living subsidy of 10,000 yuan.”

Zhong Chengshuo: “Okay, I understand. I’ll go back tonight and clean up.”

Thus, Yin Ren, who was temporarily “homeless”, was led to Zhong Chengshuo’s parents’ home. Yin Ren was still suffering from amnesia and couldn’t be left alone, and Zhong Chengshuo’s parents were not far from his residence.

According to the plan, Zhong Chengshuo would prepare his room while Yin Ren was guided by the two elders to prepare his daily necessities, then he would move into Zhong Chengshuo’s residence in the evening.

This plan shouldn’t have included such a big meal. For those not in the know, they would think that the Zhong family was celebrating New Year’s in advance.

Seeing that the old lady was silent, Yin Ren quickly added, “Chengshuo and I need to go into the field often, so living together saves time.”

He didn’t know why, but the old lady’s expression became subtly disappointed.

“Field? Then you two better pay attention to safety,” she said sadly. “It’s okay to come and play often. Auntie and uncle always welcome it.”

“Of course.”

“Hey, hey, do you guys move around a lot in this position?”

“Not often. As long as Zhong Chengshuo doesn’t change jobs, we’ll always be partners.” Yin Ren made sure of that.

“That’s good. Here, Xiao Yin, join this group. It’ll make it convenient to contact in normal times.”

Yin Ren obediently scanned the code to join the group and then looked dumbfounded…

[Love Each Other Like Family (5)]

Yin Ren: “…” Is this appropriate? Isn’t Zhong Chengshuo’s parents being too enthusiastic towards a new colleague?

The old lady seemed to have read his mind as she sighed to herself. “Xiao Zhong isn’t stupid, but he hasn’t had many friends since he was a child. Young man, you don’t know, but this is the first time he has brought a living adult back with him.”

Lord Ghost King was speechless for a moment.

Little miss, you don’t know, but I’m neither considered living nor human, so the truth will only disappoint you.

The old lady was still chattering on. “My son has no bad intentions, but he’s just too stubborn and can’t behave. Xiao Yin, take care of yourself. If he gets out of line, Auntie will scold him for you!”

Yin Ren smiled awkwardly. “Okay, will do, Auntie. Don’t worry, we got along fine before.”

The old lady then left the table feeling satisfied.

Yin Ren breathed a sigh of relief and clicked on the group chat he had just been added to. Together with him, there were five members of the group. Except for Zhong Chengshuo, who Yin Ren was familiar with, there were three other accounts he didn’t recognize.

One had an avatar of the calligraphy character “德*” and was named “Lao Zhong”. This was probably Zhong Chengshuo’s father.

*Virtue.

Another had an avatar of an enlarged snowflake with the name “Peace is a Blessing”… It was probably that sharp-eyed lady just now.

The remaining one didn’t look like it belonged to the elderly.

It was an avatar of an orange with human eyes and mouth, and the expression looked subtly annoying. The name next to it was “Fear The Maple”. Yin Ren clicked on the avatar and took a closer look. The owner of the account was a woman, and her personal signature showed: “Let’s go and get rid of evildoers*!”

*(为民除害) Idiom referring to eradicating disasters for the common people.

Perhaps this was Zhong Chengfeng, the sister who had “passed away a long time ago” that Zhong Chengshuo told him about.

Yin Ren silently closed WeChat and continued to contemplate at the table.

Zhong Chengshuo’s father was a man of his word. Even though the table was full of meat and fish, he cooked two extra dishes, one vegetarian and one meat, for Zhong Chengshuo. Zhong Chengshuo sat down next to Yin Ren with a strange vigilance on his face.

Even when he was facing Gao Mengyu’s “cat”, Zhong Chengshuo had never had such an expression.

Was it possible that this family had other secrets? Yin Ren became nervous. He politely declined Zhong Youde’s invitation to “have a drink together” and his chopsticks were more reserved than usual. He only dared to pick up small pieces of vegetables.

But the Zhong family didn’t let him off.

“Look at Xiao Yin. He’s so polite and speaks so well. It’s obvious he’s well educated,” Zhong Youde praised loudly.

“Yes, he’s so handsome too. I have seen many people, but I have never seen someone as handsome as him,” The old lady—Cheng Xuehua—sincerely lamented.

Zhong Chengshuo glanced at the two old people and wanted to say something.

Cheng Xuehua ignored her son. “Xiao Yin, do you have any brothers or sisters that you can introduce to our Xiao Zhong?”

Zhong Chengshuo wrinkled his face. “Mom…”

“Uh, I’m the only one in my family.” Yin Ren’s smile twitched a little.

He really had no younger siblings. There were a few “older siblings” that were well classified by Shian, but he was afraid that was something Zhong Chengshuo wouldn’t want to know… Wait, why was there a “brother” in her words just now?

Seeing Yin Ren’s natural performance, Cheng Xuehua continued to speak, “Auntie is just asking. Are you single? Do you like men or women?”

“Mom—?!”

Yin Ren: “…” Okay. Now he understood. No wonder Zhong Chengshuo was so nervous just now.

“Mom what? Your father and I are about to be buried six feet underground. Can’t we worry about you?” Cheng Xuehua snorted angrily.

Then she turned to Yin Ren and spoke like a spring breeze. “Xiao Yin, don’t take it personally. Auntie is just making a joke. After all, this kid isn’t enlightened. There are only three basic requirements—they’re alive, of legal age to marry, and younger than us.”

In fact, he only fulfilled “of legal age to marry”, but this was something that outsiders weren’t privy to. Yin Ren laughed awkwardly and changed the subject. “I don’t mind. Ah, Uncle, your ribs are delicious…”

The two old interrogators were in good spirits and soon the atmosphere became harmonious. Zhong Chengshuo almost won the “most misfit” award.

Fortunately, Zhong Chengshuo ate steadily and quickly and decisively ended the battle. “I’ll go back and clean up the house.”

Zhong Youde: “Okay. Do you have enough blankets and towels? Why don’t you bring some from home?”

“I have enough,” Zhong Chengshuo answered and quickly fled.

The old lady rolled her eyes, but there was a smile in her tone. “Look at him. I don’t know who he takes after.”

Yin Ren didn’t dare to eat more. He only symbolically added a bowl of rice, then quickly rushed into the kitchen to wash the dishes. If he hadn’t tried his best to stop them, Zhong Chengshuo’s parents would have dragged him to the supermarket to make some big purchases.

The two of them chatted while packing things. Zhong Youde sighed several times. “We don’t mind if Zhong Chengshuo finds a man, as long as he likes him.” …It could be seen that the old couple was heartbroken thinking that “Zheng Chengshuo would be alone”.

The old woman was too imposing, and her eyes were too sharp. Yin Ren didn’t dare relax for even a moment, lest he reveal something that shouldn’t be exposed.

It was no wonder Zhong Chengshuo moved out, Yin Ren thought helplessly. If he knew about this in advance, he would have fought to help clean the house with Zhong Chengshuo. In all senses, this place had put him in dire straits.

He didn’t know if his helplessness was felt by the heavens as his phone suddenly vibrated.

[Final Fruit: Good luck 🙂]

[Fruit Knife: …How long do you need to clean up? What the hell are you cleaning up for?!]

[Final Fruit: To prepare your room.]

[Fruit Knife: Brother, hurry up. Your parents are too powerful. You don’t need to prepare another room if you linger any longer. By that time, I’ll have to get a marriage certificate with you, yes?]

[Final Fruit: I know 💔]

Zhong Chengshuo let out a long sigh and put the phone back in his pocket.

He wasn’t at his residence but was standing in front of an old building with a heavy black leather bag. The building’s red bricks were full of holes, the walls were covered with overgrown roots, and the door was rusted and had countless scratches on it.

This was a private warehouse in the old town, so most of the nearby facilities were dilapidated. The few surveillance cameras that were there were mainly just for decorations, as they were broken 364 out of the 365 days.

Zhong Chengshuo entered the warehouse with ease and opened a secret door leading underground.

The room was about forty square meters on the ground floor. It had no windows, and it was pitch black inside. Zhong Chengshuo pressed a switch, causing the darkness to dissipate like a receding tide and the contents to be revealed like a reef.

Though the light in the room wasn’t bright, it was enough to see an overview.

On both sides of the ring were multi-layer shelves. Stainless steel round cans the size of a person’s head were neatly placed on them. Each had a handwritten label on it, and it was roughly estimated that there were about 50 of them. There was a long table in the middle of the room with a computer and an office chair—two spare chairs were stacked in the corner next to a sofa and refrigerator.

The wall facing the door was probably the liveliest part of the room.

The wall was covered with whiteboards, on which countless reports, articles, and photos were hung. They were connected by a red thread, making the wall look as if it was covered with a red spiderweb.

In the corner of the “spiderweb”, a newspaper clipping was immersed in the shadows.

“The Case of the Extraordinary Serial Killers in Haigu”.

Below the headline, the young faces of two serial killers were shown.

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The author has something to say:

Hee hee (?

Xiao Zhong grew up in a healthy family, to the point of being too healthy (x

Xiao Zhong: I can guarantee that my partner has reached the legal age of marriage. Other things… are not guaranteed…

Xiao Yin: Indeed (sad)

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