“Chen Ping himself...”
“Dead. He died from a high-altitude fall a year ago. The death notification and body identification were all handled by our people.”
“Could someone else be impersonating him? Plastic surgery, or some kind of disguise?”
“While cosmetic surgery is advanced, it cannot alter the shape of the skull.
The traces inspection section used the country’s most advanced facial recognition and comparison system. It can perform precise comparisons with an accuracy rate far exceeding 99.999%.
After comparing it well over a hundred times, the face in the surveillance footage is indeed Chen Ping.”
“What about the eyewitnesses at the scene?”
“There are two witnesses who claimed to have ‘encountered a ghost.’ One is Zhang Yue, an employee of an advertising company on the seventeenth floor of Hongxing Mansion, and the other is Wang Lei, a delivery rider for a certain food delivery platform.
According to the witness Zhang Yue, she did indeed see Chen Ping’s ghost in Hongxing Mansion, and she also saw a strange woman dressed in ancient costume.”
“A woman in ancient costume? Is there any connection between her and the Chen Ping incident?”
“Our people are investigating. Detailed information regarding that part will be distributed to everyone later.”
“Could it be that Chen Ping isn’t dead?”
“As soon as the video started blowing up, our people went to Chen Ping’s home to confirm.
Based on the DNA comparison between extracts from his ashes and Chen Ping’s parents and daughter, Chen Ping is undeniably dead.”
“Then is it possible that this Chen Ping has a twin brother who went missing years ago?”
“We retrieved the birth records from the hospital where Chen Ping was born, as well as his mother’s prenatal checkup files.
We also took a statement from the doctor who performed the prenatal checkups on Chen Ping’s mother. That possibility is extremely low.”
Ma Mingyuan replied methodically:
“Additionally, let me remind you: even if they were identical twins, the facial comparison system would be able to distinguish between them.”
“So are you telling me I should believe Chen Ping truly came back from the dead?”
At the conference table, a slightly balding man of similar age clenched his fist.
“Whatever the possibility, my recommendation is to first secure Hongxing Mansion to prevent civilian casualties.
Also, the surveillance footage must be kept strictly confidential to avoid inciting panic among the public.”
There had been precedents before.
One year, rumors of a “zombie outbreak” had spread in a neighboring province. Panic ensued, and the public began hoarding glutinous rice and paper money en masse, with many even turning to superstitious activities.
—In the end, it was discovered to be nothing more than an internet rumor, yet the damage it caused was all too real.
Throughout that entire year, the leadership in the neighboring province had undergone a reshuffle, and the newly appointed leaders lost a great deal of hair from stress.
“If possible, I wouldn’t want to believe it either,” Ma Mingyuan said with a wry smile. “The video has already leaked. Even before this, similar supernatural videos were already circulating online.
The rumors of ‘the dead coming back to life’ and ‘a vengeful ghost seeking revenge’ are fermenting far faster than expected.
Although our cyber police have been working overtime, a small portion of the footage still made its way out.”
Someone beside him chimed in:
“After receiving the video, our people immediately sealed off the building under the pretext of a ‘gas leak.’
But we cannot keep it locked down for too long, or it will only exacerbate panic among the surrounding populace.”
“In other words, no one else could be in the building?”
A woman in a police uniform raised her hand to signal.
“I suggest that since the source of the incident is this ‘Chen Ping,’ we should start our investigation with him.
As the People’s Police, when someone cries grievance, we cannot just ignore it. I apply to make official contact with ‘Chen Ping’!”
“Comrade Qin Yue is right.”
Ma Mingyuan looked at the woman, a faint smile of approval on his face.
“Without investigation, there is no credibility.
Whether we are dealing with a human or a ghost, as soon as someone threatens the lives and property of the people, it becomes our duty to step in.
I propose that we form a special task force to make contact with this ‘Chen Ping’ and see what his demands are.”
“I disagree! Who will guarantee the safety of our comrades?”
The man who had objected earlier slammed the table.
“If you ask me, we should just tear the building down! Have the military bring in two artillery pieces and shell the whole place. Whatever monsters and demons are inside, it’ll wipe them out clean!
To the public, we can just say it was a military exercise. Before long, no one will even be talking about it.”
“Old Hao, watch your behavior. Are you a bandit? The mayor and political commissar are both here, cough cough.”
Ma Mingyuan coughed, shooting him a warning look.
Bringing artillery to open fire in a downtown area?
Are you tired of wearing that uniform?
Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t say such a thing.
Not to mention how much tax revenue that building brought to the city’s treasury each year.
Even if they could do that, the mayor would never agree.
“Yes, quite right.”
The vice mayor, who had been observing quietly without speaking, seemed to snap back to reality and nodded hastily.
“It’s better to make contact first, make contact and investigate clearly.
I agree with Director Ma’s suggestion to form a special task force. As for operational funds from the municipal government, I will go to Director Zhao to get the approval slip signed.
We must ensure the safety of our grassroots comrades, and at the same time, we must never let the property and safety of the people suffer any loss!”
“Good!”
Striking while the iron was hot, Ma Mingyuan named several individuals:
“Then Qin Yue will lead the team, with Zhou Nansheng and Xu Xiao in charge of logistics and command. As for the rest, you can take your pick from all the talent in Director Man’s bureau.
If there aren't enough hands, I’ll swallow my pride and go to other cities to request personnel to back you up!”
Qin Yue stood up and snapped a crisp, textbook salute.
“Mission will be accomplished!”
Firm and enthusiastic applause broke out in the conference room.
...
Nan Zhi had no idea what others were doing in the same city at that very moment.
She was sprawled on the ground, arching her waist and stretching her body like a cat.
Tonight, the moonlight was exceptionally bright.
The round lunar disk hung high in the sky, its pristine moonlight cascading into the room like water.
Wisp after wisp of ethereal Moon Essence condensed into fine strands before drifting into the crown of Nan Zhi’s head.
If a cultivator were present, they would surely cry out in astonishment.
Condensation of Moon Essence—a Natural Spirit Body!
Since ancient times, countless individuals who cultivated by drawing upon the essence of the sun and moon had to toil for months just to condense a single strand of it.
Even then, it required astronomical timing, geographic advantage, and human harmony.
Missing even one would result in failure.
Yet Nan Zhi was merely a novice who had barely stepped onto the path of cultivation, a Qi Refinement cultivator, yet she could effortlessly condense Moon Essence.
The moon said nothing.
It simply hung gently in the night sky as always.
Nan Zhi stretched her back again and let out a lazy yawn.
—She had already slept once.
Ever since she began cultivating, not only was she brimming with energy every day, but the amount of sleep she required seemed to have decreased significantly.
In the past, even after ten hours of sleep, she would wake up feeling sore all over.
Now, cultivating while sleeping, she only needed four hours of rest to feel fully refreshed and full of drive.
Cultivating felt amazing.
No wonder novel protagonists loved cultivating so much.
As Nan Zhi concluded her cultivation session, a layer of dark, greasy grime coated her pores, as usual.
It was waste comprised of dead skin and impurities expelled from her body.
A little bit every day, day by day.
Nan Zhi had already gotten into the habit of taking a shower upon waking up.
After she finished showering, Corn, perched inside an oversized hamster ball, rolled over while hugging Nan Zhi’s phone to its chest.
“Squeak squeak squeak!!”
Drying her hair, Nan Zhi found it somewhat odd.
“New messages at this hour? Doesn’t anyone sleep?”
She opened WeChat, which displayed a red “99+”, and was surprised to find that the night owls in the company group chat were all wide awake.
To be precise, they hadn’t even gone to sleep yet.
“Holy crap! Hongxing Mansion got sealed off completely. They're saying there's a nearby gas leak and they need to inspect the pipelines or whatever.”
“Come on, it's obviously haunted. The boss on the twenty-seventh floor is scared out of his wits. For the past few days, his Moments have been full of incense-burning and praying to Buddha. He even went to Lingyin Temple and collected 250 likes on Moments to pray for blessings.”
“For real? I didn't believe it before, but now I’m kind of spooked.”
“Wait, if the building is sealed, do we still have to go to work tomorrow?”
“It’s completely locked down, how are you gonna get in? Climb the wall? Aren't you afraid of running into a ghost? (Screenshot of the female ghost with small feet)”
“Damn, how do you still have that video? Mine got 404ed!”
“I can't sleep at all tonight. Wonder if the folks at the gaming company are asleep yet? (Tears of joy emoji)”
Hongxing Mansion had been sealed off?
Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly.
She was not surprised at all; rather, it gave her a sense of affirmation, as if saying, just as expected.
From the very beginning, she had never intended for Chen Ping to seek justice solely by scaring people.
Rate on N.U.
