Without the slightest hesitation.
Qin Yue tapped her earpiece communicator, stared at the glass pane, and commanded in a cold voice, “Don't panic. Continue executing the first operational plan.”
“Copy that!”
“Copy that!”
Following the acknowledgments, the PA system in the office ceiling was activated, and Qin Yue's forceful, resonant voice rang out:
“Comrade Chen Ping, hello. I am Qin Yue, Captain of the special task force for the Hongxing Mansion incident from the Qianli City Criminal Investigation Detachment.
Please believe that we harbor no malice; we only wish to communicate and negotiate with you.”
Behind the blast-resistant glass, all remained silent.
Of course, Qin Yue did not expect to convince him with just a few words.
At her signal, someone launched a remote-controlled drone carrying documents, which landed precisely on the floor.
“Comrade Chen Ping, following our investigation, we found significant questionable points regarding your case.
The organization located the third-party agency that produced the original inspection report and questioned the property management personnel and the head of the game company, reconstructing the truth behind the incident.
I can roughly guess your grievances, but please trust me and trust the state—we will definitely give you an explanation and see justice done.”
A computer sitting in the office suddenly powered on by itself, its screen flickering at extreme speed as if heralding something.
It worked.
Qin Yue's eyes lit up, and she pressed her advantage:
“I know that since you have been trapped here all this time, you must be very eager to know how your family is doing.
So, can we trust each other for now and have a brief chat?”
On the computer, a text document opened. The keys hopped with agility, slowly typing out a few lines:
【We can.】
【But first, I want to know how my wife and daughter are doing.】
Success! Communication was established!!
In the operations room, many people embraced tightly and bumped fists.
This update was immediately sent to the higher-ups. In just two or three seconds, Qin Yue received their reply:
Agree to its demands—or rather, agree to his.
Qin Yue glanced at the document handed over by an assistant beside her, which was filled with carefully compiled questions drafted after extensive deliberation.
“Comrade Chen Ping, your wife currently works as a sales representative at a cosmetics company. She is in good health and faces no financial hardships in life.
Your daughter, Chen Xi, just started seventh grade this year. She studies very hard and was admitted to the local No. 3 Middle School.
Furthermore, she is an outstanding member of the Young Pioneers and a prospective Communist Youth League member. Everyone likes her.”
Qin Yue replied gently, trying her best to make her voice sound warm and approachable.
Then, following the priority ranking of the questions, she posed the first one:
“Comrade Chen Ping, you have suffered. How do you feel right now?”
The keyboard produced a string of garbled characters.
What did this mean?
Qin Yue furrowed her brows.
...
【,/@＃-:-/ʌ＃@@＃;｛-】
At that simple greeting, Chen Ping's tears nearly spilled over.
—Of course, assuming he still had tears to shed.
Ever since he became a ghost, no one had cared about him.
The motherland hadn't abandoned him!
Not only did they refrain from trying to exorcise him immediately, but they even asked if he was doing well!
Chen Ping wished he could howl at the top of his lungs to vent the overwhelming surge of emotion inside him.
In his agitation, his severed arm had rolled across the keyboard, producing that line of garbled characters.
Chen Ping wiped away nonexistent tears and continued tapping on the keyboard:
【I get hungry easily. It's cold. I'm never full, and I frequently lose my sanity.】
【I kept wanting to crush sparrows and insects, constantly craving the sight of blood.】
【However, that was all in the past. I'm much better now.】
【I swear I haven't killed anyone. At most, I just taught a lesson to a foul-mouthed young man.】
In the past?
Qin Yue keenly detected the discrepancy in Chen Ping's words and immediately tossed out a new question:
“Did something change about you? Could you tell me if, during your time in this building, you encountered any other... beings like yourself?”
Can I talk about that?
Chen Ping hesitated, but upon further reflection, the Female Ghost who helped him earlier hadn't explicitly forbidden him from telling anyone.
Besides, in his current state, clinging tightly to the state's coattails was his only real way out.
Perhaps he could even render some meritorious service—not to enrich his household, but merely hoping the authorities would look after his wife and daughter a bit more.
Thinking this, Chen Ping immediately poured out everything he knew like beans from a tipped bamboo cylinder:
【There are very few ghosts in this building. Mostly, there's formless Yin energy that dissipates when exposed to sunlight.】
【As for actual ghosts, I've met two.】
【One is called Old Ghost. He died earlier than me and knows a lot more. He can hitch a ride on living people to move around freely, going wherever he pleases.】
【He told me there is no Underworld at all in this world. When people die, they are simply dead. Some turn into Yin energy, some dissipate entirely, and only a tiny fraction turn into ghosts.】
【Ghosts don't have much companionship with each other. Greater Ghosts eat lesser ghosts, and lesser ghosts consume Yin energy, just like big fish eating small fish.】
【The other one...】
【The other one...】
At this point, the text on the screen stopped.
The researchers furiously taking notes let out a collective “Huh?”, looking up in confusion.
Evidently, they didn't understand why Chen Ping had abruptly stopped typing.
Had the connection dropped?
Qin Yue looked at He Xiaoyi, who shook his head at her. “The Yin energy hasn't dissipated; Chen Ping is still in the room.”
Qin Yue nodded. Rather than rushing Chen Ping, she held her breath and waited.
It seemed that the other ghost Chen Ping mentioned was very likely the ancient-robed female ghost captured on camera.
Namely, the fierce ghost with profound dharma power and a terrifying demeanor that Taoist Master Dingyi had warned was extremely difficult to deal with.
It was understandable that Chen Ping would have misgivings.
She could wait.
Fortunately, after a ten-minute pause, the keys began to dance lightly once more:
【The other one is a particularly ferocious, ferocious, ferocious Greater Ghost.
The killing intent and resentful energy on her are so thick they could practically drown this entire office.】
【I don't know her name, but she didn't eat me.
Instead, she used yellow paper and candles to guide my way, telling me to cause a ruckus on the twenty-seventh floor and demand justice.】
【She didn't say why she helped me. She only told me not to harm anyone and said she wanted to see whether soul reapers would come to take me away once my wish was fulfilled.】
Why would this Greater Ghost do that?
Didn't she treat Chen Ping as food?
Or was their earlier hypothesis correct after all—that even Greater Ghosts could be reasoned with?
Qin Yue's brow twitched.
“Log everything. Don't miss a single word if possible,” she instructed the recorder beside her in a low voice before continuing her inquiry:
“Do you have any way to leave this building?”
【I tried, but there's no way. When I reach the ground floor, I get bounced back.】
“Can you pass through walls? To what extent?”
【I don't know about other walls, but I can pass through any wall inside this building, no matter how thick.】
【Old Ghost said ghosts can pass through the walls of some homes but not others. It might have something to do with the door gods.】
“How do you move those chairs?”
【You've seen 《Star Wars》, right? Telekinesis? Basically, I just think about it and it happens.】
【Before, I wasn't strong enough; at most, I could only shatter a light bulb or turn on the air conditioning. But ever since that incident, I seem to have gotten much stronger.】
“Can you still contact the Greater Ghost who helped you?”
【I don't know. She didn't say how to contact her.】
“Do killing intent and resentful energy have physical forms? Can they be detected by instruments?”
【I don't know.】
One asked, and the other answered.
The recorders typed furiously. Everyone was rapt with attention, wishing this moment could last forever.
—Everyone understood that this was destined to be an epoch-making dialogue.
In the future, every single person present would leave a profound mark in the annals of history.
Rate on N.U.
