Preparation

During lunch break, Yue Shi was packing his things for the business trip at his residence.

Ghost, possessed the phone, asked him in an AI-synthesized voice, "Are you planning to run away?"

"Just being prepared," Yue Shi said.

He had very few things, and even fewer necessities. If he were to run, he didn't need to carry useless items; he'd just take all the supernatural objects. They could all fit in a briefcase, with room for a couple of changes of clothes.

Ghost chuckled. "Maybe being sent to Chijing City for a business trip really is just a coincidence?"

"If it's a coincidence, that's for the best. If it isn't, at least I'm prepared in advance." Yue Shi remained composed.

"Besides," he paused. "We can't just keep taking hits passively. It's time to put the revenge plan on the agenda. There's no need for me to stay in Amber City any longer."

Hearing this, Ghost turned serious. "Revenge isn't a game. We're facing a colossus; we must be cautious."

"I know that, of course." Yue Shi looked at the phone screen. "Right now, I'm considering a question: Have I slipped up somewhere? Did someone catch a flaw?"

Both fell into deep thought.

After a long time, Ghost said slowly, "Concealment. Perhaps there's a problem with your concealment."

Yue Shi was somewhat puzzled. He remembered when he was ambushed by that serpentine girl from the Glory Association; she had seen through his concealment.

"Has the Glory Association already mastered a way to see through concealment?"

"No, no, no." Ghost rejected that conclusion.

"Your concealment ability is top-tier; it doesn't leave even a trace of information. But I think that's exactly where the problem lies."

"Hmm?" Yue Shi vaguely understood.

Ghost continued, "When you went to assassinate Su Yuanhe that day, although you didn't reveal your true identity, the Glory Association likely knows you can turn invisible."

"An organization that large definitely has countermeasures against invisibility. Even if your concealment is peak, they can simply use reverse logic. Within the limited range of Amber City, if the Glory Association can observe everyone's trajectory except yours, do you think they'll suspect you?"

Yue Shi shook his head. "You have a point. But if they already suspect me, why haven't they made a move yet?"

Ghost said, "You're an official investigator of Amber City, after all, and a powerful Rank 4. After the lesson from their last crushing defeat, they'll definitely confirm your identity repeatedly before laying an inescapable trap."

Yue Shi stroked his chin. He liked it when people practically slid into his hands like a delivered meal.

But he was also afraid his 'teeth' weren't sharp enough to swallow it.

So...

"Do you know how many hidden supernatural creatures are in this city?"

Ghost was puzzled. "Why are you asking that?"

Yue Shi said, "This afternoon, we're going ghost hunting."

Ghost: "..."

...

In the afternoon, sunlight filtered through the clouds.

Yue Shi walked the streets, performing the task of evicting vagrants.

He would find a vagrant, subdue them, and then have the arriving public security personnel take them away.

Most shops along the streets were closed, but the few that remained open were operating as usual.

Pedestrians hurried along, not to avoid danger, but to rush to work or handle personal matters as they always did.

Occasionally, a vagrant would cause a commotion, but things soon returned to normal.

Last night's explosions, power outages, water disruptions, the damaged city wall, and the influx of vagrants—events significant enough to cause panic—seemed to have only left a few marks on the city's surface, failing to truly disturb its status quo.

The city's residents maintained their normal daily lives.

Yue Shi was long accustomed to this collective, abnormal calm.

Based on the information provided by Ghost, Yue Shi arrived at a garbage collection station in the south of the city.

The surrounding environment was terrible.

"Just ahead," Ghost's voice came through the phone, carrying a sense of disgust.

"It's too dirty here. Hardly anyone ever comes, and the Bureau's inspections are very perfunctory. There's a missed supernatural creature causing trouble here."

Guided by Ghost, Yue Shi stopped next to a rusty, abandoned storage tank.

Ahead was a small clearing filled with trash, with a tilted old streetlamp standing in the center.

Under the streetlamp sat a children's rocking horse that looked like it had been abandoned for years.

The paint on the wooden horse had long since peeled away, revealing dark grey wood grain. One eye was a hollow black hole, while the other still held a dull plastic eyeball.

There was no wind, and no one was pushing it, yet the horse rocked slightly back and forth, making a faint "creak" as if a child were sitting on it.

Through his Insight vision, Yue Shi saw information appearing on the rocking horse.

【Forgetful Steed】: Emits mental contamination to attract humans; those attracted feel an urge to ride it. Once they do, as it rocks, the rider's warm and happy childhood memories are gradually drained away.

"It seems quite weak. No wonder it's been able to hide here without being discovered by the Bureau," Yue Shi criticized sharply.

Ghost said, "Your Bureau conducted a city-wide sweep a while ago, and many hidden supernatural creatures were eliminated. This one is a rare survivor."

"The city-wide sweep was to find a supernatural creature called Boss Pi. Do you have any information on him?" Yue Shi asked as he walked toward the rocking horse.

Ghost thought for a moment. "Boss Pi might not necessarily be a supernatural creature. Even if you could catch him, someone would likely step in to protect him."

The rocking horse seemed to sense danger approaching and actually moved, trying to run away.

Unfortunately, it was too slow and was caught by Yue Shi.

"I heard that many people are secretly in league with Boss Pi?" Yue Shi inquired.

Ghost nodded. "Well, some people say looks don't matter, but once they have power and wealth, they'll definitely find ways to improve their appearance. Others have committed major crimes and hide away, relying on skin-swapping to change their identities. Even some espionage operations are linked to Boss Pi."

"Quite the remarkable merchant," Yue Shi remarked sincerely, wanting to kill him even more.

The rocking horse trembled violently, its remaining plastic eyeball spinning frantically as it emitted a faint hum.

Then, a warm, bright aura emanated from its body, expanding and contracting. It seemed to be preparing a powerful move.

Yue Shi lunged with a claw, interrupting the cast.

The rocking horse shook even more violently. Amidst the warm, bright aura, the faint sounds of children's laughter could be heard, but they were no match for the decay's erosion. Finally, it turned into a piece of rotten wood and fell completely silent.

The progress bar moved forward a little more.

Not enough, not nearly enough.

"Are there any other supernatural creatures?" Yue Shi asked.

"No more. What exactly are you trying to do?" Ghost was bewildered.

Yue Shi didn't answer.

Since there were no more supernatural creatures to kill, he would just have to...