Yu Duanhong continued to struggle relentlessly.
After an unknown amount of time, his thrashing suddenly weakened. The agonized wails in his throat turned into low whimpers. Although his body still spasmed uncontrollably, his eyes had regained a shred of clarity.
However, his skin remained as deathly pale as a corpse.
Then, the chilling cold within the room rapidly retracted, all of it converging into Yu Duanhong’s body.
Yu Duanhong arched his back and began to cough violently, gasping for air in great gulps.
Trembling, he raised his left hand. He watched as his hand took on the appearance of a cadaver’s—cold to the touch and emitting a faint, foul odor.
His eyes were filled with terror, confusion, and utter disbelief.
With a mere thought and no conscious effort—acting purely on instinct—he tapped the floor.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of knocking echoed from the floor, stirring waves of chilling aura within the room.
He felt as though he could control a mysterious force, and he could even sense many people who were cursed.
The live room had long since been banned. Yue Shi revealed himself and walked over slowly, looking down at the slumped Yu Duanhong with a genuine smile on his face.
“Young man, congratulations. You have stepped across the threshold of the transcendent in the most dangerous way possible.”
“You have controlled that ghost; you can now use its power. The price is that your life is now bound to it. Using its power will accelerate the ghost’s revival until you eventually become a walking corpse controlled by it.”
“But likewise, you now possess power—the capital to change your destiny.”
Yu Duanhong listened blankly. He could feel that cold, silent, yet terrifying power within him, ready to erupt at any moment.
He looked at the back-end data of his stream; the earnings from the gift tips were almost blinding.
The feeling of physical exhaustion vanished instantly. Hard cash truly was the best medicine for the soul.
A smile tugged at the corners of Yu Duanhong’s mouth as he slowly stood up.
The black cat, possessed by the ghost, jumped back into Yue Shi’s arms and closed its eyes to rest. It had been exhausted; if it hadn’t been desperately boosting the data, there was no way such a subpar stream would have attracted so many viewers.
After admiring his streaming data for a while longer, Yu Duanhong put away his phone and asked Yue Shi, “What exactly happened just now?”
“Why did the ghost suddenly burst in?”
“And what is my situation now?”
Yue Shi replied, “That Knocking Ghost... hearing its knock, making eye contact through the peephole, responding to it from inside the room, or opening the door directly—any of these would trigger its killing rule.”
“You made noise in the room and interacted with the viewers; that likely counted as a response to the ghost’s knocking.”
“As for your situation, put simply, you are possessed. However, this type of ghost has no self-awareness, only a killing instinct. You can use its power, but the ghost will become increasingly active inside you, eroding your body and consciousness.”
Yu Duanhong’s face turned pale. Compared to supernatural systems like martial arts, cultivation, or divine favor, which generally had no side effects, being a ghost controller seemed to... do more harm than good?
“Now that I’m like this, how do I control the ghost? I can feel it affecting me. It’s cold, and there’s an indescribable irritability. Is there a way to lessen these side effects?”
Yue Shi casually stroked the black cat. Hearing this, he looked up at Yu Duanhong with a strange tone.
“Side effects? I’m afraid side effects are the least of your concerns right now.”
“Are you ready to face the coming storm?”
Yu Duanhong was stunned. “What storm?”
“There is a Prohibition of Magic in Zhongzhou,” Yue Shi reminded him.
“Your stream had over a hundred thousand peak concurrent viewers, and the entire thing was recorded. With all the anomalies brought by the Knocking Ghost, do you really think this was just a simple viral sensation?”
Yu Duanhong’s face turned even whiter than when he was first possessed.
He had been so focused on surviving and the shock of obtaining supernatural power that he had completely forgotten about this!
“The Anomaly Management Bureau... will they come?” His voice trembled.
The official agency in Zhongzhou that handled supernatural incidents was called the Anomaly Management Bureau.
“It’s not that they ‘will’ come,” Yue Shi corrected him.
“They are already on their way. With such a massive disturbance, a live-streamed anomaly, and occurring at a sensitive location where a murder just took place... their reaction speed will be much faster than you think.”
“Then what should I do?” Yu Duanhong panicked. “When they get here, how do I explain? We need to get our stories straight!”
“Get what straight?” Yue Shi raised an eyebrow, looking at him as if he were an idiot.
“A unified statement!” Yu Duanhong said incoherently.
“I can’t expose your existence, I can’t mention the cat, and I can’t explain how I suddenly ended up like this...”
Yue Shi shook his head and stood up.
“Lies are meaningless in the face of a stream witnessed by over a hundred thousand people.”
He walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked down at the dark, silent street. In the distance, unusual headlights were rapidly approaching.
“In the recording, you repeatedly showed signs of interacting with the air—nodding and following instructions. Any professional analyst watching it a few times will easily deduce that there was another guide in the room.”
“Furthermore, after controlling a ghost, your body will show obvious abnormalities. Your temperature and heart rate are both lower than a normal person’s.”
“Any attempt to cover it up with lies will be full of holes under a professional interrogation team and lie-detection technology. It will only make you look more suspicious.”
Yu Duanhong’s heart sank to the bottom. “Then... is it just...”
“Tell the truth.” Yue Shi let go of the curtain and turned to look at him, his voice calm.
“State everything you encountered tonight in chronological order, exactly as it happened. Encountering the walking in circles, meeting me, being brought back by me, what I said to you, then the stream, the ghost knocking, your accidental response, the intrusion, and finally, how you controlled the ghost by sheer chance.”
“Huh?” Yu Duanhong could hardly believe his ears.
“Tell them everything? Wouldn’t that expose you? Zhongzhou’s attitude toward independent transcendents is very harsh.”
“My existence became public knowledge the moment you started streaming and interacting with thin air,” Yue Shi said with an indifferent shrug.
“Hiding is pointless. Being honest is what’s best for you.”
“You can emphasize that you were passive and forced into it. You are just an ordinary youth who just experienced the tragic death of a neighbor and got caught in a supernatural incident. Under extreme fear and the coercion of a mysterious person, you acted irrationally and were accidentally swept into a haunting, barely escaping with your life.”
He took two steps closer and looked into Yu Duanhong’s eyes. “Remember, you are just an unlucky ordinary person caught in an anomaly. You know nothing about me; you aren’t even sure if I am human or a ghost.”
“You were just trying to survive in your terror. As for controlling the ghost in the end, that was an accident—a miracle born of survival instinct. You yourself are confused and have no idea how to control it.”
Yu Duanhong listened blankly, his mind racing. Yue Shi was teaching him how to frame himself as a pure victim.
Yue Shi continued, “This way, much of the suspicion on you will be cleared. You might even pique the official interest because you survived a haunting and accidentally controlled a ghost.”
“If you’re lucky, you might even be recruited and enter the system directly. That has a much better future than being an undocumented resident on the outside.”
Yu Duanhong opened his mouth, unsure of what to say for a moment. He began to run his own calculations.
Telling the truth was indeed more beneficial for him. However, the part where Yue Shi taught him to tell the truth didn’t need to be mentioned.
He was telling the truth because he had a high sense of civic duty; it had nothing to do with anyone else.
“Of course, how to tell the truth in a way that favors you requires a bit of linguistic art,” Yue Shi said, patting Yu Duanhong’s shoulder. A hint of warmth spread from his palm, dispelling the chill in the young man’s body.
“I believe you can do it. After all, this is your only chance to change your destiny.”
Yu Duanhong thought for a moment, then frowned and asked, “But what if my luck is bad and the Anomaly Management Bureau decides to dispose of me? Wouldn’t it be better to run now?”
Yue Shi said, “If anyone wants to harm you, you can tell them that everyone who watched your stream has been cursed by the ghost, and you can drag them all to death with you.”
“Of course, that tactic might not work. I can’t be sure yet if the Zhongzhou authorities care about the lives of the people. In a world with supernatural power, that’s hard to say.”
Yu Duanhong defended them, “The government still cares a lot about the people.”
“Heh, not necessarily,” Yue Shi said with a look of disdain.
“Your neighbor, separated from you by only a wall, died an unnatural death due to an anomaly. Certain people dragged you out until this late to come home without giving you any warning, letting you continue to stay here.”
“Do you think they did that on purpose, or by accident?”
“I’m not listening, I’m not listening!” Yu Duanhong waved his hands, refusing to hear Yue Shi’s malicious provocation.
“No matter what you say, I will always love Zhongzhou, love this land, and uphold the collective interest...”
Yue Shi rolled his eyes. The little brat was already acting. The stage wasn’t even set, yet his urge to perform was in full swing.
Just then, the sharp screech of brakes came from downstairs—more than one vehicle.
This was followed by the sound of rapid, synchronized footsteps, doors opening and closing, and the low hum of certain equipment starting up.
Yue Shi glanced at the door and gave Yu Duanhong a look that said, “See? They’re here.”
“I should go. Remember what I said. We will meet again.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he and the black cat faded into transparency, eventually vanishing completely into the air.
Only a few seconds passed.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of knocking rang out.
Yu Duanhong jumped. The previous encounter with the Knocking Ghost had left him with a bit of PTSD.
“Anomaly Management Bureau! Open up! Routine inspection!”
Yu Duanhong took a deep breath, suppressed the panic in his heart and the discomfort from the ghost within him, and walked to the door to open it.
Outside were four men and women in deep blue uniforms.
Their eyes were sharp, their movements efficient, and they quickly secured the doorway.
Two of them held uniquely shaped instruments, scanning Yu Duanhong and the interior of the room.
Another kept a vigilant watch on the hallway.
The leader was a short-haired woman in her thirties. She glanced at Yu Duanhong’s pale face and caught the faint scent of decay emanating from him, her expression turning grave.
“Mr. Yu,” she said steadily.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“We are the Third Field Team of the Forging City Anomaly Management Bureau. You are involved in a major supernatural incident and public information disturbance. You are required to come with us to assist in the investigation. Please cooperate.”
There was no further explanation, nor was he given time to pack.
Two team members stood on either side of him, politely yet firmly escorting him out.
The other team member had already entered the room quickly, beginning to inspect the streaming equipment and computer, carefully collecting all suspicious items.
Yu Duanhong was taken downstairs and ushered into a vehicle with blacked-out windows.
The vehicle quickly sped away from the Hive Apartments.
...
Inside an interrogation room at the Forging City branch of the Anomaly Management Bureau.
Yu Duanhong sat in a chair, facing the stern, short-haired female captain and a middle-aged man responsible for recording.
There was more than one camera in the room.
The questioning lasted for over two hours.
Yu Duanhong considered himself a person with a very high sense of duty, so he chose to tell the truth.
He recounted the entire process: coming back from the police station and encountering the walking in circles, meeting the mysterious long-haired man, being coerced by his words to go home, being forced to do a horror stream, the ghost knocking, the strange sounds from the computer, and finally, how he mysteriously obtained power in extreme agony.
He trembled as he described these events, acting like a confused and helpless honest man, highlighting his coercion and ignorance.
He didn’t know the long-haired man’s identity, the potential consequences of the stream, or how he had managed to control that ghost.
It was seamless.
The two investigators remained expressionless throughout, only occasionally following up on details.
Strangely, they didn’t seem to care much about the Knocking Ghost; they were more focused on the physical characteristics of the mysterious long-haired man.
Yu Duanhong described him as accurately as possible. For things unrelated to himself, he truly told the truth, without using montage-style lies.
After the questioning, Yu Duanhong was taken elsewhere.
It was no longer an interrogation room but a simple room that looked like a temporary detention cell.
There was a bed and a private bathroom, but no windows. The door was a heavy alloy door, locked from the outside.
“Your situation is quite unique, involving contact with a high-risk abnormal entity and your own mutation.”
“We need further physical examinations, ability assessments, and a psychiatric evaluation. The final decision on your case will be made after the branch reports to the main bureau. In the meantime, stay here and do not attempt to use your abilities recklessly.”
The female captain spoke to him from the doorway, her tone cold.
Yu Duanhong nodded obediently.
The door was gently closed.
He stood alone in the quiet room, the ghost within him feeling a bit restless.
He mentally reviewed his performance, checking for any flaws or loopholes.
His face still wore an expression of fear and confusion, but a flash of madness flickered in the depths of his eyes.
He was worried there might be hidden cameras in this room.
In reality, he had been acting the entire time—when he met Yue Shi, and even now at the Anomaly Management Bureau.
He was performing the role those big shots wanted to see most.
He didn’t know what awaited him, but before he died, he had to drag his enemies to hell with him!
Rate on N.U.
