Volume One, Chapter Three: Li Yan's Suspicion
Upon hearing these words, everyone was stunned!
“What!? Where!?” Li Yan hurriedly ran to check the central control screen.
“Here! And here! And here too! Oh my! They’ve all disappeared!”
“It’s true! How... how is this possible!?”
“Sister Yan! Could it be that an S-level team passed through here?”
“Not sure...” Li Yan shook her head. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation. “But since they’ve disappeared, we need to notify medical and rescue teams immediately!”
“And the deceased must be cremated to prevent any strange transformations!”
“Wait! I’ll go with you all to the East District!”
On the other side, in the East District, at Dongcheng Middle School.
At this moment, the East District had returned to its usual tranquility, as if all the recent chaos had never occurred.
Li Jinhe stood still, eyes wide open, as the surrounding scene slowly unfolded before her.
She recalled the words White Impermanence had just told her.
They left her deep in thought.
Could it be that the Ghost Messengers exist solely to capture spirits?
Li Jinhe was puzzled.
But one thing she could be sure of was that the masters of these two ghosts—one black, one white—seemed to be hiding among their group!
She scanned the crowd, trying to find that person.
Lin Beiye!
Unconsciously, Li Jinhe’s gaze fell on Lin Beiye.
However, Lin Beiye seemed unaware of Li Jinhe’s stare.
He still wore an expression of utter terror.
At that moment, a unique voice echoed in his mind from the system.
[Congratulations, host, you have successfully captured 512 ghosts.]
[You may proceed to the Netherworld to recruit Ghost Messengers.]
[Tip: For each Ghost Messenger recruited, the host will receive one Yin Virtue point.]
[Currently available rewards:]
[Netherworld: 1000 points]
[Soul Devouring Banner: 100 points]
Listening to the cold, mechanical voice in his mind, Lin Beiye was momentarily stunned.
“Yin Virtue points? Netherworld? Soul Devouring Banner?” he muttered silently.
He pondered the system’s message, letting his imagination wander.
Yet, recruiting Ghost Messengers didn’t seem so easy.
Moreover, to obtain the Netherworld, one needed to recruit 1,000 Ghost Messengers!
No matter how he looked at it, that number was far from sufficient!
Lin Beiye thought to himself, “Forget it, I’ll go to the Netherworld myself to take a look.”
He looked around as teachers began organizing students to return to class.
Lin Beiye followed the group back.
His seat was the second to last row by the window.
However, as soon as they returned to class, the students chattered incessantly.
Lin Beiye, however, was different.
He rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window, lost in thought.
“Lin Beiye,” Li Jinhe gently tapped his shoulder. “I have something to ask you.”
“It’s you!” Lin Beiye suddenly remembered that Li Jinhe was in his class.
Realizing his voice might be too loud, Lin Beiye lowered his tone. “What’s up?”
After hesitating, Li Jinhe asked, “Lin Beiye, have you ever made a contract with a ghost?”
Hearing this, Lin Beiye quickly shook his head in denial. “How could I possibly make a contract with a ghost!”
“I heard that only those who pass the fear test qualify to contract with ghosts.”
Seeing Lin Beiye’s panicked expression, Li Jinhe muttered to herself: Could it be I was mistaken just now?
She narrowed her eyes slightly and pressed on: “Are you sure you’ve never made a contract with a ghost?”
Lin Beiye felt uneasy under her gaze.
His mind raced, and he deliberately raised his voice: “Yes! Classmate Li Jinhe, you must have misunderstood me!”
His voice was so loud that classmates involuntarily looked over.
Noticing Li Jinhe was there, they one by one approached.
“Jinhe, Jinhe, I didn’t expect you to be the contract holder from Dongcheng Middle School!”
“Yeah, luckily you were here today, otherwise we might have been in trouble...”
“Classmate Li Jinhe, so that’s the power gained from contracting with a ghost! I want to work hard to contract with a ghost too!”
The classmates buzzed with excited chatter.
Li Jinhe could only smile and respond to each.
Seizing a moment, Lin Beiye quietly slipped away from his seat.
He felt a secret relief.
But just as he stepped out of the classroom, he unexpectedly bumped into a few people.
They wore identical splendid attire, each bearing a prominent badge on their chests engraved with the words “Ghost Extermination Division.”
The lively classroom instantly fell silent upon seeing the badges.
All students’ gazes turned to these strangers.
Lin Beiye didn’t obediently return to class just because the Ghost Extermination Division had arrived.
His eyes darted quickly, and he immediately found an excuse: “I need to use the restroom.”
The students, however, were as excited as if it were a festival.
“Ghost Extermination Division! Those are members of the Ghost Extermination Division!”
Someone shouted excitedly, as if having forgotten the recent events altogether.
The Ghost Extermination Division members entered the classroom, led by a tall, sharp-featured beauty.
She was Li Yan.
Li Yan exuded the charm of a mature older sister, making people want to take a second glance.
“Everyone, please quiet down,” Li Yan gently brushed her hair from her forehead. “I am Li Yan, commander of the Dongzhou City branch of the Ghost Extermination Division.”
Her voice was soft yet powerful, instantly silencing the entire classroom.
Standing at the podium, she introduced herself with a smile.
Yet her gaze never left Li Jinhe’s seat.
Because Li Jinhe was her younger sister.
When she learned of the eerie reactions in the East District, her greatest concern was her sister.
Li Jinhe likewise silently watched Li Yan.
To her, her sister was always her role model.
Her greatest wish in life was to join the Ghost Extermination Division and fight alongside her sister.
But this secret was one Li Jinhe had never revealed to anyone.
If her classmates knew of her relation to Li Yan, it would surely cause quite a stir.
So she quietly observed Li Yan’s figure.
Only after Li Yan left did she slowly divert her eyes.
Li Yan naturally proceeded to the next class, continuing to gather information on the students.
Of course, what she wanted to know most was why the eerie reactions in the East District had suddenly vanished.
After a round of inquiries, Li Yan obtained a crucial clue.
Two ghosts—one black, one white—had captured all the other ghosts.
This news was like a thunderbolt to Li Yan.
Ghosts capturing ghosts!?
Such a thing should be impossible!
Not only that—
She also discovered another vital piece of information.
There was a student named Lin Beiye—
Closest to those two ghosts, yet untouched by their attacks!
“Lin Beiye...” Li Yan pondered, resting her chin on her hand.