Chapter 23

"What on earth? Why are you suddenly cursing?"

Xia Lingze’s gaze grew increasingly unfriendly, a silent condemnation signaling that he felt offended and was now quite displeased. How could he possibly be "not human"?

Lou Yingqian noticed the young man’s expression turn cold in an instant. Knowing he was in the wrong, he sheepishly explained, "My apologies, little brother. I made a mistake. It’s just that you were accompanied by a specter..." At this point, Lou Yingqian noticed a blind spot and his momentum instantly returned. He asked righteously, "I haven't even asked you yet—why are you hanging out with a specter?"

Specters and humans are naturally incompatible. Even if there are individual differences—just as some people are gentle and others hot-tempered—when it comes to specters, a "gentle" one at most means it doesn't actively slaughter humans; it doesn't mean it won't kill. Furthermore, the Dog-Man specter, which craves human flesh, is the type that takes the initiative to attack.

"Specter?" It was that word again.

Xia Lingze asked with an open mind, "What is a 'specter'?"

Lou Yingqian froze. "Are you serious, or are you just pulling my leg?" He glared at the boy with a mix of annoyance and amusement before waving his hand. "Forget it, I’m busy. Stop joking."

Clearly, he thought Xia Lingze was just kidding. What era was this? If it were the year the supernatural first re-emerged, it might be understandable for someone to be ignorant. But it had been sixty years; how could there be anyone in the world who didn't know?

*So, 'specters' are common knowledge to city folk?*

Seeing that Lou Yingqian was busy using the little gadget in his hand—which produced a flame—to try and ignite the hair on the floor, Xia Lingze decided not to disturb him further, thinking he would just ask Uncle Goudan when he returned. Uncle Goudan had been educated in the outside world and knew a lot; he would definitely know what a "specter" was.

Lou Yingqian watched intently as the flame licked at the "furry carpet," but the damp hair simply wouldn't catch fire. In reality, specters didn't follow the laws of nature; even if the hair weren't damp, it likely wouldn't burn anyway. Lou Yingqian hadn't held out much hope, so he wasn't disappointed. But if this failed, the person on the ceiling couldn't be saved.

In truth, never mind the victim on the ceiling; the hair had a specter energy reading of over seven thousand, marking it as an S-class entity. Lou Yingqian could barely save himself right now. He must have been insane to follow the boy inside. When they first entered, he had mistaken the boy for a specter—a high-level one at that. So, how had he been so bold? Was he really not under some kind of bewitchment or intelligence-dulling influence?

Xia Lingze blinked, looking seriously at the lighter in Lou Yingqian’s hand. Things in the city were indeed convenient. His determination to develop Guiyi Village grew even stronger.

"Sigh." Lou Yingqian sighed, looking dejected. Might as well wait for death; what else could he do? There was an Ultra-S class supernatural domain in front and an S-class specter behind. It lived up to being an Ultra-S domain—the domain master being Ultra-S was a certainty, and having S-class "minions" below meant even God would flip his car here.

"What’s wrong?" Xia Lingze reluctantly withdrew his gaze from the lighter and looked at the distressed Lou Yingqian.

Lou Yingqian glanced at the boy, who seemed oblivious to the severity of the situation. Thinking it wouldn't be lonely to have company on the road to death, he let his guard down and said, "Let’s get acquainted. I’m Lou Yingqian. And you?" He didn't intend to tell the truth; either way, they were going to die. Dying without knowing was better than dying in fear with full knowledge.

"I’m Xia Lingze. That thing in your hand..."

Lou Yingqian had long noticed Xia Lingze's interest in his lighter and said proudly, "You have a good eye. This is a third-generation Cartier collector's item, now out of print and no longer sold to the public. The casing is 18k gold, inlaid with thirteen diamonds. It has transcended the utility of a lighter and is more like an exquisite piece of art."

Xia Lingze had no interest in "collector's items," "out of print," or "art," nor did he understand them. But he knew gold and diamonds were precious. He couldn't help but let out a "Wow," marveling at how rich city people were. However, compared to its value, Xia Lingze valued its utility. *It can make fire!*

The boy’s envious gaze was so intense it could have burned right through the lighter. Lou Yingqian also treasured this lighter, but considering they wouldn't be long for this world, he decided to part with it. He generously held it out to Xia Lingze and said, "Since you like it so much, I'll give it to you!"

Xia Lingze asked, pleasantly surprised, "You’re really giving it to me? It’s too expensive." It was gold and diamonds; how many chickens, pigs, ducks, or geese would he have to sell to afford it?

"Pfft, money isn't an issue for me." Seeing Xia Lingze acting shy and hesitant, Lou Yingqian shoved the lighter into his hand. He wasn't bragging; his family was indeed wealthy, and he earned a good living since joining the 'National Security' bureau—it was danger money, and the state was generous in that regard. So, giving away a lighter worth hundreds of thousands wasn't painful at all. What hurt was that it was out of print—out of print! Heaven knows how high the lethality of a rare item like this was.

If this were a game, one could see Xia Lingze’s favorability toward Lou Yingqian skyrocketing. At this moment, Lou Yingqian was radiant in Xia Lingze’s eyes—a true philanthropist. Xia Lingze decided not to hold a grudge about Lou Yingqian saying he wasn't human earlier.

"You don't look very happy," Xia Lingze said, feeling an urgent need to return the favor. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

*They were about to die, of course he wasn't happy.* Help? How could he help? Unless a miracle happened, this situation was unsolvable. Though he didn't know why the hair specter (let's call it that for now; Lou Yingqian had never seen one, and there was no record of it in his database) hadn't attacked yet—it probably wasn't in a rush, as they were already in its grasp.

"Oh, so you want this hair to disappear?" Xia Lingze nodded thoughtfully.

Lou Yingqian froze, realizing too late that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. *Confirmed, it’s definitely an issue with this supernatural domain.*

Xia Lingze had heard Uncle Tie Dan say that city people were delicate. It was just dealing with some hair; he didn't mind the filth. Besides, the hair was long; he could pull out a whole bunch at once. Simple!

"Leave it to me," he said confidently.

Lou Yingqian: "?"

Before Lou Yingqian could react, Xia Lingze pocketed the lighter, stood up, walked to the wall, touched the hair, found a firm grip, and dug his fingers deep into the black strands. He tightened his fist and pulled—

Lou Yingqian’s pupils dilated, his mind went blank, and a miraculous event defying common sense unfolded before his eyes: Xia Lingze effortlessly ripped off a massive clump of hair, tossed it to the ground, and continued pulling.

In the time it took for Lou Yingqian to gape in shock, the boy had already pulled off several more clumps. That section of the wall was soon bare, revealing the surface beneath. While other areas remained covered, this small patch was white, making it look like a bald spot.

"W-wait," Lou Yingqian said, his jaw still hanging. "What are you doing?"

Xia Lingze replied while pulling, "Cleaning up the hair."

Lou Yingqian wasn't blind; he saw that. He wanted to know *how* he was doing it. He ruled out the possibility of Xia Lingze being a hidden expert. *If someone were truly that powerful, wouldn't the state have recruited them? I don't believe it.* Furthermore, Xia Lingze didn't look old enough to be a recluse master. Sixty years had passed since the supernatural emerged; any such masters would have already surfaced.

*Could it be... an issue with the hair specter itself?* Lou Yingqian looked at the hair on the floor. Maybe he could try. With a solemn expression, he prepared to "learn on the fly." But just as his fingertips were about to touch the hair, a intense sense of crisis shrieked a warning, telling him he would die.

Lou Yingqian's luck had always been a mystery. Whether big bets or small, he never won, yet whenever his life was in danger, he always miraculously survived. Some of the coincidences were so strange that even he found them unbelievable.

*So, the hair really can't be touched? Then why can Xia Lingze touch it? Is it some kind of hidden danger? Is it not a 'direct touch' crisis?* Then again, why was it okay to step on it, but not touch it? Was it because he had already stepped on it? Fine, if that was the case, his intuition was quite pragmatic, not adding to his troubles or clouding his mind.

Lou Yingqian almost laughed at his own wild imagination. Rubbing his face, he turned back to Xia Lingze and realized that in the short time he’d been lost in thought, Xia Lingze had cleared an entire wall. The hair piled on the floor looked like a small mountain.

"Um... Xia Lingze, never mind, stop pulling," Lou Yingqian said.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll definitely get it done for you," Xia Lingze said earnestly. "I'll also bring that person down from the ceiling."

He had been serious when he said there might be casualties in the room, but upon entering, he realized the person was just hanging from the ceiling, sleeping. That was fine; "to each their own habits," he understood. As for how Xia Lingze knew someone was hanging there: he had "seen" it. This was an ability Xia Lingze had possessed since childhood—his perspective could shift to a third-person view, commonly known as a "God's-eye view." He could see wherever he wanted. Xia Lingze rarely used it, but he had used it this time to look for Qin Jinhua, and that was when he saw...

Xia Lingze never felt his ability was anything magical; after all, everyone in the village had various small talents.

"Hmm, I hope they don't get angry. I'll be gentle."

Five minutes passed. Xia Lingze had nimbly pulled off nearly half the hair, stacking it into a small mountain in the corner. He didn't stop for a second. His slender, fair fingers plunged into the black hair again and gave a firm tug. This clump happened to be connected to the mass wrapping the person on the ceiling, and as Xia Lingze ripped it away, a person fell down.

Lou Yingqian hurried to catch them. He looked closely and saw it was Qin Yijue. Xia Lingze took a glance and recognized her as the woman who had accompanied him for a few floors before leaving without a word. He remarked casually, "Huh, how did she run faster than me?"

Lou Yingqian caught the implication, his throat tight as he asked, "What do you mean? You’ve met her before?"

Xia Lingze didn't stop pulling hair as he replied, "Yeah, we walked together for a bit downstairs. She left without saying a word, and I kept going up. I didn't see her after that. She must have either gone back down or stayed on that floor. How did she get to the 17th floor so fast... maybe she took the elevator?"

Though he hadn't seen much technology, Xia Lingze had heard his mother talk about convenient things like elevators. Yes, finally, it was no longer Uncle Tie Dan. As a child, Xia Lingze often pestered his mother, curious about the outside world. She told him about high-rise buildings, nights as bright as day... and various fast, convenient modes of transport like subways and maglev trains.

"Did you see a man with her?"

"A man? No."

*In other words, He Yushuo was not with Qin Yijue. They had separated.*

*Qin Yijue appeared on a lower floor, walked with Xia Lingze for a while, then they separated. Now Qin Yijue is on the 17th floor.*

Lou Yingqian’s brain raced. A theory began to form. His eyes widened, and his breathing grew rapid as he muttered, "I understand. This supernatural domain is alive. It not only expands space but can move rooms. If that’s the case, no one can escape..."

The pathways were fixed, but that didn't stop the specter from moving the pathways themselves. It was truly an Ultra-S class domain; it was too insidious. There was no chance for humanity. Even if his guess was wrong, the high-level specters within the domain were enough to wipe out all humans. This was truly a dead end.

"Mmm..." At that moment, Qin Yijue, in Lou Yingqian’s arms, let out a soft moan, opened her eyes, and woke up.

***

43rd floor.

Qin Jinhua was locked in a struggle with a mass of gray mist. The mist was clearly losing, suppressed by Qin Jinhua. Suddenly, the mist shuddered and spread outward, as if crushed by an invisible force. Then, with a "pop," the mist dissipated. Qin Jinhua looked at the spot where it had vanished, her expression cold and indifferent. The artifact specter had countless clones; that was the sixth one she had crushed.

However, it was slightly different from the previous five. This time, the specter seemed to have thrown itself at her to be killed, even though it had put on a convincing act. It was desperate.

*What had thrown it off balance?*

Qin Jinhua lowered her gaze to the floor, her vision piercing through layers of concrete and steel... finally resting on the 17th floor.