Chapter 14: The Vanished Concept

“Let’s have an honest conversation! Hiding things like this won’t help, right?”
Chu Ning finally summoned the courage to confess everything to Tanya. He was tired of living in constant fear; the past three days had felt like an eternity, tormenting him endlessly.
Moreover, from her everyday demeanor, Tanya hardly seemed like a ruthless killer.
Suspicion was a flaw Chu Ning struggled to overcome—a common affliction among those who had crossed worlds, always thinking, “There’s always someone plotting against me!”
Coupled with auditory hallucinations, visual illusions, and delusions that threatened his grasp on reality, he believed that if he couldn’t adjust his current mental state, he might spiral into uncontrollable madness.
“Are you an assassin?”
Chu Ning uttered the shocking question offhandedly, causing Tanya to gasp. All he wanted was to end this ordeal.
If Tanya truly was a murderer, Chu Ning had wrestled with the possibility—yet his subconscious insisted that a suspect didn’t necessarily pose a threat.
Conflicting thoughts lingered in his mind. He thought his own strength was negligible—perhaps even weak—but he found himself unafraid of a terrifying killer.
“Uh, sorry! I’m really not a cold-blooded assassin!” Tanya replied playfully, sticking out her tongue. How could she possibly be a killer?
“But I am a newcomer to the spirit realm! Please guide me, Senior Chu Ning!” Tanya bowed halfway to him, expressing her respect. After all, she would have to rely on Chu Ning’s help in the future, so etiquette could not be neglected.
Chu Ning breathed a sigh of relief and joked, “That’s not a very funny joke.”
“But I really am a ghost! I’m not lying, everything I’ve said is true!” Tanya insisted earnestly, serious about the matter.
“Alright, let’s set aside all disputes for now. No matter how outrageous what the other says, we must remain calm.”
Chu Ning waved his hand, choosing to abandon the endless argument. Otherwise, things would stray from the topic again. Besides, Tanya might be a fellow patient; anything she said could be reasonable, yet still defy logic.
“Who goes first?” Tanya spread her hands, indifferent. She was telling the truth anyway, and she agreed with the idea of mutual honesty; the secrets of the villa could be revealed to her.
“Ladies first!” Chu Ning made a courteous gesture, though hardly gentlemanly in manner.

Tanya took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. She hadn’t expected Chu Ning to be so blunt—his “gentlemanly” behavior was thoroughly on display.
“I am a ghost, a newcomer to the spirit world! I had a premonition that something terrifying and irresistible would happen to me on the seventh day after my death. Wandering the city, I searched everywhere for a solution.”
She paused, glancing at Chu Ning’s impassive face, before continuing her account of how she arrived here.
“Then I met a shady agent, who guided me to the villa in the northern suburbs—your home! He said there was a way to solve my problem here, so I dared to disturb you.”
Tanya finished and looked at Chu Ning hopefully, longing for a solution so she could leave this dreadful place that filled her with endless fear.
“Sorry, I don’t know how to solve your problem. You may have come to the wrong place. I am merely a not-so-ordinary human being, incapable of resolving supernatural issues.”
To Tanya’s illogical request, Chu Ning’s only practical advice was to take her medication on time; only then could symptoms like delusions, anxiety, and fear be alleviated.
However, putting himself in her shoes, he refrained from saying so—he didn’t like taking medicine either.
“Let’s talk about your invitation to investigate the murder. The clues you provided are extremely detailed, as if you witnessed the crime scene yourself.” Chu Ning clasped his hands tightly, anxiously waiting for her answer.
Tanya sighed, her expression gloomy. “Because what I described was the scene of my own killing. The victim reported on TV was me!”
“That makes sense—a ghost witnessing its own murder. But have you considered, as a being beyond humanity, using means outside the law to punish your killer?”
Chu Ning gradually guided Tanya to reveal her thoughts, so he could assess the risks—violence, suicide, legal liability—carefully.
It would help him avoid unexpected trouble, and Chu Ning felt strangely familiar with this process.
“I can’t do it. I don’t know who the murderer is! And even more urgent dangers await three days from now. I have to focus on the main issue; secondary ones can be set aside for now.”
Tanya hunched her shoulders helplessly. She felt unlucky, caught in these troublesome events for no reason.
“I am serious about the commission. We can investigate the case after three days. I promise I’ll keep my word.”
Tanya added, afraid Chu Ning would drive her away. A person clutching at a lifeline is hard to persuade to let go. Besides, she really had nowhere else to turn, and the closer the deadline, the more desperate she felt.

“Could you tell me about your situation?”
Seeing Tanya’s cautious demeanor, Chu Ning felt a pang of guilt. He nodded silently, as they had agreed before. He wasn’t the kind of person to trick someone and walk away.
“Have you ever heard of crossing worlds?”
Tanya shook her head in confusion; she didn’t understand what Chu Ning meant by “crossing”—crossing what, exactly? There was no follow-up noun.
“What do you mean by crossing worlds?”
“It’s nothing, really.”
Chu Ning feigned ignorance, unwilling to explain. It wasn’t that he broke his promise, but it was incredibly difficult to introduce a new concept to someone who had no frame of reference.
“What are you talking about?”
“Just consider me a meaningless person.”
Crossing worlds was a trivial matter to Chu Ning, yet he cared deeply. Everything he did after arriving proved his concern.
He discovered a surprising fact: the concept of crossing worlds hadn’t been developed in this world; there was no trace of scientific fantasy about traveling through time and space online.
Even more astonishing, the concept didn’t exist at all. So even if he confessed to being a world-crosser, no one would believe him—they’d think he was making it up.
Today’s conversation only confirmed his suspicion.