The Soul’s Claim and the Anchor’s Mark

Zhao Yunzhong left Jinxin Garden immediately after descending the stairs. Once in his car, he promptly reported the intelligence gathered here to his superior in the Department of Anomalies.

“I see. Maintain your position for now. The reinforcements I’m sending will arrive within two days.”

A steady male voice emanated from the other end of the line.

“Additionally, regarding Luoyunshan Hospital…”

The voice paused thoughtfully before continuing,

“We’ll leave that to the Anomalous Affairs Team in Jiangzhou City to investigate for the time being.”

“Understood.”

Zhao Yunzhong was indeed unable to free himself at the moment. He then inquired,

“Captain, do you know anything about the term ‘living souls’?”

“Living souls?”

The voice on the phone sounded somewhat puzzled.

“I’ve certainly heard the term before, but isn’t it a rather common expression? All beings in the world are considered living souls.”

Recognizing that Zhao Yunzhong wouldn’t ask such a question without reason, the voice continued,

“Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

Zhao Yunzhong replied,

“Miss Doll referred to herself that way… I was wondering if it might be a term used among anomalous entities.”

As he spoke, Zhao Yunzhong suddenly recalled something and added,

“Oh, right, Miss Doll has a name: ‘Lin Luoyin’. She also said that ‘living souls’ refers to ‘the souls of the living’.”

“‘The souls of the living’…”

The voice on the other end repeated softly, then said,

“Yunzhong, I’m more inclined to believe Miss Doll isn’t an anomalous entity. The name ‘Lin Luoyin’ might be crucial. Investigate that name; you might uncover something significant.”

Zhao Yunzhong had already planned to do just that, so he responded,

“Alright, I’ll arrange for someone to investigate once I return to the police station.”

“Good. Go handle your affairs. I also have some matters to attend to, so we’ll leave it here for now. If you encounter anything uncertain, report it immediately. Don’t try to be a hero.”

“Understood.”

Inside Chen Jinquan’s home, within the Jinxin Garden Estate.

Miss Doll sat serenely beside the unconscious Chen Jinquan, gently stroking his cheek.

“You are mine. No one can take you away, not even you yourself, darling.”

As Miss Doll spoke, a smile blossomed on her face, half tender, half morbid.

She waved a hand towards the dining table, and the pink bento box resting there floated down to an empty space in the living room.

The pink bento box then transformed into a small, brownish-black coffin. This miniature coffin gradually expanded, growing until it was large enough to contain an adult man, and only then did it cease its transformation.

Miss Doll lifted the unconscious Chen Jinquan, carried him to the coffin’s side, and watched as the lid automatically opened.

Dense black mist swirled ceaselessly within the coffin. Miss Doll gently placed Chen Jinquan inside.

The coffin lid slowly closed.

Just as the lid was about to seal completely, a wisp of white shadow drifted from Miss Doll and slipped into the coffin as well.

The coffin lid shut entirely.

Miss Doll’s face, though perfect, had always lacked vitality. Now, it gradually lost its perfection, becoming even more rigid and lifeless.

Thud!

A lifelike doll collapsed beside the coffin.

When Fu Ziqing awoke, she found herself still drifting within a vast, white expanse.

She still felt profoundly weak. Instinctively, she reached up to rub her head, and as she withdrew her hand, she noticed its translucent state.

Is this… am I about to disintegrate and vanish?

Yet, even in this dire state, Fu Ziqing felt no panic.

Something within this space seemed to grant her a sense of calm.

She turned her head, wanting to see if the large eyeball was still there.

“Still here, huh…”

Fu Ziqing’s tone was deeply disappointed. She currently—no, she had detested this unsightly giant eyeball from the very beginning.

The large eyeball’s black tail, drifting upwards, had ascended to an unknown height, its end invisible to the eye.

Fu Ziqing flipped over and floated upwards, heading towards the sky where the black tail extended.

Though she was incredibly weak and her movements were slow and arduous, she felt a powerful instinct compelling her to act.

Fu Ziqing drifted and drifted, for an unknown duration, yet still found no end in sight.

It was then that the tail, composed of countless fine threads, suddenly began to tremble violently.

Fu Ziqing’s gaze followed the trembling threads, and in an instant, her eyes widened in astonishment.

She saw a massive black ship!

The colossal vessel floated in the void, suspended far above her head.

Amidst Fu Ziqing’s astonishment, something truly terrifying occurred.

From the massive ship, a colossal, pitch-black anchor was suddenly cast down, its trajectory aimed directly at Fu Ziqing’s position.

Fu Ziqing frantically dodged, but the giant anchor seemed to possess eyes, following her every move and accelerating with alarming speed.

At the moment she could no longer evade, Fu Ziqing looked at the increasingly small black anchor before her and suddenly grew calm.

“Ah… I’m going to die again…”

She murmured this with an air of detachment, yet suddenly realized something was amiss.

Why is the black anchor getting smaller? Shouldn’t it appear larger the closer it gets?

It was then that she noticed the black anchor was indeed approaching, but simultaneously shrinking.

When the black anchor had shrunk to roughly the size of an egg, it struck Fu Ziqing squarely between the brows and vanished.

“Huh? I’m fine?”

Fu Ziqing dazedly touched her forehead.

She then looked up at the massive black ship, only to see it slowly sailing into the distant void.

Though its speed appeared leisurely, it swiftly disappeared from sight.

Fu Ziqing tilted her head slightly, her delicate brows furrowed in deep thought.

However, her contemplation was soon interrupted by the wildly trembling threads.

Then, right before Fu Ziqing’s eyes, the threads rapidly retracted, fully retreating into the large eyeball within moments.

“This… it deflated?”

Fu Ziqing’s expression was one of perplexity.

Just a moment ago, its tail was piercing the heavens, as if it would tear through the firmament. Did that massive black ship scare it into shrinking?

She looked down. Having floated incredibly high, the colossal orb now resembled nothing more than a tiny, dark marble.

Then, that tiny marble seemed to shrink further, quickly becoming a mere black speck.

It’s trying to escape.

Despite the vast distance and the impossibility of any direct communication, Fu Ziqing sensed this with absolute clarity.

The instant Fu Ziqing realized the large eyeball intended to flee, the entire space seemed to establish a wondrous connection with her.

I can stop it.

Fu Ziqing murmured to herself, her voice utterly devoid of emotion.

She focused her gaze downwards, making no superfluous movements.

Across the great distance, an unknown power silently coalesced in the space surrounding the black speck.

The black speck suddenly began to swell, only to then slightly contract again.

The large eyeball thrashed back and forth, oscillating between expansion and contraction. However, its expansion ultimately outweighed its shrinking, and it eventually returned to the size Fu Ziqing had first seen it.

The large eyeball’s eyelids twitched, then slowly opened, its pupil darting wildly.

It appeared somewhat agitated, as if searching for something.

Concurrently, it attempted to shrink its body, yet was held fast by that unknown power.

Its eyeball spun with increasing urgency, a hint of panic beginning to show.

Although separated by a great distance, Fu Ziqing could clearly perceive the large eyeball’s every movement.

She spoke calmly,

“So, you’ve met your match today.”

As if hearing Fu Ziqing’s voice, the wildly darting eyeball stilled, its pupil slowly shifting upwards.

It was like a mischievous husky, trying to sneak a glance at its owner.

Fu Ziqing was fully aware of the large eyeball’s every action.

Amused by its petty gestures, Fu Ziqing nevertheless maintained a cool, detached expression.

With a subtle movement, she floated rapidly, swiftly appearing before the large eyeball.

The large eyeball was visibly startled, immediately clamping its eye shut and remaining motionless.

“Open your eye.”

Fu Ziqing commanded.

The large eyeball showed no reaction, feigning sleep, but a slight twitch of its eyelid betrayed it.

“O-pen your eye.”

Fu Ziqing deliberately slowed her speech and raised her voice.

The large eyeball slowly opened, its pupil aimlessly darting around before finally focusing on Fu Ziqing.

The large eyeball blinked, then blinked again, and seemed ready to continue blinking…

“Alright, stop blinking. You might have a big eye, but you’re not cute at all.”

Fu Ziqing stated coldly.

The large eyeball’s eyelid drooped, looking quite aggrieved.

The sight of such a colossal entity displaying a wronged expression caused Fu Ziqing a wave of discomfort.

She released the restraints on the large eyeball and commanded,

“Shrink.”

Feeling the unknown power release its hold, the large eyeball immediately began to shrink rapidly. Once it reached the size of a basketball, it cast a furtive glance at Fu Ziqing, daring not to shrink further.

“Hmm, that’s better. Much more pleasant to look at this way.”

Fu Ziqing remarked, then extended both her palms, stopping them on either side of the now small eyeball.

Splat!

Fu Ziqing clapped her hands together, flattening the small eyeball and causing its surface to bulge outwards.

I can actually touch it?

Previously, she couldn’t touch the large eyeball, nor could it perceive her.

Fu Ziqing touched her brow once more.

Did that black anchor bring about these changes in me?

And that massive black ship…

She had been in this space for so many years, exploring it for a long time, yet she had never discovered anything—not even a ghost, let alone a ship of that size.

Perhaps I hadn’t explored deeply enough, but that giant ship clearly came for me. Why didn’t it appear before?

As Fu Ziqing pondered, her gaze suddenly fell upon the small eyeball.

If anything was different today compared to before, it could only be this little creature.

Then there was the red thread, its hatred having corroded her consciousness. She distinctly felt that when that hatred receded, it took something from her, leading to her current weakness, unconsciousness, and even her nearing disintegration.

Seeing Fu Ziqing suddenly staring at it, the small eyeball hastily put some distance between them.

“Little Bouncy Ball! Come here!”

Fu Ziqing offered a benevolent smile and, incidentally, bestowed a name upon the small eyeball.

Honestly, after shrinking, the creature was quite adorably ugly, and crucially, its elasticity was excellent, making it surprisingly pleasant to the touch.

Rubbing and squeezing it occasionally could be quite stress-relieving.

Little Bouncy Ball’s pupil darted, then it feigned flying towards Fu Ziqing, only to rapidly shrink mid-flight, instantly becoming a tiny black speck, and then vanishing completely.

“Heh, you’re quick, I’ll give you that.”

Fu Ziqing chuckled indifferently.

“Though you’re fast, you might not necessarily escape, you know.”