The Ghost’s Awakening and the Anomaly Investigator’s Gambit

Do ghosts truly require rest and sleep, much like humans do?

Before her transformation into a specter, Fu Ziqing had always believed such a necessity was entirely unfounded.

Already dead, and still not gotten enough sleep?

Yet, as a female ghost of twenty years’ standing, Fu Ziqing had come to realize that even spirits occasionally required a certain measure of ‘rest.’

In stark contrast to the living, ghosts found their ‘rest’ during the daylight hours, only to stir into activity as night descended.

Having risen ‘early’ that evening, Fu Ziqing decided to return to the rooftop for a ‘second nap’ once the full darkness of night had truly settled.

It was roughly a few minutes past nine o’clock at night.

Upon awakening, Fu Ziqing immediately sensed that something was amiss.

Her spectral senses alerted her to a melancholic truth: her ‘ghost friends’ had vanished without a trace.

Simultaneously, she detected the faint auras of two living individuals.

A peculiar anomaly, however, caught her attention. After a more thorough investigation, she confirmed one presence was undoubtedly human, yet the other… aside from a fraction of living essence, also carried a distinct, ghostly presence.

This unsettling blend left her feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

Whether encountering a fully living being or a pure-blooded ghost, Fu Ziqing had never experienced such a sensation of unease.

It was akin to a single black pebble marring a handful of pristine white rice.

Then, a sudden realization struck Fu Ziqing: the disappearance of her ‘ghost friends’ must surely be connected to these two intruders.

A flicker of regret, coupled with a touch of ‘morning grumpiness,’ propelled Fu Ziqing to ‘kick’ open the rooftop door with a surge of spectral energy.

This, however, was merely a diversion. The moment the door swung open, she melted into the wall, then drifted upwards into the ceiling panel, slowly maneuvering until she hovered directly above their heads.

“Yunzhong!”

Zhang Hanchi cried out in alarm, oblivious to his dropped cigarette. His hand instinctively gripped Zhao Yunzhong’s arm tightly as he questioned:

“Is… is it her?!”

Even Zhao Yunzhong’s typically composed face betrayed a flicker of astonishment. He produced his Ghost Detector, his gaze fixed intently on the displayed data.

“100!”

“It’s a vengeful spirit!”

Zhao Yunzhong’s tone carried a hint of seriousness, yet his demeanor remained remarkably tranquil.

Zhang Hanchi felt a momentary relief, only for tension to immediately seize him once more.

“Is it really her?”

“It’s unlikely.”

Meanwhile, Fu Ziqing had already extended her upper torso from the ceiling panel, suspended upside down, her long, raven hair cascading straight towards the floor.

She hovered directly behind them, poised to deliver a terrifying surprise.

Zhao Yunzhong’s arm throbbed faintly from Zhang Hanchi’s tight grip. After forcefully disengaging, he produced a Soul-Shaking Buckle.

Zhang Hanchi awkwardly adjusted his black-rimmed glasses.

Both men simultaneously cast their gazes towards the open rooftop door.

Suddenly, an icy gust swept past their backs.

They both turned to look behind them once more.

“Roar!”

Fu Ziqing instantly bared her fangs and claws, letting out a terrifying, ferocious shriek.

“…”

Zhao Yunzhong and Zhang Hanchi exchanged a quick glance.

“Well?”

Zhang Hanchi inquired.

“Don’t be nervous. Don’t let yourself get flustered.”

Zhao Yunzhong stated calmly.

The two men simultaneously turned around, resuming their walk towards the rooftop.

“Huh? Can these two guys not see me either?”

Aren’t they here to slay ghosts? If ghost slayers can’t even perceive spirits, how do they intend to kill them?

Fu Ziqing instantly drifted before the two. With a casual swipe, her hand passed effortlessly through Zhang Hanchi, yet encountered a subtle, unexpected resistance when it reached Zhao Yunzhong.

“Hmm?”

Fu Ziqing paused, slightly bewildered, then found the sensation rather intriguing. She began to playfully grope around inside Zhao Yunzhong’s body.

From Zhang Hanchi’s perspective, he witnessed Zhao Yunzhong suddenly halt, his complexion instantly turning unnaturally pale.

“Yunzhong! What’s wrong with you?”

Zhao Yunzhong, however, had no time to acknowledge Zhang Hanchi’s alarmed query. He swiftly recoiled, leaping back to land steadily at the stairwell entrance.

A sudden panic seized Zhang Hanchi, and he rushed back to Zhao Yunzhong’s side.

“Hmm? What is this?”

Fu Ziqing gazed at her own palm. Between her slender, jade-like fingers, wisps of grayish-black mist now swirled.

As she meticulously observed the mist, the icy sensation coiling around her fingertips sparked a flicker of recognition within Fu Ziqing.

Fu Ziqing brought her fingers to her mouth, tentatively inhaling.

“Mmm, this is the taste!”

She finally understood the source of that familiar sensation. The ‘flavor’ was quite similar to the abortion ghost from that night, yet the ‘taste’ of these specific wisps of mist was undeniably superior.

Draining the mist from her fingertips in a single breath, Fu Ziqing felt instantly ‘refreshed,’ a slight euphoria washing over her.

Her ‘morning grumpiness’ vanished completely. Her pale, grayish eyes, now faintly glowing, fixed intently on the hooded man.

At that very moment, Zhao Yunzhong’s pallid cheeks regained their natural color, appearing even more ruddy and vibrant than before.

“Something is siphoning the ghost energy from my body!”

Zhao Yunzhong’s voice grew heavy with gravity, his expression finally shedding its previous ease and composure.

Zhang Hanchi instinctively leaned towards Zhao Yunzhong, only to be abruptly shoved away. The force was considerable, sending Zhang Hanchi stumbling back a significant distance.

“Yunzhong, you…”

Just as Zhang Hanchi was silently nursing his grievance, Zhao Yunzhong spoke with grave seriousness:

“I’m about to employ some special methods. You’d best keep your distance from me.”

As he uttered these words, his eyes squeezed shut.

Fu Ziqing watched as a mass of grayish-black mist manifested on the hooded man’s chest. The mist then abruptly spread, with tendrils branching out in various directions, each condensing into intricate, meridian-like lines that instantly covered his entire body.

His body trembled subtly, a clear indication that the process inflicted immense pain upon him.

When his eyes finally opened, the whites were entirely absent, his pupils an inky, impenetrable black.

In this state, Zhao Yunzhong was truly a being of half-human, half-ghost, radiating a sinister and chilling aura that sent Zhang Hanchi recoiling repeatedly. In his haste, he missed a step, tumbled backward, and with a series of pained cries, rolled all the way down to the fifth floor.

His inky black eyes briefly tracked Zhang Hanchi’s tumble down the stairs, noting the man had actually fainted. In the current predicament, however, this was likely for the best. Zhao Yunzhong withdrew his gaze, redirecting his attention towards the rooftop.

With eyes now suffused with ghost energy, he possessed both night vision and an acutely sharpened sight. He clearly perceived a blurry white figure hovering on the staircase leading to the rooftop.

Fu Ziqing observed the hooded man, her silence stretching for several seconds before she spoke softly:

“Do you see me?”

It wasn’t a question, for she keenly felt the gaze fixed upon her.

Yet, it wasn’t an affirmation either. She stared into those inky black eyes, but found no reciprocal gaze.

Fu Ziqing’s words, however, reached Zhao Yunzhong’s ears as nothing more than fragmented, sputtering static, like a scratched record.

Zhao Yunzhong’s legs spread slightly, one foot forward, one back, and his body hunched just a fraction. It was a stance primed for explosive power.

He interpreted the fragmented sounds as a clear signal that his opponent was poised to strike at any moment.

He considered it highly unlikely that the entity before him was Fu Ziqing.

Over the years, Zhao Yunzhong had leveraged his position to conduct extensive investigations into the ‘Fu Ziqing Tragedy.’ Regrettably, despite the passage of time, no tangible clues had ever surfaced.

As years turned into decades, the truth of that tragic incident seemed destined to remain forever sealed within the confines of this aged dormitory building.

Yet, by a twist of fate, he had stumbled upon another, hidden facet of this world.

While investigating a suspected terrorist, Zhao Yunzhong had encountered a truly bizarre incident. A malevolent spirit, previously confined to folklore, had materialized before him, utterly shattering his perception of reality.

He had miraculously survived the encounter, subsequently becoming an Anomaly Investigator.

Having dealt with an increasing number of peculiar incidents, he began to suspect that the case from all those years ago might not have been a human act after all.

This conjecture became increasingly difficult to suppress the more he delved into the intricate details of the old case.

Furthermore, if a malevolent spirit was indeed responsible for Fu Ziqing’s death, then she would have been utterly incapable of becoming a ghost herself.

This was a conclusion rigorously established by the Department of Anomalies:

“Anyone killed by a ghost, their soul shall become nourishment for the ghost!”

In this very moment, confronting the malevolent spirit that had very likely murdered his beloved goddess, Zhao Yunzhong braced himself for a desperate, life-or-death struggle.

Never blindly trust the data displayed on a Ghost Detector – this was another crucial precept instilled in all Anomaly Investigators by the Department of Anomalies.

To approach him undetected, and furthermore, to siphon his ghost energy… this spirit was undoubtedly far more complex than what the Ghost Detector indicated!

Suddenly, Zhao Yunzhong witnessed the white figure stir. Without hesitation, he bent his lower limbs and then exploded with force, lunging at the white figure like a ferocious tiger!

Fu Ziqing had no intention of attacking. She had indeed sensed the hooded man’s wariness, but the grayish-black mist emanating from him was simply too enticing for a ghost.

She had merely taken a tentative step closer, utterly unprepared for the hooded man to launch a preemptive strike!

His speed was incredible! He had clearly undergone professional training!

None of the ghosts Fu Ziqing had encountered before possessed such speed. She had always assumed ghost slayers would utilize various tools, much like in the movies and TV shows she’d watched, never imagining her opponent would directly pounce, swinging his fists for a ‘physical exorcism.’

In her haste, Fu Ziqing quickly shielded her head with her hands, shouting:

“You bastard! Not the face!”

Zhao Yunzhong heard the ghost’s mournful shriek. Simultaneously, his fist connected with the white figure.