Chapter 17: Dungeon Termination and Reality Distortion

Beside the bed, Ying Hongyan gently patted the sobbing boy’s shoulder and smiled with pity. "It’s okay, it’s okay. You were still very young back then, so it’s normal not to have much memory of it. You don’t need to blame yourself."

"So, your sister’s name is Duan Wan, right?"

"Yes!" Duan Ming nodded heavily.

She fell into deep thought. "I don’t seem to recall that name, but I’ve met many friends over the years. If I get the chance, I’ll ask around for you."

"Sister..."

"Alright, you silly child, why are you being so formal with me?" Ying Hongyan affectionately ruffled Duan Ming’s hair. As she did so, her expression gradually turned wistful, and she muttered to herself, "Sigh, to be honest, I’m actually a bit envious of your sister."

"What?"

"Oh, don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just... never mind, it’s all in the past. Let’s not talk about it."

"Anyway, I’ll keep an eye out for you. Also, if you ever run into trouble at work, you can come find me. At the very least, in Building A, your sister’s word as a building manager still carries weight. Of course, you’re welcome to come visit me even if there’s nothing wrong."

"Here, this is the spare key to 604."

Duan Ming knew the underlying reasons, so he simply chose not to speak and nodded in silence as he accepted it.

Just then, Ying Hongyan took out the cursed amulet and asked, "So, where did you get this amulet?"

"I picked it up in the residential complex," Duan Ming replied, repeating the same excuse he had given Zhao Gangmen.

To his surprise, upon hearing this, tears welled up in Ying Hongyan’s eyes, visible to the naked eye. It was as if this news had brought her immense shock, and her voice trembled.

"Finally... Chenchen... I..."

The lump in her throat prevented her from finishing a complete sentence.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing. I’m just too happy. Duan Ming, thank you."

Duan Ming felt himself pulled into a tight, soft embrace, but his expression remained blank.

"So, do you think Chenchen is in the Guan-Cai Residential Complex now?" he asked.

"I don’t know," Ying Hongyan shook her head. "But at least there’s a lead."

She held the amulet up before her eyes, her gaze gradually turning cold. "There is a heavy aura of curses on this amulet. Not many people in the complex can use cursed power, and even fewer are proficient in it. I’ll go have a chat with them; I believe I’ll get some results."

As she spoke, she stood up abruptly and said urgently, "I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to find those old fogies right now."

Before the words had faded, she had reached the door, but she turned back and handed the amulet back to Duan Ming.

"Take this. I’ve already purged the curse aura from it. With your current strength, it should be enough to shield you from one disaster."

"But this is..." Duan Ming was stunned, feeling the weight of the small wooden tablet in his hand.

Ying Hongyan smiled brightly and gently stroked Duan Ming’s face. "Silly, you are my little brother too."

"Keep it."

Seeing that Duan Ming was still dazed, Ying Hongyan firmly closed his hand around the amulet, leaving no room for refusal.

As her hand made contact with Duan Ming’s right forearm, an anomaly occurred.

The blue-black tattoo belonging to the enslaved ghost spirit, Xiaoyun, began to glow. At the same time, wisps of cyan energy emanated from Ying Hongyan and surged toward the tattoo.

Ying Hongyan’s expression shifted drastically; it was hard to tell if it was fear, shock, excitement, or surprise.

Duan Ming felt even more terrified. At the moment the anomaly began, everything before his eyes froze, as if time had been suspended. Simultaneously, a mechanical voice rang in his ears.

[The Boundary Stone has encountered an unknown disruption. The instance will be terminated prematurely. Entering settlement space.]

Following that, his vision blurred, and everything turned into nothingness.

Lines of information flashed before him.

[Instance Name: Guan-Cai Residential Complex]
[Instance Difficulty: F-rank]
[Instance Mission: Assist the building management in their daily work, and achieve a rating of 'Qualified' or higher on the performance review after seven days.]
[Mission Completion Status: Terminated. Settlement processed accordingly.]
[Name: Duan Ming]
[Three F-rank commission missions completed, one with a perfect rating.]
[Completed hidden mission: The Toilet-Paper-Giving Ghost’s Unfulfilled Wish]
[Completed hidden mission: Elders Above, Youngsters Below]
[Completed hidden mission: A Satisfying Dream Realized]
[Overall Rating: F+] (Hidden missions not included in the score)
[Rewards: 1. Ghost Energy +5; 2. One entrance ticket to a designated instance.]

The evaluation ended there, but Duan Ming remained lost in thought for a long time.

A premature instance termination—this was a scenario not even mentioned in the textbooks, and it might well be the first case in history. He speculated that it was highly likely related to the anomaly that had just occurred with Ying Hongyan.

He raised his right hand. Xiaoyun’s tattoo was still flickering, as if breathing. As her master, he could clearly feel the joy Xiaoyun was experiencing at that moment.

"Was it because of you?"

"Who are you, really?"

While Duan Ming was lost in thought within the settlement space, back in reality, ten minutes earlier:

The classroom where the students had gathered had undergone a drastic change. The white walls were splattered with shocking amounts of blood, desks and chairs were overturned, and the facilities were in disarray.

Outside the classroom, three men in uniforms stood pressed against the corner of the wall, breathing heavily while trying to keep their voices as low as possible.

One of them was about to peek inside when he was immediately pulled back by the man beside him. "Are you crazy? The window glass is reflective!"

The man gave a look of gratitude, as if he had just survived a disaster, and gritted his teeth. "Damn it, why was there no warning when this Dread-rank Mirror Ghost invaded reality? It only released a burst of ghost energy when it first infiltrated; we didn't have time to prepare at all. We almost died in there."

"The Spirit-Binding Talisman can only hold it for another half-hour at most."

"No, we have ten minutes at most," the lead man said suddenly, pointing to a small stone stuck to the door frame of the classroom, which was faintly glowing green.

"The Boundary Stone projection shows that the last batch of children has already entered the settlement phase. They will emerge in ten minutes."

The other two men’s hearts skipped a beat.

"So soon!"

"Boss, what did the Spirit Controller Association say? How much longer until they get here?"

The leader shook his head. "There is indeed one Spirit Controller currently in Golden City, but they are on the other side of the urban area. They should make it within half an hour, but ten minutes... I don't think it's possible."

The three fell silent.

At that moment, the communicator on the leader’s chest vibrated. He answered.

"Hello, this is Team 157 of the Paranormal Investigation Bureau. I am Captain Chen Feng. Please speak."

"Understood."

Saying this seemed to drain all of Chen Feng's strength. Seeing that something was wrong, the other two asked urgently.

"Captain, what is it? Is there a problem with the Spirit Controller?"

"There’s no problem with the Spirit Controller."

"Then what is it?"

Chen Feng did not reply, maintaining a heavy silence. After a long time, as if he had made a decision, he looked at the two with a firm gaze.

"Meng Qian, Xu Haoran, do you remember why we joined the Bureau?"

"Of course I do. To eliminate all ghosts and evil, and to protect our Dragon Kingdom," Xu Haoran blurted out.

Meng Qian added, "Boss, what are you trying to say? You know us well enough; just say it."

"Alright," Chen Feng said. "Headquarters just called to say that the Boundary Stone terminal indicates one of the students coming out next has immense potential. We must protect him at all costs."

He paused, then gritted his teeth. "Even if it means sacrificing our lives to buy him time to escape."

Another silence followed.

*Snap.*

Meng Qian lit a cigarette, took a satisfying puff, and smiled. "Boss, the slogan 'Eliminate all ghosts and evil, protect our Dragon Kingdom' isn't just empty talk. Our families all died at the hands of ghosts that invaded reality. We have nothing left; we stopped fearing death long ago."

"I think headquarters is right. One seed with immense potential is worth more than a thousand investigators like us, who only have Wanderer-rank strength."

"Some things, someone has to carry the burden."

Hearing this, Chen Feng silently took out a pendant from his collar and opened it. Inside was a photo of a little girl with a bright smile. He touched the girl’s face, his expression gradually becoming relieved.

"Yes, someone has to carry the burden."