Chapter 19: So, You’re the One They Call the Mirror Phantom?

Chapter 19: So, You’re the One Called the Mirror Ghost?

"The children are back! Officer Luo, please hurry!" Chen Feng shouted anxiously.

"Understood." Luo Yulong nodded solemnly.

He was no longer underestimating his opponent. He had initially assumed this was just an ordinary malicious ghost that Zhou Xiangfu, with his peak-level strength, could easily handle. But since Zhou had explicitly stated the entity was no pushover, he could not afford to be careless.

Yet, he felt no fear. Having been immersed in the Ghost Realm for so many years, his own strength was not to be underestimated.

With a swift movement, he dashed into the darkness. Moments later, the sounds of chairs and tables being violently smashed echoed from within.

As the seconds ticked by, Chen Feng could clearly feel his spectral energy waning. Suddenly, all noise ceased, and a deathly silence descended.

Chen Feng’s eyes widened as he shouted into the darkness, "Officer Luo! Is it resolved?"

A response came instantly.

"Resolved my ass! Its true form isn't here; I couldn't even catch a glimpse of its shadow!"

Chen Feng was frantic, blood beginning to trickle from his nostrils. A moment later, he shouted again, "Students, hurry and get out of there!"

Duan Ming: "Someone turn the damn lights on! It’s pitch black—where am I supposed to run?!"

By now, Chen Feng’s nose was bleeding profusely; his spectral energy was clearly overdrawn. He made a decision.

"If I don’t make it, remember to light an incense stick for my daughter during the Qingming Festival. Thanks."

He whispered this to his team member beside him, then resolutely dispelled his dark spectral technique and charged into the classroom without looking back.

The classroom was illuminated once more. The scene was still the same bloody sight, only with a few more people. Luo Yulong stood at the podium with a slap mark on his face. Wang Tao and the others remained in a crouch, still feeling their way through the dark.

Only one person was sitting casually at his desk, looking around with curiosity.

Wang Tao and the others: "???"

So, you were just sitting there yelling like a maniac while we were struggling?

Chen Feng, having just rushed in, paused for only a split second before waving his hands frantically. "Hurry! Run!"

The next second, he scanned his surroundings, grabbed a piece of shattered glass the size of a fist from the floor, and stared straight into it.

"Chen Feng! Have you lost your mind?" Luo Yulong shouted in alarm.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

But it was too late.

In Chen Feng’s field of vision, he saw his own reflection in the glass, but suddenly, a pale hand emerged from behind him. While there was nothing behind him in reality, he could feel a physical sensation where the white hand on the glass was clutching him.

The ghostly hand moved upward—past his chest, his neck, his face, and finally to his eyes. Two fingers stood straight, slowly and steadily pressing inward.

"Ah!!!"

Chen Feng was paralyzed, feeling the pressure on his eyes growing, accompanied by agonizing pain.

"Run! Run!" he shrieked hysterically.

Just then, he felt the pressure on his eyes release. In his blurred vision, a dark shadow lunged forward.

Duan Ming grabbed a book, deftly caught the piece of shattered glass between its pages, and began stomping on the book with all his might.

"So, you’re the damn Mirror Ghost, right?"

"You dared to turn off the lights and scare me?"

"I just got back from the Ghost Realm, you think I’m afraid of your petty tricks?"

To everyone's shock, shrill, miserable screams emanated from the gap in the book.

Chen Feng’s vision gradually cleared, and he stared at the scene in front of him, dumbfounded. Although he believed the Mirror Ghost deserved to die, his honest nature compelled him to clarify something.

He poked the enraged Duan Ming gently. "Um, excuse me, the lights going out earlier was actually a side effect of my spectral technique."

"Huh?"

Duan Ming stopped his movements, stunned for a moment, then resumed his furious stomping.

"So, you were the one touching my butt just now, weren't you?"

"Is my butt something you can just touch whenever you want?"

"Pah! Pervert!"

At this point, Yu Xiaoshuang raised her hand weakly. "Duan Ming, I think that might have been me by accident. It was too dark."

Duan Ming stopped again, looking confused. "Then what did he do?"

Chen Feng gritted his teeth and replied, "This Mirror Ghost has invaded reality and already claimed six lives!"

Duan Ming slapped his forehead. "Oh, right. I got confused for a second—this is the real world."

With that, his expression darkened, and his eyes gleamed.

"I was just looking for an excuse to beat you up."

"Invading reality? Why didn't you stay in the Ghost Realm where you belong!"

"Hurting humans? Did you ask the Human Guardian if that was okay!"

Every soul-piercing question was accompanied by more agonizing screams, making everyone wince.

Watching Duan Ming beat the Mirror Ghost—who had been tormenting them all—until it howled, Luo Yulong poked Yu Xiaoshuang and asked softly, "Are you sure he’s your classmate?"

Yu Xiaoshuang looked at him in confusion, but Ma Nana chimed in first. "Of course he’s my classmate! You guys are so weird. It’s just a little ghost spirit. In the Ghost Realm, Duan Ming even chopped a Skeleton Ghost into a ghost-stick. He was so imposing!"

Ma Nana didn't bother lowering her voice, and Luo Yulong and Chen Feng exchanged a look.

Could it be him?

Just then, a sudden change occurred. The book holding the shattered glass shook violently.

"Enough! Don't think that—"

Before the Mirror Ghost could finish, Duan Ming stomped it back down.

"Enough your mother!"

He grabbed a few more books, clamped the previous one from all sides, and continued the beating.

The one-sided thrashing lasted for several minutes, with the others watching in silence. Once Duan Ming was slightly out of breath, he wiped his sweat, picked up the books, and handed them to Chen Feng.

"You guys are from the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, right? It's all yours. Wherever this Mirror Ghost used its ability, that mirror surface is its true form. There you go, it's inside these books."

Chen Feng instinctively took a step back.

"Don't worry," Duan Ming smiled. "This guy has severe claustrophobia. Trapped in such a confined space, it can't use any of its abilities."

He had obtained this information from his prompt system.

Realizing he had lost his composure, Chen Feng smiled apologetically and took the books. "But how did you know all of this?"

Duan Ming was prepared. "Oh, this guy is fairly famous. I made a friend in the Ghost Realm who mentioned it."

"You can make friends in the Ghost Realm?????"

"Of course! Don't look at them like they’re all monsters; they’re actually quite warm-hearted and love giving people gifts."

"He's right," Luo Yulong stepped forward. "The beginning of contracting a ghost spirit is friendship."

He looked at Duan Ming with a confident smile. "So, have you also contracted a ghost spirit?"

"No," Duan Ming blurted out.

*Laughable.* He didn't have a contracted ghost spirit, but he did have an enslaved one.

"Uh, then what was your dungeon rating?" Luo Yulong asked, unwilling to give up.

"F+, I guess. I did one task a bit better than the rest. Not bad, right?" Duan Ming said with self-satisfaction.

Luo Yulong, Chen Feng, and the other investigators exchanged bewildered looks.

Luo Yulong: "It probably isn't him. Unless it was a hidden task or a hidden upgrade, everything else—including any contracted ghost spirits—would be reflected in the final dungeon rating. The seed with high potential shown on the Boundary Stone terminal must be someone else."

"Agreed," Chen Feng nodded. "Hidden tasks are rare and extremely difficult to complete. Even veterans don't dare guarantee they can get those rich rewards, let alone a novice in their first run."

"It seems he just has quick thinking and great courage, making him well-suited for Ghost Realm exploration, but the higher-ups are interested in someone else."

He glanced at the others.

At this moment, Wang Tao stepped forward with a proud smile.

"I think the person you're looking for is me."

As the words left his lips, a dark shadow slowly emerged from his backside, forming a human shape.

A balding head, a pale face, and bright red lipstick.

Who else could it be but the Lecherous Ghost?