Chapter 8: Sister!

Chapter 8: Sister!

The sixth floor, Room 604.

It was just an ordinary door plate, yet it exerted immense pressure on Duan Ming. Or rather, the moment he stepped onto the sixth floor, the thick, almost tangible black mist made it difficult for him to breathe.

After struggling at the door for over ten minutes, the door creaked open just a crack. A delicate, ethereal female voice drifted out.

"Here to fix the window, are you? Since you're here, why just stand at the door? Come in."

A woman? And likely a young one at that.

Duan Ming swallowed hard and pushed the door open to enter.

"Sorry to intrude."

The room was pitch black, with the only source of light being the broken window facing the door. As his eyes adjusted, the outlines of the room began to emerge. There were few items, but they were arranged in an orderly fashion; it seemed the owner had been quite tidy in life.

In the center sat a large sofa. Duan Ming vaguely made out a long-haired woman sitting upright. As she had her back to him, he could not see her face, though her silhouette was quite graceful. However, Duan Ming dared not harbor any lewd thoughts; he glanced once and immediately looked away.

[Red-Clad Ghost]
[Name: Ying Hongyan]
[Level: Calamity Class (Severely Injured)]
[Friendliness: 0]
[Target Information: She was once an ordinary girl. When she was young, she took her younger brother out to play but failed to watch him closely, causing him to fall into a pond. She watched helplessly as he drowned. From then on, the scolding of her parents, the alienation of relatives, and the misunderstandings of friends followed her into adulthood. She lived in deep self-reproach until her eighteenth birthday, when she donned her most vibrant red dress and committed suicide by burning charcoal at home. She had heard from an elder that a woman who dies in red becomes a formidable spirit. She hoped to use this power to search the Ghost Realm for her brother's whereabouts and tell him she was sorry.]
[Born during the yin year, yin month, yin day, and yin hour, her path in the ghost arts was unobstructed. After several special encounters, she reached a height rarely attained by ordinary spirits. Yet, she never found her brother. Stubbornly believing she wasn't strong enough and hadn't explored enough, she devoured other spirits like a madwoman to bolster her strength, until one day she encountered... infected by... aura, her power plummeted. Eventually, she learned a scrap of information about her brother and settled in the Coffin Wealth Residential Complex.]
[Hint: Deep bond between sister and brother.]

Duan Ming's legs were trembling.

Calamity Class! And in a severely injured state?

How terrifying must she have been at her peak? She could probably blow him away with a single breath. He touched the death-substitution doll already hidden in his pocket, feeling slightly more at ease, and forced himself to ask: "Shall I... start the repairs now?"

"Go ahead."

Trembling, he moved to the window and took out his tools. Replacing glass was not difficult for him, but under the immense psychological pressure, a task that should have taken ten minutes dragged on for half an hour. During this time, neither of them spoke a word; the room was deathly silent.

After packing up his tools, he addressed Ying Hongyan obediently: "The glass has been fixed for you."

"Mhm, very well, thank you." Ying Hongyan never turned around, sipping her tea contentedly.

"Alright, if there are any issues, please call the property office. I won't disturb you any further. Goodbye."

"Wait."

Duan Ming instantly felt his entire body stiffen.

It wasn't fear; a physical force had bound him, rendering him unable to move. Ying Hongyan asked softly: "Have you ever heard the name Ying Chen?"

"No... no, I haven't."

Duan Ming answered truthfully, but a second later, his scalp went numb. The information panel, which had been visible the entire time, showed his friendliness rating—previously at 0—instantly plummeting to -100 after his reply.

Had Ying Hongyan developed murderous intent?

Reality quickly provided the answer.

She slowly turned her head. It was a beautiful face, but vivid red veins were slowly spreading from her neck, eventually covering her entire visage, making her look incredibly hideous.

"Then you have no need to exist. Become nourishment for my search for my brother!"

As she spoke, Ying Hongyan stood up and walked toward him. Her high heels clicked against the floor, each sound like a death knell for Duan Ming.

Was he going to die? Was this why the system sent him here—to experience death?

No!

Ying Chen? Chen? Deep bond between sister and brother?

The system had violated logic to speak up earlier.

Forget it, treat a dead horse as a living one.

Connecting everything together, Duan Ming found strength from somewhere unknown. He pulled out the small wooden tablet carved with the character "Chen" and roared with all his might:

"Sister!"

"Hah—"

Ying Hongyan froze. She stared at the small wooden tablet in disbelief, her eyes gradually welling with tears, and the red veins on her face slowly began to fade.

"Is this... Chenchen's protective charm?"

"Are you..."

But the next second, the red veins surged again, even more vibrant than before.

"No! You are not Chenchen!"

"How dare you impersonate my brother! I'll have your life!!!"

Unexpectedly, Duan Ming plopped down onto the floor, looking entirely relieved.

If there is any feeling in this world that is truly genuine, it is familial love. Parents toward children, elders toward juniors—it is all selfless. As for Ying Hongyan and her brother Ying Chenchen, Ying Hongyan had always doted on him, and following that accident, he had become the obsession in her heart.

The misunderstanding from just a moment ago, even if it lasted only an instant, was enough to push her friendliness toward Duan Ming to its maximum of 100 points. The system then forcibly locked it in place. Now, Ying Hongyan genuinely perceived her inner murderous intent dissolving, the red veins on her face flickering in and out.

"Damn you, what have you done to me!"

Ying Hongyan's expression was shocked and ferocious.

Duan Ming had already fled Room 604 like a shot.

He finally understood that the system was not omnipotent. Although it could miraculously lock friendliness, and while maximum friendliness could allow him to act as he pleased, this was not a game. Every spirit had its own thoughts.

Low-level spirits were fine; the effect of the friendliness rating was usually fully realized, and they would even find reasons to convince themselves. But as the level of the spirit increased, they would start to doubt. Perhaps due to the rules of the friendliness rating, they might not harm him, but they would not necessarily obey him. Ying Hongyan clearly fell into this category.

He ran at full speed, not even bothering to acknowledge the Ripper Ghost and the Wall-Building Ghost who were still fighting. It was not until he ran out of Building A and the cold, yin aura dissipated that Duan Ming collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, though his expression was one of extreme excitement.

In his mind, a series of notifications appeared...

[Completed F-rank commission: The Airtight Window]
[Reward: 1. Ghost Energy +1]
[2. Ghost Coins +1,000,000]
[Completed hidden task: Supporting the Old and the Young]
[Reward: 1. Ghost Energy +50]
[2. Ghost Skill: Paper Doll Crafting]
[3. Incense Sticks x3, Ghost Coins +400,000,000]
[Paper Doll Crafting: Using ghost talisman paper, you can shape anything you have seen. It is realistic enough to deceive the eye, but the effect lasts only 5 hours.]

That was just the reward for completing the tasks. What truly excited him was...

[Ying Hongyan’s friendliness is at maximum]
[Reward: 1. Ghost Energy +500]
[2. Enslaved Spirit: Xiaoyun]
[3. The Seventh Gluttonous Eye]

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