"Did you come here specifically to mock and ridicule us?" Fu Youhua gritted his teeth in hatred.
"The Minister is clever," Hu Jiu teased.
"I'm the kind of person who not only faces the darkness and evil within myself, but I also wholeheartedly acknowledge my own insidious and malicious nature, and I'm willing to take action to embody it. I never make excuses, and I never try to whitewash myself in the slightest. So don't always try to criticize me; to me, all your criticisms are a form of praise."
Fu Youhua choked, then heard Hu Jiu say again, "This Ghost Domain that's protecting you isn't about to collapse, is it?"
"To be honest, it's quite unexpected that you've managed to hold out for so long. The Ghost Tamers at Headquarters haven't rioted, nor have they thrown you ordinary people out. Instead, they're still under your control, diligently burning their own lives."
Fu Youhua chuckled, "This is the power of unity. In times of crisis, the Ghost Tamers at Headquarters will never hesitate to sacrifice their lives."
"Oh?" Hu Jiu raised an eyebrow. "You really didn't force them to make their sacrifices using the 'Ghost Contract'?"
Fu Youhua smiled without saying a word. "So what if there's a 'Ghost Contract'? It's because of it that this Ghost Domain sanctuary has been able to maintain stable operation."
If, like in other countries, the government completely loses control over the Ghost Tamers, then ordinary people will really have a hard time surviving.
Although Ghost Tamer can barely survive in a nuclear radiation environment, Ghost Tamer numbers are small, and almost none of them can reproduce. If only Ghost Tamer were left to live in the world, it would be equivalent to the extinction of humanity.
Therefore, under these circumstances, Fu Youhua does not mind abandoning morality and violently exploiting the Ghost Tamers.
Everything they did was for survival and continuation; their sacrifices were meaningful.
"Alright, you wouldn't come here without a reason. Just say it, what exactly is your purpose in coming here?" Fu Youhua asked seriously.
"Of course we're here to take advantage of the chaos," Hu Jiu replied matter-of-factly.
Fu Youhua was not surprised by this answer at all. "I'm really sorry, the nuclear explosion happened too suddenly. We left in a hurry and only brought out some necessities."
"The Fierce Ghost and Supernatural Items contained at Headquarters are still in the warehouse, where the radiation is extremely high. Although Ghost Tamer can resist radiation to some extent, it's not an unlimited resistance. I won't waste manpower searching for things that aren't needed for the time being."
"If you want to take it, go get it yourself. But for the sake of our past as colleagues, could you do me a favor? This Ghost Domain Sanctuary has reached its limit..."
"Okay." Hu Jiu smiled kindly.
Fu Youhua was taken aback. He hadn't had any expectations for Hu Jiu; he just hoped she wouldn't cause any trouble.
He deliberately bowed his head and showed weakness, just to cater to Hu Jiu's twisted psychology, to please this big shot, and to get rid of him as soon as possible.
To his surprise, Hu Jiu actually agreed to his request!
Could it be that Hu Jiu still harbored a tiny bit of kindness and guilt?
Hu Jiu stretched out his hand, and a flower emerged from his palm. This flower had seven petals, each a different color, like a rainbow.
"This is the 'Seven-Colored Flower.' Let's just consider it a Supernatural Item. Anyone who plucks a petal can make a wish upon it, and it can grant any wish."
Fu Youhua stared intently at the "Seven-Colored Flower," but quickly calmed down. This was Hu Jiu's gift; what difference was there between it and a devil's gift? It was definitely poison wrapped in sugar-coated bullets!
"What price do you have to pay to make a wish?" Fu Youhua asked.
In many literary works, novels, comics, movies, and TV series, beings that claim to "fulfill all wishes" are often accompanied by disasters and misfortunes. They either require paying an extremely high price, cause extremely bad consequences, or fulfill wishes in a distorted way, causing the wisher to lose even more.
Sure enough, Hu Jiu said, "The 'Seven-Colored Flower' is, after all, Supernatural Item. Supernatural are harmful to humans, so when granting wishes, it may exhibit some deviations and distortions that are detrimental to the wisher."
"Fulfilling wishes is the fundamental rule of the 'Seven-Colored Flower'; it will grant whatever the wisher makes. However, once the wish exceeds its capacity, the outcome will inevitably be distorted."
"So don't pray to it for grand but empty wishes like 'world peace, harmonious coexistence among all people, or time reversal to return to the pre-nuclear war era.' Even Bodhisattvas can't do those things, so don't expect a single flower to do them."
"As for its upper limit, you'll have to experiment and see for yourself."
After saying that, Hu Jiu stuffed the strange "Seven-Colored Flower" into Fu Youhua's hand.
Fu Youhua visibly struggled with his decision. Seeing Hu Jiu turn to leave, he hurriedly called out to him.
"Is there anything else?" Hu Jiu asked.
Fu Youhua lowered his eyes and said, "There is a well-equipped underground base shelter, a hiding place for high-ranking officials and dignitaries in the Capital. Its location is..."
Hu Jiu raised an eyebrow. Fu Youhua had revealed the location of that underground base to him; this was clearly ill intent.
Fu Youhua smiled but didn't explain anything. The Headquarters was a new organization established after the Supernatural phenomenon showed a clear resurgence, and it was incompatible with the original political system; they weren't even in the same system.
The intelligence about the nuclear explosion wasn't immediately reported to Headquarters, probably because they feared the Ghost Tamers would dominate the survivor base?
The delayed information led to a hasty response from Headquarters, nearly resulting in total annihilation.
Now, the place is devastated, and everyone rescued from Headquarters is barely surviving. After thinking for a long time, Fu Youhua suddenly realized that certain privileged minorities no longer have any reason to exist.
Fu Youhua knew that, given Hu Jiu's personality, he would definitely cause trouble once he learned of the existence of the underground shelter.
Hu Jiu disappeared from the spot with a meaningful expression. After watching him leave, Fu Youhua immediately examined the "Seven-Colored Flower" in his hand, pondering how to use it.
However, he did not notice that right behind him, the ground suddenly trembled slightly, as if something was awakening underground. As the soil loosened, a flower bud broke through the soil and quickly bloomed into seven beautiful colors.
Hu Jiu quickly located the underground base that Fu Youhua had mentioned.
This sanctuary was built deep underground, perhaps to prevent harassment from Fierce Ghost or Ghost Tamers; much of the building material was made of gold.
Gold did waste Hu Jiu's time, but not much. After all, the shelter's structure wasn't completely sealed off; as long as there was a crack, he could break in.
The shelter was well-stocked, and most people continued to enjoy a relatively comfortable life. However, they were all worried about their future, as surviving in the cramped underground space was not something to be happy about.
Hu Jiu toured the entire underground base and found several Supernatural Items on some people that had minimal or even Neglect side effects.
Living people are a resource; in this apocalyptic era, these healthy living people symbolize the continuation of race and civilization.
However, to Hu Jiu, they were merely experimental subjects.
"Perfect timing to test out this 'Supernatural Game'."
Before Hu Jiu became Ghost Tamer, he would occasionally read comics and novels. There was a type of infinite flow novel where characters would be randomly selected to participate in various thrilling, terrifying, and exciting dungeon adventures.
At that time, Hu Jiu found it strange that most of those selected were ordinary people.
The participants in these "bizarre survival dungeons," "Supernatural survival dungeons," and "strange tales of national destiny rules" are all ordinary people, with the occasional wealthy second-generation heir, but the real politicians and elites are absolutely nowhere to be seen.
Especially when it comes to the fate of the nation, which concerns the destiny of the country, why not let those who enjoy the highest privileges and treatment in the country participate? Why make someone who has struggled at the bottom risk their life?
Ordinary people already work themselves to the bone in real life, yet they still have to struggle to survive in the supernatural dungeons. Does this truly prove the saying, "Misfortune only finds those with a hard life"?
Or is the creation of these adventure dungeons a matter of selective targeting?
Hu Jiu threw everyone in the survivor base into various Supernatural scenarios and let them have fun inside.
Of course, Hu Jiu never showed favoritism. He believed in sharing joy, and while caring for these survivors, he didn't forget to care for survivors from other countries. After all, he was that kind of compassionate person; how could he leave out international friends when it came to something as fun and interesting as "Supernatural Games "?
Based on the principle of sharing blessings, Hu Jiu traveled to various countries, large and small, and would often bestow blessings upon the survivors, wishing them long and healthy lives. Otherwise, he would invite them to enter the "Supernatural Game" to challenge and adventure, adding a touch of fun to their numb and desperate lives.
"I can't believe I actually had a day when I did something so good! It's unbelievable!"
This kind of life continued for quite some time, and not only Hu Jiu, but also many other powerful Ghost Tamers were active in it.
However, they all avoided Hu Jiu, and Hu Jiu didn't deliberately cause trouble for these small fry.
He has been very high-profile recently, and this high profile is certainly not without reason.
Just when his patience was about to run out, the person he had been waiting for finally appeared.
It was a gloomy and oppressive afternoon when a large, glowing green arrow appeared brightly in the sky above Hu Jiu.
Hu Jiu had actually noticed the appearance of the arrow long ago, but he pretended not to know.
The arrow seemed to possess intelligence; it hopped around and pointed in a direction, indicating that Hu Jiu should walk in that direction.
Following the arrow's direction, Hu Jiu continued forward, his mind on high alert.
He devised numerous escape and resurrection strategies; he had too many trump cards. Even if he were to encounter mortal danger, he would only suffer greater losses.
When dealing with the higher-ups of the Time Management Bureau, Hu Jiu couldn't ignore the unusual stupidity displayed by the five Executor.
--And there's another mysterious person hiding in the shadows!
This mysterious person might be very powerful, Hu Jiu was on guard, but not to the point of panic.
Because during the three-month gap after the outbreak of nuclear war when Hu Jiu was in seclusion controlling the Fierce Ghost, that mysterious person did nothing.
At least the other party didn't cause trouble for Hu Jiu, which likely means they were in some kind of bad situation.
During this period, Hu Jiu not only went around sending warmth and blessings, but he also planted "bombs" all over the world.
Once these "bombs" are detonated, they could truly destroy the world.
If he still can't lure out that mysterious person, Hu Jiu plans to give up and smash the world to pieces, then go to the Ghost World to explore new maps.
Fortunately, the mysterious person eventually showed up.
Following the green arrow, Hu Jiu found the space around him distorted wherever it passed. Soon, after many twists and turns, he arrived at a fantastical place, and the arrow disappeared.
The ground beneath my feet was cold, damp stone slabs, and strange patterns were painted on the dark gold walls. Twelve bronze pillars supported the precarious dome, and each pillar was wrapped with thick, long chains.
The chains, covered in black and red rust, twisted and converged towards the center—thirty feet above the ground, the chains entwined and suspended a cube-shaped glass jar.
A grayish-white brain floated in the tank, its dense blood vessels writhing slowly like the tentacles of some ancient creature. The intense, compressed, and tangible supernatural Supernatural was all trapped inside the small glass tank.
Hu Jiu stared in shock at the scene before him.
"You've come." A series of repeated, delirious murmurs suddenly sounded in my ear.
The Brain in a Vat has no vocal organs; its frontal cortex ripples as it communicates directly with Hu Jiu using its consciousness.
At the same time, the chains binding the cube-shaped glass tank emitted a tooth-grinding groan, and a dim red light appeared on the chains. The liquid containing the brain in the tank boiled, and many bubbles rose to the surface of the brain, each bubble shimmering with beautiful and wonderful dreams.
"What are you? A sealed brain?" Hu Jiu asked in confusion.
For a long time, the mind remained silent, with only the clanging of the chains wrapped around the glass tank audible.
The red glow emanating from the chains caused the liquid in the glass tank to boil more and more violently, and more and more bubbles enveloped the brain.
The brain's neural synapses waved wildly in the liquid, bursting the bubbles.
The moment the bubble burst, a trace of Supernatural power dissipated, blossoming into colorful fragments of a dream.
Hu Jiu has mastered "Nightmare," making him extremely sensitive to dreams. However, "Nightmare" creates nightmares, killing people on a psychological level.
These fragments of dreams before my eyes are the epitome of beautiful dreams—there are clichéd harems, with women on both sides; there are melodramatic stories of switched babies, a battle of wits between the real and fake bloodlines; there is becoming a savior, revered by the world; there is a crooked-mouthed dragon king's wicked smile, a triumphant reversal; there is a nine-thousand-year-old battling a naive girl, with the nemesis ultimately becoming the wife...
There are even dreams that are one-to-one replicas of the real world, making it hard to distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Hu Jiu was momentarily lost in thought, but quickly regained her senses.
In that one second, he seemed to be living the life of a protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel, enjoying himself from beginning to end.
The sheer power emanating from the glass tank was enough to make Hu Jiu feel dizzy and disoriented, unable to imagine what his brain, submerged directly in the tank, was going through.