The alarm blared in the underground containment chamber of the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, like the wailing of a dying man.
Feng Qian swiped his access card three times before the security door reluctantly slid open, revealing a strange, pungent stench of corpses.
"Containment chamber C-014, abnormal status." A mechanical female voice from artificial intelligence came from above, "Warning, warning, containment breach..."
Feng Qian's Flashlight beam pierced the darkness, illuminating the golden cabin where the "Blood Handprint" should have been imprisoned. The cabin door was wide open, the restraints inside were empty, and the Fierce Ghost had long since vanished without a trace.
"How is this possible?" Feng Qian's breathing became rapid, and his eyes flashed with golden light.
He moved on to the next containment chamber, but the containment failed again.
The third room, the fourth room... Feng Qian's pace quickened. The containment rooms on both sides of the corridor were like hollowed-out honeycombs, all the Fierce Ghosts that had been carefully imprisoned had vanished without a trace. He only stopped in front of the last containment room—A-001, the Space Chaos Cube .
This specially constructed, massive containment chamber remained intact.
At least one of them hadn't escaped, and Feng Qian breathed a sigh of relief, only to be gripped by an even greater worry—why did the imprisoned Fierce Ghosts collectively escape?
We are currently in the early stages of the Supernatural apocalypse brought about by "elimination," but in addition to "elimination," other minor Supernatural events are also constantly occurring.
Feng Qian went to the Investigation Bureau's containment room at this time because he received news that many Supernatural events that had occurred in the past had happened in Jing City that day.
The vengeful Fierce Ghost that caused these Supernatural events have already been captured and imprisoned, so why do the same Supernatural events continue to occur?
So Feng Qian went to the Investigation Bureau's containment room to check, and what he found was alarming—all the Fierce Ghost in the containment room had escaped!
After calming down, Feng Qian immediately realized the problem: the Fierce Ghost couldn't open the containment chamber from the inside!
The golden light in his eyes flickered uncertainly as he strode toward the bureau chief's office, intending to test the waters.
The sun was obscured for unknown reasons. The director's office was lit, Cheng Linzhou stood by the window with his back to the door.
Artificial lights illuminated the night sky of Jing City, making it appear at first glance as a bustling metropolis as always. However, one or two lights would occasionally go out, like pencil marks erased by an eraser.
"Chief, containment has failed!" Feng Qian feigned panic, pushing open the door and entering. "All the Fierce Ghosts..."
"Did they all go outside for some fresh air?" Cheng Linzhou turned around, a strange smile on his lips. "I know about this."
Feng Qian's words caught in his throat. "You... know?"
What he really wanted to say was, "Was the containment breach something you did behind the scenes?"
Cheng Linzhou seemed to have read his thoughts. He slowly walked to his desk, sat down, and said, "With the apocalypse approaching, our human resources must be allocated rationally. The 'mysterious disappearances' all over the world are the primary threat. Those minor Supernatural events..."
"Just a minor incident?" Feng Qian's voice suddenly rose. "Have you forgotten how much trouble those Fierce Ghosts in the containment chambers caused the Investigation Bureau?"
Cheng Linzhou picked up his thermos, took a sip, and then slowly said, "You have to believe me, I won't do anything that doesn't benefit me."
Feng Qian was taken aback. Indeed, although Director Cheng had a lot of flaws, one thing was certain: he was truly selfish and self-centered. Especially with the apocalypse approaching, Director Cheng would never be foolish enough to do anything that would be detrimental to his own survival.
"Is there anything else?" Cheng Linzhou's voice drew Feng Qian's attention back.
"That's all." Feng Qian took a step back. He knew Cheng Linzhou was seeing him off. He thought for a moment, then turned and walked out of the office. "I'm going to organize the report."
The corridor lights seemed much dimmer than usual, and Feng Qian's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.
Humans are complex and ever-changing beings. Just like Feng Qian himself, not long ago he and Cheng Linzhou didn't get along very well, and he wished he could secretly trip up Cheng Linzhou and bring down the bureau chief.
But now he and Cheng Linzhou are very good partners; to be precise, they came together for mutual benefit.
Cheng Linzhou, that big scoundrel, has secretly built a safe house, but a safe house alone is not enough to ensure safety.
Even though the safe house is equipped with a very advanced internal circulation system, what if the power supply is interrupted, and the safe house cannot remain completely sealed, requiring water and air exchanges with the outside world? What if Supernatural entities take advantage of this vulnerability?
No one can guarantee anything with this; it's all a matter of luck.
There was indeed someone with incredible luck in the Investigation Bureau, and that was Feng Qian.
Although Feng Qian had some good fortune, he didn't have the ability to build himself a safe house in a short time. He wanted to have a relatively high quality of life in the apocalypse, Cheng Linzhou wanted his good fortune. The two hit it off immediately.
In fact, other powerful figures had also secretly contacted Feng Qian recently, but Feng Qian ultimately accepted Cheng Linzhou's offer. The reason was simple: the two were quite familiar with each other and understood each other's personalities and ways of doing things.
With the apocalypse looming, Feng Qian had no time to work things out with a stranger.
Moreover... he harbored ambitions of usurping power, so it was naturally easier for him to target acquaintances.
The door to the archives was ajar. Feng Qian quietly pushed it open, his gaze sweeping over the rows of shelves before finally settling on the safe at the very back.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of papers turning over, coming from the paper shredder in the corner.
Feng Qian slowly approached and saw a document being shredded. The document was titled "Report on the Correlation between the 'Elimination' Incident and Ordinary Fierce Ghosts."
The remaining paragraphs are shocking:
Other Fierce Ghost Supernatural abilities that can, to some extent, resist the Supernatural of "elimination"...
"... It is suggested to use the Fierce Ghost in the containment chamber to create a Supernatural barrier..."
As he watched the document being shredded into dust, the golden light in Feng Qian's eyes flickered in the archives. He recalled the video that had recently gone viral online and vaguely understood something.
He didn't stay in the archives for long; after leaving, he went to find Wen Jingyan.
Wen Jingyan still had that same innocent and naive look, and after the Investigation Bureau conducted multiple physical examinations on him, they discovered that he no longer seemed to be Ghost Tamer.
It's obvious that Wen Jingyan is not a simple matter; there must be a deeper reason that caused him to lose his memories, and even the ghost inside him has disappeared.
The researchers in the lab have two theories about this: one is that Wen Jingyan underwent "elimination," and he survived through some unknown means, at the cost of losing his memories and the ghost within him;
Another possibility is that this Wen Jingyan is not the same as the other "Wen Jingyan." His experience of falling into the water ten years ago, which led to a drastic change in his personality, makes it hard not to suspect.
If it weren't for the sudden arrival of the apocalypse, the Investigation Bureau would certainly have been happy to investigate Wen Jingyan thoroughly.
Unfortunately, at this time, the Investigation Bureau had almost no energy to deal with him; they simply detained him and prohibited him from leaving the premises.
Initially, Wen Jingyan strongly insisted on returning to his hometown to see his parents and relatives, but the Investigation Bureau only allowed him to make video calls and repeatedly dissuaded him, saying it was too dangerous outside.
Wen Jingyan was not someone who would listen to advice. He never made any more unreasonable demands, nor did he dare to. Through the accounts of the staff around him, he gradually pieced together the truth: at this moment, he was just a vessel, and everyone was looking forward to the return of "him" ten years later.
After visiting Wen Jingyan, Feng Qian went to the director's office.
The office was empty. After thinking for a moment, Feng Qian turned around and went to the containment room.
He guessed correctly. Cheng Linzhou was in the containment chamber, standing in front of containment chamber B-014 with several high-ranking officials, followed by many staff members in protective suits.
"Let's double-check the cutting plan," Cheng Linzhou's booming voice rang out. "Remove all the gold from the containment chamber."
Feng Qian stared in disbelief as the staff dismantled the doors to the containment chamber and the containers that had been used to imprison the Fierce Ghosts.
Then all these gold-made objects were moved out, and where that gold would ultimately go is quite obvious.
"Why are you here again?" Cheng Linzhou noticed Feng Qian watching and asked, his tone revealing a hint of impatience.
Feng Qian smiled. "I think I've figured some things out, so I came to confirm them with Director Cheng."
Cheng Linzhou resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "Some things are between you and me, there's no need to say them aloud. If you've figured them out, just keep them to yourself. Why do you have to ask? You really have no political sense at all."
Feng Qian complained, "What era are we in? Who still plays politics with you?"
Before Cheng Linzhou could say anything more, Feng Qian asked directly, "Has the Investigation Bureau made another new discovery? I remember that trending video from not long ago, where a middle-aged woman survived a 'cleansing' process using Supernatural Items."
Feng Qian was familiar with the red veil held by the middle-aged woman in the video. He had once encountered a mummified bride in the Ghost Village of Lan City, and for some reason, that middle-aged woman had obtained the red veil from the bride's head.
Unfortunately, the red veil was used to resist "elimination" once and then turned into a tattered cloth, so it's probably ruined.
Cheng Linzhou did not answer Feng Qian's question, but instead sent him a report via his mobile phone.
Feng Qian opened his phone and took a look--
[Project Number: SP-001]
Experimental objective: To verify the ability of Supernatural entities to interfere with the "elimination" effect.
Experimental results: Supernatural entities of Class B or higher can effectively resist the delayed "elimination" effect.
Feng Qian raised an eyebrow. "As expected, I guessed right."
He looked up at the containment chamber being demolished, then at the report in his hand. The indiscriminate erasure of "elimination" is essentially a Supernatural with rather special attributes, which will cause Supernatural confrontation when it encounters other Fierce Ghost.
"Are you satisfied now?" Cheng Linzhou straightened his tie. "You really want to get to the bottom of this and understand everything."
"I'm sorry, but these are extraordinary times. Every action we take is crucial to our future survival, so I have to ask a few more questions." Feng Qian put away his phone and looked into Cheng Linzhou's eyes.
"Are you using the Fierce Ghosts as a defensive line? And you even took the opportunity to embezzle the gold from the containment chamber?"
Cheng Linzhou chuckled and walked towards Feng Qian, his leather shoes making a sticky sound as they stepped on the ground.
"Embezzlement? What an awful word." Cheng Linzhou stood before Feng Qian, "I merely redistributed necessary resources."
He used his tablet to bring up a holographic map, on which many red dots surrounded a certain location. "I hope these released Fierce Ghost can resist the 'elimination' and buy us more time."
"Aren't you afraid of crashing your car and being harmed by the Supernatural events caused by these Fierce Ghosts?" Feng Qian frowned.
"It's better than being 'eliminated'." Cheng Linzhou's voice suddenly turned icy. "At least ordinary Fierce Ghost ghosts have predictable patterns in their killings and ways to avoid them. But 'eliminated'..."
He snapped his fingers, and without warning, vanished completely. Which do you think is more merciful?
Feng Qian was speechless. He recalled the videos circulating online—people were fine at breakfast, but in the time it took to turn around and grab a spoon, they were gone, leaving only half a cup of steaming coffee.
"You plan to keep all this gold for yourself?" Feng Qian didn't continue the previous topic. "Haven't your safe house already been built?"
Cheng Linzhou said confidently, "I can't just think of myself. I can't mistreat the people who work for me. Besides, even in the apocalypse, gold will still have many uses."
"Didn't the government ever consider using this gold to build large shelters and save more people?" Feng Qian asked sharply.
Cheng Linzhou gave a meaningful smile, "Xiao Feng, in the face of the apocalypse, someone has to survive to carry on civilization." He pointed outside, "Do you think it's up to those foolish rioters looting supermarkets outside, or us... well-prepared human elites?"
"Don't blame me for being blunt, but Supernatural disasters are different from physical disasters like flash floods and tsunamis. If there's even one idiot or emotionally unstable person in the shelter, they're a ticking time bomb, capable of dragging everyone down with them. It's better to just preserve a select few."
These are all just excuses. Feng Qian didn't say this aloud, after all, he was a beneficiary of the system.
However, his success was entirely due to his "Koi Constitution.
But will this Koi Constitution last? What's behind it all? And what price will be paid?
He knew nothing.
In the past, he would often subconsciously Neglect these doubts and simply enjoy the benefits brought by good fortune.
But as the end of the world drew near, he began to think more and more, especially when he saw those unlucky people who got caught up in Supernatural events while walking down the street.
Why am I so lucky?!
He clearly remembered that the first half of his life was mediocre, without any stroke of good luck. When exactly did this inexplicable good fortune begin?
"What are you thinking about? Why did you suddenly space out?" Cheng Linzhou's angry voice interrupted Feng Qian's thoughts. "How come someone like you, who can suddenly space out even when talking to the boss, has such good luck?"
"I'm quite curious too." Feng Qian gave an awkward smile and quickly changed the subject, "I was just thinking that the Supernatural disaster is worsening much faster than expected. It hasn't been that long, and the situation is already beyond repair..."