Mysterious Artifact

Thick clouds hung over the city, and in the distance, collapsed, broken buildings still stood askew. Stale, slightly foul-smelling air filled every corner of the city, and the setting sun cast an eerie, blood-red hue.

Like everywhere else, Tianchang City was a wounded city.

Li Yi, having just finished his part-time job, walked through the desolate, dilapidated streets of the old district, carrying his belongings. He skillfully and carefully avoided the puddles on the uneven ground, then quickly ducked into an alley.

The alleyways were intricate, connecting various parts of the old district. Taking these shortcuts saved a lot of time.

"Cough, cough!"

As Li Yi walked, he suddenly caught a whiff of rotten stench. He couldn't help but cough twice, but he didn't dare linger. He just quickened his pace, rapidly moving away from the area enveloped in the foul odor.

Because he knew that smell was the result of a decomposing corpse.

The lowest rung of society in this city were like rats in a gutter. Merely maintaining a normal life was a struggle. Even in death, they could only lie in dark corners, silently rotting and breeding maggots, until the stench became unbearable and was finally discovered and cleaned up by the sanitation team.

After all, the world had changed. Even in orderly cities, the mortality rate remained alarmingly high.

"I wonder how lucky I'll be this time, if I can get through this."

Twenty-year-old Li Yi sighed inwardly, a hint of confusion and weariness in his eyes. But his gaze quickly firmed, and his steps became even faster than usual.

Following an address from memory, he passed through the alley and arrived at a residential complex decades old.

The complex wasn't large, with only four buildings, which was common in the old district.

Despite the poor environment, the old district was at least safer than other places, less prone to accidents. Thus, many people lived crammed within the seemingly dilapidated and desolate old district, gnawing at the city's resources like ants, barely surviving. Li Yi was one of them.

Wangmen Residential Area.

"Right, this is it." Li Yi found the location on the address.

However, upon entering the complex, he noticed a crowd gathered in the open space in the center. In the middle of the crowd, he even spotted the figures of investigators.

"Something bad must have happened," his expression shifted slightly, and he curiously moved closer.

"I heard the resident of Unit 701 in Building 4 died. Died horribly. Blood flowed into the hallway. It definitely wasn't a natural death. Probably some kind of special accident, otherwise, the investigators wouldn't be here in this dump."

"Who lived in Unit 701, Building 4? I don't remember at all. Does anyone know?"

"That one with the big wavy hair, dressed so flashy."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. Her name is Liu Li, thirty-two years old, single, and well-endowed."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, many people nearby turned to look at him in surprise.

It was a middle-aged man in his thirties, shaking his head with a look of deep emotion.

At this moment, an investigator walked down from the hallway of Building 4, accompanied by several sanitation workers. They were carrying a body bag, presumably containing Liu Li's remains.

"What's the situation upstairs?" The lead investigator, Wang Jian, was responsible for this old urban area.

Despite his ordinary appearance, Wang Jian, in his mid-twenties, had sharp eyes that seemed to faintly glow in the dim light, instilling an inexplicable sense of unease.

"Captain Wang, the deceased's body was dismembered into more than a dozen pieces. The scene was extremely bloody, but based on the current investigation, the cause of death appears to be... suicide." Another investigator walked over, his face grave, and quietly reported the situation in Unit 701.

Wang Jian nodded, his expression calm, as if he had seen stranger things. After all, he had encountered more bizarre incidents.

"Any other clues?"

Another investigator said, "There's a resident in the unit opposite 701 who seems to have seen something."

With that, he gestured, and a young man around twenty-five was brought over.

"I'm Investigator Wang Jian. Tell me, what did you see in Unit 701?" Wang Jian inquired.

The young man looked nervous. "I, I saw someone walk into Unit 701 bit by bit last night."

"Bit by bit?" Wang Jian frowned slightly. "Are you messing with me?"

"No, absolutely not. That person really did walk in bit by bit." The young man said with absolute certainty.

Wang Jian's expression darkened. He suddenly reached out, grabbed the young man by the neck, and stared coldly into his pupils before casually tossing him aside. "Another one driven mad by cultivation. Take him away."

"Yes, sir."

The young man immediately struggled. "No, I'm not mad! I'm not mad! Someone really did walk into Unit 701 bit by bit. That person is the murderer! She didn't commit suicide, she didn't commit suicide! I'm fine, I was leaning against the door cultivating yesterday, and I saw it clearly."

But the accompanying staff didn't waste words and led him out of the complex.

The middle-aged man watching the commotion shouted, "If the deceased Liu Li could be brought out bit by bit, why couldn't the murderer go in bit by bit to kill her? Why are the investigators calling him crazy?"

"He's not normal, and neither are you?" Wang Jian glanced at him. "Do you want to be taken away too?"

The middle-aged man immediately spat in the direction of the young man. "This lunatic should be taken away. I must have been influenced by him just now. We absolutely cannot let this lunatic come back. Maybe he's the one who killed Liu Li."

"I said, Liu Li committed suicide. This case is closed," Wang Jian repeated.

"It seems the suicide cases here are just coincidences and have nothing to do with what I need to do."

Li Yi, who had been watching the commotion, remained silent. He quietly picked up his bag and left the crowd, heading towards Building 1. This matter had nothing to do with him. He was only here to make money and didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble.

"Wangmen Residential Area, Building 1, Unit 201."

Li Yi took a shallow breath. He arrived at the unfamiliar address and knocked on the old wooden door.

Knock, knock, knock~!

A dull sound echoed in the dim corridor, the surroundings completely silent.

After a while.

The old apartment door opened, revealing a yellowish light, and a voice came from within.

"Come in." The voice was very low.

Li Yi walked in, a little nervous.

The living room was sparsely furnished, with a sofa and a few wooden chairs. The bedroom doors on both sides were closed. In the dim yellow light, the space felt a bit claustrophobic.

"Friend, stop looking around. You're late. We're all waiting for you," said a young man in a hoodie, sitting on the sofa. There were several people, men and women, on the sofa.

Li Yi didn't speak, just looked at the person sitting in the chair opposite him.

That person was shrouded in the shadows of the light. He slightly raised his head, his eyes exceptionally bright, shimmering with a faint glow, as if containing some special power that made it impossible to look directly at him.

"My name is Old Crow. You're Li Yi, right? Very young. You look like you're just over twenty. Tell me, why do you want to take on this dangerous mission?" The person calling himself Old Crow spoke, his voice still low, giving off an inexplicable sense of pressure.

Li Yi steadied himself and said seriously, "I need money."

The man in the hoodie on the sofa behind him chuckled, "Nonsense. Who comes here to take on dangerous jobs like this if they don't need money? Nowadays, lives are cheap, and there are plenty of people scrambling to sell theirs."

Li Yi still ignored him and continued to explain, "My parents are Silent Ones. They've been in a coma for six years."

"Both parents are Silent Ones? If they've been alive for six years, it means your family has two Medical Pods. Even a used Medical Pod costs at least a million. You don't look like you're short on money," Old Crow's voice turned cold. "Give me a reasonable explanation. Don't play games."

"The Medical Pod is broken and needs repair. The repair cost is fifty thousand, and I can't afford it. I saw someone in the group introducing this job, saying it pays a hundred thousand upon completion, so I came to try my luck." Li Yi's heart skipped a beat as he explained his situation again.

Perhaps he believed Li Yi's words, or perhaps he saw the unease and urgency in Li Yi's eyes. His tone shifted, and he let out a soft laugh. "Raising two Silent Ones for six years would drain even a wealthy family dry. And then the Medical Pod breaks down. In such a situation, you'd desperately need money. After all, without the maintenance of a Medical Pod, a Silent One can't survive for more than thirty days. It seems you want to fight for your parents. That's very commendable. There aren't many filial sons like you these days. Since that's the case, I'll give you this opportunity. You've passed the screening. Sit down."

Li Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and found a stool next to the sofa to sit down.

"The last person has arrived. If anyone wants to leave before this, they can go now. I won't stop you. In ten seconds, I will start explaining the mission." Old Crow's bright eyes revealed a hint of threat.

It was clear he was telling them that if they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to back out later.

In the dim yellow living room, everyone fell silent.

Time ticked by, second by second.

During this time, no one left.

"Very good. It seems you all have reasons to risk your lives. In that case, I will now formally begin the mission briefing." Old Crow stood up.

At the same time, the closed bedroom door next to him opened, and a man in a suit walked out. He immediately locked the main door and then stood like a tall wall at the entrance, preventing anyone from escaping.

"Old Crow, don't waste time. Tell us quickly what you want us to do. We can't do anything too difficult. After all, we just want to make money, not die. And we're all ordinary people without cultivation, so our capabilities are limited," the man in the hoodie said with a grin, not showing any nervousness.

Old Crow glanced at him and said, "Behave yourself."

The man in the hoodie shrugged, unconcerned.

What was there to fear for someone willing to risk their life for money?

The other people remained silent, not interrupting Old Crow at this moment.

Li Yi just listened quietly, hoping the so-called mission wouldn't be too dangerous. He still wanted to go home alive.

Seeing that everyone was quiet, Old Crow said seriously, "Ten days ago, a building in the abandoned district had an anomaly. Our people went in to search, but an accident occurred. Several died. Only two ordinary people without cultivation returned alive. One went mad, and the other was seriously injured and is still in the hospital, barely clinging to life."

"The second time, my partner and I went to that building again to search. Unfortunately, my partner died there. Only I was lucky enough to escape."

"However, from these two explorations, I obtained two crucial pieces of information. The first is that there is likely a Mysterious Artifact in that building."

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes widened, showing expressions of disbelief.

"A Mysterious Artifact? How is that possible? The abandoned district has been searched countless times. How could a Mysterious Artifact be left behind?" the man in the hoodie exclaimed, standing up abruptly, his breathing becoming rapid.

Mysterious Artifacts.

Treasures from another world after the Skyfall Event, said to possess divine powers from myths and legends.

Each Mysterious Artifact was priceless.

Countries around the world aggressively and unreasonably reclaimed every Mysterious Artifact, triggering countless artifact wars.

If an ordinary person found a Mysterious Artifact and voluntarily handed it over, the cash reward alone would be at least a billion. In addition, they could unconditionally enter a prestigious academy and would never be expelled. As for villas in secure zones and honorary titles, those were all hidden benefits.

But even with such generous rewards, there had only been two instances of voluntarily handing over Mysterious Artifacts in the country.

Because, in addition to divine powers, Mysterious Artifacts could also allow ordinary people to defy fate and embark on a path of cultivation far beyond that of geniuses.

With a Mysterious Artifact for just a few months, the recipient could become extraordinary. If they possessed one for several years, everyone would have to defer to them.

"Stop painting a rosy picture. I don't believe there's a Mysterious Artifact in the old district. The influence of a Mysterious Artifact spans at least five kilometers. If such a large area was affected, do you think the investigators are incompetent?" said a woman wearing a slip dress, with a sexy figure, but a hint of disdain on her lips.

Her words made the others, who were still in shock, calm down considerably.

"She's right. Paying someone a hundred thousand to find a priceless Mysterious Artifact? How absurd does that sound? If such a thing truly existed, would it even be our turn to know? This old district would have been sealed off long ago," the man in the hoodie agreed with the woman's words.

Li Yi and the remaining people remained silent, just watching.

Old Crow's voice remained low, "Mysterious Artifacts also have levels. There are complete Mysterious Artifacts and incomplete ones. Those top-tier Mysterious Artifacts are certainly beyond our reach. But if we're lucky, finding an incomplete one, or even fragments of a Mysterious Artifact, isn't impossible."

"Your task, the five of you, is simple: go into that building and find the item. Even if you can't retrieve it, as long as you confirm its location, I'll give you a hundred thousand. If you can bring it back, I'll give each of you two million."

"You want us to risk our lives to help you find a Mysterious Artifact for just this amount of money? That's going to be difficult," the man in the hoodie said with a sudden grin.

"What do you mean? You want to back out?" Old Crow said.

"No, I mean I want more money," the man in the hoodie said, staring at him.

"Don't be greedy. Be careful you don't live to spend it," Old Crow said coldly. At that moment, his eyes glowed, like a beast lurking in the dark.

The man in the hoodie wasn't afraid. He said, "Do you dare to make a move? If you kill me, this whole thing will fall apart. Once investigators are brought in, you'll suffer even greater losses. After all, our lives are cheap and worthless, but you're different. You have a bright future and the chance to interact with Mysterious Artifacts. Throwing it all away for a few insignificant people isn't worth it."

He then turned to Li Yi and the others and said, "I'm fighting for everyone's interests right now. Aren't you going to say something?"

"This mission is very dangerous. I demand half the deposit upfront. Otherwise, I'm not going. Who knows if you'll go back on your word later," the woman in the slip dress immediately said.

Clearly, when Mysterious Artifacts were involved, no one could resist trying to get the best deal.

Li Yi didn't want to back down either. He said, "I also think the money is a bit low. Besides paying a 50,000 deposit upfront, you have to pay another 100,000 after you find what you're looking for. As for retrieving it, we ordinary people know our limits; we don't have the ability."

As soon as he finished speaking, a muscular man with a buzz cut and a square face, sitting on the sofa nearby, stood up. He was exaggeratedly tall, nearly two meters, his head almost touching the ceiling. Despite being an ordinary person, he gave off a powerful aura.

"You bastard. Since you've come to me, whether the job gets done or not, I'm getting paid. If you don't pay, I'll smash your head in with one punch," the man said in a deep, unyielding tone.

The last person remaining was a middle-aged man with glasses and a slender build. He had been silent until now but finally spoke. "Old Crow, is it? Give me the money for all four of them, and I'll handle this. However, I want a 30% cut after you retrieve what you want."

Old Crow fell silent.

After a while, he said in a low voice, "I see now. Every one of you is a talent, valuing money over your lives. If this weren't a safe zone, I'd kill you all right now."

The man in the hoodie continued to grin, the woman in the slip dress rolled her eyes dismissively, the burly man snorted disdainfully, and the man with glasses lowered his head slightly, adjusted his glasses, and a strange smile played on his lips.

Only Li Yi seemed relatively normal, his eye twitching inexplicably, a hint of unease.

Seeing that no one was budging, Old Crow weighed his options briefly and chose to compromise. After all, finding another group would be troublesome, and he didn't want any further delays. If the news leaked, the situation would be beyond his control.

"It's as Li Yi said. Pay a 50,000 deposit upfront, and another 100,000 upon completion. No more haggling. The deal is settled."

The others were silent for a moment, clearly accepting the terms.

"You haven't given us the second piece of crucial information," the man in the hoodie asked again.

Old Crow said, "The second piece of crucial information is that entering that building, ordinary people actually face less danger. People like me who have started cultivating are more likely to be targeted by dangers. That's why I sought you out. Don't waste any more time; let's go immediately."

With that, he signaled his subordinates guarding the door to open it.

"I have another question," Li Yi said.

"Ask whatever else you have quickly," Old Crow said coldly.

"What kind of danger exists in the place you mentioned that even those who have cultivated can't handle?" Li Yi asked. "This question is important. At least we'll know what we're facing."

"That building... is haunted," Old Crow said, then walked out of the room.

Ghosts?

Everyone froze. Under the dim, yellow light, a chilling dread crept into their hearts.