Family Apartment

The <Puppet> stood before the door, holding a signboard, its words filled with anticipation and nervousness.

After a few seconds of thought, <Li Yèlái> finally understood.

When he had previously followed <Puppet>'s advice and retreated from the battlefield, he seemed to have casually said he'd treat her to a meal next time.

Uh. That was just a polite remark.

Like the common greeting, "Have you eaten?", it was merely a courtesy.

But the girl had taken him seriously, even changing into a new <Puppet> outfit, and was waiting here expectantly.

Even someone as stingy as <Li Yèlái> couldn't bring himself to refuse.

However, <Li Yèlái> had to rush home immediately. Everything that happened today had filled him with dread.

He was ultimately being targeted by certain organizations, whether it was the <Ashes Church> or the group behind the black umbrella. They had likely noticed him by now.

His special ability, the Faceless Myriad, or his conspicuous feat of shattering the <Ghost Immortal>'s altar, would surely alert those organizations. When the young man with the black umbrella threatened <Li Yèlái>'s family, he had already felt fear.

He understood that no matter how strong he became, he couldn't always stay by his family's side.

He had to ensure <Li Yúnyān>'s safety first.

Thus, <Li Yèlái> organized his thoughts and said to <Puppet>: "I have an urgent matter today. Can we do it in a few days?"

<Puppet> visibly drooped, the arm holding the signboard lowered, and the sign itself seemed to turn dim, as if its power had faded.

She was truly saddened, thinking that this companion, the only one unaffected by the curse, was distancing himself from her.

If <Li Yèlái>'s gaze could penetrate the hood, he would have seen a beautiful face, utterly dejected and with teary eyes.

Her apparent strength was a facade; the sudden crushing of her hopes made her legs tremble.

<Li Yèlái> sensed her thoughts and quickly added: "You know, I encountered an enemy today who threatened my family. Although he's 'cooked' now, I'm still worried. I plan to go home immediately to pack and prepare to move."

<Puppet> instantly perked up and raised her signboard again.

[Threatening family? How despicable! (╬￣皿￣)]

[Have you thought about a new place yet? (O_o)??]

"Uh, not yet," <Li Yèlái> shook his head. "And my sister doesn't know I'm a <Spirit Ability User>, nor is she aware of the existence of <Spirit Ability Users>. I'm trying to figure out how to tell her."

[Some colleagues are like this too, not wanting to involve their families in danger or worry them, so they hide their identities. But since something like this has happened, you have to be honest now (`へ*)ノ]

[As for a new place, you can't just look anywhere. Safety must come first. You're a member of <Champion>, you can ask your <Champion> branch about their policies for family members. I don't know much about it since I live in the branch. (ω)(._.`)]

"Okay, thank you. I'll treat you to a meal after I've moved!" <Li Yèlái> thought for a moment before realizing <Yáng Chén>'s codename was '<Champion>'. He immediately nodded at <Puppet>.

Then, he quickly walked towards <Yáng Chén>'s office.

As he passed <Puppet>, he heard a somewhat muffled female voice say: "You're welcome."

Soon, <Li Yèlái> arrived at <Yáng Chén>'s office.

"I was just about to look for you," <Yáng Chén> said with a smile. "Generally, we don't interfere in the private lives of our handlers. However, when some handlers rise to prominence, it can attract the hostility of certain scoundrels. Therefore, we do have a policy for protecting family members.

For example, about four kilometers from this branch, in the <Ring District>, there's an apartment complex that serves as a safe point for housing family members and some protective personnel for our handlers. Several handler teams and a squad of <Iron Guard> will be there, providing covert protection."

"Is the price expensive?" <Li Yèlái> inquired. "I don't have much <Mega City Coin> in my account."

<Li Yèlái> had some savings now, but not enough to buy a house.

"You can use merit points to purchase it. As long as you're not looking for the most luxurious villa, a standard three-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom unit only costs twenty merit points. If you don't have enough points, I can front you the cost. You can pay me back when you have the chance," <Yáng Chén> offered.

<Li Yèlái> did some calculations.

He recalled <Detective> mentioning that some handlers bought merit points for between fifteen to twenty thousand each.

This meant that buying this property would cost <Li Yèlái> roughly three hundred to four hundred thousand.

This was already a huge sum. With <Li Yèlái>'s previous salary, working without eating or sleeping, it would take at least twenty-five years to afford even the lowest price.

However, compared to other houses in the <Ring District>, which he had inquired about earlier and cost around eight hundred thousand, this price was a steal.

Moreover, with handler teams and a squad of <Iron Guard> guarding the complex day and night, the price should only be higher than ordinary houses. Over a million <Mega City Coins>?

This was likely an internal welfare benefit provided by the department for handlers.

Twenty merit points, even without encountering major incidents, could be accumulated from daily tasks within a year, and his captain could even cover the difference.

<Li Yèlái> considered it and nodded, "I have enough points. I'll take it then."

Although usually stingy, when it came to his family's safety, <Li Yèlái> wouldn't hesitate.

"Alright, here's the address. Someone will be there to greet you when you arrive, and you can basically move in immediately," <Yáng Chén> said.

Then, glancing at the peeking <Puppet> outside the door, <Yáng Chén> smiled at <Puppet> and said to <Li Yèlái>, "Go back and have a good talk with your sister. Also, her situation requires this kind of protection."

His words carried a hidden meaning: "Sister's situation"?

<Li Yèlái>'s heart stirred, and he looked at <Yáng Chén>.

He understood that <Yáng Chén> had seen through <Li Yúnyān>'s curse and recognized her as a borderline individual.

Generally, such borderline individuals needed to be monitored.

He didn't press the issue, trusting <Li Yèlái>.

"Thanks, Captain," <Li Yèlái> replied in a low voice.

Then, he left the room.

As <Yáng Chén> watched <Li Yèlái> depart, the smile on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a lonely sigh.

Who would want their family to become a <Spirit Ability User>? It was both a blessing and a curse.

Just then, someone entered the room from outside. It was the investigator who had spoken with <Li Yèlái> earlier.

He casually sat down opposite <Yáng Chén>'s desk, tossed him a cigarette, and lit one for himself. After taking a few deep drags, he exhaled a smoke ring.

<Yáng Chén> mirrored him, inhaling and exhaling smoke.

The two men sat in silence, only the glowing tips of their cigarettes flickering in the smoke.

"Old Huang, how's your investigation going? How are you going to report this to the higher-ups?" <Yáng Chén> asked.

"Show some respect to your senior," the investigator squinted. "The fact that he can see the <Puppet>'s face means his curse resistance is extremely high. There are only three possibilities for this."

"First, he was born with extremely high curse resistance. People like that usually have some anti-psionic abilities, but he doesn't."

"Second, he's come into contact with some forbidden item that prevents him from being affected by curses. Something that can suppress the <Puppet>'s curse... an A-class forbidden item? But judging by his history and where he operates, he wouldn't have had the chance to encounter something like that."

"Third, his status is extremely high, perhaps even beyond the influence of curses. Even the <God's Chosen> we caught earlier didn't show this level of curse resistance. He..."

The investigator looked at <Yáng Chén>, voicing his conjecture: "Is there a terrifying entity behind him?"

"That entity is stronger than <Ghost Immortal>, which is why <Ghost Immortal> retreated. That makes sense, after all, his Overlord <Facial Mask> is so unique, wielding the power of myriad phenomena to manifest the ability of spirit eyes. What if he has more than one <Facial Mask>? I can't even imagine his potential with a second or third one!"

"Jealous?" <Yáng Chén> smiled. "He's my team member, you can't have him!"

"Aren't you worried?" the investigator frowned.

<Yáng Chén> chuckled, "I'm willing to trust him. He's also acted in a way that meets my expectations. I just need to wait for his success and applaud him. I know what the higher-ups are suspecting and worrying about, but with me here, nothing will go wrong."

The investigator looked at him for a long time before shaking his head. "After that '<Hanguard>' kid inherited the title of '<Champion>', his disposition has improved quite a bit. Alright, as an old teammate, I'll help you out a bit, so other departments don't get suspicious. But I will still report truthfully to the higher-ups."

"That's enough," <Yáng Chén> nodded and asked, "Want to grab a drink tonight?"

"No, I have to get back to headquarters." The investigator stood up and left.

As he reached the door, he looked back at <Yáng Chén>. "Live well, my old teammates are few and far between. Don't let the title of <Champion> crush you."

"Don't jinx me, get lost!" <Yáng Chén> waved him away dismissively.

Meanwhile, after leaving the branch, <Li Yèlái> immediately took a taxi back to his old apartment. He even used aerial stepping when no one was around, reaching his floor as quickly as possible.

He planned to pack his bags tonight and move directly into the family apartment. That would be the safest option.

So, when the apartment door opened, <Li Yèlái>, out of breath, looked at <Li Yúnyān> behind the door and said, "Sis, I need to confess something to you."

"Confess?" <Li Yúnyān>'s pretty face changed. "Finally! You're finally going to confess that you're kept by a rich woman? Go on, how old is she? I can handle it!"

<Li Yèlái>'s face twitched. He completely ignored her remark and entered the room, closing the door behind him before starting to pack his luggage.

"What? You're leaving?" <Li Yúnyān> looked heartbroken. "You've changed! You're abandoning your dependent sister for that rich woman? Sniffle sniffle!"

"Can't you ask if the rich woman can be flexible with gender? I can do it too! Let's go together!"

"Ouch!" <Li Yúnyān> suddenly cried out in pain. <Li Yèlái> pinched her cheek. "Stop playing. Pack your bags too, we're moving tonight!"

"You really want me to entertain a rich woman?" <Li Yúnyān> broke free from <Li Yèlái>'s grasp, rubbing her face and asking warily, "Wait, is the person keeping you male or female?"

Despite her words, she still started packing with <Li Yèlái>.

Although she didn't know the reason, she chose to believe her brother, as always.

<Li Yèlái> thought for a moment and then demonstrated aerial stepping right in front of <Li Yúnyān>.

He took seven steps in the air, about a meter off the ground, walking back and forth.

This made <Li Yúnyān> exclaim, "A <Dousheng> expert, terrifying indeed! My brother has the bearing of a great emperor!"

What novel did this girl read from before the calamity?

<Li Yèlái> was speechless.

After landing, he began to tell his sister about his recent experiences, bit by bit.

Of course, <Li Yèlái> still hid the existence of <Black Shadow>.

He only mentioned <The Skinner>, <Spirit Ability User>, the handlers, the handling department, and the danger they might be in now.

<Li Yúnyān>'s expression shifted from initial surprise and curiosity to seriousness, and finally to worry.

"You went through so much and didn't tell me!" <Li Yúnyān> punched <Li Yèlái>'s chest hard. "So, my current illness is like your luck, a... curse?"

<Li Yèlái> nodded solemnly. "Indeed."

"Does that mean I can also become a <Spirit Ability User>?" <Li Yúnyān>'s face showed some surprise.

<Li Yèlái> continued packing his luggage, saying, "Let's move first."

<Li Yúnyān> suddenly stopped her actions and asked in a low voice, "Brother, can you quit your job?"

Seeing <Li Yèlái>'s confused expression, <Li Yúnyān> continued, "This is too dangerous. What with <The Skinner>, what with <Void Realm> creatures. They're all very dangerous things."

"Your brother is still very strong. Didn't you say your brother has the bearing of a great emperor! Heaven did not give birth to me, <Li Yèlái>, so who else could possibly..." <Li Yèlái> responded, "Besides, only the official channels can provide a way to resolve the curse."

"It's fine if the curse isn't resolved. So many years have passed, and neither of us has suffered any ill effects," <Li Yúnyān> said softly.

"Don't worry, it won't be too dangerous," <Li Yèlái> replied. "Encountering enemies is a low probability event. Now I have a kind boss and a beautiful senior who looks out for me. Once we move into the family apartment, our lives will be stable. We can consider it then, okay?"

<Li Yúnyān> suddenly spoke up, "Tell me more about the beautiful senior!"

"Tsk!"

By the time <Li Yèlái> and <Li Yúnyān> had finished packing their luggage, it was already around ten o'clock at night.

There were far fewer pedestrians on the street.

But this was a good thing for <Li Yúnyān>, who was plagued by a curse.

At this moment, she wore headphones and sunglasses, looking youthful and radiant.

She carried her suitcase in one hand and grabbed <Li Yèlái>'s arm with the other, walking out of the house with her eyes closed.

This was the first time she had left home in three years.

Although she still didn't dare to open her eyes, she had at least temporarily left that confined space.

Meanwhile, <Li Yèlái>, carrying large and small bags, led <Li Yúnyān> out of the apartment building's stairwell carefully.

However, on the first floor of the building, they saw a snowman <Puppet>.

She leaned against a streetlamp, idly spinning a signboard in her hand.

Upon seeing <Li Yèlái>, she raised the signboard.

[I'm here to protect your transfer (ω)]

Before <Li Yèlái> could speak, he felt his sister pinch him.

She had opened her eyes at some point and was now muttering in a low voice, "And you say you're not being kept?"