Family Apartments

The Doll stood by the door, holding up an advertising board. Every word on it brimmed with anticipation and nervousness.

Li Yèlái thought for a few seconds before it finally dawned on him.

Back when he'd followed the Doll's advice and stayed away from the battlefield, he'd apparently said he'd treat her to a meal next time.

Well... That had just been a polite thing to say.

Like asking someone, "Have you eaten?"—just a courteous phrase.

But the girl had taken him seriously. She'd even changed into a new doll costume and was waiting here, looking adorable.

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

But he had to hurry home. Everything that had happened today had left him shaken.

He'd ultimately drawn the attention of certain organizations. Both the Ashes Church and the organization behind the black umbrella might have noticed him by now.

Whether it was his unusual Myriad Faces ability or the conspicuous feat of destroying the Ghost Immortal's altar,

either could put those organizations on alert. When the Black Umbrella Youth had threatened his family, Li Yèlái had already felt afraid.

He understood that no matter how powerful he grew, he couldn't stay by his family's side forever.

He had to make arrangements for Li Yúnyān's safety first.

So Li Yèlái gathered his thoughts and said to the Doll, "I have something urgent to take care of today. Could we do it in a few days?"

The Doll visibly drooped. The arm holding up the advertising board fell, and the board went dim as though it had lost its power.

She was genuinely upset. She thought the only companion who wasn't affected by her curse was starting to distance himself from her.

If Li Yèlái could have seen through her hood, he would have found a beautiful face, utterly dejected, with damp eyes.

She wasn't as strong as she'd pretended to be. The sudden blow of having her hopes snuffed out made her legs go weak.

Li Yèlái sensed what she was thinking and quickly added, "You know I ran into an enemy today. He threatened my family. He's dead now, of course, but I'm still worried. I'm going home right away to pack, and I'm planning to move."

The Doll immediately perked up and raised her sign again.

[He threatened your family? That's awful! (╬￣皿￣)]

[Have you already picked out a new place? (O_o)??]

"Uh, not yet." Li Yèlái shook his head. "And my sister doesn't know I'm a spirit energy user. She doesn't even know spirit energy users exist. I'm trying to figure out how to tell her."

[Some of my coworkers are the same. They don't want their families caught up in danger or worrying about them, so they keep their identities secret. But since something like this has already happened, you have to tell her now. (`へ*)ノ]

[As for a new place, you can't just pick anywhere. Safety comes first. You're on the Champion's team, so you can ask the Champion branch about their family housing policy. But I live at the branch, so I don't know much about it. (ω)(._`.)]

"Okay, thanks. I'll treat you to a meal once I've moved!" Li Yèlái thought for a moment before remembering that Yáng Chén's code name was Champion. He immediately nodded to the Doll.

Then he hurried toward Yáng Chén's office.

As he passed the Doll, he heard a muffled woman's 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. "Usually, we don't interfere in a Handler's private life. But when certain Handlers start making a name for themselves, they can draw the hostility of some bastards. So we have a policy to protect their families.

"For example, there's an apartment complex in the Ring District, four kilometers from this branch. It's a safe house where we put up our Handlers' families and some of our security personnel. A few Handler teams and a squad of Iron Guards protect it in secret."

"Is it expensive?" Li Yèlái asked. "I don't have many Mega City Coins in my account."

He had some savings, but nowhere near enough to buy a house.

"You can pay with Merit Points. Unless you want one of the most luxurious villas, an ordinary three-bedroom apartment with a living room and a bathroom costs just twenty Merit Points. If you don't have enough, I can cover the difference. You can pay me back when you get the chance," Yáng Chén said.

Li Yèlái did the math.

According to the price Detective had quoted him earlier, some Handlers bought Merit Points for between fifteen and twenty thousand Mega City Coins each.

That meant this apartment would cost him around three hundred to four hundred thousand.

It was a fortune. At his old salary, even if he spent nothing and found the cheapest place, it would take him twenty-five years to afford one.

But compared with other homes in the Ring District, it was a bargain. The price he'd heard at the time had been around eight hundred thousand.

And this complex had Handler teams and a squad of Iron Guards guarding it around the clock. A regular apartment would cost even more—over a million Mega City Coins, maybe?

This had to be an internal benefit the Processing Department offered its Handlers.

Twenty Merit Points were manageable. Even without running into any incidents, he could earn nearly that much from daily tasks over the course of a year, and the team leader was even willing to cover the cost.

After thinking it over, Li Yèlái nodded. "I have enough points. I'll take one here, then."

He might pinch pennies in daily life, but he wouldn't hesitate when his family's safety was at stake.

"Good. Here's the address. Someone will meet you when you arrive. It should be ready for you to move straight in," Yáng Chén said.

Then he glanced at the snowman Doll peeking in through the doorway, smiled at her, and said to Li Yèlái, "Go home and be honest with your sister. Besides, given her situation, she needs this kind of protection too."

There was more to those words than met the eye. "Her situation"?

Li Yèlái's heart stirred as he looked at Yáng Chén.

He knew Yáng Chén had realized that Li Yúnyān had been touched by a curse and was a Threshold One.

People in that situation were usually placed under supervision.

But out of trust in Li Yèlái, Yáng Chén hadn't pressed the matter.

"Thank you, Captain," Li Yèlái replied quietly.

Then he left the room.

After watching Li Yèlái go, Yáng Chén's smile slowly faded, replaced by a despondent sigh.

Who wanted their family to become spirit energy users? It was both a blessing and a curse.

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

He plopped down across from Yáng Chén's desk and tossed him a cigarette.

Then he lit one for himself and silently took several drags before blowing out a smoke ring.

Yáng Chén did the same, breathing out smoke.

Neither of them spoke. Only the cigarette tips flickered in the drifting smoke.

"Old Huang, how's the investigation going? What are you planning to report to the higher-ups?" Yáng Chén asked.

"Show a little respect to your senior," the investigator said, narrowing his eyes. "He can see the Doll's face, which means his curse resistance is exceptionally strong. There are only three possibilities.

"First, he was born with exceptional curse resistance. People like that tend to have some sort of spirit-energy-nullifying ability, but he doesn't.

"Second, he came into contact with some kind of Forbidden Item that keeps curses from affecting him. A Grade A Forbidden Item could suppress the Doll's curse, but judging by his history and where he's been, he's never had the chance to come into contact with something like that.

"Third, his rank is incredibly high. So high that he's beyond the reach of the curse. Even the God's Chosen we caught earlier didn't show this kind of resistance. He..."

The investigator looked at Yáng Chén and voiced his theory. "Could some terrifying being be behind him?"

"That being is stronger than the Ghost Immortal! That's why it backed off. It would explain things, given how unusual his Hegemon Facial Mask is. He uses the power of Myriad Faces to wield the power of Spirit Eyes. What if he has more than one mask? A second, a third... I can't even imagine how high his potential might be!"

"Jealous?" Yáng Chén grinned. "He's on my team. You're out of luck!"

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

Yáng Chén smiled. "I choose to trust him. He's already acted in a way that meets my expectations. All I need to do is wait for him to succeed and cheer him on. I know what the higher-ups are worried and suspicious about. But as long as I'm here, things won't get out of hand."

The investigator watched him for a long moment, then shook his head. "Ever since that Hanguard kid inherited the title of Champion, he's grown a lot more mature. Fine. I used to be your teammate, so I'll help you out and keep the other departments from getting suspicious. But I'll still report everything honestly to the higher-ups."

"That's enough." Yáng Chén nodded. "Want to have a drink tonight?"

"No. I have to get back to headquarters." The investigator got up to leave.

At the door, he looked back at Yáng Chén. "Stay alive. I don't have many old teammates left. Don't let the title of Champion crush you."

"Don't jinx me. Get out of here!" Yáng Chén waved him off with a scowl.

Meanwhile, after leaving the branch, Li Yèlái immediately took a taxi back to his old apartment. When no one was around, he even used Sky Stepping to reach his floor as quickly as possible.

He planned to pack that night and move straight into the Family Apartments. That was the safest option.

So, when the front door opened,

Li Yèlái, panting, looked at Li Yúnyān and said, "Sis, I need to tell you something."

"Tell me something?" Li Yúnyān's pretty face changed. "So you're finally going to admit you've been kept by a rich woman? Tell me, how old is she? I can handle it!"

Li Yèlái's face twitched. He ignored that completely.

Instead, he went inside, closed the door, and started packing.

"What? You're leaving?" Li Yúnyān clutched her chest dramatically. "You've changed! You're abandoning the sister who's always been there for you, all for that rich woman? Boo-hoo!"

"Why don't you ask that rich woman if she could be less picky about gender? I'm an option too! We could do it together!"

"Ow!" Li Yúnyān cried out as Li Yèlái pinched her cheek. "Stop messing around. Pack your things too. We're moving tonight!"

"You're really making me go entertain some rich woman?" After pulling free, Li Yúnyān rubbed her cheek and asked warily, "Wait, is the one keeping you a man or a woman?"

She joked, but still joined Li Yèlái in packing.

She didn't know why, but she chose to trust her brother, as always.

Li Yèlái thought for a moment, then demonstrated Sky Stepping right in front of Li Yúnyān.

He repeatedly stepped through the air seven times, walking back and forth a meter above the ground.

Li Yúnyān gasped. "A Dousheng expert! Truly terrifying! My brother has the bearing of a Great Emperor!"

What disaster-era novel has this girl been reading now?

Li Yèlái had no energy to complain.

After landing, he told his sister about everything that had happened to him in recent days, bit by bit.

Of course, he still kept the Black Shadow's existence secret.

He only told her about the Skinner, spirit energy users, Handlers, the Processing Department, and the danger they might now be in.

Li Yúnyān's expression shifted from surprise and curiosity to solemnity, then finally to worry.

"You went through all that and didn't tell me!" Li Yúnyān punched Li Yèlái in the chest. "So my condition is like your bad luck—it's a... curse?"

Li Yèlái nodded gravely. "That's right."

"Does that mean I can become a spirit energy user too?" Li Yúnyān looked surprised.

Li Yèlái continued packing and said, "Let's move first."

But Li Yúnyān suddenly stopped and asked quietly, "Bro, can you quit?"

Seeing the confusion on Li Yèlái's face, she continued, "It's dangerous! The Skinner, the Void Realm Creatures... They're all dangerous!"

"Your brother is pretty strong. Didn't you say your brother has the bearing of a Great Emperor? The heavens wouldn't have let Li Yèlái be born if—whatever, you know." Li Yèlái replied, "Besides, the only way to find a cure for your curse is through the authorities."

"We don't have to cure the curse. We've been fine all these years," Li Yúnyān said softly.

"Don't worry. There shouldn't be much danger," Li Yèlái replied. "Running into enemies is unlikely. I have a kind boss and a pretty senior who looks out for me. Once we move into the Family Apartments, we'll be safe. We can think about it then."

Li Yúnyān suddenly asked, "Tell me more about that pretty senior!"

"Tsk!"

By the time Li Yèlái and Li Yúnyān had packed their things, it was around ten at night.

There were far fewer people out on the streets.

For Li Yúnyān, cursed as she was, that was a good thing.

She wore a pair of headphones and sunglasses, looking bright and youthful.

Holding a suitcase in one hand, she clutched Li Yèlái's arm with the other and walked out of the house with her eyes closed.

It was the first time in three years she'd left the house.

She still didn't quite dare open her eyes, but at least she'd finally left the cramped space.

Li Yèlái carried several large bags and carefully led Li Yúnyān down the apartment stairs.

But on the ground floor, they spotted a snowman Doll.

She leaned against a lamppost, idly turning the advertising board in her hands.

When she saw Li Yèlái, she raised the board.

[I'm here to protect you while you move. (ω)]

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

She'd opened her eyes at some point and muttered, "And you say you're not being kept by someone?"