Danger Is Close at Hand

Su Youzhu gave him a surprised look, wondering when he had become such a big eater.

But the girl had a good personality. She was aloof and quiet.

She did not ask any unnecessary questions. She simply went to the kitchen to serve the food, then placed it on the dining table.

Gu Jianlin could no longer endure the hunger and began wolfing down the food.

After a while, he realized that his table manners were not exactly pleasant. He looked up and said, "Sorry, I'm a little hungry."

Su Youzhu fell silent for a second before replying, "It's fine. I don't mind."

But Gu Jianlin could not help saying, "Your eyes are telling me that you think I eat like a recently released convict."

"It's fine. Eat more. It'll be good for your health."

With a straight face, Su Youzhu even pushed her own portion toward him. "Want some more?"

Gu Jianlin hesitated. "Aren't you eating?"

"I'm dieting," Su Youzhu said flatly.

Gu Jianlin glanced at her slender, graceful figure. Even beneath her loose green casual shirt, the immature curves of a young girl were still visible. The delicate collarbones exposed by her neckline were especially alluring.

She was only 1.55 meters tall and weighed, at most, thirty-eight kilograms. Why did she need to diet?

Yet she simply set down her bowl and began flipping through the test papers in his suitcase, clearly leaving him no room to refuse.

Gu Jianlin could only accept her kindness with a smile.

He went on to eat four more bowls of rice, fifteen braised chicken wings, and a large bowl of beef brisket with potatoes.

Yet the hunger still had not faded.

He suddenly realized something was wrong. This hunger might not have come from his body.

Gu Jianlin turned to look at the mirror in the living room and saw the Black Kirin in the reflection, weakly lying prone.

Those ancient, majestic black vertical pupils did not conceal their hunger and greed in the slightest.

So that was it!

Gu Jianlin suddenly understood. This inexplicable hunger could not be relieved by eating. It came from the influence of the Black Kirin. This was a problem within the realm of the supernatural.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens rang out beyond the window, accompanied by flashing warning lights.

At the same time, a burst of commotion came from the neighboring building.

"Zongzi! So many huge zongzi! The zongzi have come back to life! They crawled out of their coffins!"

A young man came crawling out in a miserable state, babbling madly and incoherently.

Standing by the window, Gu Jianlin watched the deranged young man get taken away in a police car and fell into thought.

Zongzi, coffins, corpses coming back to life.

He immediately thought of the Kirin Immortal Palace, that ancient tomb built somewhere unknown.

At that moment, he realized that he might not have been the only person to enter the Kirin Immortal Palace recently. Other players could very well be nearby!

"Is that Old Sun's son from the supermarket downstairs?"

Su Youzhu leaned over. Her pale cyan short hair carried a faint scent of sandalwood. "They say he's been crazy for days. Three days ago, he started shouting about zongzi and wanted to buy black dog blood and black donkey hooves."

Watching the police car drive away, Gu Jianlin asked, "To ward off evil? Why didn't he look for virgin boy urine?"

Su Youzhu considered it. "Maybe he already has some himself."

Well, damn.

Gu Jianlin had no reply.

According to the description in that old post, there had been over two hundred and thirty players online. Aside from the five people who had tried to resurrect an Ancient God, there should have been quite a few others like him who had entered the game for the first time.

After such a bizarre and horrifying experience, having a complete mental breakdown was perfectly normal.

But for now, things like black dog blood, black donkey hooves, or virgin boy urine were useless.

After all, that was not some so-called zongzi. It was an Ancient God.

He suddenly became curious about where Old Sun's son downstairs would be taken.

He also wondered whether the police station could handle something like this.

If they could not, what then?

Most likely, he would be sent to a hospital or psychiatric institution.

Gu Jianlin suddenly recalled what the old man from the ancient tomb had said. There was an enormous Ascender organization in their country called the Ether Association. He wondered if they would handle matters like this.

He silently remembered the name, planning to ask around tomorrow.

"I'm going to copy your homework. Remember to drink your medicine later, and try not to go out."

Holding his test papers and homework notebooks, Su Youzhu turned to leave. "Can you tutor me this afternoon?"

Tutoring was merely a nicer way to put it.

What she really meant was for him to mark out the exam range for her and even predict the questions in advance so she could memorize them by rote.

Ever since they had become siblings, Youzhu's grades had improved by leaps and bounds. She had gone from the bottom of the class to somewhere past five hundredth place, which already counted as middle-tier for their year. The teachers at school had been utterly astonished.

In reality, it was all thanks to Gu Jianlin, a human cheat code.

Rubbing his forehead, Gu Jianlin said, "Tonight. I'm a little sleepy right now and want to sleep for a while."

Su Youzhu glanced at him. "Tonight? Mm, so you can see me in pajamas?"

Gu Jianlin's eye twitched.

He wanted to say that he was tired, not that he wanted to see what she looked like in pajamas.

"Anyway, Mom and Dad won't be home tonight. It doesn't matter how late we stay up."

Gu Jianlin's face darkened.

She looked like an icy beauty, yet every now and then she would blurt out something outrageously suggestive.

Paired with that ice-cold face of hers, he could never tell whether she was deliberately teasing him or had some other motive.

Profiling was not mind-reading. Based on her personality profile, he could only conclude that she had stayed home too long and watched too much explicit stuff online.

"Then I'll go to your room tonight."

Su Youzhu turned around, her graceful silhouette slipping into the bedroom next door. Then she suddenly poked her head back out, an inquisitive expression on her snow-like, delicate face. "Which set of pajamas do you want to see tonight? Or should I wear cosplay?"

Gu Jianlin: "..."

If that was a joke or an attempt at seduction, it was going too far.

And he knew that she really did have an entire wardrobe full of all sorts of flashy outfits.

If it were those experienced guys in his class, they would probably just ask her to wear a bunny girl outfit.

"I heard Mom say that you're going to the police station tomorrow to sign the confirmation papers. If you need me, I can go with you. I thought you'd be very upset, but now it seems like you're doing much better than before."

Su Youzhu suddenly said, "Move on soon. Don't make Mom worry."

With that, she gently closed the door and went to do her homework.

Gu Jianlin was silent for a second, then smiled in relief.

Looking at it now, not choosing to stay with Mom when his parents divorced had really cost him a lot...

The next morning, Gu Jianlin woke up feeling noticeably better than before.

The headache and exhaustion had completely vanished, as had the feeling that his brain had been squeezed dry.

But the first thing he felt upon waking was hunger—an unprecedented hunger.

He did not rush to eat, because he knew that would only temporarily ease his physical hunger. As for how to feed the inexplicably appeared Black Kirin, he had no method at all.

The door to the room next door was ajar. The girl was still sleeping on her large pink bed.

They had studied until three in the morning last night. Her foundation was truly terrible; she basically knew nothing when asked.

Gu Jianlin could more or less guess what the teachers would test. He would complete the questions in advance, then have her memorize the answers directly. How many she could remember depended on her own ability.

The process was exceptionally torturous.

Fortunately, Youzhu had come to study after taking photos, wearing a Yor outfit that had recently become very popular. It was quite refreshing.

Of course, Gu Jianlin helped her mainly because of their cooperative relationship and his responsibility as her brother.

It had absolutely nothing to do with whatever the girl was wearing.

Gu Jianlin took a shower first, then changed into a clean white shirt and jeans before ordering breakfast delivery.

Just then, a call suddenly came through on his phone.

"Hello, Uncle Zhou."

Brushing his teeth, Gu Jianlin said indistinctly, "I'm listening."

On the other end, Zhou Ze yawned. "Little Gu, here's the thing. The police station has taken on several ridiculous cases recently, and we're swamped. We can't spare much time. There happens to be an officer carrying out official business near your home, so I'll have him pick you up. You can go directly to the station and sign the papers. Is that okay?"

His tone was still one of consultation.

Ever since Gu Jianlin woke up, most people who cared about him had spoken to him in that careful, consultative tone.

They were afraid of upsetting him.

Feeling somewhat ashamed, he thought that since he had already found some leads on his end, he should not trouble them anymore.

"Okay, no problem."

He quickly added, "Please make sure you get some rest too."

Zhou Ze immediately sounded relieved. "All right. Wait at home for a while."

After hanging up, Gu Jianlin sat in the living room and began reviewing everything again.

This time, he was not reviewing a specific person.

He was reviewing the real world itself.

"If the Ancient Gods were the original rulers of this world, why has there never been any record of Them in history? No, that's not right. It's not that there were no records. They were deliberately concealed, or hidden by someone. Those ancient myths and legends about ghosts might all have traces to follow."

"As for Ascenders, if they are understood as something like mutants, it would be even easier for them to hide. After all, there have been countless legends of extraordinary people throughout history. No one can tell what is real and what is fake."

"Even the information I have now, those ancient myths and historical records, could very well be false. Take Xu Fu, for example. Later generations generally believe that he vanished during his voyage east and most likely reached the so-called Yingzhou—modern-day Japan—where he left behind a legacy of civilization and descendants. But in reality, he was guarding the Kirin Immortal Palace?"

"Ordinary people would not know of the existence of Ancient Gods and Ascenders. In other words, they want to remain hidden. It is possible that they have walked right past me, yet I could not distinguish them."

"Even Ancient Gods, judging by the Alchemist in the ancient tomb, do not look that different from humans. Or rather, at least They can take human form, rather than appearing as the Black Kirin I saw."

"So how am I supposed to find these Ascenders?"

Gu Jianlin currently had two primary objectives.

First, find Ascenders.

Second, find a way to solve the hunger inside him.

This could not go on.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"So soon?"

Gu Jianlin first went to the icy little beauty's room and closed her door before opening the door to the living room.

"Hello. East Sea Road Police Station, Li Changzhi."

A male officer in his early thirties flashed his identification and looked the boy over. "Are you Professor Gu Ci'an's son, Gu Jianlin?"

Gu Jianlin had never met this officer. He frowned slightly. "Yes, that's me."

"Good. Please come with me."

Li Changzhi smiled faintly.

Gu Jianlin gave a quiet acknowledgment and did not think much of it. There were plenty of officers at the police station.

It was perfectly normal not to know some of them.

He picked up his keys and phone, locked the door, and followed him out of the apartment building.

A white Volkswagen was parked outside the residential complex.

Li Changzhi got into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Fasten your seat belt. We're heading to the police station now."

Gu Jianlin sat in the back seat and cooperated without complaint.

"Is there no one else at home?"

As Li Changzhi merged into traffic, he asked casually.

Gu Jianlin raised a brow. "No, why?"

"Nothing. I noticed a few long hairs on you earlier, and you smell like perfume."

Li Changzhi smiled. "You're such a handsome guy. That must be your girlfriend, right?"

"No. That's my sister."

Gu Jianlin shook his head. He had never even been in a relationship.

"Your sister? Biological?"

Li Changzhi asked again.

"No. My mother remarried. She's her husband's daughter."

Gu Jianlin said calmly, "I live with my mother and her current husband now."

Li Changzhi suddenly understood. "I see. That can't be easy, living in someone else's home. Once you get older, what will you do when it comes time to date and get married? I heard you were always living with Professor Gu. Didn't Professor Gu make arrangements for you? Before he died, didn't he leave you a house or some savings?"

Gu Jianlin shook his head again. "No."

For some reason, he felt that this officer was talking too much. He tried using Profiling, but did not get any useful results.

The available information was still insufficient, and the personality profile was blurry. He could only make out the man's age. His profession, however, was that of a clerk—someone who worked in an office within the police station's structure.

The people he had met at the cemetery had all been simple, with obvious traits. But the man before him seemed somewhat different.

"I see."

Li Changzhi nodded and turned onto an overpass.

Then Gu Jianlin suddenly realized that this was not the road to the East Sea Road Police Station. Frowning, he asked, "Where are we going?"

Li Changzhi smiled. "Oh, there have been several rather strange cases lately, and the station is too busy to handle them all. We're going to another precinct to get your father's accident report. You just need to sign it."

Gu Jianlin hesitated for a second but said nothing.

However, his phone suddenly vibrated again. The caller ID read: Detective Zhou.

He lowered the volume and answered without speaking.

"Hello, Little Gu. I had Xiao Zhang park the car downstairs from your home. You can come down now."

Gu Jianlin's pupils abruptly contracted. He instinctively looked toward the officer in the driver's seat, a chill running down his spine.

In his eyes, the agent's figure twisted, as though it were an illusion.

The next moment, Li Changzhi's gaze turned ruthless. He slammed down on the accelerator, and the car roared forward across the overpass.

The tires scraped against the road, letting out a piercing shriek.

Gu Jianlin's pupils constricted.

At that moment, the other man's psychological profile suddenly became crystal clear.