Knock, knock, knock...
Someone knocked on Fang Xiu's front door.
He could clearly hear two people knocking through his heightened senses. In fact, he had heard them coming upstairs.
Fang Xiu looked through the peephole and saw a man and a woman in work uniforms.
He opened the door without the slightest hesitation, not at all worried that they might be Ghosts.
Ghosts could not affect reality unless they had been "seen," which meant they could not knock on a door.
Besides, anyone coming to find him at this hour in work uniforms was most likely from a special government department.
Once the door opened, Li Wenhao took out his Investigation Bureau credentials and said, "You're Fang Xiu, correct? We're personnel from the Global Joint Bureau for Ghost Incident Investigation, Strategic Defense, Offense, and Logistics Support. Here are our credentials."
Fang Xiu calmly examined their credentials and learned their names.
None of this surprised him. With surveillance cameras everywhere these days, there was no way a special department would fail to track him down.
The only surprise was how ridiculously long the department's name was. Someone without enough lung capacity would not even be able to say it in one breath.
"Please come in."
Fang Xiu led them inside. Throughout this, Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao kept studying him.
Fang Xiu was studying them too. More precisely, he wanted to confirm whether they could see his wife.
His wife seemed very happy, perhaps because there were more people around.
She stood politely to one side and said gently, "Honey, we have friends over."
Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao kept their eyes on Fang Xiu, seemingly unable to see his wife.
Could they not see her? Or had they already learned to ignore Ghosts, just as I had?
Fang Xiu considered the possibilities.
As members of a special department, they were surely stronger than a novice Spirit Tamer like him and knew a great deal about Ghosts. If even they could not see his wife, that would prove he alone was special.
The ability to see Ghosts might have nothing to do with being a Spirit Tamer.
Still, Fang Xiu had not reached a conclusion. He needed to probe further.
While Fang Xiu considered this, Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao were also trying to figure him out.
Both found Fang Xiu rather unusual.
Calm. He was far too calm. This was nothing like the reaction someone who had survived a Ghost incident should have.
They had met plenty of survivors of Ghost incidents before. Almost all had been deeply traumatized, even those who had become Spirit Tamers. Their mental states were generally unstable.
When people from the Investigation Bureau arrived, some tried to run, while others frantically bombarded them with questions, desperate to learn the truth about Ghosts. None had ever been as calm as Fang Xiu.
After the three sat down in the living room, Shen Lingxue scrutinized him and asked, "You don't seem surprised by our arrival at all. Did you already know about the Investigation Bureau?"
Fang Xiu shook his head. "No. But if Ghosts exist in this world without causing widespread unrest, there must be some force maintaining public order behind the scenes. That isn't hard to guess."
"It certainly isn't hard to guess, but ordinary people who have gone through a Ghost incident aren't able to think as calmly as you," Shen Lingxue said with a hint of approval.
"Your guess is correct. Our Investigation Bureau is a special department dedicated to dealing with Ghosts, and the official organization for Spirit Tamers. We came today for two reasons. First, to investigate the Ghost Domain at Hundred Willows Academy. Second, to determine whether you qualify to join the Investigation Bureau.
"Although there are quite a few independent Spirit Tamers out there, only the Investigation Bureau possesses unrivaled intelligence, overwhelming strength, and vast quantities of the resources Spirit Tamers need. So this is an opportunity for you.
"Let's begin with the first matter. Tell us what you know about the Ghost Domain at Hundred Willows Academy."
"Before I answer your questions, I have a few questions I need you to answer," Fang Xiu said calmly.
Shen Lingxue frowned slightly. "I'm the one asking the questions right now."
Li Wenhao quickly interjected, "Investigator Shen, Fang Xiu has just been through a Ghost incident. He's bound to have a lot of questions. If we answer them first and help him sort out his thoughts, won't it be easier for him to answer our questions afterward?"
Shen Lingxue gave a slight nod, signaling her agreement.
Li Wenhao smiled at Fang Xiu. "Go ahead and ask whatever you want, Fang Xiu. You're a Spirit Tamer now, after all. You'll learn the basics sooner or later. As long as it doesn't involve classified information, you can ask."
Fang Xiu briefly glanced over the two of them and had already formed an assessment.
Shen Lingxue was probably a Spirit Tamer, while Li Wenhao was not. People who had survived Ghost incidents had a different look in their eyes and gave off a different impression.
This perception came from his own Spirituality.
So this was how the Investigation Bureau paired its personnel: one Spirit Tamer with one ordinary person?
Spirit Tamers' minds were corrupted by Ghosts, which often made their personalities eccentric and extreme. Pairing them with ordinary people to keep an eye on them could provide at least some oversight.
He could not tell how twisted Shen Lingxue's mind had become, but so far, she came across as aloof, haughty, and domineering. Whether that was her natural disposition or the influence of a Ghost was unclear.
None of that concerned Fang Xiu, however. He only wanted to know the truth about Ghosts.
"First question: what are Ghosts?" Fang Xiu asked.
Li Wenhao smiled faintly. "Most people who survive a Ghost Domain ask that question too. Unfortunately, I can only tell you that the Investigation Bureau has yet to establish a clear definition of Ghosts.
"Where do Ghosts come from? What are they? What do they want? No one can give a definitive answer yet. At least, that information isn't available at my level.
"The only thing I can tell you is that there's no pattern to their emergence. They generally appear out of nowhere. So far, their apparent goal is to devour people-or, more precisely, people's minds. You can also think of that as their mental energy.
"The preliminary definition of a Ghost is something like a physical manifestation of a twisted mind that carries its own source of corruption. They take many different forms. Some have flesh and blood, some resemble spirits, and some are even conceptual entities.
"The one thing they all share is immense malice toward humans. They seem to strengthen themselves by devouring human minds, and every Ghost is a source of corruption. Like radioactive material, they constantly emit corrupting radiation into their surroundings.
"This radiation can contaminate people's minds, stir up negative emotions, and twist their psyches.
"Since you became a Spirit Tamer, you presumably know that a Spirit Tamer's power is a product of corruption by Ghosts."
"Second question: how are Spirit Tamers' power levels classified?"
Before you continue