The Contaminated Novelist (Three)

Su Bai silently climbed over the railing, dragged the fallen Wu Hang onto the bed, and felt around under Wu Hang's pillow for a while. He pulled out a pack of Five-Leaf God and handed the whole thing to Gu Jiuge.

Gu Jiuge smiled with the satisfaction of a teacher whose pupil had promise and patted Su Bai on the shoulder. "What did the Novelist tell you?"

Su Bai was utterly bewildered. "What novelist?" he asked blankly.

Gu Jiuge lit a cigarette.

"I mean the woman in red just now. She was an arrogant novelist who sought to peer into the secrets of the gods. The moment she turned her gaze upon them, she was eroded by a mysterious force. We call it 'Contamination.'

"After being contaminated, the Novelist became a being caught between life and death, possessing both a human way of thinking and the traits of a ghost.

"Because of her hatred for the gods, the Novelist keeps exposing their secrets by telling stories.

"If others believe her stories, she grows stronger. If they don't, she comes to kill them... and then grows stronger.

"Three years ago, the Novelist was only a ninth-tier ghost. Now she's a seventh-tier ghost, only one step away from becoming a 'Calamity.'

"As time goes on, she'll inevitably become a terrifying ghost capable of endangering Great Xia. That's why, whenever the Novelist appears, she's monitored and driven away."

"Driven away?" Su Bai pointed at the windowsill that had been hacked to pieces. "Didn't you...?"

Gu Jiuge raised an eyebrow. "A loach won't die even if it's chopped in half, let alone a seventh-tier ghost."

Dealing with ghosts was different from dealing with monsters.

Ghosts had no physical bodies. The simplest way to kill one was with enchanted bullets or alchemical weapons.

Besides those two methods, there were many others.

Gu Jiuge had extensive combat experience and knew all kinds of ways to deal with ghosts. However, the order he had received was to "drive her away."

The stories the Novelist told were extremely helpful to humanity's understanding of the gods. Compared with that, the harm she could cause seemed less important.

Su Bai, of course, knew nothing of these matters hidden in the shadows.

Su Bai pulled his phone out of his trouser pocket, brought up the chat history, and silently handed it to Gu Jiuge. "Are there really gods in this world?"

Gu Jiuge ground out his cigarette, lit another, and took the phone. Scrolling through the chat, he said casually:

"That depends on how you understand it. If you think gods are intelligent beings that look like humans, then there are no gods in this world.

"If you think gods are vessels for rules and order, or... some kind of vast, great will, then gods do indeed exist.

"When all is said and done, 'gods' are just a concept humans came up with when they encountered things they couldn't understand."

Su Bai pondered that for a while, then pressed on. "Since gods are a concept, what about... Transcendents?"

Gu Jiuge slipped Su Bai's phone into his pocket and gently flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Do you remember? Ten years ago, a blood moon appeared and lasted for three days in a row."

Su Bai nodded. "I saw it on TV."

Gu Jiuge turned his head to look at the hazy moonlight outside the window and spoke softly:

"After the blood moon, all kinds of monsters and ghosts inexplicably emerged one after another. Ordinary guns and weapons could hardly harm them. Every country suffered heavy losses, and social order collapsed that year.

"Just as every country was at a loss, the CIA intelligence department of the United States of America suddenly discovered that many ordinary people in human society had awakened unusual eyes.

"The people who awakened unusual eyes were chosen with great randomness. They could be construction workers, company executives, or even prison inmates. Without exception, each possessed some kind of miraculous ability. We call these abilities Oracles.

"People who awakened unusual eyes became Transcendents. Under normal circumstances, Transcendents are no different from ordinary people, but once they use an Oracle, a blood-red glow seeps from their eyes."

At this point, Gu Jiuge paused, turned to stare intently at Su Bai, and said slowly, "This is a brand-new era, and this era belongs to-Transcendents!"

Every word Gu Jiuge spoke carried an unquestionable force.

It was clear that he was a rather overbearing and unreasonable person.

Su Bai's expression remained unchanged. "How have the various countries dealt with these Transcendents?"

Gu Jiuge looked away and smiled.

"I don't know how other countries have dealt with their Transcendents. Great Xia screens and trains them, then recruits those who qualify into service. Afterward, the higher-ups in the government established two departments in succession-the Grave Keepers and the Tomb Sweepers.

"Transcendents with combat abilities have mostly joined the Grave Keepers. They lie hidden in every city in five-person squads, and whenever monsters appear, the Grave Keepers are dispatched to eliminate them.

"Our status as Grave Keepers gives us a mission: we must stay hidden in absolute darkness, silently protect our cities, and create one great, untold story after another... It's dangerous, but glorious.

"As for Transcendents without much combat ability, most joined the Tomb Sweepers. They research specialized knowledge in the transcendent field. Over ten years, they developed numerous systems of knowledge, including Transcendent Alchemy, Transcendent Kinetics, and Transcendent Bloodline Hierarchy Studies.

"Their contributions have been enormous. In just ten years, they not only created many alchemical weapons and pieces of equipment imbued with transcendent power, but also established a ranking system from the first to the ninth tier for all transcendent beings.

"Generally speaking, the seventh tier is the dividing line for transcendent beings. Most beings at the seventh tier and below cannot develop intelligence and are no different from beasts.

"However, once their bloodline reaches the sixth tier, they develop intelligence equal to that of humans. That's why monsters above the seventh tier are collectively known as 'Calamities.'

"The Tomb Sweepers' stories are also unknown to the public. But unlike the Grave Keepers, who can only hide in the darkness, they can receive the title of professor or expert and live freely in the sunlight."

Su Bai picked up the conversation. "How come we ordinary people have never heard about any of this?"

Gu Jiuge lit the last cigarette, then crushed the empty pack and tossed it into the corner. After a moment's thought, he said:

"In this city of flashing neon, almost everyone lives a carefree, self-indulgent life. They've never encountered real danger.

"If they knew that countless monsters were hiding in the great cities cast from steel, they'd be afraid, terrified. The order of civilized society would quickly collapse. That's why the international community agreed to keep the whole matter completely secret.

"Kid, you might think I'm being alarmist, but I can tell you with absolute confidence: never, ever underestimate the baseness of human nature.

"Monsters are frightening, but the human heart hidden behind the flesh is often far more frightening than any monster."

Su Bai sensed something unusual in those words and asked cautiously, "Why... are you telling me so much?"

"Because you asked."

Gu Jiuge's answer was casual.

But his eyes remained fixed on Su Bai, staring intently.

Like a hunter silently raising his rifle and aiming at a beast with nowhere to run.

"No, that's not right," Su Bai said, slowly shaking his head.

"After encountering a transcendent incident, an ordinary student should naturally become deeply interested in the transcendent. That's why I kept asking you questions.

"You just said the international community agreed to conceal the truth about the transcendent. In that case, you should have kept it secret.

"Your normal response should have been to brush off my questions or keep your mouth shut."

After a moment of silence, Gu Jiuge gave an enigmatic smile.

"You hid it well, really well. Whether it was your reactions after encountering the Novelist or the changes in your expression after meeting me, you almost convinced me you were just an ordinary person.

"I probed you more than once, but you didn't let a drop through. You never gave yourself away in the slightest. I'd really like to know how you tempered that composure of yours."

Su Bai knew his identity as a Transcendent had been completely seen through. With no other choice, he sighed as though resigning himself to his fate. "I've watched quite a few spy dramas. Does that count?"

Clap, clap, clap!

Gu Jiuge applauded in admiration. "A Transcendent hiding in a school, never displaying any transcendent abilities-that's a much more exciting show than a spy drama. Tell me, when did you awaken?"

Su Bai counted on his fingers. "Three or four years ago, I guess. Back then, I was studying late by lamplight every day to prepare for the high school entrance exams. For some reason, I awakened unusual eyes, and red light kept shining out of them. There was also a voice echoing in my head, but I didn't really pay attention to it at the time. Later, I discovered I'd gained the ability to remember anything I saw. Ah, that's what you call an Oracle, right?"

When every Transcendent awakened unusual eyes, they heard a deep voice that struck straight at their soul, and then gained some kind of miraculous ability.

It was as though a god had issued a decree, bestowing its own authority upon a mortal.

That was why the various abilities of Transcendents were called Oracles.

Gu Jiuge thought for a moment. "Your Oracle is, more or less..."

More or less a bit of a chicken rib.

Gu Jiuge did not finish his sentence. Instead, he changed the subject and asked seriously, "Who else have you told about this?"

"I went to see a doctor. He said I was mentally ill."

"Oh, that's good, then."