Chapter 24: Kindred?

The first reward was decent.

Specters have much better vision than the living; in the same pitch-black environment, a specter could see Lu Yuan clearly, while he had to rely on his senses to navigate. Having these "ghost eyes" would certainly mitigate many dangers.

But what on earth were the last two rewards? Lu Yuan frowned.

A new map. A new identity.

The television seemed to want Lu Yuan to leave this villa and go elsewhere, which, for him, could hardly be considered a reward. While he remained in this villa, there was only one potential danger: Zhuo Yan. But once he left, he would face countless threats—like the sound of something gnawing on An Shi’s limbs in the gray mist earlier.

"I'm a bit tired," Lu Yuan said. "Call me if you need anything. I'm going back to the bedroom to rest."

He walked toward the bedroom. Zhuo Yan did not speak; she simply watched his back in silence, only looking away once the bedroom door had shut.

"A strange living soul," she murmured.

Had Lu Yuan observed her more closely, he would have noticed the blood-stained ID badge hanging from her chest, identifying her as a fifth-grade Chinese teacher at Mingzhi Elementary School. However, Lu Yuan was simply too exhausted. He truly needed the rest. After completing the task assigned by the television, his body felt drained and hollowed out. It was only then that he remembered he was still inhabiting An Shi’s body.

In other words, there had been two "An Shis" in the living room at the same time.

"No wonder," Lu Yuan thought as he lay back on the bed.

Zhuo Yan’s gaze toward him had been filled with hatred, though it was far less intense than the hatred she held for the real An Shi. That was the reason. He was using An Shi’s body and wore his exact face.

"This body is too weak," he mused. "If I could return to my own, perhaps what happened in the living room wouldn't have been so messy."

Lu Yuan leaned against the pillows, staring at the black screen of the television. It was a bizarre object. If this "Specter Dream" world were a game, the television would be like a navigation menu that periodically refreshed with quests—a fixed, directed NPC. It only lit up when issuing a mission; otherwise, it remained a blank, black screen.

He shook his head. To figure all of this out, he would have to grope his way forward, one step at a time.

Just as Lu Yuan prepared to lie down and close his eyes, the television screen flickered with a flash of light, followed by a dense screen of static. Lu Yuan sat bolt upright. What was coming now?

The static faded, replaced by a black-and-white broadcast: a news report about the discovery of An Shi’s body in the villa.

Here it was again. Just like the news report of Zhuo Yan’s death.

Lu Yuan now had a theory. The news of anyone who died in the real world would be broadcast on this television exactly once. No, that wasn't right. He realized something was off. People died every day all over the world; if every single death were reported, the television would never have a moment’s rest.

"Could it be that the television only broadcasts the deaths of people I have had contact with?" A flicker of insight crossed his eyes.

The news segment was only five minutes long. The television had no replay function, so Lu Yuan had to study every detail with intense focus. When it ended, his drowsiness had largely vanished. The report contained a wealth of information: the state of An Shi’s remains, the approximate time of death, the fatal wounds, and the basic characteristics of the perpetrator.

The last point, in particular, was something Lu Yuan believed even the police lacked clues for, yet the television had provided such a detailed description that it might as well have drawn a portrait of the killer.

"The An Shi in the real world is dead," Lu Yuan paced the room. "And it wasn’t Zhuo Yan who killed him."

Perhaps Zhuo Yan had been killed by An Shi, but someone else had killed An Shi. Most importantly, the killer was still alive. They weren’t a specter, but a living, breathing person in the real world.

A chill ran down his spine. He was risking his life in this world, but would he have to keep risking it upon his return to the real world? What if this killer set their sights on him?

No! He had to sleep. If he woke up, he would be back in the real world. He was now deeply worried about his own body back there.

Lu Yuan lay back down, forcing himself to sleep, but his mind raced with chaotic thoughts, and he tossed and turned, unable to drift off. It wasn't until much later that he finally fell into a deep slumber.

...

It loved to rain in the autumn of S City.

At eight in the morning, Lu Yuan woke up, his head resting on the desk. Outside, the sky was a murky gray, and a light, drizzling rain fell incessantly.

"Numb again," he muttered, rubbing his legs. He clearly needed to buy a bed; sleeping hunched over a desk was bad for his health.

Once his legs regained feeling, he stood up and headed to the bathroom. After a quick wash, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. It was strange—even though he spent his nights in the specter world in a state of terror, his body in the real world seemed to be getting healthier. He could feel that his complexion was much better than it had been a while ago.

He couldn't make sense of it.

Shaking his hands, he walked out of the bathroom and checked the security of the psychological clinic’s doors and windows. Everything was fine.

"Time to find a job," he said, getting dressed. The clinic would have to close; as a psychologist, he couldn't keep this up and would have to switch careers.

He picked up his phone and noticed a flurry of unread messages. "Who’s messaging me?"

Sipping cheap instant coffee, he unlocked the screen. One glance was enough to make his expression turn grim, and he set the coffee down.

[Mu Dong Who Loves Yan Yan: Do you believe that specters kill people too?]
[Mu Dong Who Loves Yan Yan: I see your IP is in S City. You must be another reporter chasing clout.]
[Mu Dong Who Loves Yan Yan: Why aren't you saying anything?]
[Mu Dong Who Loves Yan Yan: S City is crawling with specters. If you don't want to die, I advise you to leave that city immediately.]
[Mu Dong Who Loves Yan Yan: Wait, you're a psychologist? You aren't An Shi, are you?]

...

The messages stopped there. Lu Yuan stared at the final line, lost in thought. This person knew An Shi. He checked the user’s profile; the IP was not from S City, but another city entirely.

"This person definitely knows something," Lu Yuan thought. "Perhaps they are also aware of the existence of the Specter Dream world."

He rubbed his phone thoughtfully. He felt as though he had found a peer. If the other person was truly a living soul in the Specter Dream world, could they potentially join forces?