Chapter 27: The Academy’s Unbelievable Incident (1)

Ming Rou Rou walked over to Wu Zui, her fox-like eyes glancing at him as she warned, "You'd better be careful. He just said he's about to lose control. If he goes on a rampage, you'll be done for!"

"You’re the one who’ll be done for!" Xiao Ke Ai bared her teeth at Ming Rou Rou, looking ready to bite.

"You get along with him pretty well, huh? Even told you something like that."

Wu Zui cast Ming Rou Rou a sidelong glance.

"Jealous? He thanked me for helping to take care of his wife and child’s remains. And actually, you were let in because he allowed it. Whether that’s good or bad for him, I couldn’t say." Ming Rou Rou winked at Wu Zui with a mischievous charm.

Before Xiao Ke Ai could retort, Wu Zui led her out. With the ghost spirit dealt with, what was the point in staying? They still needed to find the city bureau’s leadership and confirm their appointments as spirit investigators.

The process of becoming a spirit investigator wasn’t complicated, nor was there any fear of impostors—such a thing would be suicidal. They simply needed to report in; their other information had already been coordinated by the Ghost and Monster Handling Center.

This newly established department was mainly responsible for assigning spirits and monsters to spirit investigators. The procedure was straightforward: when citizens encounter supernatural events, they call the 888 Ghost Processing Hotline. Based on their descriptions, cases are prioritized according to danger, then assigned to nearby spirit investigators.

As of now, only two spirit investigators were registered in Binhai City. The city’s ordinary investigators had only begun their magnetic energy awakening today; it would take at least two days before they were ready for the field, as they still needed to familiarize themselves with magnetic blades and the details of monsters.

The previous supernatural cleansing operation was carried out by personnel sent from the province. Once their mission was completed, they returned. Provincial authorities deploy them directly, tasking them with difficult cases and guarding special locations.

Places like funeral homes, hospitals, and cemeteries are high-risk for supernatural events. Ordinary managers there have received special instructions: report any issues immediately. Concealment is strictly forbidden.

As for ordinary citizens who awaken, although magnetic energy rooms have been built, fear of the unknown is human nature and most people haven’t grasped the seriousness of the problem. Thus, desire for awakening remains weak.

After all, calling the police and seeking help from investigators is ingrained in most people’s minds across the nation.

Soon, the pair arrived at Wang Zhengang’s office and completed their reporting.

“Old Wang, ask my team if anyone wants to undergo magnetic energy awakening. I’ve got an authorization slip that lets someone jump the queue,” Wu Zui said, noticing Wang Zhengang seemed to have aged in his absence.

“That’s excellent. I’ll check with them. Binhai City really needs more spirit investigators. By the way, I heard you solved the forensic lab issue right after your return? That’s quick work!” Wang Zhengang spoke with genuine admiration.

Wu Zui’s decision to leave the relative safety of Yanjing for Binhai surprised him, though not entirely. But managing to coax Xiao Ke Ai away from her father—well…

[Wang Zhengang is impressed!] He clasped his hands in respect.

“It wasn’t too difficult. The ghost spirit was Wang Hu. He still had some consciousness, so he didn’t harm anyone. Maybe he wanted to see his child and wife, but was afraid of hurting someone, so he stayed in the forensic lab and wouldn’t let anyone else in,” Wu Zui explained.

“Huzi? Is there any hope for him? Uh…” Wang Zhengang started to ask, then realized the man was dead; even with a ghost spirit, it probably wouldn’t help.

“I’m not sure. After he became a ghost spirit, I sealed him for now. If he can maintain his awareness, there might be a chance. I’ll explain the situation to the Yanjing side and see if they can help.”

Wu Zui was momentarily stunned. The memories instilled in him during his time in the Seven Thrones space were overwhelming, and he hadn’t considered this possibility. He quickly sent Wang Hu’s details to Xiao Anguo, hoping the Yanjing authorities might have a solution.

“And me! I’ll have my dad help out and ask around!” Xiao Ke Ai stepped out from behind Wu Zui, her authority in this matter unquestioned.

Wu Zui was optimistic about Wang Hu’s situation.

According to the monster compendium, Wang Hu was different from other ghost spirits. Generally, ghost spirits begin attacking humans upon formation, absorbing negative emotions from death or fear to grow stronger.

But because of that touch of golden light, Wang Hu retained his consciousness and met Wu Zui. While the Sword of Heart absorbed his merit, the flames on the sword burned away the ghost spirit’s sins completely.

This meant Wang Hu could theoretically keep his awareness—as long as he didn’t absorb any more negative emotions.

“I’ll leave it to you! By the way, Binhai First High School has reported a supernatural incident. Since no one’s been injured or killed, the province assigned it low priority. Now that you’re back, you can go check it out. You should get a text notification soon.”

Wang Zhengang addressed the pair.

“First High? Is Sun Ming scared? I remember his troublemaker kid caused plenty of grief for the girls there. What, feeling remorse after the monster outbreak?”

Wu Zui sneered at the mention of First High.

“Hardly,” Wang Zhengang replied, puzzled. He didn’t understand Wu Zui’s reasoning.

“Funeral homes, cemeteries, hospitals—all have provincial spirit investigators on guard. Construction sites, haunted apartment blocks—any of those are scarier than First High. Yet the highest priority is over there? Hmph! If he’s not using his position for personal gain, I won’t believe it for a second! If it was under his jurisdiction, he’d have called in provincial investigators already,” Wu Zui said with a snort.

Beep—

Wu Zui’s phone vibrated. Sure enough, it was a message from the 888 Ghost Processing Center.

[Fine, I’ll go. Let’s see if the Sword of Heart can burn away the sins of other ghost spirits.]

With this in mind, Wu Zui informed Wang Zhengang and prepared to leave.

Beep—

Xiao Ke Ai’s phone chimed too; her assignment was also at Binhai First High.

“Amazing! Both city spirit investigators called in to clean up his mess. Hope his family stays powerful—don’t let them fall!” Wu Zui’s anger flared. With only two investigators in Binhai, both were sent to run errands for one person. Who knows how many places are waiting for support!

Xiao Ke Ai, who had just been pleased to team up with Wu Zui, wilted instantly.

[Will I never be able to team up with Master again? How sad!] she thought. But she worried too much; her father would never allow her to leave Wu Zui’s side.

“We’re off! Let’s get this done and move on to the next task. Before the new investigators arrive, we have to clear out as many monsters as possible to prevent them from growing stronger.” Wu Zui and Xiao Ke Ai left the investigator bureau, got into the bureau’s vehicle, and headed straight for Binhai First High.

…

As a prestigious high school, Binhai First High had its share of campus legends. Every year, someone was said to die as a sacrifice, honoring those students who met tragic ends. There was also the ubiquitous legend of the girl in red.

But since the monster outbreak, what were once stories to scare younger students had become far less friendly.

Everyone avoided discussing monsters, and the school wrote bans on supernatural games like Pen Fairy into its rules. Any student caught attempting such games, or even found with prohibited items, would be expelled immediately.

Yet, as the saying goes, what you fear most is what comes to pass. Scientifically, it’s Murphy’s Law.

The school could ban present-day activities, but nothing could change what had already happened. A few months ago, a female student, troubled by love, jumped from the roof and died—this was an open secret. Rumor had it she was pregnant and wanted the boy to marry her, using the threat of suicide.

Regardless, the fact remained: someone had died at the school recently.

More importantly, students reported seeing a white figure floating in the corridor every night during self-study. Though it hadn’t harmed anyone, it certainly caused panic.

The principal had called the 888 Ghost Processing Hotline, but since no one was hurt or killed, the priority was low; they were told to wait or handle it themselves.

Handle it themselves? According to the national monster classification, even a one-star ghost spirit couldn’t be dealt with without magnetic weapons! At best, students could wear magnetic accessories for protection, to avoid possession.

But just now, the principal of Binhai First High received confirmation from the hotline: his case had been assigned, and spirit investigators were on their way.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Binhai First High, Principal’s Office

“Thank goodness, local spirit investigators are reliable. If we had to wait for provincial support, the school would be doomed!” The principal was delighted with the message; no one wants to linger in a haunted place.

He didn’t notice the strange happenings in the main teaching building—though, understandably, there was no surveillance in the principal’s office.

On the road, Wu Zui and Xiao Ke Ai reviewed the principal’s report and the Ghost Processing Center’s analysis and predicted monster type.

“Master, this looks like a one-star minor character. Handling it now—do you think this is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?” Xiao Ke Ai glanced at the analysis from the center, her intelligence shining through for once.