Chapter 56: Confronting the Specter (1)

The video streaming site was working at full speed to prepare for tonight’s new program—Live Encounter: Ghosts and Monsters. Ever since the explosive outbreak of supernatural entities, the government had ceased to restrict information about them, and, in fact, many ordinary people had become spiritual investigators through magnetic energy awakening.

In this age where online trends reign supreme, the combination of supernatural beings and traditional shows remained an untapped domain. It was believed that many people who were too afraid to undergo magnetic energy awakening would, after watching the live broadcast, find their fear of ghosts and monsters heightened. When the time came, more people would sign up to awaken their magnetic energy. This was precisely why the internet regulatory authorities had allowed such a live-streaming app to go online. The more people awakened to magnetic energy, the safer humanity would be!

The Ghost Video Company, jointly established by the three major streaming platforms, was a firm founded specifically for supernatural live broadcasts. Unlike ordinary companies, their primary asset—beyond traditional staff—was a significant number of magnetic energy awakened individuals.

Civilian awakened ones differed from spiritual investigators. The latter, being government employees, enjoyed numerous perks when exchanging points. Ordinary awakened ones had no such benefits; after all, the original spiritual investigators and soldiers risked a 20% mortality rate to awaken their magnetic energy and deal with supernatural threats, so it was only fair they received special treatment.

Ordinary awakened ones earned few points, and, with those points needing to be split among team members, special weapons had to take priority in exchanges. As a result, most of them had little left to exchange for things like time in the magnetic energy enhancement chamber, so they were compelled to take on private gigs, such as working as bodyguards.

The money earned could be used to buy gold and magnetic stones to forge their own suitable weapons. The points thus saved could then be used in the enhancement chamber to improve themselves. This made it relatively easy to hire one- or two-star awakened individuals.

Inside the Ghost Video Company—

“Move, move, move! Have you still not decided which ghost or monster to feature? Can you people do your jobs? The live broadcast starts at eight tonight, it’s almost four in the afternoon, and you haven’t picked the main subject for the new show? Is that acceptable?”

“Has the hired awakened one arrived? Don’t bring me any amateurs—get me a three-star awakened individual! Also, ask if he’s open to long-term collaboration. If he is, sign him up! He’ll be well compensated.”

“How’s the set coming along? It needs to be scary! We need program effect! We need terror! Why is it so bright—are you preparing for your own wedding? You collect so much in special allowances every day—are you just freeloading? Redo it!”

A middle-aged, slightly overweight man in a black suit and tie checked progress with each department head, bellowing constantly. The entire floor of the Ghost Video Company seemed to tremble as everyone rushed about in a frenzy.

No one dared contradict him.

After all, the benefits at this live-streaming company were excellent, with special allowances for dealing with supernatural entities. With many awakened individuals hired as bodyguards, it was considered a very safe place to work.

Their live broadcast venues were carefully selected to ensure danger remained within controllable limits. The supernatural beings involved had their powers scouted in advance by company-hired awakened ones, and the host of the broadcast was also awakened, ready to cut the feed at any sign of trouble. It was virtually foolproof.

While the Ghost Video Company was in chaos, Wu Zui and Xiao Keyan arrived at the Bureau of Spiritual Investigation. After submitting the “ghost wedding” mission, each had received thirty points. With the addition of three ghost cores, they expected to have a healthy sum of points to spend.

The two, dressed in ordinary clothes, planned to buy a few more sets of magnetic energy protective suits, both as spares and for daily change. Wu Zui also needed a new one; his had been shredded by the pig-headed monster and was now useless.

They made their way to the top floor and met Wang Zhengang, who had just returned from headquarters. Wu Zui handed over two bone-cleaving knives—one large, one small—as well as the transparent orb formed from ghost mist and the orb left by the three-star monster.

Wang Zhengang took out a detector and scanned the two ghost cores. The small bone-cleaving knife was worth just over eighty points, the monster’s orb over a hundred, and the ghost mist orb more than two hundred!

As for the large bone-cleaving knife, it was now scrap metal; all its resentful energy had been absorbed into the two-star ghost spirit’s core, with less than one point’s worth remaining.

“Two hundred points? Why does this thing contain so much resentful energy? Did you kill a newly advanced four-star ghost?” Wang Zhengang asked, his face full of astonishment as he fingered the still-cool orb.

“No, this was from the ghost wedding mission we took before you left—the couple hosting the ceremony had been fused together through some kind of refining process,” Wu Zui replied with a shrug.

“Refining? Are you spiritual investigators planning to branch out into cultivation now?” Wang Zhengang lifted the orb to his eye, gazing into its transparent depths for any sign of difference.

“I certainly have no such intention,” Wu Zui replied with another shrug.

Wang Zhengang set down the orb and pushed the ten-centimeter bone-cleaving knife back to Wu Zui. “Don’t say I’m cheating you—try infusing your magnetic energy into it.”

Wu Zui, looking puzzled, picked up the knife and channeled his energy. The blade immediately returned to its normal size, its surface sheathed in a flow of blue magnetic energy.

“That’s it?” Wu Zui said dismissively.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it’? This kind of weapon-shaped ghost core is a natural magnetic energy weapon. It may be useless against monsters, but it’s extremely effective against ghost spirits. It’s much sturdier than the department’s magnetic blades. If you were at headquarters, it would’ve been sliced up for research long ago!” Wang Zhengang retorted, mouth agape.

He’d only just learned this at headquarters, and seeing Wu Zui’s indifference made him furious.

“Fine, I’ll find a fellow investigator to give it to, so it doesn’t get dissected at headquarters. Old Wang, give me two—no, three magnetic energy protective suits, and use the rest of the points for time in two enhancement chambers,” Wu Zui said, draining both his and Xiao Keyan’s points.

“Once you reach three stars, the enhancement chamber won’t help much. The research institute has yet to develop a rapid post-three-star method. I’ve got a lot of new stock—aren’t you going to take a look?” Wang Zhengang handed them a list.

High-explosive magnetic energy grenades, magnetic energy calibrators—Wu Zui had seen those before.

Golden Bomb: Contains tiny gold pellets. When detonated, it inflicts massive damage on nearby monsters. Blast radius: ten meters. Especially effective against large beasts. Cost: eighty points.

Drill Bomb: Made of magnetic stone, and charged with magnetic energy, it can penetrate the confinement fields of three-star ghost spirits. Duration depends on the energy infused. Cost: one hundred points.

Wu Zui had never seen these products before.

He could already burn through confinement fields with his blood-fueled flames, so a bomb that only worked against three-star ghosts held no interest for him. The high-explosive grenades he’d seen Wang Yichuan use, though—those were tempting.

If he sealed his flames inside one and detonated it at a critical moment, it would be highly effective. He could even make one for Xiao Keyan, to pair with the vial of his blood he’d given her for protection.

“I’ll take two high-explosive grenades, three protective suits, and spend the rest on enhancement time,” Wu Zui decided.

“Alright,” Wang Zhengang said, a little disappointed. Big spenders like Wu Zui and Xiao Keyan were rare. Most teams split points five ways; they split them between two. For most investigators, items costing over a hundred points were a dream.

Still, Wu Zui only bought two fifty-point grenades, which let Wang Zhengang down a bit. He’d thought the drill bomb would sell well; after all, it could save your life if you had to run away from a fight.

After spending their points, Wu Zui and Xiao Keyan went to soak in the magnetic energy enhancement chamber...

Meanwhile, as the Bureau of Spiritual Investigation headquarters received the report from Wu Zui and Xiao Keyan, they were thrown into a flurry of activity. The organization called the Purifiers was well known to the headquarters—a terror group originating in the capital of the United States, championing the destruction of the world as its primary doctrine.

But they had never known the Purifiers could control supernatural entities.

Although, as Wu Zui described, the method was still unstable, it was nonetheless an ominous sign. If a group of lunatics were to wield such deadly weapons, who could say they wouldn’t drag everyone down with them on a whim?

Immediately, the Spiritual Investigation Department of China sought confirmation from the American side. If the report proved true, the Purifiers would soon face a global crackdown. To manipulate or even devour supernatural entities—what a horrifying prospect!

...

As time passed, the Ghost Video Company’s Live Encounter: Ghosts and Monsters show was about to begin. The location they’d chosen was a university in Binhai City, the scene of a recent supernatural incident.

Students, after years of high-pressure schooling, tended to let loose in college, some to the point of courting death with new and outrageous stunts—extreme sports, occult games; these were not uncommon.

Today, four daredevil students were playing a classic campus occult game—Summoning the Spirit of the Pen.

After sacrificing one unfortunate companion, the remaining three managed to escape with the help of a passing spiritual investigator and quickly called the 888 Supernatural Emergency Hotline. A three-star civilian awakened individual accepted the commission.

This person was the awakened one hired by the Ghost Video Company. A one-star ghost spirit barely earned any points; for a three-star awakened individual, it wasn’t even enough to spend half a day in the enhancement chamber. The real money was in the company’s payment.

A few gigs like this, and he’d have enough to commission a decent custom weapon. For him, dealing with a one-star ghost spirit was a breeze—it was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides.