Chapter 1: Mystic Object

Thick clouds shroud the sky above the city. In the distance, collapsed and dilapidated skyscrapers still stand crookedly. The turbid air, carrying a faint, fishy stench, permeates every corner of the city. The setting sun of dusk always carries a trace of eerie scarlet.

Like everywhere else, Tianchang City is a wounded city.

Li Yi, having just finished his part-time job, walks through the desolate, run-down streets of the old city district, carrying his belongings. He skillfully and carefully avoids the puddles in the pitted ground, then quickly ducks into a small alley.

The alley extends in all directions, connecting various parts of the old city district; taking the side path saves quite a bit of time.

"Cough, cough!"

Li Yi, walking along, suddenly smells a foul stench of decay. He cannot help but cough twice, yet he dares not linger, only quickening his pace to rapidly distance himself from the area shrouded in the odor.

Because he knows that this stench is formed after a person dies and their corpse decays.

The people at the very bottom of the city are like rats in a sewer; just maintaining a normal life is already a struggle. Even if they die, they can only quietly rot and breed maggots in dark corners until the stench can no longer be concealed, only then to be discovered and cleaned up by the sanitation team.

After all, this world has changed. Even in cities with good order, the mortality rate remains stubbornly high.

"I wonder how my luck will be this time, and if I can survive this hurdle."

Li Yi, only twenty years old, sighs helplessly in his heart, his eyes revealing a trace of confusion and fatigue. However, his gaze soon firms up, and his pace becomes faster than usual.

Following an address in his memory, he passes through the alley and arrives at a residential complex with decades of history.

The complex is not large, with only four buildings, which is very common in the old city district.

Even though the environment of the old city district is poor, at the very least, it is safer than other places and less prone to accidents. Therefore, many people actually live in the seemingly dilapidated and desolate old city district, gnawing at everything in this city like ants, barely surviving. Li Yi is one of them.

Wang Sect Residential Complex.

"Right, that's it, this is the place." Li Yi finds the location on the address.

However, when he enters the complex, he finds quite a few people gathered in the open space in the middle. In the center of the crowd, he even sees the figures of investigators.

"Did something happen?" His expression shifts slightly, and he curiously edges closer.

"I heard the resident of 701 in Building 4 died, died miserably. The blood even flowed into the hallway. This definitely wasn't a normal death; it's likely some special accident, otherwise, the investigators wouldn't come to this dump."

"Who lived in 701 of Building 4? I have no impression of them at all. Does anyone know?"

"The one with the big wavy hair, dressed very flamboyantly."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. Her name is Liu Li, thirty-two years old, unmarried... and has a large chest."

"Huh?"

Hearing this, many people nearby look at him in surprise.

That is a middle-aged man in his thirties, currently shaking his head with a look of deep emotion.

At this moment, an investigator walks down from the hallway of Building 4, followed by several accompanying sanitation workers. They are carrying a body bag, which should contain the corpse of that Liu Li.

"What's the situation up there?" The lead investigator is named Wang Jian, and he is responsible for this old city district.

Although the average-looking Wang Jian is only in his twenties, his eyes are extremely sharp, and in the dim light, they seem to faintly emit a glow, making people feel an inexplicable palpitation.

"Captain Wang, the deceased's body was dismembered into over a dozen pieces. The scene is very bloody, but from the current investigation, the cause of death should be... suicide." Another investigator walks over, his face very solemn, and whispers some details about Room 701.

Wang Jian nods, his expression calm, as if he is already accustomed to such situations; after all, he has encountered even more bizarre incidents.

"Are there any other clues?"

The other investigator says: "There is a resident opposite Room 701 who seems to have seen something."

After speaking, he gestures, and a young man around twenty-five is brought over.

"I am investigator Wang Jian. Tell me, what did you see in Room 701?" Wang Jian asks.

The young man says nervously: "I, I saw a person walking into Room 701 one after another last night."

"One after another?" Wang Jian frowns slightly: "Are you playing with me?"

"No, absolutely not. That person did indeed walk in one after another," the young man says very firmly.

Wang Jian's expression sinks. He suddenly reaches out his palm and grabs the young man's neck, then coldly stares into his pupils for a moment before casually tossing him aside: "Another one driven mad by cultivation. Take him away."

"Yes."

The young man immediately struggles: "No, I'm not mad, I'm not mad! Someone did indeed walk into Room 701 one after another. That person is the murderer! She didn't commit suicide, she didn't commit suicide! I have no problems. I was lying on the door cultivating yesterday, I saw it clearly!"

But the accompanying staff members don't waste words, taking him and walking toward the outside of the complex.

The middle-aged man who was watching the excitement shouts at this moment: "If the deceased Liu Li could be brought out one after another, why couldn't the murderer go in one after another to kill? What right do the investigators have to say others are mad?"

"He's not normal, are you not normal either?" Wang Jian glances at him: "Do you want to be taken away too?"

The middle-aged man then immediately spits toward the direction of the young man: "This lunatic, he should be taken away. I must have been influenced by him just now. This lunatic must never be let back. Perhaps the murderer who killed Liu Li is him."

"I said, Liu Li committed suicide. This case is closed." Wang Jian repeats again.

"It seems the suicide case here is just a coincidence and has nothing to do with what I need to do."

Li Yi, who was watching the excitement, has remained silent. He just silently carries his bag and leaves the crowd, walking toward the first building. This matter has nothing to do with him; he came here just to make money and doesn't want to invite unnecessary trouble.

"Wang Sect Residential Complex, Building 1, Room 201."

Li Yi takes a slight breath. He arrives at this unfamiliar address and knocks on that old door.

Knock, knock, knock~!

The dull sound echoes in the dim hallway, and the surroundings are silent.

A long while later.

The old door opens, and yellowed light shines out. At the same time, a voice comes from inside.

"Come in." The voice is very low.

Li Yi walks in, looking slightly nervous.

The layout of the living room is very simple: a sofa, a few wooden chairs, and the bedroom doors on the left and right are tightly shut. Under the illumination of the yellowed light, the space here feels slightly claustrophobic.

"Friend, stop looking. You're late; you're the only one left. We're all waiting for you." Several people are sitting on the sofa, both men and women. The one who speaks is a young man wearing a hoodie.

Li Yi doesn't speak, just looking at the person sitting on the chair opposite.

That person's body is shrouded in the shadows of the light. At this moment, he slightly raises his head, his eyes exceptionally bright, flickering with a faint glow, as if containing some special power, making people afraid to look directly.

"My name is Lao Ya. Your name is Li Yi, right? Very young, looking at you, you're at most in your early twenties. Tell me, why do you want to take on this dangerous mission?" This person who calls himself Lao Ya speaks. His voice remains low, giving people an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Li Yi steadies himself, then says earnestly: "I need money."

The man in the hoodie on the sofa behind him chuckles: "Nonsense, who here taking on this kind of dangerous job doesn't need money? In this day and age, life isn't worth much, and there are plenty of people scrambling to do things that risk their lives."

Li Yi still ignores him, continuing to explain: "My parents are 'Silent Ones' and have been in a coma for six years."

"Both parents are Silent Ones? Being able to live for six years means your family has two medical pods. Even a second-hand medical pod is worth at least over a million. You don't look like someone who needs money." Lao Ya's voice turns cold: "Give me a reasonable explanation, don't play tricks."

"The medical pod broke and needs repairs. The repair fee is fifty thousand. I can't come up with this money. I saw someone introducing a job in the group, saying that after completion, they could give a hundred thousand, so I came to try my luck." Li Yi feels a chill in his heart and details his situation again.

Perhaps believing Li Yi's words, or perhaps seeing the anxiety and urgency in Li Yi's eyes, his tone shifts, and he gives a soft laugh: "Raising two Silent Ones for six years, even with some family savings, would have been completely exhausted. And then encountering a medical pod malfunction, in this situation, you are indeed in urgent need of a sum of money. After all, without the maintenance of the medical pod, Silent Ones won't live past thirty days. It seems you want to fight for your parents; that's not bad. In this day and age, there aren't many filial sons like you left. Since that's the case, I'll give you this opportunity. Your reason has passed. Sit down."

Seeing this, Li Yi finally breathes a sigh of relief and finds a stool next to the sofa to sit down.

"The last person has arrived. Before this, if anyone wants to leave, you can go now. I won't stop you. Ten seconds later, I will start explaining this mission." Lao Ya's bright eyes reveal a hint of a threatening look.

It is very obvious that this is telling them that if they don't leave now, it will be impossible to go back on their word later.

In the dim living room, everyone falls into silence.

Time passes second by second.

During this time, not a single person leaves.

"Very good, it seems you all have reasons why you have to risk your lives. Since that's the case, I will now officially start introducing the mission." Lao Ya stands up at this moment.

At the same time, the tightly shut bedroom door nearby also opens. A man in a suit walks out, directly locking the main door, and then stands at the entrance like a high wall, preventing anyone from fleeing here.

"Lao Ya, don't waste time, hurry up and tell us what you want us to do. We can't do things that are too difficult; after all, we just want to make money, not throw our lives away. And we are all ordinary people without cultivation, so the things we can do are very limited." The man in the hoodie is not nervous at all, just grinning as he speaks.

Lao Ya glances at him, then says: "Behave yourself."

The hoodie man shrugs, not taking it to heart.

People who dare to risk their lives for money, what else is there to be afraid of?

The other few people appear very silent and do not interrupt Lao Ya's words at this time.

Li Yi also just listens quietly; he only hopes the so-called mission won't be too dangerous, as he still wants to return alive.

Seeing everyone keeping quiet, Lao Ya then says earnestly: "Ten days ago, an abnormality appeared in a building in the waste city district. Our people went inside to search, but an accident occurred, and several died. Only two ordinary people who had never cultivated returned alive. One of them went mad, and one was seriously injured and is still in the hospital, barely having saved half a life."

"The second time, my partner and I went to that building to search again. My partner was unfortunate enough to fall there, and only I was lucky enough to escape."

"However, from the two explorations, I obtained two key pieces of information. The first piece of information is that there is a high possibility of a Mystic Object existing in that building."

As soon as these words are spoken, everyone opens their eyes wide, revealing looks of disbelief.

"Mystic Object? How is that possible? The waste city district doesn't know how many times it has been searched; how could there be a Mystic Object left?" The hoodie man suddenly stands up, his breathing somewhat rapid.

Mystic Object.

After the Heaven-Tilting Incident, treasures from another world, said to possess the miraculous powers of myths and legends.

Every Mystic Object is worth a fortune.

Countries around the world are even more unreasonably aggressive in recovering every Mystic Object, and for this, it is unknown how many Mystic Object wars have been triggered.

If an ordinary person obtains a Mystic Object and voluntarily hands it over, the cash reward alone is at least one billion. Besides that, they can unconditionally enter the Golden Academy, be exempt from expulsion for life, and as for things like villas in the Stability Zone and honorary status, those are all invisible benefits that come with it.

But even under such heavy rewards, there have only been two cases of voluntary surrender of Mystic Objects in the country.

Because besides possessing miraculous powers, Mystic Objects can also allow ordinary people to defy the heavens and change their fate, embarking on a cultivation path comparable to a genius.

Only needing to possess a Mystic Object for a few months, the obtainer can become extraordinary. If they possess a Mystic Object for a few years, even the country has to look at their face.

"Don't paint big cakes. I don't believe a Mystic Object exists in the old city district. The influence range of a Mystic Object is at least five kilometers. With such a large area being affected, do you think the investigators are just eating rice?" The speaker is a woman. She is wearing a camisole dress and has a very sexy figure, but the corner of her mouth reveals a trace of disdain.

Her words make the others who were still in shock calm down quite a bit.

"That's right. Paying someone a hundred thousand to find a priceless Mystic Object, how does this sound so absurd? If that thing really existed, would it be our turn to know? This old city district would have long been surrounded tightly." The hoodie man nods in agreement with the woman's words just now.

Li Yi and the remaining people don't speak, just watching quietly.

Lao Ya's voice remains low: "Mystic Objects also have levels, and there are complete Mystic Objects and incomplete Mystic Objects. Of course, those top-tier Mystic Objects are not something we can hope for, but if we are lucky, finding an incomplete Mystic Object or a Mystic Object fragment is not impossible."

"The mission for you five is very simple: go into that building and find the item. Even if you can't take it out, as long as you confirm the location, I will give you a hundred thousand. If you can retrieve it, I will give each person two million."

"With just this little money, you want us to risk danger to help you find a Mystic Object? That's hard to handle." The hoodie man suddenly grins.

"What do you mean? Want to quit?" Lao Ya says.

"No, I mean I want more money." The hoodie man stares at him and says.

"Don't be insatiable, be careful of having the life to earn it but not the life to spend it." Lao Ya says coldly. At this moment, his eyes are glowing, like a beast lurking in the dark night.

The hoodie man is not afraid, saying: "Do you dare to make a move? If you kill me, this matter will be ruined. Once the investigators are drawn in, the one who will lose more is you. After all, our lives aren't worth much, but you are different. Your future is bright, and you still have the chance to come into contact with Mystic Objects. To throw everything away for a few small fries, it's not worth it."

As he speaks, he turns to Li Yi and the others: "I am fighting for everyone's interests now. Don't you have anything to say?"

"This mission is very dangerous. I demand half the deposit paid upfront, otherwise, I won't go. Who knows if you will go back on your word afterward." The woman wearing the camisole dress says immediately.

Obviously, involving a Mystic Object, everyone can't help but start raising the price on the spot.

Li Yi doesn't want to retreat either, saying: "I also feel the money is a bit low. Besides paying fifty thousand deposit upfront, if the item you want is found, you must pay another hundred thousand. As for retrieving it, we ordinary people still have some self-awareness; we don't have that ability."

Just as his words fall, a muscular, square-faced strong man with a crew cut on the sofa nearby also stands up. His height is slightly exaggerated, nearly two meters, and his head is almost touching the ceiling. Although he has the status of an ordinary person, he makes people feel that he is not simple.

"You brat, since you've found me, whether the thing is done or not, I want the money. If you don't give it, I'll smash your head with one punch." This man speaks dully, with a tone that brooks no refusal.

The last person is a middle-aged man wearing glasses with a slightly thin figure. He had been silent before, and only now does he speak: "Lao Ya, right? Give me all the money for the four of them, and I'll handle this matter. But after the item you want is retrieved, I want three-tenths of it."

"..." Lao Ya suddenly falls silent.

A good while later, he says in a low voice: "I see it now, you are all talents, wanting money but not your lives. If it weren't for this still being a safe zone, I'd really like to slaughter you all."

The hoodie man is still grinning, the camisole woman rolls her eyes, not taking it to heart, the burly and tall man gives a disdainful cold snort, and the last man with glasses slightly lowers his head, adjusting his lenses, the corner of his mouth revealing an inexplicable smile.

Only Li Yi appears to be expressing himself normally, his eye twitching inexplicably, looking slightly uneasy.

But seeing that everyone is unmoved, Lao Ya, after a brief weighing, chooses to compromise. After all, finding another batch of people is very troublesome, and he doesn't want to have long nights and many dreams; otherwise, once the news leaks, the situation will not be something he can control.

"Just as Li Yi said, pay fifty thousand deposit first, and pay another hundred thousand after the matter is done. Don't bargain with me anymore, the matter is settled like this."

The others fall silent for a brief moment, obviously all accepting this condition.

"You haven't told us the second key piece of information yet." The man wearing the hoodie asks again.

Lao Ya says: "The second key piece of information is that entering that building, the danger encountered by ordinary people is actually less. People like me who have stepped into cultivation are more easily targeted by danger. This is why I wanted to find you people. Don't waste time, set off immediately."

As he speaks, he gestures to his subordinates guarding the door to open it.

"I have one more question." Li Yi says.

"What other question, ask quickly." Lao Ya says coldly.

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"What kind of danger exists in the place you mentioned, that even people like you who have cultivated cannot deal with?" Li Yi says: "This question is very important, at least so we all understand what we will face in a moment."

"That building... is haunted." Lao Ya says this sentence and then walks out of the room.

Ghost?

Everyone freezes for a moment, and under the yellowed light, a chilling sensation of hair-raising horror surges into their hearts. ===== CHAPTER 2 =====