Chapter 262

244. Chapter 244: The Nighttime Letter

After returning to Room 11, Li Yi remained calm. He continued practicing the White Bone Contemplation technique at night, entering deep meditation, for he felt his spiritual sense was about to awaken—likely within these very days—and he wanted to seize every moment to push harder.

Nightfall.

Inside the Ghost Post Office, the muffled footsteps continued. In the darkness, a terrifying specter wandered the building, passing by his door several times, yet still obeying some unspoken rule, never entering Li Yi's room.

After the terrifying specter drifted away.

Through the crack in the old wooden door, Li Yi saw countless black sheets of paper drifting down inside the post office.

"More black letters falling?"

He had no intention of paying attention, but then thought: perhaps these papers were useless to him, but could be traded for information with others, or even sold for money to cover his basic living expenses in this world. Besides, since they were falling on the first floor, he might not be able to collect them once he reached the second floor.

Thinking this, Li Yi broke his meditation and shot out of his room.

His speed was swift; his eyes glowed faintly in the dark, his tall frame darting nimbly through every corner of the lobby, hands reaching out constantly to snatch the falling black letters before they touched the ground.

In just one round, his hands were filled with a thick stack of black letters.

But it wasn't enough.

After returning to his room and setting down the letters, Li Yi rushed out again, gathering more of the ever-falling black sheets, then swiftly returned with another thick bundle.

Yet when he burst out for the third time to collect more letters, his glowing eyes suddenly narrowed.

He saw, in a corner of the lobby, a figure standing unnaturally still—a withered old man, clad in an antique long robe, his face yellow and bloodless, his hollow, numb eyes fixed on him, as if he had been noticed.

"When did this ghost appear? Just moments ago, I confirmed the first-floor lobby was empty, and I heard no footsteps. Like that Wang Qiao, he simply appeared out of nowhere, with no warning."

Li Yi's expression changed. He stopped collecting letters and retreated swiftly into his room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

But then Li Yi heard the familiar footsteps echoing through the night, the aged floorboards creaking under each step.

And those footsteps were heading straight for his room.

And growing closer.

"Is it targeting me?"

Inside the room, Li Yi frowned. He glanced at the yellowed overhead light, thinking it might just be coincidence.

He had encountered ghosts passing his door several times before—always just passing, never acting.

The footsteps outside grew clearer.

Eventually, through the crack in the old wooden door, Li Yi clearly saw the robed ghost standing motionless right outside his door. The old man hadn't left, hadn't moved—yet an icy chill seeped through the gap.

"I just picked up a few more letters. Why are you targeting me?" Li Yi's pupils glowed, fixed on the door.

The door wasn't sturdy—he, as an evolved being, could easily break it open.

But he knew: what kept the ghost out wasn't the door's strength, but the rules of this place.

By day, no ghosts. By night, ghosts don't enter rooms.

This was the rule the messengers had deduced—but whether it was absolute, Li Yi didn't know, and no one had tested it.

Creak.

At that moment, the wooden door emitted a scraping sound.

It was quiet—but sent a shiver down Li Yi's spine.

No way.

Was the ghost outside trying to come in?

He watched as the wooden door warped slightly, the aged timber groaning under immense pressure, as if about to shatter—but then, despite the distortion, the door remained intact, unbroken. An invisible force reinforced it, holding back the old man's advance.

Li Yi's heart pounded. Even the dim yellow light in the room flickered erratically, as if about to die.

Clearly, if the door broke—or opened—he was dead tonight.

Fortunately, it didn't happen.

After a brief stalemate, the door and the ghost outside seemed unable to overcome each other. Finally, the old man gave up.

With heavy footsteps resuming, the specter at the door turned away.

Listening to the footsteps fade into silence, Li Yi exhaled deeply.

"It's a warning from the Ghost Post Office—telling me not to be greedy." He glanced at the thick stack of black letters beside him, guessing the reason.

After all, this world was full of ordinary people. Ordinary people couldn't possibly collect this many letters in one night.

With normal human ability, picking up two or three sheets in this darkness would be impressive. But Li Yi was different—he could see in the dark, wasn't afraid of getting lost, could track ghosts' positions instantly, and could retreat back to his room in one or two seconds.

This extraordinary mobility allowed him to collect nearly every letter that fell today.

"Fine. I won't collect more. It's enough." Li Yi abandoned his greed, adjusted his mindset, and returned to meditation.

Time passed swiftly—it was the next day.

At six a. ., the Ghost Post Office turned off its lights on schedule.

But when Li Yi awoke from meditation, he found a yellow letter placed beside his bed.

The letter had appeared mysteriously—he didn't know when or how.

Without hesitation, Li Yi picked it up.

At that moment.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The peeling walls began to rapidly flake away, revealing twisted, curling characters etched before him.

"Deliver the letter to Unit 101, Building 2, Jinjiang Community, Dahan City. Deadline: within 24 hours."

"Only a location. No recipient. And the time is extremely short—just one day." Li Yi studied the message, thought briefly, then understood.

This delivery task was simple.

The time limit made it clear.

If it were dangerous, the Ghost Post Office wouldn't give only one day—messengers might spend half a day or more just traveling. With so little time left, any additional danger would make completion impossible.

Still, only after arriving would Li Yi know the full truth.

He packed his things and set out immediately.

When he stepped out of the Ghost Post Office, he found himself back on the rooftop of a house in Zhongyang City. Clearly, the Ghost Post Office returned messengers to the exact point they entered—it didn't teleport them randomly.

Li Yi steadied his mind and prepared to head to Dahan City.

Just then, his phone rang. A call came through.

"Hello, is this Li Yi? It's Zheng Yaoyao. Where are you? I've called you for days—always disconnected. Any free time lately? I want to treat you to dinner." Zheng Yaoyao's voice came through the phone.

"I'm busy. Something urgent. Dinner another time. Goodbye." Li Yi said.

Zheng Yaoyao hurriedly added: "Wait, wait—I want to tell you something. I drank that golden nutritional fluid you gave me. What's it made of? It's incredible. I drank just a little, and haven't been hungry for days. My energy is unusually high, and my skin's even gotten whiter. I went for a medical checkup—the doctor said I'm perfectly healthy. Could there be side effects?"

"No side effects. Drink freely. Your physique will improve. Just don't let anyone else find out—otherwise you'll be taken for experiments." Li Yi replied.

"Don't worry, I'm tight-lipped. By the way, what have you been up to lately? Need any help?" Zheng Yaoyao said. "You haven't contacted me in ages. I thought something happened to you."

"I'm fine. Just ran into some supernatural events lately. Nothing you can help with now. I'll reach out if I need you. Gotta go." Li Yi hung up. He didn't find Zheng Yaoyao annoying—after his teammates died or scattered,

she had become one of the few people he still knew in this world.

Occasional contact helped ease the loneliness.

But Li Yi wasn't sentimental. He was an evolved being who had survived the world after the Sky Collapse, a martial artist who killed with his fists—his inner strength was unshakable.

He didn't hesitate to spend.

He paid for a taxi and headed straight for Dahan City.

But now his last ten thousand yuan was nearly gone. If his next delivery required a long journey, he'd have to walk.

"I need to find a way to get money from other messengers." Li Yi turned his thoughts to the previous ordinary messengers.

After several hours on the road.

Li Yi entered Dahan City.

He kept a low profile, avoiding attention—he knew major cities had powerful overseers. He didn't know their strength or temperament, so the safest course was to avoid trouble and not interfere with his delivery.

Around noon.

Li Yi arrived at Jinjiang Community in Dahan City.

"It's not sealed off?" He was surprised.

It was a normal residential complex—residents came and went, their faces filled with happiness, not a trace of fear or unease.

Clearly, this community wasn't haunted. As Li Yi had suspected, this delivery task was simple.

But this time, Li Yi had learned caution. He didn't deliver the letter immediately. Instead, he entered the complex, confirmed the correct apartment, then found a quiet spot to wait.

He was killing time.

Because Li Yi had noticed: the faster he delivered, the shorter the interval until his next letter arrived.