Chapter 269: Intimidation

At this moment, Li Yi watched Du Ming charge at him with the short staff, and he smiled—actually, he was almost delighted, for he had set his sights on that eerie artifact; if he could obtain it, he would finally have a means to survive against ghosts.

If he had known this guy was hiding something so valuable, he would have moved sooner.

"Du Ming, I take back what I just said—you're truly a good man."

Though Li Yi was pleased, he made no mistake; his pupils narrowed instantly into vertical slits, glowing with light, and in the next instant, he vanished from his spot with explosive speed.

His speed exceeded normal human reaction time.

Boom!

The next moment, an explosion echoed.

Before Du Ming could react, his head suddenly burst apart, splattering blood and gore onto the wall behind him.

His corpse stood frozen in place, still leaning forward.

Everything happened too fast—no warning, utterly sudden.

At some unknown point, the old, cracked short staff in Du Ming's hand vanished, along with his entire arm.

Everyone's eyes widened, their faces filled with shock.

What… what just happened?

Why did Du Ming's head explode out of nowhere and then die? Why did Li Yi suddenly disappear?

Where is Li Yi now?

Following the crowd's gaze, they soon spotted Li Yi's figure down the hallway, ten meters away.

There, Li Yi held the cracked short staff, examining it curiously.

What kind of joke is this? In the blink of an eye, Du Ming was dead, Li Yi seized the eerie artifact, and he appeared ten meters away?

This shattered their understanding of reality.

Could Li Yi also be a ghost handler?

Yes, only a ghost handler could accomplish this.

Liu Qingqing was stunned and bewildered, yet certain: Li Yi was not a ghost handler. Nothing supernatural had manifested during what just happened. Moreover, after entering the Ghost Post Office, even if there were real ghost handlers, their eerie powers would be suppressed and interfered with—unless Li Yi had grown so powerful he could ignore the Ghost Post Office entirely.

But that probability was negligible. If Li Yi could truly ignore the Ghost Post Office's influence, he wouldn't be here on the second floor delivering letters.

So, had everything just now been accomplished by Li Yi's own strength alone?

But is he even human?

"No matter how many times I see it, when Li Yi moves, he's terrifying," Guo You muttered, swallowing hard—he'd seen Li Yi and his companions in action before.

Each one was a peerless master.

He couldn't imagine what in the real world could kill them, aside from ghosts—after all, they could dodge bullets.

So what if you're a ghost handler? So what if you hold an eerie artifact?

One glance, and you're reduced to pulp—no chance to even raise a hand.

That reaction speed and movement were monstrous.

"So this is an eerie artifact—a vessel imbued with eerie power, indestructible. I wonder if it has side effects, whether using it will corrupt me like a ghost handler?" Li Yi ignored the dead courier, gripping the old, cracked staff and trying to squeeze it hard.

Yet even with the force he could unleash, it suffered not a single scratch.

To destroy it, perhaps only an equally potent eerie power could manage.

"Forget it—I don't have time to worry about that now. As long as this thing can repel ghosts, I'm certain I can complete this delivery." Li Yi thought to himself.

His greatest fear was having no way to fight ghosts—even if his speed and strength were unmatched, they'd be useless. Earlier, their captain, Zhang Xun, a Soul Realm expert, had fallen—what chance did he have?

But now things were different. Only with such an eerie artifact could his full strength find its use.

"Li Yi, how did you just do that? Was it eerie power?" Liu Qingqing, though filled with theories, still wanted to confirm face-to-face.

"I'm not a ghost handler, and I don't possess eerie power. I'm just an ordinary man trying to deliver letters and survive. I didn't want to kill anyone—this is all Du Ming's fault. He insisted on pulling out the eerie artifact and attacking me." Li Yi turned to face the group, but before he finished speaking, he vanished again.

By the time anyone realized it, his towering figure had already appeared behind Liu Qingqing.

When Liu Qingqing realized what had happened, a cold sweat broke out on her skin.

Just now, if Li Yi had targeted her, her head would have exploded too.

Even if she were a ghost handler, without a head, she'd be dead.

"Liu Qingqing, forget what just happened. Let's discuss this delivery mission. I believe with your ghost handler abilities and my strength, delivering this letter won't be difficult. Let's cooperate well and strive to survive together, how about it?"

By displaying his extraordinary power, Li Yi not only intimidated others but also seized control of the conversation.

"Cooperation? Of course. Your hidden strength exceeds my imagination. With you on this mission, I feel confident," Liu Qingqing turned, forcing a smile.

She didn't need to understand how he gained such ability—only that Li Yi was strong, absurdly strong.

"Good. With a ghost handler like you as my partner, I doubt any delivery mission will be too hard for us," Li Yi said calmly.

"Naturally," Liu Qingqing replied, still shaken.

She was grateful she was a ghost handler—if she'd been ordinary, she didn't know how much pressure she could have borne. This man never showed it, never leaked a hint—yet when he moved, he felt like a ferocious beast. No, worse than a beast. Merely being near him made one tremble.

This wasn't eerie power—it was pure personal aura.

Unbelievable.

When had such a person ever existed in this world?

The others remained silent, too terrified to even breathe—clearly, Li Yi could kill them all with a single gesture, leaving no chance to flee.

Li Yi's glowing vertical pupils swept over the others again: "Who else wants to join this delivery mission? If anyone wishes to participate, step forward now—Liu Qingqing and I are leaving the Ghost Post Office immediately."

"I—I want to join the delivery mission," Guo You said, trembling under the pressure.

If not now, when? Who would wait around to slowly die on the second floor, delivering one letter after another?

If he followed Li Yi to the third floor, at least he'd survive months longer—otherwise, with his own strength, he'd die on the second floor for sure.

"I'll go too," another courier on the second floor gritted his teeth—he realized this was an opportunity.

With Li Yi's raw power and Liu Qingqing as a ghost handler, this delivery was guaranteed. To refuse now would be foolish.

With Li Yi as such a formidable figure and Liu Qingqing as a spirit controller, this mission is certain to succeed; to refuse would be foolish.

Finally, the last courier on the second floor also agreed to join.

Li Yi nodded. Thus, excluding the dead Du Ming and Wang Chuan, who had voluntarily surrendered the third letter, every courier gathered today had joined.

"Since everyone agrees, let's not waste time."

He turned again to Liu Qingqing.

Liu Qingqing pulled out the letter and gestured to the group.

Everyone touched the letter, accepting the delivery mission.

"But I won't carry this letter. Li Yi, you hold it—I'm certain only you can deliver it successfully," Liu Qingqing immediately handed over command of the mission to Li Yi; with his strength, competing would be absurd.

Besides, the letter wasn't anything good—no need to keep it in hand.

Li Yi took it without hesitation, stowed it away, and said: "Team is set. What are we waiting for? Let's go. Meet in Zhongning City within a day. There's no cell signal here, but exchange numbers now—we'll need to contact each other after we leave."

Li Yi, however, was unceremonious; after taking the letter, he put it away and said, "The team is set, so what are we waiting for? Let's depart immediately. Everyone meet in Zhongning City within a day. Although there's no cell signal here, we can add each other's numbers now for easier contact once we're out."

The group exchanged contact information.

Afterward, Li Yi didn't care whether the others followed—he took the letter and strode up the stairs, heading straight out of the Ghost Post Office.

With Li Yi's departure, the second-floor couriers finally exhaled slightly.

"Guo You, where did this Li Yi come from? So strange, so terrifying. Did you notice? When he narrowed his eyes, they turned into vertical slits. At that moment, I doubted he was even human—he looked like some extraordinary creature," Liu Qingqing whispered.

Guo You's face darkened. He shook his head. "I don't know. I cooperated with Li Yi on the first floor, but I know nothing about him. I only know there are three others like him—four originally, but one died during a delivery when they encountered a ghost. And I'm certain: they don't use eerie power at all. They rely purely on their own strength."

"Unknown origin?" Liu Qingqing pursed her lips. "I understand. Thank you. Looks like we'll have to rely on Li Yi more from now on. His abilities are beyond comprehension—even without eerie power, he's invaluable during deliveries."

After all, ghosts need time to kill. Li Yi can accomplish so much in a second—he can turn the tide at critical moments.

Besides, now he holds an eerie artifact capable of repelling ghosts.

Unless something unforeseen happens, Li Yi will surely pass the Post Office and leave this place.

All she needed to do was become his ally—cooperate, win together.

All she needed to do was become Li Yi's teammate as much as possible and cooperate for mutual gain.