CHAPTER 530: CHAPTER 512: RITUAL

[Exploration Bureau-Extinction Department]

Regarding the return of the special newcomer Luo Di, the department had heard about it in advance.

Moreover, the special application material submitted by Luo Di is currently held in the minister’s hands,

not directly approved but deliberately stalled.

He also wanted to see what kind of capabilities this newcomer, who had tangled with the "Eight Evil People" right from the start, had to escape safely and even operated alone in the Corner for such an extended period, even completing the budding process.

In contrast, this newcomer test is not that simple.

This seemingly ordinary department store actually contains many spatial interlayers, some corridors that appear normal, in fact, contain multiple paths whose lengths far exceed the building’s dimensions.

The deepest part of a certain floor - the Minister’s Office.

A woman over two meters tall, with short black hair and exaggerated muscle mass and wearing a gold armband, entered without knocking.

Strangely,

the office inside wasn’t lit, nor were there any window structures; its depths were entirely shrouded in darkness, rendering it impossible to see anything.

The woman stood at the entrance, reporting departmental-related information:

"Minister, Yu Ze has already brought the target back to headquarters, they didn’t encounter any monsters along the way; it seems the matter mentioned in the application about ’Uncle Joke’ is true.

Do we really want to arrange for that pair of special monsters to conduct the newcomer test on him?

The nature of these things is inherently wicked, their abilities are special, and their stability is poor.

According to the earliest submitted newcomer report by Luo Di, he belongs to the Black Gate Class Investigator, focusing on physical development, and does not seem proficient in dealing with this kind of spiritual body monster.

If not controlled well, Luo Di himself might suffer irreversible damage, additionally the General Administration’s building structure might be damaged, and at that time our department’s funding might encounter problems."

An old voice came from the depths of the darkness: "Has it arrived.....cough! Just arrange it properly, no need for any changes.

Unstable things do not need to be kept, let this newcomer help weed them out.

Moreover, the matter has already been handed over for Yu Ze to handle entirely, he promised me he will naturally deal with it well."

"Yes."

Upon receiving the minister’s affirmation, the woman was about to proceed to arrange the related matters when suddenly the sound of bones came from behind her, frightening her into quickly turning her head.

"Minister, are you going over in person? It might be better for you to stay here and watch the live broadcast considering your health?"

"If I can’t move even this little distance, then my position should be relinquished, cough! It’s a rare occasion to have a special young man come, not inspecting personally would mean missing out on many details."

A sound of bones colliding with metal came from the depths of the office.

Following that,

an old-fashioned wheelchair slowly rolled out.

An almost decrepit old man sat on it, both bones and muscles had atrophied and degenerated, and his height was now less than 140cm.

...

Blood red, chilling, deathly silent.

Though clearly a very ordinary room, the lights in here were dyed red.

Two coffins were placed in the middle, wrapped, sealed, and suppressed with inked chalk lines stained with blood, several yellow talismans were pasted on the surface, all used for sealing.

A line also stretched between the coffins, with bells hanging on it.

Once something inside wanted to come out, the bells would ring to trigger an alarm, and the relevant personnel would come to handle it.

Ka!

The door lock twisted.

A simple cloth shoe stepped inside.

The newcomer was none other than Yu Ze, who had just sent Luo Di to the "newcomer test."

In reality, when the Exploration Bureau received Luo Di’s "Return Report," it already verified his stability as a human and the situation of his pituitary budding.

According to reason, although he had not been to the General Administration before, Luo Di himself was no longer considered a newcomer and did not require testing.

However, Yu Ze volunteered, hoping to lead the test himself.

And planned to use the "dual monsters" he had captured alive during a previous exploration task.

It was precisely due to Yu Ze’s outstanding performance in the last mission, that his armband, which initially belonged to a newcomer stage, was directly embroidered with silver.

"Hey yo!"

Yu Ze exerted force to change the position of the two coffins from lying flat to standing upright.

With a wave of his hand,

he took out his handy folding table and quickly set it up into a makeshift altar.

Although the altar itself looked pieced together from various roadside goods, the essential tools were genuinely authentic.

During the time Luo Di was sent to the General Administration, Yu Ze had secretly taken a strand of his hair.

Now he placed the hair into a celadon bowl and wrote a special purple talisman and ignited it within.

The hair burned to ashes along with the talisman,

"Old pal, gotta beef you up! If you get careless and hurt later, don’t blame me."

Steeling himself, Yu Ze rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a Ghost God Map tattoo on his arm, something that seemed not to exist before.

At his wrist’s position corresponded precisely to the mouth of a green-faced ghost god.

Slice!

A vein was cut open, blood flowed into the bowl.

When the blood reached about 2/3 of the celadon bowl, Yu Ze pinched the wound shut, quickly repairing it.

Then using his ring finger, he stirred the blood and ashes in the bowl, quickly merging them.

Done!

Holding the celadon bowl, Yu Ze came to the upright coffin, pouring it along the top seams.

As this special blood seeped in.

Ding ding ding!

The bells connected between the two coffins began to shake wildly, the coffin lid also started to receive violent impacts.

Yu Ze pulled off the bell in the middle with two fingers, quickly shaking it in his hand!

He was still chanting some bizarre incantation.

There was no need for him to untie the inked chalk line on the coffin’s surface... Bang!

The coffin lid shattered,

The structure shattered into fragments, scattering outward.

Two female ghosts, stained with blood, twisted their bodies and crawled out one after the other. A faint red thread could be seen linking their navels, like an umbilical cord.

They instantly floated to Yu Ze’s side,

their bloodshot eyes widened, frantically sniffing the scent on his body.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Yet Yu Ze was not the least bit flustered,

continuing to shake the bell in his hand,

The two female ghosts seemed to be influenced spiritually, changing their target, frantically sniffing the one scent in the air that could stimulate them.

The smell of blood mixed between porcelain bowls, the smell of someone’s hair.

One ghost floated forward,

another crawled on the ceiling,

quickly pursuing the scent.

Yu Ze continued to the altar,

placing a plastic foot basin he’d bought for a few bucks on top, then poured several bottles of mineral water he carried into it.

Finally, he placed the hand that sneakily touched the ghost’s buttocks into the basin, stirring it for a while.

The surface of the water quickly displayed a "vision screen," corresponding to the first-person perspective of the twin monsters.

They could blend into the environment, penetrate walls, and spy on where their target was; they soon projected Luo Di leisurely strolling.

"So leisurely, fellow villager? Going over to kill directly would be boring, let’s try something different!"

Yu Ze hung the bell over the water and gently shook it,

As the ripples spread, the twin female ghosts initially intending to chase the scent quickly changed direction, one immersed into the wall, another hid in the shadows.

"Come on, let me see how much you’ve grown, fellow villager."

A sinister smile hung on Yu Ze’s face.

...

The corridor where Luo Di was located was sinister and narrow, lined with various clothing stores.

The chilly wind blew, ruffling some of the clothes, as if a person stood behind them.

Faceless mannequins seemed to be spying on this lively invader,

yet.

Luo Di was full of helplessness; if it were the first time he’d been sent here for this so-called test after coming to the corner, it’d be understandable.

But now,

having experienced the videotape incident firsthand, and even having been touched by divinity, this kind of scene had no effect on Luo Di, who easily completed an environment analysis.

"The current floor should belong to [Expansion Space] and is completely enclosed, independent of the department store... Conducting the test here indeed wouldn’t affect the building’s overall status.

But the Exploration Bureau already received the materials I submitted; there’s no need for such a test on me, is there?

Could it be a waste of resources, these monsters captured with difficulty are better used to enhance true novices’ strength?

Better listen to Yu Ze, quickly get it resolved, and strive to get the approval fast-tracked."

Luo Di was about to quicken his pace, taking just one step before he stopped.

He turned his head to a larger comprehensive clothing store beside him.

In the depths of the store,

under the dim lighting,

beneath the curtain of one fitting room, there was a pair of vibrant embroidered shoes. Above that, white legs and feet, beyond which the curtain obscured.

Just as Luo Di was about to take a closer look at the embroidered shoes, wanting to confirm the aura.

A touch of red lips silently approached him from behind,

Hoo...

A cold breath blew between his neck.

What seemed a simple breath was actually infusing some harmful substance beneath the skin, a kind of curse began spreading within Luo Di, severely limiting his conscious perception.

Strangely,

Luo Di, whose nape was blown upon, did not turn around; he continued to focus on the embroidered shoes in the fitting room.

As if attracted by something,

as if seeing a shapely girl behind the curtain beckoning him with her finger.

Visibly,

Luo Di’s eyeballs were filled with blood threads, soon completely dyed red, the curse took effect, he had already fallen into the trap woven by the twins.

Step by step walking toward the fitting room,

impatiently lifting the curtain,

Yet.

There was no one inside, just a pair of embroidered shoes placed on the ground.

As Luo Di tried to leave the fitting room, he found the exit was gone.

Moreover, it wasn’t a fitting room at all, but a coffin prepared for him; once he stepped inside, the coffin lid closed upon him.

Numerous women’s arms grew out from within the coffin, those crimson nails waved, aiming to pierce his body, shred his innards, and extract the most crucial pituitary gland from his brain.

When those arms fell upon Luo Di, opening the outermost layer of flesh and blood.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

An interference noise from an old television was heard.

The scene was overlaid with an 80s film filter.

No coffin,

No clothing store,

No department store,

At this moment, the twin female ghosts were creeping at a lakeside campsite.

The older sister lay on a tree trunk, while the younger sister hovered beside a bonfire, unable to comprehend what had happened.

A serene lake wasn’t far off; the gray moonlight spilled upon it, a few bubbles rising to the surface...