Everything wrapped up perfectly: Huohuo reunited with Tail, Guinaifen became a big-time streamer, and Stelle worked another round for free.
Just when everyone thought the Astral Express logo was about to roll, the progress bar held strong, with about half an hour left.
At that moment, the four members of the ghost-hunting squad gathered again, each slouched over a table in various poses, idly scrolling through the Luofu Miscellany for new content.
"Hey, everyone, check this out!"
Huohuo's antenna stood straight up as she passed her phone to the group.
"'Heartless Diviner' posted something: 'My colleague seems like a completely different person…'"
Stelle immediately pulled out her phone to check it too.
She chuckled. "A vague department, idle colleagues, just went through some indescribable weirdness. Oh, so hard to guess. I've got no clue at all."
Guinaifen glanced at her phone, then looked at Huohuo with confusion.
"After being lazy for so long, suddenly getting ambitious and wanting to go all out—is that so strange?"
Stelle shrugged. "Doesn't seem strange to me."
"Yeah, sometimes I get these random bursts of wanting to work hard too."
But Sushang chimed in that it was pretty odd, given that Xianzhou folk are famously long-lived and tend to crave stability.
[So, Qingque's way too into playing it safe, huh?]
[Qingque's not about safety—she's about slacking off and gambling her life on cards.]
[Pretty impressive, honestly.]
Suddenly, Uncle Tail zipped out with a whoosh.
Huohuo immediately asked for his take. "Uncle Tail, what do you think?"
Tail smirked. "Every unreasonable thing is blamed on unseen demons and monsters. That's primitive thinking."
The group nodded, looking at him expectantly.
But the next moment, Tail switched gears. "Still, if someone does nothing but suddenly changes personality, it could be one of us heliobi at work."
Huohuo sighed. "So you're basically saying nothing?"
"Your Uncle Tail's not the star of The Fisherman's Case. I haven't seen the scene—how am I supposed to judge?"
Huohuo suddenly looked up at the group. "The poster didn't name their department, but from the username, it's gotta be the Divination Commission, right?"
After some discussion, they decided to head to the Divination Commission to check it out.
Before long, the ghost-hunting squad spotted Fu Xuan discussing something with the diviners.
After giving her instructions, the diviners left one by one.
Fu Xuan slowly turned around, flashing a polite smile, as if she'd expected their arrival.
"It's you all again. Quite the hardworking bunch. Posting for help on the Luofu Miscellany really does work."
Stelle asked curiously, "Why not just text us directly?"
Huohuo nodded, agreeing they could've been contacted directly.
Fu Xuan shook her head. "I wasn't confident enough to say 'this is definitely a heliobi's doing,' so I posted to test the waters…"
The squad nodded, finding Fu Xuan's reasoning fair.
Fu Xuan continued. "Since you're here, it means there's something suspicious about this.
How should I put it? When you all helped me expel the heliobi possessing me, Qingque, one of our diviners, played a big role. I wanted to thank her, give her more chances to shine in the department…"
[Hahaha, Fu Xuan's repaying kindness with enmity again.]
[Lmao, Qingque's probably like, 'Thanks a lot, boss.']
"But for some reason, these past few days, she's completely changed. She arrives earlier than anyone and leaves later than everyone. Today, I got a report from the department—she's planning to resign as a diviner and is encouraging her colleagues to start a business with her."
The ghost-hunting squad's eyes widened in shock.
"That's too weird!" Stelle shouted.
"Right? You get it immediately." Fu Xuan sighed.
"Hardworking or lazy, it's all human nature. I don't have any bias, but a sudden personality shift usually has an external cause.
The whole thing feels off. Given my own experience, I called you all here to take a look."
With the full story clear, it was time to find Qingque.
Soon after, Fu Xuan led the ghost-hunting squad to the garage.
Sure enough, Qingque was there, surrounded by diviners from the Divination Commission.
"Yo, Qingque! Haven't seen you in a few days. Heard you're quitting?"
Qingque's expression was serious. She said solemnly, "I've found the meaning of life."
Her words caused an uproar.
"Is the Divination Commission about to change?!"
"Did the Master Diviner chew you out, and now you're giving up?"
Qingque shook her head slightly.
"Looking back, my life has been nothing but wasted time. Now, looking forward, I've had an epiphany! I see the path of destiny opening its arms to me."
Slap!
Stelle slapped her own face. "Is this the Qingque I know?"
Qingque ignored Stelle and continued.
"Reviewing past performance metrics, what do we distill from a successful life? Food, shelter, no worries—but where's the reflection, the depth? Can a mediocre existence empower others?
Day after day in the Divination Commission for centuries—what's the core logic of that success? Where's the overarching design? Compared to short-lived species, what's our edge? None!
It's a double waste of time and life's value! On the other side of the universe, people with shorter lives use iterative strategies in niche fields to achieve lasting crafts. They strive daily, far harder than you!
You hide in your little pocket dimension, pretending the hundred billion credits handled by tycoons have nothing to do with you! Then you're shocked when they buy up everything around you!
Don't you feel your blood boiling, your heart pounding like thunder, screaming your desires?
The atmosphere feels off, and a wild surge of emotion rises from within."
[Qingque's got the charisma to start a Sparrow Cult.]
[I can tell the writers are going wild again, sneaking in their own agendas.]
[It's a long-winded speech about stuff I don't get, but Qingque makes it weirdly compelling.]
[That's Qingque's character staying true. No dissonance.]
The surrounding diviners were ignited by Qingque's words.
"I want money, tons and tons of money."
"I want a mansion, a starskiff… no, a star-destroyer!"
"I want to pay off my three-hundred-year mortgage."
Stelle raised her hand. "Gimme credits."
The next moment, Sushang pulled her down. "Keep it down."
Qingque smiled faintly. "Small, everyone, your vision's too small. You think I'm talking about money? No, it's not just that!
Like Louis Fleming's bold words—'I don't care about credits because I am credit itself.'"
She propped her chin with one hand. "I'm talking about life's value and self-actualization! Then comes the money!"
"So, Qingque, how are you starting?"
"Good question! I'm quitting this cushy job to launch my entrepreneurial plan—I'll make Emperor's Bowls a galaxy-wide sensation, then expand to other fields…
If you, like me, have a star of ambition, you're welcome to join!
Got it? If you got it, clap!"
The crowd was swept up in a wave of excitement, applauding wildly for every word Qingque spoke.
At that moment, Qingque's voice suddenly stopped, her smile frozen on her face.
Seeing this, the ghost-hunting squad realized Qingque was indeed possessed by a heliobi.
After Fu Xuan dispersed the crowd, Sushang carried Qingque to a secluded corner.
Huohuo took out a bell.
"I'm going to ring the Harmonious Flame Bell!"