Cangnan City, a certain high-rise building.
Creak—
The door opened slowly, and Zhao Kongcheng walked in listlessly, sighing from time to time.
"Old Zhao, what's wrong with you?"
The five men inside looked up at him in surprise.
"Did you get hurt last night?"
"Judging by your face, it looks more like heartbreak..."
"Damn, Old Zhao, don't tell me your wife wants a divorce?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
The group exchanged guesses, one after another. After a moment of silence, Zhao Kongcheng finally let out a long, forlorn sigh.
"Am I really… that unattractive?"
"..."
The five men simultaneously rolled their eyes and pretended not to hear, resuming their respective tasks—sharpening knives, cleaning guns, playing on their phones, or napping…
"I'm serious! I'm asking you guys earnestly!" Zhao Kongcheng protested.
Still ignored, he turned toward Hong Ying, who was polishing her gun. She sighed and asked, "Kongcheng-ge, something shook you up?"
"You could say that," Zhao Kongcheng replied, pausing briefly. "Last night, I ran into the owner of the Golden Forbidden Ruins."
At those words, everyone abruptly looked up, freezing in place, their eyes now lit with curiosity.
"You mean the one suspected to be the Seraph's chosen?"
"Yeah."
"Is he powerful? Who is he?"
"You're overthinking it," Zhao Kongcheng shook his head. "He's just a regular high school student. That 'Klein'-level energy fluctuation was likely residual power left by the Seraph. Right now, he's barely stepped into the 'Lamp' realm."
A trace of disappointment crossed their faces.
"So there isn't a 'Klein'-class powerhouse in Cangnan City after all…"
"Still, if that extremely dangerous god had truly chosen an agent, and he had already reached the 'Klein' level, the higher-ups would definitely know by now."
The man on the sofa narrowed his eyes slightly. "Regardless, the Seraph selecting an agent and bestowing divine ruins is a significant event. We must report this to headquarters immediately."
"By the way, Old Zhao, since you met him, where is he now? You didn't bring back someone that important?"
"He ran…" Zhao Kongcheng said quietly. "He told me he was going to grab his backpack. While I was distracted, he slipped away."
"..." The group fell into speechless disbelief.
Just as they were about to mock him, the door swung open again.
A man cloaked in a dark red mantle stepped inside, streaks of dried blood still visible on his face, his gait heavy as though weighed down by lead.
Seeing him, everyone—including Zhao Kongcheng—immediately stood up.
"Captain!"
"Captain, are you alright?"
He waved them off and removed his blood-stained cloak, sinking wearily onto the small bench by the door. His brows were furrowed with exhaustion.
"I'm fine. But… Ghostmask King escaped."
The room's atmosphere turned somber.
The captain continued, "I pursued Ghostmask King all the way to the northern outskirts last night. We fought. He was gravely injured, but managed to escape by burning through his very essence."
"So that means… Ghostmask King might already be out of Cangnan City?"
"Not necessarily," the man on the sofa suddenly interjected.
All eyes turned to him. The captain raised an eyebrow. "Speak, Xiangnan."
Wu Xiangnan stood slowly, pulling a map of Cangnan City's surroundings from beneath the sofa and unfolding it across the floor.
"Cangnan is fairly isolated. The nearest city from the northern outskirts is still several dozen kilometers away." He circled the area on the map.
"And?" Hong Ying asked, puzzled.
The captain's eyes lit up with sudden clarity. "Ghostmask King was severely wounded. Without restoring his strength, he wouldn't be able to travel such a distance."
Wu Xiangnan followed up, "To recover, Ghostmask King must feed… on humans. Which means…"
"He'll return to Cangnan?"
"Exactly."
Zhao Kongcheng frowned. "But Cangnan is a sprawling city. We have no idea where he might reappear."
"The sewers," Wu Xiangnan pushed up his glasses and drew a red curve on the map. "Ghostmask creatures are fond of lurking in the sewers. Ghostmask King previously used the sewers to flee. There's only one passage connecting to the northern outskirts. The place he reemerges from is likely somewhere along this route."
"Deploy a team to search every inch of that sewer line. This time, we cannot let him escape!" The captain's voice was sharp and resolute.
"Understood!"
"There's one more thing," Wu Xiangnan turned to Zhao Kongcheng. "We must bring back the Seraph's agent. His potential is extraordinary. We cannot allow him to fall into the hands of the Cult of the Old Gods. In some ways, securing him is even more critical than eliminating Ghostmask King!"
Zhao Kongcheng stood tall, chest puffed out. "Leave it to me. I'll personally catch that kid!"
"But didn't he already run off?" Hong Ying muttered under her breath.
"He was wearing the Second High School uniform. I'll wait by the school gate today—there's no way he slips past me again!"
A confident grin tugged at Zhao Kongcheng's lips.
…
"Bro, why aren't you going to school today?"
Yang Jin looked curiously at Lin Qiye, who wasn't in uniform and carried no backpack.
"There's something I need to take care of," Lin Qiye replied while slipping on his shoes and opening the door. "Is Auntie still asleep?"
"She got home about an hour ago."
"Got it. Head to school soon, don't follow my example."
"Okay."
Lin Qiye shut the door behind him and quietly removed the black ribbon covering his eyes, slipping it into his pocket.
His vision had returned, but he hadn't told Auntie or Yang Jin yet. Partly because his aunt had worked a night shift, and they hadn't crossed paths. But more importantly, he had only just regained his sight and couldn't yet control the power within his eyes. The golden light occasionally surged from their depths—faint but not invisible. If Auntie saw it, she'd definitely drag him to another check-up, wasting money.
He planned to wait until he could fully suppress the light before revealing the truth.
Since he was already outside, there was no point in wearing the ribbon anymore—it only drew unwanted attention.
From his pocket, he took out the sunglasses Yang Jin had bought for him and put them on, striding toward the bus stop.
After more than an hour of bumpy travel, Lin Qiye finally reached his destination—
Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital.
The last time he had been here was ten years ago.
In those ten years, both Lin Qiye and the hospital had undergone dramatic changes.
The old walls had been completely refurbished, the main gate now twice as wide. Two sleek high-rises had replaced the original three-story building. Even the hospital's name—Sunshine Psychiatric Hospital—was now etched in gleaming gold lettering.
Standing before the gate, Lin Qiye could no longer reconcile this modern facility with the small, timeworn building in his memory.
The only thing that hadn't changed was the elderly gatekeeper.
Though now more stooped and with whiter hair.
The old man squinted as he noticed Lin Qiye, raising his hand and pointing in his direction…
Just as Lin Qiye was about to greet him, thinking the old man remembered him—
The gatekeeper barked,
"Hey! You blockhead over there! You're holding up traffic!"