Chapter 9 Her Dependency, His Guidance_2

"...Dongsheng, do you know something?"

An Zhizhen slightly tilted her head, gazing at him with a look filled with unease mixed with dependence, as if she couldn't bear to look away even for a moment.

Cen Dongsheng could understand her feelings. Although Sister Zhi Zhen knew nothing, her mind was sharp enough, and her judgment was calm enough that she probably had already sensed the approach of an unprecedented crisis.

Considering the current situation, being both a close acquaintance and unexpectedly showing astounding combat ability, he was indeed her only support.

But even so, clearly aware of how the world's future would unfold, Cen Dongsheng still felt complicated under her gaze, also developing a subtle sense of responsibility.

Am I really the one to cultivate and guide that An Zhizhen? Me? Is this real or not...

Cen Dongsheng took a deep breath, composed himself, and then replied:

"Let's go back to your room first, Sister Zhen Zhen, and I'll explain further."

*

Under the dim and hazy lighting of the room, the two sat face-to-face beside a round coffee table.

He had visited this room during the day; now the atmosphere was different. The apartment of a single woman was tidy and organized, the arrangement of the furniture exuded a sense of home warmth, and there was a vase of flowers on the table, emitting a light fragrance.

An Zhizhen put on a coat and went to the kitchen to make two cups of steaming coffee, placing one in front of him before sitting cross-legged.

On the table lay a thick book, half-read. Cen Dongsheng seemed to imagine her sitting alone on the sofa, propping her chin lazily as she read.

Unfortunately, this was not the time to savor the atmosphere.

Cen Dongsheng had no intention of hiding any information related to ghosts. In fact, during their conversation this afternoon, he had already prepared to explain supernatural matters to An Zhizhen.

However, in the information and files he knew, Cen Dongsheng had never heard of the supernatural incident occurring in the Xiaokang Building...

There were two possibilities: one being that he was simply unaware due to his limited identity and status, and the other being that his actions in coming to the Xiaokang Building had subsequently triggered a series of changes.

Moreover, different possibilities meant different directions for the problems that would follow:

For instance, could An Zhizhen's abilities awaken prematurely? Without him, would she have faced mortal danger?

"Dongsheng." An Zhizhen held the teacup with both hands, her lips slightly pursed as she sighed softly, "I'm embarrassed, I was so flustered that I was all over the place."

"Is that so? I actually thought you were surprisingly calm."

"I tried hard to stay composed, at least half of it was an act. If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have..."

"I'm not referring to that," Cen Dongsheng said, "After all, you saw me kill someone with your own eyes."

"...I trust my judgment."

Sister Zhi Zhen's expression was serious.

"Dongsheng, I believe you are special and possess such strong power, but you would never kill the innocent or use power for evil, right? I trust you, she really was beyond saving."

"Yeah, beyond saving."

Cen Dongsheng nodded. He took a sip of coffee, using the rim of the cup to hide his expression.

Killing the innocent recklessly? He certainly wouldn't, mostly because he didn't want to waste energy on meaningless things.

"Miss Zhou... She and I were neighbors. Although not well acquainted, we chatted occasionally when we met. But I believe, she certainly wouldn't have wanted to live on in such a monstrous form. Since that transformation was irreversible, an early release wasn't necessarily a bad thing..."

"Yeah."

"But, what exactly turned her into that...?"

An Zhizhen furrowed her delicate brow tightly, gripping the teacup so hard that her fingertips turned slightly white.

"Could it be some kind of virus? Like in horror movies, a virus that turns people into mindless, cannibalistic monsters..."

"Ah, it's indeed similar to how it's portrayed in horror movies. But it's not a 'science fiction horror film', it's a supernatural film."

Although in the future—when humanity had become accustomed to coexisting with ghosts in one world—it might still be treated like aliens or monsters from a parallel dimension, their existence was indeed what people recognized as ghosts, spirits, or peculiar entities.

Their time of origin was so ancient it was hard to trace to the source; they had always accompanied humanity in the shadows of long history, leaving hidden traces in various civilizations until the first decade of the 21st century, when they began to invade reality on a large scale.

"A supernatural film? You mean... 'ghosts'?"

Sister Zhi Zhen hesitantly drew this conclusion, her expression clearly indicating disbelief.

"That's right, ghosts. Or you could say, collectively—'ghosts'."

Cen Dongsheng talked confidently.

"What happened to Miss Zhou just now, was a possession by a ghost. The impulses and desires within her would be unleashed, completely losing control, becoming a cannibal ghost. But other than that, real ghosts are a more dangerous existence, residing between illusion and reality, capable of triggering all sorts of supernatural phenomena."

"It all feels..."

Sister Zhi Zhen hesitated.

"Hard to believe?"

"...Yeah."

The woman slightly nodded, her long, pitch-black hair swaying with her movements as she leaned forward, lowering her voice and asked mysteriously,

"And according to this, Dongsheng is a ghost master, like a Taoist or monk?"

"Pretty much," Cen Dongsheng laughed, "To be precise, it's called a 'Forbidden Master', or 'Curse Forbidden Master'. 'Proclaim the Curse Forbidden Master, to use curses to exorcise evil spirits'... Have you heard of this term?"

An Zhizhen shook her head.

"But I feel like you're not quite like what people usually imagine... Uh, shouldn't you be chanting, performing rituals, or using talismans? But just now you..."

She was obviously indicating with her eyes that he had used purely violent means.

If Cen Dongsheng claimed to be a hidden martial arts master or a retired military king, it would have made more sense.

"For different enemies, you naturally have to use different means."

Cen Dongsheng smiled slightly.

To deal with a cannibal ghost possessed by a Class C ghost, physical means were indeed the most convenient; after all, once they merged, they couldn't be separated. In this field, the old era's police and military still had a role to play.

However, for the vast group of ghost species, the past methods still seemed too limited; if one wanted to combat 'ghosts' themselves, only the Forbidden Masters of the new era could.

Even without considering curses, just the True Qi used by the Forbidden Masters, that energy which arose from the 'yang energy' within the human body, naturally counteracted the yin energy corporeal forms of ghosts.

Incidentally, the so-called 'yang energy', was not merely the heat defined in physics but an extremity within the ethereal balance of yin and yang—even the forbidding master who could summon winter and create extreme cold, still used sublimated yang energy.

"Ghosts or Forbidden Masters, they truly possess powers in certain realms that surpass modern scientific understanding..."

Before An Zhizhen could respond, Cen Dongsheng raised his hand to stop her.

"I know, Sister Zhi Zhen still holds some skepticism about what I've said so far. Words alone aren't proof, but right now, we have a weighty piece of evidence before us."

He extended a finger, pointing to the curtain.

"Sister Zhi Zhen, have you noticed? It's really quiet now."

Neither of them spoke again; the room was silent, even the ticking of the wall clock was clearly audible.

For this reason, the silence outside became even more eerie. Beyond this room—in the hallway, the stairs, indeed the entire Xiaokang Building—it was like a tomb, not a sound to be heard.

"Yeah, it is really quiet."

An Zhizhen's tightly furrowed brows never relaxed.

"An incident happened in the hallways, people even died, yet the neighbors had no reaction at all... Initially, I thought they all hid themselves, but it seems it isn't that simple."

"Yes, Sister Zhi Zhen, the reason you can't hear human voices is quite simple."

Cen Dongsheng said.

"Because you and I now... are already in another space."

"...What?"

"The 'ghost house transformation' phenomenon—taking a portion of people from a particular area, isolating them in a different space unrelated to the original world. Here, is no longer reality."

Cen Dongsheng once again pointed to the curtain.

"If you don't believe me, then please open the window and see."

...

An Zhizhen drew back the curtain and looked down.

What met her eyes wasn't the usual scene. She saw not the buildings shaded by the night and the distant city, but "black"—a pure, intense darkness engulfing the sky and earth, like the universe, akin to an abyss, with not a trace of light.

The city was gone. No, to be precise, the "real world" had disappeared.

Her expression shifted from shock and disbelief to enlightenment, as if she comprehended everything in a short span of time.

"Turns out, all of this is... true."