Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Spacetime Closed Loop

Back in his room, Gao Tian opened the Jialan Society’s group chat and scrolled through the messages from the ghosts.

Xu Yuan was highly efficient. He had already followed the clues to unearth Zhao Qiang’s entire family business. His parents had been involved in organized crime for years. Wracked with paranoia, they lived in a suburban manor guarded by dozens of security personnel, both inside and out. Every inch of the property was blanketed with security cameras.

However, to a ghost, these measures were utterly useless. The basement they used to defend against intruders had, at some point, become a dungeon for torturing the Zhao family. Xu Yuan posted a picture in the group chat. The image was a gory mess of flesh and blood, too gruesome to look at.

Several mangled human figures were hanging from iron shackles on the ceiling like slabs of cured meat, brutally tortured. It was hard to even make out their human forms anymore.

Falling into the Jialan Society’s hands was a fate worse than death.

But the "strange" thing was that the members of the Zhao family were unbelievably tight-lipped. They stubbornly refused to reveal the urn’s whereabouts; their resilience was almost absurd.

Ghost Infant and the others had been searching all over Shanghai, but they still hadn’t found any sign of "Zhao Qiang." He had vanished into thin air, his whereabouts a mystery even to ghosts.

Gao Tian knew they would never find Zhao Qiang. ’Of course they can’t,’ he thought. The real Zhao Qiang was already dead. The person wearing his face that day had been Gao Tian himself.

Starting their search from a false premise, Xu Yuan could look for a lifetime and never find the urn.

In other news, a resident with the ID "Infinite Floors" had posted another Black Packet. He claimed it was a reconnaissance-type item used to investigate the effects of other Supernatural Artifacts. The price was 1.5 years of life, and he’d put it up for grabs.

Gao Tian remembered Infinite Floors. He was an arrogant and rebellious ghost who had repeatedly questioned Xu Yuan’s competence as president of the Jialan Society, even threatening to take his place.

The Black Packet had been available for about three hours, but no other ghost had claimed it.

’Should I take this Black Packet?’

’If I take it, I’ll have spent a total of 2.5 years of my lifespan.’

’But in reality, once you’re involved in the Supernatural World, a few years of life become meaningless. I could die during the next mission, or with my very next breath. It’s stupid to worry about whether I live to be 80 or 82.5.’

Besides, there was a more important reason. The tattered photograph of the little girl found inside the Face-smasher Ghost’s body could also be investigated using this item’s ability.

’Maybe I can get more information about her life from it.’

Gao Tian didn’t hesitate any longer. He clicked on the Black Packet.

[Are you sure you want to pay 1.5 years of life?]

[Confirm]

...

[Item Acquired: Human Skin Gloves]

Effect: When wearing the Human Skin Gloves, touching any item related to the supernatural will cause its hidden effects and history to surface in the user’s mind to the greatest extent possible.

Please note: The current information database is incomplete and cannot guarantee the full display of all Supernatural Artifacts’ effects.

Future functions may be developed, such as displaying a vengeful ghost’s killing pattern by touching the ghost itself. (Not yet implemented)

...

About two minutes after claiming the Black Packet, Gao Tian’s phone rang with an unknown number. A low, hoarse voice spoke from the other end:

"Hello."

"Your delivery is here. I can’t get into the apartment building, so I left it at the entrance. Come down and get it yourself."

...

After getting the package, the first thing Gao Tian did was touch the Ghost Transformation Spear and the Future Urn to test the gloves’ effects.

The Future Urn registered as an ordinary urn that was simply quite old. No special abilities were detected.

’It seems even the Human Skin Gloves don’t know the origin of this urn.’

There was only one piece of information for the Ghost Transformation Spear.

Anyone killed by it will, without fail, become a ghost.

’Xu Yuan was right. This Supernatural Artifact really only has this one bizarre function.’

...

At 4:00 AM, the streets of Shanghai were shrouded in a boundless gray fog. There were almost no pedestrians. Occasionally, the yellow glow of a car’s headlights would slice through the gloom as it hurried past without stopping.

An ominous atmosphere permeated everything. With the recent increase in supernatural incidents, ordinary people were beginning to feel a biting winter chill, even though websites and news outlets had deleted many of the discussions. Most chose to stay home whenever possible.

Gao Tian, Su Jiu, Ling Feifei, and Zhou Yan had already set out, waiting at the bus stop nearest to the Living Persons’ Apartment.

Gray ticket stubs had already materialized in their rooms. According to Jiang Yang’s explanation, they had to hold these tickets and wait at any bus stop at 4:44 AM. Bus 444, which traveled to the supernatural realm, would then arrive for them to board.

"The Bone Flute. Give it to me."

Gao Tian suddenly held out his hand to Ling Feifei, gesturing for the bizarre ornament hanging around her neck.

Ling Feifei and Zhou Yan stared at Gao Tian, completely bewildered.

"Who do you think you are? Why should we give the Bone Flute to you?"

Gao Tian said coolly,

"You made a promise to Xia Ta back in the apartment. What, are you trying to back out of it now?"

"Zhou Yan, you swore an oath. You said a man keeps his word, and if you didn’t hand over the Bone Flute before we got on the bus, you’re not a real man."

"I’m just holding onto the Bone Flute for safekeeping. I’ll return it to you immediately after the mission is over."

"In exchange, once this mission is complete, Xia Ta will give you a new Supernatural Artifact as compensation."

As he spoke, he activated the Memory Ghost’s ability.

’There’s something very wrong with this Bone Flute. I can’t let them take it on the bus. Under its influence, Ling Feifei is liable to do something unpredictable.’

’I just need to find an excuse to survive this mission. We can worry about the compensation after we get back to the apartment.’

The expressions on Zhou Yan’s and Ling Feifei’s faces shifted fascinatingly. They "seemed" to be slowly recalling that they had, in fact, made such a deal with Xia Ta.

But asking Ling Feifei to hand over such an important item was clearly a huge struggle for her.

"Babe, just give it to him," Zhou Yan advised after a long stalemate. "We’ll get something better."

Hearing her boyfriend, Ling Feifei, with extreme reluctance, took the white Bone Flute from around her neck and placed it in Gao Tian’s hand.

"Let me be clear. I’m only giving you this Bone Flute for temporary safekeeping."

"After this mission, you have to give us a new Supernatural Artifact as compensation. That’s what you promised."

"Or you’re not a real man, either."

Gao Tian nodded.

"Xia Ta always keeps her word. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be a man."

The instant he touched the Bone Flute, endless wails and pleas for mercy flooded Gao Tian’s ears, like the cries of countless souls suffering in Hell.

’What is this thing?’

Goosebumps erupted all over Gao Tian’s skin. Just a few seconds of contact made him physically uncomfortable. He couldn’t imagine how Ling Feifei managed to wear it against her skin 24/7.

Simultaneously, the Human Skin Gloves automatically revealed the Bone Flute’s properties.

[Bone Flute]

The wearer can use the Bone Flute to personally experience the full range of emotions from nearby ghosts: from despair, nihilism, pain, depravity, and agony, all the way to ecstasy.

If worn long enough, the flute can form a subtle psychic connection with its owner.

...

The moment the couple turned their heads, Gao Tian casually tossed the ominous object into a nearby bush.

’One hidden time bomb, defused before the mission even starts.’

CREAK... CREAK...

In the distant darkness, two orbs of light ignited like the eyes of a colossal beast. They grew as they approached, swelling until they seemed ready to swallow the world, their glare so bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open.

A rust-spotted bus ground to a halt. As the doors hissed open, a thick, sour stench wafted out. Stepping aboard felt like entering a decrepit coffin.

Judging by its appearance, the bus had been in service for decades. On any normal route, a model this old would have been retired and upgraded long ago. ’It’s a genuine antique,’ Gao Tian thought. ’I wonder where they dug it up.’

While the others hesitated, Gao Tian was the first to step aboard.

Every seat inside was stained with blood. A closer look revealed tiny white dots squirming on the surface. Under normal circumstances, no sane person would ever sit on them.

The bus was empty, save for the four of them and one other passenger. In a seat near the middle sat a tall male corpse. Its body was in an advanced state of decay, so rotten it was little more than a humanoid shape. Countless insects had made homes in its various orifices, crawling in and out.

The corpse’s back had fused with the seat, suggesting it had been dead on this bus for a very long time. The only oddity was its posture; even in death, it remained sitting perfectly upright, hands locked in a death grip around a rusty, notched longsword.

’Exactly as the urn predicted.’

Ling Feifei and the others hesitantly followed them onto the bus. The moment she saw the corpse, Ling Feifei screamed and threw herself into Zhou Yan’s arms. Behind her, Su Jiu clamped a hand over her own mouth, struggling to suppress a shout.

Gao Tian noticed a screen at the front of the bus displaying the current passenger count in red letters.

When he boarded, the count had jumped from 1 to 2. After Zhou Yan and the others got on, the number jumped to 5.

’This means the bus recognizes the dead man as a passenger.’

Once everyone was on board, the front and rear doors shut simultaneously with a pained GROAN. The bus lurched once, then prepared to depart into the endless sea of gray ahead.

’Time to pick a seat.’

’The four of us should spread out as much as possible, to avoid triggering some killing rule and getting us all wiped out.’

The couple, Zhou Yan and Ling Feifei, completely ignored this advice. They chose seats in the very back row, as far from the corpse as possible.

When it was Gao Tian’s turn, he scanned the bus.

’Normal logic would dictate that the corpse is probably a dormant ghost. I should sit as far away as possible to avoid triggering some unknown death rule. That line of thinking makes perfect sense.’

’But the "Gao Tian" in the urn’s vision had done the opposite. He sat right behind the corpse, performed a few strange actions, and then simply took the rusty blade from its hands.’

’That rusty blade must be an important Supernatural Artifact!’

’That’s the only reason the "Gao Tian" in the urn would risk being killed by a vengeful ghost to snatch that blade.’

Gao Tian made his decision. He chose the seat directly behind the corpse.

Su Jiu hesitated for a long time. She had wanted to sit near Gao Tian, but she hadn’t expected him to choose such a bizarre spot. Unwilling to get any closer to the hideous, tall corpse, she eventually settled on a seat in a front row, diagonally across from him.

The bus slowly began to move, driving into the unknown future ahead.

Having chosen his seat, there was still one thing Gao Tian couldn’t figure out.

’The reason I’m sitting behind the corpse in this timeline is that I saw the "Gao Tian" from the previous timeline do it in the urn’s vision.’

’But how did the "Gao Tian" in the previous timeline know he could take the blade from the corpse’s hands?’

’Did the one from the timeline before *that* teach him?’

’This is a temporal paradox. It can’t just be a relay race, with each timeline’s Gao Tian teaching the next.’

’The loop would be endless.’

’How did the very first Gao Tian, the one who started it all, discover that he could take the longsword?’

He couldn’t figure it out for the time being. But one thing was clear: the blade in the rotting corpse’s hands was almost certainly an exceptional item. In any timeline, it was something Gao Tian had to obtain, even at the risk of his own life.