Chapter 534: Underground Dungeon's Vengeful Spirit

At 8:50 AM, Shen Jingye was reviewing meeting materials in his office. Three meetings were scheduled for the day, expected to last all day, with the first commencing at 9:00 AM. Shen Jingye had emphasized the importance of these meetings. However, he had never reviewed the materials beforehand, only briefly scanning them for ten minutes prior to each session.

Shen Jingye often repeated a phrase: "The purpose of a meeting is not to solve problems, but to raise awareness." He believed that the overall quality of the meeting materials reflected the staff's understanding and seriousness regarding the discussions.

Ring, ring.

His desk phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Shen Jingye fell into deep thought. He only deliberated for five seconds, knowing time was extremely tight. He immediately pulled out his cell phone and called his driver, instructing him to prepare the car for a research visit to a subordinate unit.

As for postponing the meetings, he decided to inform the relevant personnel once he was in the car. Shen Jingye hung up the phone and immediately left his office, not even bothering to lock the door, heading straight for the elevator. He pressed the down arrow, and as the elevator doors opened, Li Qi stepped out.

Shen Jingye paused for less than a second, then a smile immediately appeared on his face. "Director Li is back! You must be exhausted from your journey. I'm just rushing out now; let's catch up when I return." Shen Jingye calmly and composedly stepped into the elevator, only to be pulled back by Li Qi.

"Xiao Shen, come to my office for a moment."

Sitting in Li Qi's office, Shen Jingye's expression was grim. Li Qi frowned. "I honestly didn't expect you to have such an attitude after I've traveled all this way!"

Shen Jingye adjusted his expression. "Director Li, I truly have urgent work at hand."

"What work could be more important than what I'm currently dealing with? I've signed the agreement with Neizhou. Don't you want to see it?"

Shen Jingye was very eager to know the outcome of Li Qi's negotiations with Neizhou, yet he couldn't show it. "Director Li, this work was primarily completed in Proroh, so the main responsibility lies with the Border Security Office. The person who truly needs to be briefed on the progress should be Envoy Liao."

Li Banfeng smiled. "So you're saying you don't want to hear it?"

"That's not it. I just think Envoy Liao should have firsthand information."

"You want to push this onto Liao Zihui?"

"I absolutely have no intention of pushing it off, but the division of responsibility must be clear."

"So, you're saying you don't want to handle this anymore?"

"I really haven't—" Shen Jingye's lips turned pale.

Li Banfeng handed the agreement to Shen Jingye. "Go write your report based on this."

Shen Jingye took the agreement, not wanting to read a single word. But he had no choice; Li Qi had simply shoved it at him, and he couldn't very well claim to be illiterate. Fortunately, the outcome was positive. After the Border Security Office withdrew from the Soda Kiln, Neizhou promised not to pursue the Gatekeeper incident further, temporarily resolving the war crisis between the two sides.

Li Qi took a sip of tea, then continued, "I've also settled things with Greenwater Bow. He won't be coming to Waizhou in the short term."

Shen Jingye wasn't entirely satisfied with this outcome. "Director Li, what exactly does 'short term' mean? Shouldn't there be a clear timeframe?"

Li Qi shook his head. "It's genuinely impossible to define it at the moment. Greenpetal is notoriously unpredictable. This work requires continuous follow-up. Getting him to promise never to come is impossible. We also need to have our own corresponding demands and strategies for me to continue negotiations with him."

Shen Jingye pondered for a moment. "If that's the case, we should report it to Director Du together."

Li Banfeng nodded. "No problem. Bring him to me. I don't have too much work these next couple of days, so I can make time to see him."

Shen Jingye looked troubled. "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Li Banfeng replied, "What's inappropriate about it? Is he still ill?"

"He's recovered, but regarding his position—"

Du Wenming's recovery piqued Li Banfeng's interest. "Was it Kang Zhenchang who cured Director Du?"

Shen Jingye did not conceal it. "Currently, he's the only one with that ability."

"What level of medical cultivator is Kang Zhenchang?"

"Seven layers!" Shen Jingye replied very naturally. "Kang Zhenchang possesses the strongest abilities among all diagnosticians, so naturally, he also holds the highest level."

Diagnostician is the Waizhou term for medical cultivator. Under Waizhou's general understanding, the limit of dark abilities is seven layers. Shen Jingye provided a standard official answer. Of course, Li Banfeng knew this answer was utter nonsense. How could a seven-layer medical cultivator cure Greenwater Bow's affliction?

"I'd like to meet Doctor Kang. Can you arrange it for me?"

Shen Jingye shook his head. "That's extremely difficult. Kang Zhenchang is a special talent and is under special protection. When our bureau needs his cooperation for a mission, we have to submit an application in advance."

"Does the bureau have any information on Kang Zhenchang?"

"There is some information, but it's classified as top-secret. The procedure—"

Just as he was speaking, both their cell phones rang simultaneously. They had a mission. An "autonomous conscious dark energy aggregate" had appeared in the Dreamho Underground City, requiring the Dark Star Bureau's immediate intervention.

Li Banfeng looked at his phone and asked, "What is an autonomous conscious dark energy aggregate?"

Shen Jingye explained, "It's a product formed by the aggregation of residual consciousness after the end of life and dark energy. In Proroh's terms, it's called a malevolent spirit."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Does it really need to be emphasized as Proroh's term? Doesn't Waizhou have a word for malevolent spirit?"

"Because the term 'malevolent spirit' itself isn't scientific, we rarely use it in our daily work, Director Li. This mission is something I'd really like to participate in, but given the significant results of your work, I hope you can come with me to Director Du's office to give a report."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Reporting on such an important task is still best left to you. I'll go check out the scene."

Once they were in the minibus, Tangyuan first described the situation: "A dark energy enthusiast organization was holding a gathering in the Dreamho Underground City when they were attacked by an autonomous conscious dark energy aggregate. The attack resulted in three deaths and two injuries, and all survivors have been evacuated from the scene."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "Don't say 'aggregate'; just say 'malevolent spirit.' Does the Dark Star Bureau have a clear definition distinguishing this type of malevolent spirit from ordinary deceased spirits?" He needed to know the combat power of this malevolent spirit.

Hearing Li Qi's question, Tangyuan sat beside him and quietly explained, "The residual consciousness after the end of life is a deceased spirit. A malevolent spirit is a product born from the combination of a deceased spirit and dark energy. There are two types of malevolent spirits: one is an ordinary deceased spirit that has come into contact with a large amount of dark energy, and the other is the spirit of a dark energy user, because dark energy users themselves carry a lot of dark energy."

Li Banfeng thought for a moment, then frowned. "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with resentment."

Tangyuan's voice became even quieter. "That's why we can't use 'malevolent spirit' to refer to an autonomous conscious dark energy aggregate." She sat next to Li Qi partly because he hadn't been back to the bureau in a long time, and she wanted to sit closer to him. On the other hand, she didn't want others to know about Li Qi's lack of common knowledge. In fact, she knew that Li Qi possessed far more common knowledge about dark energy users than they did; it was just from a different knowledge system.

Li Qi didn't find it embarrassing. If he didn't understand, he asked: "Does 'dark energy enthusiast organization' refer to civilian dark energy users?"

"They aren't dark energy users, but through certain channels, they've acquired some dark energy knowledge, possess some dark energy resources, and understand some dark energy-related spells and rituals. These organizations generally fall into two types: one studies the folklore of our country and neighboring regions, while the other studies Western witchcraft and black magic. The organization we encountered today is called the Chamomile Witch Association. The president and three core members are from Lafsha, and the total membership is sixty-three—"

The minibus drove all the way to Dreamho Underground City. From the 1990s to the early 2000s, underground cities were once popular in major cities, with various industries like dining, entertainment, and retail thriving within them.

Tangyuan explained, "Ten years ago, underground cities gradually declined. The Dreamho Underground City, in particular, suffered a severe blow from a fire, devastating the struggling businesses there. Since then, this underground city has been abandoned. Over the next few years, it became a gathering place for dark energy enthusiast organizations. Among these groups, there were rumors calling it a 'spiritual enrichment zone' or a 'source of dark energy.' Although we have repeatedly tried to prevent similar incidents—"

Before she could finish, Li Banfeng suddenly heard a heated argument. A tall, slender, blond man was shouting in a harsh accent, "You have no right to keep me here! I am not from this place! You have no right to restrict my freedom!"

On-site law enforcement personnel introduced the man as Cheryvko, the president of the Chamomile Witch Association. He was pushing and shoving the officers, yelling loudly. Li Banfeng glanced at him and ordered, "Restrain him."

Tangyuan froze, Lightbulb blinked, and Celebrity pretended not to hear. Zhong Er walked over with handcuffs, but was stopped by Director Wang.

"Director Li, foreign affairs are never minor matters; we cannot act rashly on this."

Li Banfeng repeated, "Restrain him."

Zhong Er bypassed Director Wang, walked up to Cheryvko, and grabbed one of his arms. Cheryvko shook off Zhong Er and yelled, "What do you think you're doing? What authority do you have to do this? Do you know who I am? You have no right to touch me—"

Zhong Er kicked Cheryvko down, twisted his arm, and then handcuffed his hands behind his back. "You will pay the price! You must pay the price!" Cheryvko shrieked.

Li Banfeng said, "Put him in the vehicle."

Zhong Er picked up Cheryvko and threw him into the vehicle. During the process of getting into the vehicle, Cheryvko hit his head and quieted down. The other three Lafsha individuals were still shouting. Zhong Er produced another set of handcuffs, and they too quickly quieted down.

Deputy Director Wang was terrified and quickly called Director Shen. "Director, Director Li is too impulsive! He just indiscriminately arrested people! They aren't from around here—" He recounted what happened, and Shen Jingye was silent for a moment before saying, "Alright, I'm aware of the situation."

"Just 'aware of the situation,' and that's it?" Deputy Director Wang asked, "What should I do on my end?"

"You don't need to do anything. Follow Director Li's commands on site." Shen Jingye hung up the phone.

Director Du asked, "What's the situation?"

Director Shen said, "A malevolent spirit appeared in Dreamho Underground City. It's nothing major."

"If it's nothing major, set it aside for now. Let's talk about the report. This agreement from Neizhou is crucial. Is it true that Greenwater Bow's side couldn't get any substantial materials?"

Shen Jingye didn't know how many times he had answered that one question. He was tired; truly exhausted.

Li Banfeng led his team into the underground city. Karaoke rooms, dance halls, billiard halls, arcades, internet cafes—representative entertainment venues from the late last century and early this century came into view one after another. Guided by the on-site personnel, the group entered a karaoke club. The Witch Association's gathering place was in a private room near the entrance.

Zhuang Shuxing, a psychic from the public security team, found a dropped spell written in Lafsha language. As soon as the translator provided the translation, Zhuang Shuxing recognized the spell's origin. "This is a contract used by psychics to summon combat spirits."

Li Banfeng also took a look. As it was a direct translation, many phrases were obscure and incomprehensible, but the general meaning was indeed similar to contracts between demonic cultivators and ghost servants. The last sentence was slightly different: the combat spirit they intended to summon was a handsome man from an "old world."

"What does 'old world' mean?" Li Banfeng asked the translator.

The translator was also unsure of the exact meaning of the phrase and could only make some guesses: "In some countries, Proroh is referred to as the 'old world.'"

They wanted to summon a combat spirit from Proroh? Why was that? Li Banfeng's first reaction was that more deceased spirits from Proroh had wandered into Waizhou.

"What's the standard for a 'handsome man?'" Li Banfeng asked Zhuang Shuxing, the psychic.

Zhuang Shuxing thought for a moment, then shouted towards the door, "Handsome guy!" Lightbulb, Zhong Er, Celebrity, Awl, and Jia simultaneously turned their faces.

Zhuang Shuxing said, "Director, look, there isn't a man in this world who doesn't think he's handsome. So this summoning phrase of theirs has a major flaw. I've seen many cases like this. This was originally our summoning contract, written in Huangguo language. Someone unknown translated it into English, and it ended up outside. Then English was translated into Hispanic, Hispanic into Australi, and Australi into Lafsha. After three, five, seven, eight turns, it circled back to us, becoming foreign witchcraft. Isn't that utter nonsense? Psychics summon combat spirits through skill and control. These clueless novices, combining Western witchcraft with our contract, God knows what they've summoned."

Li Banfeng looked at the three corpses on the scene. All their injuries were to the throat, a single fatal blow. "Have you found the weapon?"

The on-site law enforcement personnel all shook their heads. A forensic doctor said, "Based on the appearance, the three wounds seem to have been caused by three different weapons, or perhaps the assailant's weapon changed shape at different points."

Li Banfeng looked at the shattered television screen. In the late last century, LCD screens were not common; many karaoke clubs used glass screens. He observed the positions and distances of the bodies, then told the forensic doctor, "Search among the broken glass on the floor."

Zhong Er said, "Director, are you suggesting that the malevolent spirit they summoned picked up the broken glass from the floor to use as a weapon?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "It didn't need to pick them up." He had seen such a combat case in Proroh. "The deceased spirit shattered the television screen with one punch, and the flying glass shards slit these three people's throats."

Zhong Er couldn't believe it. "Is something like that really possible?"

"You're a fighter. You'll be able to do it once your level increases."

Zhuang Shuxing was also surprised. "What level would that require? Does Big Head have that capability?"

Big Head does not have that capability. A five-layer martial cultivator cannot achieve this. Chen Changrui said nothing. He knew Li Banfeng was on the right track. However, finding the weapon didn't seem to offer much help for the current situation.

"They've stirred up trouble," Li Qi said with a solemn expression. "They summoned a high-level martial cultivator, and now we don't know where this martial cultivator is."

Chen Changrui had similar concerns. He asked the law enforcement personnel, "Have the other areas of the underground city been searched?"

The law enforcement personnel replied, "Only a rough inspection has been done."

Li Banfeng handed the scene over to the forensic team and led the others deeper into the karaoke club. This karaoke club had been abandoned for years. The corridor's tiles were broken, covered in dust and cobwebs, and insects occasionally scurried across the floor. The karaoke club was quite large, with over twenty private rooms of various sizes deeper down the corridor.

As they approached the end of the corridor, laughter suddenly echoed from a private room on the left. "Director Wang, just one more drink, won't you? Just one."

"My dear, let me have a kiss, and I'll drink a glass!"

"Who is Director Wang?" Li Banfeng turned to look at Director Wang.

Director Wang exclaimed in horror, "That's definitely not me!"

There were people in this private room. Faint singing drifted from inside—badly off-key, with heavy echo, typical of a karaoke club. "Hasn't anyone checked this place?" Director Wang asked Chen Changrui. Chen Changrui was also surprised. Even if law enforcement had overlooked this room, anyone singing inside would surely have been noticed. Moreover, this was a karaoke club abandoned for years; how could the sound equipment still be working?

Zhong Er drew his handgun and was about to investigate, but Li Banfeng pulled him back. "Everyone, be on alert!" Li Banfeng commanded. "Take your positions!" The combat effectiveness of the public security team was hard to assess, but they were well-trained and quickly took their positions in the corridor.

A strong sense of malice washed over them, causing Li Banfeng to break out in a cold sweat. Pushing the door open and entering the private room, the singing and laughter abruptly ceased. The room appeared no different from the others, filled only with thick dust and layers of cobwebs. Li Banfeng touched the glass screen, and the hairs on the back of his hand stood on end. There was static electricity. This screen had just been used. He activated his Golden Clear Sight and scanned the room, but found no anomalies. Anything that could evade Golden Clear Sight was of a high level, at least surpassing Li Banfeng's current level. He quietly exited the private room and immediately ordered, "Leave the underground city and seal off the surrounding area!"

By noon, Shen Jingye arrived at the scene and personally directed the investigation. Ten investigators, fully equipped with reconnaissance gear, entered the underground city. They continued their search until 7:00 PM, at which point they had preliminary results.

The Chamomile Witch Association used a psychic summoning ritual to conjure an autonomous conscious dark energy aggregate. This aggregate was a high-level fighter, whose whereabouts are currently unknown. The voices Li Qi and the others heard in the karaoke club likely originated from a dark energy entity with illusionary properties, the level of which is unknown, and its whereabouts are also unknown.

"Xiao Shen, are you suggesting there's a magical artifact capable of illusions in that private room?"

Shen Jingye nodded. "That's the only reasonable explanation we can come up with at the moment."

"What kind of reasonable explanation is that?" If it truly was a magical artifact, how high-level would it have to be? Even Pan Dehai couldn't escape Li Banfeng's Golden Clear Sight. Could it be in a dark dimensional space? Li Banfeng wanted to find an opportunity to use his alms bowl to investigate further, but Shen Jingye was more concerned about something else.

"Where did that fighter's malevolent spirit go?"

Li Qi asked, "What did the eyewitnesses say?"

Shen Jingye handed the eyewitness testimonies to Li Qi. "They didn't provide much valuable information. This gathering was hosted by their president, who acquired this summoning scroll through a similar organization in Lafsha and performed a psychic ritual using their association's knowledge. According to their description, at the beginning of the ritual, the lights in the private room suddenly brightened, and the temperature sharply dropped. The enthusiasts were very excited at the time. However, later, the private room showed signs of distortion and collapse. The enthusiasts fled the room. During their escape, a man with a physical form appeared among them. Two eyewitnesses were injured after coming into contact with this man. The three deceased suffered wounds from sharp objects. The murder weapon has been identified and is completely consistent with your deduction: broken glass from the floor. If it truly killed three people in a single blow, the situation is terrifying."

It was rare for Shen Jingye to be so focused on a case, and Li Banfeng greatly admired his professionalism. "What do you plan to do next?"

Shen Jingye said, "I've already reported the case to our superiors. They've initiated a highly confidential operation whose specifics neither you nor I are permitted to inquire about."

Li Banfeng was surprised. "That confidential?"

Shen Jingye lowered his voice to a whisper. "As far as I know, our superiors have dispatched an individual whose identity is highly classified. This person has a way to locate that malevolent spirit and eliminate it."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Xiao Shen, can you really not reveal any details?"

"It's not that I won't reveal it; it's that I truly don't know. This person's identity is top secret; it's impossible to even guess!"

"What's so hard to guess?" After hearing Li Banfeng's description, Niangzi scoffed. "My dear husband, where did that contract they used to summon the malevolent spirit go?"

Li Banfeng replied, "I gave it to Shen Jingye, and Shen Jingye said he handed it over to his superiors."

The Phonograph sneered. "I thought it was some brilliant method. Isn't it just a curse cultivator's trick for tracking down criminals? This contract is connected to that malevolent spirit, and the connection is very deep—it's essentially his proof of presence here. The curse cultivator can use this connection to cast a curse on the malevolent spirit."

Li Banfeng nodded. "That's a good method. If the spell succeeds, will it eliminate that deceased spirit?"

The Phonograph puffed out steam. "That's hard to say. It depends on the cultivation levels of both parties."

Li Banfeng considered this. "The deceased spirit has died once, so its strength must be compromised."

The Phonograph said, "The curse cultivator doesn't directly cast the curse; they have to do it through the contract. This adds a layer of complexity, and the spell itself will also be weakened. In this situation, neither side has an inherent advantage. If the curse cultivator's cultivation is higher than the deceased spirit's, there's a chance to curse it to death. But if the curse cultivator's cultivation is lower than the deceased spirit's, and the deceased spirit withstands the curse, the spell will fail, and the curse cultivator will suffer a backlash. However, the path of curse cultivation is indeed adept at assassination. In Proroh, all factions deeply despise curse cultivators, killing them on sight. There are very few practitioners left from this path. I estimate there aren't many curse cultivators in Waizhou either. If they find one or two occasionally, they have to use them cautiously. There's no telling when they might become disloyal and betray them without anyone knowing. It makes sense that this operation would be kept secretive."

Having understood the cause and effect, Li Banfeng also saw the situation clearly. "Let's wait two days. If there's no further development, it means the curse cultivator has cursed the deceased spirit to death. If the curse cultivator fails, Shen Jingye will definitely come to me. Niangzi, I suspect the danger in the karaoke club is related to the Nameless Place. I'm preparing to take my alms bowl and go investigate."

"My dear husband, your humble servant believes this matter cannot be rushed. You already possess a cultivation of Cloud Level Two. An opponent who can make you break out in a cold sweat is definitely not ordinary. Regardless of whether this opponent is in the Nameless Place, your humble servant believes he is certainly connected to that deceased spirit. It's not too late to investigate once the deceased spirit is captured and its true nature is clarified."

Li Banfeng embraced the Phonograph, rubbing his face against its horn. "Where could I find such a good and virtuous helper?"

The Phonograph said sweetly, "My dear husband, don't hold me so tight."

Hong Ying sweetly asked, "Qilang, can you fly now?" The oil lamp she had raised was lowered. Li Banfeng left the Portable Dwelling with his head down.

The Phonograph snatched up a board and said, "You wretch, why do you always mock my husband?"

Hong Ying leaned next to the Phonograph and said, "I just don't like seeing you two being intimate!"

"What's wrong with us being intimate? We are a legitimate couple! Why shouldn't we—" The Phonograph sensed something was off and pushed Hong Ying away with the board. "You, stay away from me for now."

The next morning, as Li Banfeng was gathering his documents, preparing to go to a meeting, Shen Jingye knocked and entered his office. "Director Li, I have something to report to you."

"Xiao Shen, you've improved again, but I'm quite busy right now. Let's schedule another time."

"Director Li, where are you off to?"

"To a meeting! Didn't you send out the notice yesterday?"

Shen Jingye stopped Li Qi. "The meeting has been postponed."

Li Banfeng looked troubled. "Until when? This will disrupt my work rhythm."

"Then the meeting can be canceled. First, listen to something important: our superiors have handed the search for the malevolent spirit back to us. This is a sign of their trust."

"Why didn't they trust us before?"

"Well, let's not talk about what happened before—"

Li Banfeng smiled. "Things went wrong, didn't they? The spell failed, didn't it?"

Shen Jingye pressed his lips together. "I'm not entirely clear on the specific reasons."

"Then you first need to clarify the situation: how it went wrong, what level that curse cultivator was, what method they used, and their current condition. Compile it into a report and give it to me."

Shen Jingye sighed. "I really can't bring this up with my superiors."

"But it's easy to bring up with me?" Li Qi's face darkened. "If you can't get to the bottom of this, don't come back to see me!"

Shen Jingye left with his head down. He investigated from morning until evening, finally obtaining the information. The superior had dispatched a seven-layer curse cultivator who used a spell via the contract. After battling for over two hours, the cultivator suffered a backlash from the spell and died from their injuries.

"Truly seven layers?" Back at his residence, Li Banfeng carefully reviewed the documents. Waizhou's publicly declared cultivation limit is seven layers. This curse cultivator's level might have been above seven layers, and his suffering a backlash proved that the deceased spirit's cultivation was even higher than his.

"Where can I find this deceased spirit?" Li Banfeng couldn't immediately think of a good solution when he suddenly saw the Projector open its film compartment. "Director Qi, you have a call. It's from Tang Changfa."

Li Banfeng called back. Tang Changfa was in a cinema private room, speaking in a low voice. "Boss, someone's delivering something to Yin Siniang."

"Where are they?"

"Just entered the private room."

"Stay put, wait for me to fly over!" Li Banfeng pulled open the window and jumped out. A cloud of dust rose as Li Banfeng stood up from the residential area's green belt and rushed towards the Cultural Palace. This malevolent spirit was a serious matter; he had to find a way to capture it.