Making Contact

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuanqing tried his best to keep his voice calm. "Officer Li, this is Zhang Yuanqing." "...Ah, it's you," the voice on the other end chuckled. "What's got you calling me in the middle of the night?" Zhang Yuanqing said in a solemn voice, "I have a lead to report. In fact, before Lei Yibing disappeared, he sent me a card." "Why didn't you mention that earlier?" There was not the slightest hint of surprise in Li Dongze's tone. *This...* Zhang Yuanqing hesitated briefly, then gave him a full account of his deductions regarding Brother Bing's disappearance. Silence hung on the line for a good while before the man burst into a chuckle. "You sure love to write yourself into a dramatic script, kid." Guan Ya had been right. Zhang Yuanqing really was a bit of a loner by nature. A normal, cheerful, optimistic college student wouldn't be this suspicious of everything. "Sorry..." Feeling rather awkward, Zhang Yuanqing quickly shifted the topic—or rather, cut straight to the chase. "Tonight, I ran into some rather bizarre, inexplicable things... Um, do you understand what I mean?" "Sounds like you made it out of the Spirit Realm alive." A note of relief colored Li Dongze's voice. *Yes, just barely made it out. I nearly died in there...* Hearing this response, Zhang Yuanqing's heart immediately settled. The man really did know about the Spirit Realm. "College kid," Li Dongze said, "congratulations on becoming a Spirit Realm walker. That's what people like us are called. I'm a Spirit Realm walker too. The only difference is that I'm official, while you're wild." *Spirit Realm walker...* Zhang Yuanqing turned the phrase over in his mind and asked, "What is the Spirit Realm?" He had far too many questions he wanted answered, so he could only start from the very basics. "I can't tell you that right now. If you want information on the Spirit Realm, you'll have to make a choice." Li Dongze said gravely, "The officials take two approaches toward the Spirit Realm: one is recruitment and cultivation; the other is supervision and control. The former means joining us and becoming an official Spirit Realm walker. "The latter is living as a rogue cultivator. You only need to register with us and promise not to use your powers to break laws or disrupt order, and we won't interfere. Of course, you won't receive any help from the authorities either." Zhang Yuanqing did not hesitate for a second. "I'm willing to join the organization and shed my blood for the country and the people." Li Dongze laughed. "As expected of someone from a family of public security officers. Quite high-minded." For a moment, Zhang Yuanqing couldn't tell if the man was mocking him or praising him. "In that case, get some rest early. I'll pick you up at eight tomorrow morning," Li Dongze said. *Huh? Not right now?* Zhang Yuanqing hesitated. "Tomorrow?" "What else? What time do you think it is? Even if you want to shed your blood for the organization, you have to wait until the organization clocks in." *He just doesn't want to talk over the phone, afraid I'll back out after freeloading intel, right? That's why he wants to meet offline tomorrow...* Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to say, "All right." Hanging up the call, he glanced at his phone. The screen showed 11:00 PM. Time flowed at the same rate inside the Spirit Realm as it did outside. Having successfully established contact with the official organization, Zhang Yuanqing felt immensely reassured. At that moment, the exhaustion from fighting for his life in the Spirit Realm came washing over him like a tidal wave. Lying in bed, he set his alarm. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier until he fell into a deep slumber. The next morning, at 7:15, Zhang Yuanqing was startled awake by the alarm, his heart nearly seizing up and ending him right then and there. Shutting off the alarm, he yawned repeatedly as he climbed out of bed. His sleep quality had been terrible. He had had several nightmares, every single one involving ghosts and spirits, waking him with a start multiple times. In the living room, his grandfather was sitting on the sofa watching the news. His sparse hair was silver-white, his frame tall and broad, and his heavily wrinkled face stern and unsmiling. In the kitchen, his grandmother clattered about preparing breakfast. By the long dining table, his little aunt squatted on a chair fiddling with her phone, cheeks puffed out like an adorable hamster. "Up so early?" His aunt scrutinized her haggard nephew, muttering, "Look at you, drained like you've been overindulging. Did you get up to no good last night? I'm going to go inspect your trash can." Normally, Zhang Yuanqing would have shot back, *Looking for snacks?* Right now, however, his mind was consumed by the Spirit Realm and the upcoming meeting with the official organization. He had no energy to trade barbs with her. Listlessly, he took a seat beside her, staring blankly as he waited for breakfast. Soon enough, his grandmother carried out steaming bowls of rice porridge, fried dough sticks, boiled eggs, and a bamboo steamer of meat buns. Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of hot porridge to moisten his throat, looked at his grandfather, and ventured, "Grandpa, I remember when the construction crew disappeared in the Sheling Tunnel back then, the Public Security Bureau organized a search team, and you were on it." His grandfather grunted an acknowledgment, looking puzzled. "That's ancient history. Why are you asking about that?" "I saw the story online again yesterday. Do you know what happened to the worker who was found?" Grandpa furrowed his brows. "I forgot. It's been so long; I can't remember." "Didn't they say he went missing again?" His grandmother chimed in, joining the conversation with great interest. "And vanished under bizarre circumstances, too. Back then, it caused a huge panic in the police force, and a senior chief from the central bureau had to come down personally to settle everyone before it blew over." "Did that happen?" Grandpa refused to admit it. "Old Chen, are you getting so old that you've got dementia? You told me that yourself!" Grandma insisted indignantly. Grandpa lowered his head to sip his porridge. "Believe in science, and stop obsessing over superstitious nonsense. The older you get, the more of a gossip you become." *He was found, and then he disappeared again...* Zhang Yuanqing took another sip of porridge, his mood turning somber. Clearly, the survivor had re-entered the Spirit Realm after thirty-six hours, and that second time, he hadn't made it out alive. His prediction had been right. The mortality rate of the Mountain God Temple was terrifyingly high, and the second main quest was exceedingly perilous. If he wanted to survive, relying on the authorities was the most sensible choice. After finishing breakfast and quickly freshening up, Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator down and waited at the entrance of the residential compound for about ten minutes. A black business van purred to a stop beside the curb. The electric sliding door glided open, revealing Li Dongze seated on a white leather sofa chair, resting his hands on a walking stick with his legs pressed together. He was dressed identically to yesterday: a black suit, a black waistcoat, a crisp white shirt, his pomaded hair combed neatly back, and sporting two delicate mustaches. "Hop in, college kid." Li Dongze offered a faint smile. "Right, Investigator." Zhang Yuanqing returned the smile. Once he climbed aboard, the black van merged into the traffic, cruising down the morning streets at a steady pace. Opening the mini-fridge in the vehicle, Li Dongze asked, "What do you want to drink?" "Cola!" "Then you'll have to go buy it at a supermarket later." Li Dongze poured himself a glass of whisky, dropped an ice sphere into it with tongs, cradled the glass, and leaned back against the seat, speaking languidly: "I'm taking you to handle your onboarding procedures now, and I'll give you some basic training along the way. First, an introduction: Li Dongze, Level 3 Spirit Realm walker, Five Elements Alliance Songhai Branch, Kangyang District Second Squad Decurion. My class is Scout." *Scout? Besides Night Wanderers, there are other classes?* Zhang Yuanqing adopted an attentive, listening posture. Despite the questions bubbling in his chest, he did not interrupt. As someone socially adept, Zhang Yuanqing knew that casually interrupting others was bad manners, and he wouldn't let himself lose points over such small details. Li Dongze took a sip of his whisky and said, "First, let's talk about what the Spirit Realm actually is!" Zhang Yuanqing immediately perked up his ears.