The system says there are no ghosts.

Chapter 11 Inquiry

Chen Yi was already awake before the alarm clock rang.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time.

Ah Qi floated by the window, his gray misty figure appearing somewhat faint in the morning light.

"Can't sleep?" Ah Qi asked.

"Um."

Chen Yi sat up.

Nine o'clock. Inspectorate. Routine inquiry.

He didn't know what this meant, but he had a bad feeling.

The oversight office is located on the third floor of the cleanup center.

Chen Yi stood at the door and took a deep breath.

The door was ajar, and voices could be heard coming from inside.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Chen Yi pushed open the door and went inside.

The office wasn't large, but it was very tidy. There was a desk, two chairs, and a promotional poster for the Heavenly Dao System hanging on the wall. The window was open, and sunlight streamed in, making the room very bright.

Qin Wujiu sat behind the table.

He was wearing a neat gray inspector's uniform, white gloves, and the Heavenly Dao badge on his chest gleamed in the sunlight. Seeing Chen Yi enter, he smiled slightly and gestured for him to sit down in the chair opposite him.

"Chen Yi, right?" Qin Wujiu spoke, his voice gentle. "Sit down."

Chen Yi sat down in the chair.

Ah Qi hid in the shadows beside him, without saying a word.

Qin Wujiu opened a document in front of him, looked at it, and then looked up.

"Chen Yi, cleaner, employee number F-2847, three years old, monthly salary five spirit stones," he said, his tone as if reading a routine report. "His work record is good, with no major mistakes."

Chen Yi remained silent.

"The data has been fluctuating recently," Qin Wujiu continued. "The system has detected some minor anomalies."

He looked at Chen Yi, his gaze calm.

"So I wanted to talk to you. No rush, take your time."

Chen Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

The gaze was gentle, yet he felt an inexplicable pressure. It was like a predator sizing up its prey, unhurried and impassive.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't be nervous." Qin Wujiu smiled. "It's just some very slight fluctuation. It could be due to instrument error, or it could be because you haven't been feeling well lately. The system sometimes gives false alarms, so don't worry about it too much."

He closed the file and leaned back in his chair.

"I just wanted to talk to you and get some information about the situation."

Chen looked at him.

He didn't know what to say. This wasn't what he had imagined. He had thought it would be an interrogation, but Qin Wujiu's tone was like that of a conversation.

Gentle, calm, unhurried.

"Understand what?" he asked.

"I understand you," Qin Wujiu said. "How's work lately? Have you encountered any difficulties? How's your health? Is there anything bothering you?"

Chen Yi remained silent for a few seconds.

"Everything is fine."

"That's good." Qin Wujiu nodded. "Young people should take care of their health. The path of cultivation is not easy, especially for you low-level cleaners. The tasks are heavy and the rewards are low."

He took a bottle of pills from the drawer and placed it on the table.

"This is a Spirit Elixir, used to refresh the mind. You don't look too well, take this and take it to replenish your energy."

Chen Yi looked at the bottle of pills but didn't touch it.

"Need not."

"Take it." Qin Wujiu's tone left no room for negotiation, but it was still very gentle. "This is my token of appreciation. It's not easy being a sanitation worker at the grassroots level, and as an inspector, I want to help in any way I can."

He pushed the pill towards Chen Yi.

"You're a smart man, Chen Yi," Qin Wujiu suddenly said. "I know you may have encountered some... different things recently."

Chen Yi's heart skipped a beat.

"What is it?"

Qin Wujiu did not answer directly.

He simply looked at Chen Yi, his gaze calm and serene.

"You know, the system's responsibility is to maintain the stability of the cultivation world," he said. "Anything that might disrupt that stability is something we need to pay attention to."

He paused.

"But I'm not an unreasonable person. If you encounter any trouble, you can come and talk to me. No rush, take your time."

His tone remained gentle, but Chen Yi sensed something else in it.

That was a warning.

It's not a threat, it's a warning.

A gentle, understated warning.

Chen Yi knew that Qin Wujiu knew everything.

Not everything, but enough.

"I don't quite understand what you mean," he said.

Qin Wujiu smiled.

"It's alright." He stood up. "That's enough for today. You can go now."

He walked over to Chen Yi and patted him on the shoulder.

"Remember what I said, Chen Yi." His voice was low, only Chen Yi could hear it, "Come to me if you have any problems. No rush, take your time."

The hand was very light, but Chen Yi felt a chill.

As Chen Yi walked out of the supervisory office, A Qi's voice came from the side.

"He knows." Ah Qi's voice trembled slightly. "He knows."

Chen Yi remained silent.

He simply walked forward, his pace much faster than usual.

"I felt it when he touched you just now," Ah Qi said. "He has a suppressive force that's specifically targeting...targeting things like me."

Chen Yi stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.

"He's a Foundation Establishment cultivator," Ah Qi continued. "And he has something from a system. That glove isn't ordinary equipment; it's for monitoring."

The elevator doors closed.

Chen Yi leaned against the elevator wall and closed his eyes.

he knows.

Qin Wujiu knows everything.

Those gentle words were not out of concern for him, but a warning.

If you have any questions, come to me.

No rush, take your time.

This is telling him: I'm watching you.

Chen Yi gripped the bottle of Spirit Pills in his pocket tightly.

He didn't know what Qin Wujiu would do, but he knew one thing.

This person is dangerous.

It is more dangerous than the "danger" described in words.

Because he is alive.

It's alive, it can think, and it's already got its eye on me.

It was almost noon when I returned to the mission lobby.

Chen Yi found a corner to sit down and started to space out.

Ah Qi floated beside him, equally silent.

He was thinking about what Qin Wujiu had said.

"As you know, the system's responsibility is to maintain the stability of the cultivation world. Anything that might disrupt that stability is something we need to pay attention to."

Anything that could disrupt stability.

Including him.

Including Ah Qi.

Chen Yi didn't know.

But he knew that Qin Wujiu was waiting.

and so on.

"Ah Qi," he suddenly said.

"Um."

"Don't follow me into the surveillance area anymore."

Ah Qi was stunned for a moment.

Why?

"Qin Wujiu can sense you," Chen Yi said. "I felt it when he touched me just now. His gloves were scanning me."

Ah Qi fell silent.

"He knows," Ah Qi said. "He definitely knows."

"He knows part of it," Chen Yi said, "but he's not sure."

How did you know?

"If he's sure," Chen Yi said, "he won't let me walk out that door."

Ah Qi didn't say anything.

Chen Yi looked at the sunlight outside the window and remembered the words Qin Wujiu said when he left.

"Remember what I said, Chen Yi. Come to me if you have any problems. No rush, take your time."

No rush, take your time.

Boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

Chen Yi felt a chill run down his spine.

This person is far more terrifying than he imagined.

The afternoon passed very slowly.

Chen Yi accepted a simple cleanup task and spent three hours in an abandoned spiritual field in the east of the city. The task wasn't difficult; it was simply to clear away some residual spiritual energy fluctuations.

He was very skilled at it.

But during breaks from work, he couldn't help but think about Qin Wujiu's face.

That gentle, smiling face.

That calm gaze, devoid of any emotion.

And that hand.

A hand gently patting his shoulder.

Chen Yi shivered.

In the evening, he returned to the cleaning center.

Old Smoke isn't in the mission lobby. Nobody knows where he went.

Chen Yi didn't go to him. He simply found a corner to sit down and waited for eight o'clock to arrive.

Ah Qi hid in the shadows beside him, without saying a word.

Time passed by, second by second.

Six o'clock. Seven o'clock. Seven-thirty.

Just then, the spiritual terminal vibrated again.

A message popped up:

"[Cleanup Center Notice] Chen Yi, please go to the Supervisory Office at 9:00 AM tomorrow (Month X, Day X) for routine questioning. Please bring your personal identification token and relevant work records. If you have any questions, please contact the Supervisory Office."

Chen Yi stared at the screen.

It was just another routine inquiry.

Tomorrow will be another routine inquiry.

His heart sank.

Qin Wujiu.

That person has already started making a move.

"Ah Qi," he whispered.

"Um."

"Don't go to the abandoned maintenance area tonight."

Why?

Chen Yi gripped the bottle of Spirit Pills in his pocket tightly.

"Qin Wujiu knows we're going tonight," he said. "He's waiting."

Ah Qi remained silent for a while.

"What should we do then?"

Chen Yi did not answer.

He just sat there, watching the sunset outside the window.

He knew Qin Wujiu was waiting.

Wait until he reveals a weakness.

Wait until he makes a mistake.

Wait until he reveals even the slightest flaw.

Then, swallow it whole.

No rush, take your time.

The sky outside the window darkened.

Chen Yi knew that the real trouble was just beginning.