Ch 90: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

ARC 6: The Beautiful Youth in the Haunted House

Year 3031 of the Star River Calendar.

The fields mankind has never stopped exploring, apart from outer space, include the realm of the dead.

Five hundred years ago, the renowned theologian Professor Fu Weiya published a series of research findings confirming the existence of the “soul.” A century later, humanity finally developed devices capable of communicating with “souls.”

Through these instruments, researchers could “see” the remnants of consciousness lingering from the dead and attempt communication.

The release of this research caused a massive uproar.

Unfortunately, most “souls” detected retained the horrifying appearance of their final moments, often gruesome and frightening. Moreover, they lacked complete consciousness, making meaningful communication very difficult.

For centuries thereafter, this field of study remained stagnant.

Even so, the technology was enough to help humans better understand cultures thousands of years old. Within ancient tombs, one might—if lucky—discover traces of lingering souls. Their attire, or even a single spoken phrase, carried immense research value.

There were also other applications—for example, in criminal investigations. If a victim’s soul could be found, it could greatly advance a case.

Yet not every dead person left behind a “soul.” What is known so far: those who died with strong unfulfilled obsessions were far more likely to linger.

These souls, drifting through the world, were drawn by certain magnetic fields and would gather at places they found “comfortable.”

Such places might be desolate wild mountains, shadowy public graveyards, or dilapidated old mansions.

Although the living could not see them, the concentration of non-human entities would distort the local magnetic field, creating strange phenomena.

Normal humans living in such places long-term often fell ill.

Because most of these souls looked terrifying, prone to inciting panic, and because of the many unknowns and dangers tied to the realm of the dead, the government banned such devices from entering public markets.

Furthermore, over the centuries, most ordinary people discovered that their deceased loved ones—if they had died peacefully of old age—left behind no souls at all. Slowly, public enthusiasm waned.

But there were always those deeply fascinated.

For instance, niche horror enthusiasts.

They weren’t interested in researching souls; they simply wanted to “see” ghastly ghosts and enjoy the thrill.

On a very obscure website—one requiring special codes to enter—numerous livestreams of this sort existed.

Xiang Feicheng was one such streamer.

A rich second-generation—few could even acquire the equipment.

On the Spirit Net, wealthy viewers tipped heavily. Many streamers scraped together money and connections to obtain devices like these, mostly to profit.

But Xiang Feicheng was genuinely fascinated by these non-human entities. Translated on Hololo novels. He didn’t just film their appearances; he also enjoyed attempting communication, digging into their stories.

On the Spirit Net, he was a top streamer with millions of followers.

On such a niche platform, not meant for the public, millions of followers meant he had essentially gathered all enthusiasts across multiple star systems.

—Of course, besides his unique style, a big reason for his popularity was that he was handsome.

Standing 1.9 meters tall, with striking features—sharp brows, starry eyes—and the tasteful flair of a wealthy heir, he was adored by every fan who cared about looks.

---

9 p.m.

After finishing a call with his girlfriend, Xiang Feicheng drove with his assistant into a remote region.

He opened his stream, activating shared-sense mode, allowing viewers to directly experience his five senses.

【Good evening, hubby! Are you in the car? Where are we going tonight?】
【Brother Xiang said days ago he was planning something big this time, I can’t wait!】
【Eh, this place looks super remote. Is it a protected zone?】
【Either a protected zone, or an abandoned one.】
【Shocking! It’s 3031, and our galaxy still has places this isolated!】

Glancing at the scrolling comments, Xiang Feicheng chuckled: “This counts as a semi-protected zone. If it were really a protected area, no matter how many strings I pulled, I wouldn’t be able to get in.”

【You scared me! I’m always worried Brother Xiang will end up too arrogant on stream and get banished to a mining planet.】
【Seriously, whose twisted idea was that punishment? A mining planet with nothing but ore and robots, no access to the net—worse than death!】
【Stop rambling, where are we going tonight?】
【Yeah, my Spirit Net membership is about to expire. This damn subscription costs a fortune—I can’t afford a single wasted minute.】

Xiang Feicheng laughed: “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

The car stopped steadily, and Xiang Feicheng stepped out.

In night vision mode, viewers saw an ancient architectural complex—now long dilapidated.

He walked straight ahead, tapping a peculiar ring on his left index finger. Raising his hand, the ring’s glow scanned his iris.

In an instant, his vision changed.

【Holy shit!】
【So many red glows! Huge haul tonight!】
【That—my god! That’s a house, right? How many souls are inside?!】
【Thrilling! I’m shaking with excitement already!】

Xiang Feicheng was startled as well and said, “When I first found this place a while ago, it wasn’t this extreme.”

But he wasn’t afraid—on the contrary, he grew excited. He explained to his fans: “This is a treasure I discovered half a month ago. Because it’s an ancient architectural complex, it was fenced off, but since it doesn’t have any particularly high research value, it’s been left here untouched. Hardly anyone ever comes.”

He added with a bit of pride: “Otherwise, there’s no way I would’ve gotten the chance to pick up this leak.”

If the reaction here had been this strong when first noticed, the authorities would have already sent in a research team.

By then, he had reached his destination.

It was an old residence. The door was made of carved red-lacquered wood, the paint heavily faded. The door rings had fallen off—just a gentle push would open it.

“I looked this up specifically. The last time this place was renovated was fifteen hundred years ago. A genuine ancient building. And back then, it was a residence for princes and nobles.” Xiang Feicheng spoke as he pushed the door.

The door creaked loudly in the stillness of the night.

The noise was jarringly loud.

Xiang Feicheng rubbed his nose. “Too quiet—it makes the sound seem harsher.”

【Whoa, a haunted-house setup in a grand old mansion! My favorite!】
【I just ordered chicken wings but I can’t even bother eating them now.】
【Hurry hurry hurry, I just tipped you ten “Back Spirits,” get in there!】

Meanwhile—

Inside the residence, in the main courtyard’s master bedroom, on a carved wooden bed, someone who had been asleep for a very long time was stirred awake by the noise, and slowly opened their eyes.

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