Chapter 13: The Mysterious Journey!

30,000 points—quite a substantial amount.

However...

Chen Kun didn’t respond directly to that comment; he simply replied with a polite “Thanks for your concern.” He still didn’t know the daily profits of this café and would have to check the books in person tomorrow to be sure.

But his expectations were low. He doubted many people would be willing to spend 34 points for a cup of coffee in such circumstances.

After that,

the two fell silent, both rapidly gathering information about this world through various searches on their wrist devices.

...

“Professionals…”

Sitting on a single bed, Hei Hao murmured to himself. Through online information and Chen Kun’s explanations, he had grasped a general idea of what these “professionals” were. During the recent “Daylight Paranormal Incident,” he had also killed several ghosts.

Those “walkers” wouldn’t attack if their cheeks faced directly forward and wouldn’t retaliate either.

Walkers without the control of “Ghost Riders” were relatively easy to handle, as long as one could quickly discern their attack patterns. Otherwise, under the manipulation of the Ghost Riders, having these walkers circle endlessly would be a serious headache.

The red-clad female ghost’s ability caused anyone who made eye contact with her to lose their sanity. But Chen Kun had directly ignored and nullified this effect when in his current state.

Hei Hao now had 6 experience points, needing just 4 more to become a professional.

Yet...

he hadn’t decided what kind of professional to become. The conditions for these professions seemed rather harsh, and those without prerequisites demanded exorbitant costs.

This incident had also rewarded him with 100 points.

He would consider it further.

...

Qingyuan City, Northern District Police Station, in a single-person office, a voice of surprise echoed.

“Another Daylight Paranormal Incident in Northern District? And it was resolved?”

A portly middle-aged man in a white shirt leaned back in his chair, legs resting on the desk, a cigar pinched between his fingers, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes. “These people really have some skills. I never received any intel about a ‘Daylight Paranormal Incident.’ How did they know in advance?”

“Who ended up with the core reward?”

“Was it that top student from Qingyuan University, Li Pingtou? He’s already a level 4 professional and a Ghost Rider. He’s probably the most likely candidate.”

“Or maybe the owner of ‘One Bite Fragrant Meat Shop’? That guy got lucky recently and is now also a level 4 professional. He’s skilled with his butchering knife, and many ghosts have died by his hand. If it’s him, that makes sense.”

“Couldn’t it be ‘Otaku Huo Ping’ or ‘Novelist Qiu Yiming’?”

“These two have been gaining momentum in Northern District lately. If it’s either of them, that would be reasonable.”

However, the portly man heard a completely unfamiliar name.

“Chen Kun?”

“Wait, who’s that?”

“A newcomer player who arrived just yesterday, caught up in the incident along with five others by accident. Before entering, he was just an ordinary person,” said the deputy director sitting across from him with a hint of helplessness.

“Director, naturally I haven’t heard of him before, and neither had I.”

“This Daylight Paranormal Incident wasn’t detected by anyone beforehand. It happened randomly and involved these six people. The only survivors were Chen Kun and his friend.”

“The ownership of that café on the map will officially transfer to Chen Kun’s name after midnight.”

“This…”

The director frowned deeply, tapping on his wrist device. A floating map of Qingyuan City appeared before him, with thousands of buildings highlighted—each one an “Onmyo Shop” with a registered owner.

As the name suggests,

an Onmyo Shop operated for humans during the day and for ghosts at night.

Decades ago, when the paranormal phenomena first emerged, people gradually adapted despite their fears and realized the world had changed drastically. Almost all shops began to run autonomously.

No restocking, no materials needed. Restaurants operated without food, clothing stores without inventory.

Points quickly replaced the world’s existing currency system.

The main reason was that overnight, all shops began to accept points exclusively.

Gold, trusts, funds—all instantly became worthless.

Even real estate was no longer owned outright; everything had to be bought or rented anew with points.

Most Onmyo Shops operated automatically. For instance, nearly seventy percent of office buildings had just one job: to write ghost stories. Every day, Qingyuan alone produced countless ghost tales.

Most people’s work involved writing ghost stories, while the rest worked in these Onmyo Shops.

Among all these shops, only a small number had owners. These proprietors earned all the daily profits their shops generated—a considerable sum.

This far outstripped the director’s earnings. As the police chief, he only received 10,000 points monthly—not from superiors but automatically credited to his account by the world’s rules, or rather, the game’s rules.

This world’s rules came from a game called… “Phantom Play.”

Since decades ago, the existence of “Phantom Play” transformed the world overnight, making it resemble a game. This explained why encounters with travelers from Blue Star calmed quickly.

On the one hand, shock was futile. In peaceful times, such events would be stunning, but given the current state, travelers were just another part of the norm.

On the other hand, since the world had become a game, having players arrive was only natural. Fortunately, they weren’t NPCs but fellow players—essentially beta testers experiencing the early access version.

...

In this world,

points were paramount. They could enhance one’s power, build sufficiently secure safehouses, afford a better life, and extend one’s lifespan.

In such an environment, owning an Onmyo Shop with permanent rights was like possessing a hen that laid golden eggs.

“A newcomer player surviving a Daylight Paranormal Incident, securing the core reward, and gaining permanent ownership of ‘Enlightenment Café’—that’s truly enviable…”

The director murmured enviously from his seat. He didn’t even own an Onmyo Shop and wouldn’t for some time. Even if he knew in advance where a Daylight Paranormal Incident would occur, he wouldn’t go. Compared to owning a shop, he preferred to stay alive—the mortality rate in these incidents was high.

This incident was only rated at danger level 1.2, not too perilous, but the rewards weren’t great either. The café’s daily profits were modest; few would spend points on coffee. A fast-food shop would be far better.

But for a newcomer, it was enough.

“Director, what should we do next?”

The deputy director asked cautiously.

“Hm.”

After a long silence, the director spoke softly, “That abandoned dormitory at Qingyuan University forms a ‘dungeon’ at night. I recall its level is very low, with almost no danger. The ghosts inside aren’t lethal, just frightening.”

“Records show all deaths in that dungeon were suicides caused by fear.”

“It lasts three days.”

“Find an excuse for Chen Kun to enter it and lay low for a while. By now, many must be watching him. It’s hard not to envy a newcomer player holding such a golden goose.”

“Understood, but…”

The deputy director hesitated. “Wasn’t there a detection of a high-level danger within that dungeon last time? Isn’t it risky to send Chen Kun, a level 1 professional, inside?”

“No.”

The director shook his head confidently.

“As long as the dungeon’s process is followed, no accidents can happen. That high-level danger was detected only once and never encountered. It’s probably dormant or some hidden quest.”

“Oh, right, that dungeon is for seven people. Put those others in with him as well.”

“Understood.”