It was said that the current director-general of the National Paranormal Bureau had once said something.
No matter how exceptionally talented or extraordinarily powerful a person was, if they could not contribute to the country, they were worthless in his eyes.
After all, the very existence of the National Paranormal Bureau was to ensure national stability and social peace.
Those who wanted to use their genius talent or background to pull strings and get in through the back door were, without exception, severely disciplined by him.
Even the elders backing them were not spared.
Word had it that three years ago, someone had seen the director-general chasing and beating someone on the outskirts of Dragon City.
He had roared as he struck: “How dare you come to me to pull strings! I think you, old codger, are tired of living!”
No one knew if this story was true or false.
In any case, what followed was a thorough, top-to-bottom investigation and cleanup within the Bureau.
As a result, ten members were expelled!
Even one of the three deputy directors was kicked out.
Yet, despite being such a strict organization, the Bureau had only ever had a maximum of eighteen teams throughout history—sometimes fewer, but never more.
But five years ago, the Bureau suddenly broke this rule.
Out of nowhere, Team Nineteen was added.
Rumors once claimed that the creation of Team Nineteen was a hoax, but they later heard that it was actually a special authorization from the highest levels of the government.
It was a team composed entirely of ghosts.
And the captain leading them was a perfect Blood-Clad ghost!
He was a prince from over a thousand years ago. The moment he awoke, he was already at the Blood-Clad Rank. Moreover, because he possessed imperial aura, his strength was close to the ultimate Ghost King Rank.
However, breaking through to the Ghost King Rank did not depend on accumulation, but rather on an ethereal, elusive stroke of fate.
Therefore, this prince at the Blood-Clad Rank could not simply be called a normal Blood-Clad.
Instead, calling him Half-Step Ghost King Rank was much more accurate.
Rumor had it that the captain of Team Nineteen, the legendary peak Blood-Clad and Half-Step Ghost King, was named... Tang Luoshan.
Before this, they had always treated this information as a mere rumor.
But they had never expected that Tang Luoshan actually existed!
This meant the rumors were true!
Furthermore, they were now face-to-face with the legendary Tang Luoshan himself.
“Um... Captain... Captain Tang?”
Since he was an officially registered ghost, he probably wouldn't harm other players for no reason, right?
Tang Luoshan folded his arms.
“Enough. Is this your first time entering a dungeon?”
“How could I possibly kill people in a dungeon?”
“Of course, that's as far as it goes. I won't kill you, but I won't save you either.”
The moment he finished speaking, he spun around, transformed into a bloody red mist, and vanished on the spot.
Leaving the three of them staring at each other in bewilderment.
About a minute later, one of them lowered his voice and spoke cautiously.
“Is he really gone?”
“It seems so.”
“Does that mean we can breathe a sigh of relief?”
“I think so.”
The three of them let out a long, collective sigh of relief.
“At least we're safe for now.”
Perhaps because they had just experienced a massive crisis together, even though the three of them didn't know each other beforehand, they were now able to chat a bit.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Complete the main quest, of course.”
“The main quest? Let me see... It's to survive for three days and find the path of survival.”
“The survival quest shouldn't be too much of a problem, but this path of survival won't be easy to find.”
“Yeah, the path of survival isn't just a physical door.”
“To find the path of survival, we must first investigate what happened in this dungeon, identify the specter, and then uncover its past life and experiences.”
“Only with that information can we deduce where the path of survival is most likely to be.”
The three of them sighed deeply.
They began to review the dungeon notification.
“Look at this. The dungeon notification says there's a household at the top of the mountain and tells us to ask for lodging. This must be some kind of hint. Should we go?”
“Let's go check it out first. Staying here won't do us any good anyway.”
One of them casually caught a withered leaf drifting past him. Holding it in his hand, he quickly formed a hand seal.
Somehow, the leaf began to soften and fold itself, turning into a paper crane.
He held the paper crane in his palm and blew gently on it.
When he opened his hand, the paper crane's wings began to flap, and it slowly took flight.
Just as the other two thought that was all, the paper crane suddenly began to grow. It didn't stop until it was large enough for three people to ride.
The player hopped onto it.
“Come on up, let's fly up.”
The other two exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
“This looks like the Daoist Paper Crane Technique. I heard that as long as you have paper or something similar, you can fold it to create a paper crane to send messages or carry people.”
“I didn't expect you to know this technique. I'm really envious.”
Hearing this, the person already seated on the paper crane nodded.
Though this Paper Crane Technique was quite common.
Any Daoist disciple could exchange for it after completing two basic quests.
However, for rogue players who lacked a proper sect background, it was indeed considered precious.
Furthermore, while it could fly, its speed was very slow—hardly faster than walking—and it couldn't fly very high.
Besides, learning the Paper Crane Technique required a significant amount of time.
It was basically used by young Daoist acolytes who had just entered the sect to pass the time.
After all, the young acolytes' meridians were not yet fully developed, so they couldn't practice high-powered spells. Yet, they couldn't neglect their daily practice either, so their elders would grant them minor Daoist spells like the Paper Crane Technique to practice.
Come to think of it, why had he exchanged for this Paper Crane Technique in the first place?
Oh, right.
The Paper Crane Technique could be used for travel and sending messages, which he found highly convenient.
Additionally, all the other orthodox Daoist disciples knew it. If he, someone who had joined the organization halfway, didn't know it, he would look like an outcast.
And so, the three of them sat on the paper crane, slowly flying toward the mountaintop.
Meanwhile, outside the main gates of the old residence.
On the flat platform of bluestone slabs, all the other players had gathered, except for the three still riding the paper crane.
Among them, the most conspicuous were a ghost and a weasel.
This Yellow Immortal's small eyes darted around several times before its gaze finally locked onto the blood-red figure standing not far away.
Then, it spoke with a grin.
“I was wondering why I sensed a faint aura of a peak Blood-Clad Rank expert just now. So it's Captain Tang! What a pleasure to meet you!”
“It's a good thing it's you, Captain Tang. If it were any other Blood-Clad, my small frame wouldn't be able to handle it.”
Tang Luoshan looked at its tiny form, his eyes filled with amusement.
“Speaking of which, I've never seen a transformed yellow rat with my own eyes. Looking at you, I bet you taste pretty good.”
Hearing this, the Yellow Immortal instantly felt a chill run down its spine, and all its fur stood on end.
Nevertheless, it maintained a degree of composure.
“Hehehe, Captain Tang, you must be joking.”
“This junior is Huang Shiliu. I already have a contractor and receive offerings. I'm a spirit patron who has been properly registered with the Paranormal Bureau.”
Tang Luoshan raised an eyebrow.
“In that case, consider yourself lucky.”
Rate on N.U.
