Chapter 173: What Took You So Long?

The mission worth ten contribution points this time was to capture this ghost.

From the mission description, this ability user could be considered a ghost living within another person’s body.

According to Han Bing, the origin of this ghost-type ability user was unknown; no one knew how long it had been wandering. It was first discovered when it attempted to parasitize someone, sneak into the Main City, and then get spotted, entering the radar of the Special Clean-up Department.

Qinggang couldn’t allow an invisible entity to roam freely.

Originally, this task was overseen personally by Chen Jing, but because she was delayed by other matters, it fell to Lu Xin.

The Investigation Team had been secretly searching for this ghost.

Clearly, it was bold. Knowing it had attracted the Special Clean-up Department’s attention, it still roamed the Satellite City.

After two days, the Investigation Team pinpointed the general area of the ghost’s activities and identified its current target. They then notified Lu Xin. When he first arrived, Lu Xin wasn’t sure what this ghost looked like.

Only when he approached the girl and saw the changes in the people around her did he see the ghost.

Because he observed that from time to time, people approached this girl, whispering to her.

Whenever these people spoke, in his vision, they would suddenly transform into another person’s appearance.

It was as if countless people came before the girl, changed faces, and left.

…

“An invisible ghost that can wander between different people…”

Lu Xin pondered silently: “How should it be captured?”

He didn’t need to worry much about this ghost harming him.

When he had just approached the girl, ready to hand her a tissue, the ghost suddenly drew near him. It seemed it had intended to parasitize into his body. But in the end, it must have discovered something and changed its mind at the last moment.

Instead, it was Lu Xin who grabbed the arm of a middle-aged man, startling the ghost and causing it to flee instantly from that man’s body.

Combat strength for this type of ability user was likely low. The difficulty lay in capturing something that appeared and vanished like smoke.

However, after studying the case files, Lu Xin had roughly formed a plan.

…

“We’re here.”

Lu Xin drove the motorcycle carrying the girl named Li Mengmeng to a tall building in Satellite City No. 2’s West District.

“Ah…”

The girl actually appeared to have fallen asleep on the backseat. She jolted awake only when Lu Xin called her.

She looked around dazedly: “Where is this?”

“It’s a hotel.”

Lu Xin carefully locked the motorcycle, got off, and said quietly: “Now, you need to come inside with me.”

“What?”

Li Mengmeng was startled. She looked at Lu Xin warily and instinctively wrapped her arms around herself.

“Don’t look so suspicious. I’m not going to do anything to you.”

Lu Xin whispered to her, then took an ID card from his pocket.

Shielding it with his body, he showed it to Li Mengmeng: “See this?”

He then explained softly: “This has Qinggang’s official seal. I’m legitimate… Right now, I need you to come into the hotel with me. Act naturally. Don’t scare him away… Don’t worry, I’ll help you catch him and solve your problem!”

Perhaps it was Lu Xin’s serious expression, or perhaps the vivid stamp and embossed seal on the ID, but Li Mengmeng slowly lowered her guard. Glancing around with confusion, she slightly bit her lip and hopped down from the motorcycle.

Lu Xin smiled, turned, and walked towards the hotel entrance.

Suddenly, he felt a soft pressure against the crook of his elbow. Li Mengmeng had linked her arm through his.

“Ah…”

Lu Xin was a little surprised. He seemed to have underestimated this girl’s boldness.

“Are you a Daoist priest?”

Li Mengmeng almost rested her head on Lu Xin’s shoulder.

Yet her whole body was tense, her vigilance clear: “You catch ghosts, right?”

“Nope.”

Lu Xin chuckled quietly: “You know the books say ghosts don’t exist, right?”

“The Red Moon is hanging in the sky. What couldn’t possibly appear now?”

Li Mengmeng blurted out, then immediately fell silent, realizing she shouldn’t have said that.

“Don’t worry. Even if the Red Moon is here, ghosts aren’t real.”

Lu Xin whispered reassuringly: “After all, the things that have appeared… well, they might be even scarier than ghosts…”

“……”

Li Mengmeng froze. Was that supposed to comfort her?

…

Lu Xin and the young woman named Li Mengmeng walked into the hotel. To an onlooker, they resembled a genuine couple.

This hotel was relatively large, specializing in couple suites. The neon sign outside, radiating an unmistakably suggestive ambiance, was visible from afar.

This style was very popular after the Cataclysm.

Likely because fewer people traveled on business, reducing the demand for standard hotels. Yet, with people’s repressed instincts bursting free, demand for the other kind surged. Most hotels in Satellite City No. 2 were exactly like this.

Lu Xin steered the girl firmly attached to his arm directly to the reception desk to register and choose a room.

Throughout the process, he remained observant of his surroundings.

He was waiting for the ghost-type ability user to show itself. After all, they’d reached the registration counter.

What if it truly didn’t come… wouldn’t he… have to actually pay?

…

Lu Xin did pay!

Handing over two fifty-yuan bills, his brow furrowed tightly.

Only as he and the tightly pressed, frightened girl began walking towards the elevator did an auntie slowly mopping the floor by the elevator doors suddenly lift her head. Her gaze grew icy as she stared at Lu Xin and demanded: “Who exactly are you?”

The cleaner appeared to be a woman in her fifties. The traces life had carved on her face made her look older, perhaps wearier.

When Lu Xin first entered the hotel, he’d noticed her – mopping the lobby floor, offering an ingratiating smile to everyone. Though ignored, she kept a faint smile on her face and silently continued her work.

But now, her head tilted up slightly, pupils constricting, fixing Lu Xin with a deathly stare.

The look sent a chill down the spine. It was hard to grasp unless witnessed firsthand how changing an expression could make someone seem like a genuinely different person.

In Lu Xin’s eyes, however, it wasn’t just her expression that shifted; her face altered too.

Now her face belonged to a man – high cheekbones, eyes set slightly wide apart, wearing an icy expression tinged with an uncontrollable arrogance. His eyes raked greedily over the girl beside Lu Xin.

Lu Xin met his gaze. After a moment, a slow smile spread across his own face:

“What took you so long?”