Chapter 172: A Phantom
Chapter 172: A Phantom
“You…”
Li Mengmeng’s spirit was on the edge of a mental breakdown. Subconsciously terrified of everyone, this young man’s smile gave her a slight sense of calm. At first glance, he projected a quiet aura. Unlike the indifferent pedestrians staring at her like she was a maniac, or those whose expressions had suddenly turned dark and hostile, he just sat there on his vehicle watching her.
That smiling face was sincere, offering Li Mengmeng an indescribable sense of security in that moment.
Slowly, cautiously, Li Mengmeng reached out, accepted his tissue, and wiped the tears from her face.
“You… what can you do for me?”
“…”
Hearing Li Mengmeng’s question, the young man smiled, but before he could answer, he suddenly reached backwards.
His movement was abrupt, without the slightest warning.
Even his arm seemed to twist unnaturally behind his back, almost defying conventional logic.
This sudden action startled Li Mengmeng. Her body jerked violently, and she almost bolted away in panic.
Only then did she realize the young man’s action had nothing to do with her.
He had grabbed the wrist of a suited middle-aged man, who looked like he was simply walking past, perhaps just a little too close.
Startled by the grip, the man seemed mildly confused before turning wary: “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
The young man looked at him closely, then released his wrist with an apologetic smile. “My apologies.”
The middle-aged man walked away suspiciously.
The young man then turned back to look at Li Mengmeng, still smiling. “He suddenly approached just now, seemed like he wanted to touch me.”
Li Mengmeng looked puzzled, the wariness in her eyes increasing.
Then she heard him continue, “But when he almost touched me, I saw him turn into a different person.”
He paused, recalling carefully as he described it to Li Mengmeng: “When his face shifted into someone else’s, he suddenly leaned closer towards me, as if trying to grab my arm. I could tell something was off about him, so I intended to grab him too. But that grinning face was quick; even as I caught his wrist, it vanished, reverting back to this uncle’s appearance…”
The explanation sounded bizarre.
Yet, upon hearing it, Li Mengmeng suddenly grew tense: “That face… what did it look like?”
“Describing the features isn’t helpful,” the young man said. “It’s the expression, really. It looked smug, arrogant, like he fancied himself incredibly important…”
“…”
Li Mengmeng felt as if a light had pierced the darkness within her. Almost trembling, she scrambled to her feet, clutching the young man’s arm desperately. Tears streamed down her face: “It’s him, it’s definitely him! He’s a ghost…”
“He’s driven me to the brink! I’m begging you, save me…”
“…”
Held tightly by her, the young man seemed slightly uncomfortable, but he maintained his calm smile. “Alright, alright. Don’t worry. I will.” His voice offered Li Mengmeng a small measure of reassurance, so she clung onto him as if afraid he’d vanish.
“Alright, but…” The young man looked at her anxious face and added gently, “You need to step back a bit first…”
Li Mengmeng froze for a moment, looking at him in startlement.
The young man glanced down towards her legs, looking a little embarrassed. “You’re rubbing against my motorcycle…”
……
“To solve this problem, you’ll need to listen to me now!”
Glancing around him, Lu Xin noticed that among the crowd with their varied expressions—some curious, some indifferent—there seemed to lurk a sinister face hidden within the throng. He knew the presence was there, yet couldn’t pinpoint it. Turning back to the exceptionally pretty girl whose eyes were swollen from crying, he spoke.
“For now… come with me…”
He patted the rear seat of his motorcycle, keeping his gaze as gentle as possible.
He knew this girl had to be incredibly tense. He worried a harsh tone might scare her off.
… After all, she was the primary target of their current assignment at the moment.
……
“Wh-Where to?” The girl’s voice trembled like that of a startled rabbit, clearly frightened by his words.
Lu Xin softened his voice further. “To find a suitable place, so we can catch him.”
“Don’t worry, maybe I seem…”
“Okay.” He started to explain that even though he looked intimidating, he was actually good, but the girl already agreed swiftly.
Though doubt lingered in her mind, the torment Li Mengmeng had endured over the past few days now made Lu Xin feel like a lifeline she desperately clung to. Summoning courage, she actually settled onto the back seat of his motorcycle. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as she sat behind him, her eyes darting around nervously, scanning their surroundings. In a barely audible mutter, she asked, “But… Who exactly are you?”
“I specialize in handling these matters,” Lu Xin answered quietly. “But I can’t show you my credentials right now. We need to be careful he doesn’t see and escape.”
He slowly started the engine and added, a touch awkwardly, “And uh, maybe hold less tightly? You’re making me a little uncomfortable…”
The girl flushed slightly and immediately loosened her grip.
The motorcycle eased forward, heading into the distance.
The bustling crowd surrounded them, each person engrossed in their own lives. Nobody cared about the girl who had been sobbing on the ground moments ago, nor the person who’d arrived on a motorcycle and took her away. Neither did they wonder what connection existed between the two.
However, within that busy flow of people, a young man carrying a briefcase abruptly came to a halt.
He turned his gaze sharply towards the direction the motorcycle had gone, his teeth clenched tight.
The image of the girl hugging the other man’s waist, her body pressed close, felt like a stabbing pain in his eyes.
……
“Special Contamination Incident 102 – Phantom Capture”
With the panicked girl in tow, Lu Xin drove towards the pre-selected location. The details of this mission flashed through his mind:
To be precise, this wasn’t a Source of Contamination cleanup. It was a ghost-hunting case.
More accurately, an Ability User capture operation.
>“Contamination Source: Suspected Spiritual Mutation Ability User engaging in illegal acts.
>Ability Type: Phantom-type
>Ability Rank: Rank B
>Ability Description: A Phantom-type Ability User possesses the ability to detach their consciousness, or Spiritual Entity, from their own body and parasitize others. The parasitized host temporarily inherits the phantom’s memories and cognition, effectively becoming a different person for a short period. Methods include touch-based parasitism and remote parasitism, dependent on Psychic Magnitude.
>Once the Phantom-type Ability User disengages from the host, the host experiences temporary memory loss.
>Extended periods of parasitism by a Phantom-type Ability User inflict severe and irreversible neurological damage.
>Length of Parasitism: Unknown
>Weakness of Phantom-type Ability User: Unknown”