Chapter 9 – Interrogation

A group of people strode into the carriage, their footsteps orderly and forceful.

They were clearly different from ordinary people, carrying the steely air unique to ability users. Uniformly dressed and highly trained, they stood straight and imposing in fitted silver-and-black military uniforms, like a row of spears. White gloves and silver pine-needle epaulets completed the cold, disciplined appearance.

At the sound of their footsteps, Ning Weichen withdrew his finger without the slightest reluctance. His expression cold, he turned to leave.

This was the scene the people from the Bureau of the Unnatural encountered when they entered.

A C-level aberration sat on the floor, clutching her stomach and sobbing. Blood and organs from the dissolved Corpse Monsters filled the cracks and corners of the carriage. A slender young man in a black T-shirt crouched to retrieve his phone.

And the person turning toward them had a tense jaw, icy eyes, and a handsome face filled with hostility.

It was a young, beautiful face that no one among China’s senior officials would fail to recognize.

The instant they saw Ning Weichen, everyone from the Bureau froze and stopped what they were doing.

A middle-aged man in a silver-gray suit slowly stepped forward from the rear of the group.

Everyone automatically parted to make way for him. The middle-aged man walked to the front. Although his hair was half gray beneath the lights, his demeanor was warm and benevolent.

With a smile, he said, “Young Master, welcome to Huai City. Welcome home.”

Ning Weichen said nothing.

The middle-aged man showed no surprise upon seeing the blood on Ning Weichen’s neck and fingers. As a top-tier butler, he merely maintained his smile and thoughtfully handed Ning Weichen a sealed packet of wet wipes.

“Young Master, Madam has been waiting for you at the Qin residence for quite some time. Shall we go there first?”

Ning Weichen accepted it without a word, tore open the packet, and unhurriedly wiped the blood from his fingertips.

“Butler Li, isn’t it a little early to leave?”

The officer in command tonight was an attractive woman. She moved her gaze from Ye Sheng to Ning Weichen and said, “The aberration incident in Carriage 44 is unusual. Young Master Ning may need to remain here and answer a few questions.”

Her uniform resembled those of the others, with one exception: an embroidered emblem on her chest depicted a beautifully scripted English letter A floating above a flame.

Butler Li’s smile remained unchanged, wrinkles gathering at the corners of his eyes, but his attitude was firm.

“Director Cheng is right. It is everyone’s duty to cooperate with the Bureau of the Unnatural. When our young master first returned to the country, the head of our family arranged for him to undertake an aberration-related mission in Yin Mountain. The purpose was to instill in someone raised abroad from childhood the responsibility and loyalty expected of a citizen of China. However, as you can see, our young master has been injured and must return to have his wounds treated.”

Even before an A-level Executor, he remained perfectly composed.

“I hope you can understand that this was our young master’s first encounter with an aberration. His lack of experience resulted in the mission’s failure. With so little experience, he may not be able to provide much assistance by remaining here. Besides, there is another person involved in the incident.”

His benevolent gaze settled on Ye Sheng, but beneath its excessive warmth lay absolute indifference and arrogance.

“I believe this young man should be able to answer all your questions.”

Director Cheng had attained her position at a young age and was no pushover. Her red lips curved into an equally false smile as she refused to yield.

“Butler Li, the aberration involved in this incident is connected to Master Storyteller, the S-level moderator of the Seventh Category. You’re an A-level ability user yourself. Surely you understand the gravity of the situation.”

Butler Li sighed and smiled. “I understand what you mean, Director Cheng. But only Master Storyteller’s presence appeared here. He has written hundreds of urban legends that exist throughout cities all over the world. We have dealt with some of them, while others remain unresolved. Not every urban legend in which he has played a part can be considered an ‘S-level incident.’”

Director Cheng’s smile grew even more insincere. Just as the tension between them reached its peak, Ning Weichen, who had remained silent until now, spoke.

“It’s fine.”

Having finished wiping his hand, he passed the handkerchief to Butler Li.

Ning Weichen licked the blood from his lips. Concealing the icy violence in his peach-blossom eyes, he smiled and instantly became an elegant, carefree young gentleman once again.

In a gentle, courteous voice, he said, “I’m willing to stay and cooperate with the investigation.”

Butler Li paused, then nodded and said nothing more.

Ning Weichen casually tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear and strode away, his voice cool and indifferent.

“Give me time to shower first.”

“All right.”

Director Cheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Truthfully, she had no desire whatsoever to deal with the Ning family’s butler, especially when the mysterious Ning heir, who had lived abroad his entire life, was also present tonight.

Butler Li smiled and followed Ning Weichen out.

Director Cheng watched the two of them leave and pressed her lips together.

A team member approached her. “Director Cheng, what should we do now?”

“Deal with the scene first. The C-level aberration in Carriage 44 has no record of harming anyone, so confine her temporarily.”

“Yes.”

Director Cheng turned her attention back to Ye Sheng, taking in the young man’s slender frame and pale face. He was only an ordinary child who had been innocently dragged into an aberration incident. He must be terrified.

She approached and comforted him gently.

“Can you stand?”

Holding his phone, Ye Sheng nodded. He covered his stomach and stood.

When Director Cheng saw the movement, her voice softened further.

“Which carriage and seat is your suitcase in? I’ll have someone retrieve it for you. For now, come with me and get some rest.”

Ye Sheng didn’t answer. All his attention was focused on his stomach.

He had expected intense spasms, a tearing sensation, or nausea, just as he had experienced in the past after eating things that weren’t meant to be eaten.

But none of that happened.

After being swallowed, the lump of dead flesh remained perfectly still inside his stomach, as motionless as stagnant water. Apart from the pain in his throat from the abrasions, he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

Ye Sheng frowned slightly and remembered Ning Weichen’s final action.

Ning Weichen had fed him his blood.

…Was it because of his blood?

“Young man?” Director Cheng called softly again.

Ye Sheng returned to his senses and raised his head, looking at her through eyes still wet with involuntary tears. He couldn’t act, but the sight of him emerging from deep thought with his pale, tearful face made him look exactly like a disaster survivor.

Director Cheng’s heart softened even further. She pressed her lips together, stopped asking questions, and said gently, “You should rest first.”

Ye Sheng’s throat was injured, making his voice slightly hoarse.

“What about the monster in the restroom?”

Director Cheng looked at him in confusion.

Ye Sheng explained succinctly, “She saved me.”

Director Cheng immediately understood whom he meant and gave him a reassuring smile.

“We’ve been keeping records on that monster aboard Yin Mountain’s Train 1444 for a long time. We know she is kind by nature and doesn’t harm people. We’re only taking her away to deal with a few things. She’ll be fine.”

Only then did Ye Sheng nod.

Director Cheng looked at him with surprise, admiration, and affection. She hadn’t expected someone so young, after encountering something so terrifying and narrowly escaping death, to respond not by breaking down in tears but by worrying about the monster who had helped him.

Such resilience and kindness were exceedingly rare.

Escorted by the group, Ye Sheng left the train station. Even late at night, Huai City North Station remained brightly illuminated.

It was nothing like the cramped, outdated, foul-smelling station in Yin Mountain. Spacious, bright, and dazzlingly magnificent, it resembled a vast crystal palace, offering him a glimpse of the splendor and prosperity of the international metropolis that was Huai City.

Ye Sheng’s throat hurt and his body was exhausted, so he kept his head lowered throughout the journey.

He was taken to the reception center the Bureau of the Unnatural had established inside Huai City North Station and sat on a sofa to rest.

Director Cheng handed him a cup of warm water. Ye Sheng accepted it and thanked her hoarsely.

Director Cheng regarded him with tender concern.

Ye Sheng could now see her clearly. She had shoulder-length hair and light makeup. Her features were soft and attractive, yet her demeanor was valiant.

Ye Sheng felt somewhat uncomfortable.

He probably had far more experience dealing with ghosts than with people.

“You can sleep for a while,” Director Cheng said.

Ye Sheng pressed his lips together and replied calmly, “There’s no need. You want to question me, don’t you? I can answer everything now.”

Director Cheng looked at him as though he were her own younger brother.

“There’s no hurry. Rest properly first. You don’t need to be nervous.”

Ye Sheng, who wasn’t nervous in the slightest: “..…”

But he wasn’t the type to initiate conversation either.

He settled back against the sofa and slowly closed his eyes.

Director Cheng left as soon as he closed them and thoughtfully shut the door behind her.

Warmth from the paper cup soothed his palm.

The room’s air-conditioning had been set to a comfortable temperature.

The soft lighting made him drowsy.

Everything told him that he had left the train.

It was over.

Everything was over.

He had used up the talismans, and whatever he had swallowed hadn’t harmed him. He had severed all ties with anything that could destabilize his life.

No.

Ye Sheng’s eyes snapped open. He immediately unlocked his phone, his dark, cold gaze falling on the app with the demonic eye icon in his shortcuts.

There was still this.

As he stared at the app, Ye Sheng paused and began analyzing the person who had continuously added postscripts and continuations to the story.

Did that person know he possessed this app? Did they know he could see every postscript? Had those malicious words been deliberately written for him to read?

Ye Sheng didn’t think so.

The earliest postscript concerning Fetus Girl had been written on June 24. Besides, judging from that person’s bizarre, absurd, hypocritically sentimental writing style and occasional fondness for emotional musings, their choice of words would surely have been even more deranged if they knew they had an audience.

Ye Sheng ran his thumb over the eye on his phone.

When the old man installed the software for him, he hadn’t displayed the same heartache he had shown when giving Ye Sheng the red talisman. That meant it probably wasn’t particularly valuable.

Its function was also extremely simple. It photographed and searched for things, then provided an overview without offering any method of dealing with them.

It was like an encyclopedia.

Search.

Ye Sheng lightly stroked the bloodred eye with his thumb as though touching a living monster.

He suddenly stood and walked toward the table beside the water dispenser. After searching through the objects there, he found a small mirror.

Ye Sheng switched off the lights.

Standing in complete darkness, he opened the front-facing camera. Holding the mirror in one hand and his phone in the other, he aimed the phone at the mirror. Relying on memory, he opened the app without looking and quickly took a photograph.

The software had no flash function, so all it could capture was darkness.

What would happen if Search photographed Search?

Could it find anything?

He turned the lights back on, set down the mirror, and returned to the sofa.

Then he uploaded the photograph.

Ye Sheng had previously used the software to photograph ordinary objects. Whenever the subject wasn’t an aberration, Search only displayed “404 Not Found.”

This time, perhaps because the photograph was unusually dark and indistinct, the search took slightly longer.

Ye Sheng tightened his grip on the phone and held his breath.

One minute later, his eyes abruptly widened.

A search result had appeared.

It contained a clear, unambiguous entry.

[Category: ENIAC]

[Ghost Name: Search]

[Ghost Level: E-level]

[Overview: Search]

The overview consisted of that single, simple word. It bore none of the flamboyant, story-like narration found in the entries for Corpse Stitcher and Fetus Girl.

Ye Sheng: “…”

Well, well. So this innocent-looking thing really wasn’t simple after all.

Refusing to give up, he pressed and held the app icon in another attempt to delete it.

The app angrily bit him again in protest.

Fuck.

Overcome by exhaustion, Ye Sheng couldn’t help cursing inwardly.

Just then, a series of knocks sounded against the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Ye Sheng stood and opened it. The person outside wasn’t Director Cheng but a young man with a thoroughly unpleasant expression.

The young man’s voice was stiff and filled with irritation and impatience.

“Come with me!”

Ye Sheng said nothing. Holding his phone, he followed.

The young man led him into a conference room.

At a table meant for six people, two figures in silver-and-black uniforms were already seated across from him. The young man in the center strongly resembled Director Cheng, while a baby-faced young man sat to his right. The person who had escorted Ye Sheng naturally took the seat on the left.

He pointed at the chair opposite him and ordered Ye Sheng, “Sit there.”

The other two paid him little attention. The baby-faced young man kept his eyes on the computer before him, while the young man in the center glanced at Ye Sheng only once before returning to the file in his hands.

Apparently, the entire interrogation would be conducted by the man who had brought him here.

After taking his seat, Ye Sheng lowered his head and rubbed his fingers against his phone.

“I just retrieved your records. Your name is Ye Sheng, and you’re from Yin Mountain Village in Yin Mountain County. You’re seventeen years old. Your father died when you were two, and your mother remarried, so you were raised by your grandmother. You came to Huai City this time to attend university.”

“First question: when you boarded the train, you originally had a hard seat in Carriage 17. Why did you later change to a soft sleeper in Carriage 44?”

“Second question: after the incident on the night of the twenty-sixth, you returned to Carriage 17. Why did you appear in Carriage 44 again tonight?”

The young man’s voice abruptly turned cold, and his gaze fell upon Ye Sheng like a blade.

The app on Ye Sheng’s phone had already left him irritated. He wasn’t timid by nature either. He immediately switched off the screen and raised his head.

Ye Sheng met the young man’s gaze, his face expressionless, and replied indifferently, “I originally booked a seat in Carriage 17, but I found it uncomfortable to sleep there, so I changed to a soft sleeper. After the incident in the restroom of Carriage 44, I returned to Carriage 17, but in the rest—”

Before he could finish, the young man interrupted him impatiently.

He disliked Ye Sheng’s sharp attitude.

“Answer the question directly. Carriage 44 was sealed off on the twenty-seventh. How did you get inside?”

Ye Sheng choked on his words.

How had he gotten inside?

Ning Weichen had taken him there, of course.

Ye Sheng answered honestly, “Ning Weichen took me inside.”

“…”

The room instantly fell silent.

The baby-faced young man’s fingers froze over his keyboard. The man in the center stopped turning the pages of his file. Even the irritable man conducting the interrogation stared at Ye Sheng in shock.

It took him a long moment to recover, and when he spoke, his voice was slightly flustered.

“What did you say?”

Expressionless, Ye Sheng repeated, “Ning Weichen took me inside.”

“…What is your relationship with him?”

Ye Sheng: “…..”

They had no relationship whatsoever.

But no one present would believe him if he said that.

Ye Sheng didn’t want to be investigated. He didn’t want the rhythm of his life disrupted, and he didn’t want to attract the Bureau of the Unnatural’s attention.

He replied stiffly, “We’re friends.”

At that moment, the door opened behind him.

A clear, cool voice said, “Sorry I’m late.”

With his long legs, Ning Weichen crossed the room in only a few strides. He reached Ye Sheng’s side, casually pulled out a chair, and sat down.

As the chair scraped across the floor, Ye Sheng caught the scent of something cool and crisp.

He turned his head and discovered that Ning Weichen had already showered and changed his clothes.

The expensive, finely made black shirt emphasized his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and tall, slender figure. He looked entirely unlike the radiant, friendly young man who had smiled at Ye Sheng when they first met in the carriage.

The chicken-blood vine bracelet on Ning Weichen’s wrist had been replaced by an expensive watch. Pale-silver Latin lettering decorated the collar of his perfectly tailored shirt, resembling the distinctive signature of some obscure designer. It looked mysterious and unique.

He sat with effortless elegance, displaying the habits of someone long accustomed to occupying a position of power. Beneath his black hair, his peach-blossom eyes were cold and somber, and his pale-red lips were pressed tightly together.

His every movement resembled the cool fragrance clinging to him, a scent Ye Sheng couldn’t identify but found extremely pleasant.

Noble and distant, a sense of unbridgeable separation spreading through pine resin and light snow.

Ning Weichen asked casually, “How far have you gotten?”

The young man on the left visibly froze. Avoiding Ning Weichen’s gaze, he shifted uncomfortably and replied awkwardly, “We were discussing how you took this friend of yours into Carriage 44 yesterday.”

Ning Weichen repeated, “Friend?”

“Yes.”

Ye Sheng: “……”

As expected, a cold, mocking chuckle sounded beside him.

The corner of Ning Weichen’s mouth curved upward as he turned to look at Ye Sheng. His gaze was nothing like the obedient, eager look he had worn on the first day, when he had clearly hoped Ye Sheng would speak to him.

This time, his eyes appeared tender and affectionate, but his smile seemed laden with snow, its aggression and sharpness laid bare.

With one hand resting on the table and the other supporting his chin, he looked Ye Sheng up and down.

His voice carried unmistakable malice.

“Officer Xu, are you joking?”

“This gentleman and I…”

His tongue brushed across his teeth as he searched for a suitable word. Then he smiled radiantly.

“Oh, yes. Gentleman. No matter how you look at us, this gentleman and I hardly seem like the sort of people who would travel the same path.”

Every word dripped with condescension, mockery, and superiority.

“…”

Bang!

Ye Sheng slammed his phone facedown on the table.

Whatever confusion and faint softening he had felt toward Ning Weichen after being fed his blood now vanished completely.

Ye Sheng raised his head and looked directly into Ning Weichen’s unsmiling eyes.

“That’s right. We don’t travel the same path.”

Then he turned toward the interrogator.

“Officer Xu, does the Bureau of the Unnatural handle other disputes besides managing supernatural entities?”

The baby-faced young man: “???”

Cheng Fa: “???”

Officer Xu: “???”

They could no longer understand this young man at all.

Ning Weichen was seated beside Ye Sheng, leaving very little space between them.

Ye Sheng leaned toward him.

It was the first time he had voluntarily approached Ning Weichen.

Ning Weichen neither withdrew nor avoided him. His peach-blossom eyes, as deep as a frozen pool, remained fixed on Ye Sheng.

Ye Sheng looked at Ning Weichen’s neck. Two buttons of his shirt had been undone, exposing a small expanse of pale, cool skin.

He extended a finger and easily hooked a crude, simple fish-scale necklace out from beneath Ning Weichen’s shirt. It consisted of nothing more than a fish scale threaded onto a thin cord.

Ye Sheng said, “Officer Xu, do you handle theft here?”

“Mr. Ning, who claims he barely knows me, stole this necklace that has been passed down through my family while we were on the train. It was blessed to ward off evil. This necklace is extremely precious to me, and I would like to report the theft.”

“I misspoke just now.” Ye Sheng remained expressionless, his voice icy. “How could we possibly be friends? We’re the plaintiff and the defendant.”

Ning Weichen: “……”

The baby-faced young man: “…………”

Cheng Fa: “…………”

Officer Xu: “…………”