Chapter 78: The Core Zone

Upon seeing the perfume, the long-haired "beauty" could no longer remain calm. She cheerfully pulled out everything she had on her and traded it with Qin Jing for the perfume. Among the items were a bra, a pair of panties, and a hair tie. Of these, the contaminated item was the panties, which were worth a million. When Qin Jing retrieved them, he received a bronze treasure chest in return.

"Miss, have you come across Xu Li? Also, where is the room with the corpse on the podium?"

Any ghost that could trade with Qin Jing was considered "easy" to communicate with. After the deal, Qin Jing seized the opportunity to ask.

The long-haired "beauty" tilted her head, seemingly pondering for a long while, before pointing toward a classroom. At that moment, a figure emerged from the room.

When Qin Jing saw the figure, his eyes lit up. It was the very boy who, according to Xu Li's information, had been seated in front of her.

"Hey, do you want a movie?"

Excited, Qin Jing dashed over. The boy seemed stunned, turning to look at him. Meeting face-to-face "offline," the boy gave off an even more sinister vibe—his skin seemed to have a bluish-green undertone, his eye sockets deeply sunken, as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Can you speak?" Qin Jing asked.

At that moment, Alchemy No. 1's prompt sounded in his ear: this seemingly inconspicuous boy was actually a Supernatural Level Four ghost! Ghosts who reached Level Three had already accumulated concentrated resentment, but at Level Four, they could speak. Qin Jing recalled that in the information about Xu Li, this boy had indeed spoken.

"Who are you?" the boy asked calmly, looking at Qin Jing as though speaking was entirely normal.

"I'm Qin Jing, the middleman from the Art Academy! Ever heard of me?"

He had only meant to probe, but to his surprise, the boy looked as if a realization had dawned and nodded. "I know. Xu Li mentioned you."

Then, after a brief hesitation, he asked, "You said you were selling movies just now? What kind?"

These ghosts all regarded Qin Jing as one of their own, and moreover, they retained memories and habits from their previous lives.

Qin Jing understood instantly. He rummaged through his recovery space and pulled out a USB flash drive from his waist pouch, grinning. "Here—this story is about a long-haired, internet-famous young lady battling seven children and an old man. I guarantee it's exciting!"

For a moment, Qin Jing felt as though he had returned to the early days of his trade—back when he would copy his precious collection onto a USB drive and sell it for a tidy profit. Even now, he still had many such drives, though their contents had been switched out. After opening his shop, he had to run a legitimate business; how could he sell Japanese films? If he were to sell anything, it had to be domestic.

The boy took the USB drive, his face lighting up with delight. "Thanks. 'Calabash Brothers' is not bad either—it helps to lighten up life a bit."

Qin Jing was left speechless—so he did know, after all.

"So, could you take me inside to see Xu Li? I have something to discuss with her."

Finally, Qin Jing cut to the chase. As he spoke, he craned his neck, peering into the classroom.

"You haven't paid me yet," the boy's voice grew increasingly sinister. "Take the money, and may you travel well."

With his words, a yellowed slip of paper appeared in Qin Jing's hand. It looked like a banknote but pitifully read "10," as if it were ten yuan.

Yin Note: A currency redeemable for Yin Virtue, exchangeable at a rate of 1:100 for G-points.

At the same time, the boy's figure suddenly expanded, growing larger and enveloping Qin Jing...

"Thank goodness, I've finally recovered!"

On the other side of the South District teaching building, Chen Yao let out a long, relieved breath, feeling invigorated. Even though she was surrounded by ghosts, her heart surged with fighting spirit.

"The spirit water worked wonders; there's still half a bottle left. I must use it sparingly. All right, let's move on."

Chen Nan had just defeated the last ghost, temporarily clearing the corridor for the group. Their team was formidable: two at Supernatural Level Three, one at Level Two. With the current resurgence of spiritual energy, most obstacles were swept aside.

"Stay on guard against Zhou Jian. His intentions are unclear, and he may exploit the environment to attack us again," Lin En reminded them as she took the lead. Ahead, scores of ghostly figures that looked like ordinary students stood blocking the corridor, packed so tightly that there was scarcely room to pass.

"Where did that Qin Jing fellow run off to? How can he just wander off at a time like this?" Chen Yao wondered aloud. Qin Jing was so mysterious that it was hard not to remember him.

"Maybe he used some special trick, like Zhou Jian's ghost cultivation method," someone replied.

But there was no time for more speculation. As Lin En advanced, they attracted the ghosts' attention, and the group was soon embroiled in another battle.

With the help of the spirit water, the fight went far more smoothly than before. But midway through, Zhou Jian reappeared, seizing a Level Three ghost just as Chen Nan was about to finish it off, and then vanished once more.

Chen Nan's face darkened. He cursed the air for three minutes, but Zhou Jian never showed himself again. Helpless, the group continued onward.

They moved in fits and starts, with Zhou Jian appearing now and then, but gradually cleared most of the corridor’s ghosts. Over an hour later, the three finally reached the core of the South District teaching building.

The ghosts ahead were no longer packed together, but the sense of dread and menace intensified. Lin En frowned. "Let's rest for a bit. I have a very bad feeling about what's ahead—there may be a fierce battle coming."

Just then, a chill wind swept through. A withered yellow hand silently reached for Chen Nan.

Bang!

The hand landed on Chen Nan, and in the next instant, a monstrous, deformed ghost was revealed. Unlike the other ghosts on campus, this one was humanoid but stood nearly two meters tall, with a tiny head and a distended belly seemingly packed with fat—grotesque and terrifying.

Chen Nan spat a mouthful of blood and glared at the newly arrived man beside the ghost. "Zhou Jian, you finally decided to show yourself!"

Zhou Jian showed no fear and chuckled. "If I let you keep going, you'll awaken the big one inside. Your usefulness ends here—so now, you must die."

With that, Zhou Jian struck without hesitation. His power had clearly advanced since before, and his ghost had reached Supernatural Level Four. When Lin En confronted him, she was instantly overwhelmed, coughing blood from a single punch. In a flash, the Watchers’ team was completely routed.