Chapter 00086: Psychological Comfort
# Psychological Comfort
Chapter 86
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 86: Psychological Comfort
Section Nine seemed to be taking this incident very seriously.
Along with the reinforcements came some instruments that looked like metal detectors.
A group of people stood at Li Chengxi's door, holding the instruments and scanning left and right, looking as if they wanted to scoop up the dust on the ground and taste it to see if it was salty.
He heard that another team had followed Qian Sen's escape route in pursuit and had sealed off the haunted house immediately, but Li Chengxi didn't see any of that.
There were certainly a lot of people left behind to gather evidence.
To avoid looking too conspicuous with such a large group bustling around the door, they even set up a barbecue stall.
When people drink too much, all sorts of bizarre human behaviors emerge.
A group of people going in and out of Li Chengxi's back door didn't seem so out of place anymore.
As a result, they were selling barbecue out front while busily investigating and collecting evidence in the back.
They really did sell roasted skewers for half the night, even attracting nearby residents.
It wasn't until the investigation was over late in the night that some "city management" officers came and said they weren't allowed to occupy the space for business, and only then did the crowd disperse.
As for how the matter would be resolved in the end, that was no longer a problem Li Chengxi needed to worry about.
The people from Section Nine cleaned up all the traces on the ground and said that if he discovered anything was damaged as a result, he could call Section Nine, and they would compensate him for the full value.
Logically, the matter should have been over for Li Chengxi.
But while material losses were one thing, psychological trauma was not so easy to handle.
Lying on his bed at home, Li Chengxi's mind was filled with the constant sound of banging on the walls and door.
Although Li Chengxi hadn't even seen what the ghost looked like, the after-fear was real.
He had already been up until late into the night, and whenever he closed his eyes, the events kept replaying in his mind.
But when he opened his eyes and looked at the dark corners of the room, he couldn't help but suspect a ghost was hiding there.
It was an extremely uncomfortable night.
Li Chengxi didn't even know how he fell asleep.
In any case, his precise biological clock always woke him up before six in the morning.
Staring at the familiar ceiling, Li Chengxi thought to himself, I need to figure something out, or I won't be able to sleep peacefully.
Breakfast was instant noodles again.
But unlike Li Chengxi, who had barely slept all night, Audel appeared full of energy.
"Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"A bit of insomnia."
Li Chengxi looked at Audel, who was slurping her noodles.
"You, on the other hand, are full of spirit."
"I'm already used to it. I often do research until late at night."
"No, I mean, aren't you afraid of ghosts?"
When you don't know that ghosts are real, you're fearless.
Once you know, of course you'll be scared.
After all, Li Chengxi lived alone.
"Ghosts? Oh, you mean Undead Creatures. We of the Demon Race all have Negative Energy Resistance. We're not afraid of Undead Creatures at all."
Was this a case of 'if you can kill it, it's nothing to be afraid of'?
Li Chengxi suddenly realized the difference in their worldviews.
Perhaps in Audel's eyes, a ghost was just a rather annoying natural phenomenon, much like rain or thunder.
What was there to be afraid of?
But Li Chengxi was different.
The worldview he had built up over more than twenty years clearly couldn't accept the real existence of ghosts.
He was beginning to understand why the country didn't publicize the existence of supernatural powers.
For the average person, this matter was too far beyond the scope of their understanding, not to mention the series of social problems that might arise after it was made public...
Just thinking about it was a headache.
"That thing you used on Qian Sen yesterday, the Anti-Evil Formation, can you make one for me?"
"Is there a need for that?"
"I think so..."
Audel thought about it very seriously.
"Learning magic isn't something that shows results in a day or two. The simplest way is to make it into a Magical Artifact, but I didn't bring any material vouchers with me this time."
Even the most clever housewife can't cook without rice.
"Besides, it shouldn't be necessary. As a god, you are an overwhelming presence to any Undead Creature. They would be purified just by getting close to you."
Li Chengxi couldn't explain it to Audel.
After all, he was a god in the game, but just an ordinary person in reality, and Audel happened to have come from the game.
This was where the whole thing got twisted.
Just as he was trying to figure out how to explain it to Audel, Li Chengxi's phone, which was on the coffee table, started buzzing.
The caller ID showed 'Qian Sen'.
Li Chengxi picked up the phone, told Audel to continue eating, and moved aside to answer the call.
"Thanks for your help last night."
"It's nothing. How are you doing now?"
"The doctor said it was just excessive blood loss and I need to rest for a while. They didn't even make me stay in the hospital."
"They didn't misdiagnose, did they? That wound on your arm was so deep you could almost see the bone."
"I have your Healing Art to thank for that."
When Qian Sen arrived at the hospital, the wound had already begun to heal and had long stopped bleeding.
The only uncomfortable part was that it healed too quickly and the bandage got stuck to it.
They had to flush it with disinfectant while peeling it off piece by piece...
"I'll definitely visit to thank you properly one of these days."
"There's no need. It was no trouble at all."
Li Chengxi was modest for a moment, then secretly lowered his voice and asked:
"I wanted to ask, is there anything an ordinary person can get that can drive away ghosts?"
"Why are you asking about this?"
"I couldn't sleep all of last night. Every time I closed my eyes, all I could hear was that banging sound."
"Oh, right. I forgot you only recently joined this circle."
This kind of situation was not uncommon among the members of Section Nine.
Qian Sen said:
"This time was a special case. There are usually no ghosts in the city, and even if there are, they won't affect people. You won't even be able to see them. But if you're really worried, you can go to a temple or a similar place and ask for a protective talisman. That should be enough."
"That's all it takes?"
"What else?"
This was really just for psychological comfort; it had no real effect.
But just as Qian Sen said, there was no need to worry about a ghost showing up at his door in the middle of the night.
What Li Chengxi needed right now was psychological comfort.
Putting down the phone, he said to Audel, who was drinking her soup:
"Let's go out. We'll take a walk outside today."
–‐‐——–‐‐——
On the other side, Qian Sen, who had also just hung up the phone, turned and walked into the rental house, which was now cordoned off.
The house where the haunting was rumored to have occurred had been sealed off by the police late at night, and the nearby residents had already seen it.
The police told them that a fugitive had been hiding in this unoccupied house.
He was very cunning and had strong counter-surveillance skills, and the noises they had heard recently were all his doing.
After all, they couldn't just say the house was really haunted, and this explanation was indeed plausible.
To make it more convincing, they even had some police officers go door-to-door in the area, pretending to ask if any strangers had been seen around recently, as if they were really catching a fugitive.
But inside the rental house, it was no longer within the police's jurisdiction.
A group of people from Section Nine were sweeping around with their instruments.
"Brother Ren, have you found anything?"
Because the matter was rather strange and didn't follow common sense, Qian Sen had invited Brother Ren from the neighboring city back again.
"A little something, but I'm not entirely sure yet. How's your injury?"
"I'm fine. It just hurt a bit when they took off the bandage yesterday. I don't even need to be hospitalized."
Getting injured was unavoidable in their line of work.
Brother Ren only asked briefly before pointing to a cabinet.
"Get two people to move this cabinet. I think there might be something hidden underneath."
His judgment was actually very simple.
The whole house had been uninhabited for a long time and was covered in dust everywhere.
It was hard to see clearly late at night, but in the morning, with ample light, a careful observation would reveal scuff marks in the dust under the cabinet, indicating that it had been moved.
Qian Sen immediately called over two people.
They first marked the cabinet's position and took photos to make it easier to move back later, then they lifted the cabinet away.
Brother Ren squatted on the floor, tapping the tiles where the cabinet had been.
After a few taps, he heard a hollow sound.
He found a screwdriver and pried open the tile along its seam.
A small, palm-sized cavity appeared beneath the tile.
Inside the cavity sat a small, delicate oil lamp.
The lamp was already out.
"What is this thing?"
Qian Sen had never seen it before, but when Brother Ren saw it, his expression immediately turned serious.
"This is trouble. You guys prepare to submit all the materials related to this case to the provincial level."
"Is it that serious?"
"Although it's still just my speculation, I think... the person behind this is the same one from the Master Key incident."
Brother Ren had someone put the small oil lamp in an evidence bag, then turned back to Qian Sen and said:
"According to the information I've received, this bastard has already committed multiple crimes in various parts of the country. His motive is still unclear, but at the very least, it's not something a city-level unit can handle. You should also prepare yourself. Once the test results for the oil lamp are out, colleagues from the head office might come to question you."
When Qian Sen heard this, he instantly became nervous, feeling a dull ache in his wound.
(End of Chapter)