Chu Hang's soul stared blankly at the hippopotamus in the sky.

"What are you? A fantastical species? What did you mean by what you just said?"

With a single leap, the hippopotamus effortlessly jumped from the sky to the ground.

It was only then that Chu Hang realized that it was less of a hippopotamus and more of a large, fat man with a white hippopotamus head and dressed in white clothes.

The word "horse face" arose in Chu Hang's mind with a rather absurd meaning.

'But this horse-faced demon is too...'

"Ahem... I can guess what you're thinking. You're Chinese, so you probably think I'm Horse-Face, right?"

"But! Chu Hang, you need to understand, is it possible for a horse-faced creature to have a hippopotamus face? I'm a genuine energy species, don't associate me with that kind of monster!"

Then he added in a low voice.

"Although the functions are actually quite similar..."

Chu Hang heard every word clearly and, with his excellent comprehension, immediately realized that there might be a place where souls are collected after death.

Seeing Chu Hang deep in thought, Hippo Face pulled out a thin rope while rubbing his hands together and put a loop on Chu Hang's right hand.

"Alright, to avoid your soul dissipating, since we're from Earth, I won't beat around the bush. Just like you thought, there is indeed an afterlife, and it's only been around for a few years. Let's talk as we walk."

"Go? Where to?"

Chu Hang was still processing the information when he heard about leaving, and subconsciously asked a question.

"Brother, you're dead now! Where do you think you're going? You're a graduate of a prestigious university, of course you'll go to the underworld!"

"Holy crap, there really is an underworld? It was established a few years ago? There's not a single thing about it online!"

"So many problems, I'm leaving."

As he spoke, Chu Hang felt a tug. The thin rope wrapped around his right wrist felt like a strong iron chain, pulling him forward at varying speeds as he followed the hippopotamus.

Along the way, Hippo Face also stopped to receive several souls who had died due to other accidents or incidents.

Some were at a loss, some were crying loudly on the spot, and some ran away when they saw them but were caught and brought back.

Without exception, these souls felt their fear greatly diminished after learning that the hippopotamus-faced creature was an energy source.

Only when the thin rope in his hand had wrapped around ten souls did the hippopotamus stop wandering around and instead lead them in one direction.

Before I knew it, the light around me began to dim, and I was now clearly standing on an eerie, undulating ground, and a sinister feeling washed over me.

Although the hippopotamus seemed to be walking slowly, the surrounding scenery rushed past as it moved, and it even turned back to say a few words when it saw that the souls behind it were a little scared.

"This is actually the sea, but you are at the boundary between reality and illusion, and you are about to enter the entrance to the Netherworld, so the scene you see is different from usual."

As they moved forward, an endless, cold green light appeared on the horizon, clinging to the ground like waves that rippled with unusual slowness. A vast number of souls, led by strange "ghost messengers" dressed in white or black, gathered there, their numbers seemingly innumerable.

"So many people have died on Earth?"

The soul of a middle-aged woman behind Chu Hang cautiously asked a question.

"No way, the Earth's mortality rate is very low right now. The number of unnatural deaths worldwide is decreasing every year, and life expectancy is constantly increasing. How could so many people die in one day?"

Chu Hang agreed with this statement. The boundless cold light was like an endless door, and if it looked like every place was filled with busy "ghost messengers" and the dead, the number was too exaggerated.

As they got closer, Chu Hang realized something was wrong.

"Hey, look, these aren't humans or any other Earth species. I recognize that one, it's a Blue Man, and there's a Tuscany!"

"I understand! This isn't just Earth; it's a gathering place for the dead throughout the universe!"

The hippo turned its head, and its huge head actually looked kind of silly and cute.

"You're half right. It is the place where all living beings in the known universe within the Earth Sphere gather after death, well, one of them."

"You are human, so you receive preferential treatment. The treatment of other non-Earth creatures after death is basically the same as the mythological background in your novels. Alright, I should hand over the reins now."

"This damn job, we're so short-staffed, I'm exhausted!"

Only then did Chu Hang and the others realize that their ten souls had been led to the green light at some point, and there were many other human souls around them, whose appearance and clothing were exactly the same as when they died.

Looking up at the green light above, it seemed to connect with the sky, yet it didn't seem very high.

Just as they looked down to look around again, they suddenly saw a tall, thin person wearing what looked like a smiling mask appear behind their souls, pick up a stick of unknown length, and sweep it at them.

A tremendous suction force came, and all the souls entered the opening of the underworld.

"Knock knock knock~"

The sound of fingers tapping on the table woke Chu Hang up. When he came to, he found himself in a small white room, sitting on a cool chair.

Opposite was an exquisitely crafted desk, and sitting opposite was a "person" with a somewhat numb expression, dressed in a charming long robe of ancient costume, but with a pair of pointed, fiery red furry ears on his head.

'A half-demon?'

Chu Hang immediately thought of this word.

Children born from the accidental union of humans or other races with a very special demon race among Earth's fantasy species are generally called half-demons. They are generally not as strong as demons, but they have the advantage of growing extremely fast, often reaching adulthood in just a few years, a speed similar to that of some animals, and they are generally very good-looking.

"Ahem~ Mr. Chu Hang, you're awake? The Underworld is still under development, and occasionally entering it can cause the soul to faint. It's been much better since the beginning of this year..."

Chu Hang was about to speak when he was stopped by the half-demon opposite him, whose gender was indistinguishable.

"After you've finished speaking, Mr. Chu Hang, I've reviewed your life history and records. You haven't committed any major crimes. I've turned a blind eye to things like blocking chimneys, urinating and defecating anywhere, and stealing pocket money from classmates when you were a kid."

Chu Hang couldn't help but blush. He had forgotten about it himself, but the mention of it brought it back to mind as if it had happened yesterday.

"Well, you've caught a good time. In a few years, once the rules of the afterlife are more complete, they will become stricter. At that time, even if an Earth race dies, they will at most receive basic preferential treatment, and many things will be thoroughly investigated and they will be held accountable after death."

"Getting back to the point, you now have a few choices in front of you."

"First, you can choose to work in the underworld as a messenger of death. You can do it for a few years or even decades, and you might have a chance to get promoted."

Chu Hang was immediately intrigued; it sounded really cool.

"Second, you can choose to be reincarnated. Since you are an Earth creature, you will definitely be an Earth species if you are reincarnated. If you are lucky, you may be a Power-Controlling species or a Long-lived species in your next life."

This option is even more tempting than the first one. The world of the living must be much more colorful than this. Look at the state of this half-demon at the beginning and that hippopotamus face. The work in the underworld must be very heavy and boring.

"Um, is it possible to retain memories during reincarnation?"

"Dream on! You expect to be reincarnated as a tree spirit and still have a human heart? So, are you on the side of the tree spirit or on the side of humans?"

"Okay, never mind."

Chu Hangcan shut up.

However, he noticed that the half-demon opposite him suddenly smiled, then leaned over and brought his face close to his, whispering something to him.

"There is a third option: to become a time traveler!"

What?!

Chu Hang wondered if he had misheard and was about to ask a question when the half-demon answered his question.

"You heard me right, a transmigrator, not on Earth, not even in this universe. I have a way to send you to another world or a parallel universe. Isn't that exciting?"

While Chu Hang's interest was piqued, the half-demon's eyes began to wander, glancing left and right.

"Alternate dimensions do exist, and I know of one place in the underworld where you can sneak across and become a person from another world with your memories intact."

"But there's a risk involved in doing this... If the higher-ups find out I'm doing this, you might be fine, but I'll be in big trouble... So... cough... you know what I mean!"

I understand! Of course Chu Hang understands, isn't this a bribe? But he's dead!

"Um, I don't know your name yet?"

"Call me Brother Fox Demon."

Chu Hang's face darkened. "Big brother?" he thought. He was betting this half-demon was definitely not older than him.

"Brother Fox Demon, I understand what you mean, but I'm dead and I didn't take anything with me. How can I repay your kindness?"

The half-demon looked at him with disdain.

"Are you mentally challenged? You're dead but your memories are still intact. You're an Earthling, and you possess resources that other civilizations would only dream of! What about your bank cards? You haven't forgotten your passwords, have you? Your game accounts, QQ accounts, Taobao accounts, and your Earth Humanity Public Fund—all of that is money! With such good welfare these days, and your parents being high-income earners, they probably wouldn't even look at this, would they?"

Chu Hang stared blankly at the half-demon fox Yaksha.

"What do you need these for? What do you need the money for?"

Fox Yaksha looked at Chu Hang's soul from left to right, and was amused by the sight, revealing an annoyed expression.

"What do I need money for? What the hell is that question?!"

"Hey bro, I'm a half-demon, and I'm not actually dead yet. What do you think I'm doing in the underworld? I'm here to work, of course! I need money because I'm broke! Damn these new game release sites, all these games are so expensive, my meager Earth currency salary isn't enough to collect all the grand slam games!"

Now Chu Hang finally understood. It seemed that the third option was definitely the most awesome and exciting. What young person wouldn't dream of time travel?

"I understand, Brother Fox Demon. Our Earth sphere is truly amazing; we can actually travel to another world. I hope no one will capture me and take me back."

"No way, this even has a record? There are so many other worlds and parallel worlds, who knows which one you went to? Besides, the material energy of the living is too strong, it's very difficult to get through, unless someone at the level of an observer takes action."

"Alright, kid, what are you going to choose? I'm warning you, if you choose one or two, just pretend you didn't hear me say three, get it?"

Chu Hang nodded his head like a rattle drum.

"How could I possibly trick Brother Fox? I'll choose number three, definitely number three! By the way, is there any cheat code or anything? I'm feeling a bit guilty..."

"Damn, you're really greedy... 'Golden finger'? You're smuggling yourself in, you know? Earth knowledge is the biggest golden finger. You graduated from a prestigious university and learned a bunch of miscellaneous things, and your soul is from the Earth God race, a level higher than Earth. If you can't make it, you might as well die!"

Hmm, Chu Hang thought about it and realized that it made a lot of sense!

P.S.: Trying out a 3000-word chapter.