Chapter 128 Unlocks the Escaped Ghost Compendium; Construction of the City God Temple Begins, Li…

After quickly scanning through the system pop-ups, Zhou Fangdong casually placed the ghost tenant, Grandpa Chen, into [Linjiang Nursing Home], activating the new apartment's surrounding facilities, and then closed all the pages.

I'll study the City God's functions in more detail when I get back to the apartment.

Zhou Fangdong used the [Heavenly Eye] skill's appraisal effect to check Lu Mingbian and Xiong Lei. After confirming that the curse on the two had disappeared along with the water ghost's recovery, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He deactivated his skill, and the dark sky regained its light. Under the sunlight, the water in the courtyard quickly receded, the damp chill disappeared, and the temperature rose slightly.

Although the nursing home was shrouded in the gloom of the Liwan Apartments after becoming part of the surrounding complex, the temperature inside was still not too high. However, compared to the sweltering heat of summer outside, this mild temperature was more comfortable.

As the environment inside the facility changed, the transparent figures that were formed from the deceased caregivers and elderly people gradually solidified and eventually became ordinary ghosts.

They looked bewildered, as if they had no idea what had happened or why they were there.

Just then, another figure appeared out of thin air in the courtyard.

He was a frail old man, dressed in a faded indigo Tang suit. His hair and eyebrows were completely white, and his aged face resembled cracked black earth, with countless wrinkles piled up on it. But compared to his aged face, his eyes were unusually bright, making him look nothing like an eighty-year-old.

...Grandpa Chen, who had become a ghost tenant, was teleported over directly.

Compared to the other ghost tenants, this old man Chen looked more like a normal living person. There were no marks on his body that would make him look like a ghost. The only thing that seemed out of place was his skin—his dark skin looked dry, fragile, and inelastic, as if it were made of paper and would break at the slightest touch.

The caregiver was in a state of shock when she saw Zhou Fangdong easily deal with the hideous water ghost.

Then she saw the old men and caregiver ghosts who had become water ghosts return to their original forms, and Grandpa Chen also appeared. Her tears fell immediately.

The caregiver seemed to have all her energy drained away. She suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground, and started crying while laughing.

The other two slightly younger caregivers, who had been hiding behind the main building door observing the scene inside the courtyard, also hurriedly came out upon seeing this.

One person knelt down and patted the caregiver on the back, gently comforting her, while another person said gratefully to Zhou Fangdong, "Thank you for saving our nursing home."

After expressing his gratitude, the caregiver remained standing in front of Zhou Fangdong, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

He glanced at Lu Mingbian and Xiong Lei not far away, then at the caregiver sitting on the ground, seemingly wanting to plead for her. But asking the victim to forgive the perpetrator made him feel somewhat reluctant to speak up.

“Xiuzhu…” Grandpa Chen, who had become a ghost tenant, walked over at this moment. He looked at the caregiver sitting on the ground and sighed helplessly, “Alas, this whole thing is my fault.”

Grandpa Chen passed away in his sleep, before he had a chance to say many things.

For several days after his death, Grandpa Chen was in a daze, unaware that he was dead, his soul wandering aimlessly.

Because of his cultivation in life, his soul was very powerful after death, and the water ghost could not easily assimilate him. Under these circumstances, the water ghost, just as it had suppressed it in life, trapped him in his room after death.

Afterwards, Grandpa Chen gradually regained consciousness. Although he was still unable to leave his room, he could sense what was happening in the nursing home and knew what foolish things the caregiver had done in order to remove the water ghost curse.

"Sigh, I thought there was still time..." Grandpa Chen sighed heavily.

After Grandpa Chen's explanation, everyone in the nursing home realized that the reason he could protect the nursing home was because the magic he had learned over the years belonged to him and had not disappeared with the gods. He could draw talismans to build a formation that would prevent ghosts from invading the nursing home, and he could also suppress the water ghost.

Grandpa Chen hadn't expected the water ghost to break free of its seal so quickly after he removed his suppression. He had thought the talisman arrays would last at least half a month, enough time for the Bureau of Surveillance to arrive and deal with it.

Furthermore, he hadn't expected the residents of the nursing home to have such a deep misunderstanding of the Bureau of Supervision, preferring to use an outsider as a substitute for the water ghost rather than wait for the Bureau of Supervision to come and help.

After venting her frustrations, the caregiver gave a wry smile: "I will take responsibility for what I did. I handled this whole thing by myself from beginning to end, and it has nothing to do with anyone else."

"Sir, could you please..." The young caregiver couldn't help but try to plead for the caregiver.

Zhou Fangdong interrupted him directly, saying to Lu Mingbian and Xiong Lei, "You decide whether or not to have her detained by the Supervisory Bureau, after all, you are the victims of the Water Ghost incident."

Lu Mingbian looked at Xiong Lei, who said, "I'll listen to whatever you say."

She hesitated for a moment, then finally shook her head.

"Let's forget about it. We weren't actually hurt. The aunt was just too eager to save people, and due to a series of misunderstandings, she used the wrong method and went down the wrong path."

"There are still so many elderly people in the nursing home who need care, so let Auntie stay in the nursing home and continue working."

Hearing Lu Mingbian's words, the caregiver burst into tears again. Supported by the younger caregiver, she walked up to Lu Mingbian and Xiong Lei with a face full of remorse and sincerely apologized.

Zhou Fangdong pointed to the ghosts of ordinary people and said to Grandpa Chen, "Let these ghosts of the elderly and caregivers stay in the nursing home. Don't let them leave. It's dangerous outside."

Grandpa Chen agreed. Even if Zhou Fangdong hadn't specifically instructed him, he intended to do so anyway.

Just then, the system suddenly issued a notification:

[Two investigators from the Supervisory Bureau are about to enter the Linjiang Nursing Home, a facility near the apartment building. Should they be allowed to enter?]

As the system voice sounded, Grandpa Chen also looked towards the entrance of the nursing home, clearly having noticed it as well.

Standing in the courtyard, you can vaguely see a black SUV approaching at the end of the road; the driver must be the two investigators.

The reason I'm here is probably because the caregiver reported the incident to the police yesterday. There was an unexpected incident at the hospital yesterday, and the supervisory bureau was busy dealing with the hospital's affairs, so they only had time to come today.

Zhou Fangdong agreed to let the investigators in, as he might need their assistance later.

Before the investigators entered, Zhou Fangdong asked the system, "Is the cost of designating an area to build a City God Temple from scratch the same as the cost of renovating the exterior of the Supervision Bureau building?"

Both methods require 5,000 ghost coins, but building the City God Temple from scratch takes three days, and you also need to use human currency to purchase the building rights for the area, pay for the demolition and resettlement of the local inhabitants...

“Okay, I choose to renovate the exterior of the Supervision Bureau building.” Zhou Fangdong knew this would happen; he was only asking the system to confirm.

After the investigators arrive, Zhou Fangdong plans to ask them for the contact information of the director of the supervisory bureau so that he can communicate directly with the director.

After all, if you modify someone's building without informing them beforehand, it might cause them to think that some kind of supernatural event has invaded the Bureau of Supervision, which could lead to panic.

"By the way, system, do I need to clear out the people in the building before modifying it?"

No, people inside the building can work normally before and after the renovation.

That would be even more convenient.

Once the City God Temple is built, the Jingmiao Temple near the nursing home will be activated, and then ordinary people in the area around the nursing home will no longer have to worry about paranormal events.

When the investigators entered the nursing home, Zhou Fangdong discovered that one of them was an acquaintance—one of the four investigators who rented room 201.

Since they are my tenants, it will be easier to communicate with them.

Zhou Fangdong obtained the contact information of the director of the Supervision Bureau from him, and then told the director about his plan to renovate the internal buildings of the Supervision Bureau to build a City God Temple, asking which building would be convenient for renovation.

He hadn't even considered the possibility of being rejected. After all, the Supervisory Bureau had become an absolutely friendly force; they were all family, and what was yours was mine.

The director paused for a moment, then agreed as Zhou Fangdong had expected, and even offered up the office building of the Investigation Department.

The office building of the Investigation Division serves as the office location for all investigators in the Operations Department, as well as the entrance to the Bureau of Surveillance, making it the first line of defense protecting the Bureau of Surveillance.

By offering up such an important venue, it's clear that this bureau chief has gone all out and completely chosen to stand on the side of Liwan Apartments.

After obtaining the director's approval, Zhou Fangdong dismissed the two investigators who had come to investigate the nursing home.

Then he gave a brief instruction, telling Lu Mingbian to take Xiong Lei to visit other nursing homes in the city and choose one to do volunteer work at, thus directly releasing him from control of the shadow puppet.

Zhou Fangdong planned to return to his apartment before discussing the construction of the City God Temple, as it wasn't appropriate to stare blankly in front of his tenants for an extended period.

However, to his surprise, even directly modifying the Supervisory Bureau building would require waiting for a while... The countdown was eight hours, which meant that he would have to wait until almost evening to use the City God's function.

This disappointed Zhou Fangdong, who had originally planned to study the City God system in detail.

Okay, let's wait until tonight. First, let's check the rewards for activating the tenant profile.

Zhou Fangdong opened the tenant profile.

[Special Tenant: The Strange Doll Master]

Illustrated description: Li Ou was born with a special constitution; his body, like the puppets he creates, can contain ghosts. After being modified by the souls of his relatives within him, he acquired a half-ghost constitution.

Characteristics: Sensitive and vulnerable, easily empathetic, introverted, and dislikes socializing. His dream is to create a doll that can house the souls of his wife and parents. He doesn't want to return to the hospital and be detained by the supervisory bureau again, and will never return the lease.

Complete the illustration collection for reward: [Hot Selling New Paper Doll Blueprint]

Zhou Fangdong looked at the reward with a hint of disdain.

This reward is completely useless. An artist like him doesn't need any blueprints to make paper figures; all he needs is passion and boundless creativity.

I'll go to the ghost market when I have time and give this to Hou San or the paper craftsman; they probably need it more.

Zhou Fangdong closed Li Ou's catalog and opened Chen Agong's tenant catalog.

[Ghost Tenant - Chen Qingyuan]

Illustration Description: In life, he was a Taoist priest at the Shengwanggong Temple in Linjiang District. After the temple closed, he lived in the Linjiang Nursing Home. Upon discovering the pollution and the water ghost's invasion of the nursing home, he used all his knowledge to suppress the water ghost beneath the nursing home. After death, he voluntarily became a tenant of the apartment ghost, continuing to protect the nursing home and contributing to the peace of the area.

Characteristics: Introverted, taciturn, habitually gives silently, and dislikes explaining much. Because she wants to continue caring for everyone in the nursing home, she will never vacate the premises.

Complete the encyclopedia entry for a reward: [Seven-Star Black Heart Stone Bracelet]

[Seven-Star Black Heart Stone Bracelet]: This bracelet, which Grandpa Chen has been wearing for thirty years, can calm the mind and spirit, and ward off external evil spirits. It can also help one sense the presence of vengeful spirits in the surrounding area and can resist attacks from vengeful spirits below Grade A seven times.

(Note: After the protection wears off after seven uses, you can ask Grandpa Chen for help to recharge it.)

These are very practical protective items, and they can also be recharged. They're like an upgraded version of Zhao Dawei's lucky charm. You can put them away for other ordinary tenants to use.

Zhou Fangdong noticed the "Pollution Water Ghost" mentioned in Chen Agong's illustration, which he had suppressed. Remembering that the system had said this water ghost escaped through a crack, he asked, "System, this water ghost escaped through a crack on the top floor of the apartment building?"

Yes, the eerie energy emanating from the cracks in the rooftop not only attracts ghosts from this world but also releases ghosts corrupted by the power of the void. Before the apartment's power is restored, these ghosts crawl out of the cracks and spread to other places, causing the apartment to become a source of paranormal events and severely damaging its reputation.

After the apartment was sealed off, the ghosts that crawled out from the cracks were trapped on the top floor of the apartment.

Although most of the escaped vengeful spirits have been sealed and suppressed by the Surveillance Bureau, these escaped ghosts are extremely dangerous and may break free even if they are sealed. Please retrieve them as soon as possible.

Zhou Fangdong nodded and continued, "System, do you know how many vengeful ghosts escaped?"

[I roughly know]

"System, could you create a compendium for collecting escaped ghosts? It would be more satisfying to light up each one in the compendium."

[...]

[The page for the Ghostly Encyclopedia in the Escape Rift has been unlocked. Please work hard to unlock it.]

Zhou Fangdong then said, "Hey system, look, I get rewards for activating the tenant's profile, so shouldn't I get one for activating the ghost's profile too...?"

He brought up the encyclopedia entry just for the reward; otherwise, he wouldn't be motivated to catch ghosts.

Yes, there are rewards for completing the character collection.

Seeing that the system agreed so readily, Zhou Fangdong couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Then what about the reward for the water ghost I caught this time..."

[Host, please wait a moment. I'll go check with the Inspection Bureau.]

Zhou Fangx Dong: ? ? ?

Huh? You're not even going to act anymore?

Although shocked, Zhou Fangdong still reflexively instructed, "Tongzi, find more sealing items that can remove the curse and keep them on hand. It doesn't matter if the side effects are strong."

This water ghost incident made him realize the dangers of curses, which were far more serious than a tenant directly encountering a ghost.

If the side effects are strong, it's not a big deal; you can plant it in the apartment garden to refresh the attribute stats.

After waiting a while, the system's electronic voice sounded again:

[Congratulations, host, for unlocking the [Pollution - Water Ghost] illustration. Reward: [Map of Ghostly Trails]]

Zhou Fangdong checked the effects of the prop.

This map marks all the major paranormal events recorded by the Intelligence Division of the Surveillance Bureau, including many ghosts and monsters sealed away by the Surveillance Bureau.

Although it's not a seal that can remove the curse, it's a good start. He can then slowly catch vengeful spirits according to the map to unlock the encyclopedia, and the system will definitely reward him with all those seals.

Zhou Fangdong stroked his chin.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but the system seemed particularly easy to talk to today.

He decided to take this opportunity to continue asking about what he was curious about: "Tong, can you tell me how the cracks on the top floor of our apartment building came about?"

[The ancient gods died of old age, the world's defenses collapsed, and the gods, while struggling to maintain order... sizzling... experienced the collapse and reshaping of the five realms of Heaven and Man... sizzling... both the gods and the Heavenly Dao were undergoing transformation... and were being... invaded from the outside...]

A more chaotic series of electrical sounds erupted, and the system's electronic voice suddenly became sluggish:

The system doesn't understand what the host is saying.

Alright, it seems that his task process and the clues he collected did not meet the requirements. The system will punish him for prematurely revealing the world background.

Zhou Fangdong stopped bothering the system and decided to continue doing what he had wanted to do but was interrupted by the nursing home incident—he planned to take a walk around the fourth floor of the apartment to see what was going on with the ghost that was occupying the fourth-floor corridor.