The fact that Zhang Zizhen had committed suicide at the mere mention of the Special Management Bureau made Pan Wencheng feel a little melancholy.
Their Special Management Bureau is clearly a department with a high social responsibility to combat feudal superstitions and assist in investigating espionage. However, because of its repeated name and frequent appearances in the novel, it has become the base camp in the eyes of the "feudal superstitious" people, and they are even eager to recommend themselves to join.
What’s even more terrifying is that Zhang Zizhen’s case is very likely not the last.
Given this coincidence, could the Special Management Bureau really be turning into the kind of official metaphysical management agency described in novels? As an independent department with a small staff, it would be extremely easy for the Special Management Bureau to change or increase its business.
Pan Wencheng sighed silently, but remained silent as he continued to follow Zhang Zizhen's lead. Gradually, they pieced together the complete story.
It's summer vacation for all schools and universities, and Zhang Zizhen returned to Longhu Mountain immediately after the break, not staying in Beijing. A few days ago, his college roommate saw the music festival promotion and called Zhang Zizhen back in the group chat.
With two or three days left before the music festival, they couldn't just sit around in the hotel, so they looked up travel guides for food, drinks, and entertainment. Yesterday, following the food recommendations, they headed to the night market snack street. As they passed the street under construction, Zhang Zizhen sensed a ghostly aura.
He then used the excuse of walking around the construction site to confirm that it was indeed haunted. The next day, after the music festival had ended, he tricked his friends into leaving and went to the construction site himself to exorcise the ghost. However, his skills were inadequate, and he was not only arrested but also tortured.
Wen Xuyang leaned forward, looked Zhang Zizhen in the eye, and asked, "If you're not sure you can get rid of the ghost, why are you still going? Aren't you afraid that the ghost will be angered by you and harm innocent people?"
Zhang Zizhen felt numbed by the opponent's aura and reflected weakly, "I just thought that the spiritual energy has only been revived for less than a month, so even if there is a ghost, it won't be that strong. Besides, I have been practicing Taoism for twenty years, so I must be stronger than it..."
Then he was slapped in the face.
Without giving Zhang Zizhen time to reflect, Pan Wencheng continued, "What does your twenty years of cultivation have to do with the one-month spiritual energy revival? Didn't the spiritual energy's recovery take into account all your previous cultivation efforts, rather than starting from scratch? Or could you have sensed the spiritual energy when you were practicing before?"
"How is that possible?" Zhang Zizhen shook his head rapidly, subconsciously retorting, "When I was cultivating before, my grandfather told me that I was cultivating my own mind and body, and there was no such thing as mysterious things like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. A month ago, several of our respected masters and uncles in the temple felt something was wrong while meditating. After repeated discussions and experiments, they discovered that it was the revival of spiritual energy."
"After that, some people who had practiced for a long time or were gifted were gradually able to sense it. Ahem, for example, I was recently given the Du Gong Lu, the spiritual energy version."
At this point, Zhang Zizhen suddenly understood why the Special Management Bureau didn't believe him and was so harsh on him. He explained, "Director, we didn't deliberately hide this from the public. It's just that you did such a good job of keeping it secret that we had no idea you had established the Special Management Bureau."
"Just think about it, if my grandfather and his friends went to the police station and told them that we had discovered the existence of spiritual energy and that we had supernatural powers, wouldn't they definitely be arrested as liars or psychopaths? Besides, we were also very confused by the sudden revival of spiritual energy. As a result, we didn't report it."
"We in the Zhengyi Sect are absolutely loyal to the country and will never do anything that harms the country!"
Zhang Zizhen made this promise with a straight face, then suddenly rubbed his hands together expectantly. "Um, where can I get the requirements and information for joining the Special Management Bureau? I'll set an example for our Zhengyi Sect and write this down first."
Pan Wencheng, Wen Xuyang: “…………”
Yan Jue covered his mouth in time to hide the smile that had already reached the corner of his mouth.
It's confirmed, this guy is a pure middle school second syndrome patient. He can complete a big drama by just imagining it without anyone explaining anything to him, and he also distributes everyone's inner drama reasonably.
But he didn't mean to make fun of Zhang Zizhen. Instead, he understood why he was like this. A Taoist priest born into a Taoist family, practicing Taoism since childhood, suddenly discovered that spiritual energy was revived one day, and everything he had learned was imbued with unscientific power. Anyone would be excited.
Who among today's young people hasn't dreamed of being a hero? Who hasn't experienced that "middle school" phase? When dreams come true, it's normal to be eager to prove your strength and find a place to use it.
Or, think about hiding your identity and being a knight in the crowd, and when you listen to others discussing something they have done, think to yourself, "Hey, you never thought that the protagonist of the story is right next to you." This secret sense of satisfaction of being sober while everyone else is drunk also satisfies the psychology of a middle school boy.
Regardless of Zhang Zizhen's motivation for exorcising ghosts, it all speaks to one thing: he's a simple man. In a positive sense.
Pan Wencheng was speechless for a moment, automatically ignoring Zhang Zizhen's words about wanting to join the Special Management Bureau. After exchanging a glance with Wen Xuyang, he said softly, "I'm sorry, you have to stay here for two days. We'll let you go after we find out what happened."
"We'll also give you a phone, but please don't tell your parents or anyone you know about your time at the Special Management Bureau. We'll also install a small app on it to ensure nothing goes wrong. If you mind, we'll keep the phone."
"I don't mind, I don't mind." Zhang Zizhen shook his head. He had no objection to living in the Special Management Bureau. Instead, he was very excited: "Director, whatever you arrange for me is fine. I'll obey you."
"My last name is Pan."
Pan Wencheng stepped forward to uncuff Zhang Zizhen and let him out of the chair. "We don't have many rooms here, so you'll have to stay with our people tonight. Don't worry, it's a single bed with air conditioning and new bedding."
Zhang Zizhen happily followed Tong Feiyuan.
Yan Jue followed Pan Wencheng and Wen Xuyang, who looked serious, into the confidential room.
When interrogating Zhang Zizhen just now, the atmosphere was still somewhat comical because of his reaction. In fact, none of the three of them felt relaxed. They were all feeling a little breathless due to the heaviness of the four words "resurrection of spiritual energy".
After a long silence, Pan Wencheng sighed and did not mention the spiritual energy revival. Instead, he asked Yan Jue: "Xiao Jue, you felt like someone was staring at you tonight. What happened?"
After seeing Zhang Zizhen entering the construction site in an unscientific manner, Yan Jue was escorted back to the Special Management Bureau. After briefly explaining the matter to the two of them, Zhang Zizhen was taken back. So until now, Pan Wencheng and the other two did not know the details of what happened on Yan Jue's side.
Yan Jue explained the matter in detail and said hesitantly, "But, according to Zhang Zizhen, the one in that place is a ghost, right?"
Did he sense a ghost watching him? Did the science channel suddenly switch to the paranormal channel?
Yan Jue couldn't believe it: "Is the spiritual energy really revived? Why can I sense ghosts when I haven't practiced it before?"
Wen Xuyang reminded: "You are the one chosen by the game."
Yan Jue was silent.
"Zhang Zizhen said it was a month ago." Pan Wencheng frowned. "That's right around the time the game was updated. Could it really be related to the game?"
"Should we ask 91? Or bring Zhuofeng to reality and have him sense whether there's any spiritual energy here?"
Yan Jue felt a mix of emotions. The resurrection of spiritual energy sounded grand and impressive, but there were countless hidden problems. Just the appearance of supernatural creatures and powers alone was enough to foresee the potential for disruption to the existing stable and secure order. While the game had chosen him beyond his control, he couldn't help but feel a certain amount of guilt.
Pan Wencheng rubbed his face. "I can only ask 91. The revival of spiritual energy is a matter of great importance to the country, and we must take the lead. Dealing with those who have awakened supernatural powers and using tricks to discern truth from falsehood is still too passive."
The only thing to be optimistic about now is that the recovery has only been going on for a month, and everything is still at the starting point. They have plenty of time to respond and manage.
When he opened the game, Yan Jue first checked his points. With over 30,000, he should be able to cover the inquiry fee, right? He summoned 91 and remained silent, handing the reins of questioning to Pan Wencheng and Wen Xuyang.
After hesitating for a long time, Pan Wencheng spoke carefully and asked his first question: "91, is the resurgence of spiritual energy related to you?"
91's voice rang out: "Would the player like to spend 10,000 points to ask?"
Yan Jue could only nod.
"The revival of spiritual energy is part of the natural development of this plane. The system cannot control it, nor can it change the nature of any plane. However, my arrival and the players' frequent trading of items with other worlds have indeed accelerated the process somewhat. The fact that it coincided with the game update time is purely coincidental."
Simply put, the revival of spiritual energy has been brewing for a long time.
"Natural development?" Wen Xuyang was shocked. "Aren't we in the technological dimension?"
91 gave them an answer that no one expected: "This plane is a hybrid plane, not a purely technological plane."
It kindly explained, "For example, in your countries, literary works related to monsters, cultivation, vampires, Cthulhu, gods, and so on are flourishing. A big reason for this is that these things once really existed and were recorded and preserved by humans, not fabricated out of thin air."
The three of them were stunned and couldn't say a word for a long time.
Now, not only have the ideas in novels come true, but even the content in some previous literary works has actually existed.
Yan Jue asked blankly, "So, not only will our country's spiritual energy be revived, but those unnatural creatures in other countries will also come true?"
"Yes."
Pan Wencheng said with difficulty: "God will appear too?"
If gods really exist, then what's the point of playing games? Are they gods that can be killed by cannon fire?
Fortunately, 91 denied it, saying, "No. The plane's power is no longer able to give birth to new gods, nor can the old gods be resurrected."
Pan Wencheng breathed a sigh of relief and confirmed, "So, in addition to gods, monsters and ghosts will appear, and humans can also practice cultivation, just like in the world of Burning Wind, right?"
"Yes."
Wen Xuyang asked: "Ghosts have appeared, what about the underworld?"
91: "There is no underworld."
Wen Xuyang was about to ask more when Yan Jue, who was listening, understood. He pulled his clothes and whispered, "Those serving in the underworld are ghost immortals. According to the system, they are also considered gods, so there won't be any."
Wen Xuyang frowned: "After that person died, they all turned into ghosts and wandered the streets?"
Yan Jue brought up the setting in the novel and replied: "Generally speaking, after a person dies, if they don't have a deep obsession or a chance encounter, they won't become a ghost and will directly enter the cycle of reincarnation. Since there is no underworld, it means that the soul of most people will dissipate directly after death."
"91, am I right?"
"The player is correct. After a human dies, their soul dissipates, transforming into energy and merging into the heavens and earth. This is when new humans are born. This is what you call reincarnation."
After determining the scope of influence brought about by the revival of spiritual energy, Pan Wencheng and Wen Xuyang did not ask any more questions, but instead asked about the abnormality in Yan Jue's body.
"91, Xiaojue can sense ghosts. Is it related to you or is there something wrong with him?"
Yan Jue was shocked and looked forward to 91's answer.
"Players are those who have direct contact with other planes, so their physical constitutions have become more sensitive, making it easier for them to absorb spiritual energy than ordinary people. However, since players do not refine the spiritual energy after absorbing it, only their mental strength is growing; their physical bodies remain unchanged."
"Spiritual power?" Yan Jue was puzzled. "Isn't it about the revival of spiritual energy? Why is it related to supernatural powers?"
Are these two the same system?
"Spiritual power is the predecessor of divine consciousness. After players practice, their mental power will be transformed into divine consciousness."
Practice.
After turning off the game, Pan Wencheng walked out of the confidential room, looked up at the sky, and sighed, "The world is about to change."
Wen Xuyang said without raising his head: "Instead of worrying about the weather, it's better to think about the workload. I'm leaving first. Call me if you need anything."
After seeing Wen Xuyang off, Yan Jue and Pan Wencheng stood side by side in the yard.
"Director Pan, should we continue with our deal with Noel?"
"Of course." Pan Wencheng said without hesitation: "Even in the pure cultivation world of Zhuofeng, there are ordinary people who cannot practice. We have just recovered our spiritual energy, and the proportion may be even more tragic."
"The research institute has already begun researching drugs to enhance human physique using seafood from Atlantis. By then, even if you can't practice, being able to run fast and withstand beatings will be good." He looked at Yan Jue: "China is not the only country in this world experiencing changes."
Yan Jue was inspired by what he heard and clenched his fist excitedly: "With the game support, we will definitely be the strongest!"
"Good, you're ambitious." Pan Wencheng patted his shoulder seriously and said softly, "Then starting tomorrow, Xiaojue, you should start training with the security guards in the courtyard. Try to build up your physical fitness so that you can draw Qi into your body as soon as possible after we have the training method, so that you can protect yourself."
"I don't need to tell you how important you are. Come on."
Looking at Pan Wencheng's receding back, Yan Jue shouted silently: Isn't it that drawing Qi into the body depends on talent and spiritual roots? It has nothing to do with physical fitness!
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