Chapter 20: The PM2.5 Is Too High
Chapter 20: The PM2.5 Is Too High
Pei Ye opened the [System Records] to find the reason.
Teaching Hospital Vengeful Ghost A, namely the mute female ghost who had followed the boy, a lesson earned 1 point of Merit.
Completing the investigation mission of Red Shadow Lan Ying earned a total of 50 Merit points and 5 Fortune points.
That was only 51 points in total, yet now she had 301.
After checking the records, everything became clear.
[05:21, the Red Shadow Vengeful Ghost Lan Ying case was fully solved, Merit +250]
“Two hundred and fifty points in one go? Looks like this was a major case.”
Looking at the time again, this record had appeared more than an hour ago.
Pei Ye did not particularly care what the number two hundred and fifty implied. This was still the first time she had obtained a three-digit amount of Merit points.
She took out Xiao Hong’s phone, opened WeChat, and poked Zhu Chun’an.
“How did yesterday’s case go?”
Zhu Chun’an replied instantly.
“Senior Pei Ye? This junior was just about to talk about that. The case has been solved, and it’s a major one.” Zhu Chun’an worried that Pei Ye might be dissatisfied with his attitude and misunderstand him, so he hurriedly explained again. “This junior just received notice to go to the department. The case connected to Lan Ying’s case is quite significant. Once there is specific information, I’ll report it to Senior.”
“Go ahead and stay busy. Don’t mind me.”
Carrying a washbasin, Pei Ye went to the washroom to splash water on her face. When she returned, she saw Mi Xiangjun staring at the window in terror.
The moment she noticed Pei Ye entering, tears almost welled up in her eyes. She looked ready to throw herself into Pei Ye’s arms and beg for protection.
“What happened?”
Mi Xiangjun trembled as she said, “The window... it’s making noise again...”
Pei Ye looked toward the dormitory window and saw a pale, skinny hand curled into half a fist against the glass, poised as if about to knock.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly as she softly reassured Mi Xiangjun.
“It’s fine. There’s probably some news. Go to sleep first. I’ll have a chat with him.”
“It’s already daytime!”
Mi Xiangjun’s mouth drooped, and tears of grievance nearly spilled out.
Humans were active by day and rested by night. There was supposed to be a cycle of day and night. How could these ghosts cause trouble all night and then continue wandering around in broad daylight?
“Don’t worry. Sleep peacefully. If anything really happens, I’ll come back immediately.”
Mi Xiangjun: QAQ How am I supposed to sleep now?!
“I heard ghosts are afraid of sunlight and can’t appear during the day.”
When Pei Ye arrived, she saw the king of the hospital morgue sternly lecturing his subordinate, saying its earlier performance had been extremely unprofessional and had frightened people.
The boy stared at Pei Ye with completely black eyes that lacked even the slightest trace of white. Seeing him during the daytime was strangely unsettling.
She had assumed the boy would reveal some hidden secret.
Instead, after tilting his head and thinking for quite a while, he slowly threw out a question.
“Do you know that this is T City, near B City?”
Pei Ye said, “Anyone knows that, right?”
The boy wore a grave expression.
“Sunlight can indeed dispel yin energy. Ordinary yin creatures also don’t dare expose themselves openly to sunlight. Although spending a short time in the sun won’t make a soul scatter and vanish, and the damage isn’t as exaggerated as people think, the feeling of yin energy slowly dissipating is awful. I don’t like it. Under normal circumstances, yin creatures won’t come out and move around during the day.”
“So that’s how it is. Then should we find a shady place to talk?”
They were standing in a corner of the sports field, completely exposed to the sunlight. Rarely showing such consideration, Pei Ye invited the boy to move into the shade.
The boy shook his head, his expression growing even graver.
“That’s not the important part.”
Pei Ye: “???”
“This is T City near B City. The PM2.5 level exceeds standards all year round, the air quality is seriously unqualified, and severe smog appears every few days.” Looking like a patriot worried about the nation and its people, the boy said sorrowfully, “Under those circumstances, sunlight has no effect on yin creatures. That’s the real reason we can walk around normally during the daytime.”
Although the terrible air quality and smog allowed the boy to move freely during the day, as a ghostly being, he actually preferred bright golden sunlight and warmth.
This preference came from nowhere. Perhaps when he was alive, he had also been the sort of good youth who cared about society, loved life, and cherished nature.
Pei Ye: “...”
She had learned something new!
The boy sighed.
“Actually, most yin creatures don’t like such filthy air either, especially those who had eye problems while alive.”
Pei Ye did not ask further. She feared the boy’s answer would once again overturn her preconceived notions about ghosts.
“When many ghosts die, they don’t have time to put on their glasses for one reason or another. After death, they don’t have glasses either, so everything they see looks pixelated. They were already severely nearsighted, and then the air quality is this bad and the smog is so thick. The moment they go outside, everything in their field of vision feels like frosted glass. It’s awful.”
As he spoke, the boy frowned. A hint of crimson surged through his black pupils before quickly subsiding.
After a moment of silence, Pei Ye asked, “You’re nearsighted too?”
The boy’s eyes showed signs of turning crimson again.
He nodded.
“Yeah, I’m nearsighted too.”
When Pei Ye had left the hospital, the boy had been standing at the window watching her. From a distance, she had looked like nothing more than a dark human silhouette, so he had failed to notice how intense her baleful aura was.
Had he noticed back then, he might never have made that trip last night.
The sorrow of being nearsighted.
The boy did not remember anything from his life, but he felt he must have liked wearing glasses.
Even ghosts wanted to see a clear and bright world. Living people surely wanted that even more.
Pei Ye said, “I’ve heard that the living can burn offerings to the dead.”
The boy sighed.
“I don’t know how long I’ve been dead. My parents are probably long gone by now. All these years, I haven’t received a single gift sent by burning offerings.”
Besides, when the living sent things to the dead, they usually burned paper money, paper sports cars, paper clothes, or paper villas.
Who would burn a pair of glasses for their relatives?
Pei Ye said, “I know a Celestial Master. Maybe I can ask him for a favor.”
The boy’s expression softened considerably. Smiling shyly, he revealed a row of neat white teeth.
“Thank you.”
Pei Ye suddenly changed the subject.
“So... can you steer the conversation back now and tell me what you’ve found?”
The boy: “...”
Taking advantage of the pure-hearted boy ghost’s gratitude, what a scoundrel of a woman!
Unfortunately, he could not beat the scoundrel in front of him, so the boy ghost could only endure the humiliation.
“I asked some old ghosts in the area to investigate Lan Ying. Following the clues and characteristics you gave me, we really uncovered quite a bit of useful information.”
The following clues came from witness ghosts permanently stationed around various locations.
Witness Ghost A: “Those scumbags weren’t having group sex for excitement for the first or second time. Every time, the girl they ruined was different. Being rich while alive sure was nice.”
Witness Ghost B: “That poor girl had the misfortune of running into that bastard! The man was already in his forties. No wife, no children, no job, spending every day loafing around. Sometimes he’d take odd jobs to earn a little money. Other times he’d simply disguise himself as a beggar and scam kind-hearted people. That day he was drunk. He hid in an alley and dragged a young girl away and violated her.”
Witness Ghost C: “I’ve been stationed at that hair salon for a long time. The girls there are something else, plenty of curves and really perky too. When I was alive, I never even touched a woman’s hand. After dying, I got benefits like this... That girl you’re talking about... let me think. She stayed there for a few days too, then she died. Died horribly. What does the salon owner do? He’s a trafficker. Merchandise from suppliers, buyers, and neighboring provinces all passes through his place for a few days to avoid attention. I’ve heard selling women and young boys brings in the most money...”
Witness Ghost D: “That girl was too pitiful. She had only just become a ghost. What could she do? She couldn’t even effectively scare the living...”