Chapter 4: Eerie Arrival

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In a daze, Zhang Yuanqing felt something soft and full pressing down on him, making it difficult to breathe. He opened his eyes and saw a round and delicate face with a sly smile.

His aunt grumbled, "You little brat, dare to stand me up, I'll squash you with my butt." She sat on her nephew, leaning forward, and slammed her butt down hard.

Zhang Yuanqing groaned in discomfort and almost lost his breath. Angrily, he straightened his back and flipped the woman over.

In the midst of his aunt's surprised cry, he noticed that it was already dark outside the window. Unknowingly, he had slept from the morning till evening.

"Time for dinner!" His aunt said, lying on the bed, kicking her nephew's butt playfully.

"Don't retaliate, I respect my elders and love the young, I won't stoop to your level." Zhang Yuanqing quickly put on his shoes and walked out of the room.

In the living room, a rich aroma filled the air as his grandparents sat at the dining table eating. His grandfather had silver-white hair, tall and thin, with a serious expression, not one to smile easily.

"How was your date this time?" His grandmother asked with some anticipation.

"Not bad, annual salary of a million, a corporate executive, quite satisfied!" His aunt nodded like a little chick pecking at rice.

"You always say that, yet you end up cutting off contact each time." His grandmother scolded, poking her daughter's head with her finger, "Be more serious and think about your age."

"Yes, yes...," Zhang Yuanqing chimed in with a smirk, but then his calf got kicked hard by Jiang Yuyu.

The two of them started kicking each other under the table, causing a constant clattering noise.

"If you won't eat, then go back to your rooms." His grandmother shouted, and Zhang Yuanqing and his aunt immediately lowered their heads to eat.

"Grandma, when will my cousin come back?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

His cousin lived in the house opposite, and recently, his aunt and uncle, who came from a wealthy family, went abroad for a trip. During this time, his cousin had been having dinner at their place.

"They said he's working overtime tonight and won't come back until late... he's the type who works like crazy, completely different from his lazy father." His grandmother complained.

Overtime... Zhang Yuanqing couldn't hide his disappointment and just said, "Oh."

After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing and Jiang Yuyu returned to their respective rooms, leaving their grandmother to clean up.

Back in his room, Zhang Yuanqing locked the door, picked up his phone, and dialed his cousin's number. Since he couldn't say it face to face, he decided to call him.

However, the call went straight to voicemail. "In a meeting?" Zhang Yuanqing wondered, used to situations where he couldn't reach his cousin due to his busy schedule.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought... If his cousin's disappearance was deliberate and the target was the black card, he needed to be careful. The safest approach would be to hand the black card to his cousin and let him report it to their superiors.

Given the administrative level of the Public Security Bureau in Songhai City, its influence would be limited in Jiangnan Province. But the problem was, the black card was missing, and that was the most troubling part... Zhang Yuanqing scratched his head in distress.

A black card that could disappear into thin air, just the thought of it was terrifying. Without retrieving the black card, he couldn't follow the proper procedure to turn it over to the state.

He could only be honest with his cousin and let him report it to the higher-ups. As an ordinary college student, there was nothing else he could do.

Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing felt a slight pain and warmth on his forehead. He reached up and scratched it, but the pain only intensified.

"What's happening? Why does it hurt and feel hot..." He retreated to the mirror standing by the window, looking at himself in the reflection.

In the mirror, he saw a young face, handsome features, fair skin, without the toughness from life's hardships or the marks of time.

But there was a distinctive black moon mark on his forehead, vivid and clear, with irregular patches visible on the surface. Below the black moon, there was something resembling a progress bar that showed 90%.

He recoiled in shock, rubbing his forehead vigorously, but the mark seemed like a tattoo, impossible to rub away.

"Why do I have this on my forehead? When did it appear?" Chaotic thoughts raced through his mind, mixed with panic and confusion.

"Wait a minute! Isn't this the same pattern as the black moon on the card?" It suddenly dawned on him, and everything fell into place.

The black card didn't disappear; it somehow entered his body and transformed into the mark on his forehead in a way he couldn't comprehend.

As he was lost in thought, he noticed the progress bar beneath the black moon mark change to 92%, accompanied by a pulsating sensation on his forehead.

"What is this? Some supernatural phenomenon? Advanced technology? An illusion?" At this moment, the contents of the letter resurfaced in his mind: "This is a gift that can change your life..."

"The black card is indeed precious, and my earlier guess was right. Someone covets this card, and to prevent them from getting it, Brother Bing sent it to me, leading to his disappearance..."

Zhang Yuanqing worried about his brother and stared at the progress bar with anticipation.

After several more moments of burning pain, the progress bar beneath the black moon mark finally reached 100%.

At the next instant, a voice with no emotional fluctuations and devoid of feelings echoed in his ears:

【Character card reboot complete...】

【Name: To be named (please name immediately)】

【Race: Human】

【Occupation: Night Walker】

...This prophecy, a few days ago, the event card already mentioned "Night Walker," right?

【Level: 0】

【Skills: None】

【Experience: 0%】

【Morality: 60 (initial value)】

There was a note below the morality value:

【Make sure your morality doesn't drop below 60. You might not have had a choice before, but now, please be a good person.】

Staring at the blue character attribute panel before him, Zhang Yuanqing was bewildered, wondering what this thing was. He tentatively asked, "System?"

As a proficient internet user, being well-versed in various things was an essential quality.

The voice without emotional fluctuations echoed in his ears again:

【Please name the character immediately!】

The static attribute panel in the air displayed a blue handwritten box.

It's not a system, otherwise, its intelligence is too low to communicate... With a one-step-at-a-time mindset, Zhang Yuanqing extended his finger and wrote down his name:

Zhang Yuanqing.

【Warning: Please do not use your real name.】

Unable to use his real name? Zhang Yuanqing was puzzled, then wrote down his second name:

Yuan Qing.

【Naming successful! Ten seconds until the Spirit Realm is activated, wish you good luck!】

As he listened to the echoing voice, Zhang Yuanqing was bewildered, wondering what was happening. Activate the Spirit Realm? Shouldn't it explain what the Spirit Realm is first?

Before he could recover his composure, the ten-second countdown had already ended.

【Ding, Spirit Realm map activated. Welcome to "Night Walker - She Ling Tunnel," number: 0079.】

【Difficulty Level: S】

【Type: Solo (Death Mode)】

【Main Mission 1: Survive for three hours.】

【Main Mission 2: Explore the 0079 Spirit Realm, current exploration progress: 0%】

【Note: Only Spirit Realm items can be taken in.】

【0079 Spirit Realm Introduction: Have you heard of the She Ling Tunnel, one of the top ten strange tales in Songhai City?】

【The She Ling Tunnel was constructed at the end of the last century. During its construction, a construction team entered the tunnel to dig on a rainy night and disappeared within it, never to be seen again.】

【The Public Security Bureau organized search teams and found a worker who participated in the digging that night, but the others were nowhere to be found.】

【Although the survivor lived, he suffered from some inexplicable shock and went crazy... No matter how the police officers questioned him, all he kept repeating was one sentence.】

【He said: "Do not enter the temple, do not enter the temple..."]

The voice in his ears became increasingly faint, almost inaudible. The scene in front of him distorted and blurred like ripples on a lake's surface.

In an instant, the images gradually stabilized, and dim yellow light shone on the uneven walls. Under his feet was a path paved with small stones.

"Where am I?" Zhang Yuanqing looked around in surprise, realizing that he was in an old tunnel. The arc-shaped ceiling had vintage xenon lights emitting a faint orange glow.

... ...