130. Once So Passionate

Chen Sheng did not force his stomach. Even though his method of eating had shifted from oral consumption to the absorption of vital essence, any unpalatable food was merely a matter of unpleasant texture. As for this dish that could "make whoever stares at it pregnant," it was better left to others—such as the one who prepared this miraculous delicacy—to taste.

This attitude of Chen Sheng’s naturally left a certain young girl highly dissatisfied, so she chased him out of the kitchen. Chen Sheng gave her a strange look before walking into the living room and lying down on the sofa; since he wasn't eating this late-night snack, it made no real difference to him anyway. He reached out and grabbed an apple from the coffee table. He leaned his head in and took a gentle breath. Instantly, the apple shriveled at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into something as withered as a cluster of dead leaves in just two or three seconds. With a flick of his hand, the shriveled apple crumbled into a pile of powder, which Chen Sheng tossed into the trash bin.

Glancing at the kitchen, Chen Sheng felt that the young girl was likely one of those stubborn types who would never give up until they hit a wall. He took out his gold-rimmed glasses and put them on. He prepared to play that "healing game" for a while.

He began to "log in." A change occurred within Chen Sheng’s field of vision. Soon, his entire person vanished into thin air. He felt nothing of the transition; it was entirely silent, unnoticed by anyone—except for the young girl in the kitchen, who was puffing out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Hmm? Is Old Chen going off to play his 'madman of the mortal world' act again?" A small head peeked out from behind the partial wall separating the living room from the kitchen. She thought for a moment, then reached out and gave a tug.

There was nothing there but air, yet as she pulled, a dim, gloomy image emerged out of nowhere. With the appearance of this image, the previously bright room suddenly grew dark; it felt as if the electrical circuits had aged in an instant, and dust began to coat the clean floor.

This was "Ghastly Phantoms," the supernatural space named by the young girl.

Within this space, she could peer directly into that bizarre world and even adjust her perspective to lock onto Chen Sheng, who had already departed. This was the reason she had always felt that "Ghastly Phantoms" was related to the "World of the Deceased." For in the "World of the Deceased," one could also look out into the human realm of that strange world! It was simply not as convenient as it was in "Ghastly Phantoms," where she could freely adjust the angle and lock onto specific people or objects.

***

After "logging into the game," Chen Sheng discovered something quite strange. The town was in a bit of chaos at the moment. However, the source of the chaos was not him; although he had wiped out Xu Guanyan and her group, the police officers here were actually hunting down a female officer named "Cheng Anyan," not him.

"What's going on?" Chen Sheng was slightly surprised, but he soon dismissed it. He even mingled with the officers, helping them search for this female officer named Cheng Anyan. But he couldn't find her. This made Chen Sheng feel puzzled. "Is this not a quest? Or has this quest not been unlocked yet, which is why this NPC target hasn't appeared?"

Chen Sheng pondered it and decided the latter was more likely, so he left the team and departed the town. However, he didn't get far before he encountered a team of officers who had just finished an exploration mission—the reason for their exploration was, naturally, to investigate the mystery behind the bizarre disappearance of Sanjiang City.

The leader of this exploration team was a man in his forties, dressed in much finer attire than Chen Sheng, clearly a mid-level officer. This mid-level officer called out to Chen Sheng, not to cause trouble, but to ask if he could recruit an exploration team and register it under his name.

"You don't have to do anything at all; even if you just show up for the registration, that's enough. All the allowances and benefits will be yours," the mid-level officer said with a chuckle.

Chen Sheng was taken aback. "Is this allowed?"

"Allowed? Why wouldn't it be! You must have just become a full-time officer recently, right?" The mid-level officer nodded repeatedly.

"I was promoted to a junior officer about a month ago," Chen Sheng replied, incorporating the game's timeline.

Upon hearing this, the mid-level officer's smile grew even brighter. "No wonder. Haha, looking at you, you probably don't have any backing. To have become a junior officer, you must have some real skill. Since that's the case, as your senior, let me give you some advice."

"Please, instruct me, Senior." Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng immediately responded with a beaming smile, thinking a quest had arrived. What was the most enjoyable part of playing a game? Nothing beat the arrival of a quest. Of course, it had to be a quest with a reward; otherwise, he'd have the urge to unscrew the head of the dog-brained designer.

The mid-level officer was very satisfied with Chen Sheng's attitude. He said, "After becoming a junior officer, there's no need to work yourself to the bone like you did as an intern. No matter how hard you work, it would take you at least ten years to reach my position. Because you lack the background, no matter how dissatisfied you feel, you'll have to keep it to yourself."

"I know," Chen Sheng replied absently, his mind elsewhere.

"So, all you need to do is show up and leave on time. There's no need for such a strong sense of responsibility. You can push yourself to get from intern to junior officer, because there are enough junior positions for that effort to pay off. But reaching mid-level officer isn't something you can just get by working hard. Sometimes you work your life away, only to find that all the credit goes to your superior. If you dare to object, you're considered 'unaware of how the world works' and will be told to go home and reflect!"

The mid-level officer's tone shifted as he spoke, sounding as if he were harboring deep resentment. But Chen Sheng didn't notice, because he was zoning out. Like most players, when encountering this kind of dialogue-heavy quest, he would usually press "fast forward." Since there was no such shortcut here, he had no choice but to zone out and offer perfunctory replies.

"Thank you for the advice, Senior!" Chen Sheng said dismissively.

The mid-level officer clearly sensed Chen Sheng’s attitude, but he wasn't angry. He had risen from the grassroots himself, so he understood the mindset of such young people and could sympathize. After all, he had once been just as passionate!

Because of this, the mid-level officer actually found Chen Sheng more likable. Unlike those elite types who were utterly out of touch with reality, he knew from his own experience at the bottom that the normal operation of the Police Bureau relied heavily on these passionate young people. You could put a pig in the position of Police Chief, but you couldn't fill the grassroots positions of every department with pigs.