I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

"Have you not eaten for three days, or have you stretched your stomach out?"

Zhong Yingmei's eyes widened, her usually cool face filled with astonishment, and her slightly open mouth revealed a cuteness she didn't usually have, like a porcelain doll in a temple.

"Isn't it because the world is in chaos lately?"

Chung Kau seriously offered an excuse, "You might run into a ghost even when you go out to buy a pack of cigarettes. How can I protect myself if I don't eat more and build up a muscular physique? Training burns a lot of calories, so it's reasonable to eat a lot, right?"

What a load of rubbish!

Zhong Yingmei almost laughed out of anger. Even a provincial weightlifter couldn't eat that much!

But seeing the seriousness in Zhong Jiu's eyes, she ultimately didn't expose him, and simply waved her hand: "You've finally finished eating, you need to wash the dishes."

Chung Kau rolled up his sleeves and went over to help, but Chung Ying-mei nudged him away with her elbow just as he was about to take the bowl.

"Did you come back specifically to see me?"

He changed the subject, taking the opportunity to dodge his sister's "invisible elbow".

"no."

Zhong Yingmei turned on the tap, and foam dripped down her fingertips. "I've applied to be transferred back to Guiling City, and all the formalities are complete."

The plate in Chung Kau's hand slammed against the stove with a loud crash.

A job in the provincial capital is something many people would kill for, yet Zhong Yingmei just transferred it like that?

He was about to ask, "Is it because of me?" when Chung Ying-mei spoke first: "Don't flatter yourself, it's mainly because Guiling City needs me."

"Do you need me?"

"The air is thick with gloom now. Many elites in the military have joined the Secret Service, and so have I. Big cities are actually safer with the Secret Service protecting them; it's small, third-tier cities like ours that are truly in grave danger."

Zhong Yingmei turned off the tap, her relaxed expression vanishing completely. "Guiling City is my hometown. My home has been almost torn apart by ghosts. How can I hide in the provincial capital and enjoy a life of luxury?"

"Hey sis, so you've joined the Secret Service?"

Zhong Jiu hesitated, wondering whether he should also reveal his current identity as a Soul Soldier to his sister.

"Special operations are dangerous. I'm going back to my hometown as a special envoy to assist local forces in eliminating the evil spirits. You should stay home and not go anywhere!"

Zhong Yingmei's decision left no room for doubt, but it warmed Zhong Jiu's heart, making him realize that it was best not to mention his special identity.

Is it reasonable for a soul messenger from the underworld to compete with the regular army of the living world for a "ghost head"?

Zhong Jiu pressed his sister for an answer, asking, "Just how bad has the situation gotten?"

Zhong Yingmei's face instantly darkened. Leaning against the kitchen door frame, her voice lowered: "The provincial capital sent an elite special operations squadron to support Guiling City a few days ago, but they lost contact halfway there and couldn't even send out a distress signal."

Where did you go missing?

"It seems to be near Qingquan Town outside the city! Why are you asking?"

"Was an entire special operations squadron eaten by ghosts?"

"Those are all seasoned veterans who have solved many supernatural cases. They carry equipment specifically designed to ward off ghosts and have abundant yang energy. Perhaps they are just being haunted by evil spirits."

She frowned, her fingers unconsciously clenching, and continued, "The ghosts around here are consciously blocking the roads, clearly trying to turn Guiling City into an isolated city! I was able to come back safely purely by luck, avoiding the ghost's lair."

Zhong Yingmei frowned, looking worried.

Chung Kau's heart pounded wildly as he listened, he was both surprised and delighted!

What's alarming is that those monstrous things have actually learned to band together and dare to block off the roads into Guiling City on a large scale. They want to turn Guiling City into a ghost town from which we can't escape and trap all of us to death.

What evil schemes are these bastards plotting?

To his delight, Zhong Yingmei's words were like a pillow delivered to his sleepy head. He was holding ten Soul Soldier slots in his hands. Looking at the entire Guiling City, was there any better source of soldiers than this Special Operations Squadron?

According to Chung Ying-mei, this group of people are truly "all-rounders".

Being well-trained demonstrates a solid foundation; handling major cases demonstrates ample experience; and daring to rush to the front line in times of crisis shows courage harder than steel!

Zhong Jiu recalled what the news said: nowadays, when officials are assigned such dangerous missions, they have to write their wills in advance. These people knew they were going to die but still dared to go. Just that courage alone is a million times better than those evil ghosts who indiscriminately kill innocent people!

Zhong Jiu racked his brains for a while and realized that, let alone finding a soul weapon, there was no one more suitable than this group of people to fight alongside.

Seeing him frowning and remaining silent for a long time, Zhong Yingmei thought he was frightened. She reached out and patted his shoulder, her tone firm but warm: "Don't overthink it. If the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up. Now that your little sister has been transferred back to Guiling City, I guarantee you'll be safe and sound, and no one will be able to lay a finger on you."

After saying that, she grabbed her military jacket from the sofa and rushed out.

As a newly appointed official, she needed to report to the relevant departments and familiarize herself with the work.

Hearing this, Zhong Jiu felt uneasy: These words sounded comforting, but why did they feel so awkward? In the past, Zhong Jiu was protected by his younger sister as he grew up, but now he was a soul messenger of the underworld who held the Soul Binding Lock. How could he let a woman stand in his way?

"Now that I've taken over your body, I'll accept your responsibilities."

Zhong Jiu murmured to himself as he looked at the empty living room, "From now on, it's time for your older brother to protect you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt a lightness all over his body, as if a stone that had been pressing on his back for a long time had been removed. Even the Qi vortex in his dantian circulated more smoothly. It turned out that the original owner's obsession had dissipated.

Zhong Yingmei left and never looked back. She didn't call until that evening, her voice filled with exhaustion: "I'm not going back tonight. I'm going straight to the team's office. The special operations squadron sent from the provincial capital encountered evil spirits outside the city and their fate is unknown. Be careful, call me anytime if anything happens, don't try to tough it out..."

"So, no matter how prestigious my role as a soul messenger is, in my little sister's eyes I'm still just a little kid who needs protection?"

Zhong Jiu hung up the phone, feeling both amused and exasperated, but also warm inside.

Without delay, he put away the Soul-Binding Lock and the Ghost-Slaying Stick, turned around, and plunged into the night.

Slaying demons and recruiting soldiers—neither can be delayed!

Guiling City is now like a ghost town after dark, with every household keeping their doors and windows tightly shut and not even daring to turn on the streetlights.

But Zhong Jiu felt as if he were at home, wandering through the streets and alleys with ease. This feeling of venturing alone in the dark made him feel comfortable all over.

However, tonight he didn't bother the evil spirits, but went straight out of the city.

Everyone knows that the wilderness is ten times more dangerous than the city, especially remote and sparsely populated areas, which have long been a paradise for evil spirits.

Early on, under official guidance, people outside the city began to move into the city. Those who didn't have time to leave mostly became "snacks" for the evil spirits.

Zhong Jiu walked forward, stepping on the weeds by the roadside. The yin energy grew heavier and heavier, and even his breath carried a chill.

The fewer people there are, the stronger the yin energy. If someone dies there, no one will collect the body, and it will become a haunted place.

Zhong Yingmei once said that the elite force was defeated in Qingquan Town, ten kilometers outside the city.

Chung Kau accelerated and arrived at his destination in less than half an hour.

The town looks dilapidated, with 90% of the houses empty. The remaining 10% are mostly elderly people who don't want to leave, but now there's not a trace of life in it. It's so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat.

A cold wind blew, and Zhong Jiu suddenly turned around, vaguely seeing a figure that seemed familiar!

Could it be that "female ghost" who ambushed me?

The night was pitch black, and apart from the grass and trees swaying in the wind, there was a deathly silence.

Zhong Jiu's eyes gleamed with a ghostly light; to him, the dark scene before him was as clear as day.

As I slowly stepped into the village, a chilling malice pierced me like an icicle, and even the air reeked of decay.

Zhong Jiu's eyes narrowed, and he quickly spotted seven or eight jeeps parked haphazardly in the middle of the road. The cars were all in good condition, but they were empty, with the doors open, as if they had been hastily abandoned.

"This is it."

Zhong Jiu touched the ghost-slaying stick at his waist, recalling what Zhong Yingmei had said: The last message this group sent only said that there was great danger in Qingquan Town, and asked the follow-up actions to avoid it. They didn't even mention asking for help, obviously because they were afraid of implicating more people.

"But what about their bodies?"

Zhong Jiu frowned as he walked inside, his unease growing stronger.

Outside the Huida Building, he felt an obvious danger, but here, the terrifying aura was hidden, appearing and disappearing intermittently, as if an eye was watching him from the shadows, waiting for him to fall into a trap.

"Could the ghost blocking the road be in cahoots with the evil spirits in this town?"

As Zhong Jiu was pondering this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Thirty meters ahead, the yin energy was so dense it was almost solidified, like a black wall blocking the road.

"What kind of crazy thing is this?"

He tiptoed closer, and when he saw what was in front of him, he gasped.

There was a large pit in the ground, and inside the pit were countless ghosts, like swarms of flies, at least a thousand of them!