My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

Cao Quan patted his chest and said to Zhang Ying with a hearty expression, "Brother, the supernatural world may be a deep and complicated place, but even though I, Cao Quan, haven't been in it for very long, I know a lot! If you ever have any questions in the future, just ask me, and I'll teach you everything you need to know!"

Zhang Ying glanced around the somewhat cluttered hall, looked at the boisterous but rather enthusiastic Taoist priest before him, and asked his first question: "Since you've put it that way, then I won't stand on ceremony. How many people are there in the entire processing department? Why are there only three of you in the office right now?"

This question was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Cao Quan's previous enthusiasm. He opened his mouth, his expression turning somewhat awkward, and for a moment he didn't know where to begin.

Seeing this, Pang Zhidong sighed helplessly and stepped forward, saying, "Let me do the talking. Old Cao's mouth can sometimes kill a conversation."

He looked at Zhang Ying, his tone heavy: "The processing department is extremely risky, that's an indisputable fact. Before you joined, Zhang Ying, we had already lost several people. Some sacrificed their lives, some couldn't handle the pressure and resigned, and some... went missing. Now, the entire processing department, including you who will soon officially join, only has six people at most."

Zhang Ying nodded in understanding, but then looked puzzled: "Six people? You mean, your entire processing department only has six people?"

"Hmm." Pang Zhidong nodded affirmatively. "Our people in the Dacang branch's processing section are collectively known as 'Dacang 12 O'Clock' for ease of communication and code name differentiation. The captain is 1 O'Clock, Sister Sun Yun lying on the sofa is 2 O'Clock, and I'm 3 O'Clock. As for 4 O'Clock... that number isn't considered lucky in our line of work, so that code name has always been vacant; nobody dares to use it. 5 O'Clock is this stinky Taoist priest next to me. And 6 O'Clock is the new guy who just transferred from the information section; you should have seen him when we were interrogating you earlier."

Zhang Ying confirmed again, "You mean, if you don't count me, there are actually only five people in the processing department? If I join, then according to the order, I should be number 7?"

"That's right." Pang Zhidong nodded.

Upon hearing this number, goosebumps instantly rose on Zhang Ying's back, and a chill ran down his spine to the top of his head.

If he was 7 o'clock, then who was the mysterious old man wearing the 7 o'clock mask who stopped him?

He had initially assumed the old man was working with the Investigation Bureau's Handling Department. Now, it seemed the old man's identity was a mystery, and he might even have no connection to the Investigation Bureau at all.

Seeing Zhang Ying's suddenly serious expression, Cao Quan, puzzled, reached out and patted Zhang Ying's shoulder, pulling him out of his shock: "Hey, don't scare yourself. Although our task force is high-risk, and our positions are earned with our lives, we usually only handle small missions and deal with low-level monsters. If we're going to have a really big, earth-shattering mission, it'll be at least a year or two away. We're usually pretty relaxed, just answering phones and running errands."

After saying that, he grinned and said, "How about that? Feeling more at ease now? Do you have any more questions? Feel free to ask!"

Zhang Ying snapped out of his daze and looked at Cao Quan, who appeared completely at ease beside him. Suddenly, he remembered the strange little creature Cao Quan was carrying, so he changed the subject and asked, "There is indeed another question. Where did that strange creature you're carrying come from? It doesn't seem to have any intention of attacking you."

"You mean Xiaobai?" Cao Quan perked up immediately upon hearing this and whistled loudly.

As the whistle sounded, wisps of black energy gathered behind him. Zhang Ying opened his eerie eyes, and the little elf named "Xiao Bai" slowly appeared, perched on Cao Quan's shoulder.

Its small, black bean-like eyes stared warily at Zhang Ying, seemingly filled with vigilance towards this man who could see through its true nature.

Cao Quan reached out and patted Xiao Bai's head: "Xiao Bai was the first monster I caught when I first came down from the mountain to train. Back then, I was young and impetuous, and I originally wanted to get rid of it, but later I found that it had no intention of harming people and had nowhere to go. I felt sorry for it and took pity on it, so I let it stay by my side. Over time, we grew to love each other, and it became my capable assistant. Although Xiao Bai's mind is not very mature, like a child, after so many years of raising and teaching it, it can now distinguish right from wrong, knows what is good and bad, and will never hurt people casually."

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the man and the ghost, Zhang Ying's doubts dissipated considerably. It seems I was overthinking it.

He closed his eerie eye and said with a smile, "I see, I'm fine now."

"Alright!" Seeing that Zhang Ying was no longer hesitant, Cao Quan pulled him to sit down on the sofa and leaned closer mysteriously, saying, "Young man, judging from your appearance, you must have only recently entered our circle, right? Would you like me to tell you all about the 'supernatural world'? This is valuable information that you can't learn outside."

"The supernatural?" Zhang Ying was indeed intrigued. Although he had dealt with monsters several times, he still knew too little about this other side of the world, and many concepts were only vaguely understood.

After receiving Zhang Ying's affirmative answer, Cao Quan's playful expression turned serious, and he slowly began to speak:

"This matter has to start with 'thoughts.' Since ancient times, people have had different understandings of this ethereal thing called 'thoughts.' Buddhists believe that thoughts are illusions and the root of troubles; Taoists believe that thoughts disturb the original tranquility and prevent people from attaining enlightenment; Confucianism believes that thoughts reveal one's true nature and are the starting point for self-cultivation."

Cao Quan pointed to his head and continued, "Some people believe that a small, wrong thought can lead to lifelong regret; others believe that a single thought is the beginning of an action. One person's thought may be insignificant in the vast world, like a speck of dust. However, when the thoughts of countless people come together, they can bring about tremendous changes in this world, even distorting reality."

"And now, with the development of science and the gradual formation of various theories, thoughts have transformed from idealistic existence into electrochemical reactions in the brain. 'I think, therefore I am' has also become 'I am, therefore I think.' And this is the surface of this world, the reality that we ordinary people perceive."

At this point, Cao Quan paused, his gaze deepening: "But what about the other side of the world?"

"Thought has never changed from beginning to end. It is a spiritual power born from the body of living beings, with humans being the highest achievement. Countless things have been born from thought throughout history."

"Things born from right mindfulness are naturally wonders of heaven and earth, and the laws of the Tao and immortals."

"And the things born from evil thoughts are the monsters and ghosts that people talk about with great relish, the urban legends."

"Throughout history, the struggle between righteous and evil thoughts has never ceased. In order to prevent evil thoughts from spreading and becoming stronger, different but similar organizations have emerged in various dynasties and countries. Our Bureau of Paranormal Investigation is an official agency established in modern times to combat evil thoughts."

Cao Quan took a breath and then continued, "However, with the technological explosion, the advent of the internet and telephones has completely broken down information barriers. The spread of evil intentions has naturally become faster and more covert. You should have noticed that you might never have encountered a monster in your entire life before, but now you might encounter two or three in just one or two months."

"This is why we face such high risks when dealing with supernatural tales. Information spreads too quickly, and supernatural stories take shape too easily. If we're not careful, we might run into a monster that has become too powerful to handle at some point, and thus perish."

Hearing this, Zhang Ying remained silent for a moment, countless terrifying rumors circulating online flashing through his mind, before asking, "What about mindfulness? Shouldn't mindfulness also strengthen as information spreads?"

"Sigh!" Cao Quan sighed heavily, a hint of indignation on his face. "Speaking of this, I get angry! If mindfulness could develop properly, that would be fine, but unfortunately, the development of mindfulness has gradually gone astray, hindering itself and making it increasingly difficult for mindfulness to suppress evil thoughts."

"Take that infamous 'Spiritual Exchange Meeting' for example. It's a bunch of lunatics who do whatever they want in pursuit of so-called 'enlightenment'! Relying on their abilities, they not only fail to maintain order, but also use their powerful skills to commit evil deeds, even deliberately creating panic to harvest faith. They not only fail to suppress evil thoughts, but instead promote their growth, causing considerable trouble for us upright people."

"That's why we hate spiritual exchange meetings so much. They're the black sheep!"

Zhang Ying nodded, suddenly understanding. No wonder Zhao Husheng got angry when he mentioned the spiritual exchange meeting; it turned out there was this grudge involved.

"These powerful entities, generated by thoughts, transcend the natural laws of development, hence they are called 'supernatural.' Alright, that concludes the general background of the supernatural world. Is there anything else you'd like to understand?" Cao Quan asked.

Zhang Ying pondered for a moment and said, "There are still some questions. I want to understand the various terms used in this industry, such as how the concept of 'outlier' is defined."

Cao Quan expressed his understanding and laughed, "It's normal. When I first entered the industry, I didn't know anything either. I made a lot of mistakes and was treated like a fool."

He held up one finger and patiently explained, "In the Right Mindfulness school, those who study Taoist arts and methods and have a lineage and sect are called 'capable people.' I am a capable person, backed by the Northern Mao Xuanmen."

"Those like you, who have no inherited skills but rely on the power of monsters to fight against them, are called 'outcasts,' or they can also be called monster tamers, half-monsters, and so on."

"There is another special type, which is the 'superpowered person.' These people are generally born with a special power, which is bizarre and cannot be explained by existing science or metaphysics. Points 2 and 3 are superpowered people."

Cao Quan pointed to Pang Zhidong beside him, then to Sun Yun on the sofa: "The third ability is 'Acquaintances,' which makes people around him feel close to him and do things that are beneficial to him. The second ability is 'Perception,' which allows him to sense strange auras and predict the dangers they pose to a certain extent. He is a natural radar."

"What about the 1 point?" Zhang Ying recalled the time he and Zhao Husheng had competed in strength; that seemingly ordinary middle-aged man's strength was actually comparable to his own. "Is Captain Zhao also a superhuman?"

"Captain?" Cao Quan's expression turned strange as he said this, and his lips twitched. "Our captain... he's just incredibly strong! And so strong that it's almost on par with superpowers! However, he is indeed an ordinary person, without any supernatural powers. It's all trained or a natural talent."

"This..." Zhang Ying's face showed some difficulty in keeping up. It was hard to believe that an ordinary person could become a captain just because of his strength and be able to keep this group of demons and monsters in check.

He stroked his chin, lost in thought, wondering what he truly belonged to.

He was considered an outcast, but he felt more like a superhuman. After all, the "simulator panel" was his ability, and his outcast status was given to him by the simulator panel.

However, Cao Quan also said that superpowers are innate, and he himself had only awakened them less than two months ago.

It's really difficult to categorize him. Perhaps I really am an "outlier" that cannot be defined.

Cao Quan didn't notice Zhang Ying's hesitation and continued, "Now that we've talked about righteous thoughts, let's talk about evil thoughts. What arises from evil thoughts are two things: first, monsters, which are those harmful ghosts; and second, strange objects, which are supernatural items."