Only I Cultivate

Director Mao tapped a few keys on his work laptop before pressing the power button on the projector sitting atop his desk. Turning around, he watched as the video began playing above him.

The footage opened on a bustling street in a metropolitan city, captured by a live-streamer. He was discussing the rising number of ghost stories spreading across the city and trying to link them to the increasing reports of missing persons.

Then, without warning, chaos erupted.

The manholes on the street burst open, releasing a thick green gas that tore through the air, engulfing everything in its path. The camera captured the horrifying sight of those caught in the fumes, their skin melting away as if drenched in acid.

But death didn't claim them.

Instead, they staggered back into view, their movements eerily unnatural. Like zombies, they lunged at the nearest bystanders, their ravenous hunger driving them to tear into human flesh.

Panic set in. Screams filled the streets. 

Total pandemonium.

The streamer, his voice shaking with terror, tried to flee. But he wasn't fast enough. The last image captured was his face streaked with mucus and tears, just before the creatures descended on him, devouring him alive.

The screen went black.

Then, a new video played. This time, it was aerial footage from a helicopter flying over the city. Or rather, what used to be a city.

Now, all that remained was an enormous dome of green gas, swallowing everything.

The video ended. Director Mao switched off the projector.

"What you just saw was Red Mountain City," he said grimly. "This happened five years ago. A single ghost was responsible. One ghost… and it led to the deaths of over five million civilians and more than twenty thousand Hunters who tried to stop it."

His gaze darkened. "That place remains a ghost zone to this day. And it's not the only one. There's even an entire country now devoid of human life… only ghosts remain."

Director Mao then locked eyes with Feng Fan.

"Do you understand now?" he asked. "Why we can't afford to fail? Why this mission is everything?"

Feng Fan's expression remained serious.

"Good," Director Mao said.

He picked up a file from his desk and two phones, stood from his chair, and walked over to Luo Li. "This is your next task. You'll find more details with Liang Mingxia. Luo Li will be the squad leader."

He then turned to Wu Yunru and Feng Fan with a stern expression. "You two had better listen to her." 

Director Mao handed a mobile phone to both Wu Yunru and Feng Fan. Luo Li didn't get one because she had already received one before.

Luo Li nodded, then turned and left the room, with Wu Yunru and Feng Fan following close behind.

Once outside, she quickly skimmed through the document before pulling out her phone from the pocket of her tight jeans and dialing a number.

"Liang Mingxia, Director Mao sent us our next mission. Can you send me all the intel we have on the Parent Killer case?"

After a short response from the other end, she hung up. "Let's go. We'll pick up Liang Mingxia on the way."

They headed to the SIF parking lot and got into a car.

To Feng Fan's surprise, both Luo Li and Wu Yunru slid into the back seat without hesitation.

"You guys expect me to drive?" he asked from outside the car.

Luo Li crossed her arms. "Since I have to babysit you two, at least one of you could drive."

She didn't admit she couldn't drive.

Wu Yunru smiled politely. "Well, I don't know how to drive."

Feng Fan clicked his tongue in annoyance but got into the driver's seat. The old Feng Fan didn't know how to drive, but the current he did.

So, it wasn't a problem.

"You guys better cover my meal. Driving wasn't part of the working contract, and I don't work for free!"

Wu Yunru chuckled. "Don't worry, Brother Feng. Both Luo Li's and my family are loaded, we can afford your food without a problem."

Feng Fan's eyes lit up. "Good brother! Just tell me where we're headed!"

Luo Li scoffed. "Aren't you a little too cheap? Go to Guang Don 756."

Feng Fan stepped on the accelerator, and they sped off.

At Guang Don 756, a woman in her early twenties stood waiting for them. She wore a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and stylish black glasses. Her long, fair legs were accentuated by the tightness of her skirt.

Feng Fan glanced at her legs briefly before his gaze shifted to her chest.

'Tsk, flat as a board.'

After meeting two rather well-endowed women at SIF, he had unconsciously expected his new colleague to be the same.

"Good morning, I'm Liang Mingxiao. I'll be in charge of investigation and support for our squad. I appreciate your cooperation."

She greeted them politely as she stepped into the car, despite being the most senior member of the team.

Her introduction was met with silence, but she didn't seem bothered. After working with Hunters for a few years, she was used to their eccentric personalities—often a side effect of exposure to ghostly spiritual energy.

Luo Li finally broke the silence. "Liang Mingxiao, fill us in on the intel we need."

Liang Mingxiao adjusted her glasses before speaking. "The Parent Killer ghost only targets couples with children. So far, five couples have been murdered, each killed by powerful blows to the head with a blunt object, leaving their children orphaned."

Feng Fan's expression darkened, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. 

Losing his parents at a young age, both in his past and present life, made this a particularly sensitive topic for him.

"At first, the police suspected a human serial killer, but there were no signs of forced entry or any evidence left behind. They called us in for an investigation, and traces of ghostly spiritual energy were found at each crime scene," Liang Mingxiao continued.

"Its activity seems to be confined to a specific area. All five murdered couples lived in the Xue Yuan neighborhood. This narrows down the potential targets to around a thousand families. The killings always occur between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m."

Luo Li frowned in thought after hearing the information. "With such a large area to cover, tracking it down will be much harder…"

Feng Fan, the only one in the front seat, glanced back with a smirk. "What are you talking about? We've got the perfect ghost magnet right here."

He grinned and looked at Wu Yunru.