Chapter 45: I Have Become a Mist Explorer?

In a Taipei coffee shop named "Ka Jia Lang".

The two men sat at a table by the window, watching the pedestrians pass by through the glass, trapped in an awkward silence.

Huang Huo-tu could not bear the atmosphere much longer and broke the silence first, saying, "How should I address you, young man? You've got quite some nerve, coming to Taiwan all alone to negotiate business, and you speak with zero hesitation."

He placed his police badge on the table, serving as an alternative form of introduction.

Li Xuan glanced at it and said, "So you're Officer Huang. Thank you for the coffee. My name is Li Gan, and I'm with the Mainland Oler Water Purification Technology Co., Ltd. I'm primarily responsible for contract negotiations and such. As you saw regarding my trip to Taiwan, Mr. Liao Chen-fu died inexplicably, and his secretary is refusing to honor the agreement. My trip here was basically a waste of time..."

Due to a strained relationship with his wife and the sudden, unsettling silence of his daughter, Huang Huo-tu's mental state was deteriorating by the day... It would hardly be surprising if he were to suddenly die of depression one day.

When a person is gravely ill, they tend to become sentimental, finding it particularly easy to sympathize with those who remind them of themselves.

Looking at Li Xuan's predicament now, a strange sense of sympathy welled up in his heart, and he asked, "Since you failed to secure the contract, do you plan to just return to the mainland like this?"

Li Xuan gave a bitter smile and said, "This is my first time in Taiwan. Since I'm already here, I might as well wander around, sightsee, and take in the scenery before heading back. Going back means automatic dismissal anyway. When I return to my hometown, I can inherit my grandfather's trade; at least it'll be enough to scrape by."

A waitress dressed in a maid outfit walked over carrying coffee.

Huang Huo-tu glanced at her in surprise, thinking to himself that while the shop's name sounded proper enough, the waitress was dressed rather unconventionally. It seemed he would have to stand by the entrance and take a closer look before deciding to visit in the future.

He picked up his coffee, took a sip, and asked, "Having a traditional trade is a fine thing. Don't let Taipei's apparent prosperity fool you; actually, the only things that make money are the time-honored brands and traditional crafts, like rice-shaped bento boxes and fish balls. Of course, that only applies to ordinary people..."

Li Xuan smiled sheepishly and said, "Ah... my family's traditional trade is a bit different from others. It involves things like geomancy, blessing rituals, and exorcisms. Nowadays, many people don't believe in that sort of thing anymore."

Exorcisms?

These two keywords successfully piqued Huang Huo-tu's interest.

Subconsciously, his mind flashed back to Liao Chen-fu, the president of the Tai Feng Group who had been found frozen to death in his office. Could that kind of situation be considered a manifestation of evil?

"Exorcisms? Is there really such a thing as ghosts in this world?"

Huang Huo-tu had never heard of any genuine ghost sightings throughout his life; he had never seen one, nor had any of his friends or family.

Such things were merely literary products found in strange tales of the supernatural—concepts of demons and monsters born from ancient people's fear of nature's wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Li Xuan used a small iron spoon to stir the swan latte art in his coffee and said, "Who knows? I've never seen one. But the elders in my family said they exist..."

This principle was quite simple: ordinary people rarely encountered severely ill patients, corpses, or criminals in their entire lives.

However, ICU doctors in hospitals saw patients on the verge of death every single day.

Police officers in precinct stations encountered corpses and criminals dozens of times more often than ordinary people did.

Huang Huo-tu understood.

He blurted out instinctively, "Do you think Liao Chen-fu, president of the Tai Feng Group, drowning in his office counts as a haunting?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. How could a police officer ask such a question? Liao Chen-fu had already been sent for an autopsy; aside from ice water, fungi were found in his nasal cavity, and samples had been sent to the United States. Results would be available soon.

Li Xuan said, "Nowadays, with advanced technology, when faced with such events, people only turn to metaphysics for the truth when science fails to explain them... Liao Chen-fu's case is indeed rather bizarre. Based on my non-professional deduction, it looks more like he was infected by some sort of virus or bacteria. Don't look at me like that; there really are many wondrous things in this world.

For instance, Yunnan in the mainland has mushrooms that can induce hallucinations, and if you don't know how to pick them, they can even cost you your life!

In the tropical rainforests of tropical Africa, there is a fungus that infects ants and kills them, yet the ant's body continues to move under the fungus's control. It is known as the 'zombie fungus'."

Huang Huo-tu was somewhat surprised, looking at Li Xuan as he said, "I wouldn't have guessed. You know quite a lot."

Li Xuan smiled. "I just love reading books."

The two chatted idly for a while.

Huang Huo-tu's mood lifted considerably. He felt that whenever this young man spoke, he always struck a chord with him. It was a pity that he would be leaving soon; otherwise, if he stayed in Taiwan, they could have become good friends.

The two exchanged mobile phone numbers.

Standing at the shop entrance, Li Xuan hailed a taxi. Before getting in, he said half-jokingly, "Chatting with Officer Huang for a bit has lifted a lot of the gloom caused by the failed contract. Thank you! If Officer Huang ever has metaphysical issues or needs an exorcism, please be sure to contact me—haha, let me practice my old trade before I resign."

In high spirits, Huang Huo-tu raised a hand and said, "If something like that happens, I'll definitely look you up. Just don't rip me off on the price!"

The taxi pulled away...

He watched as the car vanished into the rush-hour traffic, a subtle sense of loss echoing in his heart.

It had been a long time since he had felt this relaxed.

Time to go home.

...

Inside the taxi, Li Xuan looked at Huang Huo-tu's number on his phone and couldn't help chuckling.

Huang Huo-tu was a kind and upright man, though somewhat rigid in his thinking and lacking the tact to handle certain matters smoothly. This had deteriorated his social life, leaving very few people willing to interact with him.

As could be seen from the film, when it came to investigating cases, he was diligent, meticulous, and intelligent.

It was just a pity that his brilliance was confined strictly to his work.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Hsieh Ya-li win in the end...

At that moment, the black notebook appeared, its pages turning to reveal a new line of text: [Emperor of Mount Tai Edict Detected: The world is chaotic in good and evil, with deities and ghosts inverted. One of the Seventy-Two Bureaus (in the mortal realm) may be established to complete the world and fulfill the order of reincarnation!]

A side quest?

Li Xuan fell into deep thought. He knew of the Seventy-Two Bureaus; the Emperor of Mount Tai governed life, death, and reincarnation, as well as the reward of good and the punishment of evil in the mortal realm, with the Seventy-Two Bureaus beneath him corresponding to seventy-two types of human conditions.

For the Emperor of Mount Tai to suddenly make such a demand—could it be that this world lacked a netherworld?

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have become a "pioneer" character exploring a game, venturing into a fog-covered map and lighting up region after region with his footsteps to unlock new dungeons.

Li Xuan's heart surged instantly. The side quest description seemingly mentioned no rewards.

Yet he knew deeply just how important a map-lighting character was to a "player"! You could say that without an illuminated map, everything you tried to do would be bound hand and foot!

When he used to play Age of Empires, he would always send out multiple scouts to clear the wilderness.