Underworld App (8): Great Meritorious Person

Xiu Xiu had been closely watching the movements of the Child of the World.

So, when the Child of the World was discharged from the hospital and prepared to follow his future new harem to deal with the “fierce ghost,” Xiu Xiu immediately reported it to Si Qi.

In the original timeline, the rise path arranged by the world consciousness for the Child of the World was basically as follows: obtain yin-yang eyes and ancient texts — subdue ghosts and leave the small village for the big city — by coincidence help others resolve ghost-related issues and gain money and gratitude — thus officially become a ghost master, repeatedly capturing ghosts to gain wealth and connections — subdue the ghost king and firmly establish his dominance — use his abilities to rise rapidly, build a massive harem, and become a unique and universally relied upon existence.

But now, with Si Qi, the ghost king and the Child of the World’s greatest golden finger, having left him, the Child of the World continued to stumble through intermediate levels using only his initial abilities. He might encounter some setbacks, but thanks to the world consciousness’s favor, he would always manage to resolve the trouble in the end.

So Si Qi could foresee that if he didn’t interfere this time, the Child of the World would definitely complete the current task smoothly, gain the favor of that wealthy girl’s entire family, and use their family’s connections to enter the view of more powerful figures.

Thus, he asked about the department’s current situation, and upon receiving confirmation that all was fine, he had Xiu Xiu activate the “visual camera” function.

Just like the ghost live stream camera before, Si Qi engraved a rune on the screen once the camera was activated. Through that nearly invisible, semi-transparent rune, people could see the ghost on the other side of the camera.

Before the ghost live stream appeared, many insiders had never thought that this thing could have such a huge positive impact.

They assumed ghosts had very limited capabilities after death, and the internet was their only place to shine. They even saw ghosts as regular civilians—never looking down on them, but not overestimating them either.

But reality proved that ghosts had incredible abilities. Most were top-tier in their respective fields. Once they appeared, they injected a powerful new force into society — the only regret being that they could only communicate with humans online.

People felt it was a pity but couldn’t think of a solution, so they just kept it in mind.

Until Si Qi said: “I see everyone has already accepted communicating with ghosts online. The next step is to let ghosts formally enter the human world and live alongside humans.”

Everyone: ???

They had just been about to point out that the two sides couldn’t even touch each other—how could they live together? But Si Qi countered, “Isn’t my current situation considered living and working with you?”

Everyone was stunned, then remembered—right, Si Qi was a ghost. After spending so much time with him without any discomfort, they’d nearly forgotten.

Soon they realized: in everyday life, humans rarely engage in physical contact anyway. As long as you can see the other person and communicate nicely, what’s the difference between working with a living person and working with a ghost?

Plus, ghosts weren’t constrained by physical needs. They didn’t need rest and never felt tired. Their passion for their preferred fields was often stronger than a living person’s. They could work 24 hours a day nonstop, fully dedicating themselves to what they loved. They were the perfect labor force!

Especially for many non-physical but high-risk, high-stress jobs, this brought a blessing.

Because ghosts were already dead — they couldn’t die again, and they wouldn’t be injured. They were the ideal choice for dangerous jobs.

With so many benefits, why wouldn’t they do it?

Soon, everyone approved Si Qi’s proposal and began working on the post-ghost-live-stream plan for how to let humans see ghosts and build a harmonious coexistence.

After a month of intense planning, once the time was deemed right and the public had shown readiness, the “Visual Ghost Camera” function was officially released in the app for every citizen to use.

As a result, the Child of the World — who relied on his yin-yang eyes to make a living, gaining prestige with his ghost-controlling skills — very tragically found himself out of luck.

He once again missed out on the support that the world consciousness had prepared for him and even became enemies with that support.

If the Child of the World had a kind heart like Yuan Lang in the ABO world, he could have done the same thing — told that family the truth behind the ghost haunting and still gained their gratitude, forming a karmic connection.

But this time, the Child of the World was too greedy, biting off more than he could chew. That things ended this way was simply the natural consequence of his character.

Not half an hour after Xiu Xiu told Si Qi that the Child of the World had been driven out, the young man who had just made a huge contribution hurriedly made a post on the human forum under his elders’ urging.

That’s right — asking for help.

It wasn’t that they had encountered another ghost, but rather they knew the Child of the World had a malicious nature and feared he might return one day for revenge.

His trick of using ghosts to shatter vases and crack floor tiles had been too terrifying. They were just ordinary people. Who knew when they might be ambushed by him on the street?

And even if the police investigated, they might not find anything. If people thought it was just an accident, how unfair would that be?

Not to mention their elder was now a ghost. If that man used methods like manipulating paper dolls—as seen in TV dramas—to sneak into their home and harm their elder, it would be too late for regrets.

So the young man posted on the forum asking for help, describing everything in detail. Worried the forum admins might not believe him, he uploaded many photos showing cracks on the floor and walls caused by the ghost’s shockwaves. Many users who stumbled upon the post gasped, quickly pushing its popularity to the top.

Nowadays, the Underworld App was seen as extremely important by the state—arguably a top priority. Both the ghost forum and human forum had dedicated teams monitoring activity. Any emergency—like a police officer encountering a fierce ghost—would be reported immediately and handled accordingly.

This post, whether in content or photo evidence, didn’t look like a hoax. The admin investigated the young man’s identity and determined that with his background, he wasn’t likely to make up such a thing just to get attention. They immediately summarized the matter and sent it up the chain.

When the leadership saw keywords like “ghost attacking people,” “ghost hunter nearly killed deceased family ghost,” they immediately escalated the report.

Layer by layer, within ten minutes, the post reached Si Qi. The official who delivered it said with a serious expression: “Someone in this world actually possesses natural yin-yang eyes and ghost-hunting skills… What’s worse is that this person has a twisted heart. I fear more trouble is on the way.”

It wasn’t that they feared just one ghost hunter, but that there might be more people like the Child of the World. Then it would truly become a serious issue.

Si Qi read the post from start to finish and didn’t hide anything. He directly said, “I know this guy. He once tried to subdue me using animal flesh and other people’s blood. I put him in the hospital. Looks like he just got discharged and is stirring up trouble again.”

The official was stunned. “You know him?”

When he heard that the man had used animal flesh and human blood to lure Si Qi, the official’s expression turned even darker.

Everyone knew that fierce ghosts became more violent and aggressive after consuming blood. For this man to do such a thing on purpose clearly revealed his malicious intentions.

But Si Qi’s next words gave him some relief: “I’ve lived at least a thousand years and never encountered anyone else like him. Don’t worry too much. He can see ghosts likely due to the abundance of yin energy lately. Some people have special constitutions and can vaguely sense ghosts — he’s one of them.”

Xiu Xiu muttered: [It has nothing to do with constitution! He’s clearly the Child of the World chosen by the world consciousness, given that kind of ability. Can’t believe the world consciousness picked someone so awful to carry out its mission!]

Si Qi chuckled: [If the Child of the World were kind-hearted, he’d never bear to kill ghosts. Then he wouldn’t complete the task given by the world consciousness. The world would be overwhelmed by yin energy, with barely any life left. Then the world consciousness would really be crying.]

Xiu Xiu froze. He hadn’t expected the cause and effect to be like this.

Si Qi continued: [Even if the Child of the World were just a little kinder and exposed the truth about ghosts, humans might stop him from slaughtering them, and the world consciousness’s mission still wouldn’t be fulfilled.]

Xiu Xiu sighed: [Alright, so it turns out he was chosen because he’s bad enough.]

The official, unaware of Si Qi and Xiu Xiu’s private exchange, nodded upon hearing Si Qi’s explanation, accepting it well. As long as there weren’t too many ghost hunters like him, it would be manageable.

The official said, “In that case, we’ll begin monitoring this man closely, to prevent him from harming more… ghosts.”

Perhaps thinking his slip of the tongue was funny, the official chuckled and said to Si Qi, “Actually, we’re working on a census for ghosts. Whether newly deceased or long-dead, we’ll register them and give them household records. That way, things can be more regulated.”

Si Qi looked at the official more kindly. “That’s a great idea.”

This was an open and official statement: humanity was accepting the existence of ghosts and treating them as equal lives.

It was more official and direct than any verbal declaration.

The official smiled brightly. “It was your words that gave us great inspiration. We thought, apart from losing their physical bodies, ghosts are virtually no different from humans—so why not treat them as people? Even allowing them to inherit their previous identities and assets poses no issue at all.”

Si Qi chuckled. The government’s response truly put him at ease. This was why he liked dealing with the authorities of various worlds—so many smart people.

He said, “I think once this regulation is passed, not only ghosts, but many humans will also feel pleased.”

With so many ghost gates now open, almost every household likely had a few deceased relatives, friends, or neighbors who had become ghosts. People themselves might become ghosts one day. This rule aligned with everyone’s hearts—it couldn’t be more considerate.

Seeing Si Qi’s approval gave the official even more confidence. He looked at Si Qi with anticipation and said, “Someone in the research department proposed an idea—since people can see ghosts through the semi-transparent rune on the screen, could we print that rune onto glasses lenses, so people can see ghosts around them at any time?”

He even imagined some heartwarming scenarios. Like someone dying in a car accident, and their grieving family suddenly turning around to find their recently deceased loved one back again. The group shares a tearful, long-distance embrace…

Si Qi let out a helpless laugh and nodded. “Of course that’s possible.”

Before the official could ask about “contact lenses then?” he added, “But there’s an even more direct method.”

The official thought for a moment and guessed, “Like carrying a ‘reveal talisman’ the way people carry protective charms?”

They had considered this, but it was troublesome—people might forget to carry it, and paper talismans obviously didn’t last as long as lenses.

Si Qi shook his head and smiled. “Just get a tattoo.”

Runes exposed on the skin react with the ambient yin energy to naturally produce the same effect as a reveal talisman.

The official was stunned for a second before suddenly realizing, pounding his fist into his palm and laughing upward. “I can’t believe I forgot about that!”

Si Qi said, “Once people get used to seeing ghosts through cameras and grow accustomed to their presence, we can roll this out.”

Not everyone could accept the existence of ghosts—it wouldn’t be good to rush it.

The official smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll assign professionals to handle it properly.”

It was just the rollout of a slightly unusual regulation—nothing they weren’t already experienced with.

He enthusiastically shared their recent progress with Si Qi. “In our plan, every ghost will have their own ID. When someone dies and becomes a ghost, they can go to the local police station and update their identity information. It’s just switching their living status—very convenient. Bank accounts and the like can be inherited automatically. They’ll even be able to shop using the app—no real disruption to daily life. Honestly, this app is amazing!”

He eagerly told Si Qi about something he’d heard: “A colleague just told me that someone turned on the camera to look for ghosts on the street. Suddenly, a ghost rushed up and spoke to him, scaring him half to death.”

“But then the ghost said a child had fallen from a balcony and landed on an air conditioning unit a few stories down. It was a high-rise, and the child was crying, with no one nearby—it was a dangerous situation.”

The official couldn’t help but sigh. “The ghost desperately wanted to help but couldn’t do anything. Then he realized this young man could see him, so he ran over to ask for help.”

It all happened so quickly—the young man rushed with the ghost to the building and notified the property management.

The property staff didn’t know about the app’s new update and were scared by the ghost. But they believed his story, called the homeowner, and upon confirming the child’s presence, broke in to save them.

In just ten minutes, the child was rescued. Everyone present—bystanders and those involved—was amazed. Even though no one could touch the ghost, they still praised him through the camera, showing no fear or resistance at all.

Then someone recognized the ghost’s identity, saying, “Aren’t you so-and-so’s relative?” They excitedly called over the ghost’s former loved ones, and it turned into another tearful, emotional reunion.

And this camera function had only been live for about an hour! So many things had already happened. You could read forum posts for three days and still not finish—it was stunning.

“I also saw a post where a man said his girlfriend passed away over a decade ago. He never got over her and stayed single all these years. After hearing about the new camera function, he turned it on—and saw her still beside him, never having left. He bawled in front of all his coworkers and then posted online to share (show off) his joy (romance).”

Stories like that were everywhere. The official couldn’t stop smiling as he said, “Once people fully recognize ghosts’ existence and realize that death isn’t the end, I bet crime rates will drop significantly.”

If criminals knew their actions could still be reported by the victim after death, no matter how well they covered their tracks, they’d probably stop being so bold.

At this point, the official suddenly remembered something and asked Si Qi, “There was a strange post earlier. It said that while others could see ghosts and communicate with them easily, this person had to search for a long time and only spotted one ghost far away—and that ghost ran away the moment it saw him. Why is that?”

Si Qi realized something. “Ah, yes. There are such people.”

The official pondered. “Is it also due to special constitution?”

Like those who could sense ghosts faintly—could some people be naturally repelling to them?

Si Qi shook his head. “It’s not because of their constitution. It’s because of merit.”

Merit?

That wasn’t a word one often heard in daily life. The official got excited. “So merit really exists! And ghosts are afraid of people who carry great merit?”

“More or less,” Si Qi explained. “The Heavenly Dao protects those with great merit and forbids ghosts from harming them. Even if a ghost harbors no malice, just being near such a person makes them nervous—if they accidentally harm them with yin energy, they’d be struck by heavenly lightning and have their soul destroyed.”

The official was startled by “soul destroyed.” “That serious?!”

Even more terrifying than that guy who hunted ghosts with a peach wood sword!

Si Qi nodded. “It’s serious. But those with great merit are always kind people. They’d never exploit that power to frame ghosts.”

The official laughed wryly. “That description… is pretty accurate.”

It really was like being set up.

But hearing this reassured him a lot.

Everyone knew what merit meant—it wasn’t something just anyone could possess. And a person like that would never commit evil.

Si Qi added, “My partner is one of those great merit-holders.”

Partner? The official froze. “Aren’t you a ghost from a thousand years ago? Your partner must be a ghost too, right?” He even forgot that Si Qi was once a terrifying fierce ghost, calling him a regular ghost out of habit. “Can ghosts even have merit?”

“Of course they can. I have lots of merit now myself—though he isn’t a ghost.” Si Qi repeated a past excuse. “He was my lover in my previous life.”

The official was stunned. “Previous life?”

He didn’t even have time to process that thousand-year romance before blurting out, “Then… does that mean…”

You can’t even get near him? After all, this guy was someone that even ghosts feared!

The thought struck him as a bit tragic.

Si Qi said calmly, “My partner and I get along just fine. I just wanted to say—people like that, though ghosts are in awe of them, tend to attract fierce ghosts’ affection. If such a person is discovered, it’s best to ensure they’re well protected.”

The official’s face grew solemn, and he nodded quickly. “You’re right. I’ll issue an order immediately!”

Then he quickly added, “But could I trouble you to make a public post explaining this? It would help people be more prepared.”

Si Qi readily agreed. “No problem.”

Soon after, the much-anticipated app added a new pinned post just beneath the hot topic “Visual Camera” thread, instantly grabbing attention.

People exclaimed in awe:

“I can’t believe there’s such a thing as a ‘great merit-holder.’ Learned something new today.”

“If I had great merit, I’d be so proud—imagine how many people would look at you with admiration.”

“Wait a sec—I just made a post complaining that I couldn’t find any ghosts nearby. Could I actually be one of those people?”

“Ah! Don’t go, upstairs! Let me rub some of that luck!”

“Eek… great merit-holders attract fierce ghosts too? That sounds creepy.”

“You, go get some protective talismans right now!”

Meanwhile, in his office, Chu Feng had just been teased by his business partner: “Hahahaha, that ghost ran away the moment it saw you—it didn’t even bother to pick up its head off the ground. You must be really unpopular with ghosts!”

Chu Feng: “…………”

He wanted to say that he had a ghost at home who liked him a lot. He definitely wasn’t disliked.

A moment later, an excited subordinate rushed over with their phone. “Boss Chu, you were being avoided by ghosts earlier, right? I found out why!!”

Chu Feng and his partner turned to look. The subordinate was practically shouting, “It’s because you’re a great merit-holder!! The kind of merit you earn by doing good deeds! This is incredible—Boss Chu, you’re amazing!!”

Chu Feng was puzzled. He took the phone and read the screen carefully, then went a little blank.

His business partner laughed at his expression. “What, not even happy? Is this how great merit-holders act? So calm, not proud at all?”

The subordinate jumped in. “Maybe that’s really it. If you were chasing fame or doing good deeds for selfish reasons, you wouldn’t be so favored by Heaven. Boss Chu’s unshakable calm is exactly what a great merit-holder should have!”

Their conversation caught the attention of many around them. People turned to look at Chu Feng, curious about what a legendary virtuous person looked like. Their gazes carried admiration and warmth.

After all, being called a “great merit-holder” really did sound… likable.

Unfortunately, Chu Feng wasn’t happy at all.

He thought of Si Qi.