Underworld App (10): The Unlucky Son of the World

In the stillness of the deep night, most people were already asleep. The ghosts left their homes and began their daily lives.

One of the task force members, who had a temporary spirit-seeing charm drawn by Si Qi, shuddered in horror at the bustling and lively scene before him, needing a while to recover.

The shock of seeing it with the naked eye was completely different from the usual experience of hunting ghosts with a phone in broad daylight.

One person couldn’t help but ask, “How are we supposed to tell who’s a ghost and who’s a human? What if we accidentally hurt an innocent ghost…?”

The captain gave him a sideways glance. “You think you can hurt them? You’re thinking too much.”

Then he pressed the earpiece by his ear and said to the support team on the other end, “Turn off the ghost-visualization camera function. If you notice anyone appearing nearby, alert us immediately.”

“Understood,” came the quick reply. “Please stay safe.”

As soon as the words fell, Xiu Xiu sent the location of the Child of the World to the captain’s tactical device. Watching the flashing dot on the screen, the captain commanded, “Move out!”

With that, the team members braced themselves against the stares of the curious ghosts around them, rushed through the ghost-infested streets, and quickly made their way to the residential area where the Child of the World was located.

A team member couldn’t help but lower his voice in the comms channel, “…With so many ghosts following us, our operation’s already exposed, right?”

These ghosts, usually taking advantage of being invisible to humans, wandered wherever they pleased, completely unbothered. Now, seeing a group of fully armed people out in the middle of the night, their curiosity was piqued. Since they knew they couldn’t be harmed, they followed boldly and openly.

The captain had no choice but to stop temporarily, took out his credentials, and said to the group of ghosts, “Military operation in progress. Please cooperate.”

The group of ghosts was startled in unison. “What the—! You can see me?!”

And he wasn’t even using a phone?

As they spoke, they appeared overly shocked—their forms flickered as if part of their bodies had been erased with an eraser, floating eerily in the air, exuding a ghostly and sinister aura. It made the team’s scalp tingle, though they also found it absurdly funny.

Could these ghosts not make expressions like they were seeing a ghost themselves?

They couldn’t even feel scared properly now!

The captain’s mouth twitched. “Yes, I can see you.”

Hearing this, the ghosts suddenly felt a little embarrassed. “…Uh, we were just tagging along out of curiosity…”

Then one of them couldn’t help but ask, “What are you guys doing? Is it some secret mission? Want our help? We can go anywhere, and we don’t get hurt—we’re useful!”

As soon as this was said, the whole group of ghosts got excited. “Yeah, yeah, let us help!”

“I haven’t felt connected to society in ages. If I could help you with something, that’d be such a sense of accomplishment!”

The captain was torn between laughter and exasperation, but he kept a serious face and replied, “No. The person we’re capturing this time is a ghost hunter—someone who can kill ghosts!”

Those words left the ghosts dumbfounded and terrified. “What? There’s such a person?!”

“No way! That’s like a murderer!”

“And that kind of person actually lives in this neighborhood?! I pass by here every day! That’s terrifying!”

The captain nodded with a wry smile. “So don’t come near. Also, please warn other ghost residents to leave the area immediately. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Cooperate! We’ll definitely cooperate!” The ghosts nodded frantically and ran off, shouting to the other clueless ghosts watching the commotion from afar, “Get out, quick! There’s a lunatic here who can kill ghosts!”

As soon as they said that, the group of ghosts bolted like frightened rabbits, not even daring to look back.

Their panicked escape made it look like they were being chased by some crazed killer…

The task force members had strange expressions—wanting to laugh but not sure if they should.

Then they quickly composed themselves. Their dark uniforms blended perfectly with the night. With steps as silent as shadows, they swiftly infiltrated the building where the Child of the World was located. Within a minute, they reached the eighth floor and blocked off all possible exits.

Si Qi floated beside them. He extended a hand straight through the door. With his palm pressing on the doorknob from the inside, he quietly opened the door.

Unlike when he first arrived in this world, as a ghost cultivator now, Si Qi could do things even many ghost kings couldn’t.

The captain was visibly shocked by the scene but silently nodded to Si Qi, then signaled the team to move in.

Soon after, a young man’s furious and alarmed voice erupted from within. “Who are you?!”

Then came a loud bang, followed by the sudden outbreak of gunfire, objects shattering, and chaos. Dogs throughout the neighborhood woke with a start and began barking from inside their homes—creating quite a ruckus.

Si Qi followed behind the team, passed through the wall, and entered the bedroom. The room was a wreck: the once-white walls were dented by invisible force, deep craters marred the surface, and the carpeted floor was torn apart. Some team members were injured, while others were engaging the Child of the World in close combat. Never having fought anyone like this before, the Child of the World was flustered and furious. “Damn it! It’s you people again! I wasn’t even looking for trouble, and you come barging in!”

He gritted his teeth and ordered, “Kill them!”

However, just after he gave the order, the supposedly ghost-blind humans all dodged to the right in perfect unison, barely evading the incoming claws—leaving the Child of the World utterly shocked.

—What the hell was going on!?

Just then, an overwhelmingly powerful ghost passed by his room. The thick, dark aura nearly plunged his vision into pitch-black. The pressure was terrifying.

Seeing that the ghost bore no sign of his subjugation mark, the Child of the World was delighted, assuming his luck had kicked in again—heaven had sent him this powerful ghost to subdue and control!

But the next second, he clearly saw the other’s deep crimson eyes and long, inky black hair. He trembled all over, both furious and terrified. “Why is it you!!”

It was the same fierce ghost who had rejected his “job offer” last time—and even beat him up!

Just seeing that cold, handsome face made the Child of the World feel pain all over, as if reliving the moment of near-death suffocation. He angrily shouted, “I didn’t provoke you this time!!”

“You didn’t?” Si Qi sneered. “As a lawful citizen of Huaguo, seeing you try to harm humans—shouldn’t I stand up and do something?”

With that, he reached out, intending to grab the Child of the World by the neck and slam him to the ground, just like last time.

This time, however, the Child of the World had learned his lesson. Ever since Si Qi beat him up last time, he had gone home and obsessively drawn countless talismans for protection—just in case he ran into someone like Si Qi again, where he wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.

Si Qi felt a sharp pain in his fingertips, as if he’d touched something pointed, and frowned in displeasure.

Ghosts floating nearby, under their master’s command, charged at Si Qi with blood-red eyes and razor-sharp claws that seemed capable of tearing apart any living being. They showed no trace of reason.

Si Qi said unhappily, “This guy actually turned ghosts into fierce ghosts without permission.”

Judging by how berserk they were, they’d clearly taken human lives before.

And that wasn’t the end of it. The Child of the World swung his hand, pulling out a soul-summoning banner from his storage space. Dozens of ghosts came howling out of it, shrieking as they charged toward the humans. Waves of resentment and anguish swept through the entire room, nearly dragging even the most strong-willed task force members into an illusion of endless suffering, leaving them vulnerable.

Si Qi clicked his tongue, ignoring the fierce ghosts clawing at him. Golden light gathered at his fingertips, and he pointed toward the ghosts in the distance.

The blood-red claws of the fierce ghosts reached Si Qi’s body—when a deafening crack of thunder exploded, followed by a blinding flash of white.

Boom—

The bolt of lightning struck inside the room with immense power. It didn’t damage a single piece of furniture, but it carried furious divine wrath, reducing the fierce ghost to ash from head to toe. A breeze swept through, scattering its body into dust without leaving the slightest trace.

Another ghost, seeing this, instinctively tried to retreat. But Si Qi, as if he had eyes on his back, lightly shifted backward. The ghost’s ferocious expression twisted into one that screamed, “How can you fake being hit?!” as its claw brushed against Si Qi’s back.

Boom—

Another bolt of lightning struck, sending that ghost away from this beautiful world as well.

At that moment, the golden light on Si Qi’s fingertip flew forward, dispersing the thick black ghostly aura around them. It was as if an invisible hand had swept away the oppressive, heavy air and gently embraced the weeping and wailing spirits.

These ghosts, once filled with hatred and long driven insane by torment, stood frozen in place, eyes wide and dazed. A feeling of salvation washed over them, bringing tears to their eyes. They instinctively looked up, as if they might find a path to survival in the distant sky.

Si Qi said, “Go now.”

The spirits took flight, rushing toward the white light that symbolized hope, one by one vanishing from sight.

Finally snapping out of the suffocating, despair-filled illusion, the task force members looked at the scene in front of them and couldn’t help but ask, “What was that? Did those ghosts die?!”

Just moments ago, they had been trapped in visions of countless spirits’ final moments—their helplessness and despair. Far from hating the ghosts, their hearts were full of sympathy.

They didn’t want these tormented souls to just vanish. They were innocent too.

Si Qi glanced at the speaker and replied, “I sent them to reincarnation.”

The captain was stunned. “Reincarnation?”

Just then, he remembered they were still in the middle of an operation and didn’t have time to ask more. He quickly shouted, “Chase him!”

The window had been shattered open, and the Child of the World had vanished from the room—clearly having escaped during the chaos.

In Si Qi’s consciousness, Xiu Xiu screamed excitedly: [Aaaaaaah Master!! Your World Power just shot up over 30 points—it broke the 100-point mark!!!]

Clearly, the World Consciousness approved of Si Qi’s actions and was very grateful.

Si Qi smiled. Seems like these past two weeks of hard work hadn’t been in vain. With a flip of his wrist, he retrieved the soul-summoning banner that had fallen to the floor and tossed it into the leaves of the World Tree. Then, he floated out the window in pursuit.

Those who couldn’t fly looked at Si Qi with envy, then quickly rushed out of the room. One shouted into the channel, “Target has fled down the stairs! Pursue!”

The members stationed downstairs charged out of the building, sprinting straight toward the escape route of the Child of the World. Their figures were swift like leopards, adrenaline soaring.

Si Qi dropped from the sky, reaching out to grab the back of the Child of the World’s head. Furious and panicked, the young man roared, “What do you want from me?!”

He hadn’t even provoked Si Qi! All he did was invite him for a job! If he didn’t want to work, fine, but did he have to keep coming after him like this?!

He shot out a row of deep yellow talismans like arrows, forming a wall that forced Si Qi’s body to sink to the ground.

Si Qi gave him a deep, chilling look. The Child of the World’s scalp went numb, completely losing the will to fight back. He hastily threw more talismans and bolted into the nearby woods, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The rest of the team, with Xiu Xiu’s guidance, quickly followed, refusing to let up. One member stayed behind and approached the visibly displeased Si Qi. “Mr. Si, are you okay?”

Si Qi replied, “Help me take these off.”

The team member immediately reached out and tore the talismans from midair, not even caring whether they might be dangerous. Surprisingly, he removed them with ease.

—Even someone as powerful as Mr. Si could be trapped by something like this? The team member was a little shocked.

Si Qi couldn’t be bothered to explain that the heavenly rules favored the Child of the World, allowing him to always create exactly what could counter him. He simply followed Xiu Xiu’s directions to continue the chase.

Xiu Xiu reported that the guy had even drawn teleportation talismans and had jumped dozens of kilometers in the blink of an eye. Total cheat mode.

Si Qi frowned. “This World Consciousness really doesn’t know when to quit.”

Even now, it was still helping the Child of the World?

Hearing that, Xiu Xiu shrank like a frightened chick and stayed quiet.

Unlike other systems, he wouldn’t stop his host from breaking the rules or bad-mouthing the Heavenly Dao—though it did make the Heavenly Dao hate them.

If he weren’t so timid, he might have joined in and cursed a few times himself—not because he hated the Heavenly Dao, but because he was a suck-up and couldn’t help agreeing with his master.

The Heavenly Dao seemed to sense Si Qi’s attitude and sent a wave of apologetic emotion toward Xiu Xiu, as if trying to smooth things over.

Xiu Xiu immediately perked up. Hiding in Si Qi’s consciousness, he pointed and mocked the Heavenly Dao for a few lines, then told Si Qi, “The World Consciousness is apologizing to you, Master!”

Master really was amazing—he even made the World Consciousness bow its head!

Si Qi didn’t react to this and simply flew toward the Child of the World’s last location, face stern and unreadable.

Xiu Xiu dared not say a word.

He secretly messaged the World Consciousness: “Can you help Master catch the Child of the World faster?”

After a moment’s pause, the World Consciousness made a little “OK” gesture.

The next second, the Child of the World, dozens of kilometers away, accidentally dropped the ancient book he was carrying. The pages fluttered to the ground and fell open to a formation he had never noticed before.

He stopped to pick it up. As he did, the clouds overhead parted, revealing bright moonlight that shone down onto the pages, making the content stand out clearly.

His eyes landed on the words “Ghost King,” and he froze mid-motion, then looked closer.

“Sacrifice ten years of lifespan and one-third of your blood to receive help from a Ghost King—once.”

One-time help…

A Ghost King…

Thinking of all the surveillance around him and that terrifying red-eyed fierce ghost, the Child of the World clenched his jaw. No matter what, he refused to be caught—let alone thrown in jail or killed.

He lowered his head and pulled out a life-saving talisman, sticking it onto himself.

Ten years of lifespan wasn’t impossible to recover. The ancient texts mentioned methods for extending one’s life, so he could just find a way later. As for the blood—also not a big deal. As long as he re-transfused it before the talisman wore off, it wouldn’t endanger his life.

Thinking this, he found an open space, took out a cinnabar pen, and quickly replicated the array depicted in the ancient text. The moonlight above seemed to be helping him—no clouds blocked it the entire time. He felt assured that he was indeed favored by the heavens, and he began to excitedly imagine leading a Ghost King back into the community, cutting down anyone in his way, even beating that fearsome ghost to the ground and recruiting him as a lackey…

Standing at the edge of the array, the Child of the World pulled out a blade talisman. Channeling his spiritual power into it, the paper quickly solidified into the shape of a small knife. Clenching his teeth, he raised his left arm and slashed hard across the artery on his wrist!

Blood gushed into the array below, flowing as if alive, rapidly seeping into the formation. The boiling red liquid churned like waves or smoke, creating a gateway to some mysterious dimension in that small area.

Si Qi was running with an annoyed expression when suddenly, he felt a pull coming from a certain direction, like something was calling to him—promising him a worthy reward.

He frowned. What now? Catching the Child of the World was more important, so he intended to ignore it.

But the World Power that always cooperated with him now surged with excitement, surrounding him eagerly, as if saying: an opportunity has arrived, fortune is coming—go for it!

Si Qi knew this feeling well. Every time he gathered enough World Power in a mini-world, everything around him would begin to bend to his will, granting his every desire.

Raising his eyebrows, he realized what was happening. With a wave of his arm, a blood-red formation identical to the one the Child of the World had drawn appeared before him—except this one was made entirely of blood.

If he stepped in, he would receive ten years of lifespan and delicious blood offered by a person of great destiny…

Si Qi stepped into the array. The scene before him went dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a scene just like the last time: a young man stood outside the array, excitement on his face, saying, “I’m your summoner. fierce ghost, listen to my command…”

As he spoke, his voice grew quieter and quieter, until only confusion and despair remained.

What was going on? He’d summoned a Ghost King to help fend off a fierce ghost—how did he end up summoning the fierce ghost itself?!

Sensing something was wrong, he turned and tried to run. But Si Qi was faster—smiling faintly, he reached out and grabbed the Child of the World by the neck from behind, pulling him back.

Freezing cold ghostly energy surged into the young man’s body, making him tremble in pain. Si Qi smiled sweetly. “Where do you think you’re going?”

The Child of the World begged, “Big bro! Big bro! Why are you the Ghost King?! That’s too much!!”

He had summoned a fighter, and not only was the guy not helping him fight—he was beating him up! How was that fair?!

Si Qi said, “Isn’t it perfectly reasonable for the Ghost King to also be the most powerful fierce ghost?”

The Child of the World looked like he was about to cry. He choked out, “Reasonable… reasonable… just let go of me first, okay?”

Si Qi smiled pleasantly.

Looks like the Heavenly Dao finally understood something.

The world was vast, and there were many Ghost Kings. The odds of summoning Si Qi specifically weren’t high. But after cultivating as a fierce ghost, Si Qi’s power had grown far beyond what it was when he first arrived. Calling him the strongest Ghost King was no exaggeration.

It seemed the World Consciousness had realized that Si Qi’s methods were far more beneficial to the world. The Child of the World’s ghost-slaughtering behavior, on the other hand, would only make things worse, destabilizing the entire realm. So, the World Consciousness turned on him—stripping his power and trying everything to help Si Qi capture and restrain him.

Si Qi’s earlier frustration vanished in an instant. Holding the howling Child of the World by the neck, he floated upward and drifted in the direction of the incoming team.

Realizing Si Qi’s intentions, the Child of the World pleaded, “Big bro! Since you stepped into the summoning array, you’re technically my employee now. Don’t sell me out like this!”

Si Qi replied, “What exactly do you want me to do?”

The Child of the World said, “Help me escape! Help me live freely, never be hunted again—do whatever I want!”

“A lifetime? That’s pretty bold,” Si Qi said, shaking the guy by the neck midair. The ground far below made the Child of the World scream in terror. He tried to grab Si Qi’s hand to steady himself, but his hands passed right through—he couldn’t touch Si Qi at all.

Tears welled up in the Child of the World’s eyes. “Stop shaking! I’ll die if I fall from this height!!”

Si Qi’s eyes lit up. “Even better. If you die, I can torment your soul more easily!”

The Child of the World wailed, “What kind of karma did I rack up to meet a disaster like you?!”

Nothing had gone right since he crossed paths with this guy!

Clenching his teeth, he shouted, “You took my blood and lifespan—you can’t just do nothing!”

Si Qi said, “Who said I’m doing nothing? I’m taking you in to turn yourself in.”

The Child of the World exploded in anger: “I never asked you to do that! Take me back right now! I don’t need your help anymore!!”

Si Qi said, “You sure about that?”

“I’m sure!”

“Alright then.”

With that, Si Qi tossed him forward. The Child of the World screamed bloody murder, tears flying from his eyes as he shouted mid-air, “HEEEEELP!!!”

Inside a nearby building, a sleeping resident rolled over and mumbled, “Who’s screeching like a ghost in the middle of the night… oh. It is a ghost.”

Well, that’s fine then.

Ever since they learned ghosts were real, they hadn’t been worried about burglars sneaking into their homes at night.