"Do you need help?"
The silver-haired young man's calm voice cut through the eerie silence.
For some reason—Wu Ming's nose stung. A wave of bitterness surged through his chest, and for a second, he almost burst into tears.
This stream—this nightmare of a stream— First, he ran into the silver-haired man, Then got trapped in a ghost maze, And finally—he was being chased around a mountain by a coffin.
What had he done to deserve this?!
At first, Wu Ming had feared this mysterious silver-haired man— worried he was some kind of seductive ghost.
But after a full night of terror, his strength was utterly drained, his legs refused to move, and his will to fight had collapsed.
"That's it. I'm done running! Kill me, haunt me, do whatever the hell you want!"
Wu Ming shouted hoarsely, before slumping to the ground, not bothering to move a single muscle.
Behind him— the dragging noise returned— the coffin had caught up.
Yet—the silver-haired man did not react.
Instead—he casually picked up Wu Ming's flashlight, rolling it across his smooth, jade-like palm.
Click.
He suddenly disassembled it, his fingers swiftly dancing across wires and circuits.
"Electrical connection is unstable. Some resistors are limiting brightness. Removing them will restore full illumination. With minor modifications, I can enhance the intensity and expand the light's range…"
Before he even finished speaking—
The flashlight, dismantled just moments ago, had already been reassembled— good as new, now in his grasp.
The speed was unbelievable—like a dream.
Wu Ming stared in stunned silence.
His "help"—was fixing his flashlight?!
A ghost was right behind him— and this guy thought fixing electronics was the priority?!
Wu Ming struggled upright, about to protest, but—the silver-haired man suddenly turned to look behind him.
At that moment—Wu Ming heard it.
The scratching sound.
His body froze.
The coffin had stopped right behind him.
From its half-open lid, pale, skeletal hands reached out— grasping his shoulder.
A dry, raspy whisper crawled into his ears.
"Carry me…"
Wu Ming's whole body trembled, paralyzed in pure terror.
His throat dried, his voice refused to come out.
Yet—the silver-haired man's eyes brightened.
"A brand-new, unidentified lifeform."
Wu Ming barely processed his words.
"Observations suggest its outer structure is a massive wooden exoskeleton. Two appendages have emerged, capable of vocalizing human speech. It has never been recorded in previous biological studies."
Wu Ming almost coughed up blood.
No one—no one in history— had ever described a ghost like that!
Even the coffin ghost seemed confused, its hands hesitating, pausing as if unsure of itself.
But—the silver-haired man stepped forward without fear, intending to study it further.
As he walked—he turned on the flashlight.
A blinding white beam erupted—
Not an ordinary flashlight glow— but a high-powered searchlight, illuminating the entire mountain, so bright it was blinding.
As he passed Wu Ming, he tossed the flashlight into his arms.
"Your lighting device has been repaired."
Wu Ming gawked, staring blankly at the flashlight in his hands—
A walking spotlight, brilliantly flooding the darkness.
Just as the silver-haired youth had claimed—the illumination level was enhanced by "just a bit."
Or rather—by an absurd amount.
The blood-red coffin couldn't handle such intense light.
With a piercing wail, it flipped violently, tumbling down the slope like a felled tree.
Its skeletal hands scrambled desperately, clawing at the ground— but this time, instead of chasing Wu Ming, it was fleeing downhill at an alarming speed.
The silver-haired youth followed the coffin, recording his observations in an even more delighted tone:
"Based on current observations, the unidentified entity moves using two appendages, its main body seemingly inhabiting a wooden shell— similar to the hermit crab species…"
His scientific commentary instantly dissolved the lingering fear.
Even Wu Ming—who had resigned himself to death moments ago— suddenly found the courage to grab his flashlight, chasing after the escaping coffin— bombarding it with intense light beams.
The coffin ghost shrieked, rolling and tumbling clumsily, until—it disappeared entirely, vanishing into the dense grass beneath the mountainside.
Only a worn-down tombstone remained, half-buried in the undergrowth.
The silver-haired youth reached the spot, his voice carrying a slight note of regret:
"The unidentified entity is highly sensitive to light. Upon exposure to strong illumination, it retreats into hiding."
"Based on the traces left behind, this species appears to reside within human graves. However—excavating graves without permission from the deceased's family would be illegal and unethical…"
His tone suggested— that if permission were granted, he would waste no time in digging up the coffin to continue his research.
Truly merciless. Not even ghosts were safe from scientific curiosity!
By now, Wu Ming—still radiating like a miniature sun— had caught up, panting heavily.
"Listen to me—there's a ghost maze here! Don't run around aimlessly, or you'll be stuck in an endless loop!"
The silver-haired youth glanced at him, seemingly unfamiliar with the term "ghost maze," but he understood the phrase "endless loop."
"For unknown reasons, the magnetic field here is extremely unstable, disrupting a normal human's sense of direction."
He turned, walking ahead.
"Follow me."
Wu Ming gawked.
But after everything that had just happened, he completely trusted this mysterious man.
Without hesitation, he hurried after him.
And—just twenty minutes later—
They successfully reached the base of West Nether Mountain, standing at the village entrance.
The sky had begun to brighten, early-rising villagers had already stepped outside.
Seeing the living, breathing people, Wu Ming collapsed to the ground, sobbing like a man who had escaped death itself.
"I thought I'd never see another living person again!"
He cried for a while, before remembering his savior standing beside him.
And then—recalling that he had mistaken him for a seductive ghost— his face turned red with shame.
He scrambled upright, bowing deeply.
"Brother, thank you!"
But—the silver-haired youth did not respond.
Instead—he pointed to Wu Ming's chest.
"May I examine your miniature computing device?"
Wu Ming blinked, then looked down—
Realizing—he was referring to his phone.
Against all odds, his streaming phone had survived the night— securely clipped to his collar.
Which meant— everything that had just happened— was witnessed live by the entire audience.
Panicked— Wu Ming snatched his phone, checking the screen.
Sure enough—
His livestream had reached an audiencebigger than anything he had ever imagined.
And—the chat? Exploding with messages.
[That was INCREDIBLE! It's been so long since I've seen such a thrilling paranormal exploration stream!] [Streamer, I'm following you now.] [Poor streamer, that coffin ghost gave me chills even through the screen—but the silver-haired man is stunning!] [White-haired beauty—forever a legend! I KNEW someone that gorgeous couldn't be a vengeful ghost! I still have a chance!!] [Ten minutes. I want EVERY piece of information on this man. (CEO face)] [He looked at me! He POINTED at me! Up close, he's even MORE beautiful…]
Even though the chaotic escape had made the footage mostly dark and blurry, the key moments had all been captured in the livestream.
Especially—the appearance of the silver-haired youth, which had sent the chat into a frenzy, turning the stream into a festival for beauty-obsessed fans, with everyone demanding his name and contact information.
Wu Ming briefly scanned the comments, before hurriedly offering his phone to his savior.
But—the silver-haired youth did not take it.
Instead—he merely touched the screen lightly with one slender finger.
For a fraction of a second, his posture stiffened, before returning to normal.
Wu Ming hesitated.
"What's wrong?"
The silver-haired youth shook his head slightly.
"Nothing. I was just… learning about your civilization."
With just a brief touch, he had connected his neural system to the network of Universe 0150X.
An ocean of human knowledge—culture, history, technology, customs—surged into his mind, processed at unparalleled speed.
Now finally calming down, Wu Ming realized something— he still didn't know his savior's name.
Ashamed, he quickly asked:
"Brother, I owe you my life! What should I call you?"
"017…"
The silver-haired youth paused halfway.
0172X— was not a typical name in this world.
Wu Ming blinked in confusion.
"One-seven? What one-seven?"
"Yi Qi."
The silver-haired youth lowered his gaze slightly, correcting himself.
"Yi Qi—an ancient imperial surname of Tang Yao. It is also a divine name, known for subduing spirits and worshipped as a guardian deity in the Tang Dynasty."
The history he had just absorbed—was already proving useful.
"Oh! Oh!"
Wu Ming didn't fully grasp it, but he was impressed nonetheless.
"Incredible!"
Of course—an extraordinary man needed a legendary name!
"Brother, why were you wandering West Nether Mountain's graveyard in the middle of the night? Were you ALSO here for a paranormal livestream?"
Wu Ming scratched his head, puzzled.
Yi Qi shook his head, giving a half-hearted explanation:
"A traveler climbing the mountains, carelessly lost his backpack, along with survival gear, identification papers, and communication devices. Had to descend in the dark. Tore my clothes in the process."
"You lost your stuff? No problem! I drove here—I'll take you home myself!"
Wu Ming enthusiastically grabbed Yi Qi's arm, leading him toward his guesthouse.
As they approached the entrance, they ran into Granny Li—the guesthouse owner.
That morning— Granny Li had woken up extra early, ready to claim the center spot in the village square's dance group.
But the moment Wu Ming recognized her face— his PTSD kicked in instantly.
With a sharp scream, he collapsed, his legs cramping in terror.
His panicked shriek nearly scared Granny Li half to death.
"What's wrong with you? Young people these days—so jittery! No stability at all!"
Seeing his reaction, Granny Li grumbled.
Once Wu Ming confirmed she was not a ghost, he spilled every detail about his terrifying night.
Unexpectedly— Granny Li's face turned pale.
She lost all interest in morning dance practice, her hands trembled in anger, pacing anxiously before the guesthouse.
Finally— she slammed her leg down and gritted her teeth:
"Such misfortune!"
"I had a twin sister. She passed away three years ago."
"Her sons—those ungrateful bastards—never cared for her while she was alive! After she died, they outright ignored my protests— dumped her coffin recklessly in some random pit on West Nether Mountain."
"That place has always been cursed, and her heartless family never visited—not even for prayers."
"Over time—her grave became desolate."
"I never imagined—she wouldn't even find peace after death!* Now she's turned into some wandering creature, scaring people!"*
Granny Li wiped her eyes, before fuming with rage, marching determinedly into the village.
"No matter what—it ends today! I'm dragging those brats out, forcing them to move my sister's grave!"
"Let the whole village see what happens when you neglect your elders!"
As for what happened next— Wu Ming and Yi Qi would never know.
After bidding farewell to Granny Li, Wu Ming—still terrified out of his wits—wasted no time. He grabbed his car keys, loaded Yi Qi into the passenger seat, and sped away without looking back.
Wu Ming's home was in Lvjiang City. With no immediate destination, Yi Qi decided to accompany him there for the time being.
Upon reaching the city, despite Wu Ming's persistent invitations, Yi Qi politely declined to stay, leaving behind only his contact information before they parted ways.
After their separation— Yi Qi, ever calm and composed, walked into the local police station.
The digital security systems of Universe 0150X were simplistic and outdated by his standards.
Back in the car, he had already constructed a fully integrated identity for himself within this world.
Birth certificate. Residential registration. Household records. Family relations. Academic history. National ID number. Bank account.
Everything. All under the name Yi Qi.
After making several visits to different government offices, Yi Qi successfully processed all necessary documents and secured initial funds for his new life.
He rented a small apartment, discarded his tattered, special-made protective suit, and changed into normal clothing befitting this world's inhabitants.
Once everything was settled, he sat by the window, watching the sunset, lost in thought.
His genetic memory contained endless knowledge about sunsets, yet experiencing it firsthand was entirely new to him.
This was the first day of his existence in this world.
As the fireseed of Universe 0172X, his mission was clear—
He needed to ensure that civilization lived on in this new realm.
Knowledge—if left unshared—was nothing but meaningless data.
Yi Qi gazed at the descending sun, continuing to contemplate.
If he wanted to spread knowledge efficiently, cooperating with this world's government would be the most logical and straightforward path.
However— this civilization was still restricted to a single planet split between over two hundred countries— each with conflicting interests and divisions.
Worse still— he could sense that this world's magnetic field was chaotic and unstable, unlike the precise order of his original universe.
Through his digital research, he discovered that this instability had spawned countless unknown entities—
Entities that residents of this world referred to as… ghosts.
Especially in the past decade, the magnetic distortion had worsened, and the presence of these unknown beings had grown exponentially— to the point where even ordinary humans had begun noticing them.
Many governments had quietly acknowledged their existence.
In the extinguished Universe 0172X, ghosts had never existed— it had been a purely scientific world.
Yet in the 0150X Universe, these entities appeared to pose a direct threat to the advancement of human civilization.
Before engaging with the government, Yi Qi needed to study these unknown beings firsthand, and interact with the local population to gain deeper insights.
As he pondered further, a thought surfaced— his first contact in this world—
The native resident known as Wu Ming.
The occupation he had witnessed him perform—
A field known as… livestreaming?
Back home, Wu Ming— still shaken from his near-death experience— jumped straight into the shower, washing away the terror clinging to his skin.
Now sprawled limply across his bed, he mindlessly refreshed video feeds, hoping to calm his nerves.
Tonight's paranormal stream had earned him a flood of new followers. At least for now, he didn't have to worry about engagement issues.
As he absently browsed, he suddenly came across a new livestream.
A freshly created account, no viewership, no followers.
The few sparse comments scrolling across the screen— all praising the streamer's looks.
The moment Wu Ming spotted that familiar silver-haired figure in the livestream, his drowsiness vanished instantly.
With a burst of excitement, he jumped off his bed, eyes wide, heart racing.
Without hesitation, he sent a gift to the streamer, then began rallying his friends and followers.
"This guy is my brother! We've literally been through life and death together! Get in here—help boost his stream traffic!"
Wu Ming praised Yi Qi relentlessly, pushing his friend's reputation to the stars.
"This man is a LEGEND! He sees through ghost traps with his bare eyes! He drives away spirits with a flashlight! He chases vengeful ghosts till they have nowhere left to hide!
Have you EVER seen anything like it? If not—get into his stream now!
With this level of ghost hunting ability, he's bound to dominate the paranormal field— a future king among ghost hunters!"*
Wu Ming boasted wildly to his friends, placing Yi Qi on a pedestal so high, it was practically untouchable.
After hyping him up, he ended the call, smugly opening Yi Qi's stream once more.
And then—
Four large, bold words appeared on his screen.
"APPROACHING SCIENCE"
Wu Ming: "..."