Chapter 382: A Minor Logic Error
Zhao Dayong and Liu Min did not evacuate the perimeter that night.
It wasn't a lack of intent; it was a lack of available logistics. Their previous
rental units had already been liquidated from their contracts, and manifesting
at a colleague's doorstep at midnight—barefoot, in boxers, and brandishing a
kitchen cleaver—was a scenario Dayong calculated to be "Socially Terminal."
The pair spent the night in the living room. It wasn't a "Guard Protocol" so
much as a total refusal to re-enter the bedroom.
The lights remained at maximum luminosity. Dayong kept the cleaver within reach,
while Liu Min huddled on the sofa under a quilt. She would occasionally drift
into a shallow sleep-state, only to snap back into high-alert a moment later,
auditing the room for anomalies before closing her eyes again.
Chen Xu drifted in the courtyard the entire night. He didn't approach the house.
He knew he had caused a "Logic Error." It wasn't intentional, but he had
definitely compromised the synchronization.
At sunrise, Liu Min prepared for her shift at the community center, sporting two
massive "Sleep-Deprivation" debuffs under her eyes. Before exiting, she issued a
final directive to Dayong.
"Audit this situation today. Either that 'Thing' is evicted from the parameters,
or we evacuate permanently. There is no third variable."
Dayong accepted the task.
However, "Evicting the Thing" wasn't a command he had the authority to execute.
The Punishment Legion had been clear: the entity wasn't violating any Imperial
statutes.
Dayong sat in the house all morning, his frustration-parameter red-lining. He
had acquired a unit, processed the down payment, and signed the soul-binding
contract, only to find it pre-populated with a ghost. A ghost that initiated
midnight greetings, triggered a panic-response, and was apparently protected by
the law.
Is this ghost a protected administrative asset?
Growing increasingly agitated, Dayong accessed the Imperial Administrative
Platform and spent hours auditing the departments. Finally, he located the Soul
Affairs Management Bureau.
He initiated a call. The operator responded in a flat, clinical tone.
"Greetings. You have reached the Soul Affairs Management Bureau. State your
inquiry for assistance."
"There is a ghost in my living parameters."
"State your current coordinates."
"District 4, South Alley, Unit—"
"Processing… please stand by." Silence followed as the operator audited the
database. "Citizen, your address is already tagged in the system. The Punishment
Legion performed a soul-energy scan last night. The entity is a 'Feeble Soul
Residual,' Serial LS-4027."
"Correct. I'm the one who reported the anomaly. My query is: Can it be forcibly
relocated?"
"Relocated?"
"Mhm. Move the variable to a different sector."
The operator paused. "Citizen, according to Article 17 of the Imperial Soul
Management Statutes, non-aggressive soul residuals are categorized as 'Natural
Manifestations'. This Bureau does not possess the authority for forced
relocation. However, if the residual is causing 'Psychological Friction' within
your habitation zone, you may apply for Soul Co-habitation Mediation."
"Soul… what?"
"Mediation. The Bureau will deploy a certified Soul Mediator to coordinate a
stable co-existence protocol between the human residents and the soul residual."
Dayong's hand, holding the terminal, froze mid-air. "You're suggesting I…
negotiate with a ghost?"
"Correct."
"Sit down and have a meeting with an entity of the dead?"
"The Mediator will facilitate the exchange. Direct communication is not a
requirement for the human unit."
Dayong took a deep breath, set the terminal on the table, and stared at the
ceiling for ten seconds. Then he picked it up again. "Fine. What is the
manifestation time for the Mediator?"
"The earliest available slot is the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow?"
"Correct. The volume of mediation requests is currently high. Our mediators are
at maximum capacity. The afternoon after tomorrow is the first available opening
in the schedule."
Dayong terminated the call. He sat there, realizing the Imperial administrative
system was sometimes so thorough it made him want to trigger a system-wide
reboot.
At noon, he messaged Liu Min, relaying the Bureau's response. Her reply was a
mere four words: [Are you trolling me?]
Dayong sent a follow-up: [It's a legitimate Imperial service. 'Soul
Co-habitation Mediation'.]
Liu Min was silent for two minutes. Then: [Zhao Dayong, I've been married to you
for four years. The 'Chaos Variables' you've introduced into my life this week
exceed the cumulative total of my previous twenty-five years.]
Dayong turned his terminal face-down and didn't reply. He stood up to pour a
glass of water in the kitchen when—
"Um..."
The glass nearly slipped from Dayong's hand. He spun around.
The kitchen doorway was empty. But the audio was undeniably present. It was
softer than last night, as if the gain had been lowered to avoid a
panic-trigger.
"I didn't intend to manifest a 'Scream' protocol..."
Dayong retreated two steps, his back hitting the stove. "Don't… don't close the
distance."
"I am not moving. I am positioned in the courtyard."
Dayong glanced at the kitchen window. It was closed, but the voice was clearly
transmitting from the yard.
"You can receive my audio-output?" Dayong's voice was shaky.
"Mhm. I can hear all speech within the perimeter."
Dayong's expression was a mix of embarrassment and dread. "Then everything we
said in the living room last night, you—"
"Yes." Chen Xu paused. "My apologies. You referred to me as an 'Outlaw
Variable.' I felt the need to correct the record. I haven't violated any laws.
The Punishment Legion verified my compliance."
Dayong's jaw hung open. "You initiated contact just to argue legal semantics?"
"No. I wanted to state that… you don't need to evacuate," Chen Xu's voice
drifted. "I can increase the distance. I will avoid the bedroom perimeter at
night. That should prevent the 'Cold' status effect from triggering."
Dayong remained pressed against the stove. "You're aware the temperature drop is
caused by your presence?"
"Mhm. When the Legion arrived last night, they used the detector. I overheard
them explaining the 'Heat Absorption' variable to your wife."
Dayong stood in silence. The fear was still present, but a subtle "Logic Shift"
was occurring.
The ghost spoke with the tone, vocabulary, and logic of a standard human. It
wasn't a raspy, ominous voice from a horror scenario; it was a normal, slightly
awkward voice. Like a new neighbor trying to explain that he wasn't the one who
had left a mess in the hallway.
"Your designation is Chen Xu?"
"Mhm."
"How long have you been localized in this yard?"
"A terminal duration. I cannot calculate the exact years."
"Did you live here… before you were liquidated?"
Chen Xu was silent for a beat. "I possess zero data regarding my previous life.
When I initialized, I was here. I've simply existed here ever since."
Dayong tapped his fingers against the stove. "Aside from vocal output, what are
your capabilities?"
"I can perceive the environment. Movement, temperature fluctuations, audio. I
receive it all."
"Can you interact with physical assets?"
"Negative," Chen Xu's voice carried a hint of "Sadness" metadata. "I cannot even
maintain a stable visual form, let alone manipulate matter."
Dayong set his water down and stood in the kitchen. His fear was receding—not
vanishing, but being overwritten by a complex emotional variable he couldn't
quite name.
A ghost had lived in this yard for an unknown duration, unable even to remember
his own death. And the first thing he did when he finally stabilized his speech
was try to be neighborly.
And Dayong had charged at him with a knife and run away.
Dayong suddenly felt that his behavior last night had been "Sub-Optimal"—even if
anyone else would have done the same.
"Listen… Chen Xu."
"Mhm?"
"A Soul Mediator is manifesting the day after tomorrow. We'll sit down… well,
you can't sit, but we'll have a meeting and see how to resolve the co-habitation
protocol."
"Understood," Chen Xu's voice brightened slightly. "Does that imply you won't be
initializing an evacuation?"
Dayong scratched his head. "Parameters are still being evaluated. We'll see."
"Oh."
The yard went quiet for a moment. Then Chen Xu's voice drifted back in. "Is your
wife still in a 'High-Aggression' state?"
"Take a guess."
"...I'd like to offer her an apology protocol."
"Don't," Dayong waved his hands, even though the ghost couldn't see the gesture.
"If you initiate speech with her now, she'll summon the Punishment Legion for a
second round."
"Understood."
"Just stay in the yard. Don't enter the house, and stay away from the bedroom
tonight. We'll wait for the Mediator."
"Acknowledged."
Dayong walked out of the kitchen with his glass of water. In the living room, he
paused and looked back toward the window. Outside, the two new saplings swayed
gently in the wind.
He saw nothing. But he knew a unit was there. Or rather, a ghost.
Dayong sighed, sitting on the sofa to wait for Liu Min to return. He realized
that explaining this conversation to her was likely going to be a more difficult
task than facing the ghost itself.
☆☆☆
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