The system says there are no ghosts.

Chapter 10 Suppression Technique

The moment the elevator doors closed, Chen Yi felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

The elevator was dimly lit, with only a few buttons on the control panel emitting a faint glow. The numbers were changing, starting from 1 and going down: B-1, B-2.

The elevator shakes every time it stops.

Chen Yi stood in the center of the elevator. The spiritual pattern on the inside of his left arm remained quietly there under the suppression of the incantation given by Lao Yan, without any leakage of any aura.

"The spiritual energy concentration here is very low," Ah Qi's voice came from the shadows. "The system monitoring is also very weak."

Chen nodded.

He had sensed it long ago. This place was different from the rest of the cleanup center. The air was colder and more oppressive, as if it were isolated by something.

"bite."

The elevator has stopped.

B-2.

The door slowly opened.

The underground level is very spacious.

This was Chen Yi's first impression.

He and Ah Qi stepped out of the elevator into a long corridor. On both sides of the corridor were mottled metal walls, the spirit patterns on the walls had faded considerably, and in some places they had even peeled off, revealing the rusty base underneath.

A musty smell filled the air. It was like a warehouse that hadn't been cleaned for years, or a forgotten relic of an old era. It was cold and dry.

"This is an abandoned maintenance area," Ah Qi said. "I heard my master mention before that when the cleaning center was expanded in its early years, some old equipment rooms were left behind. Later, when new equipment came online, these places were abandoned."

Chen Yi opened his spiritual terminal to check out his surroundings.

The screen flickered, and then a notification popped up:

"Current area: No tasks assigned. Signal is weak; some functions may be unavailable."

He frowned and put the terminal away.

"Keep going," Ah Qi said. "Old Yan should be waiting inside."

Without hesitation, Chen Yi stepped forward.

After walking for about two minutes, he saw a fork in the road ahead. To the left was a closed iron gate with a sign that read "Under Maintenance". To the right was a narrower corridor leading into deeper darkness.

Old Yan stood at the right end of the corridor, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

"You've come," said Old Yan.

"Um."

"Come with me."

The interior of the abandoned maintenance area was larger than Chen Yi had imagined.

Old Yan led him through several narrow corridors, finally stopping in a relatively spacious area. This place may have been some kind of equipment room before, with some abandoned spirit rune devices placed around it, now all covered in dust.

"There are no surveillance cameras here," Old Yan said. "It's not some classified area. It's just old equipment left over from an early expansion. It's been in disrepair for years and nobody's taking care of it anymore."

Chen Yi looked around.

Indeed, the place was marked by abandonment. Most of the spirit-patterned cloth on the ground had fallen off, the spirit lamp in the corner was just an empty shell, and water was still dripping from somewhere on the ceiling.

"I found it when I was looking for something before." Old Yan seemed to see his confusion. "The system doesn't bother with places like this."

He lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.

"You came to see me today to ask about the incantation?"

Chen nodded.

"Focus your mind on your dantian, and control the patterns with your spirit. Hold your mind and calm your breath, until your breath stops and your spirit disperses." He recited it once, "I've memorized the incantation, but I don't know how to use it."

"Memorizing alone is useless," Old Yan said. "You have to practice."

He stubbed out his cigarette and walked to an open space in the center of the room.

"come over."

Chen Yi walked over and stood in front of Lao Yan.

"Stretch out your hand."

Chen Yi extended his left arm. Old Yan glanced at the gray spirit pattern on the inside of his arm, his eyes flashing, but he said nothing.

"The formula is just a method," Old Smoke said. "What's really important is the feeling. The feeling of spiritual energy flowing in the meridians, the feedback when the spiritual patterns are suppressed."

He raised his hand and tapped Chen Yi's arm a few times.

"Here, here, and here. These are the three nodes of the meridian. When suppressing the spiritual runes, you need to direct the spiritual energy to these three points to form a stable triangle."

Chen Yi closed his eyes and began to do as Lao Yan said.

Focus your mind on your dantian.

He focused his consciousness on his dantian, feeling the flow of spiritual energy within his body.

The divine power governs the patterns.

He tried to guide the spiritual energy with his mind, making it flow along the route Old Yan had described.

Keep quiet and still.

He tried to make his breathing lighter and slower, and to slow down the flow of spiritual energy.

The spirit is calmed and its effects are relieved.

He sensed the fluctuations of the spiritual runes weakening.

"You felt it?" Old Yan's voice came from the side.

"Hmm," Chen Yi said, "The fluctuations have weakened."

"Okay," Old Yan said, "but that's not enough. Your current suppression is passive; it's using brute force. True suppression is letting the spirit runes quiet down on their own."

"How did you do that?"

"Rhythm," Old Smoke said, "The infusion of spiritual energy must have rhythm. Like playing the piano, it must have melody. Your infusion just now was flat, one stroke at a time, without any ups and downs."

He reached out and pressed on Chen Yi's shoulder.

"When injecting spiritual energy, don't maintain the same amount all the time. Vary the intensity and speed. Make the spiritual rune feel that you are 'one of us,' not suppressing it, but soothing it."

Chen Yi frowned.

"Spirit runes have their own consciousness?"

"It's not consciousness," Old Smoke said. "It's instinct. Wherever spiritual energy gathers, there's an instinct that repels external interference. If you suppress it with brute force, it will resist. But if you coax it and make it feel comfortable, it will calm down on its own."

Chen Yi remained silent for a while.

He tried again.

This time, he tried to adjust the rhythm of the spiritual energy infusion. Instead of pushing it in one stroke at a time, he used a combination of light and heavy, fast and slow, as Old Yan had said.

It was difficult at first. He lacked control, and each adjustment caused new fluctuations in the spiritual patterns.

But slowly, he found his rhythm.

It was a very subtle feeling. It was as if I had finally found a certain frequency and resonated with the vibration of the spirit rune itself.

The fluctuations of the spirit runes are getting weaker and weaker.

Finally, it became completely quiet.

"You've done it." Old Yan's voice carried a hint of approval. "You learned faster than I expected."

Chen Yi opened his eyes.

He felt that the spiritual rune on the inside of his left arm had completely quieted down; it wasn't just being suppressed, but was actually "sleeping."

"Is this the suppression technique?" he asked.

"This is just the beginning," Old Smoke said. "The real suppression technique is not just about quieting the spirit runes, but about hiding them completely. From the inside out, they must disappear entirely."

"How long will it take to learn?"

"It depends on you," Old Yan said. "Three months if it goes quickly, three years if it goes slowly."

Chen Yi remained silent for a while.

Three months. Three years.

How much time does he have?

"There's one more thing," Old Yan suddenly said.

"What?"

"Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, the Supervisory Office, routine inquiry."

Chen Yi's heart sank.

He almost forgot. Today is the 23rd, and tomorrow is the 24th. Qin Wujiu wants to see him.

"Scared?" Old Yan asked.

"...A little."

"You should be afraid," Old Yan said. "Qin Wujiu is not someone to be trifled with."

He lit another cigarette and took a deep drag.

"I've worked in the cleaning center for over twenty years, I've seen all kinds of people," he said. "People like Qin Wujiu are the most difficult to deal with."

Why?

"Because he's patient." Old Yan exhaled a puff of smoke. "Thirty years. I've seen everyone he's dealt with, and not a single one has escaped."

Chen Yi remained silent.

"He's not like those hotheads who threaten you with their teeth bared," Old Yan continued. "He's always smiling and speaks calmly and patiently. If you ask him when he's going to make his move, he'll tell you, 'No rush, take your time.'"

"But you know, every word he says is a calculated move against you. Every 'chance' he gives you is just tightening the noose around your neck."

"By the time you realize something is wrong, the rope has already tightened."

Chen Yi remained silent for a few seconds.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Three things," Old Yan said, holding up three fingers. "First, only answer questions, don't say anything more. Answer whatever he asks, don't provide any extra information."

"Second, don't be nervous." He paused. "The more nervous you are, the more easily your spiritual patterns will fluctuate. If he notices that you're nervous, it's the same as telling him that there's something wrong."

"Third, if he mentions anything about your 'abnormality,' don't explain or argue. Just say 'it might be an instrument malfunction,' and then shut up."

Chen Yi remembered it.

"There's one more thing," Old Yan said. "When Qin Wujiu asks questions, he likes to stare at people. That's his habit, and also his method. Don't be affected by his gaze, don't look away, and don't make eye contact. Just look at him normally, and then wait for him to ask the next question himself."

Chen nodded.

"I see."

Old Yan glanced at him.

"What do you understand?"

"Don't let him see that I'm nervous."

"Anything else?"

Chen Yi thought about it.

"Don't offer information proactively."

Old Yan didn't say anything, he just took a deep drag on his cigarette.

"One last question," Chen Yi said, "surveillance."

"Um?"

"The system monitors the spiritual energy fluctuations here," Chen Yi said. "If I practice here, will I be discovered?"

Old Yan glanced at him.

"You're quick-witted, kid."

He stubbed out his cigarette and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

"The system scans every so often," he said. "The interval between scans is about three seconds. But there is a very short gap between the two scans."

"A gap?"

"Yes," Old Yan said, "about 0.8 seconds. During this time, the spiritual energy fluctuations will not be detected."

Chen Yi's eyes lit up.

"You mean...?"

"I mean, if you can complete the spiritual energy injection during the gap, you can evade the surveillance," Old Smoke said. "But this requires extremely precise control. 0.8 seconds, there's no room for error."

Chen Yi remained silent for a while.

0.8 seconds.

This means he must complete all operations within 0.8 seconds, and there can be no mistakes.

"Can you teach me this?" he asked.

"I can't teach you," Old Yan said. "You'll have to practice it yourself."

He paused.

"But I can tell you how."

That night, Lao Yan taught Chen Yi a lot in the abandoned maintenance area.

How to determine the opportune moment during the downtime? How to control the rhythm of spiritual energy injection? How to complete all operations within this extremely short time window?

Chen Yi practiced over and over again.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Most of them failed.

The gap was too short; he simply couldn't seize the opportunity.

"Don't rush," Old Yan said, "Take your time."

Chen Yi didn't say anything. He just continued practicing.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally succeeded once.

He seized the 0.8-second window of opportunity.

The spirit pattern quieted down for a moment, then continued to fluctuate as the scan resumed.

But he did manage to seize that opportunity.

"It's done." Ah Qi's voice came from the side, tinged with surprise. "You really did it."

Chen Yi didn't speak. He just looked down at the spirit pattern on his left arm.

It's not even close.

But at least, he saw a glimmer of hope.

"It's getting late." Old Yan stood up. "It's time to go back."

Chen nodded.

He followed Lao Yan back, through the narrow corridors, and arrived at the elevator.

"You can come to me if you need anything in the future," Old Yan said. "I live in Qing-07 District, C-208."

Chen Yi raised his head.

"You live in the sanitation workers' dormitory?"

"I've lived here for over twenty years," Old Yan said with a wry smile. "I'm used to it."

Chen looked at him.

"Qin Wujiu..." he asked, "Is he really that terrifying?"

Old Yan remained silent for a few seconds.

"Thirty years ago," he finally spoke, "my wife ascended to heaven."

Chen Yi remained silent.

"The system said she had achieved perfect merit, went to Heaven, and obtained eternal happiness," Old Yan said in a low voice, "but I know it's false."

Why?

"Because those who ascended have never returned," Old Smoke said. "Never."

He paused.

"But that's not important. What's important is that Qin Wujiu... he won't let any suspicious clues go unnoticed. He'll notice the fluctuations in your spiritual energy sooner or later."

"And what about you?" Chen asked. "You noticed it too?"

Old Yan looked at him.

"Some things you'll know when the time comes," he said. "For now, you just need to remember one thing."

"What?"

"When you see Qin Wujiu tomorrow," Lao Yan said, "don't let him see that you're nervous."

He turned and stepped into the elevator.

The door closed.

Chen Yi stood still, watching the number on the elevator door jump from B-2 to 1.

Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock.

Qin Wujiu.

He took a deep breath.

Ah Qi floated beside him without saying a word.

He knew what would happen next; he had a plan.

But he will not back down.

If you can't turn back, you can only move forward.

No matter what awaits him ahead.