102. This is truly beyond the call of duty.

To those ghosts capable of inheriting vast "dwellings," or even those who have already evolved into the "Nightmare Realm," a weak ghost without status or background is utterly worthless, save for the potential value of the "dwelling" granted to it by the "World of the Deceased." To even speak a few words to such a creature would be beneath their dignity.

Of course, if such a ghost possessed enough "Ghost Copper Coins" to "pay rent," they might hold a modicum of value. After all, one must give face to Ghost Copper Coins.

This perspective applies to all ghosts; even in the eyes of the slightly more powerful "Bloodlight-class" entities, weak ghosts are equally contemptible. Even the weak ghosts themselves share this belief. However, Yu Youxin knew very well that in a place like the "Deceased Realm," every ghost, no matter how weak or humble, possesses inherent value—a value equal to that of a fierce spirit. Otherwise, why would the "World of the Deceased" grant them "dwellings"? The dwellings bestowed by the "World of the Deceased" possess perfect attributes, far surpassing those converted from mere "foundations."

Yu Youxin withdrew her gaze. Though she was puzzled as to why any ghost would be foolish enough to choose such a mansion as a "foundation" for projecting the "World of the Deceased," she had followed Chen Sheng here, and naturally, her focus remained on him. Sensing the artifact, she pursued Chen Sheng as he departed.

...

Chen Sheng returned to the Police Bureau. He needed to find an art teacher, and the Bureau was the most convenient place to access records; otherwise, he would waste too much time on his own. He was not surprised to find the Bureau in total chaos. With Yan Shidong’s mysterious death, the disappearance of his uncle, and the eerie phenomena manifesting in the Chief’s office, it was only natural for the uninformed to be in a panic. He saw many officers—both junior and mid-level—fleeing, including the high-level officer from the Spirit Investigation Unit, Team Leader Yan. Chen Sheng walked straight toward the Spirit Investigation Unit.

Since he had no close relationships with the official officers, no one stopped to warn him as they rushed past. However, a few interns he had met previously did offer a word of caution. Facing such a heartwarming gesture, even though he "knew" they were merely NPCs, Chen Sheng couldn't help but thank them and ask, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Hearing this, the interns looked helpless. One of them replied with a bitter smile, "They can leave, but where could we interns go? Who would dare? You’ve been promoted, you should leave too!"

"I still have a task from the Spirit Investigation Unit; I cannot leave," Chen Sheng said.

"You... sigh, there's no need to work as hard as you did when you were an intern!" The intern's expression shifted slightly, realizing he had said too much, and he quickly made an excuse about patrolling to slip away, followed by the others.

Chen Sheng watched them go, feeling a twinge of sentimentality. It was almost too healing! If not for the fact that he only "logged into the game" after putting on those gold-rimmed glasses, and his background as "Chen Jueshen," he might have truly mistaken them for real people. This "healing game" was indistinguishable from reality.

"Black technology is black technology," he muttered, heading to the archives. Having wandered the Bureau many times before becoming a junior officer, he knew the layout well. The archive was a massive underground vault filled with dense stacks of files. Fortunately, they were categorized and numbered, making them not too difficult to search.

What surprised him was the level of detail. He had assumed finding an NPC's profile would be simple—just touch a drawer, and if it opened, that was his target. Instead, every drawer opened, and every file was filled with text. "The developers of this healing game are truly dedicated!" Chen Sheng wanted to offer some colorful commentary, but he sighed instead, resigned to flipping through the files one by one.

Luckily, there were few schools in Shangsanjiang City. Due to the frequent supernatural events, martial arts were favored over liberal arts, so there were few teachers, and even fewer art teachers. Chen Sheng quickly narrowed his search.

There were four targets. Rather than checking them one by one—a slow and tedious process—he used his authority as a junior officer to have the interns summon all four to meet him. Chen Sheng chose the location at random. When he arrived, one was already waiting, followed shortly by two more. However, the fourth teacher did not appear.

Chen Sheng now knew the whereabouts of the "False Painting." Leaving the interns to watch the three teachers, he headed to the residence of the one who hadn't shown up.

The teacher’s surname was Zhang. He was a talented painter with a fair reputation in Shangsanjiang City, but his financial situation was poor, forcing him to live in a dilapidated adobe hut despite years of work. A teacher's salary was second only to an intern’s, and while art teachers earned slightly less than others, he should have been making two hundred copper coins a month—enough to rent a decent place. It was clear his family burdens kept him in this shack.

Recalling the file, Chen Sheng looked at the ramshackle hut, once again marveling at the game's realism. He pushed the unlocked door and stepped inside.

He saw a gaunt man, barely thirty but with hair already turned gray. Seeing Chen Sheng, the man smiled with a look of relief: "A police officer called out for me earlier, saying a Sergeant from the Spirit Investigation Unit wanted to see me. I knew then that it was only a matter of time before you found me."