Yes, the woman in front of him wasn't human!
She didn't breathe, her heart didn't beat, resembling an exquisitely crafted... doll?
It was as if something was controlling this soulless shell.
At this instant, "Beast Intuition" was pushed to the extreme; Li Qingshan's heart raced wildly, generating an unprecedented sense of crisis!
This intuition had saved him many times.
He wasn't the type of rookie who lacked experience with the supernatural. On the contrary, because of family factors, his birth mission was to fight against maddening, mysterious forces.
But this time, intuition told him, don't move, don't resist... he was coming into contact with a historically significant mystery.
All previous experiences were of no use.
...
Just then, the woman smiled and said something very strange, "Why all the solemnity... the cherry blossoms in your hometown are blooming, Ou Doudou."
Li Qingshan paused, somewhat confused, "Who... are you?"
The soulless woman showed another strange smile, "You are a wise man, you should know your situation."
Situation, what situation?
Li Qingshan lifted his head, staring into the woman's eyes, as if all his secrets had been seen through.
He didn't know if he should answer the question.
The "weird" often defies logic and lacks any rationale.
Some oddities appear similar to humans but are actually more like avatars that transcend the rules of nature.
They are irrational.
...
The woman then said, "The original you was doomed to die, did you know?"
A dynamic scene abruptly formed in his mind: ten minutes from now, Li Qingshan would die from a bullet due to a failed mission.
The cold clutches of death would be his ultimate destiny.
Even though he had made considerable psychological preparation for this mission, seeing the scene of his own bullet-riddled death turned Li Qingshan's face somewhat pale, and he was filled with tension and unease.
The scene felt too real, as if it actually happened.
What frightened him wasn't death, nor the mission failing, but the strange ability that inexplicably implanted these images into his mind.
Li Qingshan remained silent, saying nothing.
"How about this, you owe me a favor," the woman said with a smile again.
The moment the woman uttered these words, a fog materialized behind her, and something like pitch writhed within it, numerous dark golden eyes appeared in the "pitch," flickering like flames, staring straight at him.
Li Qingshan sat there, a tremendous spiritual pressure permeating his heart.
What did this mean?
Could it be, the image implanted in my mind was my ultimate fate, and she wanted to save me?
This... seemed like a command.
A voice burst from deep within him, incessantly urging him to say the word "yes."
"This must be a special ceremony; as long as the ceremony isn't conducted, I won't suffer too much harm."
Iron Will Li Qingshan endured bitterly, clinging to his bottom line.
But soon, the eyes behind the woman grew impatient, the burning flames becoming more vigorous, and countless murmurings erupted in his heart.
The world grew ever darker, the bathroom walls began to be tainted by the darkness, it was as if time had been frozen.
Li Qingshan, steeling himself, watched the darkness spread towards him, not wanting to die inexplicably, finally uttered the word "yes."
The spreading darkness vanished.
A "fire" flew from behind the woman's eyes, into his forehead, and disappeared without a trace.
He sat there, dazed and confused.
What was this? Coercion?
After finishing all this, the woman climbed out the window.
...
...
An unknown amount of time passed, and screams and chaos arose from below, with the smell of thick smoke wafting up from the floor beneath, faintly hearing someone yell "fire"!
Was it on fire?!
Li Qingshan gradually regained consciousness from his stupor.
He recalled the scene that had just unfolded, his facial expression ever-changing.
Shifting his body, he picked up a small knife from the ground, slowly cutting the ropes that bound him, little by little.
"That 'woman'... what was she trying to do?"
"Do I owe her a favor?"
Countless questions echoed in his mind, unanswered.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he could see a flame burning in his mind. However, the flame did not harm him.
On the surface, Li Qingshan was a multimillionaire, a genuine one at that, engaged in foreign trade.
But in secret, he was a C-level Investigator of the Black-clothed Guard of the Great Xia Country.
Being in a foreign land, he had to protect himself.
Making his way back to the 101st floor via the stairs, he found that his original target area was engulfed in thick black smoke, with a swarm of security personnel busy extinguishing the fire, cursing as they worked, "That damn woman started a fire!"
"Oh, God, don't even mention that woman. I swear I saw it clearly, she shot a flame and burned a ghost!"
"A red... Blood Ginseng ghost? She must be a Demon Hunter!"
"Goodness, Demon Hunters really exist in the world... and so do ghosts!"
"I feel like I'm about to lose it. Wait, does God exist? Maybe God exists, too?"
Li Qingshan was somewhat dumbfounded. The target of his half-year-long surveillance was just incinerated? Was his mission completed?
He hurriedly asked one of the firefighting security guards, "Hey, man, do ghosts really exist?"
"Don't even get me started. Once that ghost was ignited, it emitted a red mist and went on a rampage, killing many people! Thank goodness I was far away!"
"…Then that woman just disappeared, vanished right before my eyes! I swear what I'm telling you is the truth, it was really fucking terrifying, fuck, God bless, amen!"
The security guards were in sheer panic over the recent events. If it weren't for their duty, they'd have run away in an instant—who would want to risk their life for a little wage?
Meanwhile, Li Qingshan turned his head in shock, unable to describe his feelings.
So, his ultimate target, the "Blood Ginseng," was really... burned?
Resolved by another strange entity?
Excitement? Thrill? Anxiousness? Disappointment?
This situation could only be described as bizarre.
But thinking of the strange flame in his mind, the indescribable feeling slowly subsided.
As soon as he closed his eyes, the strange flame in his mind burned quietly.
"First, I need to leave this place."
"I must report the current outcome to the organization."
Taking advantage of the fact that local police had not yet arrived, he rushed downstairs, started his car from the parking garage, and drove back to his residence.
Then he made a phone call to his superior to report on the incident.