I Contracted Myself

[Appraisal Successful]

[Nightingale Lantern: Holding it can conceal one's breath, scent, and information. Infusing it with Nether Mist can evolve it into a Ghost Lantern.]

In the restroom, Zhang Ping used his appraisal skill on the lantern emitting a green glow. As he saw its attributes, he also learned the method to create the hidden lantern.

The lantern was made from the bones of a Corpse-Eating Dog, and the internal flame came from a mutated beast called the 'Carrion Nightingale.'

When the Carrion Nightingale matures, a special organ forms in its chest to house ghost fire, which requires corpse oil as fuel and has the ability to evade predator detection.

Generally, the more corpses in an area, the more Carrion Nightingales there are.

...

After reading the creation process, Zhang Ping's expression improved slightly.

He had mentally prepared himself to see some gruesome scenes during the appraisal.

Fortunately, this time he only saw the handling method of the mutated beast. Following the steps in the images, he felt he could also make a Nightingale Lantern.

"Infusing it with Nether Mist can evolve it?"

Zhang Ping thought for a moment, then infused the Nightingale Lantern with Nether Mist.

He noticed a peculiar chemical reaction between the Nether Mist and the ghost fire inside the lantern. The Nether Mist became the new fuel, and the flame quickly changed from green to gray.

The entire restroom suddenly lost its color, like a black-and-white movie.

Is this the evolution?

Zhang Ping quickly used his appraisal skill on the lantern again.

[Appraisal Successful]

[Ghost Lantern: The holder within the light's range can conceal their existence, blocking most detection and appraisal abilities, effective below the king level.]

Good stuff!

This means that as long as he holds the Ghost Lantern, even Situ Shibai wouldn't be able to appraise his attributes. Moreover, concealing his existence means invisibility, which is a higher level than the Assassination Ring and the Night Walker.

Furthermore, these three abilities do not conflict. With their combined powers, even the Moon Prince might not be able to detect him at night.

However, the Ghost Lantern's fuel changed from corpse oil to Nether Mist, meaning his Nether Mist now had another major consumer.

"If only I could open a haunted house."

Zhang Ping carefully felt the Ghost Lantern's consumption of Nether Mist and sighed deeply.

Actually, the Ghost Lantern's consumption wasn't particularly high. The problem was that his accumulation of Nether Mist was still too little. Last night, the masked man summoned thunder, and he used some Nether Mist to withstand the impact. Although he later absorbed some back from the red-haired man, he still felt it wasn't enough.

After calculating the burn time of a cluster of Nether Mist, he placed the Ghost Lantern into the Golden Treasury and took out a copper ring.

He first washed the bloodstains off the copper ring with water, then used his appraisal skill on it.

[Appraisal Failed]

[Appraisal Failed +1]

[Appraisal Failed +10]

[Appraisal Failed +100]

[Appraisal Successful]

[Crown of Sin: The wearer, immersed in sin, will be immune to purity and purification mental abilities.]

The next moment, Zhang Ping saw little girls being forced to drink a green liquid, then dying in agony. They were dismembered by an old man covered in sores...

Zhang Ping couldn't bear to watch. He gritted his teeth, wishing he could rush into the scene and kill the old man on the spot, tearing him to pieces.

But the scene continued...

When it finally ended, Zhang Ping's eyes were dim as he stared at the copper ring for a long time.

In his past life, he had always saved people and never regretted that decision, even until his death. In this life, the people he wanted to save were beyond redemption, but he still had many things he could do.

"Beast Control... Zhu Family, Tianchang Fox..."

Zhang Ping muttered to himself, then placed the copper ring into the Golden Treasury and took out a ring.

This ring came from the telekinesis man.

Zhang Ping mentally prepared himself and used his appraisal skill again.

[Appraisal Successful]

[Strong Mind Ring: The wearer's mental strength will be amplified. Primary Awakeners' amplification rate is 50%, Intermediate Awakeners' is 35%, Advanced Awakeners' is 25%, and Top-Level Awakeners' is 10%.]

Then, the scene slowly unfolded.

In a large square, countless black-clothed people used tools to inject their mental strength into a girl's body. The girl's veins bulged, and she screamed in pain.

But no one cared about her pain; they continued to transfer their mental strength.

The girl bled from her seven orifices, and just before she died, a long sword pierced her forehead. The gem embedded in the sword immediately emitted a precious light, and the girl's unstable spirit was directly absorbed into the gem.

"Is that a soul?"

Zhang Ping's face didn't look good after watching, but what concerned him more was the spirit he saw at the end.

If souls truly existed in this world, would all the deceased have already reincarnated?

"If reincarnation really exists... that would be wonderful."

Zhang Ping looked at the gem on the Strong Mind Ring with a complex expression. The gem sealed a tragic soul, but he had no idea how to release her.

He put the ring away, thinking that perhaps he could ask Situ Shibai the next time he saw him.

"Zhang Ping, are you laying diamonds in there? What's taking so long?" Qiu Qiang's voice came from outside the restroom.

Zhang Ping quickly responded, "Just a moment, I'll be right out."

Saying this, he got up and opened the door.

...

Sweep Team Headquarters, Meeting Room.

Situ Shibai glanced at the dejected Jin Bo and said calmly, "For now, Sishan will take over as the captain of the Battle Group. After you recover, you'll work as a regular combatant for a while. Your annual salary will be halved, and your benefits reduced by fifty percent. Any objections?"

"None," Jin Bo said with a pale face.

He didn't mind his own injuries, but causing the deaths of two team members was something he couldn't shirk.

In fact, that was what pained him the most.

"Captain, I'm afraid I might not be capable enough to lead the Battle Group," Liu Sishan, sitting to Jin Bo's left, said at this moment.

Situ Shibai smiled, "Sishan, you've always been steady. With the current turmoil in Mingzhu City, I can only feel assured with you leading the Battle Group."

"Alright, let's discuss last night's situation. Sishan, you were involved, so you start," he continued, not giving Liu Sishan a chance to refuse.

Liu Sishan knew Situ Shibai had made up his mind, so she didn't refuse the position of Battle Group captain. She composed herself and said, "At the beginning, I received a message from Zhang Ping outside the city. He had noticed someone acting suspiciously near Chen Xueli's residence. I contacted Man Ni, but she and her team hadn't detected anyone, so I realized this matter wasn't simple."

"It certainly wasn't simple. They clearly had tools targeting our Barrier Group, which suggests someone in the Sweep Team..." Chen Ming began.

Situ Shibai smiled, "It doesn't necessarily mean there's a mole. The Illusory Light Sky isn't perfect."

Every ability has countermeasures; there's no such thing as an invincible ability. No matter how powerful the Illusory Light Sky is, it still has flaws.

Liu Sishan continued, though she didn't have much more information. When she mentioned being sent into the Black Chamber by Man Ni, she stopped and said, "That's all I know."

"The girl who was abducted, what's her relation to Chen Xueli?" Chen Ming asked, frowning.

Liu Sishan replied, "Judging by her age, she should be his granddaughter."

"Huang An."

Situ Shibai looked at the unremarkable man next to Chen Ming.

This man was neither fat nor thin, had an ordinary hairstyle, a square face, and perfectly average features. His presence was so low that he was easily overlooked.

Chen Ming remembered Huang An and asked, "Huang An, does Chen Xueli have a granddaughter?"

"He does, but her background is somewhat mysterious. According to our investigation, Chen Xueli's son, Chen Haowen, never had a wife. Moreover, he didn't intend to inherit Hanhai Academy but was passionate about being an adventurer. About fourteen years ago, Chen Haowen brought back a baby from outside the city, claiming it was his daughter. Two years later, he passed away, and the baby has been raised by Chen Xueli ever since," Huang An explained calmly.

Chen Ming frowned, "So the baby's origins might be questionable, and she may not be of the Chen family's bloodline."

"The question is, why did those people abduct her?" Man Ni asked, yawning.

Liu Sishan said calmly, "Zhang Ping probably knows more. I'll go find him tonight."

"No, Mingzhu City is very dangerous right now. If you enter recklessly and get targeted by the Tianchang Fox, no one but the captain can save you," Chen Ming objected.

Situ Shibai smiled, "Although last night's incident wasn't perfect, Zhang Ping's contribution can't be ignored. How about this, Sishan, go to the equipment room and pick out two pieces of gear. One for yourself and one as a reward for Zhang Ping."

"Understood."

Liu Sishan immediately understood Situ Shibai's intention.

Clearly, Situ Shibai supported her going to find Zhang Ping tonight.

Chen Ming looked at Situ Shibai, about to persuade him, but Situ Shibai smiled and said, "I'll personally handle Sishan's protection this time."

Alright.

With that said, Chen Ming had nothing more to say.

Although they all knew Zhang Ping had a badge for contact, no one mentioned using it to reach him. They weren't sure of Zhang Ping's current situation and whether it was convenient to contact him.

If Zhang Ping was currently in an inconvenient situation, contacting him at the wrong time might put him in danger.

...

City Lord's Mansion.

Zhu Zeming walked out of the study, casually passing through the corridor, and saw a Tianchang Fox eating a person not far away.

He walked over and patted the fox, smiling, "Enjoying your meal?"

"Huang Zeming, what do you want?" the Tianchang Fox asked hoarsely, spitting out a finger bone.

Zhu Zeming laughed, "I have someone I really dislike. Could you help me get rid of him?"

"It's very dangerous outside now. His Highness has ordered us not to go out," the Tianchang Fox replied.

Zhu Zeming chuckled, "His Highness is monitoring the entire city. How dangerous can it be to act under his nose?"

"Good point. I can help, but what's in it for me?" The Tianchang Fox's eyes gleamed as it bargained.

Zhu Zeming took out a tooth, "Is this enough?"

"Deal. I'll take care of it tonight!"

The Tianchang Fox grabbed the tooth from Zhu Zeming's hand and agreed immediately.

It was a canine tooth from a Moon Wolf, useless to humans but capable of enhancing a mutated beast's 'aura.'

A mutated beast's aura is akin to a human's presence.

Humans can boost their presence by inspiring themselves and strengthening their resolve, but mutated beasts, being animals, tend to lose their aura when they sense a stronger opponent, sometimes even fleeing with their tails between their legs.

Just like how an ordinary Tianchang Fox would instinctively lower its ears and tail in front of the Moon Prince, not daring to meet his gaze.

Therefore, besides fighting and eating meat to level up, mutated beasts need various means to enhance their aura.

This Moon Wolf's tooth was enough to make the Tianchang Fox take the risk.