Pei Guang opened a webpage. On it were various discussion threads, including photos taken by those involved and commentary from people all over the Xianzhou.
Currently, the website didn't have many users, just a little over ten thousand.
Among them, ten thousand were official personnel, responsible for guiding the website's direction and engagement. The rest were a few users who had stumbled across the site and were ready to interact.
Pei Guang explained, "Look, our job is to become content creators here and gather reports of paranormal phenomena from the public. That's because to the outside world, the way Heliobi manifest looks just like supernatural activity. When a report comes in, we team up with underworld agents to investigate.
Once we confirm it's a Heliobi, we subdue it, then release a debunking statement about the paranormal incident. That's our mission. But remember: when debunking, we cannot say it was caused by Heliobi. Just make something up, anything except that."
Guinaifen: "Huh? Why do we have to do that?"
Huohuo explained, "Because Heliobi feed on human emotion. If the truth is made public, it could trigger widespread panic, and fear strengthens Heliobi rapidly, which leads to chaos. That's why we need to debunk things.
If more people stop believing in Heliobi or in any supernatural beings, then those wandering Heliobi won't gain much strength, and even if we can't track them down in time, they won't pose a threat."
Pei Guang added with a bit of sarcasm, "And what we're debunking is technically the truth anyway. But there's nothing we can do about it, you never know how things will spiral online once the rumor mill starts spinning. Whether people believe it or not isn't our concern: our job is to catch Heliobi. And don't worry, the rewards for catching them are very worth it."
Even though the rewards were just points, the things you could exchange for with those points were incredibly varied. Pei Guang had calculated that capturing around twenty Heliobi should be enough to trade for something that everyone would be satisfied with.
Sushang: "So that's how it works…"
Guinaifen: "You understood all that?"
Sushang: "Not really. But based on my previous experience working with Ah Guang, as long as I follow his lead, everything works out. You didn't get it?"
Guinaifen: "Of course I did. Our mission is to track down Heliobi based on clues found online. After we catch one, we post the results here. At the same time, we can edit the footage into an eye-catching, entertaining video.
That way people stay half-skeptical, the panic disappears, and the threat from Heliobi is significantly reduced. I actually have a few ideas for this. But Ah Guang, since you're the initiator, I'm guessing you have something even better?"
Pei Guang: "You bet I do! I've got a few examples here."
Did Pei Guang have examples? Of course! And not just any examples: ones that people his age, and even older, had definitely seen. These examples were so classic they'd been roasted all over the internet.
With that in mind, Pei Guang began setting the mood mysteriously: "An eight-year-old boy suddenly possessed by a zombie: leaping, drinking blood… exorcism rituals totally ineffective…"
Pei Guang's tone grew more serious. Combined with the story content and the dim lighting of the surroundings, the girls nearby started getting nervous. Huohuo even hugged her Tail in fear.
Tail: "Why are you hugging me? Is there anything that looks more like a ghost than me?"
As Pei Guang's expression grew more ominous, everyone's heart rate picked up—until he suddenly dropped three words, flatly:
After a moment of silence, Sushang let out a breath: "Oh, I thought something terrible had happened. Scared me half to death."
Guinaifen: "Right? So it was fake~ Hey, with that kind of delivery, Little Xuanzi, you've definitely got a talent for this. If you started streaming yourself, you could get big real fast."
Pei Guang: "But I can't run this account long-term. That's why I need to hand it off to a professional. So, what do you say, Little Gui? You in? You can just use your own account. You already have a fanbase and strong crowd-pulling power. If we really go big with this, you could become a top-tier streamer in no time."
Guinaifen: "Can I really?"
Pei Guang: "Of course you can! You've already joined in on my mission, so obviously I've got to give you some mission rewards. Ah! Perfect timing: look, there's a new post here that wasn't made by one of us."
A new post on the website caught everyone's attention.
"Has anyone in Exalting Sanctum run into a weirdo talking about playing chess?" Under this title, the original poster explained the situation in detail.
Apparently, someone had set up a chess match in Exalting Sanctum: whoever won would receive a large sum of money. But the strange part was that the losers ended up looking like they'd lost their souls, just standing there dazed.
Someone had called for an investigation.This wasn't one of the filler posts from the team: it was actually from a random passerby.
Looking at the post, Guinaifen quipped, "Losing a chess match costs you your soul? This is... a Shadow Duel!"
As he read the post, Pei Guang's expression turned serious. "A Shadow Duel, huh? In that case, we definitely have to go check it out ourselves. Little Gui! You coming? If not, you can just stay here and handle the online stuff."
Guinaifen: "How could I not go? We're a team, so we have to act like one! Of course, I'm not some reckless muscle-head: if it's a situation I can't handle, I'll definitely run far, far away so I don't get in your way."
Pei Guang: "Well said! Just for that, you're officially part of our crew. Let's move out, team style."
She remembered that on the Xianzhou, "crew action" wasn't exactly a flattering phrase...
But before she could dwell on it, she was already being taken along to Exalting Sanctum. Since it was their first mission, everyone naturally wanted to go see what was going on in person.
However, when they arrived at the designated location, Pei Guang seemed to fall into a memory. "Oh, this pavilion..."
Stelle: "Is something wrong with this pavilion?"
Pei Guang: "This is the same place I used as a base back when I infiltrated the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Never thought these guys would have such good taste, picking this spot again."
Stelle: "So what do we do?"
Huohuo: "Should Tail and I sneak in and launch a surprise attack?"
Pei Guang: "No rush! Let's go in first and assess the situation. Just watch my expression for the signal."
Stelle: "Your face can change color?"
Pei Guang: "Do you have to ruin my moment?"
They entered the courtyard, and as soon as they did, Pei Guang spotted someone familiar.