One day later.

  District 13 underground shelter, the makeshift "War Room."

  John Doe sported two massive dark circles under his eyes. In his hand was a stack of talisman paper that had been thumbed through so many times it was fraying (the immobilization charms drawn on them looked like chicken scratch). Opposite him, Bone was polishing the large-caliber pistol snatched from The Butcher with a dirty rag, while Grace’s holographic projection hovered in mid-air, looking distressed over a pile of complex data streams.

  Time was tight. Every second, the interest on that 500.000 Merit Point deficit was compounding. Although Singularity said he’d shoulder it for now, John knew debt of gratitude was the hardest to repay. Plus, Mom’s medicine was running low again.

  "Boss, bad news."

  Grace shoved a red data window in front of John.

  "The Guild has upgraded the blockade. They haven't just put a bounty on you; they've completely frozen your 'Credit Account.' That means even if we sell these spoils of war right now, the money can't enter your account. Any transfer through legitimate channels will trigger an immediate alarm."

  John threw the talismans onto the table and rubbed his temples in agony.

  "So, you're saying we have goods but can't sell them?"

  "Pretty much," Bone chimed in. "I asked around the black market, too. Blind Man said no one dares to touch goods from 'The Summoner' right now. The Guild is threatening to raid anyone who helps us. These days, even the triads are afraid of getting their water meter checked."

  Dead end.

  The hope that had just ignited was doused by a bucket of ice water. Owning a debt of 500.000 Merit (Negative Entropy), holding a pile of loot, yet unable to afford a loaf of bread.

  "We need a new path," John gritted his teeth. "Not just to make money, but... money that doesn't go through the Guild system."

  "Um..." Grace raised her small hand weakly. "Actually, I have an immature idea."

  "Speak."

  Grace swiped her finger, bringing up a colorful, chaotic interface. It wasn't the local LAN of New Babylon, but an Eastern live-streaming platform filled with Chinese bullet comments (danmaku), gift effects, and viral meme videos.

  "Since the local net is blocked, we... jump the firewall."

  Grace’s eyes sparkled. "The tablet Master (Singularity) gave us comes with a Cross-Plane Network Interface. We can connect directly to the Eastern Internet!"

  "And, I analyzed the big data over there. The hottest niche right now isn't e-commerce, nor dancing, but..."

  She pointed to the number one title on the trending list: [Midnight Exploration: Playing Mahjong with Ghosts in a Murder House].

  "Paranormal Livestreaming."

  John froze. "You mean, you want me to be an influencer?"

  "Yes!" Grace explained excitedly. "Think about it, Boss. You're a bona fide Necromancer (albeit a dropout), you have a skeleton (Bone), and a cyber-ghost (Me). This configuration is literally the chosen team for streaming!"

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "And most importantly—the Eastern tipping system is independent! The Rockets and Yachts fans buy are converted into their currency, then passed through the Underworld's 'Exchange Rate System' to become 'Newbucks' we can use (laundered, of course). There’s no Guild cut in the middle, and no regulation!"

  John looked at the flashy interface and felt his worldview being refreshed yet again.

  Making money by catching ghosts? No, making money by getting scared by ghosts? And paying off supernatural debt on the side?

  "But..." John pointed at the scrolling comments. "Why is this popular? Aren't people afraid of ghosts?"

  Grace pulled up a [Sociopsychological Analysis Chart].

  "Boss, you might not understand the mental state of modern people."

  "In this high-pressure, rat-race era full of uncertainty, living is more exhausting than dying. People's fear of 'Death' and the 'Unknown' is transforming into a morbid curiosity and a need for deconstruction."

  "They watch paranormal streams not to be scared to death, but to... seek stimulation, or to find comfort in the proof that 'there is a world after death'."

  "When real life becomes a nightmare you can't log out of, watching others struggle in a literal nightmare becomes a form of stress relief."

  Grace pointed to the [Mahjong in a Murder House] stream.

  "Look, this streamer is just eating instant noodles in a haunted house, and there are a hundred thousand people watching. Why? Because people want to see that 'ghosts are also troubled by mundane life.' It dissolves their fear of death."

  "And we..." Grace’s eyes turned fanatical. "We can provide something higher level."

  "We can show them... ghosts have stories, ghosts have grievances, and even... ghosts can be saved."

  "This isn't just entertainment. This is... spiritual massage."

  "Money is secondary. More importantly..."

  Grace pointed to the progress bar representing Merit Points in the tablet's backend.

  "Streaming gains followers. And in the Underworld's algorithm, 'Fan Attention' equals 'Willpower/Prayer.' As long as the problems you solve make the audience feel good, feel justice is served, or even just make them happy... the system will determine that you are 'Eliminating Mental Entropy'."

  "Which means, as long as the stream is good, your Merit Points will automatically skyrocket in the background! This is called... Monetizing Traffic into Merit!"

  John fell silent.

  He looked at the audience frantically sending gifts on the screen, looked at those souls seeking a little stimulation and comfort in the dead of night.

  He suddenly realized this wasn't just making money.

  This was also... treating a disease.

  Treating the "Emptiness Disease" of this era.

  "But... isn't there a risk?" John hesitated. "Won't the Guild trace the signal?"

  "Relax!" Grace patted her chest (though it was flat). "I masked the signal as a 'Transnational Quantum Encrypted Weather Data Packet.' To the Guild's firewall, this looks like a boring cloud map. Unless Moriarty personally checks the source code, no one will discover we're streaming."

  "Boss, I think it works," Bone leaned in, a look of longing actually appearing on his skeletal face. "I heard influencers get fans and receive gifts. I haven't received a gift in centuries. Besides, we can consider this... educational outreach?"

  John looked at his two unreliable teammates, then at the fifty thousand deficit.

  If he didn't do it, they'd wait to die.

  If he did it, they could live, and live brilliantly.

  "Damn it. Let's do it."

  John slapped his thigh. "Isn't it just losing face? Compared to starving to death, social death is nothing!"

  "Grace, prep the account. Bone, polish your bones a bit, don't scare the kids."

  "Roger!"

  "You got it, Boss!"

  John stood up and walked to the corner designated as the temporary studio. He dug out a fox mask he had scavenged long ago—it was slightly damaged, but it would do.

  He put on the mask, covering his tired and ordinary face.

  From this moment on, he was no longer the wanted fugitive John Doe.

  He was the [Agent] walking between the Yin and Yang.

  "Where's the first stream?" John asked.

  Grace’s finger slid across the map, finally stopping on a red dot.

  "Here."

  "St. George's Abandoned Private High School."

  "Legend has it that a little ghost cries there every night. And... rumor says the resentment there is related to 'Exams'."

  John paused, then let out a bitter laugh.

  "Exams... that is indeed scarier than ghosts."

  "Let's go."

  Though the future was uncertain, though he might be treated as a madman.

  John knew this might be his only chance to flip the table.

  Behind him, on the screen of the Yin-Yang iPad, a new livestream room was generating:

  [Room Name: Grant All Requests · Midnight Spirit Exploration]

  [Host: Mr. Fox & Butler Bone]

  [Tonight's Topic: Who is reciting vocabulary at midnight?]

  An absurd, crazy, yet darkly humorous livestream revolution was about to kick off on the ruins of District 13.

  [Message from Singularity]

  VIP Suite for you over on the Patreon Server. We are opening New Rooms (Chapters) for FREE daily. Even better? Select Chapters feature HD Illustrations for the full immersive experience.

  ?? [Enter the VIP Suite]