Agent Kong first looked puzzled, then scrutinized my expression.

“Why are you so interested in this matter?”

Because prying into information related to Ma Zao might arouse suspicion, I had already prepared an excuse: “I’m interested in strange and peculiar things, and this matter might also be connected to the Fallen Demon Hunter incident.”

“Hmm, is that so…” Agent Kong thought for a moment before answering. “Actually, it’s not classified information. The reason Zhu Shi didn’t tell you is probably because, from the perspective of Mount Luo’s personnel, it’s not exactly a proud matter.”

“You mean…Mount Luo did something wrong?” I asked tentatively.

“I wouldn’t know if that’s the case. I’m not one of the higher-ups, nor do I have access to all the information. Let me answer your earlier question first, about who that girl is…” He continued, “As far as I know, she’s the world’s only known survivor to wake up from Soul-Loss Syndrome.”

“…Soul-Loss Syndrome?” I repeated the unfamiliar term.

Taking the phrase literally, it should refer to a "disease of losing one's soul."

Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of such a condition—unless it’s just a metaphor for being in a vegetative state.

“It’s understandable that you haven’t heard of it. This mysterious illness is dismissed as an unexplained vegetative state in the surface world. Only in our circles is it referred to as Soul-Loss Syndrome,” Agent Kong explained in a low tone. “It began spreading globally four years ago. To date, it has afflicted many people, but its source, transmission method, and cure remain unknown. Mount Luo has deployed countless experts and spent four years uncovering just two facts:

“First, the disease is caused by some unknown supernatural phenomenon. Second, while the bodies of those afflicted continue to function normally, their souls are completely gone.”

“Their souls… gone?” Thoughts immediately began racing through my mind.

I had once asked Ma Zao whether her experience involved physical or spiritual transmigration, and her response had been ambiguous. However, it was evident she couldn’t confirm if the body she currently inhabited was her original one. If she really were a transmigrator from the apocalypse, the likelihood of her being a spiritual transmigrator was quite high.

Coincidentally, the body Ma Zao currently uses was, in this era, a complete shell—a perfect vessel seemingly placed there specifically for a spiritual transmigrator to inhabit. I’ve read some transmigration novels where the original soul of a body perishes due to drowning or a fever, conveniently leaving the body for the transmigrating protagonist to take over.

But fiction is fiction—I still need to focus on real-world issues.

For instance, what happened to the soul that originally inhabited that empty vessel? And could it be related to Ma Zao’s spiritual transmigration?

The first possibility that came to mind was: could the original soul have transmigrated to the apocalyptic era, somehow lost all its memories, mistakenly believed itself to be a resident of that era, and then inexplicably transmigrated back to the current time?

No, there’s a glaring flaw in this hypothesis: in the apocalyptic era, Ma Zao would also need a body to host her soul. Yet how could a body almost identical to Ma Zao’s current one exist in another era?

Given that Ma Zao’s original body is highly likely to resemble her current one, another hypothesis seems more plausible: she is a Ma Zao from another world, and the apocalyptic event occurred in the future of that other world.

This would fall under the so-called parallel worlds theory.

However… the parallel worlds theory is still just a hypothesis in the scientific community. Using it as the foundation for reasoning—would that be too far-fetched?

To be honest, my mind is now filled with terms like "transmigration" and "apocalypse," concepts that until now I'd only encountered in novels and comics. Trying to analyze these without sounding far-fetched is almost impossible.

"I more or less understand," I said, deciding to refocus my thoughts on reality. "In other words, this girl is the only known case of recovery. By studying her body, there’s a chance to save numerous soul-loss syndrome patients, right?"

"Exactly." Agent Kong nodded slightly and continued, "However, after she woke up, she disappeared from the hospital immediately. It wasn’t an ordinary departure—it was as if she vanished into thin air, like the air swallowed her."

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"Spatial displacement?" I immediately recalled what Ma Zao had mentioned about her so-called "blessing power."

"That’s what Mount Luo suspects as well. But the issue is, this girl, named Ma Zao, was just an ordinary girl before she contracted soul-loss syndrome. And while she was in a vegetative state, she had absolutely no opportunity to come into contact with any extraordinary powers," Agent Kong explained slowly. "Yet after she woke up, she suddenly possessed the ability to perform spatial transfers. Even more baffling are her actions—she’s no pushover, I can tell you that."

"When she reappeared, she had somehow infiltrated the local police department and stolen firearms and ammunition—a feat that the original her would have neither intended nor been capable of," Agent Kong said.

The fact that the body's original owner was also named Ma Zao slightly raised the plausibility of the parallel-world hypothesis. However, it could also serve as evidence that Ma Zao might be lying and that the apocalypse and transmigration were fabricated from the start.

As Agent Kong spoke further, I considered a possibility from an outsider's perspective: "Are you suggesting that she didn't actually wake up from soul-loss syndrome... but rather, her empty body was taken over by some malicious spirit that came out of nowhere?"

This explanation seemed to fit.

It would explain why Mount Luo is pursuing Ma Zao as though she were a criminal. They aren't tracking a "unique case of recovery" but rather a malevolent ghost that has taken over a young girl's body.

And even I don't have enough evidence to completely rule out this possibility.

Still, compared to the notion of a "post-apocalyptic transmigrant," the idea of a "possessive ghost" feels undeniably disappointing. What's more, if Mount Luo operates from a position of justice, why would Zhu Shi and Agent Kong feel that Mount Luo's actions in this case are unbecoming?

"I had similar doubts," Agent Kong shook his head, "but the higher-ups don't see it that way. They're genuinely operating under the premise that she's a 'recovered soul-loss syndrome patient' as they conduct a large-scale search. They're so eager, in fact, that they acted preemptively by labeling her a serial killer and pushing the public security system to enforce this suspicion, though the latter hasn't agreed to it yet. If it were just a minor case of possession by a spirit, the higher-ups definitely wouldn’t resort to such measures."

"Could it be that they’re actually unsure?" I, an outsider, deliberately took a relatively sympathetic stance, offering my interpretation. "That girl might indeed be a recovered patient, or she might be someone possessed by a malevolent spirit, and they're simply preparing for the worst.

"For instance, because she previously infiltrated the police department and stole firearms, they probably couldn’t justify searching for her under the pretext of an abducted or missing girl. And conveniently, there’s recently been an unidentified serial killer in our city, so they went ahead and used that as a cover."

"With the methods available to high-ranking demon hunters, detecting whether a spirit had invaded a hospital ward is an incredibly simple task. They must be certain. While they can’t explain how that girl gained her powers or why her personality changed so drastically, they don’t regard her as someone else," he said. "Additionally, given her unknown spatial transfer abilities, the higher-ups have decided to extend the search nationwide."

"More search methods go without saying, and the aggressive accusations used before won’t be left out either. Such a large-scale operation, such unscrupulous means... Zhuang Cheng, do you understand what this implies?"

Nationwide search? Ruthless tactics?

I felt relieved that Ma Zao wasn’t merely a simple case of possession by a malevolent spirit, but I was also shocked by Agent Kong's account, leading me into deep thought.

Given Ma Zao's potential value in the eyes of Mount Luo, a nationwide search made sense. Her infiltration of the police department to steal firearms was undoubtedly her fault. From the perspective of secular law, this could easily be classified as a major crime. However, Mount Luo isn't part of the public security system, and its actions don’t resemble those of a fair and just official organization. Aside from the scale of their operation being on an official level, the entire approach reeks of cutting corners and bending the rules.

What a tangled web!

I could feel the blood coursing faster through my veins as I slowly voiced my impression of Agent Kong's words: "As long as they can get their hands on that girl, her basic rights don’t matter... Is that it?"

Wait, isn’t that exactly how they’re treating me?

Agent Kong nodded.

"What I know about that girl is only what I’ve told you. I wasn’t supposed to share so much, but you seem to have a habit of digging into strange stories. Rather than letting you go snooping around elsewhere, it’s better that I clarify things myself," he said. "Of course, I hope you won’t misunderstand Mount Luo. Mount Luo consists of more than just one faction. The ones behind this matter are merely one of the more radical groups."

That last comment felt like a subtle jab at me... I deflected, asking, "Are you part of that faction?"

The word "faction" gave me a bad feeling.

"I'm just a low-level grunt. How could I claim to be part of any faction? I'm just a pawn, tossed around like a soccer ball," he replied with a self-deprecating chuckle. Then he added, "By the way, Zhu Shi has absolutely no connection to the faction involved in this matter."

"Thanks for the reminder," I said as I glanced ahead. "By the way... where exactly are we heading?"

"I already mentioned it earlier. I'm here to handle my duties as a 'probe'," he said, stopping in front of me. "A ghost story investigation—this is something you're most familiar with. If you're interested, you can come along with me. Who knows, in some areas, I might even fall short compared to your expertise."

At that moment, we had arrived at the abandoned construction site near Xianshui University.

Ahead of us was a cold, desolate piece of land, with a half-built, crumbling structure standing in the middle. I couldn't tell what its original purpose had been or why it had been abandoned. From a distance, it looked like a gray, crude tombstone, oddly planted in the city, as if even the wind passing through here grew colder by three degrees.

This was the place where I first encountered Ma Zao.