Standing in this abandoned construction site, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of emotion.

It was here that I found Ma Zao. For so long, I had possessed incredible power, yet no incredible adventure had come my way. It was only from that moment that I finally turned the first page of my life's story. This place was the site of my destiny, the starting point of my journey.

Though it appeared desolate and empty to outsiders, to me, it seemed as though everything here had been touched by a magical filter. Whether it was the weeds swaying in the cold wind, the piles of construction debris beside them, or especially the looming unfinished building ahead, everything seemed to carry a suggestive charm.

The lower floors of this building had relatively intact outer walls and partitions, while the upper floors were still missing walls and partitions. At a glance, it resembled a parking lot suspended in the air.

A voice, indifferent as ever, came from beside me: "Zhuang Cheng, do you know the ghost stories that circulate around here?"

"Yes," I replied. "I’ve heard of it. It's said that this place is haunted. Back when this area was still under construction, a foreman without a helmet walked beneath the building being erected. Unfortunately, a heavy object fell from above and struck his skull.

"After his death, the construction site began to experience strange occurrences, and people became fearful. Eventually, the development and construction were abandoned, and the construction team left the area."

Agent Kong nodded in agreement, leading me into the unfinished building. My view shifted from bright daylight to the dim, eerie interior.

He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, then took over where I left off and continued, "That’s the general story. It happened before I was assigned here. But there’s more to it, and this part has only recently gained attention. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s said that the malevolent spirit lurking here tries to abduct female college students passing through the area after school.

"The victim claimed that when she passed by the site late at night, she saw a bloodied man standing on the unfinished building. Then, when she blinked, she found herself inside the building, and that bloodied, twisted figure was right in front of her, slowly drawing closer."

"However, the evil spirit seems to have limited power. After moving the victim inside the building, it couldn't continue and could only watch helplessly as the person escaped in panic, unable to recapture them."

This was the same story I had heard, but, no—actually, it was fortunate that what I encountered here wasn’t the typical, unremarkable evil spirit from the ghost story, but instead, the "lucky" encounter with Ma Zao.

It was clear that Agent Kong was investigating this supernatural event as a member of the Mount Luo, and this was my first time investigating a ghost story with members of a supernatural organization.

In the past, I had always worked alone, not understood by those around me; now, I was exploring alongside people who took the strange and unexplained seriously, and it felt incredibly refreshing, even stirring emotions that were hard not to express.

Seemingly casually, he asked, "Have you investigated here before?"

"I..." I was about to say that I had, but then I suddenly remembered some of the marks inside the unfinished building and changed my answer, "I haven't been here before. I was planning to come recently."

"Really? Well then, let's take a look together. I came to investigate twice after the rumors first spread, but I didn't encounter any evil spirits. However, the expressions of the people involved when they spoke about their personal experiences didn't seem like they were lying, so I thought it would be better to come and check again," he said with a slightly playful tone, in contrast to the serious demeanor he had when posing as a police officer. "Maybe it's because I'm not a female university student; the evil spirit isn't interested in an old man like me, so it didn't appear in front of me."

As we walked along the corridor, passing by the exterior of a rough unfinished room on a lower floor, Agent Kong suddenly made a sound of surprise, walked into the room, and began to examine it.

It was the very place where I had found Ma Zao, and there were still remnants of blood stains on the floor from the previous night—this was the reason I had claimed not to have been here earlier.

Agent Kong crouched down and touched the bloodstains.

"This... blood, is it human blood?" He looked thoughtful. "It seems like it was left not long ago... has someone been killed?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Perhaps there really is an evil spirit here. Agent Kong, do you have a way to find it?" I feigned ignorance about the blood, pretending to be worried as I asked, "What if the evil spirit doesn't show itself?"

"Don't worry. After all, I am a professional, so I do have a way," he said with a confident smile, then stood up. "Some abnormalities have special rules for their activities, such as targeting only children, or only the sick, or in this case, only people of a specific gender... so they won't easily show themselves in front of others outside of those targets.

"But as agents, we can't just give up our investigation because of such reasons, so we must have ways to bypass those special rules to a certain extent."

My curiosity was piqued. Was he going to demonstrate his true abilities for forcing an anomaly to reveal itself?

To be honest, I was more interested in the real methods that the agents of Mount Luo used to investigate abnormalities than in the demon hunters' combat techniques.

Agent Kong took out a silver-gray square piece, about the size of a smartphone, from his pocket.

The surface of the square piece was covered with a dark gray paper film. He tore it off, revealing intricate, mysterious engraved symbols, almost like a metal talisman.

"I don't know if you've heard this saying, but abnormalities tend to attract each other," he explained to me. "Although the specific principle behind this rule is still unclear, there are theories that can explain it, especially when it comes to evil spirits.

"It's like how a hungry human would find high-calorie, high-fat food particularly appetizing. Similarly, those inner voids in evil spirits make them crave high-quality souls. And when such a soul appears before them, even if it doesn't match their hunting interests, they can't control their instincts and will act on impulse."

I looked at the "metal talisman" in his hand and made a guess: "Does this item seal the kind of soul you're talking about?"

"How could that be! The thing you're talking about is too evil. This is just a tool that emits a similar scent to attract nearby evil spirits," he said, first speechless, then continued, "If the rumors are true, the evil spirit here should be a low-level one with only instinct. Even if it normally targets female university students, it will surely be drawn to this item, uncontrollably rushing toward it."

"I see..." I observed the surroundings, staying alert for any potential enemies. "But if the evil spirit really does appear, won't you be in danger, Agent Kong?"

"I have the protective talisman that was provided to agents by Mount Luo. Low-level evil spirits can't harm me," he smiled. "And even if something unexpected happens, aren't you here too? Let's see your real skills, the hunter-in-training, Zhuang Cheng."

Upon hearing this, I made up my mind to show off my abilities here.

Simply showing a bit wouldn't be enough. Since Zhu Shi felt that my defenses were lacking and that I wouldn't go far on the path of a demon hunter, I needed to demonstrate a skill I hadn't used before. Even if Zhu Shi herself wasn't here, it would be good for Agent Kong to see it.

If I just talked about it verbally, they might think I was boasting, but if I showed it in action, no one would be able to deny it.

I focused intently, on high alert for any sudden attack from the evil spirit. Agent Kong also closed his mouth and kept his eyes peeled.

But after quite a while, the space remained eerily silent, and Agent Kong showed a confused expression.

After another moment, he finally couldn't help but ask, "What... nothing has happened?"

"Could it be that the rumors about the evil spirit are fake?" My first thought was that.

"It shouldn't be... Based on my past experience, there's an 80-90% chance there's an evil spirit here..." he said, perplexed, and then lowered his head to check the metal talisman again. "The soul-attracting talisman is working fine... Could there be some other factor preventing the evil spirit from appearing?"

"The rumors say the evil spirit appears at night. Could it be that the timing isn't right?" I asked.

"Evil spirits do fear sunlight, but this is indoors, and it's the place where the evil spirit was born. Even if it dislikes the daytime, it should still appear under the attraction of the soul-attracting talisman," he pondered, thinking deeply. "Could it be that there really is no evil spirit here? Or is there some other influencing factor that is preventing the evil spirit from approaching?"

"Let's wait a little longer. Maybe the evil spirit is still getting up." I had long since grown used to waiting in vain and had more patience when it came to this.

He nodded slightly, and we waited together. However, after a long time, there was still no sign of the evil spirit appearing.

Zhu Shi had said last night that I seemed to repel strange things, which was why I had always failed to encounter the things I was seeking.

Could it be the same reason the evil spirit isn't showing itself now?

Even the soul-attracting talisman, which should have drawn the evil spirit in, seemed unable to counteract this unknown repulsion. But logically, since Ma Zao's bad luck should have neutralized my unknown repulsion, how should this be explained?

Could it be that there really is no evil spirit here?

Or perhaps, as this is my "fateful place," even in this regard, it must demonstrate a unique style?

At this point, Agent Kong could only put the soul-attracting talisman away and leave the unfinished building with me for now.

We went to a place far away from the abandoned construction site, and on the way, he apologized to me, saying, "Sorry, I brought you here to show you the strange phenomena, but it turned out to be a wasted trip."

"It's fine, I don't mind. I'm used to it," I said, my attitude still stable.

"Used to it..." He gave a helpless smile, then seemed to think of something. "That reminds me, I have a question."

"What question?"

"Since you're so determined to pursue the strange and have extraordinary abilities, why have you never revealed yourself?" He observed me curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked in return.

"Although you only recently learned about our organization, you must have suspected the existence of supernatural groups in this country from the start, right?" He looked at me with curiosity. "If you displayed your abilities in broad daylight to those around you, Mount Luo would naturally come to you, and you could make contact with us. Why haven't you done that? Are you afraid of being treated as an experiment by official forces, locked up, or even dissected for research?"