The Accomplice Ghost 012

"Do you know who I am?" Fang Zhiyi asked, pointing at himself.

The System wobbled its body. "No." It couldn't understand why this human could see it. Moreover, there seemed to be a powerful entity of its own kind beside him, yet this peer radiated an aura that terrified it.

"I am Fang Zhiyi," Fang Zhiyi emphasized. "The Hunter you guys talk about."

The System paused for a moment. "I really don't know you. What do you want?" As a System, it had never encountered a situation like this before.

"Little Hei?"

Little Hei spoke up, "Looks like it's a different type of system."

"Different type?"

Little Hei explained, "Although the Quick Transmigration System covers a wide range, it's only a part of the whole. Every world has different existences. The more conventional ones are like the Rebirth System or the Spiritual Farm System." He looked the shivering little system up and down. "The more ridiculous ones include the Spending Money System, the Face-Slapping System, the Getting Beaten System..."

"Getting Beaten System?" Fang Zhiyi was shocked by the name.

"As the name implies, you get stronger by getting beaten. You get stronger so you can keep getting beaten, and eventually, you become the strongest in the world." Little Hei spread his hands. "Ridiculous, right?"

The little system listened to their conversation, feeling extremely nervous.

"What kind of system are you?" Fang Zhiyi asked.

The System hesitated before answering, "F-Face-Slapping System. I issue tasks, and if the host completes them, they receive various item rewards. The host also gains the protection of the Heavenly Dao and increased luck, and I get some benefits too..."

Fang Zhiyi narrowed his eyes. "I need a favor. Do you have that... that thing..." He gestured for a while. "That Marriage Talisman? The one that forcibly binds two people together?"

The Face-Slapping System answered immediately, "No."

"Then what do you have?"

"Luck Halo, Charisma Halo, Design Blueprints... and money."

Fang Zhiyi was greatly disappointed. He had finally thought of a way to slack off, but this guy didn't have that function.

The Face-Slapping System muttered, "Forcibly changing interpersonal relationships will be discovered by the Heavenly Dao." It glanced at Little Hei, shaking its body in panic. "I don't mean you guys, I mean me."

Fang Zhiyi turned to look at Little Hei. "Do you want to eat it?"

Little Hei manifested a hand, mimicking Fang Zhiyi's gesture of stroking his chin as he looked the little system up and down.

The Face-Slapping System was terrified. They actually want to eat me?! Is this world so dangerous?

"Forget it, it's useless. It's too lame."

"Oh, let's go then."

The two of them gradually walked away. The Face-Slapping System stood frozen in place. After a good while, it shouted indignantly, "Who are you talking about! Who are you looking down on! If you have the guts..." It suddenly stopped, looked around guiltily, and vanished in a flash.

Just after it left, something stirred in the clouds overhead.

"Mommy, look! That dark cloud looks like an eye!" A child pointed excitedly at the sky.

The woman pulled him along. "Alright, alright, let's go quickly. It's going to rain soon, and we don't have an umbrella."

Lin Zhou wandered aimlessly through the streets. He hadn't failed to try contacting his "good big brother," but the person on the other end had merely cursed him out before hanging up.

He thought of a plan. Since he still had a little money left, why not run? Run to a place where his creditors couldn't find him, and his dad couldn't find him either!

Just as his thoughts were running wild, someone patted him on the shoulder.

Lin Zhou jumped in fright, but when he saw who it was, he felt a mix of joy and anger. "Fang Zhiyi! You've screwed me over!"

Fang Zhiyi looked haggard. "Screwed you over? What did I do?"

Lin Zhou grabbed Fang Zhiyi and started pouring out his grievances—how he had listened to him and mortgaged his house to borrow money, how his dad had been arrested, how he couldn't go home, how his wife had run away, and so on.

Yet, he still painted himself as a loyal friend. "Even after all that, I didn't rat you out! Otherwise, you know my dad's temper—he would have found you long ago!"

After venting his pent-up negativity, Lin Zhou felt much more relieved.

Fang Zhiyi maintained a calm expression, merely sighing lightly. "You can see for yourself; I'm not doing too well either." He patted Lin Zhou on the shoulder. "You haven't eaten yet, right? I'll treat you to a meal."

Lin Zhou curled his lip. "You treat me? You..."

He stopped halfway. As long as he didn't have to pay, anything was fine.

However, as Fang Zhiyi led him into a high-end restaurant, Lin Zhou's expression gradually turned to disbelief.

"You, you..."

Seeing Fang Zhiyi ordering a table full of expensive dishes like a nouveau riche, Lin Zhou was stunned. Even the old Fang Zhiyi wouldn't have been this extravagant! Could it be that he...

He looked at Fang Zhiyi's somewhat haggard face, calculating in his mind.

"What have you been up to recently?"

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him listlessly. "Nothing much. Just trying to survive."

Seeing that he wouldn't talk, Lin Zhou immediately put on a playful smile. "That's not cool. We're brothers. I didn't sell you out even when I was in that state. You wouldn't leave me behind now that you've made it big, would you?"

But Fang Zhiyi seemed weighed down by heavy thoughts and didn't engage with him at all. He simply finished his meal in a hurry and prepared to leave.

How could Lin Zhou let him just walk away? He quickly followed, but Fang Zhiyi walked fast. He could only trail behind from a distance. When Fang Zhiyi hailed a taxi, Lin Zhou rolled his eyes, hailed one too, and followed. After many twists and turns, Fang Zhiyi got out, and so did he.

Lin Zhou somewhat admired his own tracking skills; he always managed to keep Fang Zhiyi's back just within sight, otherwise, he would have nearly lost him.

And now, it was obvious Fang Zhiyi had reached his destination.

He exchanged a few words with a man smoking at the entrance, ducked inside, and didn't come out again.

Lin Zhou wanted to get closer to take a look, but the smoking burly man shouted at him, so he had to slink away resentfully. He was now immensely curious about Fang Zhiyi's mystery.

Fang Zhiyi didn't come out all night. Lin Zhou ended up squatting by the roadside, leaning against a wall and falling asleep, only waking up when a dog peed on his leg.

"Shoo, shoo!" Lin Zhou looked around with bleary eyes, suddenly remembering his purpose. The burly guard was gone, giving him a chance to investigate.

"If you won't tell me, I can figure it out myself. I don't believe your luck is always that good, that you can turn things around even after all that..." Lin Zhou muttered to himself as he approached. But the house was locked tight, and the windows were covered with cardboard, blocking any view inside.

Lin Zhou was anxious but helpless. He finally took out his phone and called Fang Zhiyi.

This time, the call connected. Fang Zhiyi sounded like he hadn't fully woken up yet; he said a few casual words and hung up.

Lin Zhou thought it over and made up his mind. He sent Fang Zhiyi a message inviting him to dinner that evening.

"Just consider it an early investment," he consoled himself.