World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 198 Ghost Legend (Part 1)

The rain poured down, and the wind howled through the air.

A gray sky swept across the busy streets, and pedestrians hurried off in different directions.

Headlights whizzed by, and towering buildings stood along the street. This was a city in western Michigan.

Sewage flowed into the drainage ditch, reflecting the industrialized and gloomy outline of the entire city.

"Da da da... da da da..."

A boy carrying a satchel was running desperately down a narrow street, with an unusual whistling sound behind him. Four people dressed in the same clothes and with strange appearances were chasing after him.

The downpour continued, the boy's clothes were soaked, and his body grew increasingly cumbersome.

"thump!"

The golden longsword struck his calf, the wound instantly becoming a bloody mess. A sharp pain shot through him, and the boy collapsed to the ground, plunging headfirst into a muddy puddle.

"Zeta-105, the St. Anilov Foundation will place you under Level Two Control!"

"Who are you?!" The boy clutched his bleeding wound, utterly terrified. "I'm just a nobody online artist! You've got the wrong person! I'm not Zeta!"

“According to the report, Zeta-105’s mystery is related to ‘super hearing,’” said a member of the Direct Detective Agency. “Since awakened abilities must conform to personality and behavioral logic, someone like you has the potential to become a voyeur or a spy.”

"I didn't! Where did you get that conclusion from!"

"Experience and lessons learned. Those who attract 'Commerz' are all dissatisfied with reality, so the St. Anilov Foundation had to take over management. But don't worry, we'll only check you once, and then offer you a decent job."

"No!" the boy exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I don't want to go to work!"

"As a 'mysterious figure' of the Eagle Nation, you must accept the arrangements of the St. Anilov Foundation. This is also the general trend in the future."

"In the future? How long do you intend to force me to work?"

"At most ten years."

"So what should I do ten years from now?"

“That would be beyond the scope of the St. Anilov Foundation’s responsibilities. Sir, give up the resistance. We will not harm you, but simply teach you how to be a resident of the Eagle Nation in the New Era, to prevent you from going astray.”

The four members of the control team approached the injured boy step by step, forming an encirclement.

"do not come!"

The boy struggled a few times, but couldn't stand up.

Just as he was falling into despair, a beautiful fragrance, seemingly from nowhere, filled the air.

The shadow fell on the boy, blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Someone appeared in the downpour, like an unreal reflection, becoming clearer with time until it became real.

"The Witch—a mysterious free spirit?"

The foundation members gasped, watching the three people who had suddenly appeared warily. Before they could fully land, the captain suddenly grabbed the golden sword and thrust it directly at the boy's throat.

Rather than letting him become a new free-spirited mystery, endangering social order, it's better to kill him now!

"Pfft!"

A gust of wind blew by, sending him flying backwards, and then a missile pierced the captain's chest, leaving a gaping, bloody hole.

The other team members weren't having an easy time either. The next moment, excruciating pain spread throughout their limbs and bones. Raindrops transformed into metallic forms, and iron needles fell from the sky, piercing their bodies and penetrating deep into their flesh.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the control team was completely powerless to fight back.

"Ghost! Ghost!" they shouted in panic as they scrambled out of the rainy alley. "Alpha-002 from Michigan! The Ghost from Dietrich has appeared!"

"Spare us! We'll leave right now!"

"The Wisconsin branch guarantees it will never set foot on your territory again, Lord Ghost!"

ghost?

Shock and fear flickered in the boy's eyes as he looked at the three strange humanoid figures who had protected him from death.

On the right is a handsome man with dark hair and amber eyes. His sharp gaze is scrutinizing him, as if he could see right through his soul.

The strong wind made his long coat flutter loudly, and the raindrops fell but did not wet the fabric.

On the left is a sexy woman who is half-human and half-goat, dressed provocatively, and has horns on her head.

Her brown hair was loose, and she had three heads. She wore a seductive and pleasant smile and exuded a pleasant scent, as if she were a devil tempting the boy to come closer.

But the boy's gaze lingered on them for only a moment before being drawn to the figure in the center.

His entire body was surrounded by green code, obscuring his face and exuding an extreme sense of mystery, reminding the boy of René Magritte's "Children of Men".

Data flows, lights flash, and things fluctuate.

The overwhelming ethereal quality, like a captivating, cyberpunk-era mystical portrait, inspired the young painter with boundless inspiration and a vision of another world.

Those people just now... called him a "ghost"?
The boy was still in shock and speechless when the black goat woman on his left spoke up: "Hello, dear."

"H-Hello!" The boy forced himself to come back to his senses. "Thank you for saving me! I don't know how I can repay you."

"Would you like to become a free and unrestrained mystic?" The woman blinked her thick-lashed eyes. "From now on, you will be our companion."

It turned out to be yet another strange organization trying to recruit him!
Although the boy was grateful to the three for rescuing him from the Foundation, he was unwilling to abandon his life of the past twenty-odd years and rashly embark on a new, unknown, and perilous adventure.

Seeing his hesitation, the woman chuckled softly. "Aren't you coming with me?"

Goosebumps crawled up the boy's back. He subconsciously shook his head, then realized something was wrong. Just as he was about to make amends, the woman's laughter became unrestrained, echoing in the gloomy rainy day.

"Hahaha! It's okay. If you don't have the freedom to refuse, then freedom isn't worth having!"

Just as the boy was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the solemn-looking man on his right speak: "In that case, please do not attempt to use your abilities to endanger world peace."

"I...I would never do that!" the boy said quickly. "I only used my suddenly enhanced hearing to get a few days of free Netflix membership from my neighbor! Can I pay for it right away?"

“When Judgment Day comes, if you break your oath, I will punish you with my own hands.”

The man's chilling, Old Testament-like words sent shivers down the boy's spine, and he nodded vigorously.

Now, only the green humanoid figure in the center remained silent.

The boy looked up at the legendary ghost with a mixture of fear and admiration. The code trembled slightly, and a warm beam of light healed the torn wound on his calf.

"Lord Ghost..."

“I neither approve nor disapprove of anything now. Just listen to their opinions.” The ghost’s indifferent and strange voice calmed the boy. “I’m just looking for some interesting events on the World Tree Forum and testing out new entries.”

"World Tree Forum?"

"Your personal information wasn't well hidden. I happened to be tired from studying, so I came to watch the reality show."

The boy recalled a post he made on the forum yesterday, showing off his superpowers. He never expected that it would unintentionally save his life. His voice trembled.

"Are you the administrator of the World Tree Forum?"

The ghost did not answer, and the three figures disappeared.

The streetlights illuminated the damp, faded alleyway, while the distant city lights twinkled like stars. Everything that had just happened seemed like a dream, both real and unreal.

The young painter recalled his encounter with the ghost, whose image lingered in his mind. He ran back to his rented apartment without stopping.

He plugged in his graphics tablet, created a new canvas, took a deep breath, and began to draw a picture with a flow of inspiration.

The Ghost of Dietrich.

Within hours of posting it on social media, the number of shares, likes, and comments skyrocketed, quickly surpassing five figures, exceeding all his previous works.

Many netizens came to discuss this mysterious urban legend that appears in Michigan.

…………

A piercing scream echoed in the cold little room, the burly man's laughter contrasting sharply with the girl's terror.

"Don't struggle, baby. The police won't find out it was me! I'm the Mystic! As for the Foundation—heh, with Master Ghost around, they haven't even dared to leave their facilities lately!"

"Get away! Don't touch me... *gulp*"

"Now it's the era of free spirits and mystics. As the witch said, I can do whatever I want!"

As soon as the burly man finished speaking, space began to distort.

Three strange humanoid figures appeared, who turned out to be the three leaders of the Free Mystics. The big man had no choice but to let go of the girl's thigh and step forward with a forced smile.

"Lord Ghost, Lady Witch, Lady White Dove..."

The man glanced at the mess with his amber eyes, snorted coldly, and unleashed a burst of energy that struck the burly man between the eyebrows, splitting him open with a bloody crack that spread all the way to his groin.

White dove—killed me?!
The burly man gaped in disbelief, turned his stiff neck, and looked at the woman who was watching coldly.

Why isn't the witch taking action?

She has been letting me do these things all along...

If it weren't for the witch repeatedly offering protection, I would have been captured by the Foundation long ago!
At this moment, the witch chuckled.

"Everyone can follow their heart, including the white dove. Just like that story says, I approve of you, because the nailed robber was a man of character and integrity from beginning to end!"

I don't want to die!

With his last vestiges of consciousness, the burly man looked at the ghost surrounded by code, hoping that he would intervene at the last moment and interrupt the white dove's mystical spell.

After all, I am the second most wanted criminal in the St. Anilov Foundation, only below the Beta level!
Ghost hates the Foundation so much, she must like herself!
The ghost didn't react at all. He swept past the big man, used his healing energy to save the unconscious girl, and used his airflow technique to send her out of the window to the outside of the sealed room.

"Let's use Stands to handle Stand users. Don't drag ordinary people into this," White Dove said with disgust. "That's what the teacher thinks. Give up. Trash like you will only damage the reputation of our mysterious free faction."

"Ghost, save me..."

Under the burly man's burning gaze, the ghost suddenly turned his head, grabbed a golden sword, and plunged it into the man's chest, delivering a fatal blow.

"Why... Lord Ghost..."

The burly man swallowed the blood in his throat, staring incredulously at the green-code humanoid figure. He couldn't see the ghost's true face; all he could see were fluctuating data.

A cold voice rang in the big man's ears.

"Because I just discovered that you are the medium of the 'Lord of Dreams'."

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(End of this chapter)