Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Chapter 23 Family Apartment
The doll stands in front of the door holding up an advertising board, its words conveying both anticipation and nervousness.

Li Yelai pondered for a few seconds before realizing what was happening.

When I followed the doll's advice and stayed away from the battlefield, I seemed to have said that I would treat her to a meal next time.

Uh... that was just a polite way of putting it.

It's just a polite way of asking, like "Have you eaten?"

But the girl took it seriously and specially changed into a new mascot costume, waiting there looking quite charming.

Even someone as stingy as Li Yelai found it difficult to say no.

But Li Yelai had to rush home immediately, as everything that had happened today had frightened him.

He was ultimately targeted by certain organizations, whether it was the Church of the Embers or the organization behind the Black Umbrella. They may have noticed him by now.

Whether it's the special ability of "All Things Without Face" or the remarkable feat of shattering the Ghost Immortal Altar.

This would alert those organizations, and Li Yelai already felt fear when the young man under the black umbrella threatened him with his family.

He understood that no matter how strong he became, he couldn't stay by his family's side forever.

He had to make sure Li Yunyan's safety was secured first.

So, Li Ye composed himself and said to the doll, "I have something urgent to attend to today, can it be in a few days?"

The doll visibly slumped, its arm holding the advertising board drooping, and the advertising board itself turned gray as if it had lost its power.

She was genuinely saddened, thinking that her only companion, unaffected by the curse, was distancing herself from her.

If Li Yelai's gaze could penetrate the hood, he would see one of the most beautiful faces, one that was extremely desolate yet had moist eyes.

She didn't show any strength; the shock of her hopes being suddenly extinguished made her legs feel weak.

Li Yelai sensed her thoughts and immediately added, "You know I encountered an enemy today. He threatened me with my family. Although I'm familiar with him, I'm still a little worried. I plan to go home immediately to pack and prepare to move."

The doll instantly came to life and raised the billboard again.

[How could he threaten his family? That's outrageous! (╬￣皿￣)]
[Have you decided on your new home yet? (O_o)??]
"Uh, not yet." Li Yelai shook his head and said, "Besides, my sister doesn't know I'm a psychic, nor does she know about the existence of psychics. I'm thinking about how to be honest with her."

[Some colleagues are like this too; they don't want their families to be involved in danger, nor do they want them to worry. So they've been hiding their identities. But since this has already happened, they have no choice but to be honest (`へ*)ノ]
[As for the new home, we can't just find any place. Safety must be the top priority. You're a member of 'Champion,' so you can ask the 'Champion' branch about their policies regarding family members. But I live inside the branch, so I don't know much about it. (ω)(._.`)]
"Okay, thanks a lot. I'll treat you to dinner after I move!" Li Ye thought for a while before realizing that Yang Chen's code name was 'Champion', and immediately nodded to the doll.

Then, he walked quickly toward Yang Chen's office.

As I passed the doll, I heard a somewhat deep female voice say, "You're welcome."

Soon, Li Yelai arrived at Yang Chen's office.

"I was just about to look for you," Yang Chen said with a smile. "Generally speaking, we don't interfere in the private lives of our handlers. But some handlers are starting to stand out, which can easily attract the hostility of some scoundrels. So, we also have a policy to protect their families."

For example, an apartment building located four kilometers away from this branch, in the surrounding city area, serves as a safe haven for our handlers' families and some of their protection personnel. Several handler teams, along with a squad of elite guards, will be there to protect them discreetly.

"Is this price expensive?" Li Yelai asked, "I don't have many Giant City Coins in my account."

Li Yelai has some savings now, but not enough to buy a house.

“You can buy it with merit points, as long as you don’t want to live in the most luxurious villa. A regular three-bedroom, one-living room, one-bathroom apartment will only cost twenty merit points. If you don’t have enough points, I can cover the difference for you. You can pay me back when you have the chance,” Yang Chen said.

Li Yelai made an estimate.

According to the detective's quote, some processors buy merit points, and the price of one merit point fluctuates between 15,000 and 20,000.

That means Li Yelai will need to spend between 300,000 and 400,000 yuan to buy this house.

This is already a huge sum of money. Even if Li Yelai didn't eat or drink, it would still take him at least 25 years to buy it, based on his previous salary.

However, compared to houses in other suburban areas, the price Li Yelai inquired about at the time was around 800,000 yuan. This price was already a drastic reduction.

Moreover, this community has a dedicated team of administrators and a squad of elite guards protecting it day and night, meaning the price will only be higher than a regular house. Millions of Giant City Coins?
This should be an internal benefit provided by the processing department to its staff.

Twenty merit points, even without encountering any events, can be accumulated over a year through daily tasks alone, and the team leader can even cover the rest.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yelai nodded and said, "I have enough points, so I'll buy this place."

Although he is usually frugal, Li Yelai would not hesitate when it comes to the safety of his family.

“Okay, here’s the address. When you get there, someone will greet you. You can basically just move in with your bags,” Yang Chen said.

Then, glancing at the snowman doll peeking in from outside the door, Yang Chen smiled at the doll and said to Li Ye, "Go back and be honest with your sister. Besides, she needs this kind of protection."

This statement is alluding to 'the younger sister's situation'?
Li Yelai's heart stirred, and he looked at Yang Chen.

In his heart, Yang Chen knew that Li Yunyan had been tainted by the curse and was a critically ill person.

Generally speaking, such individuals on the verge of death need to be kept under surveillance.

However, out of trust in Li Yelai, he did not pursue the matter further.

"Thank you, Captain," Li Yelai replied in a low voice.

Then, he left the room.

After watching Li Yelai leave, Yang Chen's smile gradually disappeared, turning into a desolate sigh.

Who would want their family member to become a psychic? It's both a blessing and a curse.

At this moment, a person walked in from outside the room; it was none other than the investigator who had previously spoken with Li Ye.

He sat casually across from Yang Chen's desk and tossed Yang Chen a cigarette.

He lit a cigarette and took several puffs without saying a word before exhaling a smoke ring.

Yang Chen, like him, exhaled smoke.

The two remained silent, with only the flickering cigarette butts in the smoke.

"Old Huang, how's your investigation going? How are you planning to submit your report to the higher-ups?" Yang Chen asked.

“Don’t be polite to your seniors,” the investigator said, narrowing his eyes. “He can see the doll’s face, which means he has extremely strong resistance to curses. There are only three possibilities.”

"The first type is those with extremely strong natural resistance to curses. Such people will more or less possess anti-psychic abilities. But he does not have anti-psychic abilities."

"The second possibility is that he came into contact with some kind of forbidden object, which prevented him from being affected by the curse. A Class A forbidden object that can suppress the doll's curse? But judging from his career and scope of activities, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to come into contact with such a thing."

"The third possibility is... his status is extremely high, even beyond the reach of the curse. Even the chosen one we captured earlier didn't show this kind of curse resistance. He..." The investigator looked at Yang Chen and voiced his conjecture: "Is there some terrifying being behind him?"

"That being is stronger than the Ghost Immortal! That's why the Ghost Immortal retreated. This makes sense, after all, his Overlord Mask is so unique. He uses the power of all things to unleash the power of the Spirit Eye. What if he has more than one mask? I can't even imagine how high his potential would be with a second or third one!"

"Aren't you envious?" Yang Chen smiled. "These are my teammates, there's none for you!"

"Aren't you worried?" the investigator asked, frowning.

Yang Chen smiled and said, "I'm willing to believe him. He has also done what I expected. I just need to wait for him to succeed and applaud him. I know what the higher-ups are doubting and worried about. But with me here, nothing will go wrong."

After looking at him for a long time, the investigator shook his head and said, "The 'fierce gunman' from back then has improved quite a bit since inheriting the 'champion' title. Alright, as a former teammate, I'll help you out to avoid arousing suspicion in other departments. But I will still report the truth to my superiors."

"That's enough." Yang Chen nodded and asked, "Want some to drink tonight?"

"No, I have to go back to headquarters." The investigator got up and left.

As he left the gate, he turned back to Yang Chen and said, "Survive. There aren't many of my old teammates left. Don't let the title of champion crush you."

"Don't plant your flag here, get lost!" Yang Chen waved his hand dismissively.

On the other side, after leaving the branch, Li Yelai immediately took a taxi back to his old apartment. He even used the air stepping technique when no one was around to get to his floor as quickly as possible.

He plans to pack his bags tonight and move directly into the family apartment. That's the safest way.

So, when the front door of the house was opened...

Panting, Li Yelai looked at Li Yunyan behind the door and said, "Little sister, I have to be honest with you about something."

"Confess." Li Yunyan's pretty face changed: "Finally, you're finally going to confess that you're being kept by a rich woman? Tell me, how old are you? I can hold out!"

Li Yelai's face twitched, completely ignoring the comment.

Instead, after entering the room and closing the door, he began to unpack his luggage.

"What? You're actually leaving?" Li Yunyan looked heartbroken. "You've changed! You're actually abandoning your sister, who's your only family, for that rich woman? Waaah!"

"Couldn't you ask that rich woman if she could be less strict about gender? I can have one too! Let's go together!"

"Ouch!" Li Yunyan suddenly cried out in pain, while Li Yelai pinched her face and said, "Stop playing around, you pack your bags too, we're moving tonight!"

"You really want me to entertain rich women?" Li Yunyan asked warily, rubbing her face after freeing herself from Li Yelai's grasp. "Wait, is the person keeping you a man or a woman?"

Despite saying that, she still helped Li Yelai pack their luggage.

Although she didn't know why, she still chose to believe her brother. As always.

After thinking for a moment, Li Yelai performed the aerial stepping technique right in front of Li Yunyan.

He took seven steps in a row, walking back and forth, one meter high in the air.

This prompted Li Yunyan to exclaim in surprise, "A Dou Zong powerhouse, how terrifying! My brother has the bearing of an emperor!"

'What kind of pre-apocalyptic novel has this girl been reading this time?'

Li Yelai was speechless.

After landing, he told his sister about his experiences over the past few days, little by little.

Of course, Li Yelai still kept the existence of the shadowy figure a secret.

It only mentioned the Skinners, Psychics, Processors, Processing Department, and the dangers they might face now.

Li Yunyan's expression changed from initial surprise and curiosity to seriousness, and finally to worry.

"You've been through so much and didn't tell me!" Li Yunyan punched Li Yelai hard in the chest. "So, my current illness, like your bad luck, is a curse?"

Li Yelai nodded solemnly: "Indeed."

"So, I can become a psionicist too?" Li Yunyan asked, her expression showing surprise.

Li Yelai continued packing his luggage and said, "Let's move first."

Li Yunyan suddenly stopped what she was doing and asked in a low voice, "Brother, can you resign?"

Seeing Li Yelai's puzzled expression, Li Yunyan continued, "This is very dangerous. Skinners and Void Realm creatures are all very dangerous things."

“Your brother is still very strong. Didn’t you say that your brother has the potential to be an emperor! If the heavens hadn’t created me, Li Yelai, what would have become of me?” Li Yelai replied, “Besides, the only way to break the curse is through the official channels.”

“It’s alright even if we don’t break the curse. We’ve lived all these years, and nothing’s wrong with either of us,” Li Yunyan said softly.

"Don't worry, there won't be much danger," Li Yelai replied. "Encountering enemies is a low-probability event. Right now, I have a kind boss and a beautiful senior colleague who takes care of me. Once we move into the family apartment, our lives will be stable. We can consider it then."

Li Yunyan suddenly spoke up: "Tell me more about the beautiful senior!"

"Tsk!"

By the time Li Yelai and Li Yunyan had finished packing their luggage, it was already around 10 p.m.

There were far fewer pedestrians on the road.

But this is a good thing for Li Yunyan, who is plagued by a curse.

At that moment, she was wearing headphones and sunglasses, looking youthful and beautiful.

She carried her suitcase in one hand, grabbed Li Yelai's arm with the other, and walked out of the house with her eyes closed.

This was the first time she had left home in three years.

Although I still didn't dare to open my eyes, at least I was temporarily out of that cramped space.

Li Yelai, carrying large and small bags, carefully led Li Yunyan out of the apartment building's stairwell.

But on the first floor of the apartment building, I saw a snowman doll.

She leaned against a streetlamp, idly turning the billboard in her hand.

Upon seeing Li Yelai, she held up the advertising board in her hand.

[I'm here to protect you during your transfer (ω)]
Before Li Yelai could speak, he felt his younger sister pinch him.

She opened her eyes at some point and muttered under her breath, "Still saying you're not being kept?"

(End of this chapter)