Cthulhu America, I can see the kill line.

I didn't sleep all night.

The alert triggered by the skill was like a wild beast lurking in the shadows; even when hidden in the shadows, its gleaming eyes still shone in the darkness, intimidating Kong Jiu.

Even though they hadn't been harmed and there was nothing terrifying in front of them, an indescribable fear clung to them relentlessly.

The feeling was like someone living alone in a house in the middle of the night, half asleep, when suddenly there was a knocking sound on the door.

I crawled out of the warm bed, stepped into the entryway, opened the door, and saw that the outside was empty!

At that moment, fear felt like a steel needle piercing my brain, instantly dispelling my sleepiness and leaving only an unsettling feeling of extreme wakefulness.

Who is it? What is it? What is its purpose in knocking?

That was the fear of the unknown, the oldest fear! It lingered in my heart, never fading away!

Who can have such a warning directly transmitted into their own mind?

What can I foresee in the future? Why is there such a voice warning me?

Kong Jiu huddled on the bed, still shaken, his mind in turmoil.

Before we knew it, dawn was breaking.

Kong Jiu, who hadn't slept all night, didn't dare to delay for a moment. He hopped on his bicycle and braved the bitter cold of the heavy snow to head straight for Chinatown.

Antique shops obviously wouldn't be open at this time.

Kong Jiu pounded on the wooden planks blocking the shop door until one of the planks was removed, and the fake Fern, who wasn't wearing a queue, peeked out sleepily.

"Mr. Kong? What brings you here so early in the morning...?"

Before Fern could finish asking his question, Kong Jiu hurriedly squeezed into the store, as if something was chasing him from behind.

"Is Master Li Yingying here? I have something urgent to ask you, something very important!"

Seeing Kong Jiu's anxious state, Ferne also became more serious.

"Since the owner is willing to tell you her real name, she will naturally be waiting for you at any time."

The fake Fern jogged back to the counter, turned the vase, and the hidden door disappeared, revealing a dark tunnel to Kong Jiu.

Thank you!

Kong Jiu returned the greeting with clasped hands and hurriedly plunged inside.

Sound, light, color—everything gradually disappeared into the darkness.

Even that fear lessened considerably as they ventured deeper into the tunnel.

He walked through the tunnel and stood once again on his homeland.

Li Yingying sat on the mahogany sofa, picked up a spoonful of mutton soup sprinkled with fried dough twists, and stared blankly at Kong Jiu who had suddenly appeared.

Kong Jiu was stunned when he saw the milky white mutton soup that he hadn't seen in more than five years.

"no,"

Li Yingying spoke first, looking surprised, "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"no,"

Kong Jiu retorted with the same opening line: "You're serving mutton soup with fried dough twists? What kind of blasphemous combination is that?"

"It's my choice, what's it to you?"

Li Yingying rolled her eyes at Kong Jiu, but couldn't stop him from taking her bowl of soup and drinking it all in one gulp.

"Damn it, are you here to steal my food this early in the morning?"

Li Yingying was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves, looking like she was about to fight.

"This mutton soup is truly authentic, much better than the swill I make. I haven't tasted this in years. But these sweet fried dough twists... are you even human?"

Kong Jiu wiped the corner of his mouth, not forgetting to add a few words.

Li Yingying's eyes blazed with anger: "Spit it out! What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I'll come? What am I here for?"

Kong Jiu smacked his lips a couple of times, seemingly still unsatisfied, and momentarily forgot the purpose of his visit.

Suddenly, he realized.

The fear that had surrounded me disappeared after I passed through the tunnel?

"Master Li, Master Li, I accidentally glimpsed the future! How terrifying!"

Although the fear had dissipated after passing through the tunnel, Kong Jiu's legs went weak when he recalled the feeling and that unusual sense of clarity. He rushed over and hugged Li Yingying's thigh, rubbing against her.

Li Yingying's face darkened: "You little brat, you've really glimpsed the future?"

Kong Jiu nodded, then immediately shook his head.

What should I do?

Should we tell Li Yingying about the system?

Even after unlocking the ability to observe units below level 30, Li Yingying still did not display any data or health bar.

Just like an unattainable character in a dating sim, Li Yingying is still an unknown character to Kong Jiu.

Okay, I'll just tell you the truth.

After much hesitation, Kong Jiu told Li Yingying about the warning that popped up when he opened the system and checked the skills.

"Your system has reason and spiritual vision, so it's not surprising."

To everyone's surprise, Li Yingying showed no surprise upon learning that Kong Jiu had a system; she simply said something indifferently.

"It's because your clairvoyance allowed you to glimpse part of the truth behind the warning that you reacted so strongly."

A faint light shimmered from Li Yingying's fingertips as she brushed them across her forearm.

"It's alright. This kind of indirect warning, which is supposed to be a one-time exception, is actually just turning a blind eye."

The baby-soft, pink skin vanished instantly, revealing a scar that snaked like a centipede.

"Look, this is real punishment, far more terrifying than mere intimidation."

Kong Jiu's eyelids twitched as he looked at the hideous scars.

These scars, resembling winding tree branches or a spider web, are scientifically known as Lichtenberg patterns and are also called "lightning flowers".

When he took the elective course "How to Extract Information from the Deceased through Corpse Features," the teacher mentioned that such scars were mostly caused by lightning strikes.

However, that teacher also emphasized:

"Most lightning strikes only last for one to two hours, which is when the deceased has just died from electrocution and the body is very fresh."

"Only a very small number can disappear within 48 hours, or even longer."

"As for permanent scars, not only does the lightning need to be huge, but the person also needs to be incredibly resilient."

But the dense clusters of lightning bolts on Li Yingying's arm not only appear to be permanent, but... there's more than one?

Sun Wukong kicked the Imperial Stables, destroyed the Peach Garden, and peed on Buddha's hand, yet he wasn't struck like this, right?

"My goodness, sister, what you've done..."

Looking at the dense, spiderweb-like lightning flowers, Kong Jiu didn't know how to respond.

"Ordinary psionicists, especially warp walkers, would be annihilated by this punishment."

Li Yingying raised her forearm, pouted, and said with a hint of pride, "But I'm tough! I survived seven or eight times. Pretty amazing, right?"

Is this something to brag about?

Kong Jiu frowned as he looked at the grotesque forearm.

"So, you mean it's because I have clairvoyance that I was so severely affected by the warning, is that right?"

Li Yingying nodded.

"As long as I'm not punished, warnings are no big deal."

As she spoke, she brushed her fingertips across her forearm, and the menacing lightning bolt disappeared.

"However, you bring valuable information—this warning is a product of Amerigo Vespucci and will not reach your homeland."

Kong Jiu nodded; he too realized that the panic only existed in the other world.

But his Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked nervously, "But that feeling of panic—having someone around but not being able to see them—is really hard to bear."

Li Yingying rested her chin on her hand and glanced at Kong Jiu with an expression that said, "You little coward, aren't you?"

She turned and opened the refrigerator next to the coffee table, the kind that looks like it's placed in an office to store tea.

"Alright, alright, I'm a kind-hearted woman. I can handle something as simple as letting the boy get a good night's sleep."

As she spoke, she pulled out a small pendant that still had ice crystals on it.

The pendant was extremely simple, as simple as the plastic jade pendants sold at roadside stalls in his hometown.

"This thing can prevent your sanity from decreasing and it can also obscure your spiritual vision, making you less sensitive to the true nature of the world..."

"Thank you, thank you!"

Kong Jiu hurriedly took it and hung it around his neck.

As soon as he put it on, a refreshing coolness washed over him, clearing his mind, which had been foggy from a sleepless night.

"Eight thousand, Amerigo Dole."

Li Yingying didn't stop Kong Jiu from taking the pendant; she simply waved her hand and spoke calmly.

Kong Jiu's expression froze.

How many?

Eight thousand for a broken jade pendant?

If it weren't for the fact that I've made a lot of money recently from moving corpses, I would have really suffered a huge loss from this 8,000 dollar fortune.

With a complicated expression, Kong Jiu took out a stack of money and reluctantly placed it in Li Yingying's fair and delicate hand.

In Amerigo Veterans, cash is the primary method of transaction because it facilitates tax evasion.

Kong Jiu developed a habit of carrying a large stack of banknotes with him in order to purchase corpses.

"What the hell? A jade pendant costs me half a year's living expenses? Master Li, didn't you say last time that it's all about fate, not money?"

"Sigh, we need to eat."

Li Yingying counted the banknotes with her saliva, looking just like a landlady.

Kong Jiu was somewhat annoyed by the reduced amount of eight thousand, and then asked, "What about last time? You said you'd help me with my visa, how's that going?"

"Wasn't everything taken care of?"

Li Yingying didn't even look up, continuing to count the banknotes.

"Feel the inside right pocket of your shirt yourself."

Kong Jiu was taken aback, reached into his inner pocket, and pulled out a small card.

An American permanent residency green card?

Kong Jiu knew that Li Yingying was a high-level psychic who could distort reality.

Is it possible to achieve this level of skill?

If I rely on myself, I probably won't be able to get a green card even in three or four years, right?

Kong Jiu's eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Li Yingying with an incredulous expression.

"You spend a lot of time spacing out, so there's a lot of room for maneuver. This job is actually quite simple."

Li Yingying didn't even look up, continuing to count the banknotes.