The next morning.
Dean knocked on the door of his neighbor's house on the other side of the hill, ready to "hand in the task."
"Good morning, Mrs. Henderson."
"Dean? Are you busy so early?" The woman seemed to have just gotten off the night shift. She was wearing a pair of loose pajamas, with disheveled hair and sleepy eyes.
"It's like this. When I was helping you find a cat the day before yesterday, I discovered something unexpected in your home. I thought it would be better to talk to you," Dean said with a smile.
The woman welcomed him into the hall.
Dean sat down on the leather sofa. The orange cat that was licking its fur not far away meowed, jumped off the sofa and fled into the bedroom. "By the way, Dustin isn't home?"
"He went to the shopping mall in the center of the town to play with his classmates at around seven o'clock." Mrs. Henderson brought a cup of coffee and a plate of cranberry cookies and sat across from Dean. "So, the unexpected situation you mentioned yes…"
"Before that, I have a few questions to ask you. This is very important. Please answer it honestly." Dean pressed his hands on his knees and squeezed them, trying to ask in a calm tone, "Are you still in love with your husband?" Joshua Henderson?”
This sentence made Mrs. Henderson's expression stiffen. After a long while, she said quietly,
"Although he passed away three years ago, he has always lived in my heart. Otherwise, I would have remarried with Dustin."
"Then do you usually have a subtle feeling that Joshua never left, but always stayed in this house."
"I don't understand what you mean." The woman said in shock, "At Joshua's funeral, a group of people and I watched him being buried in the cemetery!"
"Of course your husband's body is in the coffin..."
"But I'm referring to his soul." Dean said seriously, "Last time I went down to the basement to look for cats, I found your husband's soul playing with Meow Meow."
"Oh God!" Mrs. Henderson covered her mouth and exclaimed, "This is getting more and more outrageous. There are no ghosts in the world!"
"I'm sorry to scare you, but every word I said is true." Dean explained calmly and unhurriedly, "Joshua died in this house, and because his last wish was not fulfilled, , so the soul keeps lingering.”
"Meow Meow discovered this former owner, so he often sent him apple pie, which became what you call missing."
"If you are not lying," Mrs. Henderson stood up suddenly and looked around quickly with wide eyes, "why can't Dustin and I see him? We are his relatives. He does not show up in front of us, but Go see you."
"This is not his original intention. Most people cannot see ghosts, but I am different. I am a psychic. Have you heard of it?" The identity of the psychic is the only one Dean dares to put on the table. After all, people all over the country claim that they are There are thousands of people who are psychics, but it’s hard to tell the real ones from the fake ones. “I was born with the ability to see ghosts... not only can I see ghosts, but I can also communicate with them.”
"What kind of psychic? They are just liars who pretend to be magicians on TV. I don't believe that. Stop talking about it, Dean...otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to help but ask Hope to put you in jail to sober up."
Mrs. Henderson waved towards the door and saw off the guests with a straight face.
"You go ahead, I'm just kidding you for drinking too much today."
"I have evidence." Dean took out the lens from his briefcase, put the lens in front of her left eye, and pointed it at the empty place next to the TV.
At the same time, Joshua's soul was released from the tablet.
The woman's eyes narrowed, and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped several times. The cool wind blew over her pale and loose cheeks, like a lover's gentle touch, touching her heartstrings.
An unreal light cyan humanoid figure appeared suddenly in the woman's sight, like a projection.
A middle-aged man with thin hair, round cheeks and a beer belly, he is not handsome or handsome at all.
But make her familiar to the depths of her soul.
Joshua?
Mrs. Henderson looked dazed and stood there for half a minute before she woke up as if from a dream.
She put down the bamboo board in disbelief.
The figure disappeared from sight.
Lift the board again.
Swish——
That face came into view.
Compared to the reassuring smile that always remained in his memory, his face at this moment was as emotionless as a poker.
"Dean...is this magic?" Mrs. Henderson turned around and asked, her voice trembling, but there was a hint of expectation.
Dean smiled quietly back.
"Wow, it's been three years, it's been three years, do you know how I got here?" The woman yelled and rushed over to hug the figure, but her hands went straight through and hugged a ball of air.
"What's going on?" She turned around nervously and asked, hurriedly touching the air, "Why can't I touch him?"
"Have you forgotten? He is currently just an illusory ghost and cannot be touched."
"Not even you?"
"I can not help you."
"I can only watch him like this?" Mrs. Henderson raised her left hand to observe. At the same time, she touched the side of the man's face with her right hand. She could only vaguely feel as if she had touched an extremely thin layer of mist. A slightly larger movement will completely disperse the fog.
Meow…
A ray of orange lightning suddenly jumped out of the bedroom, ran to the feet of Mrs. Henderson and the ghost, raised his amber eyes and took a look, then rolled around on the ground, exposing his soft belly, as if calling for death. The master favors himself.
Dean's eyes softened slightly as he looked at the naughty cat.
"What's wrong with his face?" Mrs. Henderson asked softly, "Why is it so stiff?"
"After becoming a ghost, feelings and memories will gradually fade, but don't worry, he will always remember you and Dustin." Dean said, "One of his last wishes is to continue to treat Dustin. , so he has been thinking about getting back a debt."
Dean escaped from the briefcase and placed nine stacks of banknotes neatly on the table. The dark green color attracted the woman's attention like a magnet.
"I took these back for him. Now I give them to you. Ninety thousand dollars, please be sure to accept them."
Dean snatched 190,000 dollars from Feodor, and he didn't mind sharing half of it with them as an experiment.
After getting the other half, his deposit on hand rose again to an unprecedented 220,000.
Mrs. Henderson covered her mouth in surprise, "I have never heard of anyone owing Joshua such a large sum of money."
"Joshua took some risks to earn this money, so he didn't say it because he was worried about you. But Dustin needs the money."
The woman looked at the dollars on the table and then at the translucent husband in front of her.
Is this a pie-in-the-sky dream?
She stretched out her hand and pinched her face hard, and the strong sting woke her up.
"Dean, the psychics on TV are all like big stars, and they often ask for tens of thousands of dollars in compensation every time they help people communicate, but I haven't given you anything, why do you want to help us?"
Dean smiled and said,
"A swimming champion, when he sees a person drowning by the river, he reaches out to save him. It's just a simple effort."
After Dean finished speaking, he saw that the progress jumped from 100% to 150%.
The curvature of the corners of his mouth became wider.
…
The woman takes a deep breath,
"Well, I can't touch Joshua, but can I talk to him?"
"There's a way. Do you remember playing Ouija on Halloween?"
"Um."
"That's easy."
Dean took out a divination suit, gave the woman some guidance until she remembered it, and then added a wish to the ghost on his own initiative.
"Your husband has another wish - to have the whole family reunite for a delicious meal. I suggest you start preparing your signature dishes right away."
"Joshua likes to eat the apple pie I make the most." Mrs. Henderson glanced at the ghost tenderly, "But Dustin is at the mall, and I have to pick him up."
"You prepare lunch, and I'll call him back for you."
…
Dean opened the door and left, driving to the Holadick Mall in the center of the town.
I turned on God's perspective and scanned it again, with a strange smile on my face.
In the alley behind the shopping mall, Dustin was accompanied by three friends, confronting two boys of the same age with curly hair.
"Look, Frog Face, Little Faggot, Toothless, Brother Nee, what are you deformed freaks and trash doing here?" The shorter curly-haired boy pointed arrogantly with his fingers. The person's chest, and the four of them all looked away, looking a little cowardly.
"Probably they found a hidden place to arrange their DND cult ritual and launch evil curses," the taller boy next to him said harshly, "Do you remember, not long ago, a senior boy in our school fell into a coma for no apparent reason? , and he actually died later. I always suspected that they were causing trouble. These four vicious little wizards put a curse on the poor boy and killed him."
"Don't be ridiculous, we haven't seen him at all, how can we curse him?" Dustin touched his cap and retorted with reason, "His death has nothing to do with us, and DND is not a cult ritual, it is interesting It is full of depth and requires a clever mind and amazing courage. Only cowards and scumbags will slander it."
"Are you threatening me, Toothless?" The curly-haired man took a step closer to Dustin and aggressively poked his diseased collarbone with his finger, causing him to gasp in pain, "That old lady of yours If you dare to curse me if you move your rotten mouth again, my father will kill your whole family with a gun!"
This vicious threat made the four people's expressions change.
The word dad made Dustin even more disappointed.
"Let's go... ignore these two idiots." Mike hooked his hands towards the three friends, and then walked straight past the two blockers. As a result, the curly-haired boy deliberately stretched his foot to trip him, and Mike fell heavily to the ground. , groaned, and cracked his chin.
"Haha, be careful when you walk, frog face." The two bullies looked at each other and smiled when they saw Mike's miserable condition, then turned around and walked out of the alley with satisfaction.
The three friends hurriedly helped Mike up.
"It's okay, man."
"It's okay, it just hurts a little."
Lucas looked at the backs of the two bullies with eyes blazing and breathing heavily, while Will looked timid.
"Go back and apply some medicine, don't take it to heart," Dustin took a deep breath, patted Mike on the back, and encouraged himself, "We are human beings and we can't argue with two vicious dogs."
"Yes, they are just two curly teddy dogs biting people," Mike rubbed his chin and laughed,
"Bits are the right ones. Bits are so stinky that even my mouth feels dirty when I bite them back." Lucas blinked, showing his big white teeth.
The four primary school students exchanged words with each other, putting aside the frustration of being bullied just now, and quickly became cheerful.
…
Does he know the spiritual victory method at such a young age?
Dean took back his perspective and drove to the entrance of the alley.
"Dustin, Will..."
"Hey, Dean, where have you been these days?" Will waved to him from afar and smiled shyly, "Why didn't you come home to find Jonathan?"
"I've been busy with work lately. I'll go back in a few days when I have some free time." Dean said meaningfully, "Have you forgotten the boxing lesson I taught you while listening to music? Just strike when it's time to strike, otherwise it's all in vain."
Will blushed and lowered his head in shame.
"Dustin, Mrs. Henderson is waiting for you at home." Dean opened the passenger door, "Get in the car and I'll take you back."
"What's the matter? Miao Miao is lost again?" Dustin looked reluctant, "We are about to deal with the vampire lord. Without me as a bard, the battle will be 100% useless."
"It's not the cat's problem, there's a big surprise waiting for you."
"Surprise? Bye bye, comrades, keep your progress with me and we'll fight together in the afternoon!"
…
"Dustin, I saw what those two little bullies did just now. Do you want to learn some self-defense techniques?"
In the car, Dean asked,
"I don't like violence." Dustin shook his head decisively.
"Then let them bully you and not fight back?"
"It's useless to fight back." Dustin stretched out his hand like a flying bird to feel the rapid airflow outside the car window, grinned, showing his toothless mouth, "The best way to deal with people like them is to ignore them."
"You are so advanced at such a young age." Dean no longer insisted. He would avenge himself, but this kid was obviously not the same as him.
Back home.
Mrs. Henderson, who was wearing a floor-length brown dress, excitedly walked out the door, gave Dustin a hug, and kissed him hard on the forehead. Her face, which was lightly made up, was filled with joy, and her whole face was radiant. A few years younger.
"Mom, why don't you turn on the light? Why are you so excited today and dressed so beautifully? What's the big news?"
"Follow me, kid."
Mrs. Henderson took Dustin, who was full of doubts, to sit down at a dining table in the house illuminated by candlelight, covered with apple pie, steak, roast chicken, salad, sumptuous food, and a divination chessboard.
The woman handed the board to Dustin.
"what is this?"
"Put it in front of you and look to the seat to your left."
As the woman spoke, she hooked her hand towards Dean at the door, her eyes filled with gratitude.
"come on in!"
"This is your family gathering, I won't disturb you." Dean glanced inside and saw an orange cat meowing at the feet of the three of them.
The ghost sat in a row with Mrs. Henderson and Dustin, as if taking a family photo, and his dark pupils turned toward the outside of the room, flashing with deep relief and gratitude.
Forget about the sensational family ethics drama.
Dean closed the door thoughtfully and leaned back gently.
Then, there were exclamations, chaotic movements, and sobs in the room, which finally turned into extremely excited shouts.
"Joshua!"
Dean took a twisty candy in his mouth, looked at the rising event progress in the system, and then looked up at the sky. The sun was exceptionally bright, just like his mood.
…
Soon, a line of prompts flashed before his eyes:
You Completed the Event - Joshua's Obsession
You used to work for the living, but now your business scope has expanded to the realm of the dead. This is progress.
You killed Feodor, Joshua's enemy
You investigate the truth behind his death and discover the Sulian spies and Hawkins Labs.
You recover the debt for him and return the doubled amount of 90,000 dollars (requiring 45,000 dollars) to his family.
You take the risk and use a psychic ritual to reunite him with his family one last time.
Joshua and his family are beyond grateful to you.
The event completion degree is 200%. You have greatly exceeded the completion limit of the event. You can choose two special rewards, and one of the rewards will be greatly enhanced.
…
Massively overfulfilled event?
Dean couldn't help but laugh out loud, his hard work and efforts were not in vain!
extract.
You have gained 100 experience points, personal level lv4 (430/500) → lv5 (30/700)
As the level increases, you gain 1 attribute point.
System ability God's perspective lv3 → lv4: observation range 30 meters → 50 meters.
Between two hundred percent completion, please choose two from the following special rewards:
A. New system ability "Limbo Travel" lv0 (significantly increases rewards):
You have performed many psychic rituals and have had a lot of experience with ghosts.
You have witnessed ghosts dissipate normally many times, and you have also had them wiped out into ashes many times.
Your spirit and perception have fully met the standards of a medium.
Your personal level has reached level 5.
You possess the rare item "The Sleepless Man's Table".
Quantitative changes produce qualitative changes.
The system will help you solidify a shuttle ability:
Now you can consume mental power to fill this ability at any time. When the mental power is full, you can activate the ability - use the slate to temporarily open the passage to Limbo, allowing no more than 3 souls, including yourself, to go there Exploring Limbo, you can return at any time.
Note: Make sure the participant's physical body is in an absolutely safe space and condition before use.
Note: There are unknown dangers in Limbo.
Note: This ability improves simultaneously with personal level, but upgrading does not provide any attribute gain.
B. 1 point of spirit
C. 1 point of will
…
Choose twice.
This incident was obviously not very difficult and they didn't even encounter a decent battle.
But because he dug deep enough, the reward was more generous than Dean expected.
A This reward is a must-have option, and the description is very mysterious. Although I don’t know how long it will take to charge, and Dean doesn’t plan to use it immediately, but keeping it may come in handy in the future.
The remaining chance was to choose between B spirit and C will. Dean hesitated and looked at the attributes:
Spirit: 18.1
Will: 14.2
The gap is close to 4 points. In the past month of daily life in the countryside, the hallucinations of "Midian" have been greatly reduced, but they still exist. They pop up from time to time to scare him. It is necessary to completely eliminate the hidden danger.
Moreover, the spirit is like water, and the will is the container that holds water. The higher the will, the stronger and more thorough the container is.
"Continuing to strengthen the container, I choose A and C."
Dean made a decision, and a large prompt flashed before his eyes:
You have gained a new system ability: Limbo shuttle lv0 (charging progress: 0/100)
Will: 14.2→15.2
Willing to break through the 15-point threshold.
Plop.
Dean's heart twitched violently.
A strong sense of reality stripping and dizziness arises spontaneously.
All the surrounding sounds, lights, and smells are leaving and distorting at the speed of light.
next moment. Dean's vision went dark, and he suddenly went from Maple Street, surrounded by green shades in the hot summer, into a universe of deathly silence, nothingness, and absolute silence.
At the edge of the black outline of the universe, hovering was the star called the "Red Dragon" that Dean could see every time he meditated.
It radiates blood-like light, penetrates the darkness, and pulls wisps of colorful mist from Dean's body to fly towards him.
All the pressure and negative emotions accumulated in my heart disappeared with this continuous and steady extraction.
Red Dragon Meditation lv2 (200→220/300)
Dean was relieved of his heavy shackles and was like a newborn, free and without any bad memories or physical burdens.
My mind felt cool.
He was extremely sure that the nightmares and auditory hallucinations that had plagued him for many days were gone.
"Yes, the Will Breakthrough 15 will not cause the severe physical pain that occurs when the Perception Breakthrough occurs."
As for the upgraded attribute points, add...
…
A burst of wailing came from inside the house, interrupting Dean's thoughts.
God's perspective swept away - the ghost of husband and father, Joshua, surrounded by two beloved family members, turned into a burst of clear light and disappeared into the air.
Then Mrs. Henderson, whose makeup was blurred by tears, pushed the door into the courtyard with Dustin, whose eyes were red and swollen.
"Thank you, Dean, for everything you have given to our family."
"Thank you for accepting it." Dean opened his eyes, his machine-like numb eyes swept over the mother and son, blinked, and returned to normal, "Joshua, please leave, my mission is completed."
"Where did he go?" Dustin grabbed Dean's hand, raised his face and asked with a choked voice, "Can't he stay at home forever? I can't bear to let him go, I don't want him to leave!"
"Can you please let him come back again? Wuwu... I still have a lot of things to say to him. I also want to introduce him to Will, Lucas, and my friends."
"Dustin, Joshua has gone to heaven, you should be happy for him," Mrs. Henderson reached out and wiped her son's tears.
"Birth, old age, illness, death, and then leaving. This is the law of nature. No one can change it. It is a great blessing to be reunited with your loved ones before they disappear." Dean paused and said, "Then you can use that money to The disease will be cured."
Dean patted the boy's curly hair,
"I wish you will grow teeth soon."
Dustin lowered his face,
"There is one more thing that you must remember," Dean said with a smile, solemnly, "Don't reveal anything about today's experience, ghosts, rituals, including me."
Dean deliberately said the worst,
"Otherwise, TV stations and fanatical psychic researchers will come to harass you. Your colleagues, friends, and relatives will treat you as a delusional lunatic, stay away from you, and even put you in a mental hospital."
"And I just need to move."
"I swear to God, I will keep my mouth shut." Mrs. Henderson hugged the child tightly and promised.
"Can't even Mike and Will tell them?" Dustin said reluctantly, "This subverts the scientific knowledge I learned in school... Ghosts really exist, and my father is one of them... There must be something in this Hiding a shocking secret!”
"By the way, Mr. Clark from the audio-visual club is a genius. He will definitely be able to use scientific methods to help us decipher the secrets of ghosts."
Dean shook his head and narrowed his eyes.
"I won't admit it if you tell me. Besides, children who don't keep their word will lose all their friends."
"Then can I ask you about the ritual?" Dustin asked instead,
"Isn't it just like Halloween? You can play it anytime you want," Dean narrowed his eyes and emphasized his tone, "But only a medium can initiate the psychic ritual."
"Okay, I understand. I promise I won't tell anyone, and I won't mess around."
"You have to swear, Dustin," Mrs. Henderson reminded her son.
"I swear to God." Toothless raised his hand solemnly,
"Remember your promise, I'm leaving."
Dean passed the two of them and entered the room, picked up his board and chessboard, and took a piece of apple pie and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Dean, come as a guest anytime in the future. I will prepare a sumptuous dessert for you."
"Let's talk when we have time." Dean waved his hand.
Boom!
The car sped away.
(End of chapter)
