The screen crackled.
Lines of unreadable symbols rolled across it, and the pixelated game characters began to distort—twisting into grotesque versions of themselves. Eyes blacked out. Mouths stretched into silent screams.
Shi Mu and Fu Yunshen stood in the center of the dorm room, weapons drawn—not for demons of flesh and blood, but for something far more elusive:
A ghost in the code.
"This spirit," Shi Mu muttered, eyes locked on the screen, "It's not just attached to the game. It is the game now."
Fu Yunshen nodded, gripping his jade pendant tighter. "A digital echo. Probably tied to a regret that manifested during gameplay. Those can loop endlessly."
The lights flickered again.
From the speaker, a garbled voice whispered:
"He never logged back in…"
Zhou Zhi's half-eaten snack roll sat on his desk, completely ignored now as the temperature dropped further.
Suddenly, the power cut.
Darkness.
Only the glow of the screen remained—casting eerie light over the room.
On the screen, one sentence blinked in red:
[I waited at the gate.]
Shi Mu's chest tightened.
"This isn't random," she said slowly. "Someone was supposed to meet them in-game. They waited. And died waiting."
"Lonely spirits latch onto routines," Fu Yunshen replied. "Especially online. Repetition gives them form. The disappointment gives them energy."
"So how do we break it?"
He glanced at the screen. "Finish the cycle. Log in. Let them go."
Shi Mu didn't hesitate.
She sat down, connected the controller again, and launched the corrupted game. Her avatar appeared—this time, no background music, no loading screen.
Just a void.
And one NPC standing at the gate.
Motionless.
Waiting.
Fu Yunshen stood behind her, voice calm but firm. "Talk to them."
She moved the character forward.
The NPC flickered.
Then a message appeared:
"You came."
Another.
"I can sleep now."
The figure began to fade.
Light returned to the room.
The screen blinked off.
Silence.
And then—
Zhou Zhi burst through the door holding a bucket of salt and shouting, "I'm ready to exorcise the fridge!"
Shi Mu turned. "Too late. The boss is gone."
Zhou Zhi blinked. "Aw, man. Again?"
Later, after they cleaned up the remains of incense and shield talismans, Fu Yunshen spoke quietly.
"Thanks for not hesitating."
Shi Mu looked at him. "You either."
Their eyes met.
For once, there was no sarcasm. No teasing.
Just unspoken understanding.
And a trace of something warmer.
[System Notification]
Spiritual Entity Resolved: Echo Spirit (Digital Class – Passive)
Cycle Broken – Emotional Anchor Released
Brotherhood Value +70 (Collaborative Resolution + Emotional Alignment)
Current Total: 1,745 / 1,000,000
Outside the dorm, the rain had finally stopped.
But inside, something far more dangerous was happening:
The slow unraveling of walls built to keep others out.
And Shi Mu didn't know whether to reinforce them—
Or finally let someone in.