# "A System?"
Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. "My cheat code has finally arrived!"
He made a decisive request: "System, help me draw a Demon Transformation Card!"
He had no idea what it was, but for now, it seemed like the only thing that could save his life.
*Ding! Consuming 100 Ghost Qi allows you to draw a 1-Star Demon Transformation Card. Draw now?*
"Draw!"
As the words left his mouth, ferocious phantoms appeared before Jiang Chen—an enormous bear clad in sharp armor, a black ox with massive horns, a gray wolf with fur like steel needles...
Waves of menacing aura surged toward him, sending chills down his spine.
These figures flickered constantly, finally settling on a monster with a tiger's head and a human body.
*Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a 1-Star Demon Transformation Card—General Yin!*
Jiang Chen froze for a moment, then suddenly reacted. "General Yin? Isn't that one of the three poor sucker monsters from the very start of *Journey to the West*?"
He had loved mythological tales since childhood and had read *Journey to the West* thoroughly. He knew perfectly well that before the Monkey King appeared, there were three monsters—Scholar Te, General Yin, and Lord Xiongshan—who were truly the "poor suckers" of the story.
They had clearly captured Tang Sanzang, yet only ate two of his servants. Having stuffed themselves, they left Tang Sanzang untouched for the time being, and later, he was rescued by the Golden Star of Venus.
"This monster doesn't seem as stupid as it's written in the book," Jiang Chen thought. Recalling the phantom of General Yin he'd seen earlier—steeped in bloodthirsty malice, its massive frame towering over him, tiger eyes cold and piercing—it had exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Just being stared at by that phantom had left his back soaked in sweat, filling him with an immense sense of dread.
"How do I use the Demon Transformation Card...?" Jiang Chen glanced at a virtual panel that appeared before him:
- [Host]: Jiang Chen
- [Ghost Qi]: 0
- [Demon Transformation Cards]: General Yin (1-Star)
When his gaze fell on [Demon Transformation Cards], a line of explanation popped up:
[1-Star Demon Transformation Card]: Recite "Use" to activate Demon Transformation. For 30 minutes, you will gain some of the monster's power and randomly draw one supernatural ability.
*Note: After Demon Transformation ends, you will permanently retain 10% of the monster's physique and demonic power, with a 1% chance to permanently inherit its supernatural ability.*
After glancing at the panel twice, Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, then opened the door and stepped out.
"I've used up all my initial Ghost Qi. I have to find a way to use this Demon Transformation Card and the ghost right in front of me to farm enough Ghost Qi—otherwise, the days ahead will be miserable."
...
Room 1202. Inside the bedroom, a woman in a wine-red slip nightgown was propping a chair against the wooden door, half her body leaning on it. She was trembling violently, like a sieve.
The woman was Sister Hong. Normally elegant and poised, she now looked utterly disheveled—her hair was messy, her body drenched in cold sweat, and she was muttering incoherently.
"No... don't come in... please don't..."
Her eyes were vacant, as if she was on the verge of breaking down.
*Knock... Knock... Knock...*
As the knocking sounded outside the door, a faint *zizi* of electric current echoed in the bedroom. The lights flickered dim, then brightened again.
Sister Hong's pupils contracted sharply.
When the lights came back on, she clearly saw a narrow crack had opened in the bedroom door, and several pale fingers were hooked around the edge. A frantic woman's voice came through the door, laced with an eerie smile that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Open the door quickly! I know you're in there—why won't you save me?"
"Open up! Save me, please!"
*Knock... Knock... Knock...*
The lights went out again. Knocking sounded in the darkness, and when they flickered on once more, Sister Hong's eyes widened in terror, her body going limp with fear. This time, the crack in the door had widened, and half of a pale woman's face was peeking through—smiling at her.
"I see you! Let me in right now!"
Staring at that deathly pale ghostly face, Sister Hong felt her heart was about to stop.
"It's over," she thought.
Just as despair overwhelmed her, a sound of footsteps suddenly rang out from outside, as if someone had rushed in.
*Whoosh!*
A dark figure flashed past the door. Before Sister Hong could recover from her shock, it seemed someone had dashed into the bathroom next to the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
The female ghost naturally noticed this too.
Daring to rush into a room and close the door right in front of her—for a "Knocking Ghost" like her, this was an unforgivable provocation.
Immediately, she abandoned Sister Hong. Her head twisted stiffly toward the bathroom, and her pale arm lifted.
*Knock... Knock... Knock...*
"Is anyone inside? Open the door!" The female ghost's hoarse, icy voice sent chills down the spine.
There was silence in the bathroom for two seconds, then a deep, strong man's voice rang out:
"Sister, what do you need? Did you want to come in and take a dump with me?"
As soon as the words fell, a system notification sounded in Jiang Chen's ear:
*Knocking Ghost is shocked: Are you disgusting? +5 Ghost Qi*
Outside the door, the female ghost suddenly regretted knocking on the bathroom door.
On second thought, it did seem weird—she could knock on any other door, but knocking on a bathroom door...
Before she could recover from her daze, Jiang Chen actually tapped the door twice, extending an invitation:
"Coming in?"
*Knocking Ghost: ???*
Those two simple words cut deeper than any insult.
*+10 Ghost Qi*
Seeing the female ghost make no move, Jiang Chen grew even bolder. He actually pulled the door open slightly, peeked out at her, and coughed lightly:
"Don't worry, my dumps don't smell. And I promise—this is my first time doing this with a girl. Coming in?"
Staring at his sincere eyes, the pale-faced female ghost was stunned.
She opened her mouth, but was so dumbfounded that she didn't know where to start complaining.
The hell are you, a devil?
Who the hell invites someone to take a dump together?
*+7 Ghost Qi*
*+8 Ghost Qi*
Hearing the notifications in his ear, Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. He'd gained 30 Ghost Qi in the blink of an eye—so his little trick was working perfectly, fully meeting the system's requirements.
"I'm in so much pain, young man... Can you save me first?" The female ghost wasn't one to be outdone. After the initial shock, she let out a cold laugh, and blood suddenly started dripping from her body.
Holes appeared in her chest and stomach; her pale face was covered in knife wounds, the skin peeling back to reveal a gruesome sight.
The female ghost took a step forward into the bathroom, and a frigid aura instantly engulfed the tiny space.
"Ah!!! There's a ghost!!!"
Jiang Chen, who had been squatting on the toilet a moment earlier, suddenly jumped up, his face filled with terror. He let out a scream as if he was being violated.
*Knocking Ghost is confused: Where did your earlier calm go? +5 Ghost Qi*
It wasn't that the female ghost was easily thrown off balance—it was that Jiang Chen had been so calm and unafraid of her just moments before. Now, his reaction was so extreme. The stark contrast left the female ghost completely confused.
But soon, she sneered and stepped closer to Jiang Chen. "Heh, finally scared now?"
To her surprise, Jiang Chen didn't even look at her. Instead, he pointed frantically at the mirror ahead, his face still filled with terror:
"A ghost! There's a ghost there! Miss, can't you see it? There's a ferocious evil ghost in the mirror!"