Life is not easy; even the King Yama sighed.
Looking at the Underworld, which now only had a single Yama Hall, Shen Jian felt a sense of emptiness.
The company had just been founded: no money, no staff, no projects.
Everything was a wasteland waiting to be rebuilt.
This was without a doubt a total mess.
With a wave of his hand, Yin Energy condensed, and a standard contract appeared in Shen Jian's palm.
Party A (Underworld):
Party B (Specter):
Employment Term (Until the Six Paths of Reincarnation begin operating): None.
By mutual agreement, the contract stipulates as follows:
The existence of the Underworld must not be disclosed to anyone.The situation of the Underworld must not be investigated by any means.No actions may be taken that harm the interests of the Underworld.Decisions made by the Underworld are absolute and must not be questioned.False reporting of one's measurements is strictly forbidden.Upon signing, both parties are bound, and the contract becomes effective.Violations grant the Underworld the right to punishment.In case of ambiguity, the right of interpretation belongs solely to the Underworld.
As the reborn Underworld, Shen Jian had the authority to revise all its laws, and this contract was one such example.
In essence, it was no different from a company's standard agreement.
Once signed, the contract became binding.
Specters would officially become employees of the Netherworld.
They would serve the Underworld.
Only when the Six Paths of Reincarnation were established would their term end.
At that point, whether to reincarnate or continue working for the Underworld would be their own choice.
Shen Jian handed the contracts to Sadako and Miss Mary.
Yin Energy infused them.
The contracts were activated.
They were branded with the seal of the Underworld, and thus became Yin Messengers.
So long as they remained within the Underworld, they would exert a suppressive effect on invading specters.
Of course, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was that after being nourished by Yin Energy, both female specters looked even more alluring.
Sadako bounced around, her chest heaving like a portent of great disaster.
Miss Mary tilted her head as if experimenting, Yin Energy surging as a phantom black stocking formed around her long legs.
When she pressed her thighs together with a slight tilt, the elegant curves were accentuated to perfection.
Perfect.
Shen Jian couldn't help but give himself a mental thumbs-up.
Yes, this was the proper way to open the Underworld.
The earlier version had been too gloomy, too grim, too unlikeable.
That image was too frightening, bound to get censored.
Shen Jian entered the Yama Hall and sat down.
The system prompt chimed:
"Mission: Rebuild the Underworld."
"Phase One: Yama Hall operational — Completed."
"Reward: Eighteen Levels of Hell."
"Eighteen Levels of Hell?"
Shen Jian blinked.
If the Underworld was famous for one thing, it was precisely that,
The Eighteen Levels of Hell.
According to legend, they were used to punish specters, a terrifying place far worse than any earthly prison, ten thousand times more dreadful. Each level corresponded to punishments for different sins committed before death.
Oil cauldrons, mountains of blades, seas of fire, whipping and torment,
All of them were themes of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
Even ghosts trembled at their mention.
As he pondered, a 3D holographic projection appeared before him, displaying the model of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
Only the first level was accessible; the remaining seventeen were grayed out.
Shen Jian clicked the first level.
An infinite space unfolded, but it was a featureless, gray void.
A notification appeared:
[Hell, First Level: (Customizable)]
[Currently lacking labor subjects.]
[Requirement: Specters.]
[Labor Reform Objective: Eliminate evil karma, produce Yin Energy.]
A customizable Hell? Shen Jian smacked his lips. This gave him some very bold ideas.
And as for that labor reform objective… he skipped over the "eliminate evil karma" part and focused on the last phrase: "produce Yin Energy."
If he wasn't mistaken, this meant the Yin Energy produced would belong to the Underworld, public funds, not for private use.
Not even the boss could dip into it for himself.
But…
Rules were dead; people were alive.
There were always ways around obstacles.
In just a few minutes, Shen Jian had already thought of several workarounds.
All of them workable.
His path forward was now clear.
He needed to keep catching specters.
Toss them into the Eighteen Levels of Hell to harvest Yin Energy.
And if he found any pleasing, he could recruit them as Yin Messengers.
After all, could the grand Yama Hall, first among the Ten Halls, really operate with just a receptionist and a secretary?
Shen Jian returned to the mortal world.
Sadako followed him back.
She started sweeping, mopping, and cooking, a dutiful wife and mother figure, a real bonus.
"To marry, one must marry Sadako."
She wouldn't age. She didn't crave jewelry, fashion, or cosmetics. She didn't even need food or drink. And she was full of romance: climbing out of a TV just to surprise her husband, graceful figure, dance foundation, camera presence, and photogenic innocence.
A perfect wife candidate.
Single men next door were crying with envy.
After a good meal and drink, Shen Jian reminded himself he couldn't afford to slack off.
He opened his game interface.
A countdown appeared:
[Time until next dungeon opens: 72 hours.]
"Three days, huh…"
Resting his head on two soft pillows, his Yin Energy continued to grow nonstop. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed friend requests blinking.
[Friend request from Player — White Dove.]
[Friend request from Player — Office Slave.]
[Friend request from Player — Grandpa Proud.]
[Friend request from Player — Queen Sister.]
Shen Jian approved them all.
Then, his brows rose.
[Office Slave: Big Bro, my name is Wang Chen. Can we meet somewhere? From the compensation rewards of the Rebirth Manor dungeon, I received an invitation scroll for a special dungeon: "Haunted Funeral Parlor." It's a team mode, and I can designate one person to join me. Would Big Bro be interested?]
[Office Slave: Of course, I'll also pay in Horror Coins, just a token of gratitude. Please carry me through it.]
[True King Yama: Compensation rewards?]
In a neatly built residential community, Wang Chen nervously watched his chat interface.
Not far away, a woman was playing with a child, laughing sweetly.
Wang Chen's gaze softened.
The Rebirth Manor dungeon had collapsed early.
By sheer luck, he had survived another one-star dungeon.
He hadn't gained much, barely half an experience bar, but he was alive.
He got to see his wife and child again. He could still enjoy the warmth of family.
But the compensation reward had turned out to be a deadly invitation scroll.
A special dungeon.
Time limit: one day.
And he knew, special dungeons had no fixed difficulty.
Sometimes one-star, sometimes even chained-star levels.
The only person who could carry him through was this "Big Bro."
[Office Slave: Yes, it's rotten luck. I wish I'd never gotten this so-called reward. Big Bro, I've saved up 800 Horror Coins. I'll transfer them all to you, just please let me follow you.]
Shen Jian: …
What blatant discrimination.
Why didn't he get compensation rewards?
[True King Yama: Fine. Come find me at the address above.]
Shen Jian replied.
Helping people was a small effort.
Helping ghosts was also a small effort.
[Ding! You have received a gift of 800 Horror Coins from Player Office Slave.]
Wang Chen nearly wept with relief, transferring the coins immediately, afraid Shen Jian would change his mind.
This was his only hope, his one golden thigh to cling to. Miss this, and there would be no second chance.
Shen Jian glanced at the transfer message.
Then he lay back down, returning to the lap of luxury.
"Ah."
He opened his mouth, and a grape was popped in.
Cool, juicy, bursting with flavor.
Even the life of an immortal couldn't be much better.
(End of Chapter 7)
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