Chapter 10: Commanding Spirits

Blood began to seep from all seven of Qiqi’s orifices, and at the same time, crimson liquid oozed steadily from her skin. Thick, black, viscous blood trailed down her cheeks and strands of hair, trickling drop by drop onto the ground, quickly pooling into a dark puddle beneath her feet.

The female ghost, once only partially revealed, was gradually transitioning to full manifestation.

Not long ago, on this very sideline of the sports field, she had triggered her first appearance. Back then, Ye Jiu had stepped in just in time, halting her transformation. Now, however, Ye Jiu had trapped another woman against the wall, preoccupied with kissing her, utterly ignoring Qiqi’s existence.

This neglect allowed her transformation to proceed unhindered.

Sharp fangs sprouted from her mouth, peeking past her lips, while her ten fingers grew into vicious claws, as keen as blades. Her skin turned a bruised purple, and a faint, circular mark appeared on her neck, resembling the ancient diagram of yin and yang.

[Wait, did you see that mark on Qiqi’s neck?]

[I saw it, clear as day.]

[Is that... a Spirit Control Mark?]

[No way, Qiqi actually has a Spirit Control Mark?!]

[That kind of one-in-ten-thousand chance actually happened to our streamer. Could it be that he’s truly blessed by fortune?]

[Maybe this is the turning point.]

[Is this the key to breaking the deadlock?]

[You’re getting ahead of yourself, mate. It’s not like you can use a Spirit Control Mark so easily—you need a high affection level. He hasn’t even finished the first quest yet; how high do you think his progress is? Fifteen percent? Twenty? Maybe thirty at most, no way it’s higher. With so little progress, he can’t use it.]

[True, what a shame. If Qiqi had fully manifested on the third quest, maybe our streamer would’ve stood a chance.]

[Let’s forget the what-ifs. If I were him, I’d buy a Safe Bubble immediately—survival comes first.]

[I agree, buy ten Safe Bubbles in bulk and stash them in the inventory for emergencies.]

[Are you a cloud player? Have you ever actually entered a dungeon? The streamer’s only level one, lowest tier. He can only buy one Safe Bubble at a time, and it can’t be stored—it has to be used immediately. Hoarding ten? Wishful thinking.]

[Besides, each Safe Bubble only lasts thirty minutes. The campus belle is still sitting alone in the infirmary, sobbing. Who knows how long her pheromones will last? If it goes on all night, what good is thirty minutes of protection?]

[And don’t forget, it’s not just the firecracker and Qiqi—there’s also the Bear. The Bear is a four-and-a-half-star top-tier female ghost. She ignores Safe Bubbles entirely. Even if the streamer uses one, he can’t stop her.]

[So what now?]

[Is there no solution?]

[No way out.]

[He’s done for.]

..........

Wen Nan, still kissing the firecracker, kept a close watch on the other two behind him.

The chill around Lady Mei thickened, frost spreading from beneath her feet, crystallizing the ground in a widening circle. The ice threatened to reach Wen Nan’s back, numbing him with its biting cold.

Meanwhile, the firecracker in his arms had calmed down, the threat of her fire abated by his embrace. Yet her body remained scalding, pressing against his chest like a furnace and pushing his endurance to the limit.

At his side, Qiqi, drenched in blood, walked toward him in slow, deliberate steps, leaving a long, dark trail behind her.

As Qiqi approached, the firecracker sensed danger and grew restless once more. Even with her lips sealed, unable to spit flames, she gathered burning light in her palm. The fire swelled, threatening to erupt at any moment.

Qiqi’s hollow, white eyes fixed on the fire gathering in the firecracker’s hand. Then she raised her arm, five razor-sharp claws arching like skeletal talons, stabbing toward Wen Nan and the firecracker.

Boom—

Whoosh—

Crack—

Now!

In an instant, Wen Nan released the firecracker from his embrace, spun around, and lunged at Qiqi.

He threw his arms around her, and together they tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Behind them, the firecracker’s blaze collided head-on with the biting cold released by Lin Xue Mei. The clash of heat and frost exploded in a violent shockwave that rippled toward Wen Nan and Qiqi.

Wen Nan shielded Qiqi with his body, taking the brunt of the blast.

Behind them, the battle of cold and heat hissed and crackled, before all fell eerily silent.

...Had he succeeded?

Had the ice and fire neutralized each other?

Wen Nan braced himself over Qiqi, turning to glance back, but the scene before him was the opposite of what he’d hoped.

Instead of canceling out, the ice and fire converged, surging straight toward him and Qiqi.

Left with no alternatives, Wen Nan called out to the system in his mind: [9527.]

“I’m here,” replied 9527.

[Open the store and buy a Safe Bubble.]

“Alright. Purchase complete. Equipping Safe Bubble now—”

[No, not for me. Put it on Qiqi.]

......

[Your account is level one. You can only buy one Safe Bubble. Are you sure you want to use it on Qiqi, a trial zone character?]

[Yes, do it now!]

[Understood. Safe Bubble activated.]

As the system’s voice faded, a shimmering, multicolored aura enveloped Qiqi.

Lying on the ground, her once-hollow eyes now flickered with confusion. In a hoarse whisper, she asked, “Why... would you do this?”

Wen Nan gently caressed her blood-streaked face, smiling softly. “I told you I’d choose you. Trust me—I won’t let anything harm you.”

With that, he rose and walked toward Lin Xue Mei.

The firecracker harbored hostility toward Qiqi. If Wen Nan didn’t intervene, she would almost certainly hurt Qiqi. That was why he had to use the Safe Bubble on her.

But Safe Bubbles only protected against four-star and lower threats. Lady Mei was four and a half stars; if she went on the attack, the Safe Bubble wouldn’t be enough to keep Qiqi safe.

So Wen Nan resolved to face Lady Mei himself.

A four-and-a-half-star, high-difficulty target...

How great were his chances? Even Wen Nan himself couldn’t say.

Still, he had no choice but to try.

He straightened his collar, steeled his nerves, and stepped into the icy wind.

But after just two steps—

[Congratulations, your affection level with Qiqi has surpassed 90%!]

[Qiqi is identified as an extremely rare, controllable character with a level one Control Mark. When player affection reaches 90%, the mark may be activated.]

[Would you like to activate the mark and make Qiqi your exclusive character?]