Underworld, Naihe Bridge, Seventh Section, Soul-Reaper Division Office.

Lin Feng checked this month's performance report for the 108th time, his fingertips tracing a ghostly blue trail in the air, as rows of numbers flickered on the ghostly fire screen:

Monthly Target: 30 Performance Points

Actual Completion: 8 Performance Points

Deficit: 22 Performance Points

Ranking: 9,876th in the Soul-Reaper Division (third from last)

Warning: Failure to meet the target for six consecutive months will result in the cancellation of the Soul-Reaper position.

"Missed the target again..."

Lin Feng slumped into the office chair formed by resentful energy, his pale face filled with despair.

The Seventh Section of the Soul-Reaper Division, where he worked, was primarily responsible for guiding the souls of the deceased in the Jiangcheng area.

But the problem was, the human world was in a time of peace and prosperity, medical technology was advancing rapidly, traffic accident rates were declining year by year, and even the suicide rate had dropped to a historical low due to widespread psychological counseling.

Where was he supposed to get his performance from?

Li Laogui from the neighboring desk leaned over and whispered:

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"Did you hear? Lord Wang, the 8th-Rank Soul Reaper, caught a car accident victim yesterday and completed fifty performance points in one go!"

"How is that possible? There were only two traffic accidents in Jiangcheng last month, and the Third Section got to them first."

Lin Feng was skeptical.

Li Laogui glanced around furtively, lowering his voice even further:

"Cross-border enforcement is all the rage now. Lord Wang pulled some strings to use the Underworld Passage and secretly reaped souls in the neighboring city..."

"Isn't that against the rules?"

"Rules?"

Li Laogui scoffed:

"Do you know how competitive the Underworld has become? Last month, even Lord Zhang, the 6th-Rank Soul Captain, personally staked out the Intensive Care Unit and snatched three souls! I heard he got reported to Judge Cui because of it."

Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine.

Although, as an early-stage Wild Ghost Soul-Reaper, he technically didn't have a spine anymore.

He had joined the Underworld's civil service three years ago, thinking he had secured a stable job, only to find out that the Underworld had reformed and introduced performance evaluations, making the competition among Soul-Reapers fiercely intense.

Last month, an intern Soul-Reaper even reaped a soul that wasn't due yet, just to meet his quota, and was sent straight to the eighteenth level of hell when discovered.

"Lin Feng, the Director wants to see you in his office."

A cold voice came from the doorway; it was Chen Feng, the head of the Seventh Section and Lin Feng's direct superior, an 8th-Rank Soul Reaper.

Lin Feng's heart tightened as he adjusted the 9th-Rank 3rd-Class Soul Reaper uniform issued by the Underworld.

A dull gray robe, with the standard-issue Soul Hook Chain hanging at his waist, he walked nervously towards the Director's office.

Director Zhao of the Soul-Reaper Division was a 3rd-Rank Official, and he usually wouldn't meet with a lowly 9th-Rank like Lin Feng.

A sudden summons today was unlikely to be good news.

Pushing open the heavy black wooden door, a chilling aura hit him in the face.

Director Zhao was seated behind a desk formed by countless wailing faces, reviewing some documents.

"Lin Feng, 9th-Rank 3rd-Class Soul-Reaper, employed for three years and four months, highest monthly performance record: 32 points, lowest: 6 points. Failed to meet the target for the last six months."

Director Zhao didn't even look up, his voice calm yet making Lin Feng's soul tremble.

"Director, I..."

"The Underworld doesn't support idle ghosts."

Director Zhao finally looked up, his face a classic Yama visage, commanding respect without anger:

"I'm giving you one last chance. There's a special task here. Complete it, and not only will your six months of poor records be erased, but you'll also receive an additional reward of 100 Merit. Fail..."

Director Zhao didn't finish, but Lin Feng knew the consequence—cancellation of his Underworld position.

"What task?"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth and asked.

He had no choice.

Director Zhao flicked his finger, and a black light shot into Lin Feng's forehead.

[Special Task of Underworld: Investigate Abnormal Soul Power Fluctuations in the Human World]

[Task Area: Abandoned Textile Factory in Jiangcheng Western Suburb]

[Danger Level: Unknown]

[Task Deadline: Three Days]

[Task Reward: Erase six months of poor records, 100 Merit]

[Failure Penalty: Revocation of Soul-Reaper Position]

The next moment, Lin Feng's vision went black, and when he opened his eyes again, he was standing in the Jiangcheng Western Suburb.

It was midnight, the moonlight a ghostly white, illuminating a dilapidated four-story building.

This used to be Jiangcheng's largest textile factory, but a fire twenty years ago killed thirty-seven people, leaving it abandoned and infamous for being haunted.

"Is this it?"

Lin Feng sensed the faint resentful energy in the air, which was at most at the level of a few Wild Ghosts:

"What kind of abnormal soul power fluctuation could there be in a place like this?"

As a formally employed member of the Underworld, even though Lin Feng was only at the early stage of a Wild Ghost, dealing with a few Wild Ghosts was a piece of cake for him.

He took off the Soul Hook Chain from his waist, a Low-Grade Magic Tool specifically designed to counter ghosts, capable of holding its own even against Resentful Ghosts.

Pushing open the rusty iron door, a musty smell assaulted his senses.

The interior of the factory was empty, moonlight streaming through broken windows, illuminating the mess on the ground.

Suddenly, Lin Feng's soul shuddered!

It wasn't fear, it was excitement!

He could clearly feel that the concentration of soul power in the air was even higher than in some remote areas of the Underworld!

Moreover, this soul power was chaotic and disordered, clearly emanating from masterless souls.

"This place..."

Lin Feng's eyes widened as he followed the direction of the densest soul power, arriving at the dyeing workshop deep within the factory.

In the center of the workshop, a blood-red gate of light hovered silently. From within, the faint sound of agonizing shriek and eerie laughter drifted out.

"What is this? An Underworld Passage?" 

Lin Feng had never seen a portal of this form.

Underworld Passages were typically black or gray, but this blood-red one...

Just as he hesitated, the portal suddenly expanded, and an irresistible force pulled him in!

"Wait! I'm an Underworld civil servant! I have a position—"

Before Lin Feng could finish his sentence, he was sucked into the portal.

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Proofreader: Peter Pan