Chapter 122: I'll Lick~ (Part Two)

Yu Guohui paused.

Instead of speaking immediately, he set down his teacup, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Xiao Qin... You must understand that everything that happens today will be recorded in the archives of the SRC. On video."

Qin Ye nodded deeply, meeting the other man's gaze directly.

After a few seconds, Yu Guohui nodded slightly, his expression turning solemn. "Please go ahead."

"Absurd!" Downstairs, the five people watching the surveillance feed, the three men in white coats, all stood up in unison, anxiety written all over their faces.

Lin Han had a vague feeling as though something was prying into him. It was a bizarre sensation—not overpowering, but under the other's gaze, he felt completely stripped bare. He gave a light cough to snap back to his senses. "What is it? What happened?"

"S9527... simply... completely reckless!" A square-jawed man in a white coat seemed quite agitated, pacing anxiously around the room. "Elder Yu already warned him that everything today would be recorded in the SRC archives, and yet he still claims he has ideas! This is... going too far. This has truly gone too far!"

Lin Han scratched his head. "What do you mean?"

Su Feng said coolly, "Exactly what it sounds like. Elder Yu's remark was just a casual opening. As someone directly involved, having your own perspective is only natural. But what shouldn't happen is... voicing it here."

"Who is the other person? A renowned master of ghostly studies in Huaguo. Qin Ye solved this case, and Yu had him brought here and recorded on video primarily to give him a helping hand. Because of the Elder's standing, all his video logs go straight to the top. Making a favorable impression at a time like this is the best possible move..."

Lin Han asked in confusion, "Wouldn't expressing his own views leave an even deeper impression?"

Su Feng shook his head. "No. Can his insights possibly compare to the SRC's? It's merely showing off one's slight skill before an expert. Once something poorly said is seen by those at the top, what impression will they form? You don't need to guess—I'll tell you: this kid has decent strength, but he's far too full of himself. Once such an impression is formed, his future prospects will likely be capped right here."

"Impressions are things rooted in people's hearts. Normally, they seem to lie dormant, doing nothing. But the moment Qin Ye's promotion application is submitted and happens to be reviewed by the higher-ups, that impression resurfaces. Unless..."

He glanced briefly at the screen, and Lin Han probed in a low voice, "Unless... he actually presents some groundbreaking new insight that opens everyone's eyes?"

Su Feng nodded, then shook his head.

"Easier said than done." He sighed. "The SRC... that is the theoretical bastion of Huaguo's frontline battle against ghosts. To make them feel impressed... difficult, difficult, difficult."

Upstairs.

"Then I shall make a fool of myself." Qin Ye knew very well when to conceal his talents and when to bare his blade. If he wanted this heavyweight figure to look at him in a new light, this little bit was nowhere near enough.

He had no idea about the anxiety downstairs. To him, no matter how formidable these people were, a single Alsacia was enough to obliterate them all in a second!

He took a deep breath, leaned forward slightly, and said in a deep voice, "My perspective is that... ghosts do indeed have many classifications, and they possess extremely distinct manifestations and dangers!"

Yu Guohui's gaze lowered slightly, a trace of disappointment welling up in his heart.

Since recording had already begun, it was too late to say anything else. He had originally hoped the young man would offer some novel insights, but... this was also within expectations.

Others probably didn't realize that for people of their status, all relevant video logs had to be personally reviewed by practitioners at the Judge tier of the SRC and the Special Investigation Bureau.

Perhaps by drawing parallels from other fields, new ideas could be sparked.

Seeing that Yu remained silent, Qin Ye smiled and said, "Elder Yu, what I mean is... these extremely distinct manifestations and dangers are likely far greater than you imagine."

"For instance?"

"For instance... Spectral Phantoms."

The moment this term left his lips, Elder Yu's lowered gaze snapped upward, and his immediate reaction was to instantly search his entire internal knowledge base.

Nothing...

None! Still nothing!

A brand-new term!

"Did you... invent this?" he asked in disbelief.

Qin Ye was far too young.

"...Forgive me, I am not doubting you. But all classifications of ghosts are hypotheses formed from long accumulations of case studies, requiring one to personally dissect these cases to find results. At your age..." He left the sentence unfinished.

Eighteen years old—just how much could you have experienced?

Qin Ye smiled.

How does one become an elegant sycophant?

Naturally, you must suck up until the other party reaches climax—no! Until the other party feels thoroughly comfortable, until you hit the exact spot they most want stroked.

For a scholar, of course, you prostrate yourself before knowledge.

You don't know it?

Pardon me, I don't mean you specifically; I mean the entire SRC is—cough... With the underworld's thousands of years of collection, you people know nothing about true ghosts!

I'm starting to inflate for no good reason...

"There is one thing I didn't mention to Elder Yu, and that is that I inquired about the exact manner in which that final ghost manifested," he said steadily. "That was how I learned that the final female ghost was an ancestor of Song Jiafang. She was pregnant before death, and the very moment she was beaten to death wearing cat-pelt trousers, she turned into a vengeful spirit due to the hatred in her heart."

He met Elder Yu's now-solemn gaze directly. "I have this hypothesis: What if... this ghostly bloodline is concealed within human bloodlines just like DNA?"

Yes, he hadn't mentioned the true formation conditions of multigenerational macro-inheritance just yet.

Flattery... had to be taken step by step. You couldn't rush straight to the climax on the very first try, could you?

Elder Yu's gaze suddenly sharpened. He shifted in his chair, nearly rising to his feet!

What a novel idea!

Ghosts and science were two entirely different systems. For decades, the SRC had been trying to bridge the two, such as manufacturing weapons specifically designed to strike ghosts—the crossbows in Bao'an City were their handiwork. But... even they had never considered the relationship between ghosts and humans!

A ghost... is something that only exists after a person dies...

Then... why couldn't it hide within the human body?

"DNA... soul... ghost..." Elder Yu closed his eyes, his mind racing as he thought rapidly. A flush began to creep up his cheeks.

It's approaching climax...

Downstairs, the researchers in white coats who had been worrying just moments ago now stood with their jaws hanging open, staring at the screen in disbelief.

"What is it?" Lin Han and Su Feng, completely baffled, tugged at the sleeves of the three men. "Did he say something wrong?"

"No..." One of the researchers in white coats turned his head, his body trembling slightly, his eyes filled with the mysteries of the universe and the connection to humanity. "He... he just uttered something incredible..."

Another white-coat drew a deep breath. "For this single sentence alone... he deserves to be looked upon with high regard!"

Lin Han and Su Feng exchanged a puzzled glance. Su Feng thought for a moment and said, "I said before, if Qin Ye could present a brand-new theoretical argument, then... his future official career would likewise be smooth sailing."

"This is a double-edged sword. Saying nothing and leaving the stage entirely to Elder Yu is a safe choice with neither merit nor fault. But... standing out, submitting a video, and truly producing a novel insight... his profile will genuinely enter the sights of people like Zhou Xianlong."

He looked intently at Lin Han and said, "Not just academic advisors, but... the core backbone of Huaguo's anti-paranormal front. Xiao Lin, we both come from scholarly lineages, and we're already twenty. Over all these years, have you ever heard of anyone rising this fast into the sight of the higher-ups?"

This was akin to a county magistrate establishing a top-ten county nationwide while still serving locally. That impression would act like a deep footprint, firmly planted in the minds of the leadership.

It might seem useless now, but when Qin Ye eventually ran for a professorship, or even... competed for the vice presidency of the cultivation academy, that impression would truly come into play!

"Oh? Xiao Qin? I've read his file; he has great insights. Well-suited to be a vanguard." "Ah, Xiao Qin is running for vice president? His video work was genuinely refreshing. Not bad."

Once words like these issued from the lips of a Judge, the election was practically settled.

The final researcher pressed his temples gently, his face also flushed with a reddish hue. "Research is sometimes just a flash of insight in the mind—like Newton and the apple. Tonight... I have seen my light!"

The voices downstairs could not reach upstairs. On the second floor, Elder Yu had completely restrained his smile, looking straight at Qin Ye. "An exceptionally fine hypothesis."

"Scientific research relies on 1% sudden inspiration, driven by 49% conjecture, backed by 50% hard work, ultimately culminating in a breakthrough."

"What you said just now is precisely that rarest and most precious 1%!"

The three white-coats downstairs let out a simultaneous exclamation.

Only those familiar with him knew that this level of praise might not be heard from Elder Yu even once in three years.

Before Elder Yu, the tea had grown somewhat cold. The earlier soul-detainment officer walked in, saying softly, "Elder Doctor, do you need..."

"No," Yu Guohui leaned back in his chair. "Without my command, no one is to enter again. Xiao Qin, let's continue."

This stroke of flattery hit all the right spots, feeling immensely satisfying.

Qin Ye elaborated meticulously: "During my exploration of the maze's feeding ground, I discovered that the entity was actually Song Jiafang's ancestor—commonly referred to as an ancestral ghost. If it hadn't been dormant within her bloodline, it couldn't have been activated now. Therefore, I have the following deductions:"

"First, it is highly likely that this type of ghost requires a maternal ancestor who turned into a ghost, and at the exact moment of her transformation, she must have been pregnant with that bloodline."

"Second, under certain specific conditions, this bloodline can awaken. I have given it a name: multigenerational macro-inheritance."

"Multigenerational macro-inheritance..." Elder Yu savored the five words and nodded. "Very vivid."

Qin Ye cast out his hooks one by one: "Just how special entities of multigenerational macro-inheritance are, you have all witnessed. My deduction is that such extremely difficult-to-form ghost entities probably account for only a few hundredths of a percent of the total ghost population. However, their threat level far surpasses ordinary feeding grounds!"

Elder Yu nodded slightly. This was also his deduction, though unfortunately not as complete as Qin Ye's.

The more he listened to Qin Ye, the more he felt his own preliminary inferences being validated. In this process of validating doctrine, even though the other party was not deliberately pandering, it felt incomparably gratifying.

A kindred spirit is hard to find.

"I never would have imagined... that listening to an eighteen-year-old recount his first encounter with a special feeding ground would yield even deeper insights." He was secretly astonished in his heart, yet he gathered his focus and continued to listen closely.

Qin Ye spoke fluently: "And it was precisely because of this incident that I was reminded of the existence of Spectral Phantoms."

He told Elder Yu with a solemn expression, "Elder Yu, I am now entirely certain that there are extremely special entities among ghosts. They are difficult to form, but once formed, their threat level vastly exceeds that of ordinary ghosts! I suggest that both the SRC and the Special Investigation Bureau must treat them with extreme caution. Spectral Phantoms are precisely the kind of targets that, the moment they are discovered, must be executed immediately!"

"Because... in an astonishingly short span of three years, they can reach the Huasheng tier!"

Elder Yu's gaze snapped upward as he gave Qin Ye a long, deep look. After several seconds, he asked, "Huasheng?"

"That refers to Judges," Qin Ye said with a chilling tone. "While other feeding grounds are still in their infancy, it... can already summon winds and rain, enveloping an entire province in terror!"