I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

The living burn paper money in the hope that the dead will have a peaceful death in the underworld and will not be poor.

So, if the dead burn paper money in front of the living, is it because they want to protect the living?

The ashes from the burning paper money danced in the air, resembling moths of varying sizes.

Hundreds of green will-o'-the-wisps burned simultaneously on the rooftop, and thin plumes of smoke, formed from the ashes of paper, rose straight up.

Chen Xi and the others' pupils contracted slightly.

Before entering the instance, they reviewed the police files—

For several days in a row, golden paper money has been falling on the streets of the port city, and residents who receive the paper money will mysteriously disappear in the early hours of the morning.

So, is there a possibility that:

Is that where the paper money floated out?

From the rooftop, from the junction of the underworld and reality, from the phosphorescent fires at the feet of hundreds of ghosts—drifting into the real world along the upside-down sky.

As Chen Xi was pondering, he suddenly felt a slight pull on his wrist. Looking down, he saw Kang Xiaojia hooking the ropes on their wrists and gently pulling them three times.

She followed Kang Xiaojia's gaze and saw a small temple standing at the deepest part of the rooftop, near the edge of the building.

The temple is small, only about the height of a person. The base is made of blue bricks, and dark green moss grows in the cracks between the bricks.

The temple was covered with a red cloth, a deep, old red.

There were still three unlit incense sticks stuck in the incense burner in front of the temple.

What's piled up underneath aren't mythical beasts or auspicious patterns, but rather ugly, abstract clay gourds.

It's exactly the same as the "Clay Sculpture Ghost Shop" described in the intelligence report.

"Let's get closer to the store first."

Chen Xi lowered her voice, almost a whisper, "Be quiet, don't disturb these ghosts."

Outside the building, time is reversed, with stark white day and night alternating, which can easily make one dizzy if one stares at it for too long.

The ghosts stood side by side beside their phosphorescent fires, heads tilted back, necks stretched to their limit.

Each face was reflected in two colors by the split sky above—the daytime half made the left face pale, while the nighttime half turned the right face ashen.

Not a single ghost turned to look at them, and not a single ghost's eyeballs showed any sign of movement.

They were so focused, as if they were waiting for something to fall from the crack.

The group moved slowly along the edge of the rooftop.

After receiving instructions, Amin and Ashan followed along, their tactical boots making a very soft sound as they stepped over a patch of cooled tin foil ash.

Evelyn was protected in the very center, with Father Colevo behind her half an arm away.

He held the cross in his hand, his lips moving slightly.

Every now and then, their gazes would shift back and forth between the funny faces, as if they were comparing something.

Chen Xi is also looking for it.

As she walked past each ghost, she would glance at them out of the corner of her eye to check for anything unusual.

The evil spirit that Chen Shulan couldn't find was hidden among the ghosts of these burning paper offerings.

Therefore, they need to find the one that is different.

……

The group carefully and silently passed through the ghosts, taking a full ten minutes.

The ashes continued to rise, and the phosphorescent flames continued to burn.

The sky continued to spin.

Jiang Chen was the first to arrive at the small temple.

He reached out and lifted the red cloth. What was covered under the red cloth was not a statue of a god, but a strange, pot-bellied sculpture with a gaping mouth and limbs twisted like graffiti.

A line of text immediately appeared in the upper right corner of their field of vision:

[A special event has been triggered, and the shop system is now open.]

[Current player levels: Chen Xi (Constable), level 15; Wang Lei, level 8; Kang Xiaojia (Physician), level 5; Jiang Chen, level 5.]

[Shop opening hours: Daily nighttime (7-9 PM to 3-5 AM), closed during the day.]

The group was surprised to find that Chen Xi had already surpassed their level after only two dungeons, and even surpassed Wang Lei, who had gone through three dungeons.

Is this the true value of a top-tier profession?

Jiang Chen couldn't help but take another look.

Chen Xi then looked down to check her points balance: 660 points.

This is the remaining points for "High School Ghost Stories", plus the points already settled in this instance.

What can you buy in this store with 660 points?

Chen Xi's eyes swept over the product list, and he silently made an estimate in his mind.

The system store's product catalog unfolded before them, densely packed and divided into three main categories.

Each category is distinguished by a different background color.

Offensive items are cold iron-colored, support items are grass and green, and mission-related items are grayish-white like paper money.

[Offensive Strategy]

[Rusty Iron Knife (50 points): The blade has rust spots, but the rust itself has a restraining effect on certain spirits.]

【Rusty Axe (50 points): Wooden handle, severely rusted blade; has a chance to briefly stun the target when chopping.】

Fruit Knife (100 points): Damage +1, ordinary ceramic fruit knife, with juice stains on the blade that never fade.

(—It will adjust its angle automatically to strike the enemy's most vulnerable spot.)

[Building Security Baton (Limited Weapon, 6000 Points):]

There's a 1% chance it will cause a knockback effect; with your security guard status, you can acquire it for 1% of the price.

Building Security Uniform (Limited Armor, 2000 Points):

It can increase defense by 50 points and costs 2000 points. It can be redeemed for 20 points using a security guard account.

[Dog Blood Whip (12000 points): A hemp rope whip soaked in black dog blood and cinnabar, with copper coins adorning the tip. It deals a 5% damage bonus to ghosts.]

[A Broken Willow Twig (5000 points): A wooden stick made from willow branches that are placed on graves during Qingming Festival. The stick has seven knots, each of which can be engraved with a talisman.]

【Waxed Umbrella (5000 points): The surface of the oiled paper umbrella is coated with a special coating that is a mixture of white wax and corpse oil.

Damage +3; when equipped, allows you to fall from heights without taking damage.

……

……

[Support Category]

[Healing Ointment (50 points): A dark green herbal ointment that produces a strong burning sensation when applied to a wound.]

[The Elixir of Freedom from Hunger (5 points): ...]

[Pure Gold Ingot (1 point/each): ...weighs one tael, can be traded at equivalent value in the real world]

[Qi-Boosting Pill (30 points/bottle): Replenishes stamina and restores mana.]

[Blood Replenishing Pill (30 points/bottle): Restores health.]

【Healing Bandage (10 points/roll): A cotton gauze bandage soaked in Panax notoginseng powder. After application, it continuously restores health, restoring 5 points every ten minutes.】

……

【Quest-related items——】

Resident Registration Form (1000 points):

A blank resident registration form can be used to forcibly register a household's information without the resident's cooperation.

[Paper money (1 point): Paper money printed with old gold ingots can lure out greedy ghosts.]

Exorcism Talisman (50 points): Yellow cinnabar talisman, when pasted on the door, can temporarily repel ghosts that try to break in.

The higher the concentration of a ghost's resentment, the shorter its duration.

Raw glutinous rice and lime bun (30 points):

Hanging it on the door can prevent nightmares from entering the room, and sprinkling it on the floor can create a barrier that ghosts don't want to approach.

[Paper effigy (10000 points):]

A paper figure with a bamboo frame, a white paper cover, and painted facial features.

Write your name and birth date on the form, and your substitute will die in your place the moment you suffer a fatal injury.

Note: A substitute can only fool ghosts, not the rules.

[Glass marbles (20 points/piece): When ingested, they can astringe yang energy and block out breathing sounds. Effective against yin evil spirits below the level of fierce ghosts. Each marble lasts for twenty minutes.]