Chapter 123 | Screenwriter of a Reviving World

The alleys of the old city always seemed to wake up earlier than anywhere else.

As dawn was just breaking, steam was already rising from the bamboo steamers in front of the breakfast shop.

Song Mo found a seat near the entrance. The plastic stool was a bit wobbly, so she casually slipped a folded tissue under one of its legs.

“Auntie, two bowls of Wanza noodles. Make one extra spicy, and the other with no cilantro. Add a fried egg to the one without cilantro. Also, two bowls of tofu pudding—one sweet, one spicy.”

“Coming right up! Just a moment!”

The owner of the breakfast shop looked over. Seeing it was the same girl who ordered two portions of breakfast every time but always left one untouched, she immediately struck up a conversation with a smile:

“You're up early today, young lady. Usually, you haven't even stepped out of the house by this time.”

“Yes, I have some things to take care of today. I need to go out.”

Song Mo smiled.

Waking up early today was partly because A'yan had been clamoring to eat the tofu pudding at the mouth of the alley, and partly because the countdown for the Limited Instance was still ticking on her system panel.

She had to plan her time in advance.

Where others couldn't see, A'yan was sprawled on the table, staring eagerly toward the stove.

The bowl of noodles with no cilantro and a fried egg, along with the sweet tofu pudding, belonged to her.

Song Mo glanced at her with a smile.

Though A'yan was a fierce ghost from the Ming Dynasty who hated evil with a passion and possessed an eerie, terrifying aura, she was actually quite childish in private.

Not only was she endlessly curious about everything new in the mortal world, but even a bowl of noodles and a dish of tofu pudding could make her happy for a long time.

...

Soon, the Wanza noodles were served.

The thick ceramic bowls steamed with heat. Resting on the even, alkaline noodles were two generous spoonfuls of minced pork and peas. The chili oil was bright and translucent, garnished with bright green scallions and cilantro.

Even if it still tasted bland in her mouth, Song Mo could pretend she was enjoying a delicious meal.

She took a bite of noodles, stared at the acupoint diagram floating in the air, and casually restored three acupoints: 【Naohu】, 【Fengchi】, and 【Tianzhu】.

It cost her a total of nine hundred Screenwriter Points.

But—there was no change after the restoration.

No sudden awakening of talent or supernatural power, nor did she suddenly evolve into a Super Saiyan.

It was like turning a googol gear; no matter how much effort was put in, it was impossible to see the final gear budge even a fraction of a millimeter.

...

“Without any positive feedback, it's really hard for me to get motivated to light you up.”

Song Mo shook her head as she held her bowl of tofu pudding.

Opposite her, A'yan had already finished inhaling the aroma of the noodles and tofu pudding, sighing in satisfaction.

The two bowls of food eaten by the ghost sat there. Though they looked unchanged on the surface, they had actually become as bland and tasteless as food models molded from glue.

The fierce ghost floated in mid-air, her pupilless eyes sparkling as she gestured at the tofu pudding.

Her meaning was: This is so fragrant. I want it again next time.

Song Mo nodded gently and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

“Got it. Next time I'll order two bowls for you, both without cilantro.”

A'yan's eyes curved into crescent smiles as she floated back to Song Mo's side, completely satisfied.

Two young men were sitting at the adjacent table. Seeing the two bowls of noodles placed in front of Song Mo, they couldn't help but look over.

They seemed to work for a nearby rental company, eating breakfast while scrolling through their phones.

The video's volume wasn't too quiet, so Song Mo could hear it clearly.

“Did you see the news? Things have gotten crazy in Tokyo.”

“What happened? Another earthquake?”

“What earthquake? That Night Parade of a Hundred Demons from before. They say even the Self-Defense Forces were deployed, using heavy weaponry just to force some of the ghosts into a few nearby neighborhoods and quarantine them.”

“Really? Oh right, ghosts seem to be afraid of gunpowder.”

“Look, the Japanese Prime Minister made a speech. They're planning to build high walls to completely enclose the haunted areas of Tokyo, like a quarantine zone—slated for completion the year after next.”

“...Are they serious? Does that mean they don't care about the living people still inside Tokyo? By the time the wall is built, everyone will be dead.”

“Building walls, resisting powerful enemies... Is this Attack on Titan or Pacific Rim?”

“But didn't they build it backward? Who traps themselves outside the wall?”

...

Song Mo had just taken a sip of tofu pudding and couldn't hold back her laughter when she heard this.

She coughed twice and quickly wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

A perfectly serious supernatural incident suddenly took on a touch of real-world absurdity when described like this.

Song Mo slowly ate her noodles, but her mind was pondering the situation in Tokyo.

The landing of rules required anchors and a foundation in public perception.

The more people believed in the existence of ghosts, underworld messengers, and the underworld, the easier it was for the rules to manifest, and the stronger the power would be.

The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons in Tokyo and the Lu family's souls being claimed by underworld messengers had, objectively speaking, deepened ordinary people's perception of the supernatural.

This was not a bad thing for the implementation of her new script.

...

Meanwhile.

Below the player rehabilitation center affiliated with the Special Investigation Bureau, on a bench in the rest area.

Zhao Weilai scrolled through the Spirit Realm APP, her expression conflicted.

“Still struggling over which new team member to choose? With so many people applying, is there really not a single useful class?”

Deng Ziwen sat beside her, munching on an apple. Seeing his girlfriend's expression, he immediately offered comfort:

“It's fine. Take your time. We'll definitely find the right teammate.”

At the mention of their team's current state, both fell silent.

The Jiangcheng team was considered one of the earliest groups of players to enter the Instances.

There were seven of them in total. Even putting aside their deep friendship, they had all gone through life-and-death experiences together.

But in the last Instance, Fu Qinqin, who had just awakened her class, unfortunately lost her life. The team had to risk everything just to retrieve her body.

Ding Feifan was now blind in one eye, Liu Guilan had injured her leg, the wound on Deng Ziwen's stomach had not yet healed, and the remaining Tan Moli had severe diabetes.

Right now, their team was truly a collection of the "old, weak, sick, and disabled."

“Let's keep looking. I want to find a support class. We're at too much of a disadvantage when facing supernatural Instances.”

Zhao Weilai scrolled through the player applications, her voice low.

“I also told Weng Yang to keep an eye out and see if she can find any professional players suitable for our team.”

In their current team lineup, Weng Yang was the brains, Zhao Weilai was the brawn, Liu Guilan handled items, Ding Feifan and Deng Ziwen managed logistics, and Tan Moli was responsible for information gathering.

So they were still missing a support.

As for the highly sought-after healing players, Zhao Weilai naturally wanted one, but healers were a scarce class everywhere. Finding a wild healer was like finding a wild Tyrannosaurus rex.

What?

You say there are no wild Tyrannosaurus rexes in modern times?

Exactly. There simply were no wild healing classes at all!

...

“How about the 【Cowherd】 class? Although this player is a bit older, he can share an ox's vision, allowing him to briefly see spiritual bodies.”

Deng Ziwen took Zhao Weilai's phone and casually flipped through it. He suddenly noticed a newly registered class profile:

“【Spirit Medium】... The passive is Yin-Yang Eyes? This class is perfect for our team! It's just that we can't view the detailed player info.”

“I'll make some private inquiries first.”

Zhao Weilai let out a sigh of relief. “With a Spirit Medium around, our safety margin in Instances will be much higher. Once Brother Ding and the others recover from their injuries, we can slowly expand the team.”

As they were speaking, they saw Chen Xi hurrying past the corridor entrance.

She was still in her police uniform, standing tall and walking briskly, but her brow was furrowed, and her expression looked rather grim.

“Chief Chen is practically a superhuman. She's probably about to enter an Instance again soon, right?”

Deng Ziwen sighed. “It feels like she never rests.”

Zhao Weilai nodded in agreement. Players like them could at least catch their breath when they returned to reality.

But Chen Xi was on a whole different level.

The moment she finished an Instance, she would immediately dive into handling supernatural cases in the real world. She was working non-stop, like she was made of iron.

This led many to secretly speculate whether Chen Xi had awakened some super skill that eliminated the need for sleep.

...

Jiangcheng Special Investigation Bureau, third-floor meeting room.

Only about half the seats around the long conference table were occupied, and the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Photos were projected onto the screen, including scenes from the crime scene, the individuals involved, and hospital diagnostic reports.

Chen Xi stood beside the projection, her police uniform crisp and her voice resonant:

“...That is the basic situation of the case. The individual involved is Kang Xiaojia, female, sixteen years old, a high school senior. She recently awakened the class 【Physician】 in the 'Old Lady Huang's Birthday Celebration' Instance.”

“The incident occurred yesterday around 8:00 PM, at Kang Xiaojia's home.”

“The cause: Kang Xiaojia's parents demanded she return to school immediately after leaving the Instance and forbade her from participating in the official training program.

They even contacted a special education school, planning to send her there for 'behavioral correction.'

...Kang Xiaojia had an emotional breakdown. She stabbed her parents with a household fruit knife and then used her class items to heal them, repeatedly harming and healing them... The process lasted for about forty minutes.”

“...Currently, Kang Xiaojia's parents have been treated and are out of danger. Their physical wounds have mostly healed, but they have suffered severe psychological trauma.

Kang Xiaojia herself is highly unstable emotionally and is currently being held in the Special Investigation Bureau's temporary custody room under professional supervision...”