​​Chapter 203: Confirming the Hypothesis​

​"Welcome back! Safe return!"

Li Zhi brushed off the confetti clinging to her lashes and smiled at the familiar faces of her teammates around her. "You even added a slogan this time?"

"Yep!" Owen Dong exclaimed excitedly. "My idea! Pretty clever, huh?"

Li Zhi realized that ever since moving into the villa, everyone had become increasingly fond of ceremonial gestures.

Even the usually stern Li Feng cracked a faint smile at the fluttering confetti. "Thanks."

The group enthusiastically ushered the two toward the dining room, where a lavish feast was already laid out. Chi Yi tugged at Li Zhi’s sleeve, pointing proudly. "This one, this one, and this—all made by me! Try them!"

Li Zhi noticed all three dishes were sweet.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of each, and nodded at Chi Yi. "Delicious."

Chi Yi puffed out her chest triumphantly. "Then eat more! Sweets improve your mood! This afternoon, I’ll make you a new dessert I just learned!"

Li Zhi chuckled. "Sounds good."

No one mentioned Lu Caiwei, who had become friends with Li Zhi in the dungeon, just like them.

Every day, countless people died in the dungeons. Their mourning was meaningless.

After a lively celebration and a hearty meal, Li Zhi opened the [Ghosts] app and discovered that the top spot had changed hands during her absence.

Xie Qiong had actually caught up in popularity points, now sitting in first place, followed by the foreign player who had long dominated the rankings.

His current popularity score exceeded 700 million—nearly triple Li Zhi’s.

Li Feng approached. "When’s your next dungeon run?"

Li Zhi kept her eyes on the rankings. "Tomorrow."

Li Feng frowned. "Tomorrow?"

Li Zhi pointed at Xie Qiong’s score. "I need to catch up to him as soon as possible." She spoke softly, "I think that day is coming soon."

The day she would face the system directly.

She had to be the one to ascend the celestial ladder.

Her popularity growth wasn’t slow, but her dungeon frequency was too low. From now on, she would have to grind dungeons like the professional players to rack up points.

That was why she hadn’t refused the olive branch extended by Tianwen’s Shu Xinglan—cooperating with Tianwen and Kongque would maximize efficiency.

Li Zhi handed the leaf she had been carrying to Li Feng. "Take this back to Director Fang. Have them study the code on it—figure out what it means."

Li Feng nodded and pocketed it. Knowing his sister was well-equipped with items, he simply said, "Be careful."

He still had to report back and couldn’t stay long. At the door, he realized it was snowing—the first snowfall of the year. From spring to winter, [Ghosts] had plagued this world for nearly a year.

Li Feng turned to his sister, who had come to see him off. "The New Year’s almost here."

Li Zhi sighed. "This’ll be the first time our family isn’t together for it, right?"

They had originally promised to bring Shang Jinru and Li Shuang out for the holiday, but the chaos outside the safe zones made it too risky. When they broke the news over the phone, Shang Jinru had been disappointed but understood, saying she’d prepare some New Year goods in advance and have Yao Mingfeng deliver them.

Li Feng said, "I’ll take leave early and come celebrate with you."

Li Zhi smiled and nodded.

Back in her room, she browsed the forums. Most posts were discussing Xie Qiong’s rise to the top, with Li Zhi’s name frequently mentioned. Some had calculated the ratio of dungeon runs to popularity gains for both, concluding that Li Zhi would overtake Xie Qiong within five more runs.

Of course, such claims inevitably sparked heated arguments between their respective fans. After enjoying the drama, Li Zhi closed the forum and examined her latest reward.

The crystalline item converter, made of an unknown material, felt heavy and cool in her hand. She took out an unused poison from her inventory and slotted it into the converter.

A faint white light shimmered in the air as the poison visibly shrank and melted away. In the blink of an eye, the slot devoured the item, and Li Zhi sensed a faint ripple—an intangible fluctuation, perceptible only through heightened mental focus.

It existed in this world but took no tangible form.

This was the faith the system sought.

Li Zhi opened the [Ghosts] app and confirmed that, as the system had said, her popularity score hadn’t increased.

Concentrating, she attempted to reconvert this faith into a new item. The fluctuations intensified, but repeated attempts failed.

This faith, derived from converted items, was useless to her—utterly worthless.

After studying the converter for a moment, Li Zhi called Fang Yangxing.

Li Feng had acted quickly. Within just over an hour, Director Fang’s team had already received the leaf. "I’ve handed it to the research group. Preliminary analysis confirms it’s an incomplete code. I’ll update you as soon as we make progress."

Li Zhi acknowledged with a smile, then said, "Director Fang, I’ve confirmed our earlier hypothesis."

Fang Yangxing’s voice sharpened. "You mean the speculation that items are converted from player popularity?"

"Exactly. This time, I obtained an item converter and successfully tested it. Items can indeed be converted into popularity, which means items must originate from popularity."

Fang Yangxing, ever the sharp mind, immediately asked, "Can the converted popularity be used to create new items?"

"I tried. No. I can’t utilize this popularity."

After a long pause, Fang Yangxing mused, "Perhaps we lack a certain ability."

Li Zhi smiled. "Yes, I think so too."

Converting popularity into desired items was a power unique to the [Ghosts] system. Even with the converter, she couldn’t replicate its ability to forge items.

Unless...

Her voice was calm over the phone. "Director Fang, I have an idea. It might just work."

After the call, Li Zhi took a nap and woke to darkness. Learning she’d enter a dungeon tomorrow, Owen Dong hurriedly enlisted apprentice chef Chi Yi to prepare a lavish midnight snack.

The villa was brightly lit as Li Zhi shared her plans. The team buzzed with excitement, and Chi Yi popped open champagne to celebrate Li Zhi’s imminent rise to the top.

Lian Qinglin remarked, "She’s not number one yet. Isn’t this celebration a bit premature?"

Chi Yi waved him off. "It’s inevitable!"

Their confidence in her was unshakable.

Amid the revelry, a knock came at the door. Lian Qinglin grinned. "Bet it’s Yan Feishu!"

Chicken leg in mouth, he went to answer. Sure enough, the cap-wearing youth stood in the dark, sniffing the air before stepping inside like he owned the place. "What’s cooking? Smells amazing."

Chi Yi muttered, "Is he part bloodhound?"

Yan Feishu, with his keen senses, removed his cap and shot her a look. "How’d you know? Did you Google me?"

Chi Yi: "..."

Ugh!

Owen Dong eagerly fetched him a bowl and chopsticks. "Brother Yan, dig in! Don’t hold back!"

Chi Yi rolled her eyes at his bootlicking. "So embarrassing!"

Yan Feishu’s arrival amplified the chaos. Li Zhi poured him a glass of champagne. "What brings you here so late?"

He took a swig, then eyed her accusingly. "If I didn’t come, you might’ve been lured away by Shu Xinglan!"

Li Zhi laughed. "Relax. Not happening."

Whether Tianwen or Kongque, neither aligned with her path.

"Good to hear." Yan Feishu sighed. "But Shu Xinglan’s a far better leader than Hou Shao—shrewd, visionary, and sharp. If she takes over Tianwen, Kongque will have a tougher time."

Li Zhi nodded. "Which is why I suggest you turn enemies into allies."

"Allies?" Yan Feishu burst out laughing. "Li Zhi, I never took you for an optimist. As long as [Ghosts] exists, Tianwen and Kongque will always be rivals."

Li Zhi smiled and dropped the subject, clinking glasses with him. "I’m entering a dungeon tomorrow. Still partnering up?"

Yan Feishu raised a brow. "Tomorrow? Didn’t you just finish one?"

"I want to experience the joy of dungeon grinding."

He studied her for a moment, a knowing glint in his dark eyes. "Sure. Let’s keep collaborating."

Kongque’s dungeon orders were booked solid for months, with pros constantly escorting clients. Yan Feishu scrolled through the list as he ate. Most names were unfamiliar, so Li Zhi randomly picked one. Soon after, someone delivered a team card.

At the door, Yan Feishu teased, "With Sister Zhi safeguarding them, their runs will be smooth as silk."

By the time he left, it was late. Back inside, the group was cleaning up the mess. Li Zhi held up the team card. "Dungeon tomorrow. Who’s joining me?"

You Jingmeng asked, "Only one slot. Aren’t you taking someone from Tan Jie’s side this time?"

Tan Manyu had visited often enough for everyone to recognize her. Though her identity was never explicitly stated, most had guessed she worked with Li Zhi.

Li Zhi said, "I already spoke with Manyu. From now on, I’ll be grinding dungeons hard. It’s not suitable for inexperienced newcomers."

You Jingmeng shot her hand up. "Me! Take me!"

With many opportunities ahead, no one contested her.

After a good night’s sleep, the two had breakfast and prepared to enter the dungeon at 10 AM. Players linked to Li Zhi’s team card would synchronize their entry.

At that moment, an unremarkable black SUV rolled into the villa district. Inside, a composed woman heard her [Ghosts] app ping with a live notification.

She checked her phone and instructed the driver, "Turn back. No need to go."

Beside her, Zhong Yun was puzzled. "Xinglan, what’s wrong?"

Shu Xinglan replied, "Li Zhi’s entered a dungeon."

Zhong Yun was stunned. "So soon? She just came out yesterday! She usually spaces her runs out. What’s going on?"

Shu Xinglan gazed at the rankings on her screen before answering coolly, "Her target is Xie Qiong."