Gu Shen lowered his hat and slowly squeezed through the crowd, making his way to the bar.

The bartender approached.

Gu Shen saw the bartender smile friendly at him and handed him a drink menu, saying something.

From his lip movements, Gu Shen could tell that he said, "What would you like?"

Up until now, Gu Shen's side world was still silent. This was the first time he had used this ability. In theory, side writing and hypnosis were both basic mental abilities of transcendent beings. However, side writing consumed more energy, perhaps because it possessed the characteristic of "tracing," allowing transcendent beings to resist time to some extent.

But rather than saying that side writing broke the shackles of time, it was more like a pursuit of the guiding hand of fate.

The longer the time traced, the more intense the mental energy consumption.

The more powerful the side-written character, the more vague the guidance.

If one tried to pry into scenes that they shouldn't pry into, they would face strong backlash.

The shadow in the side world dissipated, and three days ago, Jiang Wan sat in this position and came into contact with the seal?

Continuing the side writing, the flames flickered violently.

The consumption of mental energy suddenly increased.

No... this shadow did not dissipate... In Gu Shen's field of vision, a faint black shadow dragged past...

Someone had the seal and had briefly stayed in this bar.

Was it at this moment that Jiang Wan was infected by the transcendent aura of the seal?

The clue ended here.

"I'll have... this one."

Gu Shen's thoughts returned to reality. He saw the bartender's impatient look and casually pointed to a name on the drink menu. At this moment, a voice sounded in the silent side world.

"Golden liquor is strong... not suitable for you."

Gu Shen's pupils contracted.

In almost an instant, he entered a state of alertness. His five fingers slid into his sleeve, gripping the ruler of truth.

Gu Shen looked vigilantly at the person beside him—

Just two seats away.

A burly man in a gray hoodie leaned against the bar, facing the dance floor. His gaze lingered on the neon chaos in the dance floor, showing great interest as he stirred the ice in his glass. He didn't even spare a glance at Gu Shen, lazily saying, "I suggest you choose the Metropolitan... although it's a ladies' drink, it has a good strength and taste, suitable for a young newcomer like you."

Gu Shen didn't let his guard down.

He whispered, "Who are you?"

To be able to intrude into his side world... this was also a transcendent being.

"Relax, don't look at me." The man in the hoodie still had that lazy expression, calmly saying, "The activation of side writing is not a small movement. If you don't want to be discovered, you should be more cautious. Besides, I want to make a move against you... I've already made a move, haven't I?"

The flames dissipated.

Gu Shen remained in a state of alertness, but he released the "side writing"... This ability had no combat enhancement, and it consumed a large amount of mental energy.

"Nice to meet you, I am Cui Zhongcheng's informant, Hu Danian."

In the noisy world, the man's voice was soft but incredibly clear.

Cui Zhongcheng!

Gu Shen's mood eased slightly. Although he still held the ruler, he didn't relax. Instead, he said to the bartender, "Change it to another drink... I'll have this one."

He pointed to the "Metropolitan" that the man recommended.

Seeing Gu Shen's reaction, the man in the hoodie smiled. "Actually, whether you believe me or not doesn't matter... Since you've found this place, you should have noticed that the clue has been interrupted. I have some information here about the 'seal' you're looking for."

When the term "seal" was mentioned, Gu Shen's guard decreased.

"Su Mu stone carving, undetermined serial number, tentatively classified as a D-level risk seal."

Hu Danian took out a photo from his pocket and leaned closer to Gu Shen while shifting his seat. He pressed the photo onto the smooth bar table, and Gu Shen took it. The photo depicted a stone statue of a fierce ghost, with the counterpart being an adult male's fist. The stone carving was not large, only about half the size of a fist.

It was exactly the same as what he saw in Jiang Wan's dream.

"This seal used to be kept by the Council in the Greater District, but it was lost a few years ago due to a theft. Its whereabouts are unknown." Hu Danian casually said, "According to the records, once the 'Su Mu stone carving' comes into contact with a person, it will relentlessly take away their sleep until their spirit collapses."

"That's just the surface..." Gu Shen whispered, "The actual reason it takes away sleep is because it has a mental erosion effect on the person it touches."

"Correct." Hu Danian looked at Gu Shen in surprise and laughed, "You're quite clever... No wonder you caught Mr. Cui's attention at such a young age."

Gu Shen didn't say anything.

His file was currently classified.

This informant probably didn't know who he was... He accepted the photo and asked, "The Su Mu stone carving will erode the dreams of all those who come into contact with it until their spirit collapses... How many people have been infected in this transcendent event?"

Through his side writing, he saw a glimpse of the truth.

Someone had stayed here with this seal... Jiang Wan had the unfortunate encounter with it and had his sleep taken away.

"So far, there have been twenty-four people who have indirectly come into contact with the Su Mu stone carving. This number is still rising and is under the supervision of Deep Sea." Hu Danian calmly said, "You don't need to worry about these people... someone will take care of them. Even if you can't cure Jiang Wan, we will take action."

Gu Shen frowned.

It seemed that this incident was completely under control.Is this another test that Cui Zhongcheng has thrown at me?

Gu Shen noticed a part of a pitch-black tattoo exposed on the wrist of the man in the hoodie, and silently noted this detail: "Did you send Jiang Wan to me?"

"No... I'm just an informant, I don't have that much power."

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Hu Danian shook his head, regretfully saying, "All of this was arranged by Mr. Cui. He had subtly hinted at her to find you, but unfortunately, this woman is a bit foolish... she suffered needlessly for several days."

Gu Shen didn't respond.

Since the fire case, he had seen the so-called big shots and their high-handed strategies.

They clearly controlled everything.

They could clearly reduce suffering...

They clearly had enough power, but they didn't act immediately.

Ordinary people seemed like insignificant specks in the eyes of the Transcendents... He didn't like this behavior, nor did he like this attitude.

"Where is the seal?" Gu Shen said, "I'll go and deal with it."

"Although the situation is still under control... the owner of the seal has not been found. There is no information about this person in the Deep Sea database. What will happen next is unpredictable." Hu Danian looked at Gu Shen and said seriously, "This is why I'm waiting for you here, not just to inform you of the existence of the 'Solemn Stone Sculpture'—"

"Mr. Cui asked me to bring a message, this Transcendent incident is not as simple as you think."

Hu Danian said solemnly, "This week... in the remote corners of Lipu Street and the river beach, several adult male victims have been found. They were all cleanly killed by a sharp weapon cutting their throats, with no signs of resistance. The wounds showed traces of Transcendent energy... Combined with the appearance of the 'Solemn Stone Sculpture', we have reason to believe that there is a deranged, out-of-control individual lurking nearby."