Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 134 Shackles
A black off-road vehicle sped along the highway, the low growl of its engine sounding particularly heavy in the quiet night.

Inside the car, the atmosphere was oppressively suffocating. Lu Yueqi leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed, but her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed her inner unease. Lan Ce kept swiping on the tablet, the sound of his fingertips tapping the screen rapid and monotonous. Mo Fei gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, his usual boldness replaced by an unusual seriousness.

Bai Yu sat in the passenger seat, her left hand supporting her cheek, her right hand unconsciously stroking the "seed" mark on her left wrist.

The transparent seed had completely penetrated the skin, leaving a pale blue mark resembling a willow leaf on the surface. Whenever the vehicle bumped, Bai Yu could feel a faint, cool sensation spreading along her blood vessels towards her heart.

“Black Words, it’s taking root,” Bai Yu whispered in his mind.

"Oh my, this is a high-level 'Ode to Life'." Hei Yan's figure appeared and disappeared in the shadows of his sea of ​​consciousness. He flipped through the ancient, black book, his tone carrying a cynical elegance. "Although Su Jianguo, that madman, is not of high rank, he stumbled upon the authority of the 'Forest' by accident. This seed now sees you as the most fertile soil. It is drawing nutrients from your broken soul, trying to bloom a flower that does not belong to this world."

"Will it kill me?" Bai Yu asked.

“Not for now. It needs you to be alive, because only a living ‘Dream Enterer’ can provide a continuous increase in spiritual entropy.” Hei Yan chuckled. “However, you should be more worried about that place called ‘Headquarters’ ahead than this seed. I can sense a disgusting smell there, like rules that have been rotting for a long time, forcibly painted with a layer of sacred gold paint.”

Bai Yu opened her eyes and looked into the distance.

At the horizon, the outline of a towering black spire gradually came into view. That was the Black Tower, the power center of the Nightmare Investigation Bureau. It resembled a silent longsword piercing the sky, or a giant monitor overlooking the entire human world.

"Old Bai, we're almost there," Mo Fei whispered, his voice a little hoarse. "Captain An just sent us a private message, telling us to keep quiet once we enter the tower and not to say a word except during the medal-awarding ceremony."

"Understood." Bai Yu sat up straight and straightened his slightly wrinkled Investigation Bureau uniform.

The vehicle entered the outer perimeter of the Black Tower's security zone. The security level here was astonishingly high, with a sensor-activated machine gun turret every fifty meters, and guards wearing fully enclosed exoskeleton armor patrolling the roadside with genetically modified "dream-sniffing dogs."

Lan Ce looked up, glanced out the window, and whispered to Bai Yu, "The strength of the rule field here is three times that of Linjiang City. I just tried scanning it and found that the physical constants here are forcibly locked. In other words, within the Black Tower's range, any unauthorized nightmare ability will be instantly suppressed."

"Is this for safety or for control?" Lu Yueqi woke up at some point and asked softly, a hint of fear in her eyes.

“In some people’s eyes, there is no difference between the two.” Bai Yu patted the back of her hand to reassure her.

The vehicle stopped in front of the sensor door at the base of the Black Tower. A middle-aged man who looked like a colonel walked over with several guards. He was expressionless, and his eyes scanned everyone in the vehicle like a scanner.

"Nightmare Investigation Bureau Team One, Bai Yu, Mo Fei, Lan Ce, Lu Yueqi." The officer's voice was icy cold, devoid of any emotion. "Captain An Mu is already waiting in the conference room. Please hand over all personal communication devices and non-standard assigned relics."

Mo Fei frowned, about to speak, but was stopped by a look from Bai Yu.

Mo Fei took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and disassembled his battle axe core module, handing it over. Lan Ce also silently handed over his modified tablet.

When it was Bai Yu's turn, the officer's eyes were fixed on his left eye.

"White Language Investigator, according to the latest instructions from headquarters, your 'ancient book' is classified as a top-level dangerous item and must be transferred to the 'Containment Department' for temporary safekeeping." The officer extended his hand, his tone leaving no room for argument.

The air in the car froze instantly.

Mo Fei's hand was already on the car door handle, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. Lan Ce also leaned forward slightly, calculating the probability of breaking through.

Bai Yu smiled. He slowly raised his hand and pointed to his heart.

“Sir, the book isn’t on me; it’s in my soul. If you want it, you can try to extract my soul, or… kill me now.”

Bai Yu's voice was soft, yet carried a chilling calmness.

The officer's eyelids twitched, and the guards behind him instinctively tightened their grip on their electromagnetic rifles.

The two sides remained deadlocked for about ten seconds.

Finally, a faint hissing sound came from the communicator in the officer's ear. His facial muscles twitched, and he withdrew his hand.

"The minister has ordered that Bai language investigators are permitted to bring books in, given their special circumstances. Please follow me."

The officer turned around and strode into the tower.

Bai Yu got out of the car, and Mo Fei followed closely behind. Mo Fei whispered in Bai Yu's ear, "Old Bai, something's not right here. The way that guy looked at us just now didn't seem like he was looking at heroes; it was more like he was looking at pigs being led to the slaughterhouse."

"Stay calm, Mo Fei." Bai Yu kept his eyes straight ahead. "We are the guests now, they are the hosts. Don't start a conflict before we see Captain An."

The interior of the Black Tower is decorated in an extremely minimalist style, with cool-toned metal and glass everywhere. The elevator silently ascends, the numbers jumping rapidly.

Ninety-nine floors.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a semi-circular conference room. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, a sea of ​​clouds rolled in, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the interior a ghastly blood red.

Captain Anmu stood by the window, his back to everyone. His broad shoulders seemed somewhat heavy at the moment. Hearing the door open, he turned around, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"You've arrived." An Mu's voice was a little hoarse.

In the main seat of the conference room sat an elderly man dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit. His hair was gray, and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. He looked gentle and refined, but Bai Yu felt a sense of oppression emanating from him, as if from an abyss.

This person is Ye Tiannan, the head of the Investigation Bureau headquarters.

"Heroes of Linjiang City, please have a seat." Ye Tiannan smiled slightly and pointed to the chair opposite him.

Bai Yu and the others sat down in turn.

"First of all, on behalf of headquarters, I would like to thank you for your outstanding performance in the mission in Linjiang City." Ye Tiannan's voice was very magnetic, as if it could soothe people's anxiety. "Su Jianguo's rebellion caused huge losses to the bureau. If you hadn't destroyed that flesh-and-blood tree in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

“This is our duty, Minister,” Bai Yu said calmly.

"Duty is one thing, merit is another." Ye Tiannan pushed several dark gold medals over the table. "These are the 'Guardian Medals,' the highest honor in the bureau. Also, Bai Yu, headquarters has decided to promote you to 'Special Grade Executive Officer,' giving you the authority to independently form squads."

Mo Fei and Lan Ce exchanged a glance; this reward was undeniably substantial. However, Bai Yu showed no sign of excitement.

“Minister, let’s talk about the promotion later.” Bai Yu looked directly into Ye Tiannan’s eyes. “I want to know, what are headquarters’ plans to do about the subsequent ‘mass sleepwalking’ incident in Linjiang City? Also, have you found out who Su Jianguo’s backers are?”

The atmosphere in the meeting room suddenly cooled down.

Ye Tiannan pushed up his glasses, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared.

“Bai Yu, you are an excellent investigator, but sometimes, knowing too much is not a good thing,” Ye Tiannan said calmly. “'Mass sleepwalking' is just a secondary disaster caused by the remnants of the nightmare. Headquarters has already sent a special cleanup team. As for Su Jianguo, he is just a madman whose mind has been corrupted by the nightmare. He has no supporters.”

"Really?" Bai Yu pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was something he had found in the ruins of the Happiness Lane apartment. Although half of it was burned, the stamp on it was still clearly visible.

That's the headquarters' stamp for allocating supplies.

"The 'life concentrate' that Su Jianguo needed to cultivate the flesh and blood tree was transferred from the headquarters warehouse three months ago. The person who issued it... seems to be in this tower."

Ye Tiannan looked at the shredded paper, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Bai Yu, evidence can be forged.” Ye Tiannan stood up, walked to Bai Yu, and looked down at him. “The focus now is not on the past, but on the future. The book inside you and the seed you absorbed are key to humanity’s fight against the Nightmare. Headquarters needs your cooperation in an experiment for the future of all mankind.”

"What if I refuse?" Bai Yu asked.

“You’re a smart man, you should know the cost of refusing.” Ye Tiannan’s voice turned low. “The future of the other members of the team, even their lives, are in your hands.”

"Are you threatening me?" Bai Yu also stood up.

Mo Fei suddenly stood up, and although he was unarmed, his beast-like aura erupted instantly. Lan Ce also calmly stood behind Bai Yu, searching for security loopholes in the conference room.

“Minister Ye, I think you’ve misunderstood something.” Captain An Mu suddenly spoke up. He walked to Bai Yu’s side and looked at Ye Tiannan with a firm gaze. “Team One is my men. Their fate is in their own hands. If headquarters wants to forcibly intervene, I, An Mu, will be the first to object.”

Ye Tiannan looked at An Mu and sneered, "An Mu, do you think you're still the 'Iron Wall King' you used to be? How long can your body hold out now?"

"Hold on until we take them home, that's enough." An Mu stood firm.

Ye Tiannan remained silent for a long time, then the coldness on his face suddenly disappeared, and he put on that hypocritical smile again.

"Since Captain An insists, the experiment can be put on hold for now. The awarding ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning, and you can stay in the VIP area of ​​the tower tonight."

Ye Tiannan waved his hand.

The officer pushed the door open again and entered: "Gentlemen, please follow me."

As Bai Yu walked out of the conference room, he felt Ye Tiannan's gaze fixed on the back of his head, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.

The VIP area is located on the 80th floor of the Black Tower. Despite its name, it's more like a luxuriously decorated cage. The windows are made of specially reinforced glass, and the doors require multiple access permissions to open.

Everyone gathered in Bai Yu's room.

Lance quickly pulled a small metal sphere from his pocket and placed it on the table. The sphere emitted a faint buzzing sound, creating a small interference field.

“This is a jammer I kept on my person; it can block all eavesdropping and surveillance,” Lan Ce said in a low voice, his face pale. “Captain An, what exactly does headquarters want to do?”

An Mu sat on the sofa and sighed heavily.

“Ye Tiannan has gone mad.” An Mu looked at everyone, his tone heavy. “He is pushing forward a plan called ‘God Creation.’ He believes that humans cannot defeat the Nightmare, and only by turning humans themselves into Nightmas can they survive this apocalypse. Su Jianguo’s Tree of Flesh and Blood is actually a testing ground for this plan.”

"So, Su Jianguo really is supported by them?" Mo Fei clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

“Yes. They want to observe the evolution of the Tree of Flesh and Blood in an urban environment.” An Mu closed his eyes. “Bai Yu, the seed you absorbed was the most perfect result of the experiment. Now they want to reclaim you and turn you into a living ‘mother nest’.”

Lu Yueqi was so frightened that she covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Bai Yu remained calm. He looked at the willow leaf mark on his wrist and asked casually, "What about that ancient book? Why do they insist on having that book?"

“Because that book records the essence of ‘rules’,” Lan Ce continued. “If Ye Tiannan can decipher the logic of the ancient book, he will be able to master the ability to create rules. At that time, he will no longer be the minister, but the god of this world.”

"He's dreaming," Mo Fei spat. "Old Bai, let's just charge out before they're ready."

“No.” Bai Yu shook her head. “The Black Tower’s defense system is too tight. Besides, Captain An’s health…”

Bai Yu looked at An Mu and could feel the life force within An Mu's body shaking violently, a consequence of forcibly releasing "royal power".

“I’m fine.” An Mu waved his hand. “Bai Yu, tomorrow’s award ceremony is an opportunity. All the media will be there, and Ye Tiannan won’t dare to make a move in front of everyone. At that time, I will create chaos. Lan Ce, you are responsible for hacking into the tower’s power system. Mo Fei, you protect Yue Qi and Bai Yu and run towards the emergency exit.”

"And what about you, Captain An?" Lu Yueqi asked eagerly.

An Mu smiled but did not answer. But the death wish revealed in that smile made everyone's heart sink.

“There will be a better way.” Bai Yu suddenly spoke, a strange light flashing in his left eye. “Hei Yan just told me that something is buried under the foundation of the Black Tower.”

"What is it?" Lan Ce asked.

“A ‘primordial nightmare’ that has been sealed by headquarters for fifty years.” Bai Yu walked to the window and looked at the bright lights below. “Ye Tiannan has been stealing the power of that nightmare to maintain the operation of the Black Tower. If we can break the seal, the Black Tower’s rule field will collapse instantly.”

"That's too dangerous!" Lance exclaimed. "Once the Primal Nightmare is unleashed, the entire capital will turn into hell!"

“No, we don’t need to release it completely.” Bai Yu turned around, a madness in his eyes. “I only need to use the ancient book to ‘collect’ a portion of its authority. Then, I will be the only rule in this tower.”

Everyone was silent.

This is a high-stakes gamble. If they win, they can walk away unscathed; if they lose, they will be doomed.

"Baiyu, are you confident?" Anmu asked.

"I'm not sure," Bai Yu said honestly. "But I know that if we do nothing, we'll all become specimens in Ye Tiannan's lab tomorrow."

Mo Fei stood up and patted Bai Yu's shoulder heavily.

"Old Bai, tell me, what do you want to do? I, Mo Fei, have already entrusted my life to you."

Lance nodded: "I can send the interface to the bottom layer down through the ventilation duct. But I need two hours to crack the logic chain of the seal."

Lu Yueqi wiped away her tears and looked at Bai Yu firmly: "Brother Bai Yu, I will help you too. My 'pardon' can temporarily suppress the corruption of that nightmare and buy Brother Lan Ce some time."

Looking at her companions, Bai Yu felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

"Okay. We'll move at midnight tonight."

……

Late at night.

The patrol lights inside the Black Tower rhythmically swept across the corridors.

Bai Yu sat on the edge of the bed, closing her eyes to rest.

“Hey, Baiyu.” Heiyan’s voice rang out again, “Are you really going to touch that thing? That’s the true form of ‘Greed.’ Once you take it in, the seed within you will mature instantly. At that point, you might no longer be ‘Baiyu’.”

"If I am no longer myself, remember to kill me," Bai Yu replied calmly.

"Oh dear, such a heavy request is truly impossible to refuse." Hei Yan chuckled softly, then vanished into the depths of his consciousness. The clock struck twelve.

Bai Yu opened his eyes, black light swirling in his pupils.

"action."

Lancer quickly dismantled the room's ventilation vent and placed a small, spider-shaped robot inside. The robot, emitting a faint blue light, swiftly disappeared into the dark duct.

Mo Fei stood guard at the door, his ear pressed against the door panel, listening to the sounds outside the corridor.

Lu Yueqi sat cross-legged on the ground, her hands clasped together. A faint gray-white light enveloped the entire room, perfectly concealing everyone's presence.

Time passed by minute by minute.

Lance's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and the data stream on the tablet was jumping wildly.

"First layer of seal broken... second layer... Damn it, the encryption logic here is alive! It's self-replicating!"

"Calm down, Lan Ce." Bai Yu walked behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll share the access to the ancient book with you. Use the 'inclusion' logic to fight against its copying logic."

Lan Ce felt a cold and massive flow of information surge into his mind, and the encrypted code in front of him instantly became simple and clear.

"Success! I can see the sealed chamber in the foundation!"

On the screen, a vast underground space appeared. In the center of the space, a black sphere suspended in mid-air by countless thick chains was pulsating slightly.

The surface of the sphere is covered with countless mouths, which are opening and closing silently.

"Is this 'greed'?" Mo Fei leaned closer, took a look, and felt nauseous.

"Get ready, I'm going to force open the passage." Lan Ce swiped his finger heavily across the screen.

boom!
A muffled tremor came from deep within the Black Tower.

The alarm blared throughout the entire tower in an instant.

"Warning! The sealed chamber on the third basement level has been illegally intruded upon! All guards, proceed immediately!"

Hurried footsteps could be heard outside the corridor.

"Mo Fei!" Bai Yu shouted.

"coming!"

Mo Fei suddenly burst open the door. He didn't have his battle axe, but he directly removed two thick metal decorative panels from the corridor and used them as shields in front of his chest.

Da da da!
The guard's bullets struck the metal plate, sending up a series of sparks.

"Get out of the way!" Mo Fei roared, charging forward through the hail of bullets. His terrifying strength sent several guards flying, crashing heavily against the wall.

Bai Yu led Lan Ce and Lu Yueqi out of the room and ran towards the elevator.

"The elevator is locked!" Lan Ce shouted.

"Then jump!" Bai Yu shattered the glass door of the elevator shaft with a punch.

He grabbed a steel cable and pulled Lu Yueqi into his arms: "Hold on tight!"

Mo Fei and Lan Ce each grabbed a steel cable.

The four of them plummeted down the dark elevator shaft like falling meteors.

The wind howled in my ears, and below me lay unfathomable darkness.

"Bai Yu, you're insane!" Hei Yan screamed in his mind. "If we crash at this speed, we'll be turned into mincemeat!"

"You won't let that happen, right?" Bai Yu replied coldly.

Just as he was about to land, Bai Yu's left eye suddenly blazed with black light.

"Rule modified: Gravitational constant in this region halved!"

The four people's descent suddenly slowed down, and they landed lightly on the cushioning pad at the bottom of the elevator shaft.

Bai Yu kicked open the inspection port at the bottom of the elevator and crawled out.

This is the lowest level of the Black Tower, where a strong smell of sulfur permeates the air.

Ahead stood a heavy alloy gate, covered with intricate runes.

"Lan Ce!"

"Give me ten seconds!" Lan Ce lunged at the control panel in front of the gate.

At that moment, a series of footsteps came from the passage behind.

"They've caught up!" Mo Fei stood guard at the entrance of the passage, gripping the metal plate with both hands, his eyes fierce like a lone wolf.

"Bai Yu, are you really going to do this?"

A cold voice rang out from above everyone's heads.

Ye Tiannan, accompanied by dozens of fully armed special investigators, descended from the maintenance passage above.

He looked at Bai Yu, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"I gave you honor, I gave you power, but you chose to betray me."

"Those are the shackles you imposed on me, not honors," Bai Yu replied calmly.

"Since that's the case, then let them stay here and become 'greed's' next lunch." Ye Tiannan waved his hand. "Kill them all, but leave Bai Yu alive."

Da da da!
A fierce gunfight erupted in the narrow underground space.

Mo Fei was already wounded in several places, but he still held the breach tightly. Lu Yueqi continuously released grayish-white light, shielding everyone from fatal damage.

"It's open!" Lan Ce shouted.

The alloy gate swung open with a loud bang.

An extremely terrifying sense of oppression swept out from inside the door.

The guards brought by Ye Tiannan all knelt down in the face of this aura, emitting painful groans.

Without any hesitation, Bai Yu rushed through the gate.

"Bai Yu, come back!" Ye Tiannan screamed in terror. He tried to stop Bai Yu, but the oppressive feeling made him unable to move.

inside the door.

The huge black sphere floated silently.

As Bai Yu approached, countless mouths on the sphere opened simultaneously, emitting a deafening roar.

"Greed...give it to me...give it all to me..."

Bai Yu walked to the bottom of the sphere and slowly raised his right hand.

The pitch-black ancient book appeared before him, its pages flipping wildly before finally settling on a blank page.

"Recording begins."

Black chains extended from the ancient book and pierced directly into the interior of the sphere.

"what--!"

Bai Yu let out a shrill scream.

Endless negative emotions and distorted rules surged into his body along the chains.

His skin began to crack, and the pale blue willow leaf marks instantly turned as black as ink, rapidly spreading all over his body.

"Old Bai!" Mo Fei tried to rush over, but was blasted away by the energy vortex that formed around Bai Yu.

"Don't come any closer!" Bai Yu shouted through gritted teeth.

His eyes had turned completely black, with no whites or pupils, only two flickering black flames.

[Inclusion progress: 25%...35%...50%!]

The numbers on the ancient book jumped wildly.

The black tower began to shake violently, as if it would collapse at any moment.

Ye Tiannan watched this scene with despair in his eyes.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Just then, the seed within Bai Yu's body finally blossomed completely.

A huge, jet-black willow flower slowly grew from his back, its petals covered with eerie patterns, as if telling the story of the end of this world.

Bai Yu slowly raised her head.

He looked at Ye Tiannan, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Now... I am the rule here."

He snapped his fingers lightly.

Gravity vanished instantly in the entire underground space. Ye Tiannan and his guards were tossed into the air like trash.

Bai Yu turned around and looked at Mo Fei, Lan Ce, and Lu Yueqi.

His voice became ethereal and unfamiliar.

"Let's go, I'll take you home."

He waved his hand, and a black door opened in front of everyone.

……

three days later.

A secluded house in Linjiang City.

Bai Yu sat by the window, watching the sunset in the distance.

The black markings on his body had disappeared, but his left eye could no longer close, and it always flickered with a dark light.

Mo Fei pushed open the door and walked in, carrying several bottles of beer.

"Old Bai, Captain An is awake. He says he wants to see you."

Bai Yu stood up and nodded.

"Let's go."

As he walked out the door, he subconsciously glanced at his palm.

There, a jet-black petal lies quietly.

The world did not become a better place because of the turmoil caused by the Black Tower.

On the contrary, an even greater shadow is quietly descending.

And he has become part of the shadows.

(End of this chapter)