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

Chapter 143 Uninvited Guest

The black SUV, like a weary beast, sped through the darkness before dawn.

The car was quiet. Mo Fei gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He drove steadily, trying to avoid every pothole, afraid of disturbing the people resting in the back seat.

Bai Yu leaned back in his chair, his face almost translucent with paleness. He gripped the dull ruby key tightly in his right hand, his knuckles turning slightly blue from the force. Although he had regained his name, the collapse of the red house still had a profound impact on his soul.

"Old Bai, have some water." Captain Anmu handed over a thermos, his voice deep and gentle.

Bai Yu opened his eyes, his heterochromatic pupils flashing a faint light in the dim car. He took the cup and sipped. The warm water slid down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the ever-present chill in his heart.

"I'm fine, Captain." Bai Yu's voice was a little hoarse.

"Nothing my foot." Mo Fei glanced at him in the rearview mirror, his tone stiff but his eyes full of worry. "You almost broke in the grass just now. If I hadn't been quick..."

"Mo Fei," An Mu interrupted him, signaling him to focus on driving.

Lan Ce sat in the passenger seat, fiddling with a portable terminal. Data streams flashed rapidly across the screen, reflecting on his stern face.

"Captain, the signal feedback from the branch office is a bit off," Lan Ce suddenly said, his tone tinged with wariness.

"What do you mean?" An Mu sat up straight.

“The communication protocol has been forcibly modified.” Lan Ce pointed to a string of garbled characters on the screen. “It’s not a malfunction; someone has directly overwritten our local channel from higher-level privileges. The branch office is probably not what it was when we left.”

An Mu's brows furrowed tightly. His worst fears had come true. The disappearance of Su Jianguo and Heita meant a power vacuum in Linjiang City, and those old foxes at headquarters were indeed getting restless.

Lu Yueqi sat next to Bai Yu, clutching the tattered live-streaming ball tightly. As an ordinary person, she didn't understand the complex rules and terminology, but she could feel the increasingly oppressive atmosphere in the air.

"Brother Baiyu, your hand is bleeding," Lu Yueqi exclaimed softly.

Bai Yu looked down. The tip of the ruby key had pierced his palm at some point, and dark red blood seeped into the key's interior along the lines. Strangely, he felt no pain; instead, a strange warmth was flowing back into his body from the key.

"Don't move." Bai Yu whispered, stopping Lu Yueqi from reaching for the medicine packet.

He closed his eyes and called out that name deep in his consciousness.

"Black talk".

"Heh, finally remembered me?" Hei Yan's elegant yet slightly mocking voice echoed in his mind. "Bai Yu, you look like a piece of porcelain that's been broken and glued back together with cheap glue. With just a little more force, you'll completely collapse."

"Who was that person in the red house just now?" Bai Yu ignored his sarcasm and asked directly.

“Don’t you already know?” Hei Yan chuckled. “He is a shadow left behind by your father, or some kind of ‘backup’ from a higher dimension. However, you should be more worried about these ‘living people’ in front of you than that vanished illusion.”

Bai Yu suddenly opened her eyes.

The SUV had already entered the compound of the Linjiang branch.

The compound, which should have only had a few guards on duty, was now filled with black sedans. Each car door bore a golden scale emblem—the insignia of the headquarters' inspection team.

Dozens of investigators in black uniforms, their faces expressionless, stood in neat rows in front of the office building. They were equipped with the latest rule suppressors, and the aura they exuded made the surrounding air seem to freeze.

"Looks like our house has been ransacked." Mo Fei snorted coldly and parked the car steadily at the bottom of the steps.

He didn't rush to get out of the car, but instead unbuckled his seatbelt and his hand reached for the handle of the tomahawk placed next to his seat.

"Mo Fei, don't be impulsive," An Mu warned in a deep voice. "They are from headquarters and are following proper procedures. Don't give them any leverage before you have a clear intention."

"Don't worry, Captain, I understand." Mo Fei took a deep breath, a cold glint in his eyes. "As long as they don't touch Lao Bai, I'll be the most civilized investigator."

The car door opened. An Mu got out first, straightened his back, and strode towards the steps.

A tall, thin, middle-aged man with meticulously combed hair stepped out from the crowd. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were sharp as knives, and a hypocritical smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Captain Anmu, it's been a long time," the man said, his voice cold and clear.

“Shen Qing, Director of the Third Division of the Inspection Team.” An Mu stopped, his gaze unwavering. “Director Shen, have you brought so many people to my Linjiang Branch? Is there some major case you need to handle?”

"It's not a major case, just routine work." Shen Qing adjusted his glasses, his gaze passing over An Mu and landing on Bai Yu, who had just gotten out of the car. "Su Jianguo rebelled, the Black Tower collapsed, and Linjiang City was almost reduced to ruins. As the person in charge of the scene, Captain An, don't you think you should give headquarters an explanation?"

“The report has already been sent out,” An Mu replied coldly.

“That report was too brief.” Shen Qing shook his head, his gaze fixed on the ruby key in Bai Yu’s hand. “Especially regarding the whereabouts of this ‘key’ and the specific actions of investigator Bai Yu at the top of the Black Tower. Headquarters needs a more detailed and truthful explanation.”

"The explanation is in the report." Mo Fei stepped forward, blocking Bai Yu's path. His tall figure was like a mountain, instantly obscuring Shen Qing's view. "Director Shen, we just got back from a life-or-death situation. The brothers are all exhausted. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Several investigators from the inspection team behind Shen Qing immediately stepped forward, their hands already on the restraint devices at their waists. The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"Mo Fei, step back," An Mu ordered in a low voice.

Mo Fei gritted his teeth and finally took half a step back, but his eyes remained fixed on Shen Qing.

Shen Qing was not angry. He just smiled slightly and took out a red document covered with sealing wax from his pocket.

"This is a direct order from headquarters. From now on, the Linjiang branch is under special control. All members of the team, including Ms. Lu Yueqi, must immediately undergo isolation and investigation. The key will be temporarily taken over by the inspection team."

"Isolation and investigation?" Lan Ce sneered. "Director Shen, we did meritorious service. We destroyed the Black Tower and cleared the contamination. Is this how you treat your meritorious service?"

"Merits and demerits will be determined after investigation." Shen Qing waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to step forward. "Please cooperate with our work."

As Bai Yu watched the approaching men in black, the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger. In his vision, there were no shadows behind these men, but rather extremely fine silver threads wrapped around them.

These threads spread down the floor, extending into the shadows deep within the office building.

"Captain," Bai Yu said in a low voice, only a few people in the team could hear her.

Anmu tilted his head slightly.

“Something’s not right with them,” Bai Yu said, pointing to the silver threads. “Don’t let them touch the key.”

An Mu felt a chill run down his spine. He had absolute faith in Bai Yu's intuition.

“Director Shen, the key is a trophy from our team, and also Bai Yu’s personal property.” An Mu stepped forward, blocking the path of the men in black. “The key cannot be handed over to you before the formal handover procedures are completed.”

Shen Qing's face darkened. "Captain An, are you disobeying orders?"

“I wouldn’t dare. I’m just following the Investigation Bureau’s ‘Wartime Material Management Regulations.’” An Mu’s voice was firm and clear. “If Director Shen wants the key, please have headquarters issue a ‘Special Grade Relic Transfer Order.’ Otherwise, no one can touch it.”

Shen Qing stared intently at An Mu, a flash of malice crossing his eyes. He hadn't expected An Mu to be so defiant.

"Fine, very well." Shen Qing sneered twice. "Captain An is indeed decisive. In that case, please all go back to the dormitory area to 'rest'. I hope Captain An can still maintain this confidence tomorrow morning."

He waved his hand, and the men in black stopped, but instead of dispersing, they scattered around the dormitory area, forming a tight encirclement.

Anmu led the group through the crowd and into the branch office building.

The atmosphere inside the building was even more eerie. In the once familiar corridors, all the security cameras had been replaced with strange devices with a silvery, metallic sheen. A faint chill seeped from under every door.

Upon entering the dormitory area, Lan Ce immediately took out the jamming device and set up a simple soundproof barrier around the room.

"Captain, we can't stay here anymore." Mo Fei slammed his fist on the wall as soon as he entered the room, but he controlled his strength so that it didn't make too much noise. "That Shen Qing is obviously after Lao Bai."

“It’s not just about Bai Yu.” An Mu sat on the sofa, rubbing his temples. “He’s after the secret behind that key. Although Su Jianguo is dead, what he left behind has made those people at headquarters green with envy.”

"Baiyu, what were those silk threads you just saw?" Lan Ce asked, turning his head.

Bai Yu sat in the corner, the ruby key resting on her lap.

“I can’t explain it clearly.” Bai Yu frowned. “It doesn’t seem like the aura of a nightmare, it’s more like… puppet strings. Those inspectors were so synchronized, even their breathing was exactly the same.”

Lan Ce was startled and immediately started operating on the terminal.

“If it were a large-scale manipulation of the rules, the energy monitoring equipment inside the branch office should have reacted.” Lan Ce quickly browsed the data, his face growing increasingly grim. “The data has been tampered with. All the records show everything is normal, but that in itself is the biggest abnormality.”

Lu Yueqi sat to the side and whispered, "When I came in just now, I saw that in the reflection of Shen Qing's glasses... there were no eyeballs."

The room fell silent instantly.

Mo Fei gasped. "Yueqi, are you sure?"

“I…I can’t be 100% sure either.” Lu Yueqi hesitated, “but the feeling at that moment was terrifying, like looking at a plastic mannequin.”

“If Shen Qing is also fake…” An Mu stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the inspectors from the inspection team still stood silently, motionless, like stone statues. Under the moonlight, their skin appeared an unnatural grayish-white.

“We must leave here,” An Mu said decisively.

"Which way?" Mo Fei looked out the window. "Their people are everywhere."

“Take the underground passage.” An Mu looked at Lan Ce. “When the branch was first established, there was an emergency evacuation passage leading to the old city. It was a secret known only to the successive directors and the captain of the first team.”

“I still have access to the passage,” Lan Ce nodded. “But I need time to crack the electronic locks in the dormitory area. Shen Qing has definitely already set up an ambush in the system.”

"Baiyu, can you still hold on?" Anmu looked at Baiyu.

Bai Yu stood up, the ruby key slightly warm in his palm.

“Okay.” Bai Yu took a deep breath, a flash of purplish-black flame passing through his eyes. “Hei Yan said that the source of these threads is in the archives room underground in the branch office. There is the last ‘gift’ left by Su Jianguo there.”

"Alright, Mo Fei, prepare for battle." An Mu gave the order, "We don't aim for total annihilation, we just want to break through. Once we enter the passage, destroy the entrance immediately."

Mo Fei chuckled, took out two spare batteries from his backpack, and snapped them onto the battle axe.

"Finally, I can make a move. I've been holding back all this time, my bones are practically rusting."

Lance's fingers were frantically tapping on the terminal.

"Thirty seconds to go. I will cut off the power to the entire building for three seconds. During those three seconds, the electronic locks will malfunction, and we need to rush to the freight elevator at the end of the corridor."

"Ten, nine, eight..." Lu Yueqi gripped An Mu's clothes tightly, her heart pounding.

"Three, two, one! Go!"

Snapped!
The entire branch office building was plunged into absolute darkness in an instant.

"go!"

Mo Fei was the first to rush out of the room. He didn't activate his energy blade, but instead relied on his amazing dynamic vision and physical strength to smash through the two black-clad guards in the corridor.

When the two guards were knocked away, they landed with a crisp sound, like porcelain shattering, rather than a dull thud.

"It really is a fake!" Mo Fei cursed under his breath.

Bai Yu followed closely behind. In his vision, the silver threads shimmered with an eerie light in the darkness. The ruby key in his hand automatically emitted a faint red light, burning away any threads that approached.

Everyone rushed into the freight elevator. Lan Ce smashed open the control panel with his fist and forcibly short-circuited the wiring.

The elevator jolted violently and began to descend rapidly.

“They’ve realized what’s happening.” Lan Ce looked at the alarm on the screen. “Power is being restored. Shen Qing is sealing off the second basement level.”

"Just ram them!" An Mu said in a deep voice.

The moment the freight elevator reached the second basement level, before the door was even fully open, Mo Fei had already swung his battle axe.

boom!
Two blue energy blades shot through the door, instantly turning the "investigators" waiting outside into pieces.

Silver powder filled the air.

"What are these things?" Lu Yueqi covered her mouth and nose, staring in horror at the broken limbs on the ground. They weren't flesh and blood at all, but some kind of translucent, glass-like substance.

“It’s the residue of ‘Ember’,” Bai Yu explained as she ran. “Su Jianguo used the power of the Red House to replace people in reality with these puppets.”

"What about the real inspection team?" Mo Fei asked.

"I'm afraid they've all been wiped out." An Mu's voice carried a chill.

The group rushed into the archives room.

The once neat filing cabinets had all been overturned. In the center of the room, a huge silver cocoon was suspended in mid-air.

The surface of the cocoon was wrapped with countless silver threads, which penetrated the ceiling and connected the entire building.

Beneath the cocoon, Shen Qing stood quietly.

He took off his glasses, revealing a pair of eyes without pupils, only silver swirls.

“Captain An, you shouldn’t have come here.” Shen Qing’s voice became extremely ethereal, overlapping with the voices of countless people. “This is the incubation ground for ‘Truth.’ Once it emerges from its cocoon, Linjiang City will gain immortality.”

"Immortality my ass!" Mo Fei roared, leaping into the air.

He gripped the battle axe with both hands, unleashing a deafening roar as he slashed fiercely at Shen Qing.

Shen Qing did not dodge. He simply raised his hand and waved it gently.

Countless silver threads instantly converged into an indestructible shield.

boom!
The battle axe struck the silk thread, sending sparks flying, but it couldn't advance an inch.

"Within the realm of rules, pure force is ineffective," Shen Qing said calmly.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the silk threads, like venomous snakes, coiled along the battle axe towards Mo Fei's arm.

"Mo Fei, step back!" An Mu shouted.

He suddenly opened his arms wide.

"Iron Wall of Royal Authority, open!"

The golden light curtain expanded instantly, forcefully shaking away the silver threads.

Mo Fei used the momentum to perform a backflip and landed steadily on the ground.

"Old Bai, it's up to you now!" An Mu's face was somewhat pale. Forcibly activating his domain in the closed, rule-bound environment of the branch office was an immense burden on him.

Bai Yu closed his eyes.

"Hei Yan, help me."

"Hey, this artwork may be rough, but it's quite substantial."

Hei Yan's figure appeared behind Bai Yu. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Bai Yu's shoulder.

The ruby key in Bai Yu's hand instantly burst forth with a soaring purplish-red light.

"Rule Analysis: Causality Disruption!"

Bai Yu pointed at the silver cocoon.

Click!

A purplish-black crack spread through the air, severing all the silver threads connecting the cocoon.

Shen Qing let out a shrill scream. His body began to crack rapidly, and countless silver powders gushed out from his wounds.

"No...this is impossible! I am immortal..."

“You’re just a discarded tool,” Bai Yu said coldly.

As the silk thread snapped, the silver cocoon began to tremble violently, and finally burst open with a bang.

To everyone's surprise, the cocoon contained no terrifying nightmare.

Instead, it was a curled-up, completely naked man.

The man slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were exactly the same color as Bai Yu's; they were heterochromatic.

"Xiaoyu...it's been a long time." The man spoke softly.

Bai Yu was struck dumb, frozen in place.

"dad?"

That man was none other than Bai Yuan, who was supposed to have disappeared in the Red House!

Before Bai Yu could react, Bai Yuan's figure suddenly became blurry.

"Hurry...this place is about to collapse." Bai Yuan pointed to a hidden door deep inside the archives. "Go there...find my notebook...that's our only hope."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yuan's body completely transformed into countless fireflies and disappeared.

The entire building began to shake violently. Countless pieces of debris fell from the ceiling.

"Let's go!" An Mu grabbed Bai Yu, who was in a daze.

The group rushed into the hidden door.

The archives room behind them was instantly buried completely by the collapsing building.

Behind the hidden door was a deep tunnel.

Lan Ce led the way, with Mo Fei bringing up the rear.

After running for an unknown amount of time, a faint glimmer of light finally appeared ahead.

The group rushed out of the tunnel exit.

By this time, it was already daylight.

In the far suburbs of Linjiang City, there is a desolate ruin.

Bai Yu turned around and looked at the Investigation Bureau building in the distance, which was slowly collapsing.