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

Chapter 145 Cracks in the Mirror
The ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal exploded across the silent wasteland.

The van rolled three times on the road before finally overturning heavily onto its side in the pile of rocks below the roadbed. Shattered windshield glass littered the ground, gleaming coldly in the dim morning light.

Inside the carriage, thick smoke mixed with the smell of gasoline filled the air.

Mo Fei was the first to regain consciousness. Although the seatbelt was digging painfully into his chest, his years of combat instincts allowed him to steady himself immediately. He didn't rush to unbuckle the seatbelt, but instead quickly surveyed his surroundings.

"Captain, Lao Bai, are you guys alright?" Mo Fei's voice was deep and powerful, without a trace of panic. He was alert to the dangers around him while also caring about his teammates' condition.

"I'm here." An Mu's voice came from the passenger seat. He was forcefully pushing open the deformed car door, his hand tightly gripping the rule-eliminating gun.

"It's nothing." Bai Yu's voice was a little hoarse. He had been thrown into the corner of the back seat, but he was still clutching the yellowed notebook tightly in his arms.

Lan Ce and Lu Yueqi responded one after the other. Lu Yueqi's face turned pale with fright, but she gritted her teeth and didn't let out a scream.

Mo Fei deftly unbuckled his seatbelt and caught the falling tomahawk. He kicked open the loose rear door, leaning half his body out, the axe blade tracing a wary arc in the air.

"Safe, come out!"

Mo Fei stood guard at the entrance, helping everyone get off the car one by one. His eyes swept around, his movements were extremely steady, and every step he took was solid. He did not rush angrily towards the figure in the red dress because of the attack just now, but quickly set up a temporary defensive position next to the overturned car, standing like a solid wall in front of all the team members.

It wasn't until everyone got off the bus that they could see the scene before them clearly.

The figure in the red dress is still there, still standing quietly on the hillside.

The wind gradually stopped.

The enormous silver eye that occupied the entire face stared at them without moving. It didn't blink, nor did it show any expression; there was only a deathly stillness like an abyss.

“It…is recording us,” Bai Yu whispered. He could feel the Black Words within him trembling violently, not from fear, but from an extreme excitement at encountering its own kind.

"Mo Fei, don't look into its eyes," An Mu whispered a warning. He raised his hand and fired a signal flare.

The signal flare exploded in the air, emitting strong interference waves. This was a specially made "fog flare" by Lanze, capable of temporarily blocking the lock-on of rule-based nightmares.

"Let's go into the woods!" An Mu gave the order decisively.

The van is already totaled; leaving it on the open road will only make it an easy target.

The group quickly retreated into the dense forest beside the road. Mo Fei brought up the rear, wiping away any traces on the ground with the back of his battle axe with each step and casually setting up several sensor mines. His movements were practiced and meticulous, fully demonstrating the qualities of a top-notch investigator.

After passing through the woods, a path leading to the city appeared ahead.

A dusty farm tricycle was parked by the roadside. Lan Ce went over to check it and was pleasantly surprised to find that the fuel tank was still full.

"Good luck." Lan Ce quickly pried open the ignition switch, and the engine emitted a muffled sputtering sound.

The group squeezed onto the tricycle, which was driven by Mo Fei, and sped along the small road toward the Central Hospital.

As they approached the city, the surrounding scenery became increasingly eerie.

The once bustling streets were now deserted. No, to be precise, they were devoid of any "living people."

Bai Yu saw a sanitation worker mechanically wielding a broom. His movements were as precise as a robotic vacuum cleaner, the angle at which the broom swept across the ground was always exactly the same.

The sanitation worker looked up as the tricycle passed by.

His face had no features, only a smooth, grayish-white skin, like an unfinished plaster statue.

"Half of the world is really dead." Lu Yueqi huddled in the corner of the carriage, her voice trembling.

In a roadside shop, a cashier is scanning a QR code in the air; on a park bench, a couple is embracing, but their bodies have a translucent quality under the sunlight.

These are the remnants left behind by the "embers." They maintain the logic they had before they were alive, but have long since lost the essence of their existence.

"The Central Hospital is just ahead," Mo Fei whispered a reminder.

Linjiang Central Hospital.

This building, which once saved lives, is now shrouded in a thick, silvery mist. Countless fine silver threads extend from the building's windows, connecting to every tree and every utility pole in the surrounding area.

The building's walls were covered in cracks, but what seeped out of these cracks was not dust, but some kind of flowing, luminous liquid.

"Lan Ce, immediately conduct a scan to confirm the energy distribution," An Mu ordered.

Lan Ce nodded, opened the terminal, and immediately a dense array of red dots appeared on the screen.

“The entire building has now become a giant field of rules.” Lan Ce’s tone was grim. “The spatial coordinates of its third basement level are chaotic. On the real map, this hospital only has one basement level and one basement level.”

"So, the third basement level shouldn't exist?" Mo Fei frowned.

“It exists in the logic of ‘Ember’.” Bai Yu opened the notebook and pointed to a line of text: “‘When the boundary between life and death becomes blurred, a third path will appear.’ The coordinates left by my father need to be unlocked with this key.”

Bai Yu raised the ruby ​​key.

At that moment, the key was emitting a rapid, faint light in his hand, as if responding to some kind of call from deep within the building.

"Everyone, check your equipment," An Mu said in a deep voice. "Our target is the third basement level. Mo Fei will lead the way, Lan Ce will maintain spatial stability, and Bai Yu will analyze the rules. Yue Qi, stick close to me and keep an eye on our surroundings."

Mo Fei pulled two spare energy cartridges from his pocket and snapped them onto his battle axe. His eyes turned incredibly cold, a sign that he was entering battle mode.

"Walk."

The group avoided the main entrance and sneaked in through the hospital's emergency exit.

The hospital was eerily quiet.

The air was filled with a strong smell of disinfectant, mixed with the burnt smell of something burning.

The hallway floor was covered with silver powder, which made a crunching sound when stepped on.

Mo Fei walked at the front. He didn't activate his energy blade, but instead used the physical weight of his battle axe to gently push open each tightly closed door. His movements were extremely light, without making a single extra sound.

As I passed the nurses' station, a "remnant" dressed in a nurse's uniform was standing behind the counter.

She was repeatedly cutting a piece of white paper with a pair of rusty scissors.

Mo Fei signaled everyone to stop.

The nurse slowly turned her head. A huge gash ran across her face, from her forehead to her chin. There was no blood in the gash, only countless writhing silver threads.

"Excuse me... do you have an appointment?"

The sound was sharp and distorted.

Mo Fei didn't speak. He just watched her quietly, his battle axe lowering slightly to protect his teammates behind him.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, the nurse lowered her head and continued cutting the white paper.

"Ignore her, she's just a guardian of the rules," Bai Yu said softly.

The group quickened their pace and arrived at the elevator.

The elevator display screen was stuck on "B2", but a blood-red button had appeared on the control panel.

The button had no numbers on it, only a strange symbol that looked like a closed eye.

"This is it." Lan Ce connected to the elevator's control system via a terminal. "The spatial coordinates are starting to shift. Everyone, hold on tight."

The elevator door slowly opened.

The room was completely empty except for the four walls, which were covered with black mirrors.

The group entered the elevator.

As the elevator descended, the feeling of weightlessness became exceptionally intense.

Bai Yu looked at herself in the mirror.

In the mirror, his face was no longer pale, but had an eerie rosy glow. Behind him, Hei Yan was adjusting his bow tie in front of the mirror.

"Baiyu, don't look in the mirror!" An Mu's voice rang out.

Bai Yu suddenly came to her senses.

The elevator stopped.

Outside the door was a deathly still darkness.

"Is this the third basement level?" Mo Fei raised his powerful flashlight.

The beam of the flashlight illuminated the corridor ahead.

The architectural style here is completely different from the one above. The walls are made of some kind of black rock, covered with densely packed runes. On both sides of the corridor are huge iron gates.

Low groans and the sound of fingernails scratching metal could be heard coming from under the door.

"What's locked behind these doors?" Lu Yueqi asked nervously, clutching An Mu's sleeve.

“They are the failed ones that couldn’t be completely ‘replaced’.” Bai Yu looked at the iron gates, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes. “They are trapped between life and death, never to be reborn.”

The group walked deeper into the corridor.

A huge circular hall appeared ahead.

In the center of the hall, a huge, transparent container floats.

The container was filled with a pale blue liquid, and a girl was floating quietly in it.

She was wearing a white hospital gown, her long hair flowing like seaweed.

"Wan'er!"

Bai Yu couldn't help but rush forward.

"Wait, Lao Bai!" Mo Fei grabbed him.

Mo Fei's intuition told him that it was too quiet here, abnormally quiet.

He looked around.

Dozens of figures in white coats stood in the shadows of the hall.

They turned their heads in unison, their silver eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness.

"Welcome to... the Truth Laboratory."

A familiar voice came from behind the container.

Shen Qing emerged from the shadows.

His body was no longer porcelain, but had been stitched together again by countless silver threads, making him look like a grotesque silk doll.

"Shen Qing? You're not dead yet?" Mo Fei gripped his battle axe and stood in front of Bai Yu.

“Death?” Shen Qing let out a hollow laugh. “In the realm of embers, there is no death, only evolution.”

He pointed to the girl in the container.

“She is the perfect vessel. Once her consciousness is integrated, the causal network can cover the entire world. Captain An, you are too late.”

"Let her go." An Mu raised the muzzle of his gun, his tone icy.

"Release them? No, we welcome you to join us."

Shen Qing waved his hand.

The surrounding "doctors" immediately sprang into action.

They moved with incredible speed, their bodies becoming streaks of silver afterimages as they moved.

Mo Fei roared and swung his battle axe horizontally.

boom!
Two blue energy blades sliced ​​through the air, knocking back the first few "doctors" who were charging forward.

But to his surprise, he found that these doctors' bodies were incredibly resilient. The energy blades that struck them only left shallow dents, which quickly healed.

"They're not puppets, they're entities of the rules!" Lan Ce shouted. "Mo Fei, use physical attacks!"

Mo Fei understood, put away the energy blade, and used the weight of the battle axe to perform a heavy chop.

With each swing of the axe, the sound of bones shattering could be heard.

An Mu and Lu Yueqi also joined the battle. An Mu's marksmanship was extremely accurate; every bullet precisely hit the enemy's joints, slowing their movements.

Bai Yu stared intently at Shen Qing.

He sensed that the container behind Shen Qing was frantically absorbing the surrounding energy.

Wan'er's body began to emit a faint light.

"Black Words, disconnect me!"

Bai Yu rushed towards the container, and the ruby ​​key in his hand burst into a dazzling red light.

"It's no use, Bai Yu." Shen Qing sneered, blocking Bai Yu's path. "This is a system designed by your father himself. No one but him can stop it."

Bai Yu stopped moving.

"What did you say? My father designed it?"

“That’s right. He betrayed everyone to save your life.” A hint of madness flashed in Shen Qing’s eyes. “This key is the key to unlocking hell.”

Bai Yu was struck dumb.

He looked at the key in his hand.

Could it be that all this disaster was caused by myself?

"Don't listen to his nonsense, Old Bai!" Mo Fei's voice rang out amidst the chaos of the battlefield. "He's trying to sway your mind!"

Mo Fei used his axe to knock away two enemies, rushed to Bai Yu's side, and used his broad back to block the attack from the side.

"Regardless of who designed this thing, what we need to do now is destroy it!"

Mo Fei's words jolted Bai Yu awake.

That's right. No matter what happened in the past, there is only one goal now.

Analysis: Reversal of cause and effect!

Bai Yu pressed the key hard against the surface of the container.

A burst of purplish-red flames erupted instantly, engulfing the entire container.

Shen Qing let out a terrified scream.

"No! You can't destroy it!"

He lunged at Bai Yu, his body splitting open in mid-air to reveal a dense array of silver gears inside.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

Wan'er suddenly opened her eyes inside the container.

Her eyes were neither silver nor heterochromatic.

Instead, it was a bottomless, pitch-black expanse.

"Brother... save me... save me..."

The voice echoed in Bai Yu's mind, filled with endless sorrow.

boom!
The container exploded.

The powerful energy surge knocked everyone to the ground.

When Bai Yu struggled to his feet, he noticed a dark figure standing in the center of the hall.

That's not Wan'er.

That is……

Bai Yu watched the figure, the notebook in her hand fell to the ground, the pages flipping rapidly in the strong wind.

On the last page, a bloody handprint is clearly printed.

And a line of text:

"Watch out for the person who opens their eyes."

(End of this chapter)