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

Chapter 150 True Lie
The archives on the fifth basement floor of the Investigation Bureau had completely vanished. In its place lay an endless, gray wasteland. There were no stars in the sky, only countless tattered pieces of paper swirling around. Each piece of paper was covered with distorted writing—the truth about the mission a year ago, erased by Shen Qing.

Bai Yu stood in the center of the wasteland.

The black aura surrounding him was like tangible ink, outlining a grotesque shape in the air. It was the shadow of Hei Yan, like a huge, semi-transparent cloak, enveloping Bai Yu entirely.

"Heh, what a terrible drama."

Hei Yan's voice echoed in the void, carrying an elegance that sent chills down one's spine.

“Yu’er, look, this is what they call ‘royal power.’ In the face of true art, this silvery hypocrisy is simply unbearable.”

Bai Yu's right eye flickered with an eerie purple light. He could feel his soul being torn apart. Hei Yan's power was too strong, so strong that his broken body could barely bear it.

But he gritted his teeth and gripped his clothes tightly with his right hand.

"Shut up...black talk."

Bai Yu's voice was hoarse, with a broken quality that seemed to be squeezed out from deep within his throat.

"I'm not dead yet... I still have command... in my hands."

Opposite him, the silver cross formed by Anmu's twisting motion floated silently.

It stands three meters tall, its surface covered with pulsating silver patterns like veins. Each pattern exudes a suffocating pressure, an absolute order, a "judgment" capable of erasing all chaos.

“Sinner: Bai Yu”

The cross emitted overlapping sounds, as if hundreds of people were being sentenced at the same time.

"Criminal charge: Harboring nightmares and infiltrating reality."

"Verdict: Separation."

A silver ripple spread out from the center of the cross.

Wherever it passed, the gray wasteland instantly vanished into nothingness. This attack was not physical, but conceptual. It denied Bai Yu's existence, denied his qualification as a "human being."

"Old White!"

A roar shattered the silence.

Mo Fei moved.

He didn't rush in to confront An Mu head-on as usual. When he saw An Mu mutate, a flash of pain crossed Mo Fei's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an unprecedented calmness.

He knew that if he lost his composure now, the entire team would be finished.

"Lan Ce, find the anchor point!"

Mo Fei shouted and slammed his double axes together.

"High-frequency range, full power on!"

The two battle axes vibrated violently in his hands, emitting a piercing shriek. A blue energy field rapidly expanded from him, forcefully resisting the silver wave of judgment.

Mo Fei's muscles bulged high beneath his armor, and due to the excessive pressure, traces of blood seeped from the corners of his eyes.

But he didn't take a step back.

He stood like an indestructible mountain, protecting Lan Ce fiercely.

"At the three o'clock position, there are remnants of the original load-bearing wall of the archives!"

Lance's voice was clear and rapid.

He didn't panic despite the apocalyptic scene before him. His black-rimmed glasses had already activated deep scanning mode, with countless data streams jumping wildly across the lenses.

"Old Mo, hold on for five seconds! I'm trying to reconstruct the physical coordinates!"

Lance's fingers danced rapidly across the holographic keyboard in the void. His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his eyes were frighteningly calm.

As the team's "brain," he was well aware that they were currently in a high-dimensional nightmare dimension. If they didn't find an anchor in the real world, they would be completely assimilated into this dimension.

"I'll hold on for you even if it takes ten seconds!"

Mo Fei let out a low roar.

The battle axe in his hand had turned a fiery red due to overload. Silver ripples collided with the blue force field, producing a sound like shattering glass.

As Bai Yu watched the backs of his two teammates, a hint of warmth emerged from the cold killing intent in his heart.

This is team one.

This is the family he is willing to give everything for.

"Yu'er, what are you still hesitating about?"

Hei Yan's voice rang out again, tinged with impatience.

"This level of 'judgment' is something I can turn into a pile of mud with just a nod of your head. Why put your hopes on those two mortals?"

"Because they... are my brothers."

Bai Yu slowly raised her head.

The purple light in his right eye had become so intense that it even began to ooze traces of blood.

"Black language, analyze the target."

"Tsk, what a stubborn collector."

Although Hei Yan was complaining, power kept flowing into Bai Yu's right eye.

Under Bai Yu's analytical perspective, the structure of the silver cross began to become transparent.

What he saw was no longer metal or energy, but countless crisscrossing lines of logic.

These lines are extremely complex; they intertwine to form a perfect, flawless closed loop.

"These are the 'judgment' rules left behind by Shen Qing?"

Bai Yu sneered inwardly.

"No... this isn't Shen Qing's power."

He discovered that deep within those silver lines, there was a faint, golden aura.

That was Captain Anmu's "Iron Wall Royal Authority".

Although weak, it is extremely resilient.

"Captain...you're still alive?"

Bai Yu's heart skipped a beat.

He realized that Anmu had not been completely replaced.

In order to protect something in the archives, he forcibly merged himself with the "judgment" rules left by Shen Qing.

He turned himself into a cage, locking the silver power—enough to destroy the entire Bureau of Investigation—within his own body.

Now, this force is out of control.

"Mo Fei, stop!"

Bai Yu suddenly shouted.

"what?"

Mo Fei was taken aback for a moment, but he had an almost blind trust in Bai Yu.

He abruptly withdrew his battle axe, and was sent flying backward by the aftershock of the silver shockwave, crashing heavily to the ground.

"Old Bai, are you crazy?"

Mo Fei spat out the blood in his mouth and struggled to stand up.

Bai Yu did not answer; he took a step into the void.

In this step, he did not use Black Words' teleportation, but instead precisely stepped on the intersection of the rule lines.

"Lanze, adjust all the jamming frequencies to 440 Hz!"

"440? That's standard pitch?"

Although Lan Ce was puzzled, he did not stop.

"Received! Frequency adjustment complete, full power coverage!"

As Lance pressed a red button.

An invisible high-frequency sound wave instantly swept across the entire wasteland.

This frequency has no effect on humans, but it is a deadly resonance for those silver lines made of logic.

hum-

The silver cross trembled violently.

A tiny crack appeared in those perfect logical loops.

“The sinner… Bai Yu…”

The sound from the cross became intermittent and filled with noise.

"Trial...system...malfunction..."

It's now!

Bai Yu's eyes simultaneously flashed with intense light.

He pointed his right hand like a knife and stabbed it directly into a point in the void.

"Rule rewritten: Trials are prohibited here!"

Click.

A crisp sound.

It was as if some enormous chain had been forcibly broken.

The patterns on the surface of the silver cross instantly dimmed.

The originally aggressive silver energy became docile and sluggish at this moment.

Bai Yu did not stop.

He bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto his right palm.

"Black Words, included!"

"Hehe, this is a big one, Yu'er, are you sure your soul can fit it?"

"Cut the nonsense!"

Bai Yu let out a low growl.

The nameless ancient book in Hei Yan's hand opened automatically, the pages rustling.

A powerful suction force emanated from the book.

The enormous silver cross began to crumble, turning into countless silver powders that were frantically sucked into the ancient book.

With the disappearance of the cross.

The gray wasteland began to collapse.

The paper scraps in the sky burned to ashes.

"Pfft."

A tall figure fell from mid-air and crashed heavily to the ground.

That's Anmu.

He was completely naked, his skin covered with dense silver lines, and he was in a deep coma.

Bai Yu could no longer hold on; he knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

Two lines of bloody tears streamed from his right eye, a sight that was both terrifying and poignant.

"Success?"

Mo Fei rushed over and helped Bai Yu up. "Captain... how is the captain?"

Lan Ce also rushed over and quickly took out a testing device from his medical kit.

"Vital signs are stable, but the fluctuations in the soul are very weak."

Lan Ce looked at the silver markings on An Mu's skin, his expression turning grim.

"He has been too deeply assimilated by the rules. Now he is like a glass bottle filled with deadly poison, which may explode again at any time."

Bai Yu looked at An Mu, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.

He reached out and gently pressed his hand on Anmu's forehead.

"He saved us."

Bai Yu's voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

"In that cross, he kept using his 'royal authority' to fight against Shen Qing's will."

"Where exactly is that bastard Shen Qing?"

Mo Fei slammed his fist into the ground.

"He ruined the captain like this, I'll chop him into mincemeat!"

"He's not with the Investigation Bureau."

Bai Yu looked into the depths of the archives.

As the Nightmare Dimension crumbled, the original archives reappeared.

But this place is no longer a place to store files.

Deep inside the archives, there is a small door that has never been recorded on a map.

The door was semi-transparent, and one could vaguely see countless silver liquids flowing behind it.

"Where does that lead?" Lan Ce's voice trembled slightly.

"The core of the path to 'displacement'."

Bai Yu stood up, her body still swaying, but her eyes became incredibly sharp.

“Shen Qing doesn’t want to destroy the Investigation Bureau. He wants to use the Investigation Bureau’s ‘rule stabilizer’ to turn the entire Linjiang City into his laboratory.”

"What do we do now?" Mo Fei asked.

"Take the captain with you and let's go."

Bai Yu looked at Lan Ce.

"Lan Ce, can you get in touch with the director?"

Lan Ce shook his head: "The signal is still blocked. And I've discovered that the bureau's internal network is being rapidly eroded by something. If we don't leave soon, we'll be locked out here."

"Then let's fight our way out."

Bai Yu turned around.

Just then, a slow applause rang out from the end of the corridor.

"Fantastic, absolutely fantastic!"

A man in a white coat slowly walked out.

He wore gold-rimmed glasses, had a refined appearance, and a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Shen Qing!"

Mo Fei suddenly raised his battle axe.

But he didn't rush forward.

Because he discovered that Shen Qing in front of him had no aura at all.

There was neither the evil of nightmares nor the vitality of human life.

He stood there quietly, like a projection that did not exist in this world.

"Bai Yu, you are indeed the most perfect work of art I have ever seen."

Shen Qing pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping greedily over Bai Yu.

"The power of Black Words can actually be controlled to this extent by a broken soul like yours. This is simply a miracle of evolution."

"Teacher Shen, what exactly do you want to do?"

Bai Yu stood in front of his teammates, his right hand already pressed against Hei Yan's ancient book.

"What I want to do is very simple."

Shen Qing spread her hands out.

"I want to rid this world of fear completely."

"By turning everyone into soulless silver sculptures?" Lanze sneered.

"soul?"

Shen Qing seemed to have heard a joke.

"Those fragile things only hinder the progress of civilization. In the silver kingdom, there is no pain, no betrayal, only eternal order."

“That’s a grave,” Bai Yu said coldly.

"Whatever you say."

Shen Qing smiled.

"The experiment has entered its final stage. Bai Yu, since you enjoy playing by the rules so much, I'll give you a chance."

Shen Qing pointed to the semi-transparent small door.

"Behind the door lies all the truth you seek. Including the real reason for your father's disappearance."

Bai Yu's body jolted violently.

"My father?"

"Yes. You thought he was just missing?"

A malicious pleasure shone in Shen Qing's eyes.

"He was one of the first volunteers in the 'replacement' program. Now, he is the noblest gatekeeper in our country."

"you wanna die!"

Mo Fei could no longer hold back. He roared and charged towards Shen Qing like a cannonball.

The battle axe generated a violent wind pressure, and it looked like it was about to cleave Shen Qing into pieces.

however.

The moment the battle axe fell, Shen Qing's figure transformed into a pool of silver liquid, which quickly seeped into the ground.

"I'll be waiting for you behind the door."

Shen Qing's voice echoed in the corridor, growing fainter and fainter.

"Don't go, that's a trap!" Lan Ce grabbed Mo Fei.

Mo Fei was so angry that he trembled all over, and his battle axe smashed a large crater in the ground.

"Old Bai, is what he said true? Your father, he..."

Bai Yu remained silent for a long time.

His fingers dug deep into his palm, and blood flowed down between his fingers.

"Whether it's true or not, I have to go through this door."

Bai Yu looked at his two teammates.

"Mo Fei, Lan Ce. Lead the team away. That's an order."

"Old Bai, you're talking nonsense!"

Mo Fei grabbed Bai Yu by the collar.

"What do you take me for? If I abandon you at a time like this, would I, Mo Fei, even be considered a man?"

"A team that never abandons its comrades."

Lan Ce also stood beside Bai Yu. Although his tone was calm, it conveyed a sense of determination.

"Furthermore, I just left a backdoor on the bureau's server. If we can come back alive, we'll be able to uncover the truth behind all of this."

Bai Yu looked at the two familiar faces, her eyes slightly reddening.

He took a deep breath to calm his agitated emotions.

"Okay. Let's do it together then."

Bai Yu walked to the semi-transparent little door.

He could sense that an extremely terrifying being was awakening behind the door.

That being transcends any known level of nightmare.

"Black Words, are you ready?"

"Hehe, Yu'er, I can't wait to see that 'most noble' work of art."

Bai Yu reached out and slowly pushed open the door.

The blinding silver light instantly engulfed the three of them.

When they opened their eyes again.

The sight before them left everyone completely stunned.

This is not underground, nor is it the Bureau of Investigation.

Instead, it is a huge, silver city suspended in the void.

Countless silver rivers meander between the buildings, which are actually made entirely of living human bodies.

Those people had their eyes closed, their expressions serene, and their skin had a translucent silvery texture.

In the heart of the city stands a towering spire that seems to pierce the clouds.

At the top of the spire sat a man.

He was wearing a dirty hospital gown, holding a silver button in his hand, staring blankly at the sky.

"dad……"

Bai Yu's voice trembled.

The man seemed to hear the sound and slowly turned his head.

His eyes were also a deathly silver.

"Yu'er, you're finally... back."

The man's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell.

At the same time, the entire silver city began to shake violently.

Countless silver rivers converged, forming a gigantic, sky-covering smiling face above the city.

"Welcome to...the new world."

Shen Qing's voice echoed in every corner.

Bai Yu clenched his fists. He could feel the Black Words within him roaring with unprecedented excitement.

This is a showdown where everything is at stake.

(End of this chapter)