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

Chapter 151 The Silver Cage

When Bai Yu, Mo Fei, and Lan Ce stepped through the semi-transparent door, the scene before them caused the investigators, who were already used to all sorts of bizarre sights, to momentarily lose their composure.

This is a city suspended in the void.

It has no foundation; countless silver metal pipes, like the blood vessels of a giant beast, intertwine and entwine in the void, supporting twisted plazas and towering spires.

The most creepy thing is those buildings.

They are not made of brick or steel.

Bai Yu's right eye flashed with purple light, and his macro-lens-like vision instantly zoomed in. He could see clearly that the surfaces of those buildings were actually countless closely arranged human figures.

They were naked, their skin having a translucent, silvery sheen, like specimens preserved in amber. Each person's expression was exceptionally serene, even bearing a faint, almost imperceptible smile, as if they were immersed in some exquisitely beautiful dream.

They stacked themselves on top of each other, hand in hand, foot in hand, forming walls and pillars.

"What...what kind of place is this...?"

Mo Fei murmured to himself. Instead of waving his battle axe and shouting as usual, he subconsciously lowered his body, and the high-frequency battle axe on his back emitted a faint hum.

His knuckles were white from gripping the axe handle so tightly. This wasn't fear, but a profound, physical aversion.

"Don't move, Mo Fei."

Lan Ce's voice carried a suppressed calmness. He quickly crouched down and turned on the rule fluctuation detector he carried with him.

The pointer on the screen jumped wildly, eventually locking itself at the end of the red zone.

"The spatial constant here is chaotic. These pipes beneath our feet are actually conduits for some kind of high-concentration soul energy."

Lance pushed up his glasses and pointed to the flowing silver rivers below.

“That’s not water, it’s liquefied ‘cognition’. Shen Qing extracted all the consciousness of these people and liquefied it into energy to maintain the operation of this city.”

Bai Yu remained silent.

His gaze was fixed on the tallest spire in the city center.

At the top of the spire, the man in the hospital gown still sat quietly.

That was his father, Bai Jianguo.

In Bai Yu's memory, her father was always a taciturn man with broad shoulders. But now, Bai Jianguo was as thin as a sheet of paper, his skin was so pale it was almost transparent, and his eyes shone with the same cold, silvery light as the city.

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

The sound rang out again. It didn't travel through the air; it exploded directly into the depths of Bai Yu's soul.

Heavy, cold, with an indescribable sense of alienation.

"dad……"

Bai Yu took a step forward, and the silver pipe beneath his feet emitted a dull echo.

"careful!"

Black words suddenly screamed in my mind.

"These 'bricks' need to wake up!"

Almost the instant the black words fell, the walls made of human bodies around them suddenly emitted a teeth-grinding grinding sound.

The once peaceful faces began to contort, and countless tightly closed eyes snapped open.

There were no pupils, only a deathly silver expanse.

"Welcome...to...Evolution..."

Thousands of voices converged, forming a terrifying sound wave that made the three people's eardrums ache.

The human bodies began to break free from the wall. Their movements were stiff and strange, and the sounds of breaking limbs echoed one after another. But they seemed to feel no pain and quickly surrounded the three people.

"Lan Ce, find a way! Mo Fei, break through with me!"

Bai Yu instantly entered battle mode.

His right eye blazed with purple light, and the power of black words surged forth like a tide, forming a dark defensive layer around his body.

"understand!"

Mo Fei let out a low roar, and his twin axes were instantly drawn.

"High-frequency domain, full activation!"

Blue energy blades drew two graceful arcs in the air, instantly slicing the first few silver figures who rushed forward into pieces.

There was no blood, only silvery liquid splattered on the ground, wisps of white smoke rising from it.

"These things have no sense of pain or vital signs; they are controlled entirely by the signals from that tower!"

Lan Ce rapidly tapped on the microcomputer on his wrist, sending out waves of interference.

"Thirty degrees to the left and front! That's where the pipe density is lowest, a shortcut to the central spire!"

"go!"

With a simple grasp of the void, Bai Yu conjured up the ancient book of Hei Yan.

"Rules rewritten: Gravity flips here!"

With a loud shout, the silver figures that had been surrounding them suddenly seemed to lose their support and plummeted into the sky.

Bai Yu and the other two seemed to be stuck to the side wall, using the reverse pull to rush rapidly towards the central spire.

"Hehe, Yu'er, you're getting more and more skilled at controlling the rules."

Hei Yan's elegant voice carried a hint of mockery.

"But you have to be careful. That madman Shen Qing won't just send these 'trash' to welcome you."

Bai Yu gritted her teeth and ignored Hei Yan.

His lungs ached faintly, and the cracks deep within his soul were slowly widening under the erosion of the dark power.

But he can't stop.

At the top of that tower lies not only the truth about my father, but also the key to ending this nightmare.

The three of them moved through the twisted silver buildings.

The surrounding scenery became increasingly absurd.

Some buildings are made up of countless ears, trembling slightly in the wind, capturing every subtle sound; others are like countless hands, futilely grasping at the void, trying to hold onto those fleeting "cognitions".

"Lan Ce, are we there yet?"

Mo Fei cleaved a silver fleshy ball blocking his path with an axe and asked loudly.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the energy indicator light on the high-frequency battle axe was flashing red.

The resistance here is increasing; the silvery substance seems to have some kind of stickiness, constantly draining their strength and energy.

"Almost there! Just two more turns and we'll reach the base of the spire!"

Lan Ce's voice was also a little hoarse.

However, just as they turned the last corner, the sight before them made them all stop in their tracks.

The road is blocked.

Ahead lay a massive chasm, hundreds of meters wide.

Below the chasm lay a bottomless silver vortex. Countless shrill screams emanated from the depths of the vortex, the final struggles of utterly shattered consciousness.

On the other side of the chasm, in front of the base of the spire, stood a person.

He was dressed in a sharp black trench coat, leaning on a silver cane, with a gentle yet cruel smile on his face.

"Shen Qing."

Bai Yu stared intently at that figure.

This is not a projection.

He could feel that real, nauseating fluctuation of rules.

"Bai Yu, you arrived a little later than I expected."

Shen Qing gracefully removed her glasses and gently wiped them with a clean white handkerchief.

"It seems your companions are holding you back."

"Cut the nonsense!"

Mo Fei roared and was about to rush forward, but Bai Yu stopped him.

"Don't be impulsive, Mo Fei. The space around him is folded."

Bai Yu's right eye saw through everything.

Around Shen Qing, space was forcibly distorted into countless tiny facets. Any object that rashly rushed in would be instantly sliced ​​into atomic form.

"Bai Yu, you're still so smart."

Shen Qing put his glasses back on, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Bai Yu.

"Don't you want to know what that button in your father's hand is?"

Bai Yu's heart sank suddenly.

He remembered the man in the trench coat he had seen in the Bureau of Investigation corridor, and the silver smiley face button.

“That’s the anchor point for ‘displacement’.”

Shen Qing's voice was as calm as if he were giving a science lesson.

"Twenty years ago, your father, Bai Jianguo, as the most outstanding pioneer of the Investigation Bureau, accidentally discovered a place called 'Source of Truth' during a deep nightmare exploration."

"There is no fear, no death, only pure logic that can be rewritten at will."

“He brought back that button, which was the first ‘foundation’ there.”

Shen Qing pointed to the magnificent silver city around them.

"And I merely completed his unfinished work. I used this foundation to build this perfect kingdom."

"you are lying!"

Bai Yu let out a low growl.

"My father would never do something that would sacrifice others!"

"sacrifice?"

Shen Qing burst into wild laughter.

"Bai Yu, you're too naive. What do you think the Investigation Bureau is? A sanctuary for justice?"

"No, the Bureau of Investigation itself is a giant 'harvesting machine.' It collects fear and cultivates dreamers, all so that one day it can open the gate to the 'Source of Truth'!"

“Your father chose to sacrifice himself and become the ‘gatekeeper’ of this door. And you are the last ‘variable’ he left for this world.”

Shen Qing tapped the ground lightly with his cane.

hum-

A silver ripple spread out.

The space above the chasm began to tremble violently, and countless silver particles gathered together to form a crystal-clear long bridge.

“Come here, Bai Yu.”

Shen Qing gestured for him to proceed.

“Once you cross this bridge, you will see your father. You will be able to ask him directly what the truth of what happened back then was.” Bai Yu looked at the long bridge, her heart filled with struggle.

He knew it was a trap.

But he had no choice.

"Mo Fei, Lan Ce. You two stay here."

Bai Yu took a deep breath, her tone resolute.

"Old White!"

Mo Fei tried to stop him, but found that a layer of black scales appeared around Bai Yu's body.

That was the full-blown eruption of the power of dark words.

“This is my destiny. You guys wait for me here. If I don’t come out in ten minutes, immediately activate the back door that Lan Ce left behind and destroy this place.”

"Baiyu..."

Lan Ce looked at him, his lips moved, but in the end he only uttered a single word heavily: "Okay."

Bai Yu turned around and resolutely stepped onto the long silver bridge.

The ground beneath my feet felt cold and hard.

With each step he took, Bai Yu could feel countless tiny silver threads trying to burrow into his skin and erode his will.

But the black words in his mind snorted disdainfully.

"This level of temptation, does it even deserve to be called art?"

The dark power of nightmares shredded the silver threads one by one.

Bai Yu walked to the end of the long bridge and stood in front of Shen Qing.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Qing's skin had an eerie translucency, and one could vaguely see that what flowed beneath her skin was not blood, but a silvery liquid.

"You are no longer human."

Bai Yu said coldly.

"Humanity is just a transitional phase, Baiyu."

Shen Qing smiled and turned to the side, revealing the elevator behind her that led to the top of the spire.

Go. He's waiting for you.

Bai Yu didn't look at him and walked straight into the elevator.

As the elevator ascended, the surrounding noise gradually faded away.

When the elevator doors opened again, he had already reached the very top of the spire.

This is a circular terrace.

A fierce wind howled, fluttering the hem of Bai Yu's clothes.

Bai Jianguo remained seated there, his back to him.

"dad……"

Bai Yu's voice trembled.

Bai Jianguo slowly stood up and turned his head.

In that instant, Bai Yu felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Bai Jianguo's face lacked the madness and hypocrisy of Shen Qing.

All that remains is endless sorrow.

"Yu'er...you shouldn't have come."

Bai Jianguo stretched out his hand, and there lay the silver button in his palm.

"This button is not the 'foundation'."

Bai Yu was stunned.

"Then it is..."

“It is the key to the ‘cage’.”

Bai Jianguo pointed to the silver city below.

Shen Qing thought he was creating a new world. But he didn't know that he was just preparing a perfect 'shell' for an ancient and terrifying being.

"That being slumbers deep within the 'Source of Truth'."

"And I must stay here and guard it, until..."

Before Bai Jianguo could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

The giant smiling face in the sky suddenly began to distort violently.

The originally silver smiley face instantly turned as black as ink.

An indescribable, terrifying pressure descended from the sky, plunging the entire silver city into deathly silence in an instant.

"Hehehe... Shen Qing, you did a great job."

A grand, ancient, and emotionless voice echoed in the void.

"The shell is ready. Now, all that's needed is the final touch of 'seasoning'."

Shen Qing suddenly appeared on the terrace, his face filled with terror.

"This...this isn't right! This step wasn't in the plan!"

"plan?"

The voice let out a contemptuous laugh.

"A mere insect, daring to discuss plans?"

A bolt of black lightning ripped through the sky and struck Shen Qing instantly.

Before Shen Qing could even let out a scream, his entire body disintegrated instantly, turning into a pool of blackish-silver liquid.

"Shen Qing!"

Bai Yu exclaimed in surprise.

Although he hated Shen Qing, Shen Qing's sudden demise filled him with an unprecedented sense of despair.

What exactly is that being?
"Yu'er, take this!"

Bai Jianguo suddenly shoved the silver button into Bai Yu's hand.

"Let's go! Let's leave this place! Let's go find the 'original rules'!"

"Dad, come with me!"

Bai Yu held onto her father's hand tightly.

"I can't leave."

Bai Jianguo smiled gently, and his body began to become transparent, with countless silver light spots emanating from his body.

"My existence has long been a part of this lock."

“Remember, Baiyu. Don’t believe what you see as ‘reality.’ In this world, the only thing that can fight nightmares is your own heart.”

Bai Jianguo suddenly shoved Bai Yu.

Bai Yu's body fell uncontrollably off the terrace.

As he fell, he saw his father, Bai Jianguo, open his arms to meet the dark, smiling face in the sky.

"boom--"

A violent explosion sounded.

The entire silver city collapsed in an instant.

"Old White!"

Mo Fei and Lan Ce's voices rang out from afar.

Bai Yu felt himself enveloped by a gentle force, the last bit of protective power his father had left in his body.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the ruins of the archives.

Mo Fei and Lan Ce were anxiously surrounding him.

"Old Bai, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!"

Mo Fei grabbed him tightly, his grip almost breaking Bai Yu's bones.

Bai Yu remained silent.

He opened his palm.

The silver smiley face button lay there quietly.

A single, glistening tear rolled down the smiling face on the button.

"Shen Qing is dead?" Lan Ce asked in a low voice.

"Dead." Bai Yu's voice was somewhat hollow.

"That black smiling face..."

"That's something even more terrifying than a nightmare."

Bai Yu stood up and looked out the window.

The night sky over Linjiang City remained calm.

But he knew this was just the calm before the storm.

Shen Qing was merely a pawn being used.

The real mastermind has arrived.

"Lan Ce, investigate all of Shen Qing's private dealings before his death."

Bai Yu gripped the button tightly, her eyes becoming incredibly determined.

"I need to know where that 'source of truth' is."

"Also, help me look up a name."

"Who?"

“The ‘original rule’ that my father mentioned.”

Meanwhile, in a dark corner of Linjiang City.

A man in a black trench coat is adjusting his collar in front of a mirror.

Where there should have been a button on his collar, there was now nothing there.

"Hehe, Bai Yu. You really didn't disappoint me."

The man gave himself a perfect smile as he looked in the mirror.

His eyes were black and white, strangely unsettling.

"The show has only just begun."

(End of this chapter)