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

Chapter 81 Among Us
Anmu's words were like a boulder thrown into an icy lake, shattering the last vestige of relaxed atmosphere in the carriage.

Time was abruptly paused at that moment.

Mo Fei's mouth was slightly open, and the smile on his face had not yet completely faded when he froze in place.

An indescribable chill, like a venomous snake, silently crept up from the tailbone of each person, instantly seizing their hearts, as if the blood in their entire body had frozen in that moment.

No one spoke again.

Inside this well-sealed off-road vehicle, they could even clearly hear each other's rapid heartbeats and heavy breathing.

Outside the car, the idyllic pastoral scenery remained unchanged. The sun shone brightly, the grass was lush and green, and a clear stream flowed quietly in the distance. Everything seemed so peaceful and serene.

This tranquility and peace seemed incredibly eerie at this moment. It was like a meticulously painted, perfect oil painting, and they were the pitiful characters trapped within it, about to be completely erased by an unseen painter with paint.

Mo Fei was the first to break free from that suffocating silence.

He didn't yell or do anything impulsive as he usually does.

Faced with extreme fear, this battle-hardened Class A investigator demonstrated his qualities as a shield for the team.

His face, which was usually full of a hearty smile, had completely concealed all expressions.

His burly body made no unnecessary movements; every muscle instantly tensed up as if it were a tightly twisted steel cable.

The playfulness and arrogance that had filled his eyes were gone, replaced by a cold light filled with vigilance and murderous intent.

He didn't turn around, nor did he ask An Mu what he had seen. He simply used his broad back to firmly protect Lan Ce beside him, as well as Lu Yueqi and Bai Yu in the back row, within his defensive range.

His body leans slightly forward, his hands seemingly casually resting on his knees, yet this allows him to launch the fastest and most effective counterattack against any sudden attack from any direction.

He is a formidable pass built with flesh and steel.

Almost simultaneously, Lan Ce also recovered from his brief shock. He abruptly pushed up his thick-rimmed glasses, using the habitual action to forcefully suppress the fear in his heart.

He immediately took out a palm-sized device from his tactical backpack. It was his latest improved "High-Precision Environmental Energy Fluctuation Detector," capable of detecting any minute energy anomalies in the surrounding space.

However, when he turned on the instrument, the data on the screen made his heart sink to the bottom once again.

In the center of the screen, the green dots representing "life signals" were not five, but... six.

Six incredibly clear green dots were distributed inside the cramped SUV. Five of the dots were positioned exactly where the five people were sitting. The sixth dot, however, was silently "sitting" in the empty seat between Bai Yu and Lu Yueqi.

"Team...captain..."

Lan Ce turned the tactical tablet in his hand toward An Mu, the six glaring green dots on the screen resembling a mocking ghost face.

“You…you’re not mistaken. The instruments show…there are indeed six ‘people’ here.”

Lancer's statement, confirmed by scientific instruments, was like a merciless hammer, shattering the fragile ice surface completely.

After calming Lu Yueqi down, Bai Yu slowly closed her eyes.

He didn't look at Lancer's detector, nor did he listen to the fearful breathing around him. He sank all his senses into the deepest recesses of his soul, to feel the essence of the realm that had unknowingly enveloped them completely.

That sticky feeling, like being caught in an invisible spider web, and that probing gaze hidden beneath the surface of tranquility...

They once again stepped into a hunting ground meticulously prepared by a highly intelligent, rule-distorting nightmare.

"Everyone stay in the car and don't make any sudden movements!"

Anmu's voice rang out again.

His voice was solemn, but it also carried the composure and decisiveness of a commander in the face of crisis.

His eyes were fixed on the seemingly endless country road ahead, his foot pressing down on the accelerator without weakening. He wanted to keep driving forward; he wanted to test the limits of this "ghost wall" rule in the most direct way.

"Lan Ce, continue analyzing the changes in the energy field, try to pinpoint the exact location and energy composition of that thing. Mo Fei, stay alert, pay attention to any unusual activity in any corner of the car. Bai Yu, tell me how you feel. Lu Yueqi, stay calm and be aware of your surroundings."

A series of short and clear instructions came from his mouth, raising a mast again for the "lone boat" shrouded in fear.

Mo Fei and Lan Ce immediately responded with a brief "yes," while Lu Yueqi nodded vigorously, her eyes regaining their sparkle.

“It has no physical form.” Bai Yu opened his eyes, his deep gaze gleaming with rationality. “Or rather, its ‘physical form’ is this space itself. It has pulled us into a ‘semi-real’ realm constructed by itself. Everything we see and hear now is what it wants us to see and hear. It is… playing.”

"Play?" Mo Fei frowned deeply.

“Yes, it’s playing.” Bai Yu nodded. “It’s like a child observing ants with a magnifying glass. It’s enjoying our fear of the unknown and appreciating our struggle for survival. The ghost wall we’re experiencing now is probably just the beginning.”

Just as Bai Yu finished speaking, the car stereo, which had been playing rock music normally, suddenly emitted a hissing sound full of electrical interference, and then all the music stopped abruptly.

A very familiar conversation began to rang out.

"Wow! This place is so beautiful!" That was Lu Yueqi's exclamation full of surprise.

"Hehe, of course! This is my secret base that I've treasured for many years!" That was Mo Fei's boastful voice, full of pride.

"According to calculations, this ribeye steak has a fat content of up to 37.8 percent..." That was Lan Ce's sarcastic comment, full of "science" and "rigor".

The radio was playing a recording of their live performance from an hour earlier!
A chill slowly spread.

This means that it had been lurking around them from the very first second they arrived! Like a voyeur, it had been recording all their laughter and joy with great interest!

However, this is not the most terrifying thing.

Just as the recording, filled with laughter, was about to end, a soft laugh that didn't belong to any of them suddenly came from the background.

"Giggle..."

The laughter was so soft, so fleeting, yet it pierced everyone's eardrums, making their souls tremble violently.

"boom!"

Mo Fei slammed his fist into the central control screen! With a loud bang, the entire central control system went completely black after a burst of electrical sparks, and the chilling laughter came to an abrupt end.

"Damn it! If you've got the guts, come out! What kind of person are you, hiding like this!" Mo Fei roared at the empty carriage, his eyes burning with fury.

“It’s deliberately provoking us,” Bai Yu said coldly. “Anger and fear are its ‘nourishment.’ The more out of control we become, the stronger it will grow.”

Mo Fei glanced at Lan Ce's warning look beside him, then at Lu Yueqi in the back row, who was pale with fright. In the end, he forced himself to suppress the violent anger in his heart.

He sat back down in his seat, no longer speaking, but his tightly clenched fists were so clenched that his knuckles turned white.

Just then, the off-road vehicle, which had been charging forward wildly, was suddenly stopped in the middle of the country road as if forcibly held down by an invisible giant hand, after a screeching sound of tires rubbing together.

No matter how hard Anmu stepped on the gas, the powerful engine only emitted a series of weak roars, and the car did not move an inch.

Immediately afterwards, the central control screen, which had just been blacked out by Mo Fei's punch, lit up again.

However, this time, instead of the technologically advanced UI interface, what appeared on the screen was a dark red color, like fresh blood.

Several twisted characters made of dark red liquid, like living insects, slowly crawled across the screen, eventually forming a sentence.

"A fun game, now, officially begins."

Then, the rules of the game slowly appeared on the blood-red screen.

Game Title: Among Us

"Rule 1: From now on, the doors of this car will not be able to be opened from the inside."

"Rule Two: You have fifteen minutes to find the extra person among us."

"Rule 3: Before the game ends, no one may look directly at any reflective surface in any way. This includes, but is not limited to, rearview mirrors, side mirrors, makeup mirrors, and the screens of any electronic devices that are turned off."

"Rule Four: As a merciful hint, the superfluous person will occasionally leave some traces of itself."

"Rule Five: If time runs out and you still haven't found the extra person, or if you've violated any rule during the game... then you will all have the honor of becoming the new extra person and remaining in the game forever."

Once the last rule was displayed, a countdown timer made of crimson liquid began to tick at the bottom of the screen.

【14: 59】

【14: 58】

【14: 57】

……

"Damn it!" Mo Fei roared again as he looked at the rules on the screen.

This game is blatant malice!
"Calm down, everyone!" An Mu's voice rang out again. His sharp eyes were fixed on every rule on the screen, and his brain was working at an extraordinary speed. "Lan Ce, analyze the rules! Find the logical traps and exploitable loopholes!"

"Yes!" Lan Ce replied immediately.

His eyes, behind his glasses, gleamed with calm and focus. He forced himself to ignore the dwindling crimson countdown, concentrating all his attention on the rules, which were fraught with deadly traps.

“Rule One and Rule Two are the core framework of this game, trapping us here and giving us a clear but incredibly dangerous objective. Rule Five is the penalty for failure, a typical intimidation tactic of rule-based nightmares.” Lan Ce spoke rapidly. “Therefore, the real key lies in Rule Three and Rule Four!”

“Rule Three: We are forbidden from looking directly at any reflective surface.” A flash of realization crossed his eyes. “This echoes your behavior, Captain, when you saw that thing in the rearview mirror! This means that the mirror is likely the medium through which that thing exists or moves! Looking directly at a mirror could very well lead us into direct eye contact with it, thus triggering the instant-death rule!”

He took off his glasses and put them in his pocket. "Rule number four is the only way to survive this game," he continued. "It says the extra person will leave traces. This means they're not completely unobservable. If we can find these traces and analyze their true identity, we might win the game!"

“Well done.” Bai Yu’s voice came from the back row. He agreed with Lan Ce’s judgment and added, “However, we must also consider another possibility. Rule Four itself may also be a trap.”

"What do you mean?" Mo Fei asked, puzzled.

“That means those so-called traces may not just be simple clues.” A glint of light flashed in Bai Yu’s eyes. “They could also be a means to mislead us, or even attack us. Therefore, while we are looking for traces, we must also remain highly vigilant.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the first mark appeared without warning.

"pat-"

With a soft sound, the phone that Lu Yueqi had been clutching tightly in her hand suddenly slipped from her grasp without warning and fell onto the seat between her and Bai Yu.

Immediately afterwards, the dark phone screen suddenly lit up by itself!

The screen displayed the group photo they had taken earlier on the riverbank, filled with laughter and joy.

However, the scene in the photo underwent a bizarre change!

In the photo, the smiles on the faces of An Mu, Mo Fei, Lan Ce, Bai Yu, and Lu Yueqi have all turned into bizarre clown-like smiles that stretch from their mouths to their ears!

The smile was so stiff, so full of malice, as if silently mocking their current predicament.

What's even more chilling is that in the background of that photo, there's a blurry black shadow in the empty space between Bai Yu and Lu Yueqi!

The dark figure sat there quietly, like an uninvited moviegoer, appreciating the eerie "family portrait" with great interest.

"Ah!" Lu Yueqi let out a short scream the moment she saw the photo, and shrank away from the phone as if she had been electrocuted.

"Don't look!" Bai Yu's voice rang out instantly. He reached out with lightning speed, grabbed the phone from the seat, and then, without hesitation, pressed the screen down firmly to the side!
His movements were lightning fast, but just before he flipped the phone over, he caught a glimpse of an even more horrifying detail in the photo out of the corner of his eye.

The extra black humanoid silhouette was tilting its head slightly toward Lu Yueqi in the photo, and a strange smile spread across its blurry face.

A second trace followed immediately.

The reading lights on the ceiling of the carriage suddenly started flashing wildly at an erratic frequency!

The scene inside the car rapidly alternated between light and darkness, each flicker like a cruel visual torture, constantly assaulting everyone's already taut nerves.

"Not good! It's using strobe lights to interfere with our vision! Mo Fei! Protect Lu Yueqi!" An Mu's voice became extremely grave. In this environment, human vision is easily misled, causing one to mistake their companion for an enemy!
"Understood!" Mo Fei didn't hesitate at all. He immediately turned around and used his burly body as a shield to block the back row, using his body to isolate Bai Yu and Lu Yueqi in a small, relatively safe space.

He stared intently at the chaotic scene around him, where light and darkness constantly alternated, his eyes filled with focus and vigilance.

Just then, a whisper filled with seductive and malicious intent suddenly rang in his ears.

The voice was so ethereal, as if it had been transmitted directly into his mind from another dimension.

“...Look at them...look at your so-called 'comrades'…”

"...That guy with glasses, he's been secretly laughing at your recklessness and ignorance..."

"...The one sitting in the driver's seat, he just sees you as a useful tool and a shield..."

"...And then there's the one you most want to protect behind you. He harbors far more secrets than you can imagine. He has never truly trusted you..."

"...They don't trust you...They're all using you..."

"...Give up...Why bother fighting for people who aren't worth it..."

The devil's ramblings attempted to pry open the dam of trust in his heart.

However, Mo Fei's face remained unmoved.

He didn't even frown.

He simply replied coldly in his mind, with a tone full of disdain and mockery: "Don't give me that. I trust my brothers more than I trust myself. Instead of wasting your time trying to sow discord, you should think about which angle would be the most artistic to split your pathetic head open with my axe later."

The malicious whisper seemed unprepared for such a response. It paused briefly for a moment before turning its attention back to Lan Ce, who was intently staring at the screen, trying to find a pattern in the chaotic flashing.

"...It's no use...Give up, you glasses wearer..."

"...Your knowledge, your logic, are nothing but a pile of meaningless garbage here..."

"...Your pride in your rationality is as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of such absolute malice..."

"A low-level psychological attack. Attempting to break down an individual's mental defenses by denying their value is a clumsy trick typical of third-rate horror films. The predictability of its behavior is even simpler than the stress response of an amoeba," Lanze retorted ruthlessly in his mind with the meticulous tone of an analytical report. "And, I must correct a common-sense error of yours. Logic and reason may not be able to directly eliminate your illogical existence, but they can help us find the path to utterly crush you within your flawed rules. So, continue your performance; the more traces you expose, the closer your death will be."

After being rebuffed twice, the malicious whisper seemed to finally realize that such low-level psychological tactics were utterly ineffective against the investigators before it, whose willpower far surpassed that of ordinary people. It vanished completely after a moment of resentful silence.

The lights on the roof, which had been flashing wildly, returned to normal.

The suffocating silence returned to the carriage.

The blood-red countdown has reached its final minute.

【01: 00】

【00: 59】

……

"No! There's absolutely no pattern to it!" A hint of anxiety appeared on Lan Ce's face. "Every time it appears, there's absolutely no logic to it! We have no way of predicting how it will appear next, nor can we pinpoint its true form!"

"So, we can only passively wait for it to reveal its weaknesses?" An Mu asked.

This is undoubtedly the worst situation they have ever faced.

"It won't give us another chance." Bai Yu's voice came from the back row. His face was as pale as snow, and a fine layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

During that time, he had been using his mental strength to fight against the pervasive erosion of the rules in order to relieve the pressure on his teammates, which put a huge burden on his soul.

"Time's almost up. It might just end the game in the most direct way," he said slowly, looking at the countdown on the screen, which had less than thirty seconds left.

As soon as he finished speaking, the last trace finally appeared.

This time, it didn't resort to any fancy psychological tactics.

The phone screen that Bai Yu had been pressing firmly to the side lit up once again!

Bai Yu felt an immense and irresistible force emanating from the small phone, and his hand was forcibly pushed away by that force!
The phone automatically flipped over, with the screen facing up.

Strange ripples spread across the phone screen, which should have been off.

Immediately afterwards, a distorted face that defied description slowly emerged from the pitch-black screen!
The face was blurry, as if it were made up of countless writhing shadows.

But its facial features are so clear, so...familiar!
Its eyes were those of Anmu, sharp and majestic like those of a hawk!
Its nose is Mo Fei's high and powerful nose!
Its lips were Lan Ce's thin lips, which looked somewhat harsh because they were always pursed!

Its ears are Lu Yueqi's small and delicate earlobes!

And the overall outline of its face was seven or eight parts similar to Bai Yu's cool and handsome face!

It's like a mad artist with a twisted sense of humor who haphazardly pieced together the features of five people in a discordant way, creating a monster full of terrifying aesthetics!

The face pieced together from their features slowly rotated its "eyes" in the small space of the phone screen, its playful gaze sweeping over everyone in the car who was stunned by the terrifying scene.

Finally, its gaze fell upon Lu Yueqi, who was closest to it.

Then, its mouth slowly stretched into a huge, clown-like smile.

The countdown on the screen mercilessly came to an end.

【00: 00】

A noisy, electrical hum came from the phone's speaker.

The eerie sound, a mixture of the voices of the five people, came clearly from the small phone.

"...Time...is up..."

The spliced ​​monster face on the screen slowly raised its "hand"—a phantom arm composed of countless black data streams.

Amidst the horrified and incredulous gazes of everyone, the fingers of that hand pierced through the boundaries of the screen, pointing at the man who had maintained absolute composure throughout.

It points to the Bai language.

"...Congratulations to you..."

"...Found it..."

That eerie, mixed voice, carrying a hint of victorious glee, announced the final "answer" to the game, word by word.

"……he……"

"...It's that...superfluous person."

(End of this chapter)