I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

Lin Ye was on an airplane when the name Black Locust Ridge was put on the table at the Candlelight Gathering.

He wasn't asleep.

The cabin lights were dimmed, and outside the window was a dark expanse of clouds.

This was an internal transfer flight arranged by seven departments. The plane was small, and there were few passengers. Apart from Lin Ye, there were fewer than ten people in total.

Those people barely spoke, and they sat up straight, as if they needed to report even to close their eyes for a rest.

Lin Ye leaned back in his seat, clutching the temporary ID that Qi Chu had given him in his hand.

The document states:

Forest.

Special collaborator.

Just a few hours ago, he was still in Qingcheng.

The Qingshan Cemetery, Uncle Zhao's cottage, the back slope culvert, the cold light in the underground tomb, and the phrase "Gui Li Mountain" all seemed to be locked away in the night behind us.

He did consider turning back.

But when he drove onto the elevated road, he knew there was no turning back.

The plane landed at 4:17 a.m.

A small airport in the southern suburbs of the capital.

There were no announcements, no passengers, and no one rushing around with their luggage.

The hatch opened, and a blast of cold air rushed in.

Lin Ye disembarked from the plane carrying the black backpack that Qi Chu had given him. A gray minivan was parked by the runway.

A man in his early thirties, with short hair and a black jacket, was standing next to the car, holding a tablet in his hand.

He saw Lin Ye and looked down to check the photos.

"Lin Ye?"

"Yes."

The man reached out his hand.

"Seventh Imperial Capital Headquarters, Field Reception, Han Xu."

Lin Ye shook hands with him.

Han Xu's hands were cold, and his palms were calloused.

Without exchanging pleasantries, he handed over a file folder.

"Temporary identity verification, supplementary confidentiality agreement, and explanation of personal movement restrictions. Please review these before 9:00 AM, and the process will begin at 9:00 AM."

Lin Ye glanced at the stack of documents.

"I just landed."

Han Xu nodded.

"So I'll give you four hours."

Lin Ye remained silent for two seconds.

Row.

It's very user-friendly.

There's a hint of iron in human nature.

Han Xu opened the car door.

"Get in the car."

Lin Ye sat in the back seat.

The car was sparsely decorated, with a bottle of water and a sealed bag next to the seats.

The bag contained a new encrypted phone, a temporary access card, and a black wristband.

Lin Ye picked up the bracelet.

"Do I need to wear this too?"

"want."

"position?"

"Location, vital sign monitoring, and early warning of abnormal fluctuations."

Han Xu sat in the passenger seat, his tone very calm.

"You are now a high-risk abnormal contact. Without this, you cannot enter headquarters."

Lin Ye looked down at the bracelet.

It's black, a narrow band, and feels slightly cool against the wrist bone when worn.

"What if this suddenly locks up?"

Han Xu glanced at him in the rearview mirror.

"No, not under normal circumstances."

"Isn't that abnormal?"

"You'd better not run into it."

Lin Ye fastened the handrail.

Click.

It's very light.

But he heard it very clearly.

The car drove out of the airport.

Before dawn, the streets of the capital were unusually empty.

In the distance, the elevated highway presses down on the edge of the city, the streetlights are still on, and the wind squeezes in through the gaps in the car windows, carrying a bit of the dry chill of a northern morning.

Han Xu handed him the first document in the file bag.

"Look at this first."

Lin Ye took it.

The cover reads:

Provisional Code of Conduct for Special Coordinators in Section 7

He flipped through it and glanced at it.

No one may leave the designated area without permission.

Information related to the Seven Places, Spiritual Artifacts, Abnormal Fields, and the Green Mountain Incident must not be disclosed to ordinary members of the public.

Do not touch any items that are suspected to be abnormal.

Further down, there is one more:

Activities involving antique markets, underground trading venues, secondhand markets, etc., must be reported in advance.

Lin Ye's fingers paused for a moment.

Han Xu seemed to know which one he was looking at.

"Your records from the flea market have been reviewed by headquarters."

Lin Ye looked up.

Han Xu did not turn around.

"From now on, even finding a bargain requires reporting it."

There was a moment of silence in the car.

Lin Ye closed the file.

"Does my job offer night shift pay?"

Han Xu said, "No."

Lin Ye looked at him.

Han Xu added, "There's a field allowance, provided you come back alive."

Lin Ye did not respond.

That's not funny.

It's not a joke.

He looked down and continued reading the documents.

The seventh department did not offer him a new job.

It's a cage that comes with a salary, insurance, and surveillance.

The only difference is that this cage is temporarily a little safer than the outside.

More than an hour later, the van drove into an old industrial park in the eastern suburbs of the capital.

There's a sign hanging at the entrance of the park.

National Cultural Relics Safety Emergency Protection Center.

There was an even less noticeable side card next to it:

Imperial Capital Cultural Relics Restoration Research Institute.

Two uniformed men were sitting in the security booth at the entrance.

Upon seeing the license plate, one of the men stood up, glanced at the car window, and gestured for the vehicle to pass.

Lin Ye looked at the gray walls and pine trees outside.

This doesn't look like a secret organization.

It's more like an old workplace with limited funding but a decent cafeteria.

The car was parked in front of a four-story building.

The exterior walls of the building are a bit old, but the windows are very clean. There are two potted evergreen trees by the door; one is thriving, while the other seems to be looking like it's about to give up.

Han Xu got out of the car and gestured for Lin Ye to follow.

"From now on, don't open any door you see indiscriminately."

"Do not respond if you hear a sound."

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

Han Xu turned around.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Ye asked, "There are sounds here too?"

Han Xu glanced at him.

"You'll see when you go in."

This sentence is not an answer.

But that's enough.

Lin Ye followed him into the small building.

The lobby was quiet.

There was no one at the front desk.

Several photos of cultural relics before and after restoration are displayed on the wall, with the restoration date, artifact number, and technical description written below.

Everything seems normal.

Until Lin Ye passed through the security gate.

The red light suddenly turned on.

drop.

The sound was very soft.

Han Xu stopped.

Two staff members immediately came out of the next room, one carrying a testing device and the other carrying a tablet.

"Abnormal personnel residue."

"grade?"

"Level B fluctuation".

"source?"

The staff member glanced at the screen and then looked up at Lin Ye.

"Green Mountain".

Lin Ye's heart sank.

Han Xu didn't let him touch it, but simply placed the file bag on the table next to him.

"Retest."

The staff brought the testing equipment closer to the forest.

From the shoulder, to the wrist, and then to the side of the ear.

When the instrument was brought close to his ear, Lin Ye suddenly heard a sound.

It's very far.

It's very light.

It's like someone is speaking through a very thick wall, under the soil.

Lin Ye's fingers tightened suddenly.

Han Xu saw it.

"Did you hear that?"

Lin Ye did not answer immediately.

The sound only appeared briefly and then disappeared.

The lobby remained quiet.

Only a low electrical hum could be heard from the detector.

The staff member frowned as he looked at the numbers.

"The residue isn't high, but it's deep."

Han Xu asked, "Can I get into headquarters?"

"able."

The staff put away the testing equipment.

"Make a record of any remaining traces first. Do not approach areas with high concentrations of spiritual energy for the time being."

Lin Ye looked up when he heard the words "high concentration of spiritual energy zone".

Han Xu noticed his reaction.

"Don't rush."

"You're just reporting for duty today."

Lin Ye looked into the depths of the hall.

There was a silver-gray elevator door there.

There were no floor buttons by the door, only a black identification screen.

A line of very small text is pasted above the recognition screen:

This is an internal area; unauthorized entry is prohibited.

Han Xu walked over and pasted the ID card on.

The recognition screen lit up briefly.

The elevator doors opened silently.

There are no regular floor buttons inside.

There are only a few dark negative layer signs.

Han Xu gained unauthorized access.

One of the lights lit up.

Negative three.

"Let's go to the archives area first."

He turned to look at the forest.

"From here on, you will rediscover the world."

Lin Ye stepped into the elevator.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

In the last second before the door was sewn shut, he saw that the photos of the restored cultural relics were still hanging on the wall of the hall, clean, bright, and normal.

The next second, the elevator began to sink.

Lin Ye pressed the black bracelet on his wrist.

The cool touch reminded him that this was not a dream.