The World Below Surface

A distorted silhouette lurked outside the door, its gaze fixed on the frantic group within.

"Listen up, everyone! We need to get out of here as soon as we finish checking!"

After completing so many tasks, how could they not recognize the ominous signs that heralded a dreadful occurrence?

"Come on, faster!"

The folders rustled as several people hastened their movements. The one at the computer also quickened their typing, their fingers flying over the keys.

Faster...

Almost there!

A cold draft swept in, toppling a pile of dusty folders that had been stacked too high. They crashed to the floor with a loud bang, making everyone jump.

Shen Zhu, who was also holding a bunch of files, felt a surge of panic.

She was well aware that she was the most vulnerable among this group. Why had she agreed to a deal with a ghost? The thought gnawed at her, and her nerves were on edge. She whipped her head around, only to find that it was just some books that had fallen. She breathed a sigh of relief, returning her focus to the documents.

In the dim and flickering light, the photo on the file she was holding morphed into the face of Yan Hao Yue, who smiled at her wickedly.

"A crackle."

The files slipped from Shen Zhu's hands and landed on the ground, drawing everyone's attention once more.

"Shen Zhu, what's wrong?"

Shen Zhu was aware that her actions had drawn attention. She quickly shook her head, trying to act casual. "It's nothing, just slipped." She lied, hoping that no one would notice her trembling hands. She stretched out on tiptoe, pretending to adjust the files, while hiding the photo that the wind threatened to expose.

The lights flickered above her, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

"Hurry! Let's go! We'll come back later."

One of them was standing by the door, holding it open with his foot to prevent them from being locked in. He had barely yelled into the room when the lights went out completely, engulfing them in darkness.

No one argued with him. They all knew that he was right. They had to get out of here. Now. They ran towards the door. Shen Zhu followed them

Her head was throbbing, as if someone was hammering nails into her skull. She couldn't think clearly. She couldn't see clearly.

Books crashed to the floor behind her, as if someone had pushed them off the shelves. The bookcase rattled, as if someone was shaking it violently.

The man in front of her reached the door, and grabbed the hand of the person who was holding it open. "Quick! Hurry and run!" He yelled, pulling him out, yet he pulled out only the hand.

He felt something wet and slippery. He looked down, and saw blood. Blood that dripped from the severed arm that he was holding. Blood that splattered on the floor, forming a gruesome pattern. Blood that stained his clothes, his skin, his soul.

Before Shen Zhu could react, people in front of her were torn apart into a heap of limbs, spilling all over the floor.

Thick, warm blood splashed on her, soaking her from head to toe. Shen Zhu didn't bother to wipe it off, she sprinted out the door.

Darkness engulfed the entire corridor, rendering it impossible to illuminate. Though it was only early evening, the night had fallen so swiftly and heavily that the faces of her companions were indistinguishable. The only signs of life were the fleeting shadows that darted across the walls and the clamour of footsteps.

"So, does this count as me visiting Yan Hao Yue at the police station?"

She had surveyed the place in the daylight, when it had seemed like a straightforward corridor with a few turns. But now, it had transformed into a maze. Whichever direction she took, she encountered no boundaries. Shen Zhu felt a surge of panic; she attempted to compose herself, but her heart pounded faster and faster, threatening to burst out of her chest.

Something... was trailing her!

She was certain of it; it had to be Yan Hao Yue. She had vowed to come and find her; had Yan Hao Yue finally arrived to fulfil her promise?

Shen Zhu pursued the figure ahead, oblivious to the fact that the figure in front... was nothing but a shadow.

She chased after these phantoms, plunging deeper into the abyss.

As for whether this place was truly the police station, who could tell?

Why?

Why had she been running for so long and still not found a way out?

Where was the exit? Wait, who were these people ahead? Were they really the companions she had arrived with?

The thought barely crossed her mind when Shen Zhu felt a surge of dread; the shapes that loomed ahead of her took on a sinister aspect in her vision.

No matter how hard she squinted, they bore no resemblance to anyone she recognised.

What was she to do? Where was she even running to?

By her reckoning, she had run far enough to circle back to the police station and her home; yet she remained trapped...

What could she do? What was she meant to do?

If only she could calm down, she would realise that her mind was playing tricks on her at this moment. But the endless darkness had eroded her will, almost robbing her of her rationality. She blurted out, "Is that you, Hao Yue? I did come to look for you, truly. I haven't broken my promise, can you please let me go?"

She had heard it countless times, from other taskers and from herself to the newcomers: ghosts have no feelings or reason; it's futile for humans to bargain with them or appeal to their souls.

When faced with a ghost, the only option was to run! Run faster. That was the only hope of survival. Pleading for mercy, negotiating, or invoking past bonds were all in vain. Of course, if one could decipher the rules of the task, perhaps they could even fight back against the ghost.

Because tasks were not only for them; ghosts had their own tasks to complete.

But Shen Zhu was too terrified, and the pain in her head was too intense, to remember this iron rule. She kept on begging in the dark void.

"I really did come to find you, and now I want to go back. Please, stop chasing me, alright?"

She didn't want to die; she wanted to live...

"I beg you! Spare me, please. Spare me for the sake of our once good relationship."

As soon as these words left her mouth, a light bulb hanging above the corridor flickered with electricity, then suddenly lit up.

As if by magic, the cold wind, the faint whispers, and the menacing shadows that had haunted her in the darkness all disappeared, leaving only the dim yellow light from an old bulb.

Shen Zhu's eyes widened in disbelief. She stopped abruptly, aware that she was still in the centre of the corridor, where everyone else had vanished. The corridor, and the rooms on either side with their gaping doors, were deserted.

"Thank you, thank you, Hao Yue. I swear I'll burn incense and offer paper money to you when I return. I'll look after your family," Shen Zhu muttered, not daring to waste another second, sprinting towards the exit.

Only when she emerged from the main entrance, enveloped in moonlight, did she feel a surge of relief.

She had made it out alive?

Had Yan Hao Yue shown her mercy?

**

"Are you certain she's a traitor?" Fang Tu (方荼) seized Lin Chu's hair, yanking it back harshly, watching Lin Chu cringe in agony, he caressed her face softly, "You'd better confess truthfully, or do you want me to make you talk?"

(方 (Fāng) is a common surname that means “square” or “direction”. 荼 (Tú) is a rare given name that means “bitter herb” or “bitterness”. 方荼 could be interpreted as “a bitter direction” or “a square herb”.)

His voice was gentle, but it sent a chill down the spines of the other operatives, who instinctively retreated a few paces from him.

Even those who had survived multiple missions had little sympathy for others, having killed a few themselves. But... cruel individuals like Fang Tu were uncommon. He seemed innately immune to fear, having been fascinated by blood, bones, and the like since childhood, but unable to pursue a medical career due to legal barriers, forcing him to conceal his hobbies.

Until he became a tasker.

Almost every time, he would use NPCs for live dissections, without any respect for human life. Once, he even drove a newcomer mad, and he didn't care; to him, a crazed teammate was no different from an NPC, and he eliminated them without hesitation.

This was the message conveyed by a few of his surviving teammates. Most people were terrified of such a personality, but there were also some who thought they could exploit him for their own ends.

Like now, when interrogation was required, sending him in was the most appropriate option.

Bound and helpless, Lin Chu sat in the centre of the living room, her head shaking violently as tears streamed down her face. "I really don't know, I'm not a traitor... What was I trying to do? Even if I couldn't complete the task, I would still die..."

Her delicate features and fearful expression gave her the appearance of an innocent child, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Xi Men Yuan crossed his arms, his eyes piercing her with a cold stare. "Yes, what were you trying to do?"

"I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, I won't even glance at those NPCs anymore... I just thought he was good-looking..." Lin Chu sobbed, her face drenched with tears.

"Hush, don't make a noise." Fang Tu's voice was low and menacing, as he held a knife in his hand, the tip lightly brushing against Lin Chu's cheek. The icy metal sent a shiver down her spine, locking her neck in place as she looked at him with terror.

"Even though you're crying, why do I always feel like you're lying to me?"

Lin Chu tried to suppress her fear, shrinking her neck back as much as she could. "I'm not... I'm begging you, I really am not..."

Yu Huai Yao couldn't help but speak up, his voice breaking the tense silence. "I also don't think it's her, she has no reason to obstruct our mission."

Fang Tu paused, turning around slowly, his eerie gaze scanning Yu Huai Yao from head to toe, as if calculating the best spot to plunge the knife.

"Yu Huai Yao, right? When we handle things, it's best for you, a newcomer, to stay out of it." Ling Tong pushed him away, his tone blunt and dismissive.

The two missioners followed his lead and grabbed Yu Huai Yao by the arms, trying to drag him away.

But Yu Huai Yao refused to leave, digging his heels into the ground. He was used to working on cultural relics, which required physical strength and stamina, so he was not easy to move. The two struggled to pull him away, as he resisted with all his might.

Yu Huai Yao pleaded for her life. "She didn't betray anyone, she swore it. We all had the same task to complete, and if she failed, she would die anyway," he said, trying to reason with them. "She was only a newcomer, naive and trusting, not a traitor. You can't condemn her for a single mistake, can you?"

Fang Tu ignored his words, pulling Lin Chu closer to his chest. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent with a mock tenderness. "Newcomer, huh? That's a nice way of putting it. And what are you to her, then?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lin Chu sobbed uncontrollably, feeling his breath on her neck. She couldn't understand why Yu Huai Yao was standing up for her. He had seen her hurt An Ru with his own eyes. What did he want from her?

Yu Huai Yao shook his head. "I have nothing to do with her. I just hate seeing you bully the weak."

They looked like a pair of star-crossed lovers, torn apart by a cruel fate.

"Besides, how do you know that the man she stopped was Lu Yan? If you're so suspicious of him, why don't you just follow him and see for yourself? Why do you have to torture a girl?" he challenged them.

Xi Men Yuan scoffed. "Don't worry, we've already sent some people after him. We'll find out soon enough." He glanced at Lin Chu, his eyes full of doubt. "But that doesn't mean you're off the hook, little missy."

Lin Chu tried to act innocent, nodding her head frantically. "Yes, yes, yes, please go and check on him. I swear I didn't do anything wrong. I'll never be so stupid again."

Jiang Yu, who had been silent until then, finally spoke. "That's enough for today," he said, sounding bored. "Lin Chu's guilt is hard to prove, but so is her innocence. She'll have to stay under our watch at all times, and never be alone."

He didn't bother to look at Lin Chu, as if she was beneath his notice. "Lin Chu, do you agree to this condition?"

Lin Chu nodded again, tears streaming down her face. "Okay, okay, okay, please don't kill me. I beg you, please. I promise I'll never be foolish again."

Jiang Yu nodded back. "Fine. Fang Tu, let her go."

Fang Tu's eyes flashed with malice. He held Lin Chu's gaze for a moment, then threw her to the ground. He put away his surgical knife, but not before giving her a wicked smile that made her blood run cold. He walked away, leaving her to whimper in fear.

Yu Huai Yao rushed over to untie her, and Lin Chu wiped away her tears, whispering her gratitude to him and Jiang Yu.

She still looked like a pitiful and fragile girl, one who could never harm a fly.

With a silent gaze, Jiang Yu followed as Yu Huai Yao and his companion receded.

Suddenly, he raised his voice. "Wait, Mr. Yu Huai Yao, I have a question for you."

Yu Huai Yao stopped and turned around.

"I'm curious about your profession. What do you do for a living?"

"I'm an archaeologist. I restore and preserve ancient artefacts."

Jiang Yu nodded to show he understood and gestured for them to continue.

Lin Chu, feeling puzzled, noticed that although Jiang Yu spoke the fewest words among the group, he had the authority when he did speak. What was his secret?

After they left, Xi Men Yuan asked, "What did you notice?"

Jiang Yu replied, "That Lin Chu is more than meets the eye. In this mission, there are twenty-two newcomers, including retired soldiers, corporate executives, provincial-level athletes, and so on... Even that Yu Huai Yao who just spoke is an archaeologist. Each newcomer surpasses the calibre of the previous ones, as if they've been handpicked."

He smirked. "So, do you think an ordinary girl prone to flights of fancy would be among them?"

Xi Men Yuan agreed with him, while Ling Tong commented, "Now, let's see what she does."

Lin Chu and Yu Huai Yao walked side by side in the courtyard, with Yu Huai Yao murmuring comforting words to her.

If it weren't for their hidden motives, this scene would have been quite picturesque.

"So, you do know Lu Yan after all, don't you?" Yu Huai Yao asked suddenly, suspicion evident in his voice.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bug that Jiang Yu had given him earlier, hoping to capture any sound in the area.

Lin Chu saw the device and shook her head vigorously. "I truly don't know him. And besides, he introduced himself as Jiang Bai, didn't he? I mean... I suppose I was a bit foolish, but that's hardly a crime, is it?"

Yu Huai Yao persisted, speaking earnestly. "But why would he come out of the library if he goes by Jiang Bai? He doesn't seem like he belongs here at all," he commented. "Listen, I've always been on your side, you know that. I would never do anything to harm you. So if there's anything you can tell me, anything at all, to help us get out of this situation, please, I'm begging you, just say it, okay?"

Jiang Yu was sitting in the room, listening intently to the voices of a man and a woman through his earphones.

Lin Chu sounded exasperated. "How many times do I have to say it? I don't know anything. Why are you all so convinced that I do? If I had any idea that he was Lu Yan, I would have wasted no time in killing him and completing the task ages ago."

Yu Huai Yao sensed Lin Chu's rising anger and tried to soothe her. They exchanged a few more words, then parted ways and returned to their respective rooms.

Lin Chu's performance was impeccable, but... Jiang Yu still couldn't shake off his distrust of her.

The moment he had laid eyes on her, Jiang Yu's internal alarm bells had gone off. His intuition had told him that this was no ordinary person.

With a swift motion, Yu Huai Yao peeled off the bug that clung to his palm and tossed it onto the desk. It lay there, a tiny metallic speck, still transmitting his every sound and movement.

He had just followed Jiang Yu's orders and tried to coax some answers out of Lin Chu, but he had also given her a subtle signal with his eyes: don't say anything. He trusted that Lin Chu, with her sharp mind, would catch on to his silent plea.

He prayed that he hadn't been too obvious.

Lin Chu, meanwhile, had retreated to her own room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. She let out a muffled sob, her chest tight with anguish.

She shrugged off her coat and draped it over the edge of the bed. Through the bugs that Jiang Yu and Xi Men Yuan had planted on themselves, they could hear the faint sounds of clothes being shed, followed by the splash of water as she headed to the bathroom to wash up.

They didn't notice anything amiss.

Lin Chu cast a wary glance at her coat on the bed, then crawled under the covers. She was well aware that when they had dragged her back earlier, they had slipped a bug onto her as well, but now... she had no choice but to act oblivious.

She was playing a dangerous game. She knew her actions would arouse suspicion, but it was a risk she had to take. To protect Lu Yan from being discovered too soon, she had to do this.

And the only reason Yu Huai Yao had gone along with her was because she had made a bold claim: she had poisoned him in the real world.

It was a preposterous lie, but given how she had used perfume to knock out An Ru before, Yu Huai Yao couldn't afford to dismiss her.

The secret that Lu Yan harboured... It must have been the reason why someone wanted him dead.

How could anyone evade those relentless pursuers and reach out to Lu Yan?

The taskers who had ventured out in search of clues had all come back, except for the ones who had met their grisly fate. Shen Zhu was the last to return. Her face bore a ghostly pallor, and she slipped in without drawing any attention, exchanging a few perfunctory words with the others before heading straight to her room.

Only when she lay down on her bed did Shen Zhu feel the full weight of her narrow escape from death.

She still couldn't wrap her head around it. Yan Hao Yue had let her live. She should have been dead, transformed into a ferocious spectre, yet she had spared her.

Why?

She felt off-kilter today. Her mind was foggy and restless, her thoughts sluggish and erratic, and her emotions unstable and volatile. But she didn't pay heed... or maybe she deliberately overlooked her own abnormality. She washed up in a hurry, and then lay down to rest.

She didn't realise that even as she was washing up, she never once looked at the mirror.

Because, if she had lifted her gaze, she would have seen her own reflection in the mirror, with a gaping hole in her skull, where swarms of white maggots writhed and squirmed, feasting on her brain.

Odd... her head was throbbing more and more.

Shen Zhu's headache prevented her from sleeping.

Not just her head, but her whole body was growing colder and colder.

A bone-chilling cold seeped into her skin, making her shiver uncontrollably. Shen Zhu clutched the blanket around her, seeking some warmth, but it was useless. The cold was relentless, unforgiving, as if it wanted to freeze her to death.

How could it be so cold? She wondered, her teeth chattering. It was winter, yes, but the blanket she was under should have been made of thick cotton, soft and cozy.

But wait... thick cotton blanket?

A surge of astonishment jolted her awake. She reached out to touch the blanket, only to feel a thin layer of white cloth, barely covering her body. It felt rough and scratchy, like a cheap shroud. And underneath it, she could sense the hard surface of a cold metal, confining her in a cramped space.

Where the hell was she? She had been lying in bed, sleeping peacefully, just a moment ago!

Panic gripped her heart, making it pound wildly. She tried to sit up, to break free from this nightmare, but she couldn't. She was trapped, imprisoned in a narrow, icy space that resembled a square coffin.

Where the hell was she?

She had been lying on her left side, facing the wall. She attempted to turn to the other side, hoping to find a way out, but she froze in horror.

There, right in front of her, was Yan Hao Yue's pale face. Her eyes were wide open, staring blankly at nothing. Her eyeballs were askew, as if they had rolled back in their sockets. Her lips were blue, Her skin was grey, Her expression was lifeless.

She was dead. And she was lying next to her. She was actually lying next to Yan Hao Yue, next to her corpse.

She knew where she was. She knew what had happened.

"Ahhh—"

Her scream echoed through the morgue on the third basement floor.

**

Lu Yan had not slept for days.

Sleep eluded him, but he dared not succumb to the lure of slumber. Every time he closed his eyes, a primal fear would jolt him awake, compelling him to escape. He had followed his usual routine, sneaking into the residential building near his target's location, hoping that the ghosts would strike the target first and spare him the torment. But sleep was still a luxury he could not afford.

He sat in the dimly lit room, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. He closed them briefly, testing his luck.

A surge of crimson invaded his sight, startling him. He snapped his eyes open and looked at the window.

He did not notice the faint blood-red shape that lurked in his dark pupils. But he had a hunch.

He had to avoid seeing his own reflection, for that was the only way he could catch a glimpse of it when he closed his eyes...

It was hiding inside his eyes, so if he saw his reflection, it would see him too.

And if he kept his eyes closed for too long, it would sense his presence.

Lu Yan gazed out of the window, wondering when that thing had entered his eyes. He racked his brain and remembered a date.

It was the day he had arrived at Spirit Vale Town and found the residential building to rest. He had been puzzled by the sudden disappearance of his sleep paralysis, but now he realised that it had been lurking in his eyes ever since.

But what was it? And if it was a ghost, whose ghost was it?

His ears picked up the sound of distant explosions.

Explosions were still rocking the town, spreading chaos and death.

**

This time, the blast ripped through a residential area, where most people were sleeping peacefully. The explosion shattered the night's silence, sending a small mushroom cloud into the sky, claiming lives without a loud bang.

"Damn it! Who the hell is doing this? Who's planting these bombs?" Constable Xiao Li fumed with rage. "If I get my hands on him, I'll blow his brains out."

"Stop wasting time, we need to save the injured!"

The sirens of ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks pierced the night air, converging on the scene of the blast. But the flames were too intense, devouring everything in their path. The firefighters battled valiantly to quell the inferno, but by the time they succeeded, the residential area was nothing but a smouldering heap of rubble.

No one made it out alive.

They were used to seeing death in different forms, but the sheer scale of this carnage still filled them with dread.

Who could be behind this?

A lone figure stepped out of the tall building, surveying the commotion from a distance. He casually strolled into the shadows, clutching an unused pistol in his hand. A long axe hung from his back, glinting in the moonlight.

Surprisingly, it was someone who looked like Lu Yan.

He made his way along the deserted street, sensing something was following him. He suddenly sidestepped, dodging a small dagger that flew from behind. The dagger embedded itself into the wall with a thud, missing him by inches.

As he expected! It had found him again!

He sprinted away.