Chapter 2

On the way back to the Bureau of Spirits, I saw the world for the first time in a truly clear way.

Outside the car window, the once bustling New Eden City had been reduced to ruins.

The skyscrapers were incomplete, as if they had been bitten by a giant beast, and the streets were littered with abandoned cars and broken glass.

What chilled me to the bone were the blood-red markings on the walls—some were huge handprints, others were twisted characters that read "Don't look back," "Don't go out at night," and "Cover your ears immediately if you hear singing."

"Those are rule markers," the captain explained. "After the bizarre catastrophe, many bizarre rules emerged in this world. Some monsters won't kill on their own, but if you trigger their rules—they will kill you."

"Any good weird stuff?" I swallowed hard.

"Those are rare. Like direct murder, they belong to the category of high-level mystical phenomena. The bureau usually only records them but doesn't make contact , for fear of causing trouble ."

The car passed through a residential area, where a sign stood on a street corner, densely covered with survival rules—"If someone knocks three times and then stops, never open the door." "If you see a little girl in a red dress, immediately close your eyes and count to ten."

This is the world a hundred years from now.

A bizarre, post-apocalyptic world.

After returning to the Bureau of Spirits, I took a shower and changed into my black training uniform.

of the Paranormal Administration, met me in his office on the top floor .

She was a woman in her forties with short hair and sharp eyes.

"Lin Rui, your psychic constitution is very special. Over the next three days, you will undergo accelerated training before joining the Bureau of Spirit Management ."

Can I refuse?

"Then you'll be locked up in the Bureau of Spirits' basement and under surveillance for the rest of your life," Herman said calmly. "If someone from a hundred years ago suddenly came back to life, we wouldn't feel comfortable letting you roam freely without supervision. "

"...I think joining the Bureau of Spirituality is a good idea." I accepted it from the bottom of my heart.

The three-day training was hell.

Theoretical lessons, physical training, simulated combat—I was mysteriously "killed" thirty-seven times in the virtual scenario.

The instructor eventually gave up, only instructing me: "If you encounter danger, call for backup, then run immediately ."

The skill I learned best was how to run away .

Three days later, the training ended, and I returned to the office. Herman introduced me to my partner, Emily .

pretty girl with pigtails in the investigation team, the one with the sharp tongue .

With a lollipop dangling from her mouth, she looked me up and down . "Tch, you're actually not bad looking!"

they acknowledge me ?

Before I could even build a good relationship with my colleagues, a piercing alarm suddenly went off.

"Reporting to the Director! A strange S-class energy fluctuation has been detected in the cemetery!"

"Emily, take Lin Rui and set off immediately."

"Me ? " I was shocked.

Emily dragged me outside and shoved me into the SUV , ignoring my resistance.

"Just a freshman S-rank? I can handle that all by myself. Let me show you around . "

"What is a cemetery?" I gripped the armrest of the seat tightly to prevent myself from being thrown out of the SUV .

"The old western district, a cemetery from a hundred years ago. Many strange deaths are said to return there," Emily explained casually.

My heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Chengxi Cemetery?

My childhood friend Tommy was buried there a hundred years ago .

The car crashed into the cemetery . The tombstones ahead were broken , the ground was cracked, black mist was gushing out from the ground , and the sky turned an eerie purplish-red.

The SUV couldn't go any further, so Emily dragged me out of the car, pulled out her pistol, and charged forward.

Stay close to me, don't hold me back !

I didn't hold her back, but on the way into the cemetery, I screamed every time I encountered something eerie .

Emily's face grew increasingly pale.

"Are you here to help or to cause trouble?! What good is your Spirit-Extinguishing Physique?! You're more cowardly than a mouse!"

"I...I didn't want to either..." I was about to cry.

"Hide behind me and don't make a sound," she said coldly.

I quickly hid behind her.

As for a sense of shame? Sorry, I don't have that.

Deep within the cemetery, a gigantic, eerie creature is devouring the surrounding smaller spirits.

The thing looked like a lump of mud, but it had several human faces, and each face was screaming.

"That's it." Emily raised the gun, a terrifying surge of psionic energy emanating from its muzzle. "This gun is very powerful; you'd better stay far away."

I obediently nodded and was about to hide to the side.

Just as Emily was about to fire, a weak voice suddenly came from the clump of mud: "...Brother Rui?"

I was stunned.

What is that sound?

The lump of mud slowly shrank, transforming into an ordinary young man—tall and thin, wearing glasses, with a few acne scars on his face.

"Soup...soup rice?!"

"Brother Rui!" Tommy's eyes lit up instantly, and he staggered towards me. "It really is you! You're alive too?"

"What are you saying! I've never died!" I rushed forward, and even Emily couldn't stop me .

Tommy hugged me tightly, sobbing uncontrollably: "I was just half asleep... I felt like I slept underground for ages... and when I woke up I looked like this..."

Emily, her gun still pointed at us, looked completely bewildered: "You... know each other too ?"

I nodded, my voice choked with emotion: "We grew up together."

Emily almost dropped the lollipop from her mouth.

"Brother Rui, am I dead?" Tommy sobbed. "I remember... I think I was in a car accident..."

"You are indeed dead. A hundred years ago." I smiled bitterly.

"A hundred years?! Then how could you...?"

"I was severely injured and frozen. I only woke up three days ago."

Tommy stared blankly for a while, then cried even harder , "Rui-ge, what about my parents? What about my sister?"

"They're all gone." My voice choked with emotion. "A hundred years..."

Tommy covered his face, his shoulders twitching uncontrollably.

I patted him on the back . "Me too. I woke up to find everyone gone... only you left..."

Tommy wiped away his tears forcefully . "Rui, now it's just the two of us."

"Yes. It's just the two of us left."

"Then I'll protect you," Tommy said suddenly, very seriously. "You used to fight for me, now it's my turn. Even though I've turned into this monstrous state... I feel pretty awesome... those two weirdos just now, I took them down one after another..."

"No!" I quickly interrupted him, "Don't talk about such scary things..."

"Oh, okay." Tommy scratched his head. "By the way, Rui, where are you staying now? Can I come with you? I'm so scared being alone... and I don't know what to do..."

"I live in the Department of Necropolis housing." I looked at Emily. "Can Tommy stay with me?"

Emily looked at me like I was an idiot.

After a moment of silence, she spoke into the communicator , "Chief, the situation has changed. The target is strangely identified as Lin Rui's childhood friend, who has just awakened from a deep sleep. Initial assessment suggests no malicious intent."

"I've been listening..." Herman's voice was weary. "Bring them both back."

Emily holstered her gun: "Let's go."

"Where to?" I asked cautiously .

Even if it's confirmed there's no danger, the Weird can't just enter human residential areas. He'll be placed in a special containment area, or... if the director agrees, he can be given a job.

"A job?" Tommy's eyes lit up. "I can work! I'll do anything! As long as I can be with Rui!"

"Please, you must help us beg the director!" Tommy and I clasped our hands together , desperately pleading for help .

Emily looked at our tearful faces and sighed , "I can't stand you two idiots ... Alright, alright, I'll talk to the chief."

"Great ! " Tommy and I cheered together.

a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth .

"Let me make this clear from the start," she suddenly said , "Tommy is an S-class supernatural being. If he gets out of control, I'll kill you immediately. Understand?"

"I understand!" Tommy nodded vigorously. "I promise I won't lose control! I'll only eat something when I'm hungry, I'll be very well-behaved otherwise!"

What do you want to eat?

"Uh... a creepy monster?" Tommy whispered. "I don't eat people! Really!"

Emily stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Let's go."

The three of us walked back together.

Tommy was very talkative the whole way, telling me how he had slept for the past hundred years, how scared he was when he first woke up, and how happy he was to see me.

I listened to his rambling voice, a warm feeling welled up inside me, but I couldn't help feeling a little worried.

Will the Paranormal Investigation Bureau really let Tommy live a good life?