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

Chapter 161 The Shadow of the Return Journey
In the dead of night, Linjiang City seemed to be completely shrouded in a thick, lead-gray curtain.

The black SUV sped along the empty streets, its tires scraping against the asphalt with a monotonous, dull sound. Streetlights flashed past, their dim yellow light flickering on Bai Yu's pale face.

The carriage was filled with a strong smell: a rusty, bloody odor, the pungent smell of medical alcohol, and a burnt smell.

Mo Fei sat in the driver's seat, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel. His arms were wrapped in thick bandages, and the blood that had seeped out had congealed into a dark purple color. But he showed no sign of pain, his eyes calmly fixed on the road ahead, occasionally glancing at the back seat through the rearview mirror.

In the back seat, An Mu leaned back, his breathing heavy and even. His once crisp investigator's uniform was now tattered, and the golden "Iron Wall Royal Authority" badge had lost its luster.

Lan Ce was looking down, his fingers flying across the spare tablet. His glasses reflected the screen's glow, and his complexion wasn't much better than Bai Yu's.

"Bai Yu, what exactly did you give it on the terrace just now...?"

Lan Ce suddenly spoke, breaking the deathly silence. His voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable air of inquiry.

Bai Yu closed her eyes, her right hand stroking the red umbrella that had returned to its ordinary appearance.

"memory."

He answered briefly in Bai language.

"The negative memories about 'existence' that Hei Yan had accumulated for a long time. That level of despair was enough for that 'mountain god' to digest for a while."

"And the cost?"

Lan Ce stopped what he was doing, turned around and stared at him.

"Heiyan has entered a deep hibernation. For the next forty-eight hours, I will be unable to use any of my rule-analysis powers."

Bai Yu opened her eyes; her left eye was clear, but her right eye remained tightly closed.

"In other words, right now you are just an ordinary person with a weak body."

Lan Ce pushed up his glasses, his tone becoming serious.

“The bureau’s inspectors won’t let this opportunity pass. Your unauthorized deal with the Origin Concept Nightmare is a serious crime under the Bureau of Investigation’s Security Guidelines.”

"Old Bai did it to save us!"

Mo Fei said in a low voice, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

"Anyone who dares to bring this up, I'll tear their mouth off. The captain is still here; it's none of those office workers' place to point fingers."

"Mo Fei, calm down."

An Mu opened his eyes at some point, his voice hoarse, yet still carrying the authority of a captain.

“Bai Yu did the right thing. In that situation, it was the only way to survive. I will handle things at the bureau. Your task now is to survive and heal your injuries.”

The SUV turned into a secluded alley and finally stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary old warehouse.

This is one of the Nightmare Investigation Bureau's secret outposts in Linjiang City—"Outpost 03".

The warehouse door slowly opened, revealing a high-tech lifting platform at the back.

As the platform descended, the group entered an underground base located fifty meters below the surface.

There is no sunlight here, only a constant temperature and perpetually lit, cool-toned LED lights. Staff in white protective suits move about, creating a tense yet highly efficient atmosphere.

"The team returned, all members were injured, and we are applying for a green channel for medical care."

Mo Fei jumped out of the car, his voice echoing in the empty preparation hall.

Soon, several automated medical beds slid over.

Bai Yu refused the stretcher. Holding a red umbrella, he stepped out of the car step by step. His steps were unsteady, but his back was very straight.

"Take that flower with you."

Bai Yu said to Lan Ce.

Lan Ce nodded, clutching the sealed, transparent sampling box tightly in his hand. Inside the box, the pale white paper flower lay quietly, the three characters "Lu Yueqi" on it standing out starkly under the cold light.

……

Medical room.

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils.

Bai Yu lay on a multi-functional monitoring bed, his body covered with various sensors.

A young female doctor wearing a mask is examining the condition of his right eye.

"Your intraocular pressure is normal, and your nervous system has not atrophied further, but your soul waveform is very unstable."

The doctor stared at the fluctuating red curve on the screen, his brow furrowed.

“Investigator Bai, I suggest you undergo a deep spiritual cleansing. That thing inside you… seems to be trying to reconstruct the rules. If you don’t suppress it, your soul will be torn apart like a sack being stretched open.”

"Thank you, I understand."

Bai Yu responded calmly, but her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.

He was thinking about Lu Yueqi.

Why did that girl, who originally just wanted to do a paranormal live stream, become the target of the "mountain god's" wedding?

Is it simply because she is an unawakened "dream enterr"?
wrong.

If it's just for life energy, then there are so many offerings in the sanatorium.

The identity of "bride" must represent some deeper, conceptual connection.

At that moment, the door to the medical room was pushed open.

Mo Fei walked in. He had changed into a loose hospital gown, and his arms were wrapped with new nano-repair bandages.

"The captain went to a meeting with those bastards from the Supervision Department."

Mo Fei pulled up a chair and sat down beside Bai Yu's bed. His movements were very gentle, completely unlike his usual rough manner.

"Lan Ce is in the lab. He said that flower is a bit strange and that you should rest well and go over there."

"Mo Fei, do you think... we really won?"

Bai Yu turned her head to look at him.

Mo Fei was silent for a moment, then took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket, tore open the wrapper, and put it in his mouth.

"Win my ass."

Mo Fei muttered to himself, his eyes growing deep.

“That place collapsed, the dean is dead, but that ‘mountain god’ is still here. Old Bai, I may not be as smart as you, but I can sense it. The way that thing looked at us just now didn’t seem like it was looking at enemies, but rather like it was looking at… unripe fruit.”

"Fruit?"

Bai Yu's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile.

"Yes, in their eyes, those of us with nightmare powers are indeed the best nourishment."

Don't overthink it.

Mo Fei patted Bai Yu's shoulder with his large hand, his strength perfectly controlled, providing support without touching the wound.

"As long as we brothers are still here, we'll drag down any mountain gods or sea gods sooner or later. You get some sleep, I'll stay here and keep watch."

Looking at Mo Fei's face, which was full of fatigue but unusual determination, Bai Yu felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

In the cold, impersonal organization that is the Bureau of Investigation, only this small group of people make him feel like he is still a "human being".

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

There was no mocking sarcasm in the dream, nor the oppressive presence of the blood moon.

There was only a golden wheat field and a blurry figure holding a red umbrella.

……

Three hours later.

Bai Yu was awakened by a series of urgent alarm sounds.

He sat up abruptly and found that Mo Fei was gone.

He removed the sensors from his body, grabbed a coat and threw it on, then pushed open the door and rushed out.

In the corridor, red emergency lights were flashing frantically.

"Lan Ce! What happened?"

Bai Yu intercepted Lan Ce, who was running away covered in sweat, at the laboratory entrance.

"Paper flowers!"

Lan Ce pointed to the interior of the laboratory, his face pale.

"That flower...it's 'growing'!"

Bai Yu rushed into the laboratory, and the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

The paper flowers that were originally placed in the sampling box have now grown to the size of a millstone.

Countless slender tendrils, resembling those made of crumpled white paper, are extending from the center of the flower's stamen, frantically plunging into the surrounding precision instruments.

Even more terrifying is that those tentacles are sucking up electricity and data.

On the monitor, Lu Yueqi's personal file was being covered by a strange black texture.

"I tried to sever its connection with a high-frequency pulse, but it directly infected the base's local area network!"

Lance rapidly tapped on the control panel.

"It's searching for Lu Yueqi's location!"

"It's not looking for."

Bai Yu stared at the constantly jumping code, his voice icy.

"It is 'synchronizing'."

"What do you mean?"

"This flower is Lu Yueqi's 'anchor' in this world. It's synchronizing with Lu Yueqi's vital signs. Look at these waveforms—"

Bai Yu pointed to a wildly fluctuating curve on the screen.

"This is her heart rate. Lu Yueqi's heart rate has now reached two hundred beats per minute. She is terrified, extremely terrified."

"Isn't she in the department's safe house?"

Mo Fei also rushed in, carrying a battle axe.

"I just checked."

There was a hint of despair in Lan Ce's voice.

"The security cameras in the safe house went out ten minutes ago. The guards did not send any signals."

"go!"

Bai Yu grabbed the red umbrella.

"To the safe house!"

……

Linjiang City, western suburbs.

A seemingly ordinary house was shrouded in a thick, impenetrable white fog.

In the white mist, the faint sound of suona horns could be heard, a festive atmosphere tinged with a chilling desolation.

Bai Yu and the other two jumped out of the car.

Mo Fei took the lead, his battle axe already glowing with high-frequency light.

"Lan Ce, detect the composition of the fog!"

"It's not fog, it's a high concentration of mental pollution particles!"

Lanze was wearing a gas mask and holding a detector.

"Bai Yu, the spatial curvature here is distorted. This house... no longer belongs to the real world."

"Force your way in."

Bai Yu gripped the red umbrella tightly.

"Mo Fei, ignore those illusions and just clear the way."

"understand!"

Mo Fei roared and slammed his battle axe into the tightly closed door.

boom!
The moment the door shattered, a strong gust of cold wind blew out of the house.

The sight inside the room made all three of them gasp in shock.

The once cozy living room has now been transformed into a huge mourning hall.

But instead of white silk, red silk was hung in the mourning hall.

Countless red threads hung down from the ceiling, each thread holding a paper figure.

These paper figures all looked exactly like Lu Yueqi.

They swayed gently in the wind, their paper mouths opening and closing, uttering soft murmurs:

"The ceremony is complete... the ceremony is complete..."

Where is Lu Yueqi?

Mo Fei swung his battle axe, sweeping away all the paper figures blocking his path.

But these paper figures seemed endless; after being shattered, they quickly turned into white paper scraps, which then reassembled on the red silk thread.

"It's on the second floor!"

Lan Ce pointed to the stairwell.

"The energy reaction is strongest there!"

The three of them rushed up the stairs.

The wooden planks of the stairs creaked and groaned, and with each step, the surrounding red silk tightened a little more.

Upon arriving at the bedroom door on the second floor, Bai Yu felt a terrifying pressure.

That was a divine pressure that did not belong to humankind.

"Mo Fei, step back."

Bai Yu stopped Mo Fei from trying to break down the door.

“This door is protected by a ‘contract,’ and a forced attack will kill the people inside.”

He stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

"Lu Yueqi, this is Bai Yu. Can you hear me?"

There was no response from inside.

Only the repeated, mournful sound of the suona horn could be heard.

Bai Yu closed her eyes and placed her right hand on the doorknob.

He began to forcibly awaken the dormant Black Words.

"Heiyan... I know you're tired. But right now, I need you."

“...You’re such a...troublesome...host…”

Hei Yan's weak voice echoed in my mind.

"This door... needs... the groom's... blood..."

Without any hesitation, Bai Yu drew his short knife and slashed his left palm.

Blood seeped into the cracks of the wooden door.

Click.

The sound of the lock turning was particularly jarring in the quiet corridor.

The door slowly opened.

Lu Yueqi was not in the bedroom. There was only a huge, antique-style mahogany wedding bed.

A woman dressed in a bright red wedding gown sat on the bed, her head covered with a red veil.

"Lu Yueqi?"

Mo Fei tentatively called out.

The woman did not move.

Her hands rested on her knees, pale and bloodless.

Lan Ce walked over with the detector, his expression suddenly turning extremely grim.

"Bai Yu...this is not Lu Yueqi."

"what?"

"This is... an empty shell."

Lanze pointed to the data on the detector.

“There is no sign of life here. It is just an entity formed by ‘rules’.”

Just then, the "empty shell of a wedding dress" slowly raised its head.

The red veil rose without wind, revealing a face beneath.

It was a face as smooth as a mirror, devoid of any features.

Several black words slowly appeared on the paper face:

[Exchange successful].

"Oh no! We've fallen for their trap!"

Bai Yu suddenly turned his head to look at Lan Ce.

"Lan Ce, immediately check the base laboratory!"

Lance's fingers trembled as he quickly pulled up the base's surveillance footage.

In the surveillance footage.

The giant paper flower that was originally "growing" has now fully bloomed.

In the very center of the flower, there lay a girl.

That's Lu Yueqi.

Her eyes were closed, her face was rosy, and a strange smile played on her lips.

The researchers who were originally in the laboratory had all disappeared.

Instead, there were several paper figures wearing white coats and without facial features.

"It swapped Lu Yueqi's... with the flower in the stronghold!"

Lance's voice was filled with terror.

"The safe houses are traps now; the outposts are the real 'hall'!"

"Oh shit!"

Mo Fei roared and slammed his battle axe heavily onto the ground.

"These nightmares are really dirty!"

"calm."

Bai Yu gripped the red umbrella tightly, her eyes chillingly cold.

"They want to hold their weddings at the stronghold because the stronghold has the residual energy of the 'Iron Wall Monarchy,' which is the best nourishment."

"Lan Ce, is it possible to remotely lock down the lab?"

"No, the LAN has been taken over. Unless I can physically access the control console."

"Then let's fight our way back."

Bai Yu turned and walked towards the stairs.

"Mo Fei, prepare for a high-intensity assault. This time, don't hold back."

"Hey, I've been waiting for you to say that!"

A sinister smile appeared on Mo Fei's face.

The three rushed out of the house and jumped into the SUV.

The SUV roared across the highway in the dead of night, like an enraged beast, and sped off toward the outpost.

……

Outpost 03.

Underground laboratory.

The enormous paper flowers have taken up the entire room.

Lu Yueqi lay in the flower's heart, her body covered with a thin layer of red silk threads.

The paper figure researchers were surrounding her, holding various strange sacrificial implements in their hands and chanting silently.

Captain Anmu is currently trapped in the medical pod.

He angrily pounded on the hatch, but due to his extreme weakness, the power of "Iron Wall Royal Authority" was simply unable to penetrate those eerie red threads.

"Damn it... let me out!"

Anmu's voice echoed in the enclosed space.

Just then, the laboratory door was slammed open by a tremendous force.

Mo Fei charged in like a human cannonball, his battle axe instantly cleaving the two paper figures into pieces.

"Get the hell out of my way!"

Mo Fei roared, his battle axe unleashing a violent shockwave that tore the surrounding red silk to shreds.

Lan Ce followed closely behind, rushing towards the control panel, his fingers moving across the keyboard like a blur.

"Forced system reset... Give me thirty seconds!"

Bai Yu, holding a red umbrella, walked step by step toward the giant paper flower.

With each step he took, a thin layer of silver frost would form on the ground.

"Mountain God, do you really think you can do whatever you want on my territory?"

Bai Yu's right eye suddenly opened.

Although Heiyan was still dormant, Baiyu forcibly burned his spiritual essence.

"Rule Explanation: Host/Guest Swap!"

hum-

The entire laboratory space began to shake violently.

The red threads that had initially held the upper hand began to wither rapidly under the cover of silver frost.

The paper flower emitted a sharp, inhuman cry.

Lu Yueqi suddenly opened her eyes.

Her eyes had no pupils, only two flickering red flames.

"Bai...yu..."

Lu Yueqi's voice became repetitive and eerie.

"Come...to...my...wedding..."

She stretched out her hand, and countless red threads shot out from her fingertips, aiming straight for Bai Yu's throat.

Bai Yu did not dodge.

He raised the red umbrella in his hand and gently turned it around.

The embroidered patterns on the umbrella instantly came to life, transforming into a golden dragon that devoured all the red threads.

This is not your wedding.

Bai Yu walked to the edge of the flower's stamen and looked down at Lu Yueqi.

"This is your funeral."

He raised his right hand and gently touched Lu Yueqi's forehead with his index finger.

"Rules stripped away: The bride exits!"

boom!
A massive surge of energy erupted from Bai Yu's fingertips.

Lu Yueqi let out a scream as the red flames within her body were forcibly extracted, transforming into a hideous phantom dressed in a wedding gown.

The phantom twisted and struggled in the air before being completely purified by the light of the red umbrella.

Lu Yueqi's body went limp, and she fainted again.

The paper flowers withered quickly, eventually turning into a pile of yellowed waste paper.

"Huh...huh..."

Bai Yu knelt on the ground, panting heavily.

Blood oozed from his right eye and dripped down his cheek to the ground.

"Old White!"

Mo Fei rushed over and helped him up.

"System reset successful!"

Lan Ce shouted.

The door to the medical pod slowly opened, and An Mu rushed out.

"Bai Yu! How are you?"

An Mu held Bai Yu's shoulder, his eyes filled with worry.

"I'm fine... Captain..."

Bai Yu gave a weak smile.

"Lu Yueqi... is safe."

An Mu looked at the unconscious Lu Yueqi, then at the pile of scrap paper on the ground, and finally his gaze fell on Bai Yu.

"You did a great job. Leave the rest to us."

……

early morning.

The first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the streets of Linjiang City.

In the maintenance hall of Outpost 03.

Bai Yu sat on a bench, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand.

His right eye was wrapped in bandages, and he looked like a wounded soldier who had just come from the battlefield.

Mo Fei and Lan Ce sat next to him, and the three of them remained silent, simply watching the sunrise in the distance.

"Hey, look."

Mo Fei pointed into the distance.

There, Lu Yueqi was sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by two nurses for a walk in the sunlight.

Although she looked very weak, her smile was radiant.

"She may never remember what happened last night."

Lan Ce pushed up his glasses.

"This might be a good thing for her."

"It's better if you don't remember."

Bai Yu took a sip of water, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"The truth of this world should not be borne by ordinary people."

Just then, An Mu walked over.

His expression was very serious, and he was holding an official document with an official letterhead in his hand.

"Bai Yu, the punishment from the Supervision Department has been issued."

Bai Yu put down the water bottle and looked at him calmly.

"How to say?"

"Because you made a deal with Nightmare without authorization, resulting in damage to the base, the department has decided to strip you of your title of 'Ace Investigator' and impose a three-month mandatory leave."

An Mu paused for a moment, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.

"In addition, the bureau has decided to establish a new special task force to investigate incidents related to the 'Mountain God.' I will be the team leader."

"And you, Mo Fei, and Lan Ce are the core members of this group."

"During your vacation, your salary will be doubled, and you will have the highest level of resource allocation authority."

"Is this what you call punishment?"

Mo Fei was stunned, then burst into laughter.

"These old guys are really good at this!"

Lan Ce smiled and shook his head.

"This is called a 'protective lockdown.' The bureau is also worried that Bai Yu will be targeted by other forces."

Bai Yu stood up and took the documents from An Mu's hand.

"Three months?"

He looked up at the distant sky.

Although the crisis had temporarily subsided, he knew that this was only the calm before the storm.

He never forgot the words on that paper flower.

[The wedding is postponed. See you next time.]
"The next time we meet, I'll make sure you can never get married."

Bai Yu said silently in his heart.

……

at the same time.

Inside an old apartment building in Linjiang City.

A thin man was sitting in front of a computer, typing rapidly on the keyboard.

On the screen was a replay of Lu Yueqi's live stream from last night.

The man's eyes were fanatical and twisted.

"What perfect experimental material..."

He murmured softly, his fingers gently stroking Bai Yu's face on the screen.

"Bai Yu, do you think you saved her?"

"No, you've just sent her...to an even deeper hell."

Behind the man, a pale white paper flower quietly emerged from a crack in the floor and slowly bloomed.

(End of this chapter)