I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

"Name."

"Lin Mo".

"gender."

"male."

Jianghai City Chengnan Branch, Reception Room No. 3.

The incandescent bulbs were buzzing, the air conditioning was on full blast, and the red ribbon on the vent was being blown around wildly.

Lin Mo sat in the chair, his hands gripping the edge of the partition tightly, the veins on the back of his hands throbbing violently with each breath.

Opposite him were two policemen. The older one, Old Zhang, was holding a chipped enamel mug with steam rising from the rim, while the younger one, Little Li, was twirling a pen with a brand-new sketchbook spread out in front of him.

Digital clock on the wall.

14: 30.

"Mr. Lin, have some water."

Old Zhang pushed the paper cup forward, his tone calm and reassuring:

"You said you wanted to report a major criminal case. Now you can tell me the details."

Lin Mo didn't look at the glass of water. His eyes were bloodshot, and his gaze quickly swept across the two policemen's faces. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed.

"Officer, what I'm about to tell you... please don't be afraid."

Old Zhang put down his teacup, leaned back slightly in his chair, and gave a professional smile: "I'm a policeman, we're not afraid. Please speak."

Lin Mo took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and leaned forward abruptly, the iron chair leg scraping against the ground with a 'screech'.

"I'm bound to a system."

Lin Mo spoke extremely fast, spittle spraying onto the partition.

"Just last night, I was transported back from another world! There was a black swamp there, and it reeked of decay!"

"There are seven...no, eight! Eight goblins!! They're carrying a girl in a skirt and running towards the altar!"

"The system is warning me that if I don't save that girl, I'll die! I'll be eliminated immediately!"

The reception room was deathly silent, with only the whirring of the air conditioner.

Xiao Li stopped twirling his pen, looked up, his gaze shifting from the pen tip to Lin Mo's face. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Lao Zhang beside him.

Old Zhang remained expressionless, picked up the teacup, took a sip, spat out the tea leaves stuck to his lips with a "pui" sound, and returned it to the cup.

"Goblin," Little Li drawled, lowering his head again and tapping the paper with his pen. "Who is it?"

"It's not anyone else!"

Lin Mo panicked and tried to gesture with his hands, but the barrier restricted his movement, so he could only wave them wildly in the air.

"It's a species! A creature! Human-shaped, with bluish-green skin, wrinkled and covered in bumps!"

"Its nose was long and pointed, its ears were large and sticking out to the sides! It was holding a wooden stick with a human skull stuck in it!"

"clear."

Xiao Li nodded, his pen moving quickly across the sketchbook, making a scratching sound.

ten seconds.

He turned the sketchbook around and pushed it in front of Lin Mo.

"so?"

Lin Mo stared wide-eyed at the piece of paper.

The paper depicts a round cartoon character with huge round eyes, wearing a topped hat, and holding something that looks like a lollipop.

Lin Mo's breath hitched.

He suddenly looked up, his eye muscles twitching wildly.

"These are Smurfs! I'm talking about goblins! Vicious! Man-eating!!"

Lin Mo's voice rose eight octaves, his hoarse voice, hoarse from dehydration, echoing in the small room.

"They were hunched over! Their spines were severely deformed! They were probably only about 1.4 meters tall! Their teeth were yellow and protruding! Their eyes were lewd! And..."

Lin Mo stretched out his hands and gestured between his legs, his expression contorted.

"They weren't wearing pants! They were just wrapped in a tattered cloth! And that cloth was red, covered in blood!"

"oh--"

Xiao Li let out a long, enlightened sound. He put away his sketchbook, turned the page, and buried himself in his work again.

This time, the pen tip glided across the paper faster and with greater force.

"alright."

Xiao Li showcased his work once again.

The image shows a bald man with a few sparse hairs, two huge front teeth, and a body that resembles a curved noodle.

Lin Mo stared at the bald man, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

"No..." Lin Mo grabbed his hair, digging his fingers into the strands and tearing at them forcefully.

"Didn't you guys play DNF (Dungeon Fighter Online) when you were kids? Didn't you read Lord of the Rings? Goblins! Those green, disgusting hordes of things!!"

Old Zhang coughed and tapped the table.

"Mr. Lin, please manage your emotions. We are seriously documenting the case."

Old Zhang put down his teacup, picked up a form from the side, and took out a pen.

"So, you mean, a group of... dwarfs who are only 1.4 meters tall and have skin diseases, and who aren't wearing pants, kidnapped a girl?"

"Not a dwarf! A monster!"

Lin Mo clenched his fists and slammed them heavily onto the barrier.

"Thump!"

The dull thud brought a few footsteps from the hallway outside. Someone peeked out from the doorway, then withdrew.

"They're strong! Very strong! They can smash rocks with one blow!"

"Buzz—Buzz—"

A violent tremor interrupted Lin Mo's roar.

The sound came from Lin Mo's pocket.

Lin Mo froze, still in the position of slamming the table, his chest heaving violently, the madness in his eyes still lingering.

"Answer the phone," Old Zhang gestured with his chin, "or turn it off."

Lin Mo's hands trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a smartphone with a shattered screen.

The screen lit up, displaying a WeChat voice message.

Note: Suzhou Evening News.

Lin Mo's finger hovered above the screen, his fingertip slightly white. He hesitated for a second before clicking on the 59-second voice message.

A woman's voice came from the speaker, with a noisy background, as if it were in a shopping mall or a coffee shop.

His tone was cold, sharp with impatience.

"Lin Mo, do you even want to live like this anymore! It's been days! You don't answer the phone, you don't reply to WeChat messages, you're acting like you're dead!"

"You weren't there for my birthday, and you didn't even show up when my mother was hospitalized! Do you think I, Su Wan, can't live without you?"

"Fine, you're going to disappear, huh? Fine! Let's break up! I've had my things thrown out, don't bother me!"

The voice abruptly stopped.

The room was deathly silent.

Xiao Li's pen froze in mid-air, and he looked away awkwardly. Old Zhang picked up his teacup, obscuring half his face.

Lin Mo looked down at his phone screen.

The light from the screen shone on his face, illuminating the deep dark circles under his eyes.

His thumb flew across the screen, typing a line of text into the input box, then deleting it, until only a few simple words remained.

"Su Wan, you son of a bitch, haven't you made enough of a scene! Fine, let's break up!"

send.

A red exclamation mark popped up on the screen instantly.

Below this is a line of small gray text:

[Su Wan has enabled friend verification. You are not yet her friend. Please send a friend request first. You can chat only after the other party accepts your request.]

Lin Mo stared at the red exclamation mark.

His pupils contracted little by little, and the corners of his mouth slowly stretched into a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

"Oh..."

A short, cold laugh escaped from deep in his throat.

"Ring ring ring—!!!"

The shrill ring of the cell phone rang out without warning, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet reception room.

Caller ID: [Wang Defa - Vampire Boss].

Lin Mo's fingers almost spasmed as he pressed the answer button and then casually switched to speakerphone.

A sharp, sarcastic tenor voice immediately came from the phone, so loud that the phone's casing vibrated and buzzed.

"Hey Lin Mo! You're still alive?! You finally answered the phone?! Huh?!"

"Do you even know the client is coming to inspect today? Where are they? Where the hell are they?! Seven days of unexcused absence!"

"According to company regulations, the fine is 200 yuan per day, 1400 yuan for seven days! Plus, the perfect attendance bonus and performance bonus will all be deducted!"

"Get back to the company right now! Or else..."

Lin Mo's hand holding the phone began to tremble.

It's not fear.

It is a physiological spasm that comes from extreme repression.

His breathing became heavy, his nostrils flared rapidly, and the veins on his forehead bulged and twisted like earthworms.

A life-or-death struggle in another world, rolling in the mud, being chased by monsters, barely surviving to return alive, wanting to hand it all over to the country in exchange for a glimmer of hope for survival.

The results of it?

Nobody believes it.

Nobody listened.

All they received was ridicule, abandonment, and exploitation.

"Otherwise what?"

Lin Mo suddenly spoke.

His voice was soft, with an eerie calm, interrupting the roar from the other end of the phone.

Wang De on the other end of the phone was stunned for a moment, then erupted in even greater anger:

"Otherwise? Then pack your bags and get out of here! You can forget about working in this industry! I'll notify the industry association to blacklist you..."

"Hahahaha!"

Lin Mo suddenly burst into laughter, a loud and manic laugh that echoed through the narrow room, causing the overhead light bulb to flicker.

Old Zhang and Little Li sat up straight at the same time, their hands instinctively reaching for their waists.

Lin Mo suddenly stood up, causing the iron chair to fall to the ground with a loud bang.

He gripped the phone with both hands, brought it to his mouth, and, with all his might, let out a hysterical roar into the microphone:

"Damn it! I quit!!"

"Wang Defa! Why don't you ride the wind and soar to the heavens?!"

"roll--!!!"

"Snapped!"

Lin Mo slammed his phone hard onto the metal tabletop, shattering the screen completely. Glass shards flew everywhere, cutting across the back of his hand and leaving fine streaks of blood.

The phone hangs up.

The world is quiet.

Lin Mo braced his hands on the table, panting heavily. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the shattered phone screen. His chest heaved violently like a bellows, each breath accompanied by the hoarse sound of air escaping from his throat.

Old Zhang and Little Li exchanged a glance.

Old Zhang slowly lowered his hand, his gaze becoming more scrutinizing. Little Li, on the other hand, closed his sketchbook, somewhat at a loss.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

Lin Mo slowly raised his head.

His eyes changed.

The anxiety, panic, and even pleading look he had just shown disappeared.

Instead, there is a cold numbness that only those who have truly seen blood and struggled on the edge of life and death possess.

Those bloodshot eyes were fixed on the two police officers in front of them.

Lin Mo stretched out his bleeding hand, casually wiped it on his clothes, and slowly and heavily sat down in the chair.

He looked directly into Old Zhang's eyes, his voice hoarse, uttering each word slowly and deliberately:

"Now, can we continue talking about goblins?"