Invasion of reality (5)
Chen Li deliberately chose to leave during the morning rush hour, taking advantage of the heavy flow of people and strong yang energy.
The morning, which should have been bustling, felt as if a layer of gray haze had settled over the air. Everyone hurried along with quick steps, avoiding eye contact. Even the breakfast stalls were fewer than usual.
People’s faces were filled with anxiety.
And today was only the fourth day since the supernatural phenomena appeared in this world.
After making sure no one could see him, System 001 floated beside him and still chose to speak directly into his mind: [The situation escalated too suddenly, and with how fast modern media spreads news, by the time your human authorities noticed, it was already impossible to contain.]
If it weren’t for the digital era, maybe they could have covered it up for a while.
Chen Li nodded silently. He stood amid the usually busiest crowd for a long time but couldn’t catch a single taxi. He had no choice but to order a ride through an app, waiting a full five minutes before someone accepted.
When the driver arrived, he looked Chen Li up and down through the window, as if trying to determine whether he was a human. The gaze made Chen Li uncomfortable.
After a moment, the driver gave a slight nod, signaling him to get in.
Once Chen Li got in, he was shocked by what he saw: dozens of yellow talisman papers were strung together, creating a barrier between the front and back seats.
The driver silently started the car after Chen Li fastened his seatbelt.
[System, do these talisman papers actually work?] Chen Li asked curiously.
System 001: [Only a small portion of your human talismans are effective. As for these ones the driver is hanging, they’re all fake.]
The driver casually pressed a button, and suddenly the car radio played the news.
The news anchor’s meticulous voice came through: “Recently, there have been frequent supernatural attacks causing injuries. Citizens are advised to reduce nighttime outings and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary…”
Hearing the words “supernatural” treated so seriously in reality made Chen Li momentarily dazed.
The broadcast continued, reporting recent incidents.
“On the night of April 24th, five middle school students held a dare game at midnight in their classroom, playing the pen-fairy game. An accident occurred and none survived. We warn everyone not to go out at night or engage with anything that might trigger supernatural events.”
“On the night of April 25th, a woman in red flagged down taxis. According to the Supernatural Regulation Bureau, this woman is believed to be non-human. Ten taxis carrying her experienced accidents, and one taxi disappeared entirely. If anyone encounters the missing taxi driver, please report immediately. The missing driver is described as wearing black with a tattoo of the letter F on his arm…”
Chen Li: [Supernatural Regulation Bureau?]
System 001: [It’s a special task force set up temporarily by humans to handle supernatural incidents. Almost 98% of them are veteran players.]
While Chen Li was chatting with the system, the driver suddenly turned his head and spoke for the first time since they met: “Passenger, you smell really nice.”
His pitch-black eyes stared straight at Chen Li.
But bizarrely, he twisted his neck 180 degrees to look at him!
Chen Li instantly freaked out and placed his right hand on the door handle, ready to jump out anytime.
What was strange was that the car kept driving smoothly on the road. The driver, seeing Chen Li’s movement, seemed momentarily stunned but then shook his head and turned back as if nothing had happened, murmuring, “So nice…”
Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth onto his arm.
The tattooed letter F on his arm was especially conspicuous.
Chen Li didn’t let go of the door handle, ready to jump out at a moment’s notice:
[001, is the missing driver from the broadcast just now him?]
System 001, taking advantage of being unseen, floated to the front to take a look:
[Yes, and he probably hasn’t realized he’s already dead.]
So, he kept driving passengers endlessly, following the same path he took in life.
[Sometimes these things happen, which is why he isn’t aggressive toward you.]
After all, he still retained some rational human thoughts at this moment, though he was greedily drawn to Chen Li’s scent and acted irrationally.
Chen Li stayed silent, afraid that any word might provoke him.
Thankfully, fewer people were on the road today, so there was no traffic. They arrived quickly under the FuTech Tower. Chen Li hurriedly opened the door and ran inside without looking back.
He could feel the stabbing gaze burning into his back. The driver didn’t leave but continued to stare hungrily.
Only after entering the building lobby, separated by the glass revolving door, did that cold, ominous gaze disappear.
System 001 sighed: [So this is what it means to have a ghost-attracting constitution?]
Others might never meet a ghost in their lifetime; for the host, it happened every time he stepped outside.
Chen Li pulled out his phone and called the police, reporting the missing driver’s description and last known location.
The police had obviously been alerted and immediately asked: “Did you notice anything unusual about him?”
All the drivers who picked up the ghost woman died, and this one disappeared, so it was obviously suspicious.
Chen Li didn’t hesitate this time and told them the driver could rotate his head 180 degrees.
No one who could do that could be alive. The police thanked him: “Thank you for your report. This matter will be transferred to the professionals. For your own safety, please leave the area promptly.”
Chen Li forced a bitter smile and agreed.
Right now, his own safety was probably the least guaranteed in the world.
As for the professionals the police mentioned, it was definitely that official Supernatural Regulation Bureau.
He hadn’t expected the organization to be so formal just four days after the phenomenon started. Chen Li became a little curious about that bureau.
As he thought, he walked to the front desk and gave a soft, obedient smile:
“I’m here to see someone.”
The moment he entered, the receptionist noticed him immediately—his appearance was just too eye-catching. She raised a sweet, responsible smile and asked: “Who are you here to see?”
Chen Li nervously tugged at the hem of his shirt: “Ah, I’m looking for Fu Moyang.”
He felt extremely uneasy inside.
Because time was tight, Fu Moyang only had a chance to tell him to come to the FuTech Tower to find him—without explaining what kind of situation it would be.
Do ghosts have jobs in the real world?
Thinking about Fu Moyang’s nine-to-five corporate grind, Chen Li couldn’t shake off the strong sense of dissonance.
Looking around at the suits of all the elites coming and going, he almost felt a wave of social anxiety.
It was only thanks to the chatterbox 001, who kept pointing out details about the company’s decor, that Chen Li didn’t chicken out.
The receptionist was stunned. She said the company didn’t have anyone by that name. But seeing Chen Li look so disappointed—like a kitten that just lost its favorite toy—she couldn’t help but say: “Fu is a somewhat uncommon surname. Our CEO’s last name is Fu, though.”
Chen Li’s eyes lit up: “May I ask the CEO’s full name?”
“Fu Yan.”
A name he hadn’t heard before.
System 001: [Still, you should meet him—what if it’s him?]
Based on what it knew about that ghost, being a company CEO actually fit his style perfectly.
Chen Li blinked eagerly: “Can I meet him?”
Before the receptionist could say no, he gave her a pitiful blink and added: “I just want to ask him one question.”
The receptionist, who was a face control, was instantly charmed and a bit dizzy: “Okay.”
Before she realized it, she had already dialed the number.
A somewhat cold voice answered on the phone: “What is it?”
Hearing that, the receptionist instantly snapped to attention and started regretting her decision.
Normally, without an appointment, no one gets to see the CEO. She was sure she was about to get scolded.
She glanced quickly at Chen Li’s handsome face, then felt a surge of confidence. Closing her eyes, she hurriedly said: “Someone wants to ask you a question, and they were wondering if you might…”
Before she could finish, the voice on the other end interrupted impatiently and coldly: “Is this your first day at work?”
The voice was a bit loud, and Chen Li, standing close by, heard it clearly. Not wanting to make things harder for the receptionist, he quickly spoke up: “Sorry, Mr. Fu, I insisted she ask.”
He raised his voice slightly to make sure the CEO could hear.
At the same time, a feeling of disappointment settled inside him—he already knew this wasn’t the person he was looking for.
After a two-second pause, perhaps surprised by how young the voice sounded, Fu Yan finally showed a hint of interest: “What is it?”
Chen Li was startled for a moment, then realized the question was directed at him. He hurried to speak before the impatient young CEO hung up: “I’m looking for someone named Fu Moyang.”
He didn’t expect much, but suddenly, there was a loud bang on the other end.
It sounded like something had been thrown or dropped.
The receptionist and Chen Li exchanged confused looks. She asked hesitantly: “CEO, are you alright?”
After a long pause, Fu Yan’s voice came through: “Send him up.”
To make sure she understood, he repeated sharply: “Let him come up!”
The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief: “The CEO says you can come up. Take the elevator to the 13th floor. A secretary or assistant will meet you there.”
Chen Li politely thanked her.
The receptionist wanted to cover her face in embarrassment. Wow, where did this well-behaved kid come from? She really wanted to take him home!
Since it was rush hour, there were quite a few people waiting for the elevator. They chatted about the latest gossip while waiting, and Chen Li found himself forced to overhear.
“Did you hear? Someone from the company next door was found dead in the bathroom this morning. The whole place is locked down now.”
“Yeah, heard it was brutal—definitely not something a human would do.”
“Probably a ghost again. Lucky our company hasn’t had any trouble.”
“The CEO said in the morning meeting that there’s absolutely no chance of any supernatural incidents here.”
“Why is he so sure? Maybe it’s because our company has good feng shui?”
Clearly, the employees held the CEO in some reverence—even when gossiping about him, their voices lowered.
The elevator climbed quickly, and as Chen Li stepped onto the 13th floor, a meticulous secretary was waiting and greeted him: “Hello, I’ll take you to see the CEO.”
“Thank you,” Chen Li said awkwardly.
Half the floor was for secretaries and assistants, the other half was the CEO’s office.
The secretary knocked: “CEO, your visitor has arrived.”
“Come in.”
The secretary stepped aside, gesturing for Chen Li to open the door and enter himself.
This was his first such formal business meeting, so Chen Li nervously opened the door and stepped inside.
A man sat on a pure black executive chair.
His custom-tailored suit was perfectly pressed, and a black-and-gold watch flashed on his sharp wrist, clearly very expensive.
Fu Yan was studying him, voice unreadable: “Please sit.”
Chen Li carefully sat on a nearby sofa.
The secretary kindly closed the door behind him.
Suddenly, Fu Yan stood up sharply!
His chair slammed back, hitting the glass.
Chen Li thought: …He probably now knows what caused that loud bang on the phone just now.
Author’s note:
Little lamb: 