Chapter 46: Will-o'-the-Wisp Wu Feng

Ji Yun felt a sudden flash of realization in his heart.

So these two people were actually from the "Special Investigation Bureau," an official agency dedicated to handling supernatural incidents.

This also explained their abnormal behavior earlier.

However, at the same time, another thought arose in Ji Yun's mind: "Does that mean the Special Investigation Bureau already knew there was something wrong with this T4 dormitory building? Perhaps they were investigating the series of suicides?"

To his surprise, however, he had guessed wrong.

The other party did not know at all.

They were simply investigating the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

......

Everyone present was a college student; none of them had ever heard of a department called the "Special Investigation Bureau."

Nor could they comprehend the terrifying power hidden behind this identity.

Zhang Xiaonan was naturally well aware of this.

Yet she had no intention of wasting words. After revealing her identity, she simply explained, "You can think of the 'Special Investigation Bureau' as police officers who deal with special incidents. The reason I disguised myself as a student was to go undercover and investigate the source of the terrifying urban legend concerning the 'Masked Senior Sister'..."

I see.

The "Special Investigation Bureau" made no sense to them.

But "undercover police" was crystal clear.

College students held a uniquely naive impression of official personnel—they were protectors.

Even in the face of ghosts.

The group instantly looked as though they had found something to rely upon.

As they looked at Wu Feng and Zhang Xiaonan again, their expressions immediately shifted from suspicion to burning hope: We are saved!

Everyone instinctively assumed an earnest expression of "attentively listening to the uncle's instruction."

Yet there was only one person whose expression soured instantly.

That person was Xia He.

Because the widespread dissemination of the "Masked Senior Sister" across major campuses was largely fueled behind the scenes by herself in pursuit of livestreaming views.

It was only now that she realized what a catastrophic mistake she had made for the sake of traffic.

Even the authorities had tracked her down.

......

Ceasing their disguise, the aura of the transcendent entities pressed down upon the college students, making them too afraid to breathe deeply.

Simultaneously, it suppressed the chilling, bizarre atmosphere that had terrified everyone.

With a solemn expression, Zhang Xiaonan continued, "I revealed my identity to make it clear that everyone here is currently experiencing a very dangerous supernatural incident. This is not the dormitory building from earlier, but a special space created by evil spirits. Based on what you just experienced, you should know I am not joking. Therefore, if you want to leave here alive, you had better follow my arrangements."

Opting not to explain what a "Ruins Realm" was and simply calling it a haunting was largely a measure to soothe everyone's mounting terror.

While the others were still pondering the meaning of her words, Ji Yun was already wondering what the two investigators' superpowers might be.

As she spoke, Zhang Xiaonan suddenly turned her gaze to Xia He, cutting straight to the point and demanding, "Classmate Xia He, can you tell me how you knew the method to enter this haunted building? I am referring to the 'Yin-Yang Rope' from earlier."

In hindsight, being drawn into the Ruins Realm must have started with that rope.

Initially, they had merely been tracking the urban legend of the "Slit-Mouthed Woman."

All the clues pointed directly to this internet-famous horror livestreamer at the school.

Judging by Xia He's homepage and various investigative clues gathered, she proved to be a crucial link in the recent spread of urban legends throughout Jianghua City.

They had originally planned to join the club to conduct a deeper investigation.

Never did they expect an incident to break out after only a few days.

Tonight, too, it was only after they went upstairs and discovered the rules of the game that they belatedly realized they had been pulled into a Ruins Realm.

That was why they had no choice but to play along with the game for the time being.

Being members of the Special Investigation Bureau, they had undergone professional training and understood far better than Ji Yun that ghosts utilizing supernatural rules were not so easily dealt with.

Out of caution, they had also been observing this group of students all along.

Originally, they intended to wait for an opportunity to secretly ferret out the ghost.

To their surprise, instead of finding the ghost, they were forced into a corner and had their identities exposed.

........

Xia He knew she was in deep trouble.

Yet she genuinely had no idea.

"What Yin-Yang Rope?"

Xia He froze for a fraction of a second before recalling what it was, and hastily explained, "Oh, you mean that red-clothed hemp rope? I... I don't know either. That... that was Liao Feifei's idea to set up. She said a fan suggested it, and I thought it would make the show more effective... so I used it."

Liao Feifei, standing nearby, hastily distanced herself as well. "I don't know anything about it either. A fan just mentioned it."

Zhang Xiaonan frowned. "You don't know?"

Of course they had investigated; Xia He did not come from a lineage of spiritual mediums.

However, her birth date indeed possessed a purely Yin Eight Characters destiny.

Moreover, judging by her credit card records, she also had a history of plastic surgery.

These conditions made her a priority target chosen by the "Slit-Mouthed Woman."

That was why they had kept a close eye on her.

Since everyone's lives were on the line, Zhang Xiaonan was not about to be polite just because the other party was a student.

Her tone suddenly turned stern, adopting the exact attitude of interrogating a suspect as she barked, "Your livestreams involved so much esoteric knowledge of the mystic arts—how could you possibly know nothing about it?! You had better confess everything honestly! If you lie, you won't just doom yourself, you'll doom everyone here!"

The issue of the "Slit-Mouthed Woman's" terrifying spread concerned far more than just the few of them.

If things truly spun out of control, countless people would die.

At this moment, she had not yet realized what kind of situation this Ruins Realm truly was, assuming it was simply a supernatural incident related to the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

Hearing that people would die, Xia He was predictably terrified, and flusteredly explained, "I... I really don't know!"

Although she failed to grasp the full severity of the situation, she could at least tell that these two had joined the paranormal club specifically targeting her. Panicking and desperate to clear her name, she could only blurt out the truth: "I... what I said in my livestreams were all just scripts."

Being a transcendent, Zhang Xiaonan could tell at a glance that she was still hiding something, and glared fiercely. "Still not telling the truth! Do you want to get everyone killed?!"

Realizing that if she didn't come completely clean now, she might end up locked in a police cell, Xia He was scared out of her wits and stammered, "Sob sob sob... I really don't know! The content of my ghost-hunting livestreams and my persona as a spiritual medium were all ideas given to me by a fan. I... I really don't understand any of this... I never meant to hurt anyone..."

By the time she finished, her voice was laced with crying.

She had completely exposed her own foundation.

Hearing this, the rest of the group froze once again: Senior Sister's identity as a medium was fake as well?

Even Ji Yun found it hard to believe.

With so much folklore knowledge involved in the livestreams, shouldn't she at least understand a little? How could it all be entirely fake?

"A fan?"

Hearing this, for reasons unknown, Zhang Xiaonan's expression turned intensely serious.

Because their Special Investigation Bureau monitored all of Xia He's communications.

And they had confirmed that no such "fan" existed whatsoever!

There were no chat logs of anyone guiding her in metaphysics, no instructions on how to livestream... absolutely no related communication records.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, either Xia He possessed exceptional psychological fortitude and was still concealing something.

Or...

Zhang Xiaonan considered another possibility:

Either Xia He had told the absolute truth.

And there existed a "mysterious fan" capable of evading all monitoring by the Special Investigation Bureau, secretly guiding Xia He from the shadows!

Normally, this would be impossible.

Yet once that hypothesis was established...

At this thought, Zhang Xiaonan exchanged a glance with Wu Feng beside her.

The tacit understanding between teammates made them both realize simultaneously that the situation might have already exceeded their expectations.

Someone had intentionally drawn the attention of the Special Investigation Bureau onto Xia He!

If so, what was the motive?

The thought was chilling.

......

Xia He had already been scared to tears.

It wasn't merely that she was timid; Ji Yun could tell that Zhang Xiaonan had used spiritual pressure intimidation earlier to force Xia He into telling the truth.

Having listened to their entire conversation and observed the shifts in their expressions, Ji Yun suddenly felt that things were taking an ominous turn.

These two investigators seemed to... possess rather limited information?

They appeared to be investigating nothing more than the Slit-Mouthed Woman.

They were completely oblivious to the existence of this Ruins Realm.

Xia He drew a blank at every question.

Liao Feifei drew a blank at every question as well.

The plot seemed to have looped right back to the previous dead end.

Just as the two Special Investigation Bureau agents found themselves trapped in an investigative stalemate.

A new twist occurred!

"Song Wei," who had been standing by watching the show, wore an imperceptible, eerie smile on his face.

Sweeping his teasing gaze over the crowd, he suddenly let out a shrill cry, "Don't believe Zhang Xiaonan! This dormitory building is haunted, and she is the most suspicious one of all! That police identity is nothing more than a bluff! She's probably deliberately misleading us into treating Senior Sister Xia He as the 'ghost' so she can muddle her way through and escape!"

Ji Yun frowned slightly, immediately seeing through the ghost's deliberate attempt to fan the flames of discord.

Jiang Tian was Xia He's boyfriend and fiercely protective of her. Hearing someone echo the sentiment, his face flushed red as he chimed in, "Right! She's extremely suspicious!"

No sooner had he spoken than this fellow seemed possessed by the spirit of Conan; recalling something, he abruptly pointed at Ji Yun and shouted excitedly, "And this guy! Didn't he just say that the 'truth of the game' is hidden in the restroom? Since he was just in there, he must know who the ghost is!"

Desperate to clear her own name, Xia He clutched at the remark like a drowning person clutching a straw, and tearfully pleaded, "Classmate, if you know, please tell us—who is the ghost?"

That's right...

In an instant, everyone's gazes converged on Ji Yun like spotlights, their eyes brimming with doubt and urgency.

This was essentially a game of werewolf.

Everyone looked like a ghost to someone else.

Anticipating that matters would eventually develop to this stage, Ji Yun remained quite calm.

He knew the consequences of violating the rules better than anyone.

Naturally, he would not speak up.

Yet the crowd remained convinced that he held the crucial clue.

The atmosphere of mutual suspicion grew increasingly intense.

Even Liao Feifei spoke up.

If she failed to point out the ghost, she would die herself.

Once again displaying her exquisite acting skills, the scheming girl put on a tearful, helpless expression and urged, "Classmate Ji Yun, only you can help everyone now..."

Ji Yun still said nothing.

To speak at this juncture—unless he revealed the absolute truth—would make anything he said sound like desperate sophistry.

Silence was the better option.

With two transcendent powerhouses backing him up, he wasn't panicked in the least.

However, watching his good friend being roasted over a moral fire, Zhao凯 (Zhao Kai) could no longer contain his temper.

Stepping forward, he bellowed angrily, "Did you people not hear the game rules? Only Ji Yun is allowed to know the truth!"

Knowing that if someone else didn't die, he would, Jiang Tian sneered aggressively, "What rules are you talking about at a time like this? Refusing to tell means you're trying to get us all killed. For all we know, he's the ghost himself!"

Hearing such a selfish remark, Zhao Kai cursed profanely, "Fuck your mother! Is there anyone here who doesn't know the game rules must be obeyed? Are you trying to get Brother Yun killed?!"

Seeing the chubby guy look ready to roll up his sleeves and throw punches, and missing a hand himself, Jiang Tian lacked the courage to press the issue further.

The rest of the group, seeing this, backed down in their eyes and dared not demand answers any longer.

......

It wasn't that Ji Yun was intentionally watching the show and using his friend to block bullets for him.

In truth, the moment he stepped out of the restroom, he had already formulated a countermeasure.

Rather than answering, he could simply eliminate this "Song Wei."

If it truly was a low-tier malevolent spirit, he was confident he could take it down.

Yet now that the two Special Investigation Bureau transcendents had revealed their identities, there was no need for him to make a move himself.

Ji Yun could see that "Song Wei" was trying to provoke mutual suspicion among the group to extinguish their Yang energy.

The two operatives from the Special Investigation Bureau could naturally see it as well.

As the mutual suspicion within the room escalated toward a chaotic climax,

Zhang Xiaonan, seeing that the situation was spinning out of control, finally spoke up once more: "Stop pressuring him. The rules must be obeyed. If 'the secret of the game' is meant for him alone to know, then only he can know it. Forcing him to reveal it will only get him killed. Even if he tells you, it won't change the situation. None of you will be able to leave this haunted building anyway."

Her sharp tone carried an unquestionable authority.

The moment she spoke, it instantly put a halt to the internal strife.

Yet the crisis remained unresolved.

At that moment, "Senior Brother Wu Feng," who had remained silent all along, slowly rose from his chair.

Unlike the mild-tempered Zhang Xiaonan, he was far less gentle.

As he stood, he raised a hand in a summoning gesture, and a cluster of eerie, greenish ghost fire abruptly surged from the palm where he had previously suffered a bloody puncture wound.

The flame twisted and danced bizarrely in his palm, casting an increasingly ghastly and terrifying glow over his features.

In a low voice, Wu Feng declared, "Everyone, let me formally introduce myself: Wu Feng, operative of the Special Investigation Bureau."

A thousand words could not compare to displaying a "superpower" when it came to convincing people.

The moment the ghost fire appeared, the previously clamorous room fell instantly, dead silent.

Everyone stared fixedly at the chill-radiating ball of ghost fire, their faces plastered with shock and awe.

At that moment, the tangible existence of transcendent power struck like a heavy hammer, completely shattering everyone's perception of reality.

It also gave them a precise concept of what Wu Feng meant by the "Special Investigation Bureau"!