On a weekend night, the area around Tiansheng Bridge grew increasingly lively.
Cruise ships sailed along the river, and upon the buildings lining the shore, countless lights twinkled like stars in the Milky Way.
In the distance, a fireworks display lit up the night in dazzling bursts of silver and gold, capturing the gaze of countless tourists who stopped in their tracks, enchanted by the sight.
Beneath the bustling scene, no one noticed that several discreet black business minibuses had quietly parked in the lot of Green Ti New City.
Qin Yue and the other eight members of the action team were adjusting their gear.
Zhao Daxian was still wearing that pink tracksuit, slumping in a chair and feigning sleep.
Dressed in black combat uniforms equipped with multifunctional tactical gear, black boots, and chest-mounted night-vision bodycams, they were ready—carrying, of course, the most critical items.
Click.
Qin Yue deftly detached a magazine and slipped it into her right arm pocket. On the internal communications device in front of her, the remaining members of the Special Incident Investigation Section were all online simultaneously.
Ma Mingyuan appeared on the video screen, his voice coming through the earpiece:
“Little Qin, how are the preparations going? We’ve already coordinated with the fire and traffic police departments. If a fire breaks out in the building, they’ll evacuate the public immediately.
The backup team will also enter the building at once for rescue operations. But regarding this operational plan...
Comrade Xiao Zhao is young, after all, and lacks He Xiaoyi’s experience. So I suggest changing it so that Zhao Daxian stays on standby while He Xiaoyi accompanies you.”
For tonight's operation, Qin Yue was leading the team in person, while Ma Mingyuan, the deputy section chief, oversaw things from the rear to report mission progress to higher-ups at any moment.
Just in case, Zhao Daxian, the Action Group Leader, was to go with her, while He Xiaoyi and the others remained on standby downstairs, ready to provide support.
“No need. Tonight’s mission might be physically demanding.
Besides, with our internal comms and real-time video feed, Master He can still reach me remotely.”
Qin Yue glanced at Zhao Daxian, who was feigning sleep, and said in a low voice, “Besides, this is the action group’s first mission. As the group leader, he naturally should be on the front line.”
Zhao Daxian shot her an awkward glance without saying a word.
“...”
“All right, you’re the supreme commander of this operation. We follow your lead. I’ll hold down the fort back here.
Also, we’ve consulted experts in history from the Great Xia Academy of History. They’ll arrive tonight at the latest.
As for that ‘Kuizhou Circuit’ you mentioned, their response is that it’s very likely an administrative division from the ancient Song Dynasty.
Historical records show that during the Northern Song Dynasty, Qianli City was located within this Kuizhou Circuit.
The materials sent by the history experts also state that, according to historical records:
‘West River Circuit was renamed Chengdu Yizhou Circuit, and the former West River Transport Commissioner Ma Liang was transferred to serve as Yizhou Circuit Transport Commissioner... Fengjie Gorges Circuit was renamed Fengjie Kuizhou Circuit, and the former Fengjie Transport Commissioner Ding Wei was transferred to Kuizhou Circuit...’”
“Kuizhou was the ancient name for Qianli City during the Northern Song Dynasty. Combining Target B’s words and behavior, ‘demon suppressor’ and ‘Kuizhou Circuit Commissioner’ must be some sort of official titles.”
Qin Yue nodded, following this train of thought. “She called me ‘little demon suppressor.’ She must have mistaken me—or rather, the personnel from our official supernatural investigation section—for the ‘demon suppressors’ she spoke of.
That explains why she kept appearing around the building and told me that a supernatural incident would occur tonight at Green Ti New City.”
“Your line of reasoning is completely sound.”
Ma Mingyuan tapped the desk, his expression solemn.
“Our analysts think so as well. Since there are orders and official titles, Target B likely has a massive folk organization backing her.
Leadership’s stance is that since the other party hasn’t shown any hostility for now, we should make cautious contact and do our best to gather more intel regarding these ‘demon suppressors.’
Stay safe during tonight’s mission. When you get back, I’ll treat everyone to late-night snacks out of my own pocket.”
Qin Yue checked the time. It was already 10:31 PM.
Less than half an hour remained until the arrival of the hour of the Rat.
She gave a solemn salute, her eyes full of determination. “Mission will be completed!”
...
10:57 PM.
Inside the building, Qin Yue led the action squad up the stairs from the underground parking garage to avoid crossing paths with anyone.
The squad members were all elites Qin Yue had handpicked from various departments. Far from struggling on stairs, they wouldn't bat an eye even running ten kilometers with full combat loads.
Zhao Daxian, on the other hand, was already panting heavily by the time they reached the thirty-ninth floor.
Yet when he saw that Qin Yue hadn't even broken a sweat, his pride flared. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself to keep up with the squad until they finally reached the mission location: the fifty-ninth floor of the building.
Zhao Daxian certainly wasn't stupid enough to think this was just her giving him a hard time to assert authority.
He had reviewed the files before coming.
Over the past year, this building had logged two fire alarms.
Although both fires had been caught in time, the frequency was far too strange.
More importantly, both fires had started completely without warning, and both had occurred on the fifty-ninth floor—where people had previously died.
Once, a power bank exploded inside a tourist’s handbag, catching fire.
Another time, a wastebasket in the restroom spontaneously combusted, igniting cleaning supplies piled nearby.
What were the odds of a power bank exploding?
And what were the chances of a restroom wastebasket spontaneously combusting?
And most chilling of all, every fire had broken out right around 11:30 PM.
Thus, what they were likely dealing with tonight was an evil ghost capable of setting fires.
If the entity sensed their intentions and was provoked into burning the building down,
taking an elevator up would be no different from serving themselves up to be roasted inside a tin can.
The fact that Zhao Daxian didn't complain actually made Qin Yue look at him in a slightly better light.
“Synchronize watches. It is now Beijing Time, 10:57:56, 57, 58, 59... 10:58 PM sharp.”
Qin Yue kept her eyes on her watch, made a hand signal to the team, and said in a low voice:
“Time is tight. Evacuating the entire building would inevitably cause widespread panic and attention, so tonight we are only evacuating the commercial tenants on floors 58, 59, and 60.
Comrades from the technical department have already taken control of the elevators, so no one will be able to access these three floors for now.
Next, split into five pairs to sweep the rooms on this floor and eliminate any potential fire hazards. If you encounter any ordinary citizens, escort them out immediately.
Regroup here at 11:25 PM. Report your status every three minutes. In the event of an emergency, sound the alarm immediately. Is that clear?!”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
“Understood!”
The action team members responded in unison. Well-trained, they paired off and fanned out toward the east and west wings, methodically conducting safety sweeps room by room.
Information about the disaster on the fifty-ninth floor was easily searchable online.
As a result, almost no one dared to lease it until a year ago, when someone rented the entire floor and used the tragedy from seven years prior as a gimmick to run an escape room business.
This exploitation of a bloody tragedy had somehow earned the business owner a fortune.
And the strange occurrences in the building had started right around that time.
It was hard not to suspect a connection between the two.
“Room 5901 clear!”
“Room 5902 clear!”
...
“Room 5907 clear!”
“Room 5908 clear!”
Through the earpieces, the team members reported their progress one by one; there were no abnormalities for now.
Bang!
Qin Yue kicked open the door to another escape room.
By the eerie, dim lighting inside, she made out the familiar decor, and anger flared within her chest:
Scorched walls, flooring that looked as though it had been ravaged by an inferno, intentionally distressed furniture, a charred and battered door sign, curtains half-consumed by flame, a fire extinguisher with only its bottom half intact...
This was a fire-themed escape room.
And the reason Qin Yue found it so familiar was that the owner had modeled the entire set after photos taken in the aftermath of the actual fire.
“By the Boundless Heavenly Venerable! These people are reckless beyond belief just to make a buck! Setting up something like this in a place like this—they dare to offend even ghosts!”
Even Zhao Daxian couldn't help cursing at the sight:
“Aren’t they just begging for death?! When people die tragically, their souls already have to relive their final moments over and over again!
Yet this boss went and recreated the actual scene. They really aren't afraid of cutting their life short and destroying their Yin merit!”
Rate on N.U.
