3:00 AM.
It was a time when everything should have been deep in sleep.
But in a modern city, the lights were bright, the neon flashed, and colorful beams darted between skyscrapers, reflecting the city that never sleeps below.
On the clean, wide roads, traffic flowed in orderly lines, following traffic rules as they shuttled through the city.
The commercial streets were still bustling with people, noisy and crowded.
The bustling crowds formed rivers of people, weaving through the markets.
Looking down from above, they looked like rows of ants moving through a giant forest of steel and concrete.
Carefree, singing and dancing in a world of peace.
However, behind the light were shadows, and behind stability, there were inevitably people standing guard.
Qianli City, Beihu District.
A heavily guarded administrative building was brightly lit at this hour.
A large number of guards were patrolling outside the building, and dozens of police cars were on standby, everyone wearing a serious expression.
The red and blue lights flashed, as if foretelling:
Tonight, something unusual had happened.
...
A small meeting room that could only hold thirty people was currently packed to capacity.
At the conference table, faces that often appeared in the news were present.
The owners of these faces sat upright, either frowning, silent, or deep in thought, browsing through the documents distributed to them.
These documents were not long, only two pages.
But on every page, a large red title was printed.
Everyone present understood what this meant.
【"Hongxing Mansion" Incident Investigation Results Report】
【Time: 20XX/XX/XX】
【Reporting Location: Meeting Room 1011, Qianli City Integrated Government Administration Building】
【Attendees: Vice Mayor of Qianli City, leaders of the Qianli City Public Security Bureau, Political and Legal Affairs Commission, heads of relevant departments, and heads of various reporting sections】
【Meeting Moderator: Ma Mingyuan (Director of the Qianli City Public Security Bureau)】
【Reporting Content: 1. General investigation summary regarding the "Hongxing Mansion Haunting Incident"】
【2. Analysis report on the surveillance footage of the suspected "Ghost of Chen Ping"】
【3. ...】
"Ahem."
The middle aged man sitting on the right finished browsing the document in his hand and coughed heavily.
Immediately, the low buzz of discussion vanished.
The entire room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The man had a broad face and sharp, sword like eyebrows, giving off a strong sense of pressure.
He was in his early fifties, with some graying at his temples. His police uniform was crisp, and the olive branch and national emblem pattern on his shoulders gave him an air of natural authority.
"Alright, since I am presiding over the meeting today, let us not waste everyone's time and get straight to the point."
Ma Mingyuan picked up the remote pen in his hand and decisively clicked on the paused image on the projection screen.
This was a piece of surveillance footage.
Floor to ceiling windows with a great view, well organized workstations, game posters everywhere, expensive computers at every desk, and employees busy coming and going...
It looked like a piece of surveillance video that was as ordinary as could be.
The daily life of a game company, nothing special.
But in this setting, no one raised any questions.
This point in time, this meeting room, this moderator.
This in itself represented something "abnormal."
Sure enough, the images in the surveillance footage changed.
—Off duty hours. Employees left the company one after another until the last person cut the power and closed the doors and windows.
Although it fell into darkness, the images remained clear under the surveillance equipment.
【The night was deep, and the entire office was plunged into darkness.】
【Shadows of birds seemed to flicker outside the window, and the shadows of trees swayed against the glass.】
【—As if outside the window, some hideous and terrifying ghost was trying to burst into the room.】
But nothing happened, and the footage remained quiet.
Everyone focused their attention, eyes wide, refusing to miss the slightest abnormality.
Suddenly, someone cried out in a low voice:
"Ah! The window!"
The window?
What was wrong with the window?
Many people stared in confusion for a while, and then, as they realized, their faces slowly turned pale.
The report mentioned that this game company was located on the 27th floor.
What kind of tree could cast a shadow on the 27th floor?
The images changed again.
On the giant glass window, one handprint after another suddenly appeared.
From left to right, the number increased in sequence, as if they were living things.
One, two, three...
These handprints spread across the floor to ceiling window with incredible speed.
Finally, it, or rather, the owner of the handprints, stopped by the window.
The window was opened.
It came in.
Everyone present merely blinked.
A dozen chairs were stacked together as if controlled by some force.
Keyboards and mice flew everywhere, and expensive monitors shattered on the floor.
Sofas, printers, books, whiteboards, air conditioners, green plants—everything that could be seen seemed to have been hit by a hurricane, thrown onto the ground in a mess.
Debris was everywhere, a complete shambles.
The disconnected printer in the corner suddenly started working, spitting out one black and white funeral portrait after another.
A plain looking middle aged man wore a simple and honest smile.
Computers that were turned off started up automatically, as if a pair of invisible hands were operating them.
The keys rose and fell, and one large word after another was typed onto the documents:
【"Injustice"】
In the meeting room, everyone sucked in a low breath.
Someone pinched the flesh on their thigh, trying to distinguish the reality of everything before them.
Someone spoke up: "What did the traces inspection section say?"
"It has already been verified. There are no signs of synthesis in the video. Our people worked overtime to analyze the video frame by frame, and they finally found some suspicious points."
Ma Mingyuan spoke at the appropriate time, raising the laser pen in his hand:
"Look closely. At the 137 minute and 49 second mark of the video, at this position."
He pointed the laser pen at the screen.
A corner of the screen was enlarged. In the reflection on the glass, a blurry face appeared, its features completely indistinguishable.
"Colleagues from the technical section processed this image. You can take a look."
That screenshot was enlarged, sharpened, and processed until finally, a somewhat familiar face emerged.
Someone recognized the face:
"Isn't this the person in the photos?"
Another person frowned and spoke: "So it is an esper? A magic trick? Or a stunt performance?"
"None of the above."
Ma Mingyuan shook his head, denying that claim:
"Everyone, the name, age, occupation, and even the home address of the person we are seeing now have all been identified."
"Then what are we waiting for? Arrest him!"
"Should we not avoid acting rashly and confirm the authenticity of the video once more?"
"The computers could be remotely controlled by hackers, but what about the chairs? The bloody handprints? How do you simulate the tree shadows?"
"Drones? Or a spider man using equipment?"
"There was a notice from above before, warning that similar incidents would occur. Is it true?"
"Did you not read the report from the traces inspection section? There is no problem with the video. In that case, control the person first, and then it will be clear how he did it."
"I do not agree with your statement."
"Are you really comfortable letting a bomb walk around outside? What if he poses a threat to the life and property of the people?!"
A group of people were almost about to start arguing, each of them flushed with agitation.
"Regrettably, we cannot control him."
Ma Mingyuan tapped the table, the expression on his face becoming increasingly heavy:
"Because the Chen Ping who appeared in the video is a dead man."
The meeting room fell into silence once again.
Only this time, the silence was a bit too profound.
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