The Three AM Mission

In the quiet hospital room, under the sterile white light.

Fu Ziyu slowly clenched his hands, only to gradually relax them again.

“Is it haunted…?”

His lips parted slightly as he gazed at Zhao Yunzhong, his expression unreadable.

Within Fu Ziyu’s calm gaze, Zhao Yunzhong perceived a flicker of anticipation.

Yet, Zhao Yunzhong remained silent.

A moment later, he noticed a hint of relief surfacing in Fu Ziyu’s eyes.

“So, it was truly the work of a ghost?”

Fu Ziyu’s tone conveyed a lingering disbelief.

Zhao Yunzhong began to explain:

“There’s a Vicious Ghost on the rooftop. It’s adept at concealment and can manipulate objects.”

Zhao Yunzhong paused briefly before continuing his calm narration.

“At the time, I believed that Vicious Ghost was responsible for her death. However, looking back now, numerous doubts still linger.”

“Unlike traditional tales or horror films, real Vicious Ghosts don’t simply cease their attacks after harming someone, nor do they vanish. They completely disregard the principle of ‘every wrong has a perpetrator, every debt a master.’ For them, killing is as ordinary as eating and drinking.”

“Vicious Ghosts typically employ similar methods when killing. Yet, after her demise, no similar murder cases occurred. Although over ten people have died in Huai Xiang Yuan over the years, all were suicides or accidents. While a Vicious Ghost might have influenced some of these, unlike anomalous objects with their ancient, verified records, genuine accounts of encounters with ghosts in the Department of Anomalies’ archives only date back two years.”

This phenomenon was a major research topic within the Department of Anomalies. Experts suspected that the emergence of ghosts might be linked to certain anomalous objects.

Consequently, they studied these anomalous objects, even utilizing them to combat ghosts.

“There’s another peculiar detail: that Vicious Ghost had already taken control of me, yet in the end, it released me.”

This was precisely what troubled him most, the more he pondered it after his return.

It couldn’t possibly be that the Vicious Ghost was picky, finding him, a piece of dry, salty cured meat, unappetizing, could it?

Zhao Yunzhong’s expression turned thoughtful as he spoke to Fu Ziyu.

“And I can’t shake the feeling that the Vicious Ghost was actually trying to communicate with me. However, all I could hear was static-like noise. I couldn’t be certain…”

Fu Ziyu had been listening intently to Zhao Yunzhong’s lengthy explanation. At this particular statement, Fu Ziyu suddenly interjected.

“It’s her!”

A slight tremor laced his voice.

“It’s Ziqing, it absolutely must be her!”

“She’s still there, isn’t she? I need to go see her!”

Fu Ziyu immediately rose, only to abruptly calm himself.

“No, that won’t do. There’s still the Jinxin Garden Estate case to handle. There’s no rush, I mustn’t be hasty.”

“Yunzhong, could you perhaps…”

Fu Ziyu turned to call out to Zhao Yunzhong, only to notice a tense expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

Fu Ziyu asked.

Zhao Yunzhong subtly slipped his left hand into his pocket, his fingertips brushing against a cold object.

The Book of Spirit Sealing!

He was typically composed, yet at that moment, he had been consumed by anger, focused solely on eliminating the Vicious Ghost.

Even though Zhang Hanchi had asked him then if he would eliminate ‘her’ after she became a ghost.

His answer at the time had been affirmative, but only on the condition that she harmed people after turning into a ghost, or if she merely possessed simple aggression.

But what if she retained her consciousness from life and was trying to communicate with people?

The Department of Anomalies currently housed several ghosts capable of basic communication.

He had completely overlooked this possibility at the time!

Zhao Yunzhong’s face paled, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.

It was The Book of Spirit Sealing!

The Book of Spirit Sealing was influencing him!

“Yunzhong, what’s wrong? You look terrible.”

Fu Ziyu asked again.

“I…”

Zhao Yunzhong looked up, about to speak, when a sudden, sharp pain shot through his fingertips.

“Hiss!”

Zhao Yunzhong yanked out his left hand, his entire arm trembling uncontrollably.

He saw the vivid red numbers on his palm slowly change, ultimately reducing by one.

“29.”

Objects in his vision began to double, and a powerful wave of dizziness assaulted Zhao Yunzhong’s mind.

Fu Ziyu followed Zhao Yunzhong’s gaze, but only saw his arm trembling, a tremor that quickly spread throughout his entire body.

“Yunzhong…”

Fu Ziyu called out again, just as Zhao Yunzhong collapsed into his arms.

However, Zhao Yunzhong hadn’t completely lost consciousness. Fu Ziyu quickly helped him lie down on the bed.

“What exactly happened?”

Once Zhao Yunzhong was settled, Fu Ziyu inquired again.

“It’s nothing. Just let me rest for a bit. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

Zhao Yunzhong spoke weakly, his pale complexion improving slightly.

Fu Ziyu said:

“I’ll go call a doctor.”

“No need, a short rest will be enough…”

As he spoke, Zhao Yunzhong slowly drifted into sleep.

Watching Zhao Yunzhong’s breathing gradually steady on the bed, Fu Ziyu knew a doctor wasn’t truly necessary. After all, for Anomaly Investigators like them, if something truly serious occurred, it was beyond a doctor’s ability to resolve.

The hospital room fell silent once more.

“Well, that makes three of us laid low tonight.”

Fu Ziyu pulled up a chair and sat down, casting a helpless glance around the room.

Tonight, sleep would undoubtedly be elusive.

The time reached exactly three in the morning.

Chuanbei Middle School, Senior High Division, Student Dormitory, Room 315.

Ming Zhong, deep in sleep, suddenly opened his eyes.

“It’s happening again…”

Ming Zhong muttered softly.

“Hm, Ming Zhong, are you getting up for the night too? Number one or number two?”

Another voice softly echoed in the dormitory; it was the chubby Wang Dongdong, who grumbled quietly.

“Ugh, there’s definitely something wrong with tonight’s instant noodles. Ming Zhong, did you tamper with them? Oh, oh! I can’t hold it, it’s going to burst!”

Ming Zhong then felt his bed shake, as Wang Dongdong nimbly scrambled off his bunk.

“I’m going first, Ming Zhong, you hold it in!”

Roaring in a hushed tone, Wang Dongdong rushed into the toilet.

“Oh~ O-li-gei!”

Then, a gushing sound.

Ming Zhong paid no attention to Wang Dongdong.

A voice echoed in his mind.

The voice was cold and mechanical, its gender indiscernible. It had been appearing for almost half a month, precisely at three every morning, making sleep an impossibility for him.

[Anomaly field fluctuation detected…]

[Anomaly field fluctuation analyzing…]

[Anomaly field fluctuation analysis complete… generating timed mission.]

[Mission Name: Footsteps After 3 AM.]

[Mission Description: In the empty, silent corridor after 3 AM, intermittent footsteps suddenly echo. Who is lurking in the hallway? Should you open the door to look? Perhaps they need your help.]

[Mission Level: Unknown.]

[Mission Duration: 3/15 days.]

[Mission Reward: Unknown.]

[Accept mission?]

[Mission will expire in three days.]

[Accept or…]

The phrase ‘Accept mission?’ echoed incessantly in his mind, seemingly urging him to claim it quickly, much to Ming Zhong’s annoyance.

However, Ming Zhong did not rashly refuse or accept.

Those two “unknowns” kept his rationality intact.

An unknown level implied an immeasurable danger.

And did an unknown reward signify something remarkably generous?

Ming Zhong instantly dismissed such thoughts. A reward was only valuable if the mission could be completed, and for such an eerie task, what would failure entail?

The mission didn’t specify, but Ming Zhong understood perfectly.

He tried his best to calm himself, ignoring the voice in his head.

There are still three days. Let it expire.

Approximately ten minutes later, the voice in his mind ceased.

Tap, tap, tap…

Footsteps echoed in the corridor.