A Risky Proposition and a New Beginning

In the quiet classroom, Ming Zhong felt the temperature suddenly plummet for a moment.

Li Yu also shivered, looking up at Ming Zhong, her eyes flickering between confusion, curiosity, and fear.

“I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat it?”

Miss Ghost seemed to be trying to renege on her word.

It was as if she was certain the young man wouldn’t have the courage to say it again.

“I want to touch!”

Ming Zhong immediately gave an affirmative reply, a smile playing on his lips. “I’m not very good at lying,” he declared, his gaze playfully fixed on Fu Ziqing’s eyes.

“Oh, really?”

Fu Ziqing raised an eyebrow, realizing the young man was unexpectedly turning the tables, using her own challenge to tease her in return.

She puffed out her chest, a defiant glint in her eyes, and challenged:

“Go on, touch then.”

Ming Zhong’s eyebrow twitched. Was this Miss Ghost actually serious?

After a moment’s thought, he chuckled. “Alright, senior, you can’t fool me. We both know I can’t actually touch you, right?”

Fu Ziqing narrowed her eyes, a seductive smile gracing her lips.

“Why don’t you try? Then you’ll know,” she said provocatively.

Ming Zhong stared into her eyes for a few seconds before raising his hand.

“Shall I try then?” he asked.

“Come on,” Fu Ziqing whispered.

Ming Zhong’s gaze slowly descended from Fu Ziqing’s face, briefly glancing at her ample, pale chest before swiftly returning to her eyes.

His throat bobbed imperceptibly as he stared intently at Fu Ziqing, hoping to discern her true intentions from her dull, grayish eyes.

But to his regret, those eyes held no vitality; they were not eyes that could speak.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Fu Ziqing purred, a beguiling smile playing on her lips.

Ming Zhong took a deep breath, his palm pressing towards Fu Ziqing’s chest.

As expected, his hand passed right through her.

“Alright, you can laugh now,” Ming Zhong declared, his words tinged with what felt like a final shred of stubbornness.

Fu Ziqing took a small step back.

“Why would I laugh?” she questioned.

Despite her words, the smile on Fu Ziqing’s face was completely unhidden.

“Hey, I was going to ask you…” Fu Ziqing began again, but then abruptly changed her tone. “Never mind, I’ll let you off the hook.”

She turned and walked towards the classroom door, saying:

“That’s enough. I doubt asking her any more questions will yield anything new. I’m leaving now; feel free to do as you please.”

Fu Ziqing seemed to be walking, yet also floating, exiting the classroom in a flash. With a swirl, she vanished from Ming Zhong’s sight.

“Senior?” Ming Zhong only managed to call out her name in a rush.

This time, he didn’t chase after her, feeling a slight pang of guilt.

Silence descended upon the classroom once more for half a minute.

Li Yu quietly called out, “Ming Zhong?”

“Hm?” Ming Zhong replied, somewhat distracted.

“I’m going back now,” Li Yu said, rising to her feet. However, she didn’t leave immediately, her gaze fixed on Ming Zhong.

Ming Zhong nodded. “Yes, that’s fine. But if you remember anything, or encounter anything strange…”

Ming Zhong paused abruptly at this point.

The silence lasted for about ten seconds before he continued, “You can come find me. Perhaps, we can help you.”

Li Yu’s gaze lifted slightly; she had noticed the ‘we’.

Indeed, Ming Zhong wasn’t talking to himself; he was genuinely conversing with an entity she couldn’t see or hear!

Li Yu’s eyes darted around Ming Zhong’s vicinity.

Noticing Li Yu’s subtle actions, Ming Zhong reminded her, “She’s not here right now.”

“Ah?” Li Yu mumbled, a hint of embarrassment coloring her face as she lowered her head.

Ming Zhong glanced at the wall clock. “Morning self-study is almost over. You should head back and prepare for your upcoming exam. Don’t overthink things.”

“Okay,” Li Yu nodded obediently, then turned and left.

A few minutes after Li Yu left, a symphony of sounds echoed through Dengke Tower, and Ming Zhong stepped out of the classroom.

Amidst that very same symphony, Miss Ghost departed from Dengke Tower.

As she moved through the verdant shade of Chuanbei Middle School, Miss Ghost touched her chest, her brows furrowed slightly, an odd expression on her face.

Chuanbei Police Station.

As the police officers, fresh from their morning meeting, exited the conference room, their expressions varied greatly.

A few officers, notably, appeared excited and expectant, as if the meeting had announced something delightful.

Most of the officers, however, wore exceptionally grave expressions.

During the preceding meeting, Director Zhao had revealed information that thoroughly challenged their understanding of reality.

Whispers rippled through the room. “It must be a joke, right?” “How could that be?” “Is Director Zhao still half-asleep?” Some even countered, “I think it’s true; haven’t you noticed how many more strange things have been happening lately?”

Such absurd revelations naturally sparked a flurry of hushed conversations, with most refusing to believe.

However, following Director Zhao, a gaunt man presented them with documents and video footage. While this evidence somewhat shook their convictions, it wasn’t enough to completely overturn them, as modern technology could easily fabricate such videos.

The true final straw, however, was their own experiences. The more they thought about it, the more they realized how many strange occurrences had happened around them. Furthermore, considering the risks to his career, Director Zhao wouldn’t possibly deceive them about something of this magnitude.

The bizarre incidents presented by the gaunt man now seemed undeniably real.

Subsequently, Director Zhao announced the formation of the Anomalous Affairs Team, bringing the meeting to a close.

In truth, the more experienced officers had already grasped the gravity of the situation.

Such outlandish matters had been disclosed without a single non-disclosure agreement!

They knew this couldn’t possibly be Director Zhao’s personal decision; it had to be an order from higher-ups. This implied that those in power never intended to keep these matters a secret from the outset.

A more terrifying conjecture was that even the higher-ups weren’t confident they could keep such matters entirely secret, and so they simply chose not to bother with deliberate concealment!

Had things truly escalated to such a critical point?

Filled with a myriad of thoughts, the officers returned to their respective posts.

Meanwhile, the newly established Anomalous Affairs Team had been allocated a brand-new, separate office today.

Inside this office, several individuals were present, though the team’s only actual member was Zhao Yunzhong, who served as its leader.

“How are you feeling?” Fu Ziyu asked Zhao Yunzhong.

Having woken up at the County Hospital this morning before rushing back to the police station, he could tell that Zhao Yunzhong’s spirits were not high; he seemed preoccupied.

“Chief Fu doesn’t need to worry,” Zhao Yunzhong said, forcing a smile and rallying his spirits. Within the police station, he addressed Fu Ziyu by his official title.

“And what about you two? Old Wang, Old Xu?” Fu Ziyu then asked the other two men beside him.

Wang Decheng and Xu Hanguo both appeared to be in good spirits.

Wang Decheng nodded. “Quite good.”

“I used to suffer from chronic insomnia, hehe, but I slept quite soundly last night,” Xu Hanguo chuckled, scratching his head. The burly man’s smile was surprisingly gentle.

“Alright, Yunzhong, I’m entrusting them to you. I have some other matters to attend to first.”

After giving his instructions, Fu Ziyu left the office.

After seeing Fu Ziyu off, Zhao Yunzhong gestured for Old Wang and Old Xu to sit. He then instantly shifted into work mode, beginning to question them about their specific experiences from the previous night.

On the very first day of the Anomalous Affairs Team’s establishment, Zhao Yunzhong, alone, took on its inaugural case.