The Archway and the Unexpected Reunion

“Follow this main road straight ahead, and you’ll reach Fengmen Village.”

Liu Hanzhi gazed at the navigation map on her phone. Once they left Xiaowangzhuang, Fengmen Village was only a few hundred meters away.

However, Bai Wanwan’s attention wasn’t on the navigation map Liu Hanzhi offered. Instead, her gaze was drawn to a towering archway in the distance.

Even though it was daytime, and the weather was somewhat gloomy, visibility remained quite good.

Yet, that distant archway appeared shrouded in mist, its form merely a hazy silhouette.

“That seems to be in the direction of Fengmen Village… Does Fengmen Village really have such a tall archway?”

Shi Xiangning furrowed her brows. According to what she’d read online, Fengmen Village was merely a small, impoverished, and backward place. How could it afford to build such a grand and imposing archway?

“It looks like there’s a car parked there too.”

The keen-eyed Shi Xiangning immediately noticed a jeep parked by the roadside. The vehicle seemed somewhat familiar.

‘Bai Wanwan felt as though she had seen it somewhere before…’

“A car from the Special Events Investigation Bureau? Chu Annian’s car?”

Bai Wanwan instinctively quickened her pace. Sure enough, she immediately spotted Chu Annian rummaging through something in the trunk.

She would never mistake that graceful figure.

This time, Chu Annian wasn’t in her usual professional attire. Instead, she had opted for a form-fitting, waist-cinching tracksuit, exuding an air of competence.

Attached to her lower back were various weapons: a telescopic baton, a taser, and a military knife, among others.

Her beautiful silver-white hair was meticulously tied up, revealing her fair neck and enhancing her sharp, efficient appearance.

“Annian-jie!”

Bai Wanwan’s voice made Chu Annian’s slender frame visibly stiffen.

She turned around, her face etched with shock. Upon seeing Bai Wanwan standing behind her, her complexion instantly paled.

“Wanwan? You really…”

Chu Annian’s words trailed off midway, and she let out a sigh, as if in resignation.

“You really did come after all.”

“What do you mean? You knew I was coming?”

Bai Wanwan looked at Chu Annian before her, unable to resist asking, her voice tinged with curiosity.

“Indeed. I told you before: entering a ‘Ghost Realm’ is either never, or countless times.”

“Those who don’t die within a Ghost Realm will sooner or later return to one for various reasons, until death finally claims them.”

Chu Annian gently shook her head, her tone carrying a distinct note of helplessness.

“Then, Annian-jie, were you also drawn here by the Ghost Realm?”

Bai Wanwan considered this carefully; it did seem to be the case. She had inexplicably become determined to visit the Fengmen Village Ghost Realm.

However, she had come with her own objective. One could say she was ‘drawn’ here, as Bai Wanwan’s goal was the ‘ghostly objects’ within the realm.

For the wind-up frog and the embroidered beanbag.

“No, I came to proactively engage with the Ghost Realm. For members of the Special Events Investigation Bureau, occasionally seeking out simpler Ghost Realms can actually be a way to stay safe.”

Chu Annian patiently explained to Bai Wanwan.

“After escaping a Ghost Realm, there will be a period of several days during which one absolutely cannot re-enter another.”

“This duration is measured by the difficulty of the Ghost Realm cleared; it can be long or short.”

“So, there are benefits to occasionally seeking out a Ghost Realm. Furthermore, the Special Events Investigation Bureau received intelligence that five young people had just entered the Fengmen Village Ghost Realm.”

“I was the closest, so I rushed over.”

Chu Annian gazed at Bai Wanwan before her, then couldn’t help but reach out and gently pat her head.

“You’ve arrived at just the right time. Your sister will guide you through this once. Just follow closely behind me, alright?”

“Did you hear me?”

Chu Annian offered a smile tinged with resignation. Bai Wanwan, however, couldn’t fathom why she was smiling that way.

Nor did she understand why Chu Annian, who had been in Baishi City just recently, had suddenly appeared near this remote village in Hesheng Province.

Yet, a sudden sense of unease settled upon her. The Special Events Investigation Bureau’s records indicated that the Fengmen Village Ghost Realm could not be cleared by everyone.

There would inevitably be sacrifices…

As for who the sacrifice would be? Bai Wanwan slowly raised her head, her gaze fixed on Chu Annian.

“Annian-jie? You wouldn’t be trying to…”

Suddenly, a piercing shriek echoed, and Bai Wanwan instinctively clapped her hands over her ears.

By the time she recovered her senses, darkness had fallen. The towering archway, too, had somehow appeared behind them…

They had already entered the Ghost Realm!