Chapter One: Dead?
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“April 31st is finally over.”
“Don’t be so sentimental, rookie. You’re lucky to have made it out alive—that’s already a success. Hold onto that box tightly. If anything inside gets loose, we’re in big trouble. This mission has quotas, and if something goes wrong, it’ll be hard to explain.”
“If whatever’s inside could break free that easily, wouldn’t all our preparations be for nothing?”
...
What’s that sound?
Zheng Fan felt groggy, as if he were lying on a ship tossed about in a raging storm at sea, the constant rocking making him slightly nauseous.
When he finally steadied his mind and opened his eyes...
He still saw nothing.
Pitch black all around, not a single ray of light, utterly impossible to discern his surroundings or situation.
He tried to move.
Huh?
Where is my body!?
He felt no sensation in his body!
Now he couldn’t help but panic a little. He quickly recalled that before this, he had only slept an ordinary sleep, hadn’t done anything unusual before bed, and recently had a physical checkup confirming his body was only moderately unhealthy but otherwise normal.
The body—or rather, the pitch-black place he was in—was still shaking.
Zheng Fan didn’t give up struggling, guessing perhaps he had been caught up in some mysterious kidnapping. Though he had no idea why anyone would kidnap him, that was the only explanation he could come up with.
As he struggled, his dulled body seemed to respond faintly.
Before he could rejoice, a soul-deep tearing sensation suddenly struck.
It was as if he broke free from his own restraints, then eagerly stretched his arms and planted his feet firmly to stand up.
When he came to his senses, he was drenched in sweat, standing amid a chaotic neighborhood.
A streak of black was gradually fading from the gray earth, the lingering smoke dissipated, the sense of decay and abandonment receded, and many people in black-and-white uniforms seemed to be tidying up.
Although he had no clue where he was.
But Zheng Fan was certain: this was far from a simple mysterious kidnapping.
This place, this city before him—he did not recognize it at all.
There was no time to daze. A sudden, forceful tug yanked his body hard, nearly knocking him down. As he was pulled along, he immediately turned to look at the source.
It was a person also in uniform, holding a black box.
The pull was coming from that.
“Hello, may I ask where this is? Who are you? What happened to me...?” Zheng Fan spoke calmly and politely.
But no one responded. They didn’t even glance at him.
Zheng Fan felt something was wrong, an absurd sensation rising in his chest. He strode quickly in front of them. “Hello?”
He expected to stop them, but their steps didn’t slow at all—they seemed to pass right through him.
“...”
Zheng Fan’s eyes widened as he stared at his hands.
“Am I... dead?”
Repeated checks confirmed it—he seemed to have become a “ghost,” completely intangible.
These people couldn’t see him, hear him, or touch him. They appeared to exist in a parallel world.
He could do nothing but be pulled along by the mysterious force toward the black box.
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While Zheng Fan was still frozen in shock, a piercing scream rang out.
“Ah!!!”
A very real scream. Not only Zheng Fan heard it; the black-and-white-uniformed people nearby also heard and immediately moved toward the source.
“Warning! Phantom containment failure! Phantom containment failure! Possession intervention in reality complete! Everyone, stabilize your emotions. It’s only an illusion—do not be deceived or influenced. Quickly subdue the possessed!”
A loud broadcast crackled through.
What was that?
Bang!
With a tremendous explosion, a car was absurdly tossed into the air—like something out of a movie. A person had lifted the entire vehicle with bare hands!
That person was also in uniform but now grotesque: hair wild, limbs elongated and stretched, claws and fangs growing sharp, losing all human semblance.
The young man holding the black box did not join the fray.
“That’s the person possessed by the phantom…” The young man looked shocked.
“Yes, a phantom,” the middle-aged man beside him said gravely.
Zheng Fan crossed his arms and frowned, eyeing the black box in their hands and then the chaotic scene in the distance. “Can you explain? I’m a rookie too.”
Still, no one paid him any mind.
However, the middle-aged man, perhaps wanting to brief the newcomer, spoke quietly: “Invisible and intangible, they don’t exist at all in a peaceful world. But if they find a bridge—if a person becomes aware of their existence—they can reach into this world with unimaginable speed... and bring powers not belonging to it.”
“How can that box contain such a thing?” The rookie’s hands trembled holding the box.
“It’s a trick. Phantoms that don’t rely on humans to grow are generally not very smart. The props in the box make them think they’ve found a bridge, so they come themselves—possessing harmless bodies we prepare in advance. That’s the ‘mousetrap.’”
Zheng Fan: “...”
Not very smart, huh? How unfortunate.
“Is it safe for me to hold it?” The rookie looked nervous.
“You were so confident before, now scared?” The middle-aged man chuckled but reassured him. “Don’t worry. Even if the phantom realizes it’s been tricked, it’s useless. Phantoms can’t forcibly take over a body without using various tricks to break a person’s mind.”
The man lit a cigarette and took a drag. “If you’re afraid, I’ll hold it. We’ll send it back to headquarters for either routine destruction or permanent sealing—never to see the light of day again. After that, it’s none of our business.”
Zheng Fan: !
He had calmed down and was listening leisurely, but now he couldn’t sit still.
He hadn’t even figured out what was going on, and already they wanted to seal or destroy it?
He reached out to touch the box, but his hand passed through it, unable to make contact.
Yet his strange senses allowed him to “see” inside the box: a black orb like a large marble.
Most importantly, looking at this orb felt like looking at himself.
It was confirmed: his “true body” was this orb!
No wonder he could only move around near the box.
Damn it, was there nothing here he could touch?
He reached directly for the orb, feeling a cold touch in his palm.
Zheng Fan was stunned—he could touch it!
Of course! This was his current form!
But then what? What could such a small orb do? The box’s material was unknown.
Oh well, might as well try—nothing to lose.
Bang!
The box in the rookie’s hands trembled violently, startling him nearly to lose grip.
“What! What’s happening!?”
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The middle-aged man was shocked—he hadn’t expected this.
“That thing is resisting!?”
Zheng Fan pulled hard again. The orb couldn’t leave the box, but he grabbed it, and together the orb and box flew out of the rookie’s hands.
“Wow, it can do that?” Zheng Fan was amazed but didn’t slow down. Holding the orb and box, he sprinted off in a direction.
“There’s a phantom trying to escape! The mousetrap!” The middle-aged man shouted loudly.
The uniformed people reacted swiftly, immediately surrounding Zheng Fan. However, they were cautious, avoiding heavy blows.
During the chase, Zheng Fan noticed their flashy moves seemed like superpowers or abilities.
He sighed, realizing he had definitely traveled through worlds in his sleep. Who the hell had played this hellish prank on him?
Bang!
An explosion erupted nearby. Zheng Fan’s box was blasted away, and he was flung along with it, landing roughly.
Though he looked battered, Zheng Fan felt nothing.
Now, uniformed men blocked every path—he seemed trapped.
“Ah!!” Suddenly, another possessed person still rampaging but nearing defeat let out an inhuman roar.
Zheng Fan turned, inspiration striking. “Since we’re in the same boat, maybe you can help me.”
He grabbed the orb and with a strong throw sent the orb and box flying. He was pulled along, feeling like stepping on his own feet and soaring upward.
The box landed on the possessed person amid the astonished stares of the uniformed men.
The possessed did not hesitate, smashing the box with a slap.
Zheng Fan’s reflexes were quick; he grabbed the person’s messy hair.
His hand pierced into the person’s head. Their eyes met—wild and terrified. In those eyes, Zheng Fan saw his own reflection.
“Obey.”
Bang!
The grotesque, deformed uniformed man collapsed heavily, motionless.
People cautiously approached, witnessing the mutated flesh on the body writhing and reverting back to normal human form.
“What’s going on? Never heard of this before,” someone murmured.
Even when a phantom’s possessed body dies, it shouldn’t recover...
Suddenly, the man on the ground moved again.
He pushed himself up, carefully feeling the ground, sensing solid contact, real breath.
Finally, his eyes opened. Black eyes covered in gray, two streaks of dark tears trailing down the corners, his battered face wore a somewhat wild grin.
“Watch out—”
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