“Ah!”
A pale-faced young man woke from his sleep, feeling as if everything around him was eerie. The shadows by his bed, in the corners of the walls—every dark crevice seemed to hide lurking horrors, as though something terrifying might emerge at any moment to frighten him, even kill him.
His back drenched in cold sweat, the young man gasped heavily as he struggled to reach for the bedside lamp.
Just then, a soft *click* sounded, and the entire room flooded with bright light. The sudden glare forced him to shut his eyes reflexively.
At the same time, a clear, youthful voice accompanied by hurried footsteps called out, “Yichen, are you okay?”
The young man—Liu Yichen—slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the bedside, shaking his head weakly before getting out of bed. He walked to a nearby shelf, picked up a small flowerpot, and gently pressed it against his face.
Gradually, the overwhelming sense of dread subsided—though only slightly.
A girl in pajamas approached, speaking softly, “Are you alright? Another nightmare? Should you take a shower first?”
Liu Yichen waved his hand and exhaled. “I know. Don’t worry, I’ll go in a bit.”
The girl nodded, her gaze lingering on the flowerpot. Curious, she asked, “Yichen, what’s this?”
Liu Yichen replied with mixed emotions, “It’s a bonsai I bought from Jade Accumulation Studio. I heard…” He hesitated. “I heard that once it bears fruit, eating it will stop my nightmares.”
The girl’s fair face showed clear surprise. “What? Seriously?”
Liu Yichen: “That’s what the shop owner said.”
She frowned. “How much did you pay?”
Liu Yichen pressed his lips together. “Fifty thousand.” He added, “The owner has real skills. This bonsai seems to work.”
The girl: “…” Seeing that Liu Yichen didn’t look cheated or angry—instead appearing both uncertain yet convinced—she swallowed her initial response and simply soothed, “Alright, go wash up and rest. Don’t catch a cold.”
Liu Yichen agreed, carrying the bonsai into the bathroom.
The girl watched him enter before turning to leave, carefully closing the door behind her.
·
The Special Affairs Bureau had existed for nearly a century. Its members were mostly humans with special abilities, though some… more ambiguous entities also worked there. The numbers grew every year, but for certain reasons, they also dwindled annually.
For newcomers and mid-level agents, Captain Lin Yangfeng was their most admired figure. Though he rarely took action, whenever they encountered an unsolvable case, his intervention guaranteed resolution without fail.
This time, the Bureau had dispatched three squads—only for all of them to vanish without a trace. With most remaining agents likely just “cannon fodder,” after much deliberation, they decided to send the First Squad—who often worked with the captain—to request his assistance.
After contacting the captain, they waited obediently at the Bureau.
Captain Lin was always efficient and kept his promises. True to form, ten minutes before the scheduled assembly time, the sound of rolling wheels approached.
Captain Lin had arrived!
Everyone eagerly turned toward the entrance—and sure enough, the familiar wheelchair came into view.
However…
What was that in Captain Lin’s arms?!
—No wonder they were shocked, because there was a huge bundle on Captain Lin’s leg, completely blocking his body, leaving only a pair of eyes visible!
·
After Lin Yangfeng left, Yan Zhen continued to run the shop listlessly, secretly calculating in his mind where Lin Yangfeng might have reached by now. After some thought, he decided to cook something in the small kitchen and then go…
Just as Yan Zhen was about to head to the inner courtyard, a petite figure rushed in from outside and immediately asked, “Where’s the shop owner? Is the shop owner here?”