Qi Qi was originally a veteran employee of the Transmigration Bureau. She had planned to simply coast along until retirement, but her “Retirement Department” was unexpectedly dissolved by the big boss for being too idle. The tight-knit group of slackers was split up and reassigned to different departments after a round of drawing lots.
Qi Qi, a poor soul whose luck was perpetually negative, drew the one place voted by all Bureau employees as the absolute last place they wanted to go: The Vicious Fodder Division of the Ghost Story Department.
“Our division’s benefits are a bit subpar, you have to die once per mission, there are no holidays, and the tasks aren’t as glamorous as other groups,” the senior colleague said breathlessly as she led Qi Qi to get her new ID badge. Then, her tone shifted: “On the other hand, there are no annoying colleagues or toxic bosses. Because everyone is so intensely focused on their work, there’s no room for scheming. Everyone is very friendly, the atmosphere is harmonious, like a big family.”
Looking at the deep dark circles under the senior’s eyes and the exhausted smile she was forcing, Qi Qi nodded calmly.
Understood. Everyone is so overworked and mentally drained that they literally don’t have the energy to start drama.
“Ahem, anyway, since you’re new, let’s start with a simple one to get your feet wet,” the senior said, realizing Qi Qi wasn’t easily fooled. She forced a convincing smile. “Simply put, our job is to replace ‘cannon fodder’ characters who exited early for various reasons and follow the plot to ensure the world’s basic storyline doesn’t collapse.”
“It might look hard, but it’s essentially the same as your work in the Passerby Department. The only difference is the scary atmosphere and the fact that you need to ‘die’ at the end. The two biggest hurdles are adapting to the horror vibes of ghost story worlds and overcoming the fear of death. However, the company has a mental protection program. Even if there’s pain, it’s kept within a safe threshold. The worst I’ve felt was like stubbing my pinky toe on a table corner.”
Qi Qi: “……That’s actually very painful.”
The senior couldn’t help but laugh, her expression brightening. “So you can make jokes.”
Given the new colleague’s “anti-social” face that looked like she was ready to attack someone, the senior had assumed she’d be difficult to handle.
Qi Qi didn’t get the joke. She was being serious, stubbing a pinky toe is incredibly painful.
The Mission
The goal: Play the character without going out of character (OOC), complete the plot points, and exit the world via a miserable death.
Qi Qi was a veteran. Despite being a slacker, she had been in the Bureau for years. This level of mission wasn’t difficult. Plus, once finished, she could use “maladjustment to the horror atmosphere” or “mental trauma from dying” as excuses to apply for at least a month of paid leave.
That was the plan.
However, as Qi Qi sat in her private office and connected her mind to the mission world, she sensed an abnormal fluctuation in the world’s magnetic field. It was too late to pull out. Her past memories faded, leaving only the persona she was meant to play.
[Persona Loaded. Ghost Story World Connecting…]
Urban Legend: “Campus Ghost Story”
Students at Mingde High School in S-City have begun dying one after another. At first, the school ignored it, but as the death toll rose, they realized the severity. Strangely, police investigations always concluded as “bizarre suicides.”
Only one detective linked the deaths to a past suicide involving a bullied girl. Before the truth could surface, the school closed under pressure. The students returned home, seemingly normal. But soon, mass suicides spread to surrounding schools, and S-City was swallowed by a mysterious, thick fog…
The Scene: The High School Bathroom
Mingde High School was a prestigious elite school. The students were mostly the rich and powerful, though a few “special scholarship students” (top scorers from poor backgrounds) were admitted to boost the school’s rankings. These students were treated as outsiders.
“Shen Lu, come with us. Miss Qi wants to see you.”
Two girls stood before a desk covered in ink graffiti and insults. They stared at the gloomy, silent girl sitting there: Shen Lu.
Shen Lu was a scholarship student with a birthmark covering half her face. She was nicknamed “The Ugly One.” She was already the school’s punching bag, but since Qi Qi targeted her, her life had become a living hell.
In the hierarchy of Mingde, Qi Qi sat at the very top. She was wealthy, beautiful, and possessed a notoriously cruel personality.
In a secluded, pristine bathroom that smelled of expensive sandalwood, a familiar scene of bullying was unfolding. Two arrogant girls stood behind a dirty, kneeling girl. Shen Lu.
Qi Qi yawned, looking at the mess. “I told you to bring her here. Why is she so filthy?”
Qi Qi was bored with the world. She felt like she was waiting for something, or perhaps waiting to die, but since she entered high school and saw this gloomy girl, she felt an uncontrollable urge to bully her.
“Qi Qi, don’t be mad! We tried to talk to her, but she ran,” one lackey lied, omitting the fact that they had tripped her into the mud.
Shen Lu remained motionless on the cold marble floor, her long hair hiding her face like a puppet without a soul.
“Why aren’t you talking? Are you a mute? With a face that ugly, do you think a Prince Charming is coming to save you?” The lackey tried to kick Shen Lu to impress Qi Qi.
“Forget it,” Qi Qi said coldly. “You two are useless. Leave. I’ll handle the rest. And don’t show your faces in front of me again.”
The two girls fled, terrified by Qi Qi’s emotionless gaze.
Qi Qi knelt down, her eyes leveling with the “wooden” girl. She noticed the girl staring at her through the gaps in her hair. “Are you peeking at me?”
Shen Lu didn’t answer. She just stared with a chilling, resentful gaze. Suddenly, the temperature in the bathroom dropped. A sticky, cold sensation crawled down the back of Qi Qi’s neck, but when she reached back, there was nothing there.
Qi Qi reached out. Her wrist, adorned with a fiery red agate and gold bracelet, looked like white jade. Shen Lu flinched, expecting violence. She decided to stop hiding, maybe her face would at least scare this pampered princess.
Qi Qi lifted the dirty, thick bangs. She saw the terrifying green birthmark covering half of Shen Lu’s face.
She also saw a pair of black and green heterochromatic eyes, filled with deep, poisonous resentment, staring straight back at her.