Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 988: Chapter 695: New Instance_2

Nalan Shuo nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "Little Yang, you and I share the same opinion. I also sense that this person is not simple, so I conducted a secret investigation through my own channels. I just received news ten minutes ago—there’s no record of this person in the investigation team of the Min Province Public Office."

Yang Xiao froze upon hearing this. "Nothing?"

"No. He’s not with the Min Province Public Office; they don’t even have a file on him," Nalan Shuo said grimly.

These words hit Yang Xiao like a bucket of cold water, sending chills down his spine. Earlier, he had shared plenty of confidential information with Captain Zhou, and their conversation had been very amicable. "Then who is he? Could an Evil Cultivator have infiltrated us?" Yang Xiao finally regained his composure after a long moment and asked urgently.

"That’s unlikely. Our Patrol Defense Office isn’t incompetent to that degree. He’s definitely one of ours, but his identity is very special. It seems they fabricated a temporary identity for him, allowing the Min Province Public Office to cover for him. His true identity must be tied to the General Bureau, and his rank likely isn’t low," Nalan Shuo analyzed.

"Could he be part of a secret unit under the General Bureau?" Yang Xiao speculated. In his mind, Captain Zhou’s face kept flashing, and the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. This person’s aura was remarkably similar to Qu Muzhi’s father’s.

Nalan Shuo did not respond to this speculation, unable to confirm it either, but he warned Yang Xiao that since the other party wanted to hide their identity, the best approach was to let them. Treat him as Captain Zhou from the Min Province Public Office and avoid uncovering the truth.

"Don’t worry, I know what to do. As long as he’s one of ours and reliable enough, nothing else matters—who he is, what position he holds—it’s irrelevant."

Adopting a philosophy of minimizing trouble, Yang Xiao simply wanted to survive. From another perspective, the greater Captain Zhou’s background and strength, the higher the chance of successful collaboration, which was undoubtedly a good thing.

"Little Yang, don’t be too optimistic. There are things I don’t need to explain, and you understand—they’re obvious. In that world, the only person you can truly rely on is yourself. Allies are temporary; survival can demand ruthless measures. The same applies to him... and to you. If only one of you can make it back, I hope it’s you," Nalan Shuo said quietly.

"Don’t worry, Director, I know what I’m doing." Yang Xiao was not a soft-hearted person—otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived up to this point.

That night, Yang Xiao was assigned to share a room with Captain Zhou, none other than Yang Xiao’s Deputy Director office. An extra folding bed was brought in for Captain Zhou.

The two sat against opposite walls, engaging in sporadic and aimless conversation. Captain Zhou seemed calm on the surface but was chain-smoking—waiting was the most excruciating part.

"Captain Zhou, what’s the most dangerous mission you have ever encountered? Would you mind talking about it?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked.

After a moment of silence, Captain Zhou lifted his gaze toward Yang Xiao and replied hoarsely, "It wasn’t in the Nightmare World."

"It was a supernatural incident in reality?" Yang Xiao asked, surprised.

"At the time, I was just a temporary team member. The captain led us to deal with a sudden event—before we went, no one realized it was a trap. We walked right into an ambush. The situation turned out to be far more difficult than we had imagined. Things soon spiraled out of control. We were trapped, and the entire team was wiped out, except for me."

"I’m sorry for making you recall this." Yang Xiao hadn’t expected Captain Zhou to say such things—it was not his intention.

"It’s not your fault—it’s me. I should have come to this city long ago. Someone left their most precious thing here," Captain Zhou said with a sigh.

This remark baffled Yang Xiao, who could intuit Captain Zhou’s odd attitude toward the topic, but he had no chance to probe further because, faintly, a terrifying sound reached his ears.

"Ding ling ling—"

"Ding ling ling—"

In an instant, Yang Xiao leaped off the sofa—it was that eerie bell sound, the one he had heard last night in the Mirror World.

Yang Xiao’s abrupt action startled Captain Zhou, who reacted quickly as well, immediately preparing for combat.

"What did you notice?" Captain Zhou asked in a low voice.

By now, Yang Xiao had already taken out the Ghost Lantern and held it decisively in front of him. Without so much as a glance at Captain Zhou, his eyes were fixated on the door. "Didn’t you hear it? The sound of the bell."

"No, I didn’t," Captain Zhou replied.

"Ding ling ling—"

"Ding ling ling—"

Yang Xiao instinctively stepped back half a stride, pressing his back sideways against the wall. The firm touch gave him a faint sense of security. "Be careful—it’s getting closer. It’s coming for us."

"I didn’t hear anything," Captain Zhou responded, though his emotions were clearly influenced by Yang Xiao’s tension. The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he gripped his short sword.

The bell’s sound drew nearer, like an omen of death, finally halting just outside the office door. One person and one ghost were now face-to-face, separated only by a door; the scene was eerily familiar.

"Director Yang..."

Captain Zhou intended to say something more but was sharply interrupted by Yang Xiao. "Don’t speak! That thing is right outside the door!"

Holding his breath, Yang Xiao, having learned his lesson from before, manipulated the Ghost Lantern this time without hesitation. He enveloped the office door in green light, sealing off all channels the ghost might use to enter. Though he knew full well the Nightmare World would inevitably pull him in, Yang Xiao couldn’t sit idle in the face of the ghostly attack.

"Director Yang..."

"Quiet!"

"Director Yang..."

"Quiet, Captain Zhou!"

"Director Yang..."

Three consecutive instances—the repetition finally struck Yang Xiao as alarming. He had interrupted Captain Zhou multiple times, yet the man remained endlessly persistent, showing no signs of yielding. The developments that followed sent shivers down Yang Xiao’s spine.

"Director Yang..."

"Director Yang..."

"Director Yang..."

...

Facing the door, Captain Zhou, standing with his back to Yang Xiao, mechanically repeated his name over and over. The tone and cadence in each utterance were identical, devoid of any trace of emotion—like a broken recording device spiraling out of control. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

A sinking feeling hit Yang Xiao square in the chest; something had gone horribly wrong. Without hesitation, he retracted the green light from the door and directed it to envelop Captain Zhou’s turned back.

What happened next was chilling. Under the green light, Captain Zhou’s body slowly revealed a horrifying transformation. Barefoot, thin and pale legs exposed—they were unmistakably those of a woman. His upper body faced the door while his lower body, mismatched, pointed its feet straight at Yang Xiao.

Before the green light could fully reveal the ghost concealed within, "Captain Zhou’s" distorted legs suddenly broke into a sprint, charging straight at Yang Xiao.

"Ding ling ling—"

"Ding ling ling—"

With no time to react, a massive force crashed into Yang Xiao, sending him flying backward. In mere moments, he lost consciousness.

...

Who knows how much time had passed before Yang Xiao jolted awake, simultaneously sitting up. The last memory lingering in his mind was that instant when "Captain Zhou" had charged at him. Due to the sudden movement, sharp pain tore through the muscles in his upper-right back—it felt like they had been strained.

Clutching his injured side, Yang Xiao winced as the agony stole his breath. His surroundings were pitch dark, and he had no idea where he was. A decayed odor filled his nostrils. Beneath him was a soft surface—when he reached out to touch it, it felt like an old, broken mattress with worn-out springs and damp fabric on the exterior.

Piecing these details together, Yang Xiao deduced he was in an abandoned warehouse or a damp basement.

The injury to his back made getting up difficult. Extending his hand outward in search of a supporting point, Yang Xiao’s fingers abruptly brushed against something round. It was clammy, with patches of hair clinging to its surface.

He reached out further, hoping to find something sturdier, but instead, he continued touching that same round, hairy thing.

... patches of hair clinging to its surface.