A few laminated notices hung on the wall of the dull painted office. All stamped with the seal of Huajing Night Bureau - Human Resources Division. The top sheet on the desk read 'New Employee Orientation Procedures '
The office was bare, with barely any furnishing: ome desk, a sluggish desk fan, and an old dispenser at the corner of the office.
Chen Zehao sat upright on a rickety chair, trying not to fidget and appear calm and disciplined. His last job had all sorts of KPI and motivational posters on the walls.
The woman behind the desk finally finished typing and looked up. Her short hair curled around her ears, her sharp eyes softened by an easy smile.
"Alright," she said brightly, "I've entered your details. Welcome aboard. I'm Hong Limei, HR and admin. If you get lost, or someone tries to eat you, come to me."
Zehao blinked. "Eaten?"
She laughed like a magpie in spring. "Figure of speech. We're all civil here."
He smiled awkwardly. "Understood, Director Hong."
"No need for formalities, we are colleagues from now on. Just sister Hong is fine." She tapped the Keyboard. "You're from Yinhai City, right? Such a big City. What mad enough come back to our little Huaijiang?"
"Family," Zehao replied. "My parents live here, a bit tool old now."
"Ah, family. That's reason enough." She nodded approvingly, then like all warm Aunt's, wandered from hobbies to marital status.
Zehao, trained by experience, parried every question with polite efficiency.
At last seeing the question getting more out of hand he asked, "Should I meet the department today?"
""Hmm..." Sister Hong flipped through a file. "You're a special-recruit placement. Director Hu wanted to brief you himself, but he's out on field inspection. Why not rest today? Tomorrow you can report to logistics for the meantime. "
" Sounds good," he said, eager to leave.
At the door, she lowered her voice. "One more thing, Zehao are you easily startled? Hmm..looking at you it doesn't seem so."
Zehao hesitated. "Depends on by what."
"Uhm, Monsters."
Zehao laughed, thinking it a joke. "Monsters don't exist, Sister Hong."
"Haha, that's true."
Hong Limei's smile remained bright, but somehow seemed hollow, lacking her earlier vivacity. After a moment she gently adduced, "Alright, see you tomorrow, go home and have a rest now. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Zehao was baffled by Hong Limei's statement but quickly threw it at the back of his mind.
The Huaijiang Night Bureau occupied a decaying six-story building without an elevator. It was the kind of buildings that were from the 70s, the old ones that were never renovated.
The two said goodbye at the HR department door.
Hong Limei watched Zehao's figure disappear down the stairwell and sighed, "Ah, let's see how long this one lasts?"
With his personnel information already entered, the next step was "opening his eyes".
After leaving the HR department,Chen Zehao retraced his steps from memory. The Huaijiang Night Bureau's office building's corridor was deserted yet still felt cramped, like a narrow space-time passage, with light visible only at the far end.
The HR department was on the fourth floor. Chen Zehao turned into the stairwell and slowly descended, pondering his future and his new job. Since Director Hu supposedly had other plans, it might not be easy to slack off as he had intended. Who wished to work hard anyway. Weren't we all just working for the money.
He chose the Night Bureau for stability and peace, to completely break away from his past working hell. To escape the urban hustle and bustle, and regain some tranquility, if possible even embrace a new ordinary life.
However, while the tranquility of life remained to be seen, the bureau was certainly eerily quiet now.
Apart from his footsteps, the surroundings were unnaturally silent, even the air seemed to be still.
Zehao gradually slowed to a stop. He had already lost track of which floor he was on, mechanically descending the stairs. It wasn't until the stairwell scenery remained unchanged for a long time that he slowly realized four floors shouldn't have to take this long, while it seemed like going up hadn't taken nearly as much time.
He just couldn't reach the first floor.
While the HR office was bright and sunny with ample light, the stairwell was the complete opposite. It only had small windows, further obscured by dense vines outside. The brightness filtering through the leaf gaps was limited. The warm sunlight, cut by the leaves, became mottled, casting ghostly shadows on the stairwell walls. The abstract black and white patterns resembled countless malicious eyes staring intently at him.
The pale walls were old and cracked, forming a fine, dense pattern like a spider web.
Standing in the unfamiliar stairwell, Chen Zehao wanted to check his location but felt a clammy chill creeping up from his ankles. It was like a cold, venomous snake crawling and winding.
When going up earlier, he had only noticed the old environment, not this eerie atmosphere.
He shivered inexplicably, having a bad premonition. Recalling Hong Limei's questions and waht seemed then as joking remarks, his mind was flooded with endless confusion and dread. He wished he had asked his uncle about whether they were ghosts in the bureau instead of just inquiring about the benefits.
He had been somewhat afraid of ghosts since childhood but had long forgotten this weakness after years of being an adult.
But wasn't this the Night Bureau?
Shouldn't the official atmosphere dispel any supernatural notions?
Zehao steeled himself and climbed back up the stairs, not daring to continue down. He intended to find Sister Hong. However, the fourth-floor stairwell door had already vanished. There was nothing but endless steps, no exit in sight.
A ghost wall.
The entire building's staircase was connected as one. Whether going up or down, there was no end to escape to.
Chen Zehao took out his phone, only to find there was no signal at all. He stared blankly at the screen, then noticed changes in his surroundings.
In the silence, a hissing sound suddenly came from behind the cracked white walls. It was unclear if it was the wind or the roar of some strange beast, startling the eerie shadows on the high walls. The irregular shadows on the walls deepened in color, like dark ink spreading on fine rice paper, rapidly expanding and writhing like ferocious ghostly claws.
They seemed to sense his gaze and finally revealed their true form from hiding.
The tree shadows in the stairwell danced like black ghost fires, shifting and moving on the plain white walls like the shadow of a giant octopus. Zehao almost thought he had been pulled into a horror game.
The wall gathered into a dark iron curtain, pressing down like storm clouds, fiercely lunging towards him!
Zehao's heart pounded, his scalp tingling. He frantically rushed down the stairs, no longer daring to investigate which floor he was on, only wanting to quickly escape the strange black shadows pursuing him!
Whether it was all his imagination, or it was real at that moment all his body was creaming to him was to run.
In the silent stairwell, only his hurried footsteps could be heard.
He didn't have the courage to look back, cold sweat breaking out as the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He feared that, like in ghost stories, if he was to turn around while fleeing, then by no doubt he would be caught. Finally spotting a door, he fled through it without thinking, not even noticing which floor it was on.
Zehao was most afraid of encountering no one in the corridor and being devoured on the spot by the black shadows. Luckily, there was a figure not far ahead.
"Excuse me, wait!"
Suddenly seeing another person, Chen Zehao felt instant relief, as if seeing a glimmer of hope.
The tall, slender figure ahead stopped upon hearing his voice.
A male figure stood there, his form concealed in shadows, his features indistinct, though his broad shoulders, long legs, and straight posture were visible. With one hand in his pocket, he turned to look at him, standing silently as if waiting for him to continue talking.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but when he turned, the wind ceased, and the cold chill dissipated.
Chen Zehao hurried over, finally able to see his features clearly. He had been worried about encountering a horror movie scenario, afraid that when the man turned around, he would be a ghost with a bloody, wounded face. Fortunately, his features were handsome, and except for his somewhat aloof expression, everything about him seemed normal.
The man in black appeared slightly confused when he called out to him. He quietly studied the person who had hailed at him, noticing his delicate, handsome features despite his pale complexion. His temple hair was disheveled, suggesting that he had been through something, and his eyes sparkled with unsteady light, reflecting his unease.
Chen Zehao breathless from running, hastily tried to regulate his breathing while stealing glances behind him. Confirming there were no more dark shadows on the wall, he finally relaxed his tense nerves, feeling grateful for his escape.
Meeting the man's puzzled, inquiring gaze, Zehao suddenly realized how impulsive his actions had been. He forced a smile and asked, "Uh, sorry could you tell me which floor this is?"
The stranger glanced at the wall. A rusted sign red 3 F.
Following his cool gaze, Chen Zehao suddenly noticed the "3F" sign on the wall, right beside them. Such large lettering, yet he had missed it.
Still shaken from his frightening experience, he forced a smile, and his voice was hoarse: "Oh, thank you."
"...You're welcome."
The man said in a low voice, then lifted his long legs to leave without further pause.
Seeing him turn toward the stairwell ahead,Zehao realized there was more than one staircase in the building. He hurriedly followed him: "Excuse me, does this way lead to the first floor?"
He hoped he wouldn't encounter any more eerie shadows or endless stairs.
The man paused, raising an eyebrow slightly, and replied concisely: "Yes."
Chen Zehao let out a small sigh of relief and, ignoring his strange looks, deliberately followed close behind him down the stairs, afraid of being alone again.
This time, there were two shadows on the wall, one in front of the other, with no strange phenomena or endless loops occurring.
The man in black seemed quite uncomfortable with this arrangement. He moved to one side after a few steps, intending to let Chen Zehao pass first, but he stopped moving and simply waited for him. If he quickened his pace, he immediately matched it, maintaining a two-step distance, neither too far nor too close behind him.
He didn't care if he acted like a sissy then.
The man stopped, then took one step forward.
Zehao stopped, then followed with one step.
He took two steps forward.
Zehao followed with two steps.
He deliberately lifted one leg, neither moving forward nor putting it down, staring at him expressionlessly, coldly waiting to see if he would mimic this too.
This time, Chen Zehao didn't follow suit. Seeing his one-legged stance, he instead asked with concern: "Is something wrong with your leg?"
"..."
The man put his leg down and said irritably: "Are you doing this on purpose?"
Chen Zehao apologetically explained: "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. This is my first time here, and I'm not familiar with the way."
His expression grew colder: "So you're using me as your guide?"
She sincerely replied: "Yes, thank you for your kindness."
"..."
Chen Zehao felt somewhat embarrassed about following him so closely down the stairs, but he was seriously lacking in confidence right now and refused to leave on his own. Although he radiated an unapproachable aura of impatience, he was clearly more reliable than the dark shadow - at least ghosts wouldn't find him annoying.
His rejection of him was definitely better than his rejection of him following along.
Besides, his sudden leg-lifting gesture had been somewhat endearing, making him feel less afraid.
As they conversed, Chen Zehao began to recover from his earlier shock. Not wanting to appear bothersome, he reluctantly shared his experience: "Actually, you might not believe this, but I just saw something strange."
The man's gaze grew more suspicious: "Something strange?"
"Yes, a black shadow suddenly lunged at me from the wall, like something out of a ghost story," Chen Zehao said with a bitter smile. "I'm so glad I ran into you. I was worried I wouldn't find anyone."
The man fell into deep thought as he faced his now-relaxed demeanor. His ink-black eyes were like a cold pond in a dense forest, showing extreme depth. His had an outstanding face; though covered in frost, it didn't diminish its peerless charm.
He remained silent, just staring at him.
Chen Zehao, confused by his intense gaze, unconsciously touched his face, wondering if something was stuck to it. "Is something wrong?"
After several seconds, his ice-like poker face cracked, and he asked with casual derision: "Did I ever say I was human?"
His features were refined and handsome; earlier, his facial muscles had been tense, making him appear cold and unapproachable. However, as he slightly curved his lips, his expression suddenly became vivid, his pale lips taking on a striking hue, becoming animated and otherworldly in an instant, like a reversed slow-motion scene in a movie.
His words were melodious, like the plucking of fine harp strings, though it was unclear whether he was teasing or mocking.
Chen Zehao, however, had no mind to analyze his tone, frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
How careless of him.
The horror movie scenario had merely been delayed.
He looked completely different from the black shadow and how the fuck could he know ghosts could have two forms!
Would he now stick out an impossibly long crimson tongue, or smoothly remove his head and cradle it!?
Seeing Chen Zihao's dazed expression, the man inexplicably felt amused. He crossed his arms and stood in place, rather enjoying the spectacle, waiting leisurely for him to flee in terror with his hands in the air and release a series of piercing screams.
But human fear has its limits, and after experiencing such dramatic ups and downs, instead of screaming in horror, Zehao completely shut down. While the first scare might cause panic, repeated shocks lead to emotional numbness, leaving one so scared to even react.
Chen Zehao's hands and feet were ice-cold, his mind blank, too shocked to even think of running away. After extreme fear, he reached a state of extreme calm: "But at least you look proper..."
At least he still looked human.
Seeing his composed expression, the man was slightly taken aback: "Is that a compliment about my looks?"
"...If that's how you want to interpret it."
He didn't even know what he was saying anymore; his mind was in complete chaos.
The man in black remained silent.
"Hmph." After a long while, he finally made a sound, his expression quite complex as he considered something. "No wonder you can't be scared away. It's cliché, but I'll give you credit for having good taste."
Lin Yunshen had initially been very wary of this person, but now he understood why he had been following him, tsk! he was just an ordinary human attracted to his appearance, desperately trying to make conversation with such clumsy flirting techniques.
Chen Zehao didn't understand what he meant by cliché: "?"
Lin Yunshen said smugly: "Well, I suppose humans rarely see beings as graceful and as handsome as myself."
"..."
Chen Zehao, who had been terrified moments ago, was suddenly choked by these words, his fear instantly evaporating.
He carefully observed his expression, but considering his mysterious identity and his own safety, he forcefully swallowed his urge to mock him.
Huaijiang City must have had very little rain in recent years, probably due to being rendered speechless by him. Did he really think he was graceful and handsome? He was just a black shadow with a human form, wasn't he?
Times were really changing, it was bad enough when ordinary men were mediocre yet confident, but now even male ghosts were like this.