Global Ghost Stories: I'm Investigating Ghosts in My Nightmare!

Chapter 34 The Lullaby of Rust
On the third day after the holiday, the atmosphere in the team's private tactical meeting room was somewhat heavy.

A huge holographic projection hovered in the center of the conference table, displaying an aerial view of an abandoned factory and several blurry nighttime surveillance screenshots. An Mu clasped his hands together, resting them on the table, his sharp gaze sweeping over each team member present.

“Mission briefing,” his deep, powerful voice echoed in the quiet room, “Target location: the abandoned ‘Dreamland’ toy factory, No. 7, in the third industrial zone of the west of the city. The factory went bankrupt fifteen years ago due to poor management and has been abandoned ever since. In the past two weeks, headquarters has received three alerts for abnormal energy fluctuations from the surrounding area, all at level D. At the same time, according to reports, three homeless people who usually frequent the area have gone missing.”

The holographic projection switched screens, revealing a violently shaky video, seemingly filmed by an urban adventure enthusiast with their mobile phone. In the video, faint tinkling sounds of a music box could be heard from the depths of a dark factory, interspersed with the giggles of a little girl.

"Initial assessment indicates this is a shallow, materialized nightmare event caused by a bound spirit or a single grudge, with a threat level of C. Considering its stable influence range and the lack of further expansion, headquarters recommends that one A-level investigator lead the team, along with two C-level investigators, to handle it. However..." An Mu's tone shifted, his gaze finally landing on Bai Yu, "Bai Yu submitted a mission application, and his partner is... Lu Yueqi."

The moment the words were spoken, the air in the conference room seemed to be instantly sucked out.

"I object!" Mo Fei practically jumped up from his chair. His burly frame exuded a powerful aura of oppression. He slammed his large hand heavily on the table, making a dull thud. "What a joke! A C-level mission? For a newbie who hasn't even received her uniform yet, this level of mission is deadly! Lao Bai, do you know what you're doing? Do you want to take her to her death?"

Although Lan Ce wasn't as agitated as Mo Fei, he adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, his gaze behind the lenses as calm as a scalpel: "From a data perspective, this move is indeed extremely unreasonable. Lu Yueqi's mental state is still unstable, and her control over her nightmare power is close to zero. Bringing such an uncontrollable 'energy source' into a contaminated field already containing nightmares has a very high probability of triggering 'energy resonance,' which will cause the nightmare's intensity to escalate, or even lead to malignant mutations. This would cause the risk level to jump directly from C to B+, or even higher. Bai Yu, I think we need a complete risk assessment report and your contingency plan."

Faced with the almost unanimous doubts and opposition from his teammates, Bai Yu's expression remained unchanged. He simply sat there quietly, his pale face revealing no emotion.

Bai Yu spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Plants that can withstand storms cannot grow in a greenhouse, at least not in the short term... We don't have that much time to slowly cultivate her until she is capable of withstanding those things..."

He calmly met An Mu's gaze: "Captain, you all know what Lu Yueqi is facing. It's not a problem that can be solved by staying at headquarters and using instruments and data. 'It's' has locked onto her, and no matter where she hides, the erosion is proceeding every second. Her only way to survive is to learn to resist. And the ability to resist can never appear out of thin air in an absolutely safe environment."

"This mission is in a closed location, the nightmare is of a single nature, and there are no complicated rules. It is the most suitable 'combat training ground' for her at this stage. I will be responsible for her safety throughout the entire process, and I will take her to safety immediately if the situation gets out of control." Bai Yu's tone was firm. "She must learn to face fear, to use fear, instead of being consumed by fear. This is her first lesson as an 'investigator,' and also a compulsory course for her as a 'survivor.'"

Silence fell over the conference room once more. Mo Fei clenched his fists, his heavy breathing betraying his inner turmoil. Lan Ce, meanwhile, was engrossed in calculations on his tactical tablet, seemingly reassessing the feasibility of Bai Yu's plan.

Finally, An Mu looked deeply at Bai Yu, his eyes filled with worry, helplessness, but even more so with trust.

"I approve your application," he said, emphasizing each word. "But Bai Yu, I need to set some bottom lines for you. First, Lu Yueqi's safety is the highest priority. Your mission is not to eliminate the Nightmare, but to ensure her return alive. Second, maintain communication at all times. Lan Ce will provide you with 24-hour backend data support. Third, if Lu Yueqi's mental pollution index exceeds 70% of the threshold, or if the Nightmare's level jumps, you must retreat immediately without any conditions. This is an order."

"Understood." Bai Yu nodded, without saying anything more.

"Tch..." Mo Fei reluctantly sat back down in his chair, letting out a muffled groan from his nose. He turned his head away from Bai Yu, expressing his concern in this way.

This brief but contentious meeting thus came to a close.

……

As evening fell, a specially modified black SUV drove away from the Nightmare Investigation Bureau's headquarters, which resembled an iron fortress, and merged into the city's evening rush hour traffic.

The atmosphere inside the car was so quiet it was almost oppressive.

Lu Yueqi sat in the passenger seat, her body tense.

She was wearing a brand-new, custom-made, dark gray Bureau of Investigation combat uniform. The material was special, lightweight yet durable, with additional protective layers at the joints. A first-aid kit, a high-intensity flashlight, and a mental stability monitor given to her by Lancer were hanging from her tactical belt.

All of this felt incredibly unfamiliar and unreal to her. Just a few weeks ago, she was a streamer telling ghost stories in her live broadcast room, only to be terrified herself. Now, however, she was actually facing beings far more terrifying than the ghosts in her stories.

She secretly glanced at Bai Yu, who was driving beside her.

Bai Yu changed out of his usual soft sweater and into a combat uniform, which made his tall figure stand out even more. He stared intently at the road ahead, his profile appearing somewhat hard in the neon lights of the city. His pale skin and calm eyes gave him an aura of aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

"nervous?"

Bai Yu's voice suddenly broke the silence inside the car.

"Huh? I...I didn't!" Lu Yueqi straightened her back instinctively, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and stubbornly denied it. But her slightly trembling fingertips and pale lips had already betrayed her.

Bai Yu didn't expose her, but simply said calmly, "Fear is the most normal stress response of intelligent beings when facing the unknown and danger. It makes your heart beat faster, your blood circulation quicken, and your senses become more acute. In a sense, fear is a protective mechanism. What the investigators need to do is not to eliminate fear, but to learn to coexist with it, or even to make use of it."

He paused, then continued, “Remember, from now on, your fear is also your weapon. You are a ‘Dream Enterer,’ and your perception of nightmares is more sensitive than any instrument. When you feel a chill run down your spine, when you hear a voice that isn’t there, when you see a fleeting hallucination, don’t panic, and definitely don’t scream. What you need to do is calm down immediately, analyze the source of this fear, and then tell me. Your senses are our radar.”

Lu Yueqi listened intently. Bai Yu's words were like a clear spring, calming her heart, which had been in turmoil due to fear. She nodded vigorously: "I...I understand."

"very good."

After uttering two words, Bai Yu fell silent, and the car returned to quiet.

“What a boring pre-battle mobilization.” Hei Yan’s voice lazily echoed deep within Bai Yu’s consciousness. “Instead of teaching this fledgling how to control her trembling, why not just throw her into the storm and see if she can break her wings and fall, or if she can cry out her first lament in despair? That kind of scene would be considered art with some aesthetic value.”

Bai Yu ignored him. He knew that Hei Yan craved extreme chaos and despair, but what he had to do was to find and protect that sliver of order called "hope" amidst this chaos and despair.

The SUV gradually drove away from the bustling city center, and the scenery outside the window became increasingly desolate. High-rise buildings were replaced by low, dilapidated factories, and bright lights were replaced by dim streetlights along the roadside. Finally, the vehicle turned off the main road and onto a bumpy dirt road. On both sides of the road were waist-high weeds, undulating like waves under the headlights.

At the end of the road, the silhouette of a huge, dark building resembled a steel behemoth crouching in the night.

That was the "Dreamland" toy factory.

The factory's walls were already dilapidated, and the huge iron gate was covered in rust. The cartoon rabbit logo was sprayed on it in red paint. Over the years, the paint had peeled off, and the exposed rust looked like dried blood, making the rabbit's originally cute smiling face look eerie and ferocious.

Bai Yu parked the car in a secluded corner.

"Get out of the vehicle and check your equipment."

The two got out of the car. The night air in the suburbs was cold and damp, carrying a unique smell of rust and humus.

Lu Yueqi couldn't help but shiver and subconsciously wrapped her combat uniform tighter.

Bai Yu handed her a pair of tactical earpieces: "Keep in touch. Stay close to me, don't stray more than three meters from me. Remember, don't trust anything that seems too 'normal' in the factory, and don't touch anything unnecessarily. Understand?"

"Understood!" Lu Yueqi took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound less trembling.

Instead of going through the main entrance, Bai Yu led her around to the side of the factory, found a broken window, and easily climbed in.

The factory was pitch black inside.

Bai Yu switched on his flashlight, and a bright beam instantly pierced the darkness, illuminating their area. It appeared to be a massive production workshop, the air thick with the smell of dust. Within the beam's reach, they could see rows of stationary production lines and rows of silent, enormous machines.

Countless dust particles swirled and danced within the beam of light, like a silent snowfall.

"Follow."

Bai Yu's voice came through the earpiece, clear and calm. Lu Yueqi swallowed hard, followed closely behind him, and turned on her flashlight as well. The two beams of light, like two sharp swords, painstakingly carved out a small patch of light in this darkness where time seemed to stand still.

Their footsteps were the only sound in the space, each one echoing hollowly in the empty workshop, as if other unseen people were imitating their steps.

Lu Yueqi's heart was in her throat; she could even clearly hear her own heart pounding like a drum. They went onto a main production line.

The conveyor belt was filled with plastic dolls that were only half-finished. None of the dolls were painted, giving them a pale, waxy appearance. Some lacked eyeballs, leaving only two dark eye sockets; some had their mouths stretched into a grotesque arc, as if silently snickering; and others had their limbs twisted into unnatural positions.

Under the beam of a flashlight, the rows of motionless, incomplete dolls formed a small team that was inspecting them.

Lu Yueqi felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.

She always felt that the moment her flashlight beam moved away, the dolls' heads would quietly turn around, their empty eye sockets staring silently at her back in the darkness.

"Ding-dong...ding...dong..."

Just then, a faint, intermittent sound of music drifted from the depths of the workshop.

It's the sound of a music box.

The melody should have been crisp and melodious, but in this factory it sounded like a requiem from another world, each note carrying a sinister chill.

Bai Yu stopped, listened intently for a moment, and then gestured "forward" to Lu Yueqi.

“Bai… Bai Yu…” Lu Yueqi’s voice was choked with sobs, barely audible, “I… I think I heard… besides the music, there was… there were children crying…”

Bai Yu's voice came through the earpiece, still calm: "Describe the location and feeling of the crying."

"It's...it's in the direction of the music...it's very far...it's very oppressive...it's like crying in the water...it makes my heart ache..." Lu Yueqi hugged her arms, feeling a chill run up her spine to the top of her head.

"Very good. Keep being aware, don't be afraid, I'm right beside you."

Bai Yu's comfort and reassurance eased Lu Yueqi's fear slightly.

She can help Baiyu here.

This realization gave her a sliver of courage amidst her fear.

They followed the music through the huge production workshop and into a long, narrow corridor. On either side of the corridor were rows of offices, most of the glass doors broken, revealing dark interiors.

The music became clearer and clearer.

Finally, they stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor. A sign hung on the door, the words on it were blurred and illegible, but it was still possible to make out that it read "Quality Inspection Department".

The music was coming from behind this closed door.

Bai Yu didn't push the door open immediately. He first glanced at Lu Yueqi, signaling her to get ready. Then, he gently pressed his ear against the cold iron door.

Inside the door, there was only the tinkling of music; all else was deathly silent.

He gripped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open a crack.

An even stronger stench of decay wafted out from the crack in the door than from outside.

Bai Yu shone the light of a flashlight through the crack in the door.

Surprisingly, the office wasn't as cluttered as it appeared outside. A clean desk, a chair, and a filing cabinet—the furnishings were simple and tidy, as if the owner had just left.

On the desk sat a very delicate ballerina music box. At that moment, the little ballerina was twirling tirelessly to the clear music.

Everything seemed... to be normal.

Bai Yu pushed open the door and walked in one after the other with Lu Yueqi.

The moment their feet stepped into the office at the same time.

"Quack."

The music box stopped abruptly. The swirling ballerina also stopped abruptly, facing an eerie direction.

The entire room fell into a suffocating silence.

Lu Yueqi felt as if her heart skipped a beat.

Bai Yu's gaze sharpened instantly, and his flashlight beam swept across every corner of the room like a searchlight.

The table, chairs, filing cabinets... everything was normal.

No.

wrong.

Bai Yu's beam of light suddenly fixed on the area below the desk.

In the shadow cast by that table, a pair of small feet wearing red leather shoes appeared out of nowhere.

Immediately afterwards, a doll wearing a tattered white dress slowly and awkwardly "stood up" from under the table.

Its body was dirty, and its skirt was covered in stains. Its golden curly hair was messy and knotted.

The most terrifying thing is its face.

That delicate and lovely porcelain face had no eyes.

There were only two dark holes.

It just stood there behind the table, motionless.

"Chuck...cluck..."

A burst of laughter, belonging to a little girl, suddenly rang out in the quiet office.

The laughter seemed to be right next to Bai Yu and Lu Yueqi's ears.

With a click, the doll's faceless face slowly turned toward them.

　I'm on vacation, so only one chapter today!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)