I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

As night fell, the city's neon lights shimmered dimly in the rain. Zhang Wanqing sat in her newspaper office, her fingers rapidly tapping away at her keyboard. On the screen, a draft report on several recent mysterious disappearances unfolded. These cases seemed unrelated, but Zhang Wanqing keenly sensed a hidden pattern.

"Wanqing, are you still here?" Fu Siyuan pushed open the door, holding a cup of hot coffee in his hand, with a hint of fatigue in his voice.

"Well, these cases are too weird. I always feel that there is a bigger conspiracy behind them." Zhang Wanqing raised her head, her eyes full of concentration.

Fu Siyuan placed the coffee in front of her and sat down. "I think so too. By the way, is there any news from Li Wei?"

Zhang Wanqing shook her head. "He's still investigating, but he said there are some strange traces at the crime scenes, like some kind of signal."

"Signal?" Fu Siyuan frowned. "What do you think it is?"

"I don't know, but I think we should go to the scene." Zhang Wanqing stood up and picked up her coat. "Let's go to the nearest missing person's scene."

The rain was still falling, and the streets were deserted. Fu Siyuan drove, raindrops sliding down the window, blurring the outside world. They arrived at an old residential complex, the site of a recent disappearance.

The streetlights in the residential complex were dim, casting mottled shadows. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan entered the apartment building. The corridor was filled with a damp smell. They arrived at the floor where the missing person lived. The entrance was already blocked by a cordon.

"Who are you?" A policeman stopped them.

"We're reporters from the newspaper, here to investigate this case," Zhang Wanqing showed her press card. "We hope to learn more about the situation."

The police hesitated, but let them in. The room was in chaos, with furniture turned upside down and documents and photos scattered on the floor.

"Looking at these traces, it seems like someone is looking for something." Fu Siyuan squatted down and carefully observed the footprints on the ground.

"Yeah, and these footprints are very strange, like they were left there intentionally." Zhang Wanqing pointed at a set of footprints on the ground. "Look, the direction of these footprints is very strange, like they are guiding someone."

"Guidance?" Fu Siyuan raised his head, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, I think these footprints might be some kind of signal, guiding a specific person." Zhang Wanqing stood up and looked around. "We need to find the starting point and end point of these footprints."

They began to search the room carefully and finally found a hidden drawer in the corner of the bedroom. In the drawer was a photo of a young woman with fear in her eyes.

"Is this a missing person?" Fu Siyuan asked.

"It should be." Zhang Wanqing picked up the photo and examined it carefully. "I think this photo is very important. It may be the key clue."

Just then, a gust of wind blew, causing the curtains to sway slightly. Zhang Wanqing suddenly felt an inexplicable chill. She turned back to look at the window and found that it was open, whereas it had been closed when she came in just now.

"Someone has been in." Zhang Wanqing said in a low voice, with vigilance in her eyes.

Fu Siyuan immediately became alert, and they quickly left the room and closed the door. Just then, they heard a slight sound of footsteps coming from the corridor.

"Someone is following us." Fu Siyuan said in a low voice, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

"We have to be careful." Zhang Wanqing nodded, and they quickly walked out of the apartment building and came to the exit of the community.

"What are you doing?" a voice suddenly sounded behind them.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan turned around suddenly and saw Li Wei standing behind them with a serious look in his eyes.

"Li Wei, why are you here?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"I've been following you." Li Wei said, "I think there's a bigger conspiracy behind these cases, and you might be in danger."

"We found some clues." Fu Siyuan said, handing the photo in his hand to Li Wei.

Li Wei took the photo and looked at it carefully. "This photo is very important. I think we should investigate the identity of this woman."

"Okay, let's go together." Zhang Wanqing nodded.

They went to the police station, and Li Wei used his connections to retrieve the woman's information. It turned out that the woman's name was Lin Xiao, an ordinary office worker, but in the months before her disappearance, she had frequently visited a mysterious place.

"What is this place?" Fu Siyuan asked.

"It's an abandoned factory." Li Wei said, "I think we should go there and take a look."

As the night deepened, they arrived at the abandoned factory. The factory was completely silent, with only the sound of the wind blowing. They cautiously entered the factory, which was completely dark, with only the light of their flashlights flickering through the darkness.

"It's so weird here." Fu Siyuan whispered, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"Be careful." Li Wei warned, with a hint of vigilance in his eyes.

They came to a hall, in the center of which stood a huge device, which was flashing with strange light. Just then, a deep voice sounded behind them.

"Welcome here."

They turned around suddenly and saw a figure standing at the door with a cold look in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Zhang Wanqing asked, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"I am the owner of this place." The figure slowly walked over, with a hint of madness in his eyes, "You shouldn't come here."

"What did you do to Lin Xiao?" Fu Siyuan asked loudly, with a hint of anger in his eyes.

"Lin Xiao? Oh, she's just one of my experiments." The figure sneered, "You guys are the same."

At this moment, the device suddenly emitted a strong light, illuminating the entire hall. Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, and Li Wei were all blinded by the sudden light.

"You can't escape." The figure's voice echoed in the hall with an eerie echo.

"We must find out the truth." Zhang Wanqing whispered, with determination in her eyes.

They stood there, facing the strange device and the crazy figure, with only one thought in their minds - to find out the truth and save the missing people.