Anomalies are divided into two types. One is born naturally within the Inner World—it could be a tree, a cockroach, or anything else. They are born, grow, and move here, possessing their own personalities and lifestyles.
The other type is created from the anomalous transformation of someone from the real world after death. This type of anomaly comes tied to its place of death, along with every person and object that appeared there.
They forget parts of their memories and continue living in the Inner World according to the established logic of their lives.
For example, a haunted villa in reality where someone died. If a person tied to that villa becomes an anomaly, the villa itself will also appear alongside the anomaly in the Inner World. Beyond that, the people living in the villa from the anomaly’s memory will appear too.
These people are called Symbiotic Anomalies. They continue living in the villa as they did in life, until the main anomaly collapses once more and becomes a Pollution Source. Then, the villa becomes a Contaminated Zone—the haunted villa truly becomes haunted.
Their memories become chaotic. Liu Lingling, Sharp Head, Fan Yajun—the memories of them and all related anomalies are jumbled. Liu Lingling frantically vented her negative emotions in her notebook, yet her outward behavior was perfectly normal, as if nothing had happened. The death of the woman in the restroom, as spoken of by Sharp Head, is an event from the distant past. Fan Yajun never spread any rumors.
It all stems from the chaos of the Pollution Source.
Once the Pollution Source is cleared, the Symbiotic Anomalies vanish with it.
There is still no definitive theory on why some people become anomalies in the Inner World after death, while others simply die and stay dead.
Delicious Food Company belongs to the second type, no doubt about it. It is essentially a supernatural mirror-mapping of its counterpart in the real world.
Jiang Wuning flipped through the company files, which contained introductions to various departments and areas. She had visited these places; they all truly existed and functioned normally.
The stories of Liu Lingling and the others all unfolded on the fourth floor. So why was the Contaminated Zone the entire company campus?
It’s like a painting. The audience below the stage doesn’t need faces painted; only the performers on stage have concrete features.
If the Pollution Source’s main activity was on the fourth floor, then only the fourth floor needed to be realistically detailed. The other areas should be crude, or even completely closed off for various reasons.
But here, it was the entire company campus… Either there were many more crucial elements yet to appear, or the Pollution Source itself was someone intrinsically tied to the entire company.
It was already the fourth day of the Probation Period. Jiang Wuning leaned toward the latter.
A high-level executive? The Boss? The most visible high-level person was Manager Hao, but Manager Hao wasn’t on a high enough level. He was limited to the fourth floor and was also the embodiment of high-intensity work and the twisted overtime culture, one of the reasons that drove Liu Lingling to self-destruction.
If Manager Hao could have a mental breakdown and become an anomaly just from the deaths of three people like Liu Lingling, he wouldn’t be the Manager Hao who exploited and gaslighted his employees every day.
Whom did these successive deaths impact the most? The company. The Boss. The company belongs to the Boss. The Pollution Source Jiang Wuning suspected was also the Boss.
This Boss had never appeared. The top-floor office belonging to him was sealed shut. Jiang Wuning couldn’t enter.
She could not verify her theory, nor could she imagine a capitalist having a breakdown and turning into an anomaly because of employees’ deaths. Normally, wouldn’t the reaction be pain, disgust, or seeing it as a bad omen?
Jiang Wuning didn’t go to the cafeteria. In the empty office, she sat alone at her desk. Though deep in thought, a smiling expression remained fixed on her face, making her look extremely eerie. This was the scene Wang Xiaodian and Xu Xiye walked in on.
Wang Xiaodian had encountered a new Anomalous Phenomenon and naturally had to tell Jiang Wuning about it. Shivering, the lingering aftereffects of meeting that eye still hadn’t faded. He begged and pleaded for Xu Xiye to come with him.
The reason Wang Xiaodian had begged Xu Xiye to go to the restroom, and asked Xu Xiye to use his eyes to see what he saw, was so Xu Xiye’s unique, high-intensity Mental Contamination would overwrite that of the woman in the restroom. Who knew that instead of the woman they were prepared for, he’d seen a far more terrifying and disgusting eye?
Xu Xiye was helpless too. The pervert peeping at others in the bathroom was truly hateful, but after all, it was something created by a madman. It could come from a memory, or an imagination. What else could be done besides finding the madman as soon as possible?
Telling Little Wang to go to the psychiatric hospital, but he won’t. Oh, well, actually, he didn’t really want him to go either. His probation period wasn’t up yet, and he hadn’t gotten his 200 bucks. It would be a shame to leave now.
Seeing Wang Xiaodian still trembling, Xu Xiye could only comfort him: “Don’t be scared. We were both wearing pants at the time. He couldn’t see anything.”
Wang Xiaodian: “?” Was that what he was afraid of?
Xu Xiye continued: “His eye was all rotten, probably from peeping on people and getting beaten up. In that state, his vision couldn’t have been good.”
Wang Xiaodian: “…”
See, just look at his Shifu’s point of focus. Wang Xiaodian felt that strange sense of peace again. “Thank you, Shifu,” he said.
Xu Xiye: “You’re welcome. It’s good that you can reason it out. You need to control your condition.”
Wang Xiaodian: “I know, I know. With you here, Shifu, I can definitely control it.”
Xu Xiye, however, sighed. He wasn’t a professional. He didn’t have the ability to tell if someone was suffering from madness just by looking at them… Hmm? Wait! The world seen through a madman’s eyes is different from a normal person’s. If he could quickly borrow everyone’s eyes to see, wouldn’t it be clear at a glance who was mad and who wasn’t?
He had to go back and practice this move. Once he mastered it, he’d earn a Head Fee for every one he found. Director Liang said he’d pay 300 bucks per person. Although, convincing them to go see a doctor after finding them was a problem.
Forget it. It was too early to think about that; he hadn’t learned the move yet. How had Wang Xiaodian’s sight connected in the first place?
In just a few words, Wang Xiaodian had led Xu Xiye to Jiang Wuning’s office. Luckily, she was inside. Wang Xiaodian hadn’t even considered that possibility before they came. But Jiang Wuning had high Sanity Value and often investigated things alone, always being the last to leave.
“Sister Ning.” Wang Xiaodian called out somewhat stiffly as he walked up to Jiang Wuning.
Xu Xiye also said a “Hello.”
Jiang Wuning looked up and smiled amiably. “You two are here. Encountered something?”
“Yes, it’s like this. Under the crack of the restroom door, I saw a crushed eye.” Wang Xiaodian stated dryly.
“Alright, I understand. Don’t try to recall it.” This matched Jiang Wuning’s deductions. Sharp Head: a pervert who pried into others’ privacy, liked to peep. He died in the elevator shaft, crushed into a pulp.
The fourth day. An A-Class Contaminated Zone. In truth, Jiang Wuning felt the danger level here wasn’t high enough. It was too gentle compared to other A-Class zones. Would it all erupt fully when confronting the Pollution Source?
Thinking this, she asked Xu Xiye: “Do you know how to meet the company Boss?”
“The Boss?” Xu Xiye paused. “The Boss is usually in the Production Department or R&D Department, rarely comes to our side. If you want to see him, you can look for him in those two places, but the Boss may not see you.”
According to old company employees, the Boss was dedicated to research and hated being disturbed by irrelevant people.
“That’s true, we’re just employees who haven’t even passed probation,” Jiang Wuning said. “Does the Boss not use the top-floor office?”
Xu Xiye: “He does. When the Boss holds meetings or meets someone, it’s usually on the top floor. Why do you want to see the Boss?”
Jiang Wuning looked at Xu Xiye, silent for a moment before replying: “I suspect the Boss was the first person in the company to go mad.”
Wang Xiaodian’s eyes widened, a flash of surprise crossing them.
Xu Xiye had a complicated feeling. Was their company going to go bankrupt?
“How do you know?” he asked.
Jiang Wuning: “Just a guess. You know, we Outsiders are always more sensitive to this kind of thing.”
Xu Xiye: “Ah, right.”
Jiang Wuning still stared at him. “I plan to investigate the company at night, to see what’s inside. As you know, crazy people only become crazier at night.”
Xu Xiye also stared at her. He always had the patience for a staring contest. When someone looks at you, you look back at them—it’s a form of politeness. “You’re right.”
He wasn’t mad, but he was also quite active at night, and had even fought someone.
Jiang Wuning: “Are you coming?”
Xu Xiye: “I’ll come.”
Wang Xiaodian: “…” Could you guys not talk like this? It’s really creepy.
Wang Xiaodian: “Th-then, should I come too?”
Jiang Wuning shifted her gaze directly to him. “It’s best if you don’t. Your current state isn’t suitable.”
The plan was set. The agreed time was 11 PM.
Jiang Wuning and the others had stayed in the company after working overtime before but hadn’t encountered anything at that time. So, she directly pushed the time to 11 PM.
Jiang Wuning’s intuition told her she couldn’t delay any longer. She didn’t have more time to wait for a potential “plot story” that might or might not exist.
The gentleness of the current Contaminated Zone was likely just a frog being boiled slowly.
At 11 PM, Jiang Wuning walked out of the dormitory. A cold, clammy sensation washed over her. The ground beneath her feet felt less like a floor and more like living flesh and blood.
This was different from any other time. Just standing there, the value on her bracelet was continuously dropping.
[Sanity Value 750]
[Sanity Value 700]
[Sanity Value 670]
Jiang Wuning walked downstairs. The Sanity Value only stabilized once it dropped to 500. Her face was pale, her expression eerie, looking even stiffer than during the day, like an anomalous creature inherently accustomed to walking in the darkness.
The first place Jiang Wuning went was the production workshop. The workshop door was tightly shut, lights off, yet the sound of operating machinery came from within.
Faint smells of blood and decay wafted out from the gaps. She stood there motionless, thinking about what was being processed inside, and what the raw materials were.
Inside the mixer, it could be human flesh and blood churning. Perhaps there was a separation device splitting blood from flesh. Inside the dryer… A slight stinging pain came from the area where she wore the bracelet, a reaction only triggered when Sanity Value dropped by more than 30 in an instant.
Jiang Wuning glanced at it.
[Sanity Value 465]
She had fallen into Mental Contamination. What she was seeing might not be reality.
Jiang Wuning slowly retreated and headed toward the Office Building.
On the way, she encountered some unknown colleagues. They treated her as one of their own, leaving after a single glance.
In the company lobby on the first floor, Jiang Wuning saw Xu Xiye.
The young man at night seemed somewhat… softer than during the day. It was as if during the day, his skeleton and skin fit just right, but at night, the bones could barely hold up.
“You’re here,” she greeted.
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t see.”
Jiang Wuning paused for a moment, then understood.
Anomalies cannot see Anomalous Phenomena.
The only reason he could see them before was through other people’s eyes.
Jiang Wuning didn’t know what Wang Xiaodian and Little Li were thinking, but she couldn’t bring herself to become someone else’s eyes.
Her invitation to Xu Xiye earlier had just been an offhand remark, wanting to see how this anomaly who actively sought Pollution Sources would react. It wasn’t that she absolutely needed him to do anything.
Therefore, she said, “I’m sorry.”
Xu Xiye understood. She didn’t want to lend him her eyes.
“It’s fine. I was going to be out at night anyway. If you find anything, you can tell me.”
“Of course.”
Jiang Wuning stood there for a moment. After confirming Xu Xiye had no intention of following, she left. Her goal was clear: the various offices on the fourth floor, the R&D department on the fifth, and most importantly, the Boss’s office.
If she took the elevator now, she would 100% encounter an incident. Jiang Wuning took the stairs directly.
Seeing Jiang Wuning disappear from sight, Xu Xiye immediately shed his human form. He didn’t go far, just coiled up on a tree outside to look at the sky and the night.
Last night, he had told Blue Eyes he’d come again next time, told him to wait. But tonight he hadn’t gone. Would he really be waiting for him?
Maybe he should go check on him, then come back to wait for Jiang Wuning’s news?
And the news didn’t have to be received right now. Knowing tomorrow would be fine too.
Just as he was about to move, he suddenly heard the pitter-patter of footsteps from the office directly ahead across the way. That was his office. And at that exact moment, the empty office became bustling with noise.
Little Li entered.
And simultaneously, he saw the world through Little Li’s eyes.
In the office ceiling, there were four ceiling fans. On three of them hung the corpses of women. The fourth, the one directly above Little Li, was still empty.
Little Li’s condition had worsened.
Xu Xiye wanted to see exactly what he intended to do. He leaped straight from the tree trunk to the window and pressed against the glass to look inside.
Little Li was someone even more timid than Wang Xiaodian. But right now, he had no reaction whatsoever to the newly added corpse in the office. He stood under the ceiling fan, looking up. Xu Xiye could see that face more clearly.
Little Li’s face was almost gone.
The facial features, already quite prominent due to his thin frame, had flattened by half.
“Clang.” Little Li climbed onto a desk and, from somewhere, produced a belt, hanging it on the ceiling fan. The belt was tied into a loop. Little Li only needed to stand on tiptoe to slip his neck through it.
What was this about?
Hanging himself?
If Little Li hanged himself, would he actually die?
He wasn’t very familiar with the physical constitution of Outsiders.
Also, had Little Li’s face vanished because he could no longer maintain a human form, or… had someone stolen his face?
Xu Xiye remembered that night when he’d taken the woman’s corpse down from the ceiling fan. He had brushed her hair aside and seen Little Li’s face.
Was that why Little Li’s face was disappearing?
Little Li looked up at the noose before him. His expression seemed calm, yet also seemed insane.
He appeared to be waiting for something. Perhaps some instruction, perhaps a specific time. Once whatever he was waiting for arrived, he would become the next corpse hanging from the ceiling fan.
Twelve o’clock. The night grew deeper. Little Li, who had been motionless, finally stirred. A crazed smile slowly stretched across the corner of his mouth as he stood on his tiptoes.
No one knew that Little Li’s life actually shared many similarities with Liu Lingling’s. Little Li himself didn’t know either.
His parents divorced. He was raised by his grandparents. After his grandparents passed, he was tossed around like garbage.
In such an environment, Little Li’s mind became sensitive. He grew introverted and silent. Later came romance.
He liked a boy. They dated. Then, inexplicably, he became the third party—abandoned, bullied.
He wasn’t good with words, didn’t know how to defend himself. He bore all the blame for no reason.
“Stop pretending! Acting like we’re all bullying you. If you’re not the other woman, show the proof!”
“Smack.” As he walked silently on the road, a slap came out of nowhere. “Ah, sorry, I was swatting a fly.”
“Ugh, what’s with that expression? Can’t stand it. No wonder you could be a mistress and snag a man.”
“Isn’t that a bit much? Sure, the person’s cheap, but looks aren’t bad.”
“Damn, are you interested?”
“Who’s interested? Just thinking of having a try.”
“Shameless!”
Little Li felt utterly broken. He didn’t want to open his mouth, didn’t want any interaction with people. Every little noise terrified him.
Later, he transferred schools, repeated a year, got into university. It took him several years to return to a semblance of normalcy.
But some wounds cannot be erased by time. Some stains, once set, are not so easily washed away.
Little Li was accustomed to thinking the worst. The things he encountered on his first night in the Inner World were enough to frighten him to death on his own.
Later, he’d seen the corpse on the ceiling fan above him, seen Liu Lingling. He didn’t yet know what kind of life Liu Lingling faced, but he had already felt her emotions from the invisible magnetic field around her.
He was Liu Lingling.
He no longer felt fear.
They were the same.
Last night, during introductions, he had said: “I am Li Weiyan, I come from A-City.”
But it made no difference. He was Li Weiyan, and he was also Liu Lingling.
She was right.
He could take her place and hang up there.
The noose tightened around his neck. Little Li’s face twisted in agony, yet the smile remained on his lips.
