"We..."
Zhou Yue breathed heavily, staring through the bus window at the terrifying Female Ghost in white. Before he could even feel a shred of relief over having survived, he watched as Qin Kai, in an effort to save Han Cheng, was viciously bitten on the neck. The sharp fangs snapped Qin Kai's cervical vertebrae right through.
The spurting blood, blooming like a crimson rose, instantly extinguished the lingering sense of survival in Zhou Yue's heart. His eyes went blank and hollow; he tried to stand, but found his legs as weak and limp as wet clay.
"It's my fault... I got him killed..."
Tears broke like a breached dam as Han Cheng stared with bloodshot eyes at Qin Kai's torn corpse, weeping in utter despair.
Liang Fei said nothing, his gaze falling upon the Female Ghost in white, who had already finished feeding. It seemed inclined to make a move on them as well, but the bus had already begun to move forward slowly, forcing it to halt and roar in frustration.
"Stop crying. At least you should live on properly for the sake of little Four-Eyes, shouldn't you?"
After a long silence, Lu Ming shifted his stiff body and looked at the dazed Han Cheng.
"That kid usually looked so quiet and reserved, I never thought he'd step up like that when it mattered..."
Lu Ming sighed again.
"As for playing the hero to save the damsel in distress, I don't have it in me."
"If you don't know how to speak, talk less. No one's treating you like a mute."
Liang Fei shot Lu Ming a glare.
Soon, the bus drove on through the pitch-black night. Who knew how much time had passed?
The four of them woke up in a haze. The sky was already brightly lit.
"Where is this?"
"Hey, wake up."
Through the windows, everything outside remained completely unfamiliar.
Liang Fei felt his heart skip a beat. He patted Lu Ming and Zhou Yue on the shoulders, only for Lu Ming to jerk awake and scream in terror:
"A ghost! A ghost... Don't eat me!"
"Damn it, run!"
Liang Fei frowned as he watched the two of them flailing wildly. No wonder he thought himself inferior to Qin Kai; with courage like this, they were barely braver than ants. And take Zhou Yue—all bark and no bite, equally useless.
"Brother, you scared the hell out of me."
Zhou Yue and Lu Ming exchanged glances. Lu Ming panted heavily.
Liang Fei pointed at the unfamiliar world outside.
"The bus has stopped, but... it seems we didn't go back."
At that moment, the bus doors slowly slid open. Han Cheng was also jolted awake by the commotion.
All four of them got off the bus, their faces entirely blank with confusion.
"Well, not bad this time. Four people actually survived."
The speaker was a very cool-looking woman. She had chin-length hair, bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, skin with a rosy glow, and a remarkably well-proportioned figure. On her upper body, she wore a black leather jacket, paired with a pair of pitch-black ripped jeans on her lower body, and sneakers on her feet. Her bantering tone carried a mix of surprise and delight.
"Wh—where is this?" After a brief moment of disorientation, Liang Fei asked nervously, "And who are you people?"
"This is the Land of Oblivion."
To the woman's right stood a young man with a numb expression, betraying neither joy nor sorrow.
"The Land of Oblivion?"
Lu Ming's face turned ghastly pale as he shouted:
"Didn't we go back? How did we end up in this ghost place again?"
They had thought that as long as they completed this mission, they would be able to return to reality. Yet, judging by the present situation, they seemed to have plunged into an even larger whirlpool.
"Can we still return to the real world?"
Faced with Liang Fei's question, the young man sighed.
"I hate this part the most. Every time new recruits arrive, I have to explain a bunch of things until my throat is dry, only to find out none of them survive to see the next mission... You explain it to them."
"Shen Meng, why don't you tell them."
With those words, he turned and walked away. The woman named Shen Meng gave a slight nod.
Only then did Liang Fei notice this tall woman with hair cascading down to her waist.
"Well, at least you managed to survive your first mission. If you have any questions, ask now."
The four of them looked at each other in dismay. Finally, as if resigning himself to his fate, Liang Fei spoke up first:
"What on earth is the Land of Oblivion?"
"You can look at it as a curse, or you can consider it a blessing."
"A bl—"
Before the word "blessed" could escape his lips, Lu Ming caught sight of Liang Fei glaring daggers at him. Liang Fei offered Shen Meng an apologetic look.
"Please go on."
Shen Meng nodded.
"First of all, returning to the real world isn't impossible. You just have to complete The Ultimate."
"The Land of Oblivion is divided into four zones. Ranked by difficulty, the zone we are in right now is the beginner level."
"For every seven missions issued by the Land of Oblivion that you complete, you can participate in a mission challenge. Those who survive will be taken by the bus to the next zone, all the way until you reach The Ultimate."
"As for what The Ultimate actually is, I don't know either. After all, I'm just a newcomer who has only completed three missions."
"The Land of Oblivion is an independently formed world where you can get anything you want—everything except freedom."
"There is no freedom to come and go from the Land of Oblivion!"
At this point, a clear change flickered in her eyes, though she quickly reined it in.
"Your second mission will be in a month. This is the time the Land of Oblivion gives you to get your bearings. Starting from the third mission, you will have to participate in one every seven days."
"For every mission, a bus will take you there, and upon completion, a bus will bring you back."
Hearing this, the hearts of Liang Fei and the others felt as though they were weighed down by massive boulders.
It was suffocating!
Lu Ming, Zhou Yue, and Han Cheng's hearts hammered wildly against their ribs as well. From here on, they would have to face a second... a third mission...
They would have to continually face death until they truly died.
"Will the difficulty of the missions gradually increase?"
Liang Fei took a deep breath, steadied his nerves, and asked.
Shen Meng nodded, a hint of puzzlement on her face.
"The first mission is always very simple. The Land of Oblivion not only provides clues, but also doesn't interfere..."
"Every once in a while, we wait here to see if any new recruits will arrive."
"How long does it take for newcomers to show up?"
Liang Fei asked.
"That's hard to say. Although the first mission is simple, not everyone can pass it. You should know by now that dying during a mission is a completely ordinary occurrence."
True to a veteran who had completed multiple missions, death was nothing more than an everyday matter in her mouth.
Recalling the deaths of Chen Lan, Qin Kai, and the others, Liang Fei's expression turned grim beyond measure.
"Are all the missions about solving cases?"
Liang Fei took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the terror in his heart.
"Not necessarily. There could be other types of missions, like survival... or decryption..."
"What was that benefit you mentioned earlier?"
"Ever heard of the Forbidden Zone of God? Never mind... tomorrow you'll find out..."
At this, her voice paused once more.
"Experience it for yourselves."
With that, she turned and walked a few steps before stopping, her gaze falling upon Liang Fei.
"It's lunchtime. Let's discuss any other questions while we eat, shall we?"
Liang Fei went rigid all over, staring blankly at Shen Meng's retreating back, utterly unable to collect his thoughts for a long moment.
The Forbidden Zone of God?
What was that?