Chapter 4

Gathering his courage, Lin Yifan stepped into the darkness. In his line of sight, there was only the dark silhouette of the maid, Sophia. He didn’t know how long he had walked, but the sound of the iron gate opening echoed in his ears.

Squinting as he emerged from the darkness, he was still a bit unaccustomed to the light.

The sky was a pale blue, and a passenger plane roared overhead. The sea breeze blew through Lin Yifan’s hair, but under such a beautiful sky, his face was frozen in shock.

Surrounded by high walls and towers, he realized he was in a prison on an island!

"Acting Warden, this is your mission reward." The maid handed a video tape to Lin Yifan, her face showing no emotion.

After receiving the tape, which carried the怨气 (resentment) of Sadako, Lin Yifan felt a chill all over his body, as if it were a hot potato he wanted to throw away immediately.

At this moment, a strong wind lifted the maid’s skirt, revealing glimpses of white stockings and garter belts, which made Lin Yifan take a second look. The maid simply pressed down her skirt, showing no pleasure or anger.

Lin Yifan sensed something and followed the direction the maid was looking, revealing shock once again.

This small island in the sea was not isolated. When Lin Yifan’s gaze swept over the south, he saw skyscrapers and sirens, a modern metropolis coming into view.

"There’s no need to look, Acting Warden. If you have the chance to return, Sophia will take you there." The maid, who rarely smiled, walked up to Lin Yifan. Although she always used polite language, her eyes showed a coldness.

"Oh, but I still want to ask, what is that place?"

Unable to resist his curiosity, Lin Yifan noticed that the buildings closer to the center of the island were more luxurious and modern, while those in the outskirts, though not dilapidated, were much less impressive.

This island city was very strange, with different types of buildings in concentric circles, as if divided by strict hierarchies.

"Limitless City, a large prison for the cycle beings." The maid said calmly.

Lin Yifan looked at the distant Limitless City and smiled bitterly. "This cold joke is indeed funny, a large prison for cycle beings, a place of drunkenness and dreams."

"Yes, as long as you have money, you can buy anything, including the time to survive in this world."

Lin Yifan digested the maid’s words, forming a clear concept of this limitless space city in his mind.

"Acting Warden, it’s time. Before you leave, Sophia has something to say."

The maid, who usually spoke little, came over. As she moved, a scent of jasmine wafted through the air.

As a former extra and half-otaku, Lin Yifan had seen beautiful celebrities from a distance before, but this was the first time he was so close to a dream-like beauty.

The coldness and beauty of the maid made Lin Yifan feel a surge of desire to conquer such beauty.

"You have half a minute left, but Sophia has a request."

"Hmm?"

"No matter what happens, don’t discard this video tape. Remember, you have fifty seconds to use the ghost transformation ability, that kind of..."

Before Sophia could finish, Lin Yifan felt his body start to blur. Although she was still speaking, he could no longer hear her.

Not only Sophia, but the sea breeze and the sound of the waves also disappeared, leaving the world in complete silence. At the same time, the countdown from the God-like entity echoed in his mind.

Seeing Lin Yifan’s body blur, Sophia closed her mouth, her lips slightly parting. "May you return safely."

However, Lin Yifan couldn’t hear Sophia’s words. The world began to distort, and the colors around him mixed into a murky hue.

In the next second, Lin Yifan found himself back in the world of "Midnight Horror Call."

Blinking, he was still a bit confused.

Click! Click!

The camera flashed, and several people were taking photos of a body on the ground. A few men in Japanese police uniforms were walking around the yard.

Lin Yifan glanced at the face of the body and recognized the old woman from before. The doll had fallen beside a wooden chair in the yard.

The investigating police were puzzled. How did someone suddenly appear here? They didn’t know if he had climbed over the wall.

"Hey! Who are you? Do you know this old lady?" A police officer walked over quickly.

"Nothing, I was just curious..."

"Curious about what? It’s just a heart attack. Get out, get out!" The officer impatiently shooed Lin Yifan away.

A reporter nearby suddenly asked, "We heard from the neighbors that there was a ghost last night. Is it true?"

"Hey! What are you talking about? We’re in modern times, don’t believe in such superstitions. I warn you reporters not to spread rumors."

Listening to their discussion, it was clear that the police in this story world didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. They thought Lin Yifan was a reporter from a small news agency and wanted to get rid of him along with the reporters.

Lin Yifan sighed with relief as he walked out of the yard. Although he didn’t know how many days had passed in the story world, it was still daytime, which was a relief. Otherwise, being alone and surrounded by ghosts would not be fun.

He took out the video tape from his backpack, and the cold aura made him shiver, so he quickly put it back.

Carrying this ghostly item was terrifying, but Lin Yifan followed the maid’s final advice. He still didn’t understand the ghost transformation ability.

The most important thing now was to find his missing teammates. Otherwise, he would be unable to face the endless怨灵 (vengeful spirits) at night.

But he had no way to contact them and no money, making it difficult to find them.

"Hey, sir..."

Lin Yifan, who was a bit lost, was stopped by someone. He turned back to look.

He wasn’t sure what form the people in this world took, but it might be a parallel space. However, including Lin Yifan, none of the cycle beings paid much attention to their survival.

"Hmm?" Lin Yifan grunted impatiently, scaring the reporter back a few steps.

"Sir, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sato Masahiro, and I am a reporter."

The reporter respectfully handed over a business card. Lin Yifan glanced at it. Although he didn’t understand Japanese, he could read the kanji. The reporter worked for a small news agency.

"Do you need something?"

"It’s not convenient to talk here. Why don’t we go to a nearby izakaya (Japanese pub) to talk?" The reporter was very polite and restrained, which made Lin Yifan a bit uncomfortable. It was their national character.

Since he had no money, he might be able to use this reporter to find Captain Liu and the others.

"Alright, let’s go." He could understand the language, even if he couldn’t read the text.

Following the reporter into the izakaya, the place was narrow but clean. For Lin Yifan, who was used to the domestic environment, everything here was both novel and uncomfortable.

"Waiter, some sake and dishes, sir..." The reporter paused, not knowing Lin Yifan’s name.

"My name is Lin. I’ll have a bowl of ramen." Lin Yifan said simply, ordering food without hesitation.

Sato Masahiro smiled politely and lowered his voice. "Mr. Lin, I am very interested in what happened last night."

Lin Yifan sat there, looking at his phone, not saying much. "Oh."

"Um, the young man last night, was it you, Mr. Lin?" Sato Masahiro was curious about the touchscreen phone in Lin Yifan’s hand but got straight to the point.

Noticing the reporter’s gaze, Lin Yifan realized it was the 1990s, and having a touchscreen phone was indeed too flashy.

However, the reporter’s question about last night made Lin Yifan raise an eyebrow. "Were you there last night?"

The reporter, seeing Lin Yifan admit it, stood up excitedly. "Yes, yes, Mr. Lin. I saw your exorcism battle. It was amazing!"

"Cough, cough!" The shop owner cleared his throat, signaling the reporter to be quiet and not disturb the other customers.

Lin Yifan took a sip of sake and smacked his lips. He knew the reporter didn’t realize that the four of them were thoroughly beaten by Sadako and the vengeful spirits last night.

They almost got wiped out by Sadako. If he hadn’t completed the warden’s side mission, three of them would have died at the start!

He could only say that the horror movie world was too terrifying, and as a newcomer, his first cycle was in such a brutal environment, which was indeed unlucky.

The reporter suppressed his excitement, put down his cup, and said, "Mr. Lin, are you a Taoist from across the sea? You’re amazing, even speaking Japanese so well."

Lin Yifan took a sip of sake and smiled without a word. It seemed that in the story world, people automatically translated their language, which was convenient for cycle beings from different regions.

"By the way, Mr. Sato, I have a question. Do you know a female reporter named Asakawa?"

Sato Masahiro rubbed his chin, thinking, and shook his head. "I’m sorry, Mr. Lin. I don’t remember such a colleague. Is she famous?"

"Nothing, it seems not." Lin Yifan continued drinking, disappointed not to find the main character of the story.

If it were the first "Midnight Horror Call," the characters would constantly make mistakes, insisting on watching the cursed video tape out of curiosity, which would lead to their demise.

But now, the situation was that this was still the world of "Midnight Horror Call," but the story hadn’t unfolded, and the cycle beings were the targets of the attacks.

At this moment, Lin Yifan thought of something and paused with the sake cup at his lips. "Wait, the free mode that Yao Ling mentioned..."

"Mr. Lin?"

Lin Yifan shook his head and finished the sake in one gulp. "Nothing, I just want to give you a warning. Don’t investigate that matter."

"Actually, I came here for that, Mr. Lin. Thanks to you, I saw the vengeful spirits last night. I want to ask you..."

At this moment, Lin Yifan took the large bowl of ramen from the waiter, slurped the noodles, and drank the soup, finishing the bowl with a satisfied sigh. "Thanks for the meal. I can only tell you not to investigate that matter, or you will die a terrible death."

Hearing this, Sato Masahiro’s face stiffened. He felt that if even a high-ranking person from overseas said this, it was clear that continuing the investigation would cost him his life.

Sato Masahiro, hesitating, was thinking when his beeper on his waist rang. He glanced at it, nodded apologetically to Lin Yifan, and walked to the rotary phone in the shop.

"Mr. Takahashi, it’s me. What? You found the video tape? You’ve already watched it?"