Chapter 62: The Ghost Living in the Borderland
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
In the quiet, dimly lit office, Captain Song Cheng sat behind his heavy wooden desk, his usually calm face now creased with deep worry. The small lamp on his desk cast a warm glow, making the shadows around him seem oddly alive. It was the first time Li Lin had ever seen the captain, normally so confident and composed, look this troubled. His thick eyebrows were drawn together as if he were bracing himself against some invisible threat.
Across from him stood two Special Affairs Bureau agents, Li Lin and Xu Jiali, both still shaken from their latest mission. The lingering tension in the room was almost as heavy as the old leather-bound files stacked in the corners.
“So,” Captain Song finally began, his voice low and serious, “that last Dark Angel, the one shaped like an eyeball… it simply left the Otherworld it was attached to? It didn’t try to corrupt or control anyone, and it didn’t leave behind any of its ‘spawn’?”
Xu Jiali, standing beside Li Lin, straightened his shoulders and responded quietly, “Yes, Captain. It just floated off. Throughout the entire encounter, we didn’t experience any of those high-pitched, mind-twisting whispers from a higher dimension. None of that.”
Captain Song’s gaze grew even sharper. He leaned forward. “No whispers at all?”
Xu Jiali shook his head. “No. But that thing definitely noticed us. For a moment, I could feel its gaze, as if it was looking straight into our hiding spot. It was almost as though…” His words trailed off, and he looked unsure.
Captain Song tapped a finger impatiently on his desk. “As though what?” he pressed.
Xu Jiali struggled to find the right phrase. “As though it was searching for something,” he finally said.
A heavy silence followed. Captain Song stared at the papers scattered across his desk, his jaw set. After several moments, he sighed, then turned toward Li Lin. “When you were in contact with that man who called himself ‘Yu Sheng,’ did you sense anything… well, foreign about him? Anything that didn’t feel human?”
Li Lin took a breath, recalling the encounter. “He felt human,” she answered, her voice steady. “His voice, the way he talked, his manners, and the way he understood everyday life. Everything was perfectly normal. If he’s not human, then he’s done a flawless job of pretending.”
Captain Song’s frown deepened. “But according to what we know, he’s been living at an address that doesn’t even exist. ‘Wutong Road Number’—it’s not found in any official records. And the Otherworld doesn’t just create humans. It only ever produces Entities.”
Xu Jiali, who had been quiet again, spoke up softly, “We have encountered Entities before that can think and talk. Some of them even cooperate or at least communicate with us—like the ‘Storytellers’ or the ‘Passengers.’ They can be quite human-like in their own way.”
“But this ‘Yu Sheng’ is entirely different,” Captain Song countered, fixing Xu Jiali with a piercing stare. “He’s far more human-like than any Entity we’ve ever known.” He paused. “Tell me, are you absolutely certain he’s the same ‘Gatekeeper’ you saw on Ameyn-IX?”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Xu Jiali said, nodding. “But he didn’t recognize me at all. I was wearing full power armor and a psychic shield. It must have prevented him from sensing who I was.”
Captain Song leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair as he thought aloud. “So, he has limited perception. He shows human-like personality traits, can open ‘gates’ at will, and he can fight off Hunger Entities strengthened by Dark Angel influences. Yet we have no idea how he fights, as if he’s deliberately hiding his methods.” He paused to let this settle, then added quietly, “And another thing…”
“He’s very friendly toward humans,” Li Lin added helpfully, remembering how kindly Yu Sheng had acted.
“Yes, very friendly,” Captain Song agreed, nodding slightly. “He even reached out to our agents on his own.” He looked like he wanted to continue, but at that moment, footsteps sounded in the hallway outside. The soft tapping of shoes on the tiled floor drew closer.
A knock came at the door. It opened to reveal a short-haired young woman holding a thick folder. She stepped inside, her eyes shining with curiosity. “Captain Song, the Archive Department just sent these over.”
Captain Song’s eyes sharpened as he sat up straight. “They found something? Records on ‘Yu Sheng’?” he asked, his voice tight with anticipation.
The young woman nodded. “Yes. But when you look him up directly in the system, it shows that he’s been registered as ‘deceased.’ The date of this ‘cancellation’ goes all the way back to when the population records of the Borderland were first established. In other words, he was marked as gone even before he was officially born. Yet, oddly, after that point, his identity continued to stay active. The word ‘deceased’ is like a meaningless watermark. You can still see recent purchases, social activities, even transportation records under this ID—all occurring after he was supposedly deactivated.”
Captain Song took the folder and leafed through it, astonished. “A bug this huge, and no alert went off in the system?”
The young woman shrugged, clearly baffled. “No. The Information Center is already preparing for an all-nighter. I passed by there on my way, and Director Wu was practically shouting at everyone.”
Captain Song gave a tired chuckle. “Let him shout. He has to do that at least once a month. It’s practically part of his job description.” With that, he lowered his eyes to the papers in his hands.
Page after page revealed ordinary citizen-like behavior—everyday expenses, normal records of day-to-day life. But the bright red ‘deceased’ watermark stamped across each page and that impossible ‘Wutong Road Number’ address made it all feel eerie and unreal.
Captain Song turned to the computer on his desk and typed in some keywords: “Wutong Road Number.” The screen blinked, then displayed an error message. No results. His mouth pressed into a thin line.
“A ghost,” he muttered, almost to himself. “A ghost living here in the Borderland, leaving an unerasable mark on our complicated population system. And not a recent arrival, either. According to what Yu Sheng said, he’s been here for over twenty years.” He drummed his fingers on the desk, looking weary. “No one noticed. Not even the director. All this time, and he only showed himself when he wanted to.”
Li Lin and Xu Jiali exchanged nervous glances. In each other’s eyes, they saw the same unease. At least this “ghost” seemed harmless and believed he was just an ordinary person. They clung to that thought.
Just then, Captain Song’s eyes landed on another detail in the file. He raised an eyebrow. “He’s… a writer?” he said, a bit surprised. “This ghost has a job?”
The young woman stepped closer. “He’s a freelance writer,” she explained. “He contributes to small magazines and online platforms, writing horror stories or maybe low-end scripts. He’s not famous at all. Lately, he hasn’t been very active.”
Captain Song tilted his head thoughtfully. “So… is he a flop?”
The young woman shook her head, looking almost stern. “If he’s able to pay his bills, he’s not a flop.”
Captain Song grunted, not entirely convinced, and asked, “What sort of things does he write?”
“I found one of his short stories from last year at the end of the file. I thought you might be interested,” she said, her voice tinged with curiosity.
He flipped to the last page and skimmed through the story. It didn’t take long for him to frown slightly. The young woman watched him, waiting for his reaction.
After a moment of silence, he coughed and looked away, clearly uncomfortable. “I… don’t quite understand young people’s tastes,” he said finally, shutting the folder with a quiet snap and straightening his shoulders as if nothing odd had happened.
Without a hint of embarrassment, he pressed on, “Anyway, this is a useful lead. Gather everything this ‘Yu Sheng’ has written. We’ll do a psychological profile and figure out his personality. Keep a close eye on any new writing he produces.”
The young woman nodded. She understood perfectly what he meant. “Understood, Captain Song.”
Captain Song’s voice turned more serious. “We must be cautious. If he truly believes he’s human and behaves just like one, his writing might hold clues to what he really is. This has never happened before. We must study it carefully, but without letting him know we’re doing it.”
After giving a respectful nod, the young woman left, carrying the files out of the office. With her departure, Captain Song looked back at Xu Jiali and Li Lin.
“Did you ask Yu Sheng anything about the ‘spatial rifts’ in the Borderland?” he inquired, fixing them with a stern stare.
Li Lin shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Xu Jiali. When Xu Jiali didn’t speak, Li Lin cleared her throat. “I… forgot to ask,” she admitted, feeling foolish.
Captain Song’s forehead creased with annoyance. “How could you forget something like that?!”
Xu Jiali quickly stepped in to defend his colleague. “We were both on edge, Captain. We’d just encountered a Dark Angel. Also, while we might not have asked directly, we picked up some things when we were leaving the danger zone with Yu Sheng’s two companions.”
“His companions?” The captain’s tone softened slightly. “You mean that Doll and the Fox Spirit?”
“Yes,” Xu Jiali confirmed. “They mentioned that the so-called ‘spatial rift’ was nothing more than Yu Sheng trying to open some sort of door. He was just trying to rescue the Fox Spirit who was trapped in the Otherworld.”
Captain Song stared at him as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “That’s all it was?”
“It seems so,” Xu Jiali replied.
Captain Song gave a short, humorless laugh. “So, he just needed to find a path, opened and closed a few doors, and ended up shaking up our entire Borderland?!”
Xu Jiali tried to make light of it. “It mostly just shook up the Bureau…”
But seeing the dangerous look in Captain Song’s eyes, he swallowed the rest of his words.
With a heavy sigh, Captain Song rubbed his temples. He looked like he had a throbbing headache. “Alright,” he said at last, waving a hand to dismiss them. “You two can go now. This is a big mess, and I need to talk it over with the higher-ups.”
Li Lin and Xu Jiali nodded. As they turned to leave, Xu Jiali hesitated and glanced back over his shoulder. “Captain, what about making official contact with Yu Sheng? Should we follow the usual procedures?”
Captain Song waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about that yet. This will likely have to be approved by the director. If Yu Sheng were truly just some ordinary fellow, I’d send you both out to chat with him right now. But things aren’t so simple. Go get some rest. And don’t forget to stop by the Treatment Room to do your check-up and fill out the forms before you leave. You both have three days off starting tomorrow.”