Zhang Xiaowai stumbled out of the haunted office building like a man jolted awake from a nightmare. As he clambered down the stairs, he kept glancing back, half-expecting the masked figure with that icy voice to still be standing at the end of the hallway, whispering the words that had sent a chill down his spine—"You're already involved."
The wind was cold. Wulong City at night was a deserted shell, the only sounds the whistling gusts and plastic bags scraping along the pavement. Zhang huddled deeper into his thin coat, like a fishbone caught in the throat of the city—small, stuck, and impossible to ignore. His mind was a tangled mess, with the message on the paper etched into his memory like a branding iron: "Next, it'll be you."
He needed something to calm his nerves.
By some strange compulsion, he found himself wandering to the night market's BBQ street—the throbbing heart of Wulong's after-hours scene, alive with smoke and neon even at 2 a.m. The mingling scents of cumin and chili and the buzz of chatter slapped him back into reality. "Still alive," they seemed to say. "Don't scare yourself to death just yet."
He took a seat at a familiar food stall, one he'd frequented since college. The owner, Old Hu, recognized him instantly and joked, "Little Zhang, heartbreak again? Your face looks sadder than a grilled eggplant."
"Worse than heartbreak," Zhang mumbled. He ordered five skewers of lamb, a cold beer, and a side of grilled enoki mushrooms, hoping the hot food would warm his mood.
He had just cracked open the beer when a voice, louder than the night market's loudspeakers, rang out beside him.
"Oh my god! Isn't this the survivor from the crime scene?!"
"Cough! Cough!" Zhang nearly choked, spraying beer everywhere. Startled, he turned to see a girl dressed like a time-traveling detective—vintage coat, a red scarf, and a classic deerstalker cap perched atop her head. In her hand was an oversized magnifying glass, and her face radiated excitement.
"Who are you?" Zhang frowned. What kind of lunatic shows up at a food stall in costume?
She grinned broadly, teeth gleaming under the lights. "Name's Liu Piaopiao, the number one detective in Wulong City! Don't let the look fool you—I've solved thirteen community-level cases already. Like who stole the socks from Building 2, or who kept farting in the stairwell and wouldn't own up. But tonight, this... this is my turning point!"
Zhang blinked. Was she trying to film a skit? Before he could respond, the girl sat down across from him and, without asking, grabbed one of his lamb skewers. She took a bite and declared, "You just came from the crime scene, right? I've been watching you—your eyes darting, hair standing on end, pulse racing. You're definitely a key figure!"
"You've been watching me?!" Zhang looked around uneasily. "I'm just a tired office worker. Can't I be late without raising suspicion?"
Liu's eyes gleamed. She raised her magnifying glass. "Tell me—who's the missing person? Your boss? Was there a mysterious note? A masked man?"
Zhang glanced around. The market was still busy, but people were now staring thanks to this girl's volume. He lowered his voice. "How do you know about the..."
"Detective's sixth sense!" she beamed, tapping her chest proudly.
Zhang thought of Director Li's empty office, the failed messages, the creepy note. A part of him didn't want to believe this bizarre woman, but another part couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
"Something's wrong," Liu suddenly muttered, her tone shifting. Her eyes narrowed. "You're scared to death, but you still want to know the truth, don't you?"
The words hit home like a needle to the heart.
"I can help you," she said softly, serious now. "We can solve this. Otherwise, you'll end up on the missing persons list too."
Before he could react, she jumped to her feet. "No time to waste! First clue—trash bins near the crime scene!"
"Huh?" Zhang blinked. Before he could protest, Liu had already yanked him out of his seat and started dashing through the night market. She sniffed the air and scanned the ground with her magnifying glass like a budget detective in a web series.
Vendors looked on with amusement, mistaking them for influencers shooting content. One even offered a squid skewer, saying, "Hey beauty, play along for the camera!"
Panting and exasperated, Zhang was about to call her out when Liu shouted, "Found it!"
She dove into a garbage bin and triumphantly pulled out a silver smartphone, still sticky with chili oil and sauce. Holding it up like a prize-winning trophy, she grinned.
Zhang leaned in and paled—it was Director Li's phone. The limited edition black-gold dinosaur sticker confirmed it.
"How did you...?" he stammered.
"Detective's instinct! Trash bins are clue paradises!" she said, adjusting her hat with a smug smile.
Hands trembling, Zhang unlocked the phone—Li's password was, absurdly, "1234."
An unsent message appeared on the screen:
10 p.m. tonight. Meet at the abandoned amusement park.
Time-stamped at 9:30 p.m.—just half an hour before Li went missing.
Zhang felt a cold sweat down his back.
"Abandoned amusement park?" Liu's eyes sparkled. "That place is legend! Rumors say the carousel spins by itself at midnight, and the ferris wheel glows without power!"
She grabbed Zhang's arm. "Come on! We're going there now!"
"I have work tomorrow!" Zhang wailed, but she was already dragging him away. Behind them, Old Hu shouted, "Kid! You forgot to pay!"
At the street corner, Liu finally let go and said between gasps, "The masked man must've kidnapped Director Li! He's going to destroy evidence there. We have to find him first!"
"Can you stop guessing everything? Maybe Li just went there for a business deal..."
"No, no, no," Liu said solemnly. Her gaze turned sharp. "You've got a weird aura. Trouble follows you. Everything's connected to you somehow."
Zhang felt a chill. That wasn't a joke.
He took a deep breath. The night wind suddenly felt colder.
"Zhang Xiaowai," Liu said, voice low, stepping closer. "You're already involved."
Zhang froze. That... was exactly what the masked man had said.
He stiffened as Liu pulled out a small notebook and began scribbling.
"Step one: Disguise and infiltration. Step two: Collect evidence. Step three: Dramatically unmask the culprit!"
"I just wanted some BBQ..." Zhang groaned, head spinning. It felt like life was dragging him into another disaster.
Far away, the night market lights faded. The direction of the amusement park lay under a pale, watchful moon.
Zhang looked at the unsent message on the phone and forced a bitter smile.
"Director Li... if something really happens to you out there, I'm not even bothering to ask for that year-end bonus."