As the scene remained still, though utterly devoid of visible elements, a shadow of a person materialized on the polished floor. Clad in a black overcoat, its outline indistinct, the figure drifted silently across the floor's reflection.

The reason it was described as drifting was the complete absence of any discernible foot movement, yet the entire body progressed slowly. This sight persisted for only a second before the screen dissolved back into static, leaving our group stunned into silence.

After a moment, Officer Mu Mu spoke, "This is quite precious footage. While it's not the first time I've captured a ghost, this instance is remarkably clear." In contrast to our growing chill, Officer Mu Mu seemed rather excited, which only reinforced my suspicion that the man possessed a rather peculiar streak.

I noted that the direction the shadow drifted was precisely toward my room; perhaps the entity had already visited my space by then. Officer Mu Mu continued, "Well?

Quite stimulating footage, isn't it? But here's where it gets a bit opaque for me." With that, he shut off the previous video and brought up another.

As the new video loaded, my heart sank, for I immediately realized this camera was positioned directly opposite my own room. Beneath the camera’s view was Room 630, where I was staying.

The angle captured most of the hallway, even catching the faint glow from the nurses' station lights. This time, Officer Mu Mu remained silent, and we too sensed the anomaly; mere seconds into the playback, a previously empty gurney in the hallway visibly shifted, clearly nudged by something unseen.

It couldn't have been the wind—there was no draft strong enough in that corridor to move it. The invisible specter moved with agonizing slowness; it took a full minute before I could see a black handprint slowly forming on the door of my room.

Simultaneously, the camera experienced a slight tremor, suggesting the shadow was now aggressively knocking. Checking the time, it was eleven o'clock, and the corridor was deserted.

I thought how fortunate it was that I hadn't been in the room then, or I surely would have opened the door directly and been scared to death. As we watched, we suddenly noticed a plume of white, smoke-like substance seeping out from under my door.

In that exact instant, the black handprint vanished from the door, and a dark silhouette flashed across the screen at incredible speed. "What scared it off?

Do you possess some kind of protective amulet?" Officer Mu Mu inquired. I immediately shook my head, replying, "Impossible.

I didn't bring any protective charms, and I wasn't even in the room at the time," I explained. Officer Mu Mu frowned slightly and remarked, "That is strange..." He closed that video segment and cued up another.

Then, with a distinctly eerie smile, he announced, "Watch closely now, the most spectacular part is about to begin." We held our breath once more as we focused on the screen. This time, the view was captured from the angle across from the nurses' station.

Thirty seconds into the playback, a tall, slender figure slowly emerged into the frame. Since the stairs were opposite the nurses' station, this person must have just come up from downstairs.

Seeing the time read around eleven, I knew the figure ascending was me. Observing this person—who appeared somewhat distracted, sporting a thin mustache and looking gaunt—I inwardly winced.

So that's how I looked; rather world-weary. I watched myself turn right, seemingly preoccupied, and walk directly toward my room.

He-Me walked right past the nurses' station, ignoring whatever He-Me-Mei-Ko was saying to him. Da Xiong pointed at the figure in the video and asked, "That's you, right?

Damn, kid, what were you thinking? You look completely lost." I recalled being mentally frayed from the night before, thanks to that one-horned masked figure, and felt a surge of embarrassment, waving my hand dismissively.

"Nothing, just some things on my mind. Don't ask." At this point, Officer Mu Mu interjected, "This person is truly you?

That’s odd; this person is exhibiting some abnormal behavior." Hearing that sent a cold sweat down my spine, and I stammered out, "How... how is he abnormal?" Officer Mu Mu scrutinized me for a moment, as if assessing something, before finally saying, "Look at yourself.

When you walk, your heels barely touch the ground, almost as if you were possessed. However, your complexion doesn't suggest recent possession; you have color in your cheeks today.

There is another possibility: that something unclean sucked some of your vital energy away, making you feel light and detached. What exactly did you do last night?" At Officer Mu Mu's words, even Xie Yuting turned to look at me.

Under the scrutiny of three pairs of eyes, I hesitated, then finally blurted out the truth: "Well, it seems like I was being followed by someone wearing a white mask with a single horn." Officer Mu Mu froze for a second and then asked, "Was it this one?" He held up the white mask we had found by the door earlier. My face immediately fell.

"Yes... I think that's the one." Officer Mu Mu grew serious.

"Good, then that confirms it. You all need to see the final video segment." He then brought up one last recording and said, "By this time, my fiancée, Meizi, should have been in your room as well." I checked the time: one in the morning—the exact time Da Xiong and Xie Yuting lost control last night—and I nodded.

"Yes, she was in our room." Officer Mu Mu stated, "After watching this, I feel my help was worthwhile. If you hadn't pulled Meizi into the room then, she might have been scared to death by now." I could see that even without him saying it.

The footage began with me frantically pulling Meizi’s hand as we rushed into Da Xiong and Xie Yuting's room. Then, the hallway descended into chaos: the lights flickered erratically, sheets of paper and documents flew about in the air, and the empty gurneys parked along the hall darted around like bumper cars in a park, crashing into everything.

Anyone ordinary would have surely died of fright witnessing such a scene. After a few moments, the camera feed became heavily distorted by signal interference, erupting in sheets of static.

Ten seconds later, the picture stabilized, and we clearly saw a line of black footprints imprinted on the white floor tiles of the hallway, alongside mud splatters clinging to the walls—all still damp. At this point, the image grew increasingly unstable, the static forming waves that constantly warped the view.

It took about ten seconds to resolve a coherent picture. Through the visual distortion, we saw a black shadow standing on the tile floor of Room 602, and several black handprints marking the door.

That must have been when we heard the knocking outside. Good thing we didn't open the door; what would have happened then is anyone's guess.

Officer Mu Mu interjected from the side, "This imagery is truly invaluable; it will undoubtedly hold significant research potential." As soon as he finished speaking, the screen turned entirely to snow. Officer Mu Mu then shrugged and said, "The monitoring system broke down after that; there were no more images.

This happened across every camera in the building. I suspect the entity's magnetic field was so strong that it caused such extensive disruption." As he powered down the video and picked up his phone, I asked, "Is that it?

Then what about the white mask you’re holding?" Officer Mu Mu replied, "That’s exactly what I intended to ask you. Based on my usual experience, with resentment this strong, the entity could induce hallucinations in everyone on this floor.

How did you manage to survive unscathed?" I pointed to the talisman pasted behind my door, explaining, "I believe this saved us. I obtained it from a high monk at Leiyun Temple." Officer Mu Mu stood up, carefully peeled the talisman off, examined it curiously, and stated, "No, this charm doesn't have that much power.

Furthermore, in my research, talismans have no effect on malevolent spirits. It’s merely wishful thinking for people.

Ghosts only fear two things: electricity, and the smell of garlic, or other substances with a strong odor." Da Xiong interrupted with an off-topic question, "You don't seem like an ordinary police officer. You sound quite knowledgeable about this area.

What exactly is your job?" Officer Mu Mu chuckled. "I am, of course, a police officer, but I just happen to enjoy researching these matters in my spare time.

That’s why I now work in the Special Investigations Unit, handling paranormal phenomena." I asked in surprise, "There really is such a department? I thought that only existed in novels!" Officer Mu Mu laughed.

"I think you’ve misunderstood. In reality, incidents like these are extremely rare.

We usually only handle the most peculiar cases—things like locked-room murders, spontaneous combustion, bizarre disappearances. Seeing them in the flesh, this is only my second time." Da Xiong, still wandering off-topic, pressed on, "Can you tell us about the first time you encountered them?" I nudged Da Xiong with my elbow, signaling that now was not the time for storytelling.

However, Officer Mu Mu seemed eager to boast about his past experiences and replied, "No problem, I don't mind telling you. The last time I saw them was in a small coastal city.

A tsunami had submerged the entire place. Due to an error in the early warning system, several vehicles were trapped and flooded inside a tunnel; all the trapped drivers died—about fifty or sixty people." "After the waters receded, people returned to normal life, but drivers passing through the tunnel late at night kept reporting hearing weeping sounds, and some experienced their steering wheels locking up.

While no major accidents occurred, it certainly kept everyone on edge." "That’s when our team received the report and went in to investigate. We sealed off the entire tunnel and placed an infrared camera inside.

This camera could capture images even in total darkness. For the first two nights, as we reviewed the footage, there was nothing unusual.

Until the third day, when we were examining what the camera had recorded, we discovered..."