Chapter 44 The Alley (4) Passing on the hidden message to Fyodor...

After transmitting the hidden message to Fyodor, Takeichi looked at the system panel and saw that the energy indicator on the ghost story page was becoming brighter at an abnormal speed. The ghost story he had summoned had begun to undergo a crazy distortion.

[Warning: The target's energy level has been upgraded. The rule's influence range has expanded, and the rule's triggering conditions have undergone additional changes.]

[Derivative Rule 1: Strong Emotional Resonance. Even without possessing childhood keepsakes, if an individual displays extreme sadness, regret, or obsession with the past near the alley entrance, the probability of being drawn in increases slightly as they approach the alley.]

[Derivative Rule Two: Individuals who, through specific media, gain in-depth knowledge of ghost stories and legends and experience strong feelings of fear or curiosity, have a slightly increased probability of being drawn into the alleyway when approaching its entrance.]

Zhu Yi quietly looked at the data.

Diffusion needs to be more efficient.

The rumors spread by Fyodor alone are not fermenting fast enough. He needs a more direct way to offer the first wave of rich "sacrifices" to this hungry ghost story.

He thought of those "paranormal explorers" and "urban broadcasters" who were active online and willing to take risks for traffic and attention.

They are the best carriers of information, and also the easiest prey to capture.

Takeichi reconnected to the system and began to conduct precise information retrieval and filtering on local Yokohama online forums and video platforms.

Soon, a three-person livestreaming group called "Coward Club" came into his view.

Zhu Yi glanced at their profile. They were known for exploring various paranormal locations, producing exaggerated filming effects, and had a considerable number of loyal fans.

"You're the ones."

He mobilized a small portion of the remaining Ghost Stories Points and performed a precise operation through the system. He did not directly control the consciousness of these broadcasters, as that would be too easy for the Special Abilities Department and the Armed Detective Agency to detect the anomaly.

He simply amplified the information, pushing out a large amount of information about Echo Alley.

Within this information cocoon, subconscious seeds are planted, making them interested in the story.

Meanwhile, as the members of the "Cowards Club" were discussing their livestream plans for tomorrow night, they all came across this urban legend and believed it to be true. The constant stream of text, combined with people's imaginations about mysterious things, created a sense of "realism" that came from their own minds, which greatly stimulated their excitement and creative desire.

"Brothers! I feel like we're going to be a huge hit this time!" One of the streamers, Fatty, excitedly announced in the group chat: "I got goosebumps just from looking at the information. Tomorrow night's live stream is going to be absolutely explosive!"

...

With his hands in the pockets of his sand-colored trench coat, Dazai Osamu strolled leisurely to the building where Takeichi lived. He hadn't expected Takeichi to no longer be living at the office, but finding Takeichi's whereabouts was a piece of cake for him.

He looked up at the ordinary building, a fleeting, unfathomable emotion flashing in his iris-colored eyes.

Dazai Osamu did not call Takeichi in advance; it was a surprise visit.

He went upstairs, found the door number, and Dazai Osamu, with his usual smile on his face, knocked on the door.

After a moment of silence inside the door, weak footsteps could be heard.

The door opened, and Takeichi appeared in the doorway. He was wearing loose loungewear, and his face was even paler than when they parted yesterday. There were faint dark circles under his eyes, and he did indeed look like Kunikida Doppo had said, as if he had suffered from excessive mental exhaustion.

"Ah, Mr. Dazai." Takeichi looked surprised when he saw the person in front of him. "What brings you here? Please come in."

Dazai Osamu walked into the room with a smile, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping across the living room.

The room was very tidy, but it also gave off a feeling of temporary living and lack of warmth.

Dazai Osamu's gaze lingered on the coffee table for a moment, where a glass of water sat and a few ordinary vitamin pills were placed beside it.

"I came to see you. Kunikida and the others were very worried about you." Dazai Osamu sat down naturally on the sofa. "How were you feeling after you went back yesterday? Dr. Yosano really wants to give you a full check-up."

Zhu Yi gave a wry smile, sat down opposite him, and rubbed his temples: "Thank you for your concern. I was mainly mentally exhausted. I feel much better after a good night's sleep. I appreciate Dr. Yosano's kindness, but I'm afraid even her special ability can't help with this kind of mental exhaustion."

"Is that so?" Dazai Osamu tilted his head, his tone concerned. "Why don't you continue living at the office? I thought something had happened to you."

"Ah, well." Takeichi smiled sheepishly, "Mr. Dazai, you understand, I'm already being noticed by a lot of people, so I'm thinking of laying low for a while."

"I see. Speaking of which, when you cut off your senses yesterday, I seemed to sense a very peculiar energy fluctuation. It didn't seem like a superpower, nor did it feel exactly like the ghost stories I encountered before. Takeichi-kun, were you really just sensing it?"

After Dazai Osamu finished speaking, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Zhu Yi's expression remained unchanged; he merely sighed slightly, "Dazai-san's intuition is truly keen."

"Actually, it's also a way for me to protect myself. My ability allows me to sense them, but it also makes me an easy target, just like last time."

"So I had to use some of the primordial power of the inner world to sever the connection, which may cause some fluctuations. After all, when dealing with these things, you always have to keep some trump cards up your sleeve, right?" He shrugged helplessly.

Dazai Osamu stared at Takeichi for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled, and the oppressive feeling vanished instantly: "I see, it seems I was overthinking it. After all, Takeichi-kun is an important partner of ours now. If anything happened to you, Kunikida would definitely nag me."

He stood up, as if he had only come to visit Zhu Yi on a whim: "Then you should get some rest. I don't know why some rumors have appeared online. We are still investigating the source of the rumors at the detective agency. If we make any new discoveries or need your help, we will contact you again."

“Okay, feel free to contact me if you need anything.” Take nodded and saw Dazai Osamu to the door.

The moment the door closed, Zhu Yi leaned against the door panel, his wine-red eyes darkening.

Dazai Osamu's suspicions were deeper than he had anticipated; the conversation just now was almost a probing exchange.

...

Night gradually fell.

East of Yokohama Port, at the entrance to Echo Lane.

The three members of the "Cowards Club"—the fat guy, the skinny guy, and the girl with glasses—have already set up their live streaming equipment.

There were more onlookers than usual, drawn by the rumors and their live stream announcements.

"Family, do you see this? It's this alley!" The fat man spoke exaggeratedly into the phone camera, his face showing a feigned mix of fear and excitement: "The legendary Echo Alley! Everyone knows that several children have disappeared here recently! Even the police are at a loss. It's said that—if you shout here, you can hear some mysterious echoes, and even... it can bring the missing people back!"

The skinny guy shone his flashlight into the depths of the alley, the light flickering on the walls and casting eerie shadows: "It feels a few degrees colder in there than outside! Fatty, I think... I think I really hear a child crying?"

The girl with glasses was in charge of watching the live stream chat and adding to the atmosphere: "Wow, so many people in the live stream are saying they can feel it through the screen. Some people said they saw a dark shadow, and some people said they heard strange noises! There's definitely something wrong with this alley!"

Their performance attracted even more onlookers, and people began to discuss it animatedly. Curiosity, fear, and excitement filled the alleyway entrance, merging with the ever-growing hunger deep within the alley.

The atmosphere in the live stream was getting hotter and hotter, and the number of online viewers kept climbing.

Seeing the soaring popularity, the fat man grew bolder: "Family members! Friends! Send gifts! Next, we'll walk into Echo Alley and take you on a firsthand experience to see if we can find clues about the missing children and test the truth of the urban legends!"

He took a deep breath and stepped into the alleyway first, followed closely by the skinny man and the girl with glasses after exchanging a glance.

The moment the three of them stepped completely into the shadows at the alley entrance.

The light in the alley dimmed, as if the surrounding light sources had been swallowed up.

The beam of the flashlight became extremely unstable, flickering and even emitting an electric current sound.

"What's going on?! The equipment seems to be malfunctioning!" The skinny man frantically patted the camera.

"It's not the equipment! It's...it's this alley, there's something wrong with it!" The girl with glasses stammered, her voice trembling with tears, as she pointed to the surrounding walls.

Blurry, swaying images began to appear on the mottled walls.

Sometimes it's a scene of a child running and playing, sometimes it's a family arguing, sometimes it's an adult muttering to himself in an empty corner... These images begin to break and become distorted.

"Aaaaah—" the fat man screamed as he saw a blurry shadow of a boy who looked remarkably like him in a childhood photo flash across the wall and then reach out to him.

Almost simultaneously, a powerful and irresistible suction force came from the depths of the alley.

"Help! Pull me up!" The skinny man felt his feet being grabbed by an invisible hand, and his body was pulled backward.

The girl with glasses tried to pull the other person up, but was pulled down by an even stronger force.

The live stream was shaking violently, and after the image distorted, it went black instantly, leaving only panicked comments flooding the screen.

The crowd watching outside the alley entrance screamed in terror as they watched helplessly as the three livestreamers were dragged into the depths of the alley within seconds and then vanished without a trace!

The scene immediately descended into chaos.