Uncovering the Mystery of Pan Bowen's Disappearance in Tianjin (Part 1)
After successfully quelling the bizarre incident caused by the Yellow River Snake Woman, a rare sense of peace settled within Bureau 749. However, this brief moment of peace was shattered like fragile glass by a sudden report of a mysterious incident. This time, the setting was a seemingly ordinary middle school in Tianjin.
Recently, a bizarre story has quietly spread like a virus in the shadowy corners of the internet. The narrator confidently claims that he and his classmate, Pan Bowen, went to the basement during break to retrieve a ball. But upon their return, the world seemed to have undergone a grotesque distortion. As if completely erased by reality, Pan Bowen has vanished from everyone's memory. No trace of his existence remains in the real world, as if he had never set foot in this world.
As soon as this story appeared, it sent shockwaves through the internet, like a boulder dropped into a calm lake. Some scoffed, convinced it was merely a grotesque plot fabricated by bored online writers to attract attention. Others, however, felt a surge of inexplicable fear after reading the story, privately claiming they had experienced similar, unexplained disappearances with no one to remember, but had been too frightened to speak out.
With their keen sense of paranormal activity, Bureau 749 sensed the potential for supernatural manipulation. They quickly mobilized their elite forces, including the experienced Lin Yu, the bold and cautious Ouyang Zhenghao, and Chen Yao, a researcher with extensive knowledge of memory-related mystical phenomena. They formed an investigative team and rushed to Tianjin.
Upon arriving in Tianjin, the three of them headed straight for the middle school described in the story. At first glance, the school looked like any other. On the playground, students played and laughed during recess, their energy overflowing; in the classrooms, the sound of reading filled the air. Everything seemed perfectly normal and orderly. However, Lin Yu and the others, armed with years of experience dealing with mysterious incidents, sensed a lingering, eerie presence, as if invisible, cold eyes were lurking in the shadows, watching their every move.
Ouyang Zhenghao watched the carefree students wandering the campus, his brows furrowed in thought, as if an invisible hand had tied a knot between his brows. He lowered his voice, a hint of doubt and uneasiness, and said to Lin Yu, "Lin Yu, this school doesn't seem to be in bad shape, but Pan Bowen just vanished into thin air, even his memory was completely wiped out. This is uncanny, like... like he's been cursed by some evil force." His eyes revealed deep worry, as if he had a premonition that this investigation would be fraught with difficulties.
Lin Yu nodded slightly, his eyes solemn, as if shrouded by a haze. He spoke slowly, "The more seemingly calm things appear, the more likely they are to conceal untold turmoil. We can't be fooled by superficial appearances. We should first find the narrator of the story and learn from him the details of the circumstances. Perhaps we can uncover some clues." Lin Yu, too, was filled with doubt and uneasiness, but as captain, he had to remain calm and resolute, instilling confidence in his teammates.
Chen Yao pushed her delicate glasses up on her nose, her intelligent eyes gleaming with thought. She added, "The mass erasure of memories is by no means a natural phenomenon. It's likely due to some powerful and unknown mental force, or perhaps even a mysterious distortion of time and space. The truth behind this is probably far beyond our imagination. We must be fully prepared." Chen Yao's tone carried a hint of the scholarly rigor and concern. She knew full well that this investigation would be a difficult one.
After some trouble, they finally found the narrator, Xiao Zhou. Xiao Zhou was in a state of extreme mental distress, his eyes filled with fear and confusion, like a child lost in a dark forest. In a spare, dimly lit classroom at school, Xiao Zhou, patiently guided by Lin Yu and the others, slowly recounted his terrifying experience.
"During the break that day, the sun shone through the mottled leaves onto the campus. Everything was the same as usual. Pan Bowen and I agreed to go to the basement to get the ball. As soon as the basement door opened, a damp and moldy smell hit us, like the breath of a tomb that had not been opened for many years. The light inside was very dim, with only a few faint rays of light squeezing in from the narrow vents high up, forming patches of strangely shaped light and shadows on the ground, as if they were shadows cast by a demon. We walked in cautiously. The ground under our feet was bumpy and uneven, and we could hear a dull echo with every step, as if something was responding to us in the darkness." Xiao Zhou recalled, his body trembling slightly, and his voice trembling a little, as if that experience was like a ferocious beast, pouncing on him again.
"It took us a long time to find the ball. But when we came out of the basement, strange things began like a nightmare. Back in the classroom, the classmates were laughing and playing as usual, but I found that no one remembered Pan Bowen. I asked them, and they all looked at me as if I was a monster, saying that I was hallucinating because of too much pressure from studying. I asked the teacher, and the teacher also said that there has never been a person named Pan Bowen in our class. I was stunned at the time, and it felt like the whole world had become strange and scary, as if I was trapped in a nightmare that I could never wake up from." Xiao Zhou said, holding his head in his hands, with a painful expression on his face, as if those scenes were being replayed before his eyes.
Lin Yu listened intently, his mind swirling with confusion, his mind a tangled mess. He asked, "Is there anything special about the basement? Strange noises, strange lights, or unusual objects? Any tiny detail could be the key to solving the mystery." Lin Yu stared intently at Xiao Zhou, trying to glean a glimmer of information from his expression and response.
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