Chapter 1 "The Junior Police Officer" [File book, July 1991...]
Jane Dieda heard the sound of a radio broadcast coming from a street far away.
He was dozing off on the tan table, a chipped enamel mug blocking his view. Suddenly, a fan blew gusts of wind at him, and his hand, adorned with a gray quartz watch, clenched twice as if in a spasm. With a 'bang,' his long, calloused fingers knocked over a red plastic round mirror.
He picked it up immediately, bumping his head on the corner of the table in a fluster. The pain on his forehead made Jane Dieda feel that his arm was weak and something was wrong. He turned his head slightly, and the small red mirror next to him reflected his olive green police uniform and blue lining.
What era is this clothing from?
He quit his job at a traditional publishing house almost three years ago, and he usually stays at home wearing only T-shirts. He is definitely not the original owner of the police uniform.
Jane tugged at her red epaulettes, and with a sudden effort, her trembling palms reached into her pocket for a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and a tin of dried tangerine peel candy.
As soon as I started thinking about it, a sense of immersion in the role came over me.
...
"Report! We beg the organization to seek justice!"
“My name is Jian Da, my police number is 961248, and I am a grassroots police officer at Honghui Police Station.”
“I was an abandoned baby when I was 24. After graduating from university, I was admitted to a police academy.”
“My life turned dark after my mentor, Uncle Zhijie, died in the line of duty.”
"First, I fell and was hit by a steel nail, and my palm was infected with 46. After surviving, I could no longer hold chopsticks or pens for long periods of time. My superiors did not fire me, but kept my position."
"A policeman who can't handle a gun is worse off dead than alive."
"I was mocked for not being able to use my hands to masturbate, and I didn't dare to talk back."
"Usually, only Aunt Chunlan from the alley cares about a young person like me."
"Last month, I contracted a strange illness. I received IV drips but didn't get better. Chunlan performed a soul-summoning ritual for me, and today was the first time I had the energy to go to work. But half an hour later, I quietly passed away in the office..."
...
Jane Diedda realized that her body memory was being constantly read.
He struggled to pick up the very light little mirror and found that Jianzi's face looked quite like his own, which made him feel a sense of identification.
How did I end up in the body of someone who died such a tragic death?
A system mechanically spoke in my mind: "Hello, please allow me to introduce myself. I am a system designed specifically for night owls at 3 a.m.
Staying up all night... System? Jian Dieda felt that his idea was a bit presumptuous, but his first reaction was that this system must not have much hair.
The bald-headed baby system asked, "Do you still remember the process of us binding?"
Touching my hair, I really remember it.
He seems to have watched a suspenseful horror movie that was advertised online as having numerous plot twists.
The final scene is set in a deserted village with a wild graveyard. The male lead and his men crack the last mechanism of the haunted house. After the woman in red in front of him tells a story from the Republican era, the biggest foreshadowing in the whole film is finally revealed. It turns out that she is not a ghost at all, but suffers from a family-related mental illness. The moment the female ghost finishes speaking, the background music of the online movie begins.
Viewers flooded the screen with angry comments: "Damn, this is awful! It's definitely just another marketing ploy! When will Chinese films ever stand up again?"
Taking off his glasses, Jian Dieda clicked to close the webpage. He knew that another domestic film that had kept him up until 3 a.m. had ended.
He meddlesomely commented, "I could guess the ending from the very first second. I'm going to go bald for nothing tonight."
The moment the message was sent, the female ghost on the computer changed her expression from tearful and blood-soaked to something else. She poked her head out, gave three sarcastic laughs, and with a smirk revealing a mouthful of fangs, said, "Is it my fault? Guess again!"
Immediately following this was an absurdly bizarre advertisement ad:
Years later, a woman's skeleton was discovered under the bed in a rented room. A flyer-painted advertisement near the coal stove in the hallway proclaimed, "Murderer, pay with your life!" A man's shoe print appeared on the yellow, foul-smelling dog urine stains at the back door of the public toilet. An old newspaper with a missing person ad... these seemingly insignificant clues could hold the secrets the deceased left behind in the world...
Please close your eyes when it gets dark.
Then he came here.
Jane Dieda asked, "You've got the wrong person. Who said I like staying up late?"
The system said, "Most people with your hair volume like to stay up late."
Jane Dieda replied, "Who told you I'm just an ordinary person?"
System: "The way you speak does fit your persona."
Jane Dieda asked, "What is my persona?"
"Slutty."
"..."
"I often hurt my back from being so provocative."
"..."
"He's pretending to be a grumpy Garfield again."
Jian Dieda tugged at his face. He had been told this before, and since then, he had been most averse to people recognizing his cold exterior and sly interior. It seemed that he was better off without this system, but he spent half an hour trying to find a way to uninstall it.
The system continued to send unsolicited messages: "Ding! The new story, 'Little Policeman,' has been sent to your inbox. Please accept the new unfinished script! Enter the suspenseful story whose ending no one can write!"
Please read the rulebook.
The system is engaging in forced buying and selling.
Jane began to think of an escape strategy. Her mind, which was in a horror game, had to click to accept the mission. In an instant, another bookshelf appeared in her mind, with three small black notebooks in the first row.
The one on the left is a rulebook for escape room games, the one in the middle is for battle royale games, and the one on the right is a story-based puzzle game. The game has the puzzle rulebook open, and the first rule reads:
The 1-1 (police officer)'s duty is to listen to the testimonies of all informants (teammates) and find (potential criminals). For each night the (police officer) survives, they can obtain a new side quest.
Jane then opened a kraft paper bag, bypassed the drawstring, and a letterhead fell out.
[Archived records, July 1991: Another report from residents indicates that Shanzha Hutong is haunted.]
The paper contained statements from the protagonist and a mysterious character, representing their differing perspectives.
(Male lead – Jian Da: “My master died at the entrance of the alley five years ago, but it became a local legend. I know that he received a fake police call before he died. I now suspect that the murderer is someone I know, and my enemy is very likely in Shanzha Hutong!”)
(Mysterious character – “???”: “Actually, I secretly called the police on false charges, but I won’t reveal my identity.”)
(The first round has three main locations: Chunlan's home, Honghui Police Station, and the alley entrance where the previous old policeman died.)
(The time it takes to reveal any character's stance is in seven-day increments.)
(Difficulty level for this round: 'Grandma telling stories to her grandson')
(Team composition: all members except the main character are NPCs)
(Current progress: 1%)
(Completion criteria: Achieve 99% completion to open the real-world portal.)
Jane asked curiously, "Does this game allow players to bring in real-life teammates to play as characters, besides NPCs?"
The system explained: "Yes, if you pass the newcomer's guide, you will meet more teammates who work at 3 a.m. to analyze and review cases together."
"Why is it only 3 a.m.?"
"People who insist on staying up until 3 a.m. are people who are constantly on the verge of sudden death. Their souls are unstable, but they are not afraid of sudden death. In addition, they are a group of bald people who stay up too late. It doesn't matter if they lose a few hairs after being scared a few times."
That makes sense.
After reading the beginning of the case, Jian Dieda had no clue whatsoever: "Should I find the mysterious person first?"
System: "Perhaps."
Jane Dieda's research clues: "The statement with these question marks only says that they called the police, but they didn't admit to the murder, so it's possible that they aren't the real killer, right?"
In murder mystery games, it's always difficult for a rookie police officer to distinguish between friend and foe.
The system replied: "You need more hair to help you think."
Jian Dieda looked at the starter pack with a shrewd expression: "Oh ho, I think I have 5000 sticks, let's use a cheat code—"
The system, holding a grudge, said, "Your hair volume is far less than mine; you can't even buy one of my cheat codes. Bald darling, start getting out of your newbie predicament."
I felt cold and shivering.
Jane Dieda could only take things one step at a time to escape the bizarre dungeon. He used ten strands of hair to search for the origin of his clothing and discovered that he was wearing a Type 83 police uniform.
Officer Jane, having traveled through time, looked around again, her pupils beginning to fill with the new indoor environment.
Besides a set of three-drawer wooden cabinets, an old-fashioned electric fan, a teacup, and a duty roster, he also saw a peaked cap placed very neatly on the table, with the national emblem and a golden pine branch as its insignia.
Jane Dieda labeled the hat.
[A small prop to solidify your public image: a police hat from the Honghui District Police Station. From this moment on, you must once again be proud of your police identity and the badge on your hat. Wear it every day and look in the small mirror in front of you.]
After reading the sentence, Jian unconsciously sat up straight.
It was just the right time to go to Chunlan's house for dinner. He pressed down the few stray hairs that were sticking up, put on his police uniform, and walked out of the station.
At the entrance of Honghui Police Station, there is a pair of lions with large heads, and a sign reads "Key Fire Prevention Unit of the County".
The radio broadcasts continued to play on the street, featuring crosstalk by Ma Ji and storytelling of the legend of Yue Fei.
At the end of July, the sweltering heat hit our faces.
When Jian Dieda came out, his face was as red as an apple in an elementary school textbook. He passed by a row of sesame seed cake ovens, noodle shops and stalls. The street was filled with the comforting aroma of food, which made him hungry. He saw a group of people in floral shirts buying cabbages, all buying them by the dozen or twenty kilograms. Some of them even came on big motorcycles.
Jian Dieda took out the only dollar he had left that month and bought a big, green cabbage. Despite his trembling hands, he held it in his arms and went to a crowded courtyard.
Bathed in the setting sun, a woman in an old blue cloth shirt was picking through vegetable leaves in the courtyard. Her home was not far from the market, and wilted, stale vegetables were being discarded at the intersection every day.
The cabbages and potatoes that the vendors throw away look unappetizing, but by picking them out with their bare hands, they can put together two dishes for their families.
Cao Chunlan was so startled by the young policeman's casual glance that she fell speechless.
"Jianzi, what are you doing scaring your auntie like that!"
[System Prompt]
[First Whistleblower: Cao Chunlan]
Age: 49
[Occupation: Local shaman, skilled in spirit mediumship and soul-calling techniques]
[Position: ???]
[Relationship: A very helpful female neighbor from the alleyway]
"I'm sorry, I've been walking so lightly ever since I was discharged from the hospital."
Jane scratched his head and apologized, then picked up a stool and sat down in the pile of coal briquettes.
He glanced at the small courtyard with a hint of unfamiliarity.
Chunlan was very good at managing the household; she could arrange everything in the dilapidated house perfectly.
Chunlan pressed her hand to her chest, speaking in a tone like she was coaxing a five-year-old child, "Then eat more, just focus on the food, and don't hide away and cry anymore. It's all in the past."
Jian Dieda turned his gaze to the woman's face. "Chunlan, keep this good cabbage. I'll use my salary to support you. Don't treat me like a child. I want to start living in the dormitory and eating in the canteen so I can show my talents to the leaders."
Chunlan picked up the cabbage and subconsciously said, "That's good, Zhijie, oh, no, Jianzi."
Jian Dieda Yidan.
The system vibrated and emitted a notification sound, making the conversation in the courtyard seem suspicious.
[You have triggered the case testimony regarding "unrequited love"]
There have long been rumors among the neighbors that Cao Chunlan never married because she secretly loved a married man named Dong Zhijie. Ever since your master died, she has always called you by the wrong name.
Jian Dieda understood. "I understand."
-----------
At the same time, a newcomer from a parallel world automatically joined the group in the world of ghost stories. Countless online members from the underworld simultaneously felt their phones vibrate, and a high-dimensional chat group appeared in Jian Dieda's mind.
Group name:
【Five Thousand Years of Strange Tales from China (99999)】
The group description reads,
This group includes a learning app and meeting functions. Members include various characters from ghost stories, aiming to facilitate multi-dimensional paranormal communication and frightening entertainment. Please abide by the group rules.
[1. Higher-dimensional supernatural tales can initiate unilateral observation of lower-dimensional supernatural tales, but the higher-dimensional being cannot use words to induce the protagonist of the lower-dimensional being to cause their world to collapse, thereby taking the opportunity to devour the smaller world.]
[2. Viewers of higher-dimensional ghost stories can tip lower-dimensional ones (with hair volume and yang energy donations) while watching.]
[3. Each higher-dimensional ghost story possesses a 'Story Card,' which can be used to send an invitation to explore a lower-dimensional realm.]
[4. Scenes involving adult content will be automatically removed by the system, and sexually explicit comments are also prohibited in higher dimensions...]
...
The pop-up window in the group ended. After being pulled into this large group by the system, Jian Dieda, who still had his screen open, saw two members pop up in the group member list.
[Harbin Cat-Faced Old Lady]: "..."
[95 Chengdu Zombie]: "..."
The profile pictures and names of the two group members sent a chill down my spine.
Jane Dieda discovered that the gameplay of the Baldness System really had the potential danger of encountering evil spirits, so he could only pretend to be humorous and say, "Newcomer reporting in, I am the newly born protagonist of the ghost story, brothers and sisters, please take me under your wing."
A hilarious meme of a panda man appearing with his hands in his pockets has taken over the group chat interface.
Note that he posted the underworld version, with blood splattered all over the panda's face, which looks creepy.
The atmosphere in the group suddenly turned as cold as if all the ghosts had been slaughtering fish at RT-Mart for three years.
Faced with these two new strange tales from the lower world, none of the old members with their blood-stained avatars paid any attention. After all, this wasn't a high school class group; they wouldn't shower it with flowers. But their lurking and spying behind the accounts was even more baffling.
Jane Dietacchai and his gang of introverted ghosts, like him, a pure-looking old man, are intermittently socially anxious and can only use emojis to communicate.
He said to the system, "Little bald guy, I've already said hello. Now, could you help me block out the higher planes?"
The bald system said, "Live streaming is the trend."
Jane Dieda firmly replied, "Thank you, but I am a mudslide."
The bald system refuses to give up: "Live streaming is where every silly beauty dream begins."
Jane nodded. "So, I'll just treat this as the place where my dream ends, since I'm a mentally challenged kid."
The system is silent.
I haven't seen such a terrible host in a long time, but surprisingly, it's not annoying.
It thought for a moment and said, "Hello, you can block your external perspective, but the ghost stories in the parallel world can still see your story progress. Moreover, your original intention in joining the group was to learn from them. Generally, new players will try to befriend a few high-ranking ghost stories and establish cooperation with them to obtain 'story cards'."
Jian Dieda glanced at the beginner's pack containing 5,000 hairs with a worried expression. He didn't think he had the ability to enter the world of advanced players at all. "Not for now. I think survival is the priority. If I can get through this level and not mess with my friends in the group, I can live longer."
-------------
Meanwhile, those ghost story enthusiasts continued to hide behind various accounts, but they had developed a malicious and inquisitive desire to investigate this junior police officer...
They clearly knew that the group before them was a transit point connecting multiple worlds, linking them together, and that only the protagonists of ghost stories were allowed to enter.
The petty tales told by the local police officer are clearly at the beginner level, like an old lady telling her grandson a story. How could they possibly have the ability to enter a higher dimension?
It seems the boss in his world hasn't appeared yet. The cowardly boy will probably be scared to death by the time he's done eating. They'll be back to their favorite pastime of watching people get scared to death by ghosts.
...
Countless strange tales peer into this lower plane...
[System Prompt]
[Learning channel being set up... Multi-world observation in mid-1991... Current network instability... Please do not close the webpage...]
[Newcomer's Ghost Stories - 'Junior Police Officer' has received 0 spooky emojis in the group and 0 new ghost story friend requests.]
A note from the author:
----------------------
The first round of police killings has begun! Everyone, please open your eyes.
Long time no see~ Let me be cute for a moment~ (Uninvited) (Takes out gongs and drums) (Starts performing)
Reading Tips:
1. A light-hearted, silly, and sweet Chinese-style transmigration story with a touch of horror. The protagonist is Jian Zi, and his love interest will appear soon. The love interest is also an important NPC in every episode.
2. The first story is about a supernatural murder case in the 1990s. It is a semi-fictional story. Because the background is set in a very early era, the characters will use some local swear words. Just treat it as a dialect conversation.
I recommend Guo Degang's classic crosstalk performance, "The Serial Murders in Leather Pants Alley," but the rest of the text does not borrow character settings, timelines, or case details from this piece. Just to clarify.
3. Jianzi is not yet capable of attracting other teammates to the game through his ghost story identity, but the first dungeon will be his starting point.
4. A murder mystery-style infinite flow story, mainly focusing on suspense and the romance between the main characters, with a touch of the supernatural. The connections between all the smaller worlds are resolved later. It has a happy ending, is 1v1, and features both characters experiencing their first love.
Finally, peace and love!
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