Chapter Seventy-Three: Dreaming?

Wan'er was utterly bewildered by what she had just heard. What was going on? She had never agreed to come work here! While she was still in a daze, Wang Zixuan led her down to the first floor. Quite a few employees smiled at her as they passed, as though they already knew her. Only one beautiful woman shot her a murderous glare that made Wan'er feel distinctly uneasy.

Wan'er asked, "What's with their expressions? Why does it feel like they all know me already?"

Wang Zixuan looked at her with a gentle smile. "You'll understand when the time comes. Does this place feel familiar to you? Is there a sense of being at home?"

Wan'er nodded. "It's my first time here, but for some reason, it feels strangely familiar." As she spoke, she pointed to a display case. "It feels like there should be a door there, and behind it, a staircase leading down?"

Wang Zixuan nodded. "Seems like you still have some memories left."

He walked over to the shelf and gave a light tap on an ornament. Instantly, the two shelves slid apart, revealing a deep staircase.

"Come on, let’s have a look downstairs," he said.

Before Wan'er could react, Wang Zixuan had already pulled her down the steps. The passageway was quite dark at first, but as they approached the end, the walls lit up, leaving Wan'er wide-eyed with amazement. She wasn't sure how long they walked before they finally arrived at a vast underground hall. The place bustled with people hurrying this way and that, all completely absorbed in their work. Not a single person paused to greet them, even as they stepped into view.

Wan'er asked, "What is this place? Why do I keep dreaming about it?"

Wang Zixuan replied, "This is where you used to work."

"That’s impossible," Wan’er protested, "I’ve never been here before. We didn’t even know each other until recently."

Wang Zixuan offered her an enigmatic smile. "Are you sure? Well, it’s no use telling you more now—you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Come, let’s take a look around."

He led her through the complex, inside and out, before finally retracing their steps to leave.

"You should head home for now," Wang Zixuan said as they reached the exit. "Remember to come back tomorrow night at eight o'clock for your shift. Don’t be late."

Wan’er couldn’t even remember how she got home. The following hours passed in a fog, and after dinner, she was overcome by an inexplicable drowsiness and fell straight to sleep.

In her dream, a skeleton draped in black clothing appeared, floating before her. Blue flames flickered in its eye sockets, and it wielded a massive scythe. The sight terrified her—what on earth was this? The Grim Reaper?

The skeleton spoke in a hollow voice. "Lin Wan’er. Have you done something you shouldn’t have?"

Wan’er stood rooted to the spot, too stunned to respond. She had experienced more strange happenings in the last two days than in her entire life combined.

The skeleton continued, "You’d better confess, unless you want to go straight to hell."

Wan’er stammered, "What—what have I done wrong? Why do you all keep interfering with my life? Just leave me alone! If you come any closer, I’ll call the police and have them deal with you!"

The skeleton sneered, "Don’t be foolish. You’re in a dream right now. If you don’t confess, I’ll just take you with me."

"Please, just let me go," Wan’er pleaded. "I’m just an ordinary person. There’s nothing about me worth your attention. Please, just stop haunting me!"

The skeleton’s voice turned cold. "If you won’t cooperate, then don’t blame me for what happens next."

With that, it swung the massive scythe straight at Wan’er's head. In that split second before the blade could strike, a bullet whizzed through the air, knocking the scythe violently aside.

"Zixuan Wang," the skeleton spat out the name.