"Chief, regarding the supernatural events in Yunsun City, public opinion is currently relatively stable. However, some residents hope the government can provide a reasonable explanation for the lockdown of Yunsun City."
Inside the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, a subordinate reports to Mu Xingrui.
Mu Xingrui frowned slightly. "Explain? Didn't the public opinion department already release the news that the military exercise coincided with a rare celestial phenomenon —Mirage?"
"But many people simply don't believe it," the subordinate said helplessly.
Although relevant departments have been trying to stir up trouble online, some people remain stubborn and refuse to believe the government's explanation.
Mu Xingrui said, "Believe it or not, public opinion is not the responsibility of the Investigation Bureau. Let other departments worry about it. In any case, the official explanation is that it's Mirage. Just stick to that, and everything else is just rumors. The firmer the official attitude, the more those unintentionally leaked truths will seem like rumors."
The best option is to stubbornly deny it. News is time-sensitive; once the hype dies down, not many people will continue to pay attention to it, and then you can cover up the facts however you want.
Just like the shipwreck case that occurred in South Korea years ago, suspected to be a sacrificial ritual, it caused quite a stir at the time, but who remembers it now?
There will likely be more supernatural events in the future. Let's test the public's tolerance little by little, so that when it can no longer be hidden, there won't be too much panic.
The sky over Yunsun City returned to its usual azure blue, as if the giant mirror hanging overhead had never existed.
But Wang Jianheng knew that it had indeed appeared; that strange mirror reflected scenes that did not belong to this world.
He put down his coffee cup and quickly swiped his phone screen. On Weibo's trending topics, the hashtag # Yunsun City # was still at the top. Clicking on it revealed lengthy explanations from Mirage and optics professors, all stating that it was just a rare optical phenomenon formed under special weather conditions.
"Is this some kind of scam?" Wang Jianheng muttered to himself, then continued flipping through the so-called "popular science articles."
He clearly remembered the sight he unexpectedly saw in his office that day. Because his office was located on a very high floor with a wide view, he could immediately see the mirror floating in mid-air.
The scene in the mirror seemed no different from reality, but when he pointed the telephoto lens at the mirror, he found that a dark figure in the mirror suddenly turned its head, as if looking back at him.
"Boss, are you still looking at those things?" The secretary, who happened to be delivering documents to the office, asked curiously.
Wang Jianheng said, "All the videos and photos I took that day have been deleted, even the online backups have disappeared. Is this normal?"
The secretary subtly hinted, "If that's the case, then it means the higher-ups don't want the news to spread."
There's really no need to be curious about the truth; curiosity killed the cat.
Wang Jianheng waved his hand, indicating that his secretary could leave. This young working-class man couldn't understand his anxious state of mind.
The anxiety of the poor stems from a lack of money, while the anxiety of the rich stems from the passing of life.
The rich feel relaxed because they have money, while the poor feel relaxed because... Everyone will eventually grow old and die!
Wang Jianheng looked at his withered and wrinkled hands; no amount of wealth could bring back that youth and vitality.
Since turning 40, having achieved financial freedom and career success, he has always longed for something extraordinary and mysterious.
Because science clearly tells him that humans cannot Rejuvenation aging and remain young forever, at least not in this era.
So he chose feudal superstition, even if it was false, it could still give him some false hope.
However, the floating mirror he witnessed that day made him realize that perhaps his expectations were not unfounded.
He's been thinking about this a lot lately.
Wang Jianheng had an unavoidable dinner party tonight, but even after sitting down at the table, he remained distracted, constantly scrolling through related information on his phone.
The door to the hotel private room was pushed open. Wang Jianheng looked up and saw a tall man he had met a few times in business hurrying in. The man smiled slightly as his gaze swept over Wang Jianheng, and then walked to an empty seat.
Wang Jianheng looked away and opened a newly created encrypted photo album on his phone, containing several blurry photos he had saved. He tried posting them again on the online platform, with the caption. "Taken on XX month XX day in Yunsun City. This is not Mirage!"
After clicking send, the page showed that the post was published successfully, but when he switched to his guest account to view his homepage, the post seemed to have never existed.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, accidentally knocking over a teacup and spilling tea onto his clothes.
"What's wrong, Mr. Wang?" A deep male voice came from the side. Wang Jianheng looked up and saw the tall man from before. The man handed him a pack of tissues.
"Thank you." He took the tissue and wiped himself briefly.
"Are you concerned about that mirror?" the tall man suddenly asked.
Wang Jianheng's heart suddenly raced. "How did you know?"
"I saw it." The tall man pointed to his phone screen. "A lot of people have been talking about this lately, but most believe the official version."
Wang Jianheng sneered, "Mirage? I've lived in Yunsun City for twenty-six years and have never seen a Mirage like this. Besides, the city was under lockdown for those few days, and the army was checking every resident from house to house. How could this be a simple rare weather phenomenon?"
The tall man's gaze became complicated. "Sometimes, the official rhetoric might be a way to avoid causing greater panic among the public."
"So you saw it too?" Wang Jianheng raised his voice slightly, then realized his lapse in composure. "I'm sorry, I just... saw that mirror with my own eyes. It's definitely not a natural phenomenon."
The tall man showed little interest. "Whether it's a natural phenomenon or not, it has little to do with us. Mr. Wang, you'd better not discuss this online, or you might get a warning from your superiors."
Wang Jianheng put away his phone, nodded politely, and didn't continue the topic.
At the drinking party, the group clinked glasses and exchanged toasts. Wang Jianheng used to enjoy such occasions, but now he found them utterly boring.
After finally managing to get through the party, he was drunk and asked his driver to take him home.
A light rain began to fall again at night, and the light from the streetlights blurred and diffused in the rain, turning the entire street into a hazy, shimmering swamp.
Wang Jianheng took out his phone and entered a group chat called "Cloud Falcon Truth," which he created after the incident. It had few members, all of whom claimed to have witnessed the mirror firsthand.
"My post got deleted again. The video I posted disappeared in three seconds."
"I tried seven different descriptions, and they were all blocked."
My friend said they can't see any of my posts about mirrors at all.
Messages kept refreshing in the group chat. Wang Jianheng took a deep breath, started typing, and began chatting with netizens about all sorts of imaginative topics.
It's no wonder that young people these days are so addicted to the internet. Since learning how to use the internet, Wang Jianheng feels that he has also become somewhat addicted.
After chatting for a while, he glanced at his watch and realized the driver had been driving a bit slowly. He rubbed his temples, the aftereffects of the alcohol making his vision slightly blurry.
"Drive faster," he told the driver. "This drink is a bit strong today."
The driver silently sped up, and as the black sedan passed the fifth intersection, Wang Jianheng suddenly realized something was wrong; the iconic building had already passed by the car window for the third time.
"Old Chen, did you take a longer route?"
Driver Chen's forehead was beaded with sweat. "Mr. Wang, it's strange. I clearly followed the navigation, but no matter how I turn, I keep ending up back here..."
Wang Jianheng rolled down the car window, letting in the damp night wind. In the shadows of the street corner, a neon sign suddenly lit up, its scarlet light particularly glaring in the rain – "Lucky Casino".
"Was there a casino there just now?" Wang Jianheng frowned.
Old Chen's face turned deathly pale. "Mr. Wang, it seems like we're Ghost Wall, should we... call the police?"
"Don't scare yourself." Wang Jianheng opened the car door. "Let's go down and take a look."
Old Chen hurriedly shook his head. "Mr. Wang, you go by yourself, I dare not."
"Look at you, you coward." Wang Jianheng sneered. Actually, he was a little scared too, but he had already said it and didn't want to lose face, so he could only bite the bullet and get out of the car.
Under Old Chen's adoring (and dumbfounded) gaze, Wang Jianheng swayed and walked forward.
Rain pelted his coat as he strode toward the casino.
The glass revolving door opened automatically, and a warm breeze carrying a faint musty smell wafted in. The doorman gave a stiff smile, his uniform looking like it was from twenty years ago.
Welcome to Lucky Casino, sir.
Wang Jianheng's leather shoes echoed hollowly on the marble floor. The casino was luxuriously decorated, with crystal chandeliers casting golden light into every corner, but strangely, the entire hall was deserted.
The slot machines stood silently in rows, the roulette tables were spotless, and the blackjack tables were neatly arranged, but there wasn't a single customer.
"Is anyone here?" His voice echoed in the empty hall.
The sound of dice rolling came from afar. Wang Jianheng followed the sound, walked past rows of empty gambling tables, and finally stopped in front of a dice table covered with green velvet.
The dealer, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, had his back to him, his shoulders forming an unnatural right angle.
"Would you like to play a game, sir?"
The dealer turned around, and Wang Jianheng's breath caught in his throat; the slight feeling of intoxication was instantly jolted awake.
He was a man in his early thirties with tight skin, almost no wrinkles, and a pale complexion like someone who had been ill for a long time. His eyes were like specimens preserved in formalin, lifeless.
He wore an exaggerated smile, revealing overly neat teeth.
"I... I was just passing by." Wang Jianheng took a step back in fright.
The dealer's smile widened, "Everyone who comes here must play a round; that's the rule."
Before anyone knew it, Wang Jianheng was already sitting at the gambling table. His palms were pressed uncontrollably against the green velvet cloth, the texture of which was eerie and sticky, as if he were touching the skin of some creature.
"Let's keep it simple, how about we compare sizes?" The dealer picked up the dice cup. "You place your bet, I'll shake the dice."
Wang Jianheng tried to stand up, but found his legs felt rooted to the spot. He pulled out a few hundred-yuan bills from his wallet. "Just one more game."
"Not enough." The dealer's eyes remained fixed. "Here, let's bet something else."
"First round, bet five years of lifespan." The dealer's voice suddenly became multifaceted, as if several people were speaking at the same time.
The dice cup blurred in his hand, the sound of the dice clashing like bones hitting each other. Wang Jianheng stared at the constantly shaking dice cup, realizing that he had probably bumped into something unclean.
Although he had been searching for these mysterious beings, he did not want them to appear in his life in such a terrible way.
"Bang!" The dice cup slammed onto the table.
"Please guess the size, Mr. Wang."
Wang Jianheng's throat tightened. "How did you know my surname is Wang?"
The dealer simply smiled, his grin almost reaching his ears. Wang Jianheng swallowed hard. "Big... I guess big."
The lid was lifted, and three pale white dice lay there silently, two with one dot and one with two dots.
"Four points, little one, I win," the dealer announced.
A chill suddenly crept up Wang Jianheng's spine. He looked down at his hands and noticed that his skin had become looser, with several fine lines appearing on the back of his hands. He hurriedly touched his cheeks, which felt slack, and there seemed to be more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
"This is impossible..." His voice became a little hoarse.
The dealer took a mirror from under the table. Wang Jianheng in the mirror looked noticeably older, with a receding hairline and drooping eye bags, as if he had truly lost five years of his life.
"One more round?" The dealer's voice was enticing. "You can win it back, or you can win even more. Don't you want to relive the youthful energy of your twenties?"
Wang Jianheng's breathing suddenly became rapid, as fear and greed surged up at the same time. Reality left him no choice; since he couldn't leave even if he wanted to, he might as well take the opportunity to gain some benefits!
What are we betting on this time?
"Ten years of youth."
The dice cup shook again, and Wang Jianheng stared intently at the dealer's pale hands.
"I'm betting on big again!"
The dice stopped spinning – three ones.
The dealer chuckled, "Three points, little one. You lost again."
When the mirror was handed to him again, Wang Jianheng let out a terrified whimper. His hair instantly turned gray and white, his forehead was covered with wrinkles, and the bags under his eyes sagged. Even more frightening, he felt an unprecedented fatigue and his intervertebral discs ached faintly.
"How are you feeling?" The dealer leaned closer, and Wang Jianheng smelled the stench emanating from him. "Want to try and win back your losses? This time we can bet on your... health."
Wang Jianheng barely managed to maintain his composure. Things had come to this point; he couldn't allow himself to break down. He simply asked, trembling, "Can I leave?"
The dealer said, "No, the game must continue, and are you willing to leave?"
Wang Jianheng remained silent, the answer being that he was reluctant to give it up, because the sunk costs were too high.
"Come on!" he roared, slamming his fist on the table.
This time, the dealer brought out a deck of Playing Cards. The backs of the cards were dark red and had a leather-like texture.
"Let's compare sizes." The dealer's shuffling movements were dazzling, and the cards emitted eerie wailing sounds. "Draw one; if it's bigger than mine, you win."
Wang Jianheng's trembling fingers pulled a card from the deck.
--It's the 8 of spades.
It's not good, but it's not terrible either.
At this moment, the dealer slowly turned over his cards...