Welcome Back

"Sigh..."

Han Su only had time to let out a sigh before, in the next moment, he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness, as if falling into an endless abyss, or as if a bungee cord was rapidly pulling him back.

The speed of this retreat even surpassed his body, surpassing light itself.

An endless sense of dizziness left Han Su unable to discern his location for a long time, until faint rustling sounds began to reach his ears, mysterious and ancient.

Han Su abruptly opened his eyes and saw the rusty iron gate slowly opening before him, with crows flying all around.

Meanwhile, at the Disaster Management Bureau, behind the one-way glass, Zhang Chiguo watched as Han Su's expression grew increasingly pained with the playback of the spell, eventually revealing a look of fear, and his heart leaped into his throat.

"Such a strong reaction?"

"Is it because this kid's spirituality is too high, or is he himself too heavily contaminated?"

"Will this lead to him being deemed unable to pass the test?"

"This kid is already unlucky enough to be dragged into this damned trouble, he won't be assigned to Group D7 as cannon fodder, will he?"

He vaguely sensed that the security personnel beside him had tensed up so much that they subconsciously gripped their weapons, and his worries intensified.

But just then, he was surprised to see another change, and he frowned deeply. Han Su, who seemed unable to bear the spell playback any longer, suddenly closed his eyes strangely, and even his breathing became calm.

Did this guy fall asleep?

The security personnel next to him, who had been so nervous their palms were sweating, now slowly relaxed their hands.

The air, carrying a scent of decay, abruptly filled Han Su's nostrils. He looked around, once again confirming his surroundings.

A school bus.

To be precise, it was a school bus driving towards the slowly opening iron gate before him, which led to a manor with a dry fountain and withered vines growing everywhere.

On the seats beside him sat child after child with dazed expressions. Some wore exquisite little suits and leather shoes, others wore pretty little dresses, and some had ponytails, healthy and energetic.

It was the same people, all of them.

Dolls, ponytails, tuxedos, bowl cuts, skinny monkeys...

The children who had died before his eyes the last time he escaped were now alive and appearing on this school bus, their faces still wearing that same dazed, ignorant look.

Now, they were staring with wide eyes at the manor presented before them.

In the city they lived in and were familiar with, there were works by architects showcasing their individuality in all sorts of ways, and no one lacked experience, yet the manor before them still gave them a sense of ancient gloom.

The manor was empty inside, with only a tall, solitary building of an irregular shape standing in the very center.

It was dark and deathly still, like a monster crouching in the middle of the manor.

"As expected, I've been kidnapped back again..."

At this moment, Han Su found it difficult to describe his feelings.

Although he had long realized the interval was shortening, he hadn't expected it to shorten so quickly.

If he was caught back in less than twenty-four hours, how would he have time to investigate anything?

It would even be meaningless to escape from here.

Just jump off the building!

...No?

The dejection was merely a fleeting emotion that came with instinct. Han Su quickly realized something: perhaps this wasn't a bad thing?

Actually, what was terrifying were those recurring, regular intervals.

The pattern of his kidnappings, from half a year, then three months, and then gradually shortening to half a month, was an orderly compression that made him feel breathless and unable to resist.

And this time...

Judging by the pattern, it completely deviated from the previous kidnapping intervals. Doesn't this indicate that something, or a force, has influenced his kidnapping?

What could that be?

His heart stirred slightly. Was it the mysterious sound the Disaster Management Bureau was playing just now?

He couldn't be sure in a short time, but with this realization, the frustration and pressure in his heart dissipated.

Whether positive or negative, discovering a factor in reality that could influence the "kidnapping interval" was progress.

If it could cause the kidnapping to happen earlier, doesn't that mean, to some extent, it could also postpone or even avoid the kidnapping?

"So..."

Han Su suppressed his slightly excited mood and secretly made a decision. This time, he had to go back quickly and continue his investigation.

The "sound" was the key.

His experience at the Disaster Management Bureau confirmed that he was currently in the "future," step by step approaching the truth of the kidnapping cases. This was something he had never experienced in all his investigations during his numerous kidnappings.

This "future" needs to be extended as much as possible.

This time, I also need to escape back to the future as quickly as possible.

After all, although the vast majority of my life paths, whether injured or not, would lead me to meet Zhang Chiguo of the Public Security Bureau, be sent to an orphanage, and get into Qinggang University to continue my life.

There were still some bizarre life paths that caused my surroundings to be drastically different, even strange, after I returned.

"Teacher, teacher, is this the Science and Technology Museum?"

"Where are the machines?"

At this moment, some children in the car had vaguely sensed something was wrong and were trying to ask the teacher who brought them.

But there was no answer, neither from the school bus driver nor the teacher responsible for their safety.

Both of them just sat there in silence, letting the school bus slide into the manor.

Han Su didn't need to look to know that it was useless to look for them now; he had been kidnapped back countless times and knew what these two looked like.

They had, at some unknown time, turned into pale white sculptures.

Their appearance might only seem somewhat dim, but if struck forcefully, one could even discover that their skin had become a stone-like, fragile filling.

Kidnapping was unavoidable.

He had once tried to escape through the school bus window or out the main gate of the yard the moment he was kidnapped back, but he had received severe lessons. Therefore, he sat in silence at this time, waiting for his opportunity.

"Teacher, the teacher is asleep..."

Some ignorant children discovered the teacher's abnormality and called out crisply.

The sounds in the carriage suddenly increased, but they were still mostly in a stage of curiosity and confusion. Most of these children came from wealthy families and had been too well protected, still being in the habit of obeying adults' arrangements.

When the adults fell asleep, they became somewhat helpless.

Not to mention, some people were already fidgeting, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Tear!"

At this moment, the car door suddenly opened gently, and a warm and elegant voice sounded from outside: "Welcome to the Land of Dust..."

Except for Han Su, who had seen that face countless times, everyone was attracted by the voice. Some even stood up, only to see an old man with a straight posture standing outside the school bus.

He was thin and wore a dark tuxedo. The clothes were very dirty, with mud and dust, as well as unidentifiable grime, but they were unusually neat, as if they had been carefully ironed before being put on.

There was not much hair left on his head, but his mustache was trimmed extremely neatly.

Even his face wore an exceptionally standard, kind, and approachable smile.

In any other place, this would have seemed like a professionally trained old butler, proud of his profession.

Except for his face.

His complexion was grayish-white, with many cracks like porcelain appearing on it, faintly revealing the dry blood vessels and muscle texture underneath. This strange appearance made his standard posture and friendly smile exude an unusual strangeness.

"Teacher, teacher..."

An invisible awkwardness frightened the children into shouting, and they shrunk back into the car while trying to wake up the drowsy teacher again.

The butler outside the car paid no mind, still smiling, and gently clapped his hands.

"Clap" "Clap"

Two crisp sounds.

In the entire carriage, all the children suddenly stopped talking.

Their expressions were blank, and they slowly stood up from the carriage, one by one, and slowly walked out of the car.

Beside the porcelain-like butler, they lined up in two rows.

The castle gate slowly and heavily opened, as if carrying a mysterious and profound aura, welcoming its special visitors.

No one cried or made a fuss anymore, like soulless walking dead, they slowly followed the butler towards the castle.

Even Han Su followed obediently, pretending to be hypnotized as well.

He feared this old butler the most.

He was the only one in the ancient castle who could speak normal language and seemed capable of communication, seemingly not belonging to the monsters, thus his status was elevated by one level.

But precisely because of this, he was the strangest and most cruel one.

The entire kidnapping might have happened under his watchful eyes.