The sky was bright as the sun rose as usual. The bustling aroma of breakfast from the street side drifted into the registration hall of the Special Investigation Bureau, feeling exceptionally heartwarming.
It seemed that as long as one's stomach was full, even the greatest fright could be soothed.
The registration hall of the Special Investigation Bureau was located right next to the first-floor lobby of the Beijiang District Health Service Center on the outskirts of the city.
The walls inside the hall were pure white, the office equipment was neatly arranged, and there was orderly efficiency behind the service windows, with a clear division of labor.
The window on the left was the Casualty Information Filing Office. The staff, dressed in matching navy-blue uniforms and wearing exclusive Special Investigation Bureau ID badges, kept their heads down as they rapidly typed in data.
—On the screens rolled the names of players, their causes of death, and their Instance numbers.
The middle window was the Physical Examination Information Registration Office for players who had cleared Instances.
The window on the right was the Player Rule Briefing and Information Registration Office, specifically responsible for educating new players on official rules, registering personal information, and guiding them to register on the official platform.
Following the staff's guidance, Song Mo lined up and completed the full set of specialized physical examinations.
With A'yan's assistance, her medical report showed absolutely no abnormalities.
“Your class is 【Spirit Medium】, and your skill is 【Yin-Yang Eyes】?”
A Special Investigation Bureau researcher looked at Song Mo with a hint of surprise.
“Player Song Mo, ID 01336. Your physical examination results are all normal.”
Hearing her class, the clerical staff member responsible for registration nearby looked up slightly, a flash of surprise crossing their eyes as well.
Clearing an Instance with zero injuries was indeed very rare among rookie players.
“Your body is completely normal. Once you're registered, you can head home to rest on your own. Here, this is your player identity credential. Keep it safe.”
The researcher bound and archived the report, then handed over a light-green official clearance credential, speaking in a gentle tone:
“While resting at home, if you experience any abnormal symptoms such as insomnia, auditory hallucinations, palpitations, sensitivity to cold, double vision, or inexplicable chills, you can contact the Special Investigation Bureau's twenty-four-hour hotline at any time. The officials provide free follow-up examinations and mental recovery services, completely free of charge.”
Song Mo took the somewhat stiff card and nodded slightly. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Immediately afterward, she was guided to the rule briefing window on the right. This time, the person handling her case was a young clerical worker from the Special Investigation Bureau.
“First of all, congratulations on successfully clearing your first supernatural Instance and officially becoming a registered supernatural player on our records.”
The staff member opened the exclusive player archive system and skillfully entered Song Mo's identity information.
“Employee number 4325588, pleased to be of service. Please note that our entire conversation will be audio recorded, and we appreciate your understanding.
“Now, I will reiterate the window period rules that all players must know.”
“After clearing an Instance for the first time, all players will receive a safe window period of seven to fourteen days. The window period is an absolutely safe time, during which no mandatory Instance summons will be triggered.”
“The window period countdown begins automatically the moment you clear your first Instance. It ranges from a minimum of seven days to a maximum of fourteen days, randomly allocated. Currently, there is no way to manually intervene, alter, or pause it.”
“Once the window period is completely over, no matter where you are, what you are doing, what your physical condition is, or whether you are willing—you will be forcibly dragged into an Instance, randomly matched with a supernatural Instance of unknown rank, type, and difficulty.”
Hearing this, a passerby who was also registering their player information nearby showed a wave of lingering fear on their face.
A quiet look of understanding flashed through Song Mo's eyes.
This was the forced growth mechanism she had deliberately designed when writing the player entry rules.
Human nature was lazy. Without a mandatory window period to force them forward, the vast majority of ordinary players would choose to lie flat and slack off.
The ultimate result of that would be:
The Instances would continuously attract ghosts reviving in reality, and malevolent spirits would keep breeding, eventually causing the supernatural disasters inside the Instances to spiral completely out of control.
Then, the Instances would descend into reality.
Therefore, the seven-to-fourteen-day window period was both a breathing space for the players and a whip to drive humanity forward.
...
...
“To maximize the survival rate of rookie players, the officials have opened a free public welfare special training camp.”
The staff member continued to explain patiently, “All registered players, whether they sign a contract with the Special Investigation Bureau or not, can participate unconditionally and free of charge.”
“The training content includes: basic supernatural cognition, low-grade supernatural entity identification, basic Instance rule evasion, mental resistance training, emergency self-defense combat, illusion-breaking techniques, teamwork basics... These skills are all taught by retired special forces members, senior metaphysical researchers, and high-level veteran players who have cleared Instances twice or more. The courses are entirely free.”
“I'd like to ask something,” Song Mo spoke up at the right moment, her tone carrying a bit of a rookie's curiosity. “Do all registered players choose to participate in the official special training?”
“Not necessarily.”
The staff member shook their head gently, scrolling through the player statistics on the computer backend with their fingertips, and answered truthfully:
“Currently, there are over three hundred registered players nationwide, and about sixty percent of them participate in the official special training. Some players have private channels and form their own offline teams for training, choosing not to join the official unified training.
“Of course, no matter which option is chosen, the officials will not forcibly intervene. We respect the personal choice of every player.”
Having said that, the staff member took out their phone and opened an official exclusive QR code:
“Let me guide you to register on the only official player platform—the 《Spirit Realm》 APP. This is the only legitimate player service platform officially certified by the domestic Special Investigation Bureau.
“All player information, official notifications, and quest announcements can be viewed on it. Of course, players can also report anomalies, share Instance intelligence, and conduct daily communication.”
Song Mo was indeed very curious.
She wanted to know how the officials and the players viewed the Instances and the spiritual energy recovery.
She scanned the code to download, completed real-name authentication, and bound her player file.
Once registered successfully, she could see the system's default avatar and check her only "Instance clearance record" in the backend.
After the registration was complete, the staff member solemnly cautioned Song Mo with a few more words.
It was nothing more than how supernatural phenomena were currently occurring frequently worldwide and supernatural incidents in the country were growing exponentially, encouraging players to report real-world anomalies.
“The Special Investigation Bureau's clue verification team is online twenty-four hours a day to verify reports. Once a clue is verified as genuine and valid, the corresponding tier of cash reward will be issued immediately. Low-grade anomaly clues are rewarded with five hundred to five thousand yuan; mid-grade supernatural entity clues are rewarded with five thousand to fifty thousand yuan; high-risk supernatural hazard clues are rewarded with fifty thousand yuan or more, with no upper limit.”
The staff member offered a smile:
“If a player encounters a supernatural event, they can also use the one-key emergency help button on the APP. The nearest field team will respond at top speed within ten minutes, providing free rescue throughout the entire process.”
“Remember, the window period is not a time of absolute safety; it just means there is no mandatory Instance summons. Supernatural dangers in reality are everywhere, so you must always stay alert to your own safety.”
Indeed.
Song Mo—the mastermind, creator of supernatural creatures, screenwriter who kept fierce ghosts and demons—nodded solemnly.
“All of your official rights and Instance notifications will be based entirely on the official push notifications of the 《Spirit Realm》 APP. Do not easily trust internet rumors or unofficial guides, so as to avoid financial loss or losing your life.”
“Registration complete. You may leave on your own.”
Song Mo left the line, hearing the same formulaic dialogue behind her:
“Employee number 4325588, pleased to be of service...”
...
Upon returning to her rented apartment, Song Mo was immediately greeted with a warm welcome by the mud calabashes.
“Ji!”
“Ji-ji-ji!”
“Ji-ji-ji!”
These little things couldn't understand how Song Mo had suddenly vanished. They were all huddled together on the quilt, seemingly trying to sense her lingering scent.
“Starving?”
Song Mo practicedly tore open a bag of potato chips, crushed them, and scattered them on the floor. The group of round little creatures cheered in unison before starting to sweep the floor.
Honestly, for a house with a monthly rent of eight to nine hundred yuan to be swept spotless all day, clean enough to even reflect light—
Song Mo felt the landlord had made a massive profit.
...
...
“Master, Master, I want this too.”
A'yan floated down and lay on Song Mo's head, staring covetously at the 《Spirit Realm》 APP on her phone:
“It's so lively on there! Are all those little boxes filled with people? How did they get stuffed inside?”
“This software likely tracks location by force. From now on, you'll reply and communicate on it for me, so nobody can figure out my location.”
Considering that A'zhu had been sent away on a business trip, "roaming" through various Instances to collect materials—even though A'yan seemed lighthearted and carefree, she was probably afraid of being lonely.
So Song Mo planned to give the child something to do.
...
...
Rate on N.U.
