The City of the Hidden

Once an elite police officer and top detective, Chen Mo fell apart when his beloved, Lin Wei, vanished without a trace in a bizarre case. He became a worthless detective, drowning himself in alcohol and scraping by in a dilapidated apartment. After five years of torment, all hope had burned away. He was left with a numb shell of a body and strange hallucinations no one else could understand. Then a seemingly ordinary case involving a missing college student landed on his doorstep, bearing the same uncanny air as the case from years ago. Strange behavior before the disappearance, terrifying nightmares about “shadows,” and eerie whispers circulating through the streets... Every clue pointed to an unsettling truth lurking behind urban legends. During his investigation, Chen Mo encountered terrifying beings beyond the bounds of reason: creatures born from human nightmares and negative emotions, dwelling in the shadows of modern cities. They were called Nightmares. He also came into contact with the mysterious government organization fighting them, the Street Cleaners, and an extreme cult called the Fusionists, who madly sought to merge humans with Nightmares and had caused countless tragedies. Chen Mo finally realized that his beloved’s disappearance was no ordinary case. She had been drawn into a dark, hidden world beyond anything he had ever imagined. Beneath every neon-lit street of this familiar city, unspeakable horrors might be lurking. Relying on the detective instincts he had left and a supernatural gift that was gradually awakening, Chen Mo must pull himself together and navigate between the Street Cleaners’ warnings and the Fusionists’ threats. He embarks on a perilous journey of discovery, determined not only to find the missing, but also to uncover the origins of the Nightmares and the Fusionists’ conspiracy. Above all, he must find a clue that will lead him to his missing beloved. Hard-boiled detective work collides with supernatural horror as a disillusioned detective delves into the mysteries of the city.