Global Weirdness: I'm Investigating Ghosts in Nightmares!

It looks like AI, at least it has been polished

Chen Heng woke up with a severe headache. He found himself lying on the cold cement floor, surrounded by an unfamiliar environment - a dilapidated apartment bedroom with mottled walls and mold spots, and the only furniture was a rickety wooden table and a chair. The curtains were half-opened, letting in gray light, and it was hard to tell whether it was early morning or dusk. The air was filled with a strange smell of rust and decay. He struggled to sit up, rubbed his temples, trying to remember why he was here, but was horrified to find that his mind went blank. Not only the memory of last night, but also his own name, it took him a few seconds to remember. Chen Heng, 24 years old, is an ordinary graphic designer. Nothing more than that. He stood up holding on to the wall, his legs were weak and weak, as if he had just finished a marathon. There was no mirror in the room, so he could only look at himself in the dim light - wearing an unfamiliar gray T-shirt and black trousers, with a strange bruise on his wrist, as if he had been restrained by something. "Is there anyone there?" He asked tentatively, his voice hoarse and unlike his own. No response. Chen Heng staggered to the window, opened a corner of the curtain and looked out. Outside was a strange city with empty streets and lifeless buildings. The sky was shrouded in a thick layer of gray fog. There was no sun or clouds, just a uniform, depressing gray. What is even stranger is that there is not a single soul in the whole street. He turned around and walked towards the door. The moment he held the doorknob, a sharp pain suddenly penetrated his mind. Chen Heng groaned and covered his forehead. Several fragmentary images flashed before his eyes - a pair of eyes full of fear, a screaming mouth, and a dazzling red. What are these? Memory? Or... The doorknob turned and the door opened. Chen Heng endured the discomfort, walked out of the bedroom and came to a small living room. The furnishings here are also simple, the sofa is covered with a thin layer of dust, and there is an empty glass and a book on the coffee table. The name of the book made his heart tense: "Nightmare Realization: Theory and Cases" Chen Heng picked up the book and flipped through a few pages. The content inside made him more and more uneasy: "When the collective fear of mankind reaches a critical point, the boundary between reality and fantasy will become Fuzzy..." "Fear will materialize and become an entity that can affect physical reality..." "These entities feed on human fear. They are simple in form at first, but will gradually evolve as the fear they swallow increases..." He closed the book suddenly, his heart beating faster. What is the connection between these absurd contents and his current situation? Why is he here? Why is this city deserted? A series of questions circled in his mind, but no one could give him the answer. Chen Heng walked into the kitchen, looking for some water to drink. The faucet turned dryly, but not a drop of water came out. He opened the refrigerator. It was empty except for a folded note on the shelf. He picked up the note and unfolded it, with scrawled writing on it: "Rule one: Don't let them touch your skin. Rule two: Don't make too much noise. Rule three: Don't believe everything you see. Rule four: Day Don't turn on the light when you're behind. Rule 5: Don't completely trust your memory. - If you read this, find a way to 'refuge', our old library in the East District." At the end of the note, there is a strange symbol, like three interlaced circles. Chen Heng stared at these words, a chill crawling up his spine. What do these warnings mean? What does "they" mean? Why can't I trust my own memory? He stuffed the note into his pocket and decided to leave this hellish place. Just as he was about to walk out of the kitchen, there was a slight scraping sound in the living room, as if something was dragging a heavy object. Chen Heng held his breath and quietly looked out. The living room was empty. But there was a series of wet footprints on the floor, extending from the door to behind the sofa. His heartbeat almost stopped. He had clearly checked the living room just now. Where did these footprints come from? Moreover, they look very fresh and still slightly reflective, as if they have just been left. Chen Heng stared closely at the back of the sofa, which was now a blind spot. He casually picked up a rusty table knife from the cooking table. Although he knew that this thing might be useless, it could at least give him some psychological comfort. One step, two steps, he quietly approached the sofa. Just when he was about to see the scene behind the sofa, there was a sudden loud noise from the direction of the bedroom - the sound of a chair falling to the ground. Chen Heng turned his head suddenly, and then quickly looked behind the sofa - It was empty. Nothing. Only the string of wet footprints formed a gathering mark behind the sofa, as if something had been standing there for a long time. What's going on with the noise in the bedroom? Is it the wind? But all the windows were closed. Chen Heng felt dizzy, and those sharp headaches struck again, this time accompanied by more fragmentary images: a twisted face, a hand reaching out to him, and a deep voice repeating something... "Don't believe it... Don't believe it..." He shook his head, trying to dispel these hallucinations. What the hell is going on? There is something wrong with his memory, he is in an empty city, and now there are mysterious footprints and auditory hallucinations. Chen Heng is determined to leave here. He walked quickly to the door of the apartment, held the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened it suddenly - The door outside was not the corridor as expected, but a solid wall, and the cold cement surface seemed to laugh at his futility. He was trapped. Chen Heng felt a panic, but he forced himself to calm down. He returned to the living room and rechecked every corner, looking for other exits. The windows were nailed shut, the kitchen vent was too small for a child to fit through, and the only door was sealed. Just when he was almost desperate, his eyes fell on the wooden table in the bedroom. Under the table, there is a floor that looks different from the surroundings. Chen Heng knelt down and tapped the area with his fingers, and there was a hollow echo. He found the edge and pushed it hard. The floor was lifted, revealing a hole that could only allow one person to pass through. Below was a narrow metal ladder that led to the dark underground. There is no other choice. Chen Heng took out his mobile phone, turned on the flashlight function, took a deep breath, and started to climb down. The ladder was cold and stable. He climbed about three meters and his feet touched the solid ground. Looking around with a flashlight, I found that it was a narrow tunnel that could only accommodate one person bending down. The walls were made of rough cement, and there was a damp, musty smell in the air. The tunnel extends in two directions, and it is unknown where it leads. Just as he was hesitating which way to go, a subtle cry came from the tunnel on the left. The sound was vague, like a child's sobbing, which seemed particularly strange in the silent tunnel. Chen Heng clenched the knife in his hand and walked towards the source of the sound. The tunnel was twisting and turning, and he had to bend down to move forward. The flashlight light drew a shaky beam of light in the darkness. The crying sound was getting closer and closer, and after turning a corner, he saw the source of the sound - A thin figure huddled in the corner of the tunnel, wearing a dirty dress, with long hair covering his face, and his shoulders shaking slightly with sobs. It's a little girl. Chen Heng stopped and looked at her warily. It was so unusual for a little girl to suddenly appear in this weird place. "Hello... Hello?" He asked tentatively. The girl slowly raised her head, and her long hair fell to both sides, revealing a pale but normal little face. She looked about seven or eight years old, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying. "Can you see me?" She asked, sobbing, her voice thin. Chen Heng nodded, "Why are you here alone? What kind of place is this?" The girl wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I don't know. I woke up here and I was so scared." She looked like just an ordinary child, but Chen Heng did not dare to let down his guard. He remembered the warning on the note: Don't believe everything you see. "Did you see anyone else?" He asked. The girl shook her head, and then suddenly seemed to remember something, her eyes widened: "But there... There are other things. They can catch people, I have heard screams." Chen Heng's heart tightened: "What things?" "I don't know, I can't see clearly, but they are scary." The girl said tremblingly, "Can you take me away from here? Please." Chen Heng hesitated. Bringing this girl of unknown origin would undoubtedly increase the risk, but leaving her here alone would be too cruel. Finally, he stretched out his hand: "Follow me, but we must keep quiet." The girl nodded, grabbed his hand and stood up. Her hands were unusually cold, but felt real. "My name is Chen Heng, what's your name?" "Xiaoyu." The girl replied softly. They continued along the tunnel, and Chen Heng noticed that Xiaoyu walked almost silently, like a cat. The tunnel seemed endless, with only the flashlight opening a small visible area for them in the darkness. After walking for about ten minutes, Xiao Yu suddenly stopped. "What's wrong?" Chen Heng asked. "There is a sound." She whispered, staring nervously at the darkness ahead. Chen Heng listened with bated breath, and indeed heard a subtle sound, like many feet dragging on the ground, coming from the front of the tunnel. The sound was getting closer and closer, accompanied by a strange, breathy hissing sound. He quickly turned off the flashlight and pulled Xiaoyu back to the side of the tunnel, clinging to the wall. Darkness swallowed them instantly, and the voice became clearer in the silence. Chen Heng could feel Xiaoyu's hands shaking slightly, and his own heartbeat was beating so fast that it seemed like it was about to jump out of his chest. Something is approaching - not just one, but a group. Chen Heng's eyes gradually adapted to the darkness, and he vaguely saw some blurry outlines appearing in the tunnel ahead. Their bodies are twisted and they move in weird ways. Some crawl and some stagger, but they are all moving in the direction where they are. What was even more disturbing was that as they approached, Chen Heng felt an inexplicable fear rising from the bottom of his heart, not from fear of the unknown, but from a deeper, almost instinctive panic. He remembered the content of that book: "Fear will materialize and become an entity that can affect physical reality..." Are these the so-called "entities"? Chen Heng covered his mouth and nose tightly, for fear that his breathing would attract them. Xiaoyu stuck to his side, not daring to move. Those things were getting closer, and now he could see them more clearly - their shapes were unstable, as if they were constantly changing, and their surfaces were covered with a layer of sticky darkness. Occasionally, some fragments of human faces or limbs flashed through, but they were fleeting. One of the entities stopped suddenly, and its vague head turned in their direction, as if it noticed something. Chen Heng's heartbeat almost stopped. The entity let out a low grunt and slowly moved towards their hiding place. Its "arm" stretched forward. It was not a human arm at all, but a piece of dark material that was constantly twisting and changing, and the end split into several slender tentacles. Chen Heng clenched his knife, knowing that this insignificant weapon might be useless, but he was still ready to fight. When the entity was only a few steps away from them, Xiaoyu suddenly let out a very light sob. The entity's movements quickened instantly, and it pounced towards their location! Chen Heng didn't have time to think, he pushed Xiao Yu away and swung his knife at the same time. The blade cut across the solid body, but it seemed to have cut into thick asphalt, making it almost impossible to move. The entity let out a harsh hiss, and the cut parts healed quickly. What's even more frightening is that at the moment of contact, Chen Heng felt a cold fear spread throughout his body along the blade, and countless horrific scenes flashed in his mind - falling, suffocating, being chased, being swallowed... All the most primitive fears of human beings overwhelmed him in an instant. He staggered back and dropped the knife from his hands. The entity continued to approach, and now he could see the details of its "face" - it was not a face at all, but a constantly rotating vortex, in which countless painfully twisted faces appeared and disappeared. "Don't look at it!" Xiaoyu suddenly shouted, "Close your eyes!" Chen Heng obeyed instinctively and closed his eyes. Strangely, after his vision was blocked, his perception of the entity became clearer - the desperate aura it exuded, the hatred for life, the hunger... "They identify their prey through vision!" Xiaoyu's voice sounded in the darkness, "But they can also sense us through fear! Control your fear!" Control fear? Easier said than done? Who can remain calm in the face of such a supernatural being? Chen Heng forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart. He thought of his lost memories and of this strange and dangerous world, but strangely, when he focused on his blank past, his fear of the entity lessened. The entity hissed in confusion, it seemed to be losing sight of its target. Chen Heng closed his eyes and slowly stepped back, reaching out to find Xiao Yu. Just when his fingers touched the girl's cold hand, there was a sudden loud noise from the front of the tunnel, like the sound of metal hitting. The entities were immediately attracted by the sound and turned in that direction. "Run!" Xiaoyu took Chen Heng's hand and ran in the opposite direction. Chen Yuan opened his eyes and followed her stumblingly running in the darkness. There were harsh screams and chasing sounds from the entities behind them, but they seemed to be distracted by the loud noise and did not pursue them with all their strength. They turned a few corners, and a faint light appeared in front of them. "There!" Xiaoyu pointed in the direction of the light. They sped up and ran toward the light, getting closer and closer. Chen Heng saw that it was a half-open metal door. There seemed to be a room behind the door, and light came from inside. Just when they were about to reach the door, Chen Heng tripped and fell to the ground. He looked back and was frightened out of his mind - an entity had chased behind him at some point, and its twisted tentacles were wrapping around his ankles. Chen Heng kicked his legs desperately, but the tentacles wrapped around his calves like a cold snake, and a biting chill immediately spread throughout his body. More horrific images flooded into my mind - the feeling of being buried alive, the feeling of drowning, the feeling of falling from a height...

What's the use of this girl at the beginning?

No! "He roared and struggled hard. Xiaoyu turned back. She did not try to attack the entity, but squatted down and looked directly into Chen Heng's eyes. "Remember who you are! She shouted, "your fear feeds it!" Find yourself! " Chen Heng struggled to concentrate in extreme panic. Who is he? Chen Heng, twenty-four years old, graphic designer... But besides that? His past, his memory, why is he here? Fragmented pictures flashed in his mind: a pair of eyes full of fear, a screaming mouth, a dazzling red... And a deep voice repeating something... "Don't believe it..." Suddenly, a strange force surged from the bottom of his heart. Chen Heng felt a strange feeling - not courage, but something deeper and more primitive, like darkness seeping from his bone marrow, cold and powerful. He stopped struggling, but looked directly at the entity, and roared from the depth of his throat: "Let me go. " Miraculously, the entity trembled and the tentacles loosened slightly. Chen Heng took the opportunity to jerk out his legs and rushed towards the door while rolling. Xiaoyu had already pushed the door open. He rushed into the room, turned around and closed the metal door hard, and lowered the latch. There was an angry banging sound outside the door, but the door didn't move at all. Chen Heng gasped and sat on the ground with his back against the door, his heart pounding. He rolled up his trousers and found a circle of blue and black bruises on his calves, as if he had been frostbitten by something extremely cold. "Are you okay? "Xiaoyu asked, her voice was surprisingly calm. Chen Heng nodded, and then he had the opportunity to look at the room they were in. It was a small space, and it looked like a safe house. There were a few storage boxes on the wall, and a simple bed in the corner. The most reassuring thing was that there was a bright electric light on the roof, which dispelled the darkness. . A figure sat at the other end of the room. It was a middle-aged man, wearing shabby but sturdy outdoor clothing, with a few scars on his face. He held a modified pistol in his hand, and the muzzle was slightly drooped, but he was obviously on alert. "Newcomer? "The man asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes moving between Chen Heng and Xiao Yu. Chen Heng stood up vigilantly, protecting Xiao Yu behind him: "Who are you? " The man chuckled, bitterly: "Miles. It looks like you're in trouble. His eyes fell on the bruises on Chen Heng's calf, "Has it been touched by 'Nightmare'?" You're lucky to still be able to stand here and talk. " "Nightmare? Chen Heng thought of those terrifying entities, "Those things are called nightmares?" " Miles nodded, put down the gun, took out a medical bag from the box next to him, and threw it to Chen Heng: "Treat the wounds, unless you want to become one of them. " Chen Heng took the medical kit, but did not use it immediately: "What is this place? What are those things? Why am I here? " Miles sighed: "There are so many problems. Simply put, this is an outpost of 'sanctuary'. Those things are the embodiment of our fears, and they feed on human fears. As for why you are here..." He glanced at Chen Heng meaningfully, "You have to ask yourself. " Chen Heng frowned: "I don't understand. " "Few people understand. "Myers said, "We all woke up from the 'original point', lost part of our memory, and were trapped in this nightmare. Some people will be swallowed up by the 'nightmare' soon, some people can survive for a while, and very few people..." He paused, "can fight against them. " Chen Heng thought of his strange reaction when facing the entity just now, the dark power rising from the bottom of his heart. "How to fight? "He asked. Myers did not answer directly, but asked: "How much do you remember? What happened before waking up? " Chen Heng tried to remember, but there was only a blank and those fragmentary scenes: "I remember almost nothing. Just my name, and a few... Fragments. " "What kind of fragments? " "A pair of fearful eyes, red, and a voice saying 'Don't believe it'..." Chen Heng stopped suddenly, realizing that he had said too much. Myers' expression became serious: "'Don't believe it'? Are you sure these are the words? " Chen Heng nodded. Myers took a deep breath: "It seems that you are not an ordinary newcomer. Those 'fragments', we call them 'whispers of the abyss', can only be heard by those who are connected to the abyss. " "Abyss? What is that? " Miles stood up and walked to the wall, where a hand-drawn map hung with various symbols and routes marked on it. He pointed to a point in the center of the map: "What we call the 'abyss' is the source of all this. Some say it is a convergence point of collective fear, others say it first existed and then amplified our fears. Regardless, it's there, constantly spawning 'nightmares'. " Chen Heng followed to the map and found that their current location was far away from the center, and there was a mark specially circled on the map - the East District Old Library. "Shelter? "Chen Heng remembered the content on the note. Miles nodded: "Our base. Much safer than here, but has its own... Problems. " At this moment, Xiao Yu suddenly said: "They are gone. " Chen Heng and Miles looked at the door at the same time. Indeed, the banging and screaming outside the door had stopped at some point, and dead silence returned to the tunnel. " Temporarily. "They rarely give up their prey," Myers said. His eyes fell on Chen Heng with a sense of inquiry, "Unless there is something that makes them... Confused." " Chen Heng remembered the entity's reaction after he closed his eyes, and its hesitation when he ordered the entity to let go of him. "I just... Seemed to have affected it. "He said hesitantly. A glint flashed in Miles's eyes: "How did it affect it? " "I closed my eyes, controlled the fear, and then... Commanded it to let go of me. "Chen Heng omitted the part about the dark power rising in his heart. Miles nodded thoughtfully: "Interesting. When most people face a 'nightmare' for the first time, they either run away or are devoured. There aren't many that can influence them. " He walked to a storage box, opened it, took out a worn notebook, turned to a certain page, and handed it to Chen Heng. There was a strange symbol drawn on the page-three interlaced circles, exactly the same as what Chen Heng saw on the note. "What is this? "Chen Heng asked. "The 'Watchman' sign. "A group of people who resonate with the abyss," Myers said. They don't see the 'nightmares' as mere enemies, but try to understand them and even harness their power. " Chen Heng felt uneasy: "Use? " Miles closed the notebook: "Fear is the most primitive emotion, Chen Heng. It's powerful, dangerous, but also a source of some... Power. 'Watchmen' believes that we don't have to run away from fear, but should accept it, coexist with it, and even master it. " "This sounds crazy. " "Really? Miles chuckled, "But wasn't that what you just did?" You face your fear, accept it, and then command the entity to let you go. Ordinary people can't do this. " Chen Heng was speechless. He looked down at the bruises on his hands, remembering the dark power seeping from the bone marrow. "What am I? He asked softly, "What am I?" " Miles patted him on the shoulder: "This is why we need to go to the 'shelter'. There is more information out there that may help you find the answer. But..." He glanced at Xiaoyu, "We have to solve this small problem first. " Chen Heng followed his gaze and saw Xiaoyu sitting quietly in the corner, lowering her head and playing with the hem of her skirt, like an ordinary little girl. "What's the problem? "Chen Heng asked. Myers lowered his voice: "Did you find her in the tunnel? " "Yes, what's wrong? " Myers's expression became grim: "That tunnel is closed. I have checked it countless times. It is impossible for someone to be there without being discovered by me. What's more..." He paused, "In the area where the 'Nightmare' is active, ordinary people can't survive more than ten minutes. " Chen Heng felt a chill: "What do you want to say? " Miles looked him straight in the eyes: "I want to say that the 'girl' you brought may not be human at all. "

㊗️Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone and happiness to the whole family

Is this survey the survey I thought it was? 😍