Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Door That Would Not Open

“Are you...with the Security Bureau?” A woman whose face was etched with exhaustion descended the stairs, her brows knitted in worry.

Qi Chen and his companion were indeed conducting their investigation under the name of the Security Bureau, for it wouldn’t do to declare outright that they belonged to the Department of Anomaly Handling. When dealing with various incidents, the department’s operatives always donned suitable disguises to facilitate their actions. Cases of disappearances and most common violent incidents were typically handled by the Security Bureau.

“Yes. Are you the owner of this establishment? We’d like to ask you about the details of the missing persons report you filed,” the gentle man signaled Qi Chen to produce the prepared documents and credentials, flashing them briefly before stowing them away again.

“Would you like some water?” The woman, visibly nervous yet a hint of excitement in her demeanor—perhaps from seeing a glimmer of hope—hurried behind the counter, fumbling as she fetched two glasses and filled them to the brim, handing them to Qi Chen and the gentle man.

The two had already discussed their plan in the car, and now followed it precisely: the gentle man, with his greater experience, would conduct the questioning, while Qi Chen, whose mental fortitude surpassed most, would focus on sensing any anomalous presence within the inn.

“Thank you,” the gentle man replied, his warm expression reassuring. His appearance alone had a calming effect.

“Tell us about what happened—your husband, and those guests—how did they disappear?”

At the mention of the main issue, the woman bowed her head in contemplation, her voice weak—perhaps dulled by days of grief.

“It was the day before yesterday. My husband went about his usual routine, cleaning the guests’ rooms... He handles most of the chores here.” The woman forced a fragile smile, her pallor only accentuating her frailty.

“I fell seriously ill once, lost strength in both hands, and couldn’t manage any heavy work. As you can see, the trash is still piled up at the entrance.”

Now Qi Chen and his companion understood why the entrance of the inn was cluttered with foul-smelling garbage—it hadn’t been tended to since the owner’s husband went missing.

“My husband noticed something odd. That night, there were about seven or eight guests staying here, but the next day none of them came to check out—they were simply gone.

“We thought maybe they left in a hurry or would return later, since they’d all left deposits with us.

“But...they never came back.”

As she spoke, Qi Chen sank into thought. Guests leaving without reclaiming their deposits—there was something off about that. Nowadays, money doesn’t come easily, but the woman’s speculation wasn’t impossible; perhaps they’d all encountered emergencies.

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Because of this, the innkeepers hadn’t immediately reported to the Security Bureau, instead attributing their luck to the unexpected windfall of extra deposits.

However...

“Yesterday morning, when I woke up, I discovered my husband was missing as well.” The woman’s eyes reddened instantly—her bond with her husband must have been strong for her to react so emotionally, even after two days.

“He would never leave me alone...never.”

“Was it only him who disappeared? Did he take anything with him?” the gentle man inquired.

“No, just himself. He didn’t take money or his resident ID—he wouldn’t have run off. He never stays out overnight; he’s an honest man...” The more she spoke, the harder it became to control her emotions, and she began to sob quietly.

For someone nearly incapacitated by illness, suddenly losing the partner she’d relied upon for years was a blow beyond ordinary comprehension.

The gentle man glanced at Qi Chen, signaling that he could go no further; he suggested the woman rest, while they inspected the inn for anything unusual.

“There’s no anomalous presence sensed at the moment,” Qi Chen reported honestly. “Could it be at night?

“According to the owner, the missing persons vanished during nighttime.”

“We can wait and see tonight,” the gentle man agreed.

Just then, the special operations squad returned from their canvassing. Their captain jogged over to deliver their findings.

“Reporting, sir! Our search of the nearby area revealed little of note, but a worker who regularly does night shifts provided us with some clues.”

Everyone perked up.

“He said that the night before last, after finishing his shift, he happened to pass by the inn’s street.

“He noticed that every room in the inn was lit up, despite it being late at night. He also vaguely glimpsed a blurry figure darting swiftly between different windows. He dismissed it as a hallucination from working overtime and went home.”

To the Security Bureau this might seem trivial, but for the Department of Anomaly Handling, such testimony was valuable evidence.

“It seems highly likely there’s an anomaly that only appears at night,” Qi Chen and the gentle man concurred.

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Still, they were puzzled. Time was merely a human construct; the entire city was bathed in the glow of the tower around the clock. The distinction between day and night was a tradition from before the Age of Mist, meaningful only to people. Yet anomalies seemed to prefer the night—though if one could understand them, they wouldn’t be called anomalies.

“Search every room in this inn, see if you can find anything,” the gentle man ordered.

The captain immediately complied, dividing his nine squad members into two teams to comb the rooms on both floors.

Time slipped by quickly. Qi Chen and the gentle man chatted idly near the front desk, occasionally helping to dispose of the garbage. When the watch struck eight in the evening, the captain’s voice crackled through their earpieces.

“Sir! We’ve found something!”

Qi Chen sprang to his feet, and together with the gentle man rushed upstairs. At the end of the corridor, they saw the captain and four squad members standing before a room.

“This door won’t open, and the portable psychic detector picked up abnormal readings!”

“There’s definitely something anomalous here,” Qi Chen said, approaching the door. His formidable mental strength allowed him to sense the familiar chill—the presence of an anomaly.

“Summon the owner and ask about this room,” the gentle man decided.

Yet, upon descending the stairs, he discovered the owner had vanished!

At the same time, the five squad members stationed on the first floor had disappeared without a trace!

“What?!” The gentle man’s heart pounded. He hurried to the inn’s entrance, grabbing the tightly shut door and trying to pull it open—but it wouldn’t budge.

A coldness spread through the lobby.

......

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