Fang Xiu pondered for a moment, and before he knew it, it was already noon. He casually found a ramen shop, ate a bowl of ramen, and then continued on his way.

  He needed to observe more anomalies and uncover more truths.

  Soon, the afternoon passed, and dusk arrived.

  The dim sunlight cast over Green Vine City, as if the entire city were shrouded in gloom, while the anomalies within the city grew increasingly blurred and twisted.

  Finally, Fang Xiu arrived near Willow Grove Manor.

  Willow Grove Manor was a luxurious villa district. Though the location was relatively remote, with empty streets and few pedestrians around, it couldn’t mask the exorbitant price of the land.

  The villas were marketed as opulent and secluded, perfect for hiding mistresses or hosting underground clubs. Most of the people who could afford homes here were chauffeured in luxury cars—the distance meant little to them, and they valued the tranquility instead.

  Fang Xiu rode a shared bike along the quiet, tree-lined road. The landscaping on either side was well-maintained, with lush trees and flower beds trimmed into intricate designs—this was the result of the developer’s hefty investment, as this road was the main thoroughfare leading to Willow Grove Manor.

  Perhaps due to the remote location and sparse population, even the anomalies nearby were few and scattered, appearing only sporadically.

  As Fang Xiu passed through this main road, he suddenly stopped and scrutinized the building before him.

  A dark undercurrent surged in the depths of his calm eyes.

  Willow Grove Manor… was gone.

  The once picturesque, neatly arranged expanse of luxurious villas had vanished.

  In its place stood a mental hospital.

  The mental hospital covered a vast area, with several interconnected buildings linked by sky bridges. The walls were worn and peeling in many places, as if abandoned for years, exuding an eerie and sinister atmosphere.

  The sign at the entrance was tilted and covered in dust, but the name was still legible:

  Green Mountain Mental Hospital.

  Fang Xiu stared expressionlessly at the mental hospital before him. He was certain he hadn’t taken a wrong turn.

  This had originally been Willow Grove Manor, not some Green Mountain Mental Hospital.

  Another anomaly? Unlike the living anomalies before, this time it’s an entire mental hospital? Or is this mental hospital itself a creation of the anomalies?

  Fang Xiu felt a stirring of curiosity. This was the first time he had encountered such a phenomenon on his journey, and his instincts told him that this place likely held secrets about the anomalies.

  Without hesitation, he parked the bike and took out his phone.

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  He had turned it off earlier because his manager, Wu Dahai, had been harassing him with calls. Finding it annoying, he had simply shut it down.

  When he turned it back on, he saw 13 missed calls from Wu Dahai and three from Zhao Hao.

  Zhao Hao was Fang Xiu’s colleague and closest friend at work.

  After a moment’s thought, Fang Xiu dialed Zhao Hao’s number.

  Beep… beep… beep…

  After about thirty seconds, Zhao Hao’s voice came through—breathless and deliberately hushed.

  “Xiu, why’d you take so long to call back? What’s going on over there? Wu Dahai’s throwing a fit. He says he’s gonna fire you and make sure you don’t get a single cent.”

  The words tumbled out in a rush, laced with urgency and concern.

  Fang Xiu fell silent.

  They’re unharmed?

  Even though Willow Grove Manor had turned into a mental hospital, it sounded like his colleagues inside were unaffected.

  An illusion? Or is this mental hospital like those anomalies—something only I can see?

  “Xiu, why aren’t you saying anything? Did something happen over there?”

  “I’m fine,” Fang Xiu replied calmly. “You’re all still at the office right now?”

  “Yeah, we’re all here. Since you didn’t show up today, damn Wu Dahai took it out on the rest of us. More overtime, ugh. Hey, Xiu, you—”

  “We’ll talk later.”

  Fang Xiu cut him off, hung up, and turned off his phone again.

  He planned to investigate Green Mountain Mental Hospital, and during that time, he couldn’t afford to have his phone ring at a critical moment like in the movies, causing unnecessary trouble.

  Fang Xiu strode straight toward the main entrance of Green Mountain Mental Hospital.

  The entrance was bleak and dilapidated, and under the dimming sky, it looked like the gaping maw of a monster, terrifying in its emptiness.

  But this hardly stirred fear in Fang Xiu—or perhaps he simply no longer felt fear.

  Every time he encountered an anomaly, the first emotions that arose in him were always anger, hatred, and even excitement.

  Fear never made the list.

  Tap… tap… tap…

  The only sound in the silence was Fang Xiu’s footsteps.

  But the next second—*thud!*

  He slammed face-first into an invisible barrier, pain flaring across his face.

  “An invisible wall?”

  He was standing right at the entrance, yet it was as if an unseen barrier blocked his path.

  He reached out to touch it—cold, rough.

  “This isn’t just an invisible wall. It’s a real wall—just one I can’t see. Does that mean this mental hospital can’t be entered?”

  Unwilling to give up, Fang Xiu began feeling along the invisible wall like a blind man, searching for an opening.

  “Hey, Fang, what are you doing over there? Some new performance art?” A teasing voice came from nearby.

  Fang Xiu’s mind sharpened, but his expression didn’t flicker.

  After being killed by his wife so many times, he had mastered the art of remaining unfazed. In such an eerie place, if someone suddenly called out to him, reacting carelessly could mean death in the next second.

  But he wasn’t completely still—he kept searching, moving toward the source of the voice.

  When he was close enough, he glanced sideways and saw a person standing there.

  A young man in a security guard’s uniform, a cigarette dangling from his lips, watching him with amusement.

  Fang Xiu recognized him—he was one of the security guards at Willow Grove Manor.

  Unlike the elderly guards in most residential areas, the security here was young, fitting the upscale vibe.

  (As for when they’d replace them with old-timers? That would come after most of the properties were sold.)

  An illusion? Or an anomaly in disguise?

  As Fang Xiu considered this, the guard walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Fang, why aren’t you answering me? I saw you from a distance, running into the wall and then feeling it up. What, is the wall that sexy?”

  Fang Xiu felt the warmth of the hand on his shoulder and pondered.

  *Physical contact?*

  *He’s not an anomaly?*

  He turned to face the guard. “Brother Zhao, you’ve been here the whole time?”

  The guard—Brother Zhao—looked surprised and even waved a hand in front of Fang Xiu’s eyes.

  “Fang, do you need glasses or something? I’ve been standing straight in the guard booth this whole time—how could you miss that?”

  Guard booth?

  There had been no guard booth in Green Mountain Mental Hospital. Fang Xiu was certain of that.

  He turned to look in the direction Brother Zhao had come from—and froze.

  A small guard booth now stood where there had been nothing before.

  He had seen this booth every day on his way to work, even stepped inside before. It had a small air conditioner, making it pleasantly cool in the summer.

  How is this possible?!