Chapter 1

A deafening bang.

Someone else had jumped.

Why “else”? Song Yuhuan thought, dazed.

It had happened so close.

She could see the head burst open, the arms and legs broken by the fall and flung some distance away.

A mangled mess of flesh and blood.

Song Yuhuan shut her eyes on instinct and turned her head aside.

There were plenty of people around her, yet not one of them made a sound. No one seemed surprised by what had happened. It was as though this had become commonplace.

Song Yuhuan stood out like a sore thumb.

Sensing that something was wrong, she opened her eyes. At some point, everyone on the street had stopped and turned to stare at her. Their faces were blank, their eyes fixed on her.

It was so quiet she could hear her breathing grow heavier and heavier. Her heart felt ready to leap out of her chest.

Song Yuhuan’s body jerked violently.

The terrifying scene before her eyes began to dissolve, like ink spreading through water. She was back in the bustling real world. The steaming, fragrant bowl of rice noodles in front of her had gone a little cold.

“Huanhuan? Huanhuan?”

Song Yuhuan came to and looked at the girl who’d spoken.

“What’s wrong? You look awful. I’ve been calling you forever.”

“Nothing. I was thinking about the mystery novel I read yesterday.” Song Yuhuan managed a strained smile.

She had a secret.

Ever since she was little, she’d been able to see things from another world: terrifying, bizarre scenes. Today had been worse than usual. Before, she’d only watched from the sidelines. This time, she’d felt like she was part of it.

Song Yuhuan had a bad feeling about that.

“What book? Must be good if it’s got you that distracted.”

“It’s all right. Some of the scenes are just a little scary.”

“Then never mind. I was going to ask you to recommend it.” The other girl waved the idea away. “What are you doing for your twentieth birthday tomorrow? Looks like we have classes all day.”

“I’ll order something late tonight, get a cake, and celebrate a little.” Song Yuhuan smiled.

“Sounds good.” The girl studied Song Yuhuan, frowning slightly. “You should try to get some decent sleep. You seem more and more worn out lately.”

“My sleep’s terrible, but there’s not much I can do about it.”

And ever since she’d turned eighteen, she’d been having the same strange dream every night. A faceless female ghost would sit across from her, muttering away. Song Yuhuan had no idea what she was saying.

How could anyone stay sane when they saw things like that every few days?

Song Yuhuan sighed.

Her family had a little money, so they’d taken her to a therapist and even tried asking for help from people who dealt in the supernatural. Nothing had worked.

At this rate, Song Yuhuan felt she’d be driven mad sooner or later.

When is this ever going to end?

She didn’t understand why she was the only one going through this. She donated money every month, did good deeds, tried to build up good karma. Why was she the one being tormented?

On her twentieth birthday, Song Yuhuan made a solemn wish.

She hoped it would all end.

Her wish didn’t come true. Things only got worse.

The dreadful premonition came true the very next day: she was dragged into that terrifying world.

A strange mechanical voice sounded in her mind.

[Survive.]

[Don’t let anyone discover you’re an external intruder.]

[If they do, you’ll be erased.]

[Your identity this round: Eldest Miss of the Song Family.]