After returning to campus, Su Mo didn’t attend classes. Instead, he rested in his single apartment.
Of course, “resting” didn’t mean lazing around.
According to the requirements, the countdown for his beginner mission would start tomorrow afternoon. Before then, he needed to gather intel and familiarize himself with the location.
He searched for information on Jingnan Third Hospital and discovered that its closure had been caused by ghostly activity.
Unlike typical ghost stories, the hauntings here left tangible evidence.
It wasn’t that people could see the ghosts—but the damage they caused was very real. The incident that finally shut the hospital down resulted in three deaths, eleven injuries, and massive financial losses.
At the time, it made headlines, forcing the hospital to close. Since then, Jingnan Third Hospital had become a no-go zone. No one dared to approach it, and even demolition plans were postponed indefinitely.
Over time, the eerie legends surrounding the hospital had mostly faded—until recently, when new paranormal incidents were reported.
According to the files sent via the North Star Organization app, two high school freshmen had wandered into the abandoned hospital and never returned. Their disappearance was only reported after classmates informed their teacher, who then alerted the authorities.
Police initially searched the hospital but found no trace of the missing students. Worse, one officer vanished during the operation.
Eyewitnesses claimed the officer had been taken by a transparent humanoid figure—in other words, a ghost.
Su Mo had never believed in the supernatural. In the past, he would’ve scoffed at such claims. But now… nothing could be ruled out.
Meanwhile, in the Special Ops Team group chat…
The members were buzzing with conversation—and the topic just happened to be him.
A’Kun: “Heard the top performer in the Jing Mountain Ruins mission was a freshman—a real looker, too.”
Yi Ge: “Oh, I know her. She’s from my school—the campus belle. I even saw her in the ruins.”
Clock: “Same. Forget her skills—she’s gorgeous, exactly my type. Too bad I’m a few years older.”
A’Kun: “@Clock Dude, you’re old enough to be her dad. ‘A few years’? Get real.”
Clock: “@A’Kun Shut your trap.”
Veteran Driver: “You guys are pathetic. Can’t even leave a girl alone. If you’re that desperate, just marry someone already.”
Yi Ge: “Men marry women, not the other way around.”
Clock: “@Yi Ge LOL, kid doesn’t know—Veteran Driver did marry into money. HAHAHA!”
Veteran Driver: “Don’t hate me ‘cause you ain’t me. (￣▽￣)~“*
A’Kun: “Please, you’ve bragged about being a sugar baby a million times. Anyone could do that.”
Eighth Day: “Funny thing—the girl you’re all drooling over? She’s loaded too. 【smirk】”
A’Kun: “Perfect! This pure-hearted virgin is officially interested!”
Clock: “Dream on. Yi Ge’s the only one here with a shot. Right, Yi Ge? @Yi Ge”
Yi Ge: “I mean… I’d try, but she’s probably out of my league. 【shy】”
Veteran Driver: “Confidence, man. Women love confidence. If you’re weak, fake it.”
A’Kun: “666, spoken like a true player.”
The Prince (Wang Ye): “Cool it. She’s a colleague—keep it professional, or things’ll get awkward.”
Wang Ye’s warning fell on deaf ears. The group kept roasting each other.
A’Kun: “Dude, you barely talk, and when you do, it’s useless. She’s not even in this chat. How’s she gonna know?”
Clock: “Exactly.”
Eighth Day: “I second that.”
Yi E Ye (Su Mo): “Same here.”
The Prince: “┑(￣Д ￣)┍”
The moment the “newbie” chimed in, A’Kun and the others immediately started demanding selfies again. Su Mo promptly went offline.
From the chat, he picked up a crucial detail: Yi Ge was also from Jingjiang University.
And the only person at Jingjiang U who’d been in the ruins, met Su Mo, and qualified for the Special Ops Team was—
Sun Yuchen.
His ability? Fire manipulation—fitting for the alias “Yi Ge” (燚哥, “Blaze Brother”).
From Wang Ye, Su Mo learned that the Special Ops Team was an elite squad directly under the organization’s leadership. Its members were either powerhouses or high-potential talents, all core personnel from different regions.
Yet online, they acted like unhinged trolls—a far cry from their real-life reputations.
But this had its perks: it made teamwork less stiff.
In reality, they rarely met in person. Aside from key figures like Wang Ye, most members didn’t have fixed offices or regular shifts. They operated independently, handling high-difficulty missions, and were only recalled for emergencies—like the Jing Mountain Ruins operation.
Late that night…
After finishing his research, Su Mo spent the rest of the night meditating.
The next morning, he took a cab to Jingnan Third Hospital—though the driver refused to get too close, dropping him off early.
After a five-minute walk, Su Mo arrived at the hospital entrance, now cordoned off as a restricted zone. He showed his credentials to gain access.
“Found anything?” he asked the on-site personnel.
“Nothing. Some of our North Star guys went in earlier, but whatever’s hiding there seems to sense superhumans and avoids them,” one replied.
Su Mo frowned. If the entity refused to show itself, this mission would be a dead end.
He studied the hospital. The outpatient building loomed ahead, its aura so oppressive that just looking at it made his skin crawl.
For safety, he put on a mask and gloves, minimizing exposed skin, then stepped inside.
The hallway walls were cracked from neglect, and cobwebs draped everywhere like morbid curtains.
Room by room, floor by floor, Su Mo combed through the building. But aside from dust, broken furniture, and empty cabinets, he found nothing—no ghosts, no clues matching the mission brief.
After clearing the outpatient wing, he moved to the inpatient building, even scouring the parking lot and dumpster area. Still, not a single lead.
He began to wonder: Maybe the “ghost” only comes out at night? After all, daytime hauntings defied tradition.
With the search yielding no results, Su Mo decided to retreat—for now.
He’d return after dark.