141-145

Chapter 141: Guidance

"Is that George?"

Staring at the motionless figure before her, Amanda asked hesitantly.

"Strictly speaking, that's the version of himself from the spirit's memory."

Standing beside her, Spike gazed intently at the black-and-white figure in the bedroom as he explained slowly.

"Spirits exist in all things, including within us. However, unlike the spirits of the dead, the living are shielded by their physical bodies."

"In modern terms, you could say we've entered George's mental world. While psychologists use words to decipher their patients' minds, we’re taking a more direct approach—using a medium and a séance ritual to step into the spiritual world."

Through Spike's explanation, Amanda gradually grasped the situation.

She silently observed George in the bedroom. In this monochromatic spiritual world, George resembled a black-and-white sculpture, devoid of life or movement.

"How much longer do we have to wait?"

Time seemed to drag endlessly—perhaps around half an hour had passed.

Finally, unable to endure the eerie silence any longer, Amanda broke the tension by asking Spike.

In this soundless black-and-white world, every minute felt excruciatingly long and agonizing.

"Spirits don't have a concept of time. For them, a minute and a day are indistinguishable."

Compared to Amanda's unease, Spike's expression remained much calmer.

He observed George in front of the computer in the bedroom with half-closed eyes.

"However, since the spirit remains in the bedroom, it indicates that at this point in the memory, George hasn't yet been affected by the curse in the video. This means the curse could manifest at any moment—perhaps even now..."

As Spike’s voice trailed off, Amanda noticed George, who had been motionless in front of the computer, suddenly begin to move.

He twisted his neck, turning his head to glance behind him.

The next moment, a look of terror spread across his monochromatic face, as though he had seen something horrifying.

In the soundless black-and-white world, the fear etched on George's face appeared even more unsettling.

Seeing this, Amanda rushed into the bedroom to look in the direction George had turned.

However, to her surprise, there was nothing there.

"This is George's spiritual world. Only George can appear here."

Noticing Amanda's confused expression, Spike, who had also entered the bedroom, offered an explanation.

As the two spoke, the terrified George began moving again.

His expression shifted from sheer terror to an icy, expressionless state within moments.

This cold demeanor bore an uncanny resemblance to Agent Zhou from BSI.

George stood up stiffly and began walking toward the door with an unnatural, rigid gait.

Watching George’s retreating back as he exited the room, Amanda exchanged a glance with Spike before following him.

---

"I need all surveillance footage from areas around where the missing persons were last seen," one of the FBI agents said.

Inside the NYPD surveillance room, two FBI agents began reviewing tapes to trace the movements of over twenty missing persons.

Given the large number of cases, investigating each individually was a time-consuming and arduous task.

After a preliminary screening, the agents excluded footage unrelated to the cases and assigned less critical videos to the police officers for review. They focused on a handful of the most suspicious recordings, including one from the area near George’s location.

While some white FBI agents dismissed the existence of BSI, they did not underestimate the importance of BSI’s investigation into George.

If BSI had chosen George as a breakthrough, it suggested that critical clues to the case might be hidden behind his disappearance.

---

In the silent, black-and-white spiritual world, Amanda and Spike followed George's figure for what felt like hours.

The surrounding scenery constantly shifted, but whenever Amanda tried to make sense of it, everything became distorted and blurry. Amid these vague surroundings, she thought she saw vehicles and buildings, only for them to vanish moments later.

"It's pointless. This is just the spirit's memory. Everything here revolves around George. If you don't believe me, look behind you," Spike said, shaking his head at Amanda's attempts to discern their surroundings.

Following his suggestion, Amanda turned around and saw the black-and-white world behind them being swallowed by a thick fog as they moved forward.

The sight made her gasp. She quickly turned back to George, whose stiff steps seemed to dictate the creation of the road ahead.

Amanda finally understood why Spike had warned her not to lose herself in the spirit's memory.

While she didn’t know what lay hidden within the mist behind them, she instinctively felt that being engulfed by it would lead to something far worse than their current predicament.

With that in mind, Amanda quickened her pace to keep up with George.

For what seemed like half a day, the three of them continued moving through George's monochromatic memories. The surroundings remained perpetually distorted.

Oddly enough, none of them felt any fatigue.

Eventually, George came to a stop. He turned his body in a particular direction, drawing Amanda's gaze.

Ahead, a blurry wooden house began to take shape. Black-and-white fences emerged around it, and within the yard stood a lone, withered tree.

It seemed George had led them to an abandoned wooden house.

---

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 142: Adjusting the Progress*

“Where is this?”

Staring at the abandoned wooden cabin in front of her, which exuded an eerie and chilling aura even in the black-and-white world, Amanda immediately turned to Spike beside her and asked.

“I don’t know.”

Spike shook his head gently, his gaze shifting from George’s black-and-white silhouette.

Glancing back at the fog creeping closer behind them, he reminded Amanda, “But we should leave.”

“What?!”

However, faced with Spike’s urging, Amanda’s expression showed no trace of relief.

She looked at the still figure of George not far away and the abandoned cabin in front of her, sensing that she was on the verge of uncovering the truth behind the string of disappearances.

“Time’s up.”

Before Amanda could refuse, Spike softly spoke and placed his hand on hers.

By the time Amanda came to her senses and opened her eyes again, the two had returned to reality from the spirit’s memory world. The surroundings shifted from the monochrome void back to the vibrant, colorful world.

Taking a subconscious breath, Amanda noticed that the pervasive stench seemed to have dissipated somewhat. Looking down, she realized the incense that had been burning earlier had extinguished, releasing its final wisp of smoke.

Seeing this, Amanda understood why Spike had mentioned that time was up earlier in George’s memory world.

Releasing her hand, still clasped with Spike’s, Amanda glanced at the clock on George’s wall.

*3:46 PM.*

Amanda clearly remembered that, before the séance ritual, the clock had read *3:20 PM.*

Despite spending what felt like more than half a day in George’s memory world with Spike during the séance, less than thirty minutes had passed in the real world.

This enormous time discrepancy left Amanda’s mind in turmoil.

“Have some tea.”

Spike pushed a cup of hot tea toward Amanda. Seeing her slightly dazed expression, he spoke calmly, “Take a moment to collect yourself. I know you have many questions right now.”

---

“Did you find anything useful?”

*New York Police Department, Surveillance Room.*

A white FBI agent, stretching his stiff neck, paused the surveillance footage on the computer and turned to his colleague.

“No.”

Shaking his head, the colleague stared at the screen, which showed footage transitioning into the pitch-black hours of early morning. His response carried a tone of frustration.

“There are too many suspicious individuals in the footage. It’s impossible to determine whether any of them are among the missing persons.”

In New York City, surveillance cameras are typically installed in densely populated or high-risk areas.

The FBI agents had already witnessed six robberies, twelve brawls, and multiple clearly “illegal” transactions while combing through the surveillance footage.

Identifying traces of the missing persons amidst the chaotic criminal activity felt like searching for a needle in a haystack, especially with only photographs as their main lead.

“Maybe we need a new approach. This needle-in-a-haystack method is just dumb,” the agent complained, closing the current footage and opening another surveillance recording.

“Unless you’ve got a better way to track the missing persons, shut up and keep watching the tapes,” his colleague retorted.

The white agent knew their current method wasn’t sophisticated, but old-school tactics weren’t entirely without merit.

Sipping his now-cold coffee, he refocused his attention on the surveillance footage.

“Found something!”

At that moment, his colleague exclaimed.

Looking at the screen, the agent saw footage of a stiff-moving figure on his colleague’s monitor.

They paused the video, zoomed in on the figure, and enhanced the blurry face.

Comparing the face to the missing persons’ photos, they quickly matched it to one of the victims.

“George Bruce!”

---

“I didn’t expect the FBI to find a lead first.”

*San Marino.*

Allen’s expression turned to surprise as he monitored both investigations’ progress through his system panel.

Although the surveillance footage was something he had deliberately set up using his *Plot Points*, the fact that the FBI agents discovered it so quickly caused Amanda’s group, previously ahead in the investigation, to fall behind.

“This won’t do.”

Noticing the deviation in the script, Allen shook his head.

Without hesitation, he used *Plot Points* to begin making adjustments.

---

“Google rejected our request to take down the videos. They even refused to temporarily block the content under technical pretexts, claiming that all videos on YouTube undergo thorough review and are legal…”

“Tell Google we believe these videos contain dangerous content and shouldn’t be allowed to stream.”

Sitting before her laptop, Agent Angela repeatedly contacted the BSI headquarters, pushing to have the videos taken down.

Google, YouTube’s parent company, firmly denied the request.

Persisting in her appeals, Angela eventually convinced BSI to issue a mandatory order to temporarily block the potentially hazardous videos.

“Done.”

With BSI’s directive, Angela breathed a sigh of relief. Clicking on one of the videos previously viewed by the missing persons, she saw the "Unavailable" message and finally felt at ease.

“This should stop the curse from spreading further.”

Recalling Spike’s earlier comments in George’s bedroom, Angela, as a BSI agent, had long prepared herself for cases involving the supernatural.

However, actively participating in such an investigation left her feeling uneasy.

Had she watched Mary Shaw’s séance video herself, would she have suffered the same fate as the missing persons?

That unsettling thought lingered in her mind.

Angela hesitated, then typed “Mary Shaw’s Home” into Google’s search bar.

---

*Chapter 143: New Clues*

"Comparing George Bruce's movement patterns, we can see that the target had contact with someone shortly before disappearing..."

*NYPD, Surveillance Room*

In the surveillance room, an FBI agent printed photos from the security footage, arranging them according to George’s trajectory. Pointing to an image of George getting into a car, the agent began analyzing.

"He even left in the same car as other missing individuals."

"What does the vehicle report say?"

The white FBI agent focused on the photo where George was getting into the car and asked.

"Sean, Sean Johnson. According to the NYPD's vehicle registration records, the car is owned by a man named Sean Johnson. I had the local beat cops investigate his residence, and the result..."

"He's also missing, isn't he?"

Before the colleague could finish, the white FBI agent had already guessed the outcome.

"At least, that’s what his neighbors said."

Hearing the report, the agent turned his gaze to the crowded photo wall in front of him. The wall was covered with images documenting George's last known activities before he disappeared.

"From the movement patterns in the photos, it’s clear that George Bruce’s disappearance was premeditated. He showed no hesitation at any point, including when Sean Johnson entered the picture..."

Removing the photo of George getting into the car, the agent studied the blurred figure inside. "This is a meticulously planned disappearance."

"Sean Johnson might be the key to solving this string of missing person cases."

His eyes swept across the faces in the photos, finally settling on the figure in the driver’s seat. The agent spoke with conviction.

"I investigated the relationships between the two missing individuals. But, just like with all the other cases, they have no connections—no overlapping workplaces or social environments."

"There has to be a connection. We just haven’t found it yet."

"George got into Sean’s car before vanishing. If they had no relationship, how would that have happened?!"

This question from the colleague highlighted the FBI’s biggest obstacle in the case.

As long as they couldn’t uncover the connections between these individuals, the truth would remain out of reach.

***

"Looks like the FBI’s investigation has hit a roadblock."

*San Marino*

Watching the two agents struggle, Allen glanced at the BSI interface on the system panel. His gaze flickered briefly.

…

Taking a sip of hot tea to calm her scattered thoughts, Amanda looked up at the composed Spike in front of her. Curiosity overtook her, and she couldn’t help but ask, "So, everything we experienced through the séance ritual in George’s memory—was it real? Was the abandoned cabin where George led us his last known location before he disappeared?"

Spike seemed unsurprised by Amanda’s questions. Holding his tea, he took a small sip before calmly responding.

"If you believe that what you saw during the séance is real, then it is. If not, it’s not."

"The scenes formed in a spirit’s memory exist only within its relationship to reality, which inevitably creates discrepancies. The séance ritual only allows us to briefly enter a fragment of the spirit’s memory. What we see and experience there is shaped by the spirit’s perceptions. For instance, didn’t you find it strange that we seemed to walk for hours in George’s memory, yet only about 30 minutes passed in reality?"

Spike’s explanation addressed the very confusion Amanda had felt.

Noticing her thoughtful expression, he continued in his calm tone.

"Spirits don’t perceive time as we do. To them, a day and a second are indistinguishable. You may feel as though hours passed, but to the spirit, it might have only been seconds. Even the way spaces appear in their memory may differ significantly from reality."

Spike’s explanation brought some clarity to Amanda’s mind, though it also raised more questions.

After all, for an ordinary person, the world of spirits was too enigmatic—even for someone like Amanda, whose experience with the supernatural far exceeded that of most.

"As for the abandoned cabin at the end, it likely represents the location you’re searching for—the place where the missing individuals were last taken, as implied in the video."

***

*NYPD, Surveillance Room*

The sound of a text notification interrupted the silence. The FBI agent glanced down at his phone screen.

A moment later, excitement lit up his face as he looked up at his frustrated colleague.

"We’ve got a new lead..."

"I submitted the vehicle report for Sean Johnson’s car to FBI headquarters. They cross-referenced it and confirmed that the car recently left New York for the suburbs. At the time, Sean was accompanied by several others, including Laura and Mark, who are also on the missing persons list."

The new information energized the two agents, breaking through their previous stagnation.

Additionally, the headquarters’ report forced them to reconsider the timeline of the disappearances.

If the intel from headquarters was accurate, the timeline for these disappearances needed to be pushed further back.

"You mentioned that Sean was traveling with others in the car. Besides Laura and Mark, who else was there?"

The mention of other passengers caught the white FBI agent’s attention, prompting a follow-up question.

"One person’s identity remains unclear due to their obscured position. However, we’ve identified someone else..."

The agent pulled up the details on his computer, connecting with internal FBI systems.

He clicked on a file that contained an enhanced photo.

The image came from a speed camera in New York, capturing the vehicle in motion.

In the picture, Sean was clearly visible in the driver’s seat, while a man sat beside him in the passenger seat.

"The man in the passenger seat is named Jamie..."

Opening Jamie’s file, the two agents reviewed the details, lost in thought.

"Wait, zoom in on Jamie’s hand."

The white agent’s sharp eyes caught a shadow on Jamie’s hand in the photo. He quickly called for a closer look.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 144: Falling into the Trap

"Is that a DV camcorder?"

By enhancing the dark shape in Jamie's hand, the FBI agents confirmed the object was indeed a DV camcorder.

This type of home-use camcorder was quite common. Before smartphones with camera functions became widespread, many American families used them to record everyday life.

However, considering the occupants of the vehicle were all individuals who had recently gone missing in the series of disappearances in New York City, the presence of this camcorder seemed far from ordinary.

The FBI agents felt they might have stumbled upon a critical clue.

*Ding dong!*

As the two agents were deep in thought, the sound of a notification echoed in the NYPD surveillance room.

Glancing at the information displayed on the phone screen, one of the FBI agents spoke with a mix of surprise and realization.

"The computer expert assisting with the missing persons investigation just sent an update from headquarters. Shortly before this, BSI requested that Google block several videos on YouTube. One of the videos was uploaded by someone named Jamie—one of the missing persons from Shaun Johnson's car..."

"Video?!"

Hearing this information, the white FBI agent looked at the DV camcorder in Jamie's hand in the image and suddenly felt a flash of inspiration, connecting everything.

"Notify Google. The FBI needs to requisition those blocked videos for the investigation."

The FBI's longstanding collaboration with Google was evident, far surpassing the capabilities of the newly established BSI.

Responding promptly to the FBI's request, Google wasted no time in providing the blocked videos, sending them directly to the emails of the two FBI agents stationed at the NYPD surveillance room.

From these videos, the agents quickly found one recorded by Jamie titled, "Summoning Spirits: Calling Mary Shaw’s Ghost in the Haunted Nursery Rhyme House."  

Seeing the preview image, the FBI agent instinctively frowned.

Inside the surveillance room, they clicked on the video.

"Mary Shaw, Mary Shaw, heed my call..."  

"Come before us now, answer our summons..."  

The eerie invocation filled the room.

The policemen, who had been aimlessly monitoring screens, turned their heads curiously towards the FBI agents upon hearing the sound from the video.

After all, even NYPD officers didn't encounter FBI agents daily.

"Shaun Johnson, Laura, Mark, and Jamie... These are all the missing individuals from the recent New York disappearance cases."

The summoning chant continued in the video, but the FBI agents noticed that all participants in the ritual were individuals involved in the disappearance cases.

A group of mysteriously missing people gathered to record a spirit-summoning video.

For some reason, the agents' thoughts drifted to the BSI.

Could it be that what BSI was investigating was real? Did supernatural forces truly exist in this world?

Inside the surveillance room, as the FBI agents pondered, Jamie's chilling video reached its conclusion on the computer screen.

"The doll, the toy puppet in the candle, it moved!"  

As the camera shook violently and screams erupted, the final frame froze on the puppet. Its previously lifeless eyes silently shifted, locking onto the direction of the two FBI agents.

*Creak, creak—*

...

*"..."*

In San Marino.

Watching the events unfold in the NYPD surveillance room through the system’s screen, Allen wore an unusual expression.

Undoubtedly, the FBI’s performance during the investigation was impressive.

Unfortunately, that very performance became the undoing of the two agents.

In some ways, Google also played a role in their misfortune.

Who would have thought Google would cave so quickly? The moment the FBI asked, they handed over the videos without hesitation, leaving Allen no time to react.

He could only watch helplessly as the two FBI agents opened the video, stepping directly into the trap and unknowingly fanning the flames of the curse’s spread.

Seeing the frozen screen, the FBI agents’ expressions gradually stiffened under the puppet’s curse. The same fate seemed to befall the NYPD officers present.

Allen silently averted his gaze, decisively abandoning the FBI storyline.

As the script's creator, he knew there was no saving the two agents once the puppet's curse had taken hold.

Shifting his focus away from the "temporarily" doomed FBI agents, the system’s screen transitioned to the ongoing investigation by the BSI team.

During the FBI's efforts to investigate Shaun and the others, the BSI made its own "progress."

...

"Boss, I looked up information about Mary Shaw online," said Angela, an investigator, addressing Amanda over the phone. "I also searched Jamie’s computer, which revealed he had researched Mary Shaw and the haunted nursery rhyme extensively before filming the video. One particularly intriguing lead was a forum post about Mary Shaw’s abandoned cabin."

At Jamie’s residence, Angela nodded to the assisting NYPD officer as she relayed her findings.

"A cabin?!"

Walking out of George's house, Amanda’s expression shifted at the mention of the abandoned cabin.

"Send me the cabin's address immediately!"

Furrowing her brows, she jotted down the location of Mary Shaw's cabin and hung up the call. Turning to Spike, she said, "It seems we’ve found the cabin from George’s memories—it likely belongs to Mary Shaw."

"Not surprising," Spike shrugged, his tone nonchalant.

"In fact, instead of focusing on this, you should think about how to deal with the cursed individuals who disappeared. The anomaly gathering them at the cabin isn’t doing so just for fun—it definitely has a purpose."

Amanda’s expression grew grim at Spike’s reminder.

But before she could respond, her phone, barely set down, rang again.

"Zhou?"

Seeing the caller’s name, Amanda answered.

"We’ve got trouble..."

The deep, familiar voice of Agent Zhou came through.

"Just moments ago, the NYPD reported that two FBI agents had gone missing—along with the officers who were with them in the surveillance room."

*(End of Chapter)*

*Chapter 145: A Solution*

"Meeting again, Officer."

At the New York Police Department, outside the surveillance room.

Amanda and her team once again encountered the city officer who had been handling the missing persons case.

"Thanks for coming, but if possible, I’d rather we didn’t meet again, especially under these circumstances."

However, the officer’s face showed little enthusiasm as Amanda and her team arrived at the scene.

After all, this case now implicated the NYPD itself, as well as two FBI agents who were investigating the missing persons cases.

"With our colleagues disappearing, morale across the NYPD is at an all-time low. No one wants to be the next one to vanish..."

As the officer led Amanda and her team toward the surveillance room, he explained the growing fear caused by the missing officers.

"We only learned the specifics of the incident about ten minutes after it happened."

"A patrol officer received a call and tried to access the surveillance footage but couldn’t get in touch with the officer in the surveillance room. When we sent someone to check, we found the entire room empty, including the two FBI agents investigating the serial disappearances."

FBI agents investigating the disappearances had themselves vanished.

It was a bitter irony.

In any movie or TV show, this scenario would undoubtedly serve as comic relief.

Sadly, none of the people present found it amusing.

"The department hasn’t sent anyone else into the surveillance room, have they?"

Standing outside the empty surveillance room, Amanda glanced at the desolate space before turning to question the city officer.

"We followed this agent’s orders..."

The officer glanced at Agent Zhou before responding to Amanda.

When the disappearance in the surveillance room was discovered, the NYPD naturally wanted to investigate. However, under Agent Zhou’s strict instructions, they refrained from entering, opting instead to secure the scene and wait for Amanda's team.

Hearing that no one else had entered the room, Amanda visibly relaxed.

She turned to Spike, who gave her a nod, confirming that the situation was linked to the cursed video.

"How did they view it? I mean, those two FBI agents?"

Noticing the silent exchange between Amanda and Spike, Agent Phil’s expression turned curious.

"I just contacted headquarters. Not long ago, Google provided the FBI with the blocked video," Angela explained.

"So, those two FBI agents essentially walked into a trap? Isn’t Google always claiming to protect users' privacy without compromise?"

Hearing Angela’s explanation, Phil didn’t know whether to feel sorry for the FBI or disappointed in Google.

"I’d call it self-destruction. Also, the FBI and Google have a much closer partnership than you’d think."

As a former FBI agent, Zhou seemed well aware of internal agreements, including some covert ones.

"This is Amanda..."

While BSI discussed the FBI-Google relationship, Amanda answered a call.

"...I promise, absolutely... Yes, sir... Understood... Yes, sir."

Ending the call, Amanda turned to the others, their gazes curious.

"That was headquarters. They’ve ordered us to resolve the disappearance case quickly. The NYPD has officially requested our involvement, and the FBI has handed the case over to us as well."

Despite securing the case, Amanda’s expression didn’t show a trace of excitement.

The members of BSI knew all too well the dangers lurking behind these disappearances.

One wrong step could lead to the same fate as the FBI agents.

"Spike."

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Amanda looked to the psychic for assistance.

While the FBI agents had disappeared due to their ignorance of the curse, their actions also suggested they had made significant progress in their investigation—enough to prompt them to contact Google and access the blocked videos.

Understanding Amanda’s intent, Spike nodded knowingly.

He glanced toward the surveillance room. From his vantage point, he could faintly see the looping surveillance footage inside. One of the computers might be playing the cursed Mary Shaw video—or perhaps more than one.

Recognizing the danger, Spike scanned the room, his gaze settling on the city officer in charge. Approaching him directly, Spike smiled and asked for assistance.

"Officer, I’ll need your help. Can you...?"

The officer, confused but compliant, agreed after a brief conversation.

"Thank you."

Under the watchful eyes of the BSI team, Spike exchanged a few words with the officer before leaving the surveillance room.

Click.  

A few moments later, all the monitors in the surveillance room went dark.

In the dimly lit surroundings, Amanda and the others realized what Spike had done.

He had simply cut the power to the surveillance room, effectively neutralizing the cursed video.

"So, this was your solution?"

Looking at the darkened screens and the lights flickering back on after power was restored, Agent Phil seemed both surprised and bemused.

"What else did you think I’d do?"

Sauntering back from the electrical panel, Spike smirked with a hint of mischief at the varied expressions from the team.

"I thought you’d use something more fitting for your role—like a séance or..."

Phil had imagined a dramatic showdown with supernatural forces, akin to scenes from a movie.

Instead, Spike had simply flipped a switch.

"Every power comes at a cost, especially when it involves spirits. Unless absolutely necessary, I try to avoid using such abilities. Given that this curse is closely tied to Mary Shaw—or possibly her manifestation—it’s wiser to conserve energy for potential dangers ahead.

"Besides, there’s always more than one way to solve a problem."