CHAPTER 155: CHAPTER 155: GHOST PORTAL?

Once the call ended, a few men entered the conference room. Each held a box of gloves in their hands. One by one, they distributed a box to every employee.

Naina then explained,

"These gloves can release aether waves that temporarily hold back a ghost if you encounter one. But it’s better if you don’t use them unless absolutely necessary. Each pair only works three times. Ordinary employees will be paired with soul cultivators to ensure their safety. Soul cultivators simply need to channel their energy into the gloves to activate the aether waves."

After her explanation, her superior, Maya, stepped forward and added,

"Everyone must keep the gloves close. Also, don’t wander off. Ghosts with low cultivation sometimes create illusions to lure people away. To avoid confusion, we’ll use a code word."

She looked at Naina, who continued,

"The code word will be ’cookie.’ If someone asks, and the other person doesn’t reply with ’cookie,’ then that person is definitely a ghost."

Everyone nodded with a mixture of seriousness and unease.

The excitement of going on a field trip suddenly lessened. They were also reminded of the reason why solo travelling isn’t practiced in their world anymore.

Travelling to the mountain regions or places outside the safety zone was equivalent to calling death on oneself.

As a result, hardly any of them have ever explored mountains or the places near the boundary of ghost zones and safe zones.

They could only rely on virtual reality tools to know what the world outside safe zones looks like.

Naina continued, "Since there’s only one priest accompanying us, we must stick together. If you see a ghost portal, you’ll have a red flare. Press it immediately."

Her assistant signaled to the men with the boxes, and they quickly handed out the red flares, small buttons that released a puff of red smoke when clicked.

"Keep the flare with you at all times," Naina added.

She also handed out survival kits containing water, snacks, and protective tools.

Once everyone had their supplies, Naina looked at them seriously.

"We might encounter a ghost. Even with high security, accidents can happen. Don’t panic. Stay calm."

With the briefing finished, Naina and Maya headed toward the bus that would take them to the mountain.

In truth, Naina didn’t have many friends. Because she always seemed confident and perfect, most coworkers kept their distance.

She sometimes wondered if people disliked her. So she stayed professional, quiet, and controlled.

However, from others’ perspective, she was an ice queen with perfection embedded in her genes.

Once they boarded the bus, they waited for departure. Soon, the bus started moving toward Sunshine Mountain.

Employees chatted happily, gossiping and laughing. The atmosphere was cheerful and lively. For a moment, Naina allowed her shoulders to relax. This feels... nice.

The scene reminded her of all the school trips and college events she had missed because of her parents’ expectations.

She still remembered their words.

’You need to sacrifice to be on top. It’s your choice. Whether you want to remain on top or mingle with people of lower IQ and waste it.’

The fear of wasting time resulted in her skipping all the joyous moments of her life.

However, as Naina stopped herself from pleasing her parents, she realized that their view was flawed.

Now, she was finally free of them.

Feeling unexpectedly light, she clapped along with the group.

A few employees looked at her in surprise before smiling... they appreciated seeing their strict, composed manager show a more human side.

As everyone enjoyed themselves, Maya looked out the window. The scenery was peaceful, lush green, and slowly changing as they approached the mountain. She smiled... until her eyes landed on a woman.

A lady dressed entirely in black, with features hard to make out, stared at the bus intently. She was standing as still as a tree, and if it weren’t for the eerie aura around her, Maya might not have noticed her at all.

Because the bus was moving, the figure seemed to slide away from view, but the image left a cold shiver down Maya’s spine.

She pressed a hand to her chest. What a strange woman...

She wasn’t the only one who saw her.

A girl in the second row also caught sight of the lady and frowned. Why does she look so... wrong?

Just when both of them thought they wouldn’t see the woman again, she appeared once more.

As the scenery grew more desolate, the trees thickening and the shadows deepening, they saw her again... standing among the trees, still and eerie, completely out of place.

At first, only a few people noticed. But they quickly pointed her out to others, and soon the entire bus was buzzing with tension.

There were two buses traveling together. The sudden commotion spread through both like wildfire.

Everyone felt chills run down their spine. Whispers filled the air.

"Something’s not right..."

"She’s following us... How is she following us? Is she a ghost?"

Maya’s face paled. She lowered her voice and said,

"Did we... enter a ghost zone? Or maybe a ghost portal opened?"

Her words caused a still silence to spread, and everyone’s eyes widened in fear.

Ghost portal... a horror every human in their world feared. A single portal, if opened, could cause thousands of people to die.

Realizing her mistake, she corrected herself quickly, "It’s only a guess. Don’t panic. Don’t make assumptions."

But Xander, a young employee with short blond hair, couldn’t stay calm.

"Easy for you to say! How are we supposed to stay calm when we might be traveling through a ghost portal? That’s like walking straight into death!"

Others nodded frantically. This was supposed to be a simple outdoor trip, not a march toward death.

Seeing the rising panic, Maya took action.

"I’ll instruct the drivers to turn back. Don’t worry, we have a priest with us!"

Her words calmed everyone, and they started to inquire about the priest, only to realize that he was on bus number 2.