174: 174. Believe in science

Lu Feng found it amusing; this ability, used to mess with people, was absolutely terrifying and top-notch, making it impossible for them to distinguish between dream and reality.

It was just a bit of an overkill.

But since these two ill-intentioned individuals had finally shown up, how could he let them off the hook?

Naturally, he would unleash any interesting ideas he had. As for whether they could handle it, that wasn't something Lu Feng needed to consider... Hearing Julie's shrill scream, Professor Mike and his group immediately rushed back following the sound.

Seeing Julie, who was usually calm and professional, now pale-faced, hair slightly disheveled, and eyes unfocused as she leaned against the wall, Mike's brows instantly furrowed into a knot, a hint of unease and deep suspicion flashing in his eyes.

By all accounts, Julie was a highly trained intelligence officer with psychological resilience far beyond ordinary people, making it impossible for her to lose composure to such an extent due to common reasons in such a short time.

"Julie, what happened?"

Mike took a step forward, asking with controlled urgency, while subtly scanning the surroundings but finding no abnormalities.

Julie took a deep breath, forcing down her still wildly pounding heart, and managed a weak smile, explaining to Mike and the surrounding school staff: "I'm so sorry... I... I suddenly felt a bit unwell. It might be due to not being used to the local environment. My head is very dizzy, and my vision is blurry... I think I need to go back and rest."

She held her hand to her forehead, feigning fatigue and discomfort.

Mike gave her a deep look, his mind filled with doubts, but his expression quickly switched back to that of a gentle scholar. He apologized to the school leaders: "I'm truly sorry, Researcher Julie is feeling unwell. I'll take her back to the apartment to rest. It's a shame we can't continue the tour."

The school leaders expressed understanding and arranged for someone to accompany them.

Mike politely declined the accompaniment, stating he knew the way, and then, supporting the seemingly weak Julie, he left the laboratory building under the concerned gazes of everyone.

As soon as they returned to their room in the campus apartment, Mike immediately locked the door behind him and quickly walked to the window, pulling the heavy curtains shut with a "swish." The room instantly grew dim.

The gentleness on his face vanished. He turned around, staring at Julie with a grave expression, and asked in a low voice, "There are no outsiders now! Tell me, what exactly happened just now?! Do you know that your behavior just now could have aroused their suspicion! You'll ruin my big plan!!!"

The still shaken Julie trembled at his stern demeanor. Her lips quivered as she recounted her terrifying experience in that corridor, from beginning to end... the eerie silence... the absolute darkness outside the window... the ghost-like circular staircase... the lights extinguishing one by one... the encroaching darkness, and that final hand on her shoulder...

"I felt... I felt like I was trapped there for at least half an hour!"

Julie's voice was tearful, and her body still trembled uncontrollably as she recalled the despair of that moment.

Even facing a battle didn't scare her, but that unexplainable weirdness was unbearable, especially as her worldview had been shaken.

"Half an hour?!"

Mike sounded as if he had heard a fairy tale, his voice rising in surprise. He then lowered his voice and said, "From the moment you left the group until you screamed, I checked the time; it wasn't even a minute! Julie, snap out of it!"

He suddenly grabbed Julie's shoulders and shook her hard. "Did you secretly take drugs?! At such a critical moment, you..."

Julie interrupted him excitedly, denying it vehemently, her eyes showing the anger of being insulted: "I didn't! I never touch those things! Mike, you have to believe me! That feeling was too real!"

As if remembering something, she hastily pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling as she typed "ghost wall" into the search engine.

Looking at the explanation that popped up on the screen: "Wandering in circles, unable to find the correct direction, common in folklore..."

Her face instantly turned even paler, almost devoid of color.

"That's it! That's exactly it!"

She fearfully turned the phone screen towards Mike, her voice trembling, "I also heard... I heard that many schools in Xia Country, in order to suppress something unclean, are deliberately built on former mass graves or places with ominous feng shui... Is this... is this also one of those places?"

Her voice grew softer and softer, filled with superstitious fear.

"Absurd! Foolish!"

Mike roared, grabbing her shoulders again with force, and shouted, "You are a researcher! A modern person who has received higher education! You should believe in science and data! How can you believe in such ignorant folk legends?! There are no such things as ghosts in this world! Those are all psychological effects, or hallucinations caused by too much mental stress!"

He stared into Julie's eyes, his tone becoming incredibly serious, even carrying a hint of ruthlessness: "Julie, listen to me carefully! I am atoning for my past mistakes this time, and the higher-ups have given me an ultimatum! This mission must succeed, no failure allowed! We must obtain the relevant data!"

"If, for such a ridiculous reason, you dare to disrupt my plan or hold me back... I swear, I will not let you go! Between us, it's a fight to the death!"

His eyes showed a desperate resolve, clearly indicating he had no other option.

Warned so severely by Mike, Julie shivered, and her rationality slowly returned.

She looked at Mike's distorted expression and began to doubt herself.

Could it be... was it really just too much mental stress recently, causing such vivid hallucinations? After all, that less-than-a-minute time difference was an undeniable fact.

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her breathing, nodded, and whispered, "I... I understand. Maybe... maybe I really was too tired and had an illusion. I'm sorry, Mike."

Seeing her emotions seem to stabilize, Mike also softened his tone slightly. He walked to the table, opened his encrypted laptop, and pulled up a document.

"We have already thoroughly investigated the list and backgrounds of the core laboratory personnel, including their home addresses, family relationships, financial status, and even some personal eccentricities."

Mike pointed to the information on the screen, calmly stating, "Yu Tianxiong is a tough nut to crack; don't provoke him easily. But Qin Tian, as a researcher, is relatively less vigilant. There's an academic exchange dinner at the school tonight, and Qin Tian will definitely attend as the main guest. At that time, you find an opportunity to approach him. If necessary, you can use your... physical advantages."

He gave Julie a meaningful look; though he didn't say it explicitly, the implication was clear... if necessary, she could sacrifice herself and use a honey trap.

Julie nodded. Mission first—this was a creed ingrained in her bones.

However, deep down, the eerie situation she had just experienced still felt like a cold thorn, lodged there, throbbing faintly.

She always felt... something was watching her from behind, making her uncomfortable all over. This was a woman's sixth sense...