Three days passed in silence.
No new letters.No footsteps in the hallway.No mirrored whispers.
Shi Mu thought, maybe—just maybe—things were settling.
But peace, in her life, never knocked politely.
It slipped in sideways.
The envelope was waiting for her on her desk one morning.
Plain.
Cream-colored.
Unsealed.
No name.
No return address.
No handwriting she recognized.
Just one folded page inside.
She opened it slowly, breath held without knowing why.
Inside were eight words—typed, not written:
"You've seen ghosts. Are you ready to meet monsters?"
Her hands went still.
No signature.No hint.No clue.
But something in her gut told her—
This wasn't a test.It was a warning.
She turned the page over.
Nothing.
No crest. No agency. No clue who had sent it.
Yet the phrasing felt deliberate.
Pointed.
And worse…
Familiar.
The system chimed softly in her ear.
[System Notification]
High-Risk Thread Initiated – Unknown Sender Classification
Emotional Intent: Hostile / Calculated
Category Shift: Spirit Network → Entity Network
Status: Escalation Confirmed
Brotherhood Value +400 (New Threat Unlocked + Psychological Resistance Maintained)
Current Total: 16,320 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu sat at her desk and re-read the message again.
Then again.
And again.
Until finally she whispered to herself:
"Monsters don't scare me. People do."
She folded the letter.
Placed it under a new file marked:
"Unsolved Threads."
Then reached for her coat.
Because if this was the next path—
She was ready to walk it.