ETIODIACS 01

Chapter 1

It was a little past two in the morning.

In the pitch-black darkness, Luo Jingyao fumbled her way into the kitchen, enduring the sharp sting in her throat that had dragged her out of sleep. She reached out and opened the refrigerator door.

The moment it swung open, the light inside pierced her eyes. Even though she had already adjusted to the dark, she instinctively narrowed them.

At the same time, a faint, indescribable smell began to spread through the air.

Had something gone bad inside?

For a split second, Luo Jingyao was still questioning herself. The next moment, as she lifted her gaze, she realized—she was no longer in her own kitchen.

She was inside… a refrigerator.

Holding her breath, she slowly looked around. The space was dim and cramped. After a moment of adjustment, she could make out that the fridge’s cold compartment was stuffed haphazardly with various groceries, each packed in supermarket plastic bags. The rotten smell she had noticed earlier was coming from a half-open black bag in the corner.

Not again.

She pressed her lips together, almost tiredly. There was no panic in her expression—no surprise either. She was already used to this.

Ever since she retired and returned to her hometown, these strange episodes had appeared intermittently. Each time, it happened right when she made a “opening door” motion.

These hallucination-like episodes varied in duration—sometimes just seconds, sometimes a few minutes. Most of the time, the surroundings were eerily silent, and her field of vision was extremely limited. At first, Luo Jingyao had genuinely thought her mind had been damaged after years of a physically punishing career.

She even went for a full medical examination. In the end, the doctor only handed her a stack of reports and politely suggested she consider psychological counseling.

It wasn’t until recently—when she opened a door and found herself standing in a forest—that things changed.

There, beneath a pile of dead leaves, she had seen a hand.

Pale beyond reason, stark against the damp soil. The skin, once smooth, was now covered in shocking wounds.

Coincidentally, that same day, she had seen a short video report online: a woman in Tang City had gone missing while night jogging and was later found murdered in a suburban forest.

Tang City was only separated from her current city, Jin City, by a single river.

Suppressing her shock, she carefully compared the crime scene photos in the news with the details in her memory. A ridiculous, unsettling possibility slowly formed in her mind.

That case had still not been solved.

And from confusion and disbelief at first, her mindset had gradually shifted into calm acceptance.

Still… this couldn’t go on like this.

“Haa…”

She sucked in a breath of the fridge’s murky cold air. The chill sank straight into her bones, pulling her drifting thoughts back into place.

Even though each time she “crossed over,” only her consciousness moved and not her body, the sensory realism was disturbingly complete.

She could really “feel” it.

The hum of the refrigerator filled her ears. The sound made her soul tremble slightly.

Not knowing how long she would stay this time, she squatted down among the wilted vegetables, enduring the cold that seemed to crawl straight into her skull. At the same time, she worried absently whether her real body might catch a cold from this.

Then, just as she drifted off again—

The refrigerator door suddenly opened.

A wave of rotten stench surged out instantly, carried by the cold air.

“…Mm…”

The person at the door didn’t react in disgust. Instead, he seemed to inhale it with enjoyment, letting out a satisfied sound deep in his throat.

A man.

Luo Jingyao’s soul instinctively stiffened. Even though she knew he probably couldn’t see her, she still shrank into herself subconsciously.

This was the first time she had ever encountered a living person after opening a “door.”

As the cold air dispersed, she finally saw him.

Backlit, and partially blocked by the fridge frame, she could only make out a dark knitted sweater. Plain. Unremarkable.

Then the man reached his hand inside.

A rough-looking hand holding a black plastic bag passed straight through where her soul was crouched.

The sensation—impossibly real—made her scalp tighten.

Without noticing anything unusual, the man casually tossed the black bag into the fridge, took a can of beer on his way out, and slammed the door shut.

Bang.

Darkness returned.

The familiar cold space surrounded her again, but now… something had changed.

Along with the rotten smell, there was a new, sharp scent—

Blood.

After confirming the man had left, Luo Jingyao finally exhaled.

Her gaze slowly drifted toward where his hand had been. On the transparent shelf, a faint smear of red remained.

Fresh blood.

The smell was beginning to overpower the rot.

Her eyes shifted toward the black plastic bag he had thrown in carelessly.

The bag lay half-open.

Inside was—

Fingers.

A human finger.

Her eyes snapped wide open.

And then—

The world spun violently.

When she opened her eyes again, she was back in front of her own refrigerator.

She stood there for a moment, then mechanically took out a bottle of chilled mineral water. She twisted the cap open and drank.

The cold sweetness soothed her throat—but not the storm rising inside her.

Had she just glimpsed… an ongoing crime scene?

The realization left her restless. Sleep was gone.

Time passed slowly until dawn finally broke.

The first light of morning slipped through the curtains and fell onto the sofa.

Only then did Luo Jingyao finally feel like she had “returned.”

She washed up quickly, made herself presentable, and left the house with barely a bite of whole-wheat toast.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from the subway and headed straight for a flower shop a hundred meters away.

The moment she stepped inside and smelled the rich fragrance of flowers, the tension that had been coiling in her chest since midnight eased slightly. She began tidying the messy workbench.

Her life after retirement was quiet—so quiet that she found herself almost nostalgic for the intense, blood-pumping days of her past career.

But reality, as always, had other plans.

Soon, the wind chime at the door rang.

Her new part-time employee had arrived—a young girl in her early twenties, energetic and bright, with quick hands and a warm, friendly smile.

After a brief greeting and a few instructions, Luo Jingyao glanced at the time, grabbed her bag, and left in a hurry.

Her destination wasn’t far.

Across the street, then a two-minute walk west.

A gate stood ahead, marked in bold white steel letters:

Jin City Public Security Bureau.

She let out a quiet sigh.

She really hadn’t had a choice.

These strange “crime scene visions” kept appearing in front of her without warning. No normal person could stay sane like this.

But how could she explain something so absurd? Who would believe her? They’d probably just think she was mentally ill.

So, after some hesitation, she had set her sights on the nearby Public Security Bureau.

She had heard they were hiring a short-term physical training instructor.

With her résumé, she got in quickly.

Today was already her third day on the job.

The workload was light enough. The only issue was that the trainees were… a little too weak.

She stepped into the courtyard, walked around the office building, and entered the training hall on the west side.

The moment she opened the door, the chatter inside fell silent.

Her gaze swept across the room.

This group was from the Special Case Investigation Unit.

A rather “special” team within the bureau—elite investigators gathered from across the country.

At least, that was the rumor.

Their physical condition, however, was… questionable.

Just two days of training, and five grown men were already gasping like they were on the verge of collapse.

Truly… impressive endurance in a different sense.

“Good morning, officers.” She smiled gently.

Her voice was soft, carrying a faint Jiangnan lilt despite being from the north. Paired with her clean, delicate appearance, she looked almost harmlessly gentle.

But somehow, the room’s atmosphere turned subtly colder.

“Good morning, Coach Luo,” they responded quickly.

She began explaining the day’s training plan.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened.

A man stepped in, carrying the chill of early autumn on his shoulders.

“Boss! You’re finally back!” a lanky young man with dyed blond hair rushed over dramatically. “Do you know how we survived these five days without you?!”

The man—Lin Jiafan—leaned slightly aside to avoid him, eyes calmly scanning the room.

Then his gaze landed on Luo Jingyao standing at the center of the training area.

She didn’t shy away.

Instead, she cupped her fists politely and smiled, eyes curving like crescent moons.

“….”

Lin Jiafan frowned slightly, about to speak—

When a sudden commotion erupted outside.

The blond young man rushed to the window.

“Oh shit—Boss! Someone’s blocking the police station gate!”

Everyone moved toward the window.

Outside the gate, a dense crowd had gathered, shouting emotionally. From this distance, the words were unclear—

But the banner they held was not.