Lost in the Otherworld

The group arrived at a dilapidated tube-shaped building on the western side of the plaza. The hallway seemed to have collapsed at some point, blocked by cement and bricks. Beside it hung a large iron cage adorned with small light bulbs, roughly the size of a freight elevator.

Bai Tu nodded towards the cage, and they all stepped inside.

“I don’t usually like entering cages; I prefer to just leap up,” Bai Tu said, closing the door behind them. She reached for a rope hanging from the cage, grasped it, and tugged three times.

“Ding-ling—ding-ling—ding-ling.” A bell attached to the cage rang three times.

With a metallic clang, the cage began to ascend. It was indeed an elevator.

The iron cage stopped at the fifth floor, and the inner gate slid open, revealing a long corridor typical of an old tube-shaped building. By then, Bai Tu had already leapt up, swinging herself down from the cage’s top and waving her hand. “Let’s go.”

They followed Bai Tu to the entrance of a shop, its wooden signboard inscribed with "Barbecue." There was no door, only a curtain of tassels hanging loosely in place.

Pushing aside the curtain, they entered a spacious, industrial-style interior, the walls knocked down to make way for at least two dozen barbecue tables.

Bai Tu approached the counter, where a sultry proprietress sat. Her heavy makeup accentuated her alluring features, and her body was sensuously wrapped in a red cheongsam, flaunting her figure. Her gleaming white hair, reminiscent of a mystical being, was elegantly pinned up with a black hairpin, with a few strands cascading over her porcelain shoulders—both graceful and seductive.

She lazily puffed on a water pipe, one leg draped over the other, perched on a high stool. Noticing the new arrivals, she set aside her ornate purple pipe and cast them a languid glance, her enchanting almond-shaped eyes brimming with allure.

Gao Yang, Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun were momentarily stunned, their hearts skipping a beat. It wasn’t a natural attraction but rather an overpowering, domineering pull that bewitched the senses and clouded the mind.

“Snap.” Bai Tu clicked her fingers.

The men instantly snapped back to reality.

“Proprietress, don’t go seducing my new recruits now. Took me ages to find them,” Bai Tu said, smiling though her tone carried a subtle warning.

“Oh, you silly girl. I’m just an aging beauty; what would these fine gentlemen see in me?” the proprietress replied with a coy smile. “Would you like a booth or a private room?”

“A booth by the window, please.”

“Booth 19 is available. Go ahead.” She gently tapped the bell on the counter. “I’ll have it arranged right away.”

Bai Tu led them through the bustling restaurant to a booth at the far end, near the “window,” which was actually a large gaping hole in the wall, with no glass, allowing the night wind to whistle in. It looked like something left behind by a wrecking ball.

Officer Huang, Wang Zikai, and Fat Jun sat in one row, while Gao Yang, Qing Ling, and Bai Tu sat across from them, with Wu Dahai in the middle.

Gao Yang had originally intended to sit with the guys, but for some reason, a strange magnetic force seemed to pull and push everyone into place. Without much thought, they all ended up seated like this.

“That proprietress…” Fat Jun muttered, still dazed, “she’s a true enchantress. She’s not even my type, but just looking at her made my blood boil and filled my head with... impure thoughts.”

“Same here,” Officer Huang said, puffing on his cigarette, sounding defeated. “It’s weird. I’m loyal to my wife… Could it really be the seven-year itch?”

Wu Dahai burst out laughing. “Hahaha!”

“Don’t blame yourselves,” Bai Tu said, opening the menu. “The proprietress is an awakened one too. Her talent is ‘Allure,’ Sequence No. 61. Rune type: Mind.” She paused for a moment and added, “Oh, by the way, she's a man.”