So, on a rainy night like this, William Carter was frantically digging up the earth. It was as if the torrential rain wanted to help him—the ground was so muddy it would collapse at the slightest touch. Normally, grave-digging was a grueling task for someone as thin and frail as William Carter, but right now, he didn’t seem to have any trouble at all.

The sound of a heartbeat continued—it was as if the noise was transmitted straight into his brain, and covering his ears did nothing. Even in the pouring rain, he could hear it clearly. It was coming from beneath this mound of earth! There had to be something under this unmarked grave! William Carter dug like a madman, having forgotten all fear. All that was left was anger, and he kept cursing under his breath, “Damn thing, can’t even die properly. Still thumping away after being buried, don’t care about anyone else’s feelings, huh? Just wait till I finish you off for good.”

Just as he was saying this, the sound suddenly stopped. Then, his shovel clearly struck something hard. William Carter’s first thought was bones, but when he saw what he had dug up, the flashlight in his mouth nearly fell out.

“Heh... hehehe...” With the flashlight still between his teeth, he giggled foolishly for a full half minute, but still couldn’t calm down. “No matter how you look at it, this has to be a treasure. I’m rich, I’m rich...”

Muttering to himself, he dug the thing out completely. By now, he had made a pit over two meters deep. He should have been exhausted, but the sight of the wooden box gave him a sudden burst of energy, and he worked even faster. The box wasn’t big—about the size of a shoebox—but it was surprisingly heavy. William Carter had to use all his strength just to barely lift it out of the pit. He hadn’t noticed while digging, but the hole was now deeper than he was tall. He climbed out, covered in mud, but didn’t care at all. He quickly filled the hole back in, and by the time he got home, he had no idea how much time had passed—he was utterly spent.

William Carter glanced out the window again, making sure he hadn’t left any obvious traces. He didn’t care that he was drenched in sweat and caked in mud. Sitting on the sofa, he grabbed a rag and carefully wiped the outside of the wooden box, then examined it closely. He was convinced it was valuable, not because it came from a grave, but because he noticed that the box hadn’t rotted at all despite being buried, and even after being struck by a shovel, it was completely unscathed. At this point, his otaku imagination ran wild. What could possibly be inside a wooden box that even modern high-tech couldn’t make? Maybe agate, jade, gold, silver, jewels, or even a Moonlight Treasure Box...

“It seems like you’ve dug up something incredible.”

“Yeah, I really hit the jackpot this ti—ah! Who are you!? How did you get into my house!?” William Carter jumped in shock. There was someone standing behind him, and just as he was about to open the wooden box, the person suddenly spoke.

“Since this thing chose you, it means you must be special. Here’s my business card. Come to my office today.” The man walked in front of William Carter, bowed slightly, and placed a business card on the coffee table. Only then did William Carter get a good look at him—he was about thirty, with messy hair and a half-shaven beard, his face pale as paper. For a moment, William Carter even thought: If I keep being a shut-in, maybe I’ll look like this in ten years.

Shaking off the strange thought, William Carter shouted angrily, “You still haven’t answered my question! Who the hell are you? I’m calling the police!” But the man acted as if he hadn’t heard a word, showing no anger, remaining calm as still water, and said weakly, “If you haven’t found my office by four o’clock this afternoon, then... heh, never mind, just be careful.”

The mysterious man spoke as he walked, and after finishing, he simply opened the door and left. His figure quickly disappeared into the downpour. William Carter was stunned for a few seconds by his words, and when he rushed out to chase him, it was already too late. Visibility outside was extremely low—there was no way to catch up.

When William Carter returned inside, he started convincing himself again. Honestly, it was this habit that had kept him from going crazy since childhood. He told himself the man was just a thief who saw him come home with a shovel and a box, and took the chance to act mysterious so he could escape. Once William Carter “figured it out,” he picked up the business card from the coffee table, intending to throw it in the trash. But what he saw next chilled him to the bone.

On the card, it read: Supernatural Detective Agency, Mr. Cat. And the address field was blank!

William Carter stared straight at the words “supernatural,” his mouth twitching. “This has to be a joke, it must be a joke, ha, haha... And he even told me to be careful. Careful of what? What kind of careful? Careful not to get myself killed? Hey! Old man! At least answer me, you bastard!”

A cup of hot coffee finally calmed William Carter down—not because he drank it, but because his shaking hands spilled it all over his pants. Anyway, things had come to this, and overthinking was pointless. He decided to just take things one step at a time. So, he locked all the doors and windows, took the wooden box to his bedroom, took a deep breath, and opened it...

Chapter One

Four O’Clock in the Afternoon