Chapter 14, Section 3, Renaming of the First Part of Miao Township's Wu Zu

The local Red Guard was sweating profusely, muttering, "Damn it, this can't be real! It's a ghostly illusion, a ghostly illusion!"

"Don't talk nonsense! There's no such thing as ghosts and gods in this world; we simply took the wrong path! Who are we? We are Red Guards, the elite protectors of our great leader! We are staunch atheists; why should we fear ghosts or gods?" The leader of the Red Guards, despite initially being energetic, gradually weakened in his tone. "Well, let's head back; there doesn't seem to be any road ahead."

Although it was somewhat disheartening, it was the truth. As they turned back, they were met with an astonishing sight. What was once a clear and open road had inexplicably transformed into an endless graveyard.

Speechless, they gazed upon a surreal scene as the heavens cooperated by showering countless white paper offerings from above. A mournful voice echoed from afar, drawing nearer, "Come back, come back... come back..." The voice was hauntingly mournful and sorrowful, sending shivers down the Red Guards' spines, making their hair stand on end.

The local Red Guard couldn't bear it any longer and screamed, "It's a ghost! Run!" This phrase snapped everyone out of their stupor, and they followed the local Red Guard, sprinting away in terror.

The next day, news came from Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province. In the early morning, a group of Red Guards suddenly appeared on the streets of Dazheng County, fifteen kilometers from downtown Shijiazhuang. According to eyewitnesses, around three or four o'clock in the morning, they saw about twenty Red Guards running frantically down the street, shouting nonsensical things about ghosts and spirits.

These twenty or so Red Guards were in a state of extreme excitement, frightening the local street cleaners. They dared not approach but reported the incident to the county's public security bureau and the local Revolutionary Committee. It took dozens of people from both sides to finally subdue these Red Guards.

By this time, the Red Guards had lost their senses and were all collapsed on the ground. One experienced officer from the public security bureau examined them, peeling back their eyelids and discovering a thin layer of wax-like substance covering their eyeballs.

Several hours later, as daylight finally broke, the Red Guards gradually regained their sanity, and the wax-like substance on their eyeballs melted away. Looking around at the unfamiliar surroundings, they were bewildered, "Where are we? How did we get here?"

After this incident, the radicals and Red Guards in the capital region never dared to trouble the Special Archives Management Division again. Just when people began discussing the matter, the division unexpectedly changed its name to the Special Cases Handling Office. Six new directors and their subordinates were appointed, and except for the retained director, the original six officers were dispatched to various government agencies across the country.

Strangely, this cover-up strategy seemed to work. A few months later, no one mentioned the incident again. Even the Red Guards who were involved in that event gradually began to forget what had happened that day.

Following the renaming of the Special Cases Handling Office, it continued its low-profile operations. However, the six new directors were just as restless as the original six officers, frequently traveling far and wide.

By 1980, following the downfall of the "Gang of Four," Deputy Minister Zhang of the Special Cases Handling Office returned to the Ministry of Public Security and was promoted. The former head of the First Division, Gao Liang, was promoted to head the Special Cases Handling Office.

Shortly after taking office, Deputy Minister Zhang decided to separate the Special Cases Handling Office from the Ministry of Public Security. Those who were well-acquainted with Deputy Minister Zhang found this move somewhat dubious. They believed that Deputy Minister Zhang was ungrateful, as the office had protected him for over a decade, and now that he was in power, he was seeking to dismantle it.

In addition to the separation from the Ministry of Public Security, Deputy Director Gao faced another predicament as people began to show interest in the places where Deputy Minister Zhang had served during the Cultural Revolution. The Special Cases Handling Office, which had been long-forgotten, was suddenly resurrected in discussions. To preempt any potential trouble, the office underwent yet another name change and became the Bureau of Folk Affairs Research and Investigation.

Not long after its establishment, the Folk Affairs Bureau faced a challenging case in Jiangxi. The specifics of the case remain undisclosed, but it is known that Chief Gao personally led a team to Jiangxi. When they returned after a month and a half, they brought back a young man with snow-white hair.