Bureau Nine Archives

A classified institution known as Bureau Nine, dedicated to documenting events in this world that are real yet cannot be fully explained. It never gives you the answer — it only lays every clue before you: case numbers, dates, classification levels. Then it leaves you with an unresolved question.

Bureau Nine — Authorized Personnel Only

Bureau Nine is an atmospheric interactive experience that places you inside a classified intranet system for an East Asian supernatural investigation bureau. Before you can access any files, you must pass through a security clearance screen that warns: "Knowledge of the existence of this system is itself a matter to be kept confidential."

The Experience

The page simulates a top-secret government intranet. A security notice warns of automatic activity logging, terminal fingerprinting, and legal consequences for unauthorized access. The clearance screen is deliberately slow, methodical, and unsettling — building the tension before you're allowed into the bureau's archive.

What Lies Beyond

Once past the clearance screen, the bureau's anomaly archive awaits — a growing collection of classified case files spanning supernatural occurrences across East Asia. The Bureau Nine universe includes character relationship networks and investigation logs for ongoing anomalous events.

How to Experience

Access the Bureau Nine intranet through any modern browser. The classification gate is part of the experience — read the security notice carefully before proceeding.

Characters

15 characters in this world

Field Investigator Jiao-07

Bureau Nine field investigator, code name Jiao-07 (Horn, first station of the Azure Dragon of the East). Dispatched to anomaly sites to collect physical evidence, photograph, and interview witnesses. Northern Chinese features: high cheekbones, square jaw, single eyelids. No real name used; identified only by constellation code.

Archivist Dou-03

Bureau Nine archivist, code name Dou-03 (Dipper, first station of the Black Tortoise of the North). Responsible for file classification, numbering, clearance assessment, and archival. Southern Chinese features: soft contours, narrower face, double eyelids. Stationed long-term at the Jiaozhou Road Archive vault, rarely leaves.

Historical Researcher Di-15

Bureau Nine historical researcher, codename Di-15 (Eastern Azure Dragon · Di Earth Badger). Central Plains Asian features. Serves in the Document Research section, analyzing ancient texts, local gazetteers, and stone inscriptions.

Coordinator Zhang-05

Bureau Nine coordinator, codename Zhang-05 (Southern Vermilion Bird · Zhang Moon Deer). Yangtze Delta Asian features. Manages inter-team scheduling, case prioritization, and cross-regional coordination.

Liaison Jing-01

Bureau Nine liaison officer, codename Jing-01 (Southern Vermilion Bird · Jing Wood Hound). Sichuan-Chongqing Asian features. Serves as the public-facing contact, fielding anomaly reports from civilians.

Science Advisor Fang-22

Bureau Nine science advisor, codename Fang-22 (Eastern Azure Dragon · Fang Sun Rabbit). Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Asian features. PhD in physics, provides scientific analysis of anomalous phenomena.

Field Investigator Kang-09

Bureau Nine field investigator, code name Kang-09 (Neck, second station of the Azure Dragon of the East). Specializes in geological and engineering anomalies. Northwestern Chinese features: high nose bridge, deeper eye sockets, square jaw.

Signal Analyst Bi-11

Bureau Nine signal analyst, codename Bi-11 (Western White Tiger · Bi Moon Crow). Yangtze Delta Asian features. Identifies anomalous patterns in radio, astronomical, and digital signals.

Folklore Consultant Liu-02

Bureau Nine folklore consultant, code name Liu-02 (Willow, third station of the Vermilion Bird of the South). Analyzes folk legends, local customs, and the deeper meanings of mythological motifs. Southern Fujian Chinese features: rounded face, deep eye sockets.

Biology Consultant Shen-18

Bureau Nine biology consultant, codename Shen-18 (Western White Tiger · Shen Water Ape). Southern China Asian features. PhD in biology, analyzes anomalous biological specimens and unknown species.

Cryptanalyst Kui-04

Bureau Nine cryptanalyst, codename Kui-04 (Western White Tiger · Kui Wood Wolf). Northwest Asian features. Specializes in undeciphered scripts, symbols, and codes such as the Voynich Manuscript.

Archivist Niu-08

Bureau Nine archivist, codename Niu-08 (Northern Black Tortoise · Niu Gold Ox). Northeast Asian features. Responsible for digitization and electronic archive system maintenance.

Technical Advisor Kui-15

Bureau Nine technical advisor, code name Kui-15 (Legs, first station of the White Tiger of the West). Responsible for signal analysis, cryptanalysis, and anomalous device detection. Expert in radio communications and encryption; primarily handles SG-type (signal anomaly) cases.

Field Investigator Xin-04

Bureau Nine field investigator, codename Xin-04 (Eastern Azure Dragon · Xin Moon Fox). Jiangnan Asian features. Specializes in crime scene reconstruction, missing persons, and cold cases.

Historical Researcher Jing-21

Bureau Nine historical researcher, codename Jing-21 (Southern Vermilion Bird · Jing Wood Hound). Southwest Asian features. Specializes in ancient manuscripts, genealogy, and cross-civilization myth comparison.

World Map

47 locations to explore

Yan'an Road Dragon Pillar (Shenzi Junction)

The central pillar at the intersection of the Yan'an Road and North-South Elevated Roads in Shanghai — the only support column in the entire city adorned with nine bronze dragons.

Hydrological Station No. 7

An abandoned wetland observation station. The main building has sunk half a meter. On windless days, the well inside ripples on its own. Case Number: HY-0007.

Beixinqiao Dragon Well

An ancient well at the Beixinqiao intersection in Beijing. Legend says a dragon is chained at the bottom. The well cover remains to this day — the subway was deliberately routed around it.

Sanxingdui Sacrificial Pits

Archaeological site in Sichuan Province, China. Bronze masks with exaggerated foreign features, towering 4m bronze sacred trees, gold staffs — artifacts unlike any other Chinese civilization. Carbon-dated to 3000-5000 years ago. Classification remains unresolved.

Qaidam Demon Valley

Magnetic anomaly zone in the Qaidam Basin, Qinghai Province. Compasses fail, GPS drifts, communications cut out. Scattered animal remains show no signs of decay. Locals call it the 'Valley That Refuses Corpses.'

Beiding Niangniang Temple

A Ming Dynasty temple inside the Beijing Olympic Park. The Water Cube was forced to shift its original site 70 meters north to avoid it.

Poyang Lake Laoye Temple Waters

High-incident zone in China's largest freshwater lake. Dozens of vessels have sunk here in fair weather with no wind or waves. The 1945 sinking of the Japanese transport ship 'Kobe Maru' with 200+ aboard remains unexplained.

Yunnan Fuxian Lake

China's deepest freshwater lake, max depth 155m. Underwater stone structures spanning 2.4 km² discovered in 2001 — streets, stairs, pillar bases, possible altar. Architecture matches no known dynasty.

Beijing Subway Anomalous Stations

Multiple Beijing subway lines feature 'phantom stations' — built but never opened, absent from maps. Reports of unexplained sights in tunnels after hours. Some stations were rerouted after construction unearthed ancient tombs.

Global Dragon Imagery Distribution

Dragon imagery appears independently across civilizations separated by millennia and oceans: China, Maya, Norse, Egypt, Celtic, Persian, Indian. No pre-Columbian contact between most of these cultures.

Fengmen Village

Abandoned village in Henan Province. A Qing Dynasty armchair sits in the main hall of an old house — local legend claims those who sit in it meet with misfortune. Compass failures and unexplained sounds reported by explorers.

Changbai Mountain Tianchi Monster Habitat

Volcanic crater lake on the China-North Korea border, altitude 2189m. Over a century of 'lake monster' sightings: black giant fish, plesiosaur-like creatures, multiple dorsal fins. Video evidence exists but remains inconclusive.

Nanjing Ming City Wall Xuanwu Lake Section

Ming Dynasty city wall, approx 350 million bricks, each engraved with the maker's name per Zhu Yuanzhang's 'traceability' system. Some bricks show deliberate erasure and re-engraving; others bear mirrored 'reverse script' — possible code.

Cosmic Egg Motif Global Distribution

The 'world born from an egg' creation myth appears independently in China (Pangu), Finland (Kalevala), India (Upanishads), and Greece (Orphic tradition). These civilizations had no contact when these myths were first recorded.

Gateway Arch Underground (St. Louis)

The landmark Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. Undisclosed spaces exist beneath it, linked to multiple urban legends.

Guizhou Hongya Cliff Inscriptions

Cliff face in Guizhou bearing dozens of red symbols in an unknown script. Unlike Chinese, minority scripts, or any known writing system. Dating back at least 600 years. Pigment is mineral-based and unfaded. Undeciphered.

Fudan University Xianghuitang West Old Building

Two-story grey-brick building on Fudan's Handan campus, officially labeled as 'Storage Room'. Students report lights, silhouettes, and movement from the supposedly vacant second floor. A 2017 security inspection found desks, filing cabinets, and phones inside — inconsistent with storage use.

Yangpu Riverside Abandoned Textile Mill

1920s red-brick textile mill on the Huangpu River north bank. Designated 'development deferred' in 2010. Nighttime reports of machinery sounds — looms and gears — despite no power connection. Aerial photos show fabric stockpiles.

Shanghai Metro Line 9 Sheshan Station Tunnel Section

A 2.5 km tunnel section west of Sheshan Station. Maintenance crews report seeing a platform that should not exist on any map during late-night inspections.

Bund 18 Penthouse Attic

Bund 18, a heritage-listed building in Shanghai. Its penthouse attic has been sealed since 1949. The lock is rusted, yet lights occasionally appear inside.

Jing'an Temple Underground Space

Beneath Jing'an Temple in central Shanghai, an undocumented underground level accessible via a locked stairwell. Reports describe dated office equipment, filing cabinets, and a persistent low hum. Official records show no such space exists.

Fuxing Island Tunnel

A pedestrian and vehicle tunnel beneath the Huangpu River connecting Fuxing Island to the Yangpu riverbank. Built in the 1970s. Multiple reports describe hearing footsteps and voices in the tunnel when alone.

Changning District Wuyi Road Old Lane

A narrow lane off Wuyi Road, Shanghai. One specific house, sealed since the 1980s, is reported to emit cooking smells and the sound of a radio at dusk — despite having no registered residents and disconnected utilities.

Shanghai Hongqiao Airport T1 Abandoned Area

The original Terminal 1 at Hongqiao Airport retains sections closed since the 1990s renovation. Maintenance staff report lights turning on and off autonomously and elevator doors opening on empty calls in these sealed-off corridors.

Xuhui District Urumqi Road Old Cinema

A 1930s cinema on Urumqi Middle Road, closed since the 1990s. The projector room reportedly powers on autonomously at irregular intervals. Neighbors report hearing film projector sounds and seeing flickering light through boarded windows.

Chuansha Old Street Basement (Pudong)

A Qing Dynasty-era old street in Chuansha Town, Pudong, Shanghai. The basement of a former shop is sealed, yet reports claim light occasionally seeps through the iron plate gaps.

Shanghai People's Square Underground Passage Section

A specific 200-meter section of the People's Square underground pedestrian network. Multiple witnesses report their watches stopping and phones losing signal when passing through. Municipal records indicate this section was rerouted during construction for unspecified reasons.

Shanghai Pudong Sanlin Town Old House Basement

A Qing Dynasty-era house in Sanlin, Pudong. The basement, sealed with a stone slab since the Cultural Revolution, reportedly emits a rhythmic tapping sound — three knocks, pause, three knocks — at midnight on the first day of each lunar month.

Hangzhou West Lake Broken Bridge Point

A specific spot on the Broken Bridge at Hangzhou's West Lake. At dawn on the winter solstice, the bridge's shadow reportedly forms a near-perfect circle on the water — an optical phenomenon not documented in any engineering or architectural record of the bridge.

Nanjing Fuzimiao Qinhuai River Bridge Point

Under a specific stone bridge along the Qinhuai River near Fuzimiao, Nanjing. On foggy nights, the sound of oars and singing is reportedly heard — reminiscent of the Qinhuai riverboats of the Republican era — with no visible source on the water.

Pingjiang Road Old House (Suzhou)

Pingjiang Road in Suzhou, a Song Dynasty-era old street. A house has been sealed since the Qing Dynasty, yet the sound of a guqin occasionally emerges from within.

Suzhou Tiger Hill Pagoda Interior

The Yunyan Pagoda (Tiger Hill Pagoda) in Suzhou, built 959-961 AD, leans 2.34 meters from vertical — predating Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa. The interior staircase reportedly has one more step when descending than when ascending.

Nanjing Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Side Path

A side path off the main approach to Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. At certain times of year, footsteps taken on this path produce an echo that arrives before the original sound — a temporal acoustic anomaly inconsistent with the path's geometry.

Caoyang New Village (Putuo, Shanghai)

Caoyang New Village in Putuo District, Shanghai — a workers' housing complex built in the 1950s. One unit has stood vacant since the 1980s, yet lights occasionally turn on inside.

Hangzhou Lingyin Temple Back Mountain Cave

A natural cave behind Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou. Relief carvings appear to change subtly over decades. No conservation work on record.

Shanghai Hongkou District Sichuan Road Old Theater

A 1920s theater on North Sichuan Road, Shanghai. Closed since the 1950s. At irregular intervals — sometimes years apart — passersby report hearing an audience applauding from within, though the building is sealed, empty, and has no electrical service.

Huaihai Road Mall Sublevel (Huangpu, Shanghai)

Huaihai Road in Huangpu District, Shanghai. A sublevel of a shopping mall has been sealed since the 1990s, yet broadcasts occasionally play from within.

Wuxi Taihu Lake Island Abandoned Villa

A luxury villa on a small island in Taihu Lake, Wuxi. Abandoned mid-construction in the 1990s. The grand piano reportedly plays single notes at night despite damaged strings and no power.

Shanghai Baoshan District Wusongkou Lighthouse

A decommissioned lighthouse at the mouth of the Huangpu River where it meets the Yangtze. The light mechanism, disconnected since the 1980s, reportedly activates spontaneously during severe storms — emitting a beam pattern inconsistent with its original configuration.

Shanghai Minhang District Qibao Old Street Lane

A specific lane off Qibao Old Street, Minhang, Shanghai. A stone well at the lane's end reflects the moon even on moonless nights. Water samples show no phosphorescent or reflective compounds.

Lu Xun Former Residence Lane (Shaoxing)

Near Lu Xun's former residence in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. A lane has been sealed since the Republican era, yet voices occasionally emerge from behind the stone slabs.

Bureau Nine · Jiaozhou Road Archive Vault

Located in the basement of an unmarked old residential building next to the Jiaozhou Road No. 728 fire site. On November 15, 2010, a catastrophic fire at the Jiaozhou Road No. 728 apartment building killed 58 people. The site was subsequently sealed with concrete and closed to the public. The Bureau Nine entrance is in the basement of an identical-looking old residential building next to this sealed structure.

Jiaozhou Road Property Office · Bureau Nine Entrance

An unremarkable property management duty office on Jiaozhou Road. Small storefront, ordinary sign, staffed front desk. The back door leads to the basement — the workspace of Archivist D-03. Further in, a connecting passage leads to the archive storage area inside the sealed building. This is the only Bureau Nine entrance open to the public.

Fuxing Road Plane Tree Lane

Deep in the plane tree shade of Fuxing Road West, a lane not marked on any map yet undeniably real. A shikumen gate at the entrance, a courtyard within, a dry well at the center. Old residents say: "I saw it as a child, then never found it again." Case Number: SH-0095.

Wukang Building Penthouse Attic

The top-floor attic of Shanghai's iconic Wukang Building (Normandie Apartments, built 1924). Sealed since the 1950s. Residents on the floor below report hearing furniture being moved above — though the attic has no registered occupants and the only access door is welded shut.

Wukang Road Villa Basement

A 1930s villa on Wukang Road, Shanghai. The basement, sealed with concrete in the 1960s, reportedly emits a musty floral scent — gardenia — despite having no ventilation connection to the outside. The scent intensifies on rainy days.

Huaihai Villa No. 37 Terrazzo Mural Apartment

Apartment No. 37, deep within Huaihai Villa at Lane 1984 Huaihai Road Middle. The corridor retains colored terrazzo murals and geometric terrazzo flooring. Field images show: beside a red peeling wooden door, a mural of a female musician; on the other side, a woman in a running or dancing pose with tree motifs. Bureau Nine classifies this under "Image Anomaly / Pending Verification."

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Web Experience

Bureau Nine — Classified Intranet

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