The Haunting Reflections of Baidu Drive

The office was silent, save for the occasional clack of keyboards and the distant hum of the server room. Li Wei, a young and ambitious tech worker, had been working late, poring over lines of code for the new project that was due in the morning. His eyes were heavy, and his mind foggy, but the thought of the promotion he was gunning for kept him going.

As he closed his laptop for the night, Li's gaze fell upon the screensaver that had been on his computer since the day he started at Baidu Drive. It was a simple image of a serene forest, with the sun setting behind the trees, casting a warm glow over the scene. It was calming, almost meditative, and had never given him any reason to question its presence.

Li clicked on the screensaver to change it, but as the image flickered to life, something was off. The sun's rays seemed to twist and contort, and the trees seemed to sway with an eerie grace. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly clicked back to his desktop, hoping it was just a glitch.

The next morning, Li's phone buzzed with an incoming message. It was from his colleague, Xiao Mei, who had worked at Baidu Drive for years. "Li, have you seen the screensaver I sent you last night? It's... different."

Li's mind raced. He remembered the strange flicker from the night before. "Different how?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Xiao Mei's response was brief and chilling. "It's not just the screensaver. It's... it's like it's alive."

By the time Li arrived at work, the entire office was abuzz with rumors. Employees were talking about strange occurrences with their computers, screensavers that seemed to change on their own, and the eerie feeling that something was watching them.

Li's own computer was the first to act up. The screensaver, now a twisted version of the serene forest, began to flicker and change. Li's heart pounded as he watched the image of the sun contort into a malevolent face, its eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.

Xiao Mei approached him, her eyes wide with fear. "Li, I think we're in trouble. The screensaver... it's not just a screensaver anymore. It's a portal."

Li's mind raced. A portal? To what? He had always been a skeptic, but the evidence was there. The screensaver was changing, and it was doing so in ways that were impossible to explain.

As the day wore on, the screensaver's changes became more frequent and more disturbing. The forest scene transformed into a twisted, nightmarish landscape, with shadowy figures moving through the trees. Li's colleagues began to act strange, their eyes glazed over, their movements mechanical.

Li knew he had to do something. He reached out to Xiao Mei, who had been the first to notice the screensaver's odd behavior. "We need to find out what's happening," he said, his voice steady despite the panic that was rising in his chest.

Xiao Mei nodded, her eyes filled with determination. "We need to close the portal. But how?"

Li's mind raced. He remembered a story his grandfather had told him about ancient rituals and incantations. Could it be possible? Could they close the portal with an old-world ritual?

The two of them worked through the night, searching for information, piecing together clues from the screensaver's strange transformations. They discovered that the screensaver was not just a portal; it was a gateway to a realm of shadows and darkness, a place where the worst of human fears were manifest.

As dawn approached, Li and Xiao Mei had their ritual prepared. They stood in the center of the office, surrounded by symbols and incantations. The screensaver flickered once more, and the eerie landscape of shadows and figures appeared before them.

Li took a deep breath and began the incantation. The words were ancient, filled with power and mystery. Xiao Mei's eyes were wide with fear, but she knew they had no choice.

As the final words left Li's lips, the screensaver began to glow with an intense light. The shadowy figures vanished, and the landscape transformed back into the serene forest scene. The office was silent once more, save for the sound of their rapid breathing.

Li and Xiao Mei collapsed to the ground, exhausted but relieved. The portal was closed, and the screensaver was gone. The office returned to its normal state, but Li knew that the experience had changed him forever.

The next day, Li's promotion was announced. He stood in front of the office, looking out at his colleagues, who had all witnessed the nightmarish events. He felt a sense of accomplishment, but also a deep sense of unease.

The screensaver had been a gateway to a realm of shadows, a place where his deepest fears had become his worst nightmares. But he had faced them, and he had won. The screensaver was gone, but the memories of that night would stay with him forever.

As Li walked back to his desk, he couldn't help but glance at the screensaver folder on his computer. It was empty now, but the fear that had once filled him was gone. He had faced the shadows, and he had come out stronger.

But what if the shadows were just waiting for their next chance to strike?