Chapter 95: The Judgment of Copper Coins
When the sky completely darkened, Luxianbei still did not see Gu Qiqi’s figure appear outside the shack. Just as she had said, she truly would return very late.
As things before her gradually became unclear, Luxianbei finally got up.
She fumbled around in the pitch-dark shack for quite some time, received an electric shock three times, and finally found the light switch.
Then, Luxianbei witnessed how Gu Qiqi had truly taken frugality to the extreme.
Even at home, there was only one light bulb, which was relatively cheap and the most energy-efficient model, providing only a speck of light no bigger than a grain of rice, its brightness pitifully low.
Pulling her gaze away from the bulb on the ceiling, Luxianbei couldn’t help but murmur, “Tsk, today I’ve seen what true stinginess looks like.”
True stinginess is ingrained deep into every detail of life.
Even if Gu Qiqi’s electricity was stolen from the street lights on the cross-river bridge, she would still save as much as she could.
Shifting her attention away from the light, Luxianbei walked back to the couch and sat down. At that moment, her phone suddenly vibrated twice.
Startled, she pulled out her phone to take a look, her gaze slightly trembling.
[Save me,]
The message displayed on her phone was from Professor Ma, consisting of just two words, ending with a comma, as if it had been hurriedly sent without being completed.
After clearly understanding the content of the message, a sense of ominous premonition arose in Luxianbei’s heart.
According to gossip from her classmates, during last year’s final exam supervision, Professor Ma had even pulled out the notes written on a student’s white sneakers, making it almost impossible for him to have sent the message by mistake.
Additionally, as a highly educated and somewhat old-fashioned professor from the College of Arts and Literature, it was unlikely for him to misuse punctuation unless the situation were urgent.
After a brief contemplation, Luxianbei felt that Professor Ma might truly be in danger.
Realizing this, she instinctively opened her contacts, preparing to call Professor Ma, but suddenly remembered something, retracting her finger that hovered over the dial button.
No, she couldn’t call Professor Ma right now.
If he really was in some kind of danger, so urgent that he couldn’t even finish editing a text message, calling him or sending a message could cause his phone to ring and possibly put him in an even more perilous situation.
Moreover, if he were encountering an urban legend, his phone might not even have a signal, just like when Mr. Rabbit’s puppet had attacked her before.
But…
If I don’t call him, where am I supposed to find him?
Asking for help without providing a location, isn’t that just making my teammates anxious?
Luxianbei felt a bit overwhelmed, anxiously pacing back and forth in the room. After taking several deep breaths, she forced herself to calm down and thoughtfully consider where Professor Ma might be.
Hmm…
If what Jiang Li said was true, then recounting the descriptions of urban legends would attract their attention. That Professor Ma had not faced any incidents over the years indicated that he must have some way to avoid danger.
Hmm…
Could it be inferred that if he lived normally according to his previous patterns, he would essentially not encounter danger?
Assuming my speculation is correct, something must have disrupted his normal routine.
What could possibly disturb his regular life? Luxianbei pondered, momentarily hesitating, then began to suspect that set of peculiar bamboo slips, an idea sprang to mind.
Could it be that after sending us away, the professor returned to the school to study that set of bamboo slips alone, thus triggering some unfortunate event?
Yes, that’s quite possible!
The professor had previously mentioned experiencing strange phenomena like being possessed or losing track of time while researching the bamboo slips.
He might have stayed in the research room until now because of studying the bamboo slips, encountering some dangerous entity!
With that thought, Luxianbei put away her phone, grabbed a kitchen kn*fe, and walked outside the shack.
Although Luxianbei thought that concluding Professor Ma might still be in the research room was just a hypothesis based on some details she had personally noticed, she wasn’t confident about its accuracy.
However, at this moment, she had no way to contact Professor Ma and couldn’t just sit idle. Even if it was only a guess, it was worth a try.
Just as Luxianbei walked a short distance, she hurriedly turned back.
Once inside the shack, she rushed to the corner where Gu Qiqi’s piggy bank was located, pried open the lid, reached inside, and felt around for a moment, retrieving twenty yuan…
Stop looking at me with that strange expression!
I’m not regretting that I might have given too much support to Gu Qiqi!
It’s just that…
I’m not sure if I can fly with this strength; I might end up falling and hurting myself. It would be more convenient and quicker to just take a taxi. Luxianbei thought.
…
An hour earlier, as the sky was just darkening, inside a building in Huacheng’s West District.
Zhang Shan sat in front of his computer, seriously browsing through the b*llet comments from last night’s audience, feeling somewhat troubled.
I’m just saying: “Streamer, your recent level has really declined significantly! The stories are fake, they don’t have the same flavor as before! If this goes on, I’m going to unfollow you.”
Not your teammate: “Streamer, why don’t you bring that last guest back and have them do some work?”
I Come from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor sent a plane X1
I Come from the Mausoleum of the First Emperor: “The recent stories have indeed become somewhat dull. I’ll check back in a few days. See you then [salute].”
Online Old Dirty P Thirty-two: “Stream, I told you long ago that what you’re doing has no future. How about you take this opportunity to change your style and become a hot dance streamer?”
“Even if it’s a guy, I don’t mind as long as there’s a bit more exposure.”
[System Notification: Online Old Dirty P Thirty-two has been muted for 365 days.]
“Hey—!”
After Zhang Shan muted the GHS listener who slipped through yesterday, he closed the live broadcast backstage, leaned back in his chair, and quietly lit a cigarette.
Since the tale of that white-haired urban legend girl exploring the haunted school came to an end, he had started to tell previous stories again.
However, those past stories were all fabricated by him, lacking authenticity, and had completely lost the previous effect.
With the stories lacking realism, the audiences became more real, and within just a few days, the station’s follower count had decreased by nearly half.
Although Zhang Shan could make a living without relying on the radio’s income, facing the current situation after the explosive success a few days ago, it was inevitable that he would feel frustrated.
“How about…” Zhang Shan thought, glancing at his phone on the table, hesitating for a long time, and finally gritting his teeth, picked up the phone and searched for the unsaved number in the call log.
His calloused hands trembled slightly as he pressed the dial button. Upon hearing the utterly monotone voice of the girl on the other end, he flinched.
“Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service. Please check and dial again. SORRY, THE SUBSCRIBER… beep!”
Zhang Shan hung up, put the phone away, and extinguished the half-burnt cigarette in his hand. He picked up the car keys from the table and silently got up, ready to start work.
He wasn’t particularly surprised that the girl with the urban legend was unreachable.
After all, she was an urban legend; her number couldn’t possibly be that easy to get through, right?
In fact, if her phone number came with a “cannot be dialed until midnight” setting, Zhang Shan would actually find that quite normal.
…
At 20:57, three minutes after Professor Ma sent the text message to Luxianbei.
In Huacheng, near the cross-river bridge, on the road leading to the South Passenger Station, Zhang Shan was driving a taxi.
After nightfall, this street, which was fairly bustling during the day, had grown sparse with pedestrians, and taxi business wasn’t very good.
Although nighttime fares had decent subsidies, they were just enough to get by.
After driving two empty rides in a row, Zhang Shan began to miss the gifts from the lovely listeners in his livestream room.
Who wouldn’t prefer a job that satisfied one’s interests while also supplemented their household income, perhaps even allowing them to save a little for their son’s future?
If only he could encounter that girl again tonight to collect some material; after all, she didn’t seem like she had any intention of harming him. Zhang Shan thought.
Suddenly startled by his own unexpected thought, he quickly waved his hand dismissively and sheepishly said, “What am I thinking? She’s an urban legend! Moreover, things like these don’t come when you want…”
“Creak—!” The emergency brake screeched, producing a piercing sound as smoke billowed from the tires, leaving two faint black marks on the street. Zhang Shan’s words halted abruptly.
He could never have expected that the urban legend girl was as quick as Cao Cao, appearing just as he spoke. Even before he finished his sentence, she materialized at the edge of the road, dressed in a blue garment that resembled an ancient female ghost.
Although she had made a conscious effort to conceal herself, it was still vaguely visible that she had a kitchen kn*fe strapped to her waist, with a corner of it glimmering ominously under the streetlight…
“Gulp—!” Zhang Shan swallowed hard, a bead of sweat forming at his temple.
What the hell? What’s going on? What should I do now?
I’ve deliberately avoided running through the University City area recently, choosing to go through the cross-river bridge to the South Passenger Station line, but how am I still encountering her?
I™ shouldn’t have spoken so casually, this is going to cost me my life!
He stared at the girl in the distance, barely daring to breathe, then discreetly placed his hand on the gear stick, pressing the clutch with his foot, ready to accelerate at any moment.
…
Fate is something difficult to explain.
Luxianbei also didn’t know what was going on; every time she needed to catch a ride in a hurry, she would encounter Uncle Zhang Shan.
Just like this time, in her moment of urgency, she completely forgot to contact Uncle Zhang Shan. The place to flag down a taxi wasn’t where she had met him previously, yet she unexpectedly crossed paths with him again.
I really haven’t used any metaphysical forces.
Really!
All I can say is that Uncle Zhang Shan is quite elusive. Luxianbei thought.
She hurriedly ran up to the passenger side before Zhang Shan could drive away, poking half her head through the window.
“Uncle, I didn’t expect to run into you again! This is great. Are you free right now? If you are, could you take me to Huacheng University of Technology? I’m in a hurry!”
“I will definitely pay you for the fare this time!” Luxianbei stated firmly.
Zhang Shan glanced at Luxianbei’s cold face and then at the kitchen kn*fe at her waist.
“……”
I’d be a fool to believe you! Did you actually pay last time?
Zhang Shan cursed silently in his heart, sighed inwardly, and said gravely, “Get in the car!”
I actually wanted to refuse her, but I™ can’t! Zhang Shan thought bitterly.
…
Under the cross-river bridge, inside the third bridge arch.
Not long after Luxianbei left, Gu Qiqi returned. Looking at the slightly ajar door and the dark interior beyond the door crack, a tightness gripped her heart, and an ominous premonition began to rise.
“I’m back! I brought you something delicious, the hearty lunchtime meals from Fat Ma’s construction site, two meat dishes and one vegetable dish!”
Suppressing her unease, Gu Qiqi called out, but receiving no response only intensified her anxiety.
Her gaze sharpened as she quickly walked into the room, skillfully locating the light switch. The moment she turned on the light, her eyes drifted to the corner where the piggy bank was kept, and her face instantly turned pale, dropping her meal box with a thud.
The piggy bank lay quietly there, in the same position as before, but Gu Qiqi could tell that the lid had been tampered with; the paint spots on it did not match up at all.
She stood frozen for a few seconds, as if something had been triggered within her, her eyes reddening, murmuring, “It’s over, it’s over, everything must be gone! What should I do, system?!”
“I clearly treated her well, even brought her food! How could she do this to me?”
As Gu Qiqi spoke with a choked voice, she began to spill the cash from the piggy bank onto the floor, counting it up.
System, “……” Actually, I didn’t expect she wouldn’t even let a piggy bank go.
Maybe Gu Qiqi looked so pitiful that the system felt a bit softhearted. After a few seconds of silence, it began to comfort her.
“I’m telling you, she’s just like this, ungrateful; get used to it! In the future, when you interact with her, be prepared for prolonged battles…”
“Eh!? Strange?” The system was halfway through when it suddenly heard Gu Qiqi let out a soft gasp.
“What’s wrong now?”
“She didn’t take my money; instead, I have an extra three dollars and two cents…” Gu Qiqi frowned.
System, “……”
This doesn’t seem right! This isn’t something a calamity would do!
No, no, I need to think about this carefully; there must be some plot here. The system pondered.
…
At 21:02, five minutes after Luxianbei received the text message.
At the Huacheng University of Technology, in the special text content research room, the restroom was pitch black.
Professor Ma was curled up in a corner, trembling slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the phone sliding toward the toilet divider. After hesitating for nearly five minutes, he still hadn’t made up his mind to pick it up.
Five minutes ago.
He was meticulously editing a text message for Luxianbei when the overhead light flickered a few times before dimming.
Suddenly, he found himself engulfed in darkness, startling him. His body shuddered involuntarily, and in the process, his phone fell to the floor, bouncing a few times before sliding into the toilet stall.
In fact, the darkness alone was not enough to strip Professor Ma of the courage to retrieve his phone. His first instinct when it fell was to rush after it and pick it up.
However…
As he approached the toilet stall, he suddenly heard a strange music sound coming from the drainage pipe, which grew clearer the closer he got.
The sound resembled a music box that had fallen into the sewer, lingering there for an unknown amount of time, and just as it was about to run out of battery, it oddly came to life again.
The sound was weak, the wailing of a dying person, unsettling him.
Professor Ma suspected that if he approached the toilet stall recklessly, some terrifying entity would emerge from the sewer.
So he flipped a copper coin as a means to decide whether or not to approach.
However…
If he doesn’t go and pick up the phone, how will he seek help from the outside world? Professor Ma thought.
He did not know that in his panic, he had already sent out the unfinished text message.
For a time, the isolation and despair surged within him like a ferocious beast haunting his mind, constantly invading his nerves.
In the darkness, the passage of time seemed to slow down.
He did not know how long had passed; after a prolonged period of tension, Professor Ma began to feel utterly exhausted, on the brink of collapse.
Just then, the eerie music from the sewer suddenly stopped.
He stood frozen for a few seconds, assuming he was experiencing an illusion, and then concentrated, listening carefully.
“……”
The restroom was dead silent, with only the sound of occasional droplets falling from unseen places, producing faint, scattered sounds.
The strange music had indeed vanished, but it only lasted less than half a minute.
After Professor Ma listened intently for ten seconds, it began playing again, growing clearer, as if moving closer.
“Eeeeee—!”
Something was moving in the drain! Right below the sink!
After listening intently for a few more seconds, Professor Ma glanced at the sink which was less than half a meter away from him, his expression gradually contorting. He rolled and crawled backward, pressing tightly against the wall farthest from the sink, his face filled with panic as he stared at the dark, hollow opening.
He noticed that from the inch-wide drain hole, water began to gurgle up.
Soon, an overwhelming stench cloaked Professor Ma’s nostrils.
From that pitch-black crevice, the faint sounds of metal pipes colliding reached his ears.
It seemed something was about to emerge from within.
At the water outlet, a few fingers poked out.
The outlet was originally small, but those slender fingers forced their way out, as if bizarre fleshy growths had sprouted from the outlet.
“Gulp—!”
Already scared out of his wits and with bl**d pressure soaring, Professor Ma swallowed hard, then extended a trembling hand to pull out the copper coins.
When people are at a loss, they often turn to supernatural forces for guidance, as if this could rekindle a flicker of hope amidst despair.
Heads mean I will d*e this time; tails mean I won’t.
Professor Ma thought, tossing the copper coin into the air and expertly catching it on the back of his hand, slowly moving his palm away.
The front of the coin came into view.
It’s over. Professor Ma thought, his face turning ashen in an instant.
At that moment, a soft sound of water bubbling surged up from the direction of the sink.
“Gurgle—gurgle—!”
Accompanied by this sound, a complete, bloody arm forcefully emerged from the drain hole, its positioning grotesque as it waved and groped about, attempting to find the person in the room…
