Chapter 6: Father, Driver, and Quantum Entanglement
After discovering what seemed to be a message from Qin Nanzhu on his father’s phone, Luxianbei thought he could find more information related to her.
However, after patiently going through all the information, Luxianbei found that, just as the message from Qin Nanzhu stated, that time truly might have been the last time she and Lu Ming met.
Among the more than five hundred messages on Lu Ming’s phone, there was only one message from the contact named “Zhu.”
The rest of the messages were about half chatting casually with Water Brother.
This version of Water Brother was still a wild card!
The other half of the messages consisted of various rejections for novels and work-related information.
Before seeing this information, Luxianbei thought his father had opened a Sichuan restaurant right after giving up his dream to raise him, but that was not the case.
Before that, he had tried various jobs.
He took the civil service exam, but failed the political review.
He wholesaled small electrical appliances but unfortunately came across a batch of smuggled goods, losing everything in the process.
He even worked as a typist, handed out flyers, and carried bricks, but the wages from those temporary jobs were barely enough to buy baby formula.
Luxianbei felt his nose sting as he recalled asking his father if he enjoyed cooking.
Lu Ming had replied that cooking was the thing he hated the most.
At that time, Luxianbei thought it was just a joke.
He didn’t expect his father to genuinely dislike cooking.
It was clear that in order to raise him to adulthood like a regular father would, his dad had really worked hard, ultimately forced to take on the job he disliked the most.
“Did I really eat that much when I was a child? I was almost keeping up with Gu Qiqi!” Luxianbei frowned at a message between Lu Ming and Bai Kai.
[Lu Ming: Xiao Bai, this child can eat too much! He finished three tubs of formula in a week. I don’t mean anything by it! I just want to tell you to stay safe when you’re out and about, and don’t accidentally get anyone’s daughter pregnant!]
[Bai Kai: Don’t worry, I always use spirit energy to… never mind, not saying it. I’ve sent you five thousand, check if you got it.]
At this point, Luxianbei suddenly understood why Water Brother was always at his house eating and drinking.
Given his father’s character and the relationship he had with Water Brother, there was no way he would pay back the loan, so didn’t Water Brother have to find a way to make a return?
The ancient medical text said, “One essence, ten bl**d.”
That was really hard-earned money!
“Tsk tsk, indeed, those two brothers have true love, right?” Luxianbei muttered, shaking his head, putting his phone away, and leaving the mall.
He hailed a taxi by the roadside.
“Driver, please take me to the University City Jingyi Apartment Complex.”
After telling the taxi driver the destination, Luxianbei leaned against the window, staring outside in silence as he contemplated matters concerning Qin Nanzhu.
The time Qin Nanzhu sent a message to his father was in December eighteen years ago; at that time, I was almost a year old. Could it be that I also had contact with her?
Although a child that young has no clear memories, it’s quite possible that her name was embedded in my subconscious?
So, when I came across her name through Hu Yue and Solang Pema again, I would occasionally think of her name in my mind…
Luxianbei thought to himself and slowly closed his eyes.
The sunlight streaming through the car window fell on his eyelids, revealing a chaotic and hazy scene; it seemed as if a woman’s figure was appearing before him.
She was a woman of decent height and looks, who had once done something earth-shattering in Huacheng and had a fierce conflict with Zigu because of it.
Her relationship with his father was ambiguous, and they ended up going their separate ways for some reason.
But when she left, she must have left something particularly precious to his father, which is why someone went to great lengths, hiring dozens of spiritual ability users and urban legends, including Solang Pema, to attempt to snatch it away.
She might have had contact with me as well, even held me; I might have heard her name, but being too young at the time, I completely forgot.
Now, she was somewhere unknown, her fate undetermined, like she had evaporated from this world, leaving hardly any traces behind.
From the clues I possess, Qin Nanzhu’s life experience was undoubtedly rich, so…
Since my father knew her, why didn’t he use her story to write a novel?
That would be a lot more reliable than oddities like “Lu Xun’s Drifting” or “The Fantastical Drift of Young Run Tu,” right?
Luxianbei thought, shaking his head to rid his mind of distracting thoughts and returning his focus.
Half Mountain Primary School, why have I never heard of this school before?
Even the list of schools provided by the authorities in Huacheng didn’t include it; is it within the range of Huacheng?
If so, it has likely been abandoned for a long time.
…
As the scenery outside the taxi window changed multiple times, before Luxianbei could think through all the questions, the taxi stopped in front of the gate of the Jingyi Apartment Complex.
After paying the fare, he got out and hurried home.
Although he had found a little clue regarding Qin Nanzhu and had the address for Half Mountain Primary School, he didn’t intend to search for it right now.
In broad daylight, it was too reckless to wander around to a place he had never been; what if he encounters an urban legend?
At night, after the urban legends manifest, if something happens, I won’t be able to fight back, but I can still run away, Luxianbei thought.
————
In a warehouse located on the outskirts of Moon City, less than ten kilometers from the boundary of Huacheng.
This cold storage facility, originally used as a seafood transfer station, had become extremely damp and chilly after being abandoned, with a lingering nauseating smell of strong fishiness in the air.
Deep inside the cold storage, the flickering candlelight cast shadows on the stone walls, seeming to struggle desperately.
A sickly pale-skinned man, hunched over the operating table once used for cutting fish, was writing furiously, immersed in the text on the parchment, with excited glimmers flashing in his eyes.
Before long, someone pushed the door open.
A figure in a black robe staggered to a stop behind Beres, then swayed twice before falling to the ground.
“Sir, the other B-level team members who went to Huacheng with me… disappeared entirely two nights ago…”
Hearing the feeble voice behind him, Beres’s body stiffened slightly. He slapped the quill pen he was holding onto the rusty operating table and slowly turned around.
“Disappeared? How did that happen? Didn’t you do as I instructed?”
Beres spoke in a flat tone, his gaze sweeping back and forth over the figure in the black robe, his eyes akin to a snake scrutinizing its prey.
Sensing the cold malice in Beres’s gaze, the figure in the black robe swallowed nervously and hurriedly explained.
“Reporting to you, my lord, after we infiltrated Huacheng and mingled with those forces hunting Gu Qiqi, we followed your command to act. At first, everything went smoothly, but just as we were about to catch Gu Qiqi, something went wrong…”
For one or two minutes, the figure in the black robe detailed the process of how their group mingled with the forces hunting Gu Qiqi, how they cornered her into a desperate situation, and how a strange spirit energy fluctuation abruptly appeared in the dilapidated house where she was hiding, eventually evolving into a massive vortex of chaotic spirit energy.
“…The vortex triggered a violent explosion, and after the explosion, over ninety percent of the spiritual ability users and urban legends participating in the encirclement disappeared…”
An explosion? That indeed aligns with the operational style displayed by “Gu Qiqi” in the Peach Source… Beres noted thoughtfully and then pressed, “What about the calamity?”
“Hasn’t she always had people surveilling her? What was she doing that night?”
“She…” the black-robed figure hesitated, “Since entering Huacheng, the A-level team members haven’t laid eyes on her themselves. They tried to infiltrate her lair, but… but…”
“But what? Just say it directly,” Beres frowned.
“But they were distracted by a cute little cat, then they were knocked out by the calamity’s subordinates and stripped of their clothes before being thrown out.”
Who could refuse a cute little cat? It was simply too adorable!
Beres, “…”
————
Jingyi Apartment Complex.
Luxianbei sat at his desk, resting his chin on one hand, staring blankly at his computer screen.
Half an hour ago, after returning home from Lianxin Communication City, he had captured the small urban legends in his house and asked them about the situation of urban legends tailing Gu Qiqi.
Upon learning that Gu Qiqi had recently defeated a number of spiritual ability users and urban legends who were after her, he sighed in relief.
He had been somewhat suspicious that the Nightfall Syndrome recently appearing in Huacheng might be related to those chasing Gu Qiqi.
But…
From the looks of it, they didn’t seem to be connected.
They all evaporated without a trace under Gu Qiqi, what kind of trouble could they cause?
As for the fact that Gu Qiqi would disappear and appear out of nowhere during her pursuit, as if she had a no-cooldown teleport skill, Luxianbei was not surprised.
Armed with the knowledge of the Great Serpent God, he naturally guessed that Gu Qiqi possessed bamboo slips leading to the illusion realm.
However, he still felt a bit envious of Gu Qiqi’s bamboo slips.
That was a lifesaving artifact; if he had that, wouldn’t he be able to hide inside it until he was invincible before coming out? The second best in the world wouldn’t even suffice!
Having briefly inquired about Gu Qiqi’s situation and confirmed that the spiritual ability users and urban legends infiltrating Huacheng posed no immediate threat, Luxianbei opened his computer to search for information on Half Mountain Primary School.
However, he found nothing.
There were at least eighty schools with the name Half Mountain Primary School scattered throughout Z Country.
If he could not confirm the exact location where Lu Ming and Qin Nanzhu met, visiting them one by one would take at least three to five years.
“No, this train of thought is wrong; I should assume that Half Mountain Primary School is located within Huacheng, search thoroughly, and then gradually extend to surrounding cities.”
But, does Half Mountain Primary School really exist in Huacheng?
It was terribly unworthy to ask the Urban Legends Chat Group to investigate such a trivial matter.
Although they were far more professional in investigating information than the most skilled private detectives, their fees were also a lot more expensive than the most professional private detectives.
Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, Luxianbei did not want them to investigate.
“If only I could get in touch with Uncle Zhang Shan,” Luxianbei muttered to himself.
Uncle Zhang Shan, having lived in Huacheng for decades as a local, was a taxi driver and surely knew the city better than anyone else.
Unfortunately, after experiencing several dangerous events, Luxianbei had lost Uncle Zhang’s contact information.
“Why don’t I…” He glanced out at the darkening sky, “wait until night to try?”
With this thought in mind, Luxianbei temporarily halted his search for Half Mountain Primary School and turned to search through the three boxes of Lu Ming’s relics he had brought back yesterday, continuing to rummage through the remaining items.
However, this time, aside from a torn photo and a bent copper key, he did not find anything particularly useful like an old phone.
“Sigh, why is Dad so serious? Can’t he write a diary or something?” Luxianbei murmured.
Then…
The sky darkened; in just over ten minutes, the sky was completely engulfed in dark.
The familiar chill of the air, accompanied by a rapid heartbeat, surged from his chest, growing stronger and spreading to his limbs.
Having become accustomed to the changes in his body during urban legend manifestation, Luxianbei showed no unusual reactions, only lying expressionlessly on the sofa, relaxing his mind, silently enjoying the moment.
————
At exactly eleven o’clock at night.
After wandering around a certain pink app for two or three hours, Luxianbei put on the coat, shouldered the alchemical dirty bomb and the metal box of Ling Tai Purification, and stepped out.
According to past experiences, at this time, as long as he stood by the street and waved casually, the taxi driver he flagged down would definitely be Uncle Zhang Shan, as if it were some midnight taxi urban legend.
Although there was no scientific basis for Luxianbei’s hypothesis, he had heard that urban legends like Newton’s coffin lid had appeared in Europe; who cares about science nowadays?
As for why he seemed to always encounter Uncle Zhang Shan…
Don’t ask—just think of it as quantum entanglement!
So, ten minutes later, in front of the Jingyi Apartment Complex, Luxianbei waited for a moment before extending his hand to flag down a taxi.
Upon opening the door and looking inside.
Ah, it was definitely Uncle Zhang Shan.
This terrifying tacit understanding made Luxianbei genuinely suspect that there might be quantum entanglement between him and Uncle Zhang Shan.
“Hey, long time no see! I’ve missed you so much! What story are you telling this time?”
Just as Luxianbei was not surprised to see Uncle Zhang Shan, Uncle Zhang Shan was also completely unfazed upon seeing him, even showing signs of excitement.
Recently, his supply of materials had run low, and the content of his livestreams had gradually become a bit dull; the audience had already given him feedback several times.
Even a frustrated listener threatened that if he couldn’t tell an interesting story next time, they would visit him and take him along to gather material from urban legends.
Luxianbei, “…”
Uncle, aren’t you getting a bit too cocky?
You’re just a taxi driver working the night shift, daydreaming about this urban legend situation; isn’t that a bit much?
What if one day the person getting in the car isn’t me? Don’t you fear that something will happen?
After silently critiquing for a moment, Luxianbei tilted his head and said, “Uncle, before asking me what story I’m telling, shouldn’t you first ask me where I’m going?”
“Oh, where are you planning to go?” Uncle Zhang Shan asked perfunctorily.
“Half Mountain Primary School.”
Luxianbei did not ask Uncle Zhang Shan if he knew where Half Mountain Primary School was but directly stated the address.
“Eh? Half Mountain Primary School?”
Judging from his reaction, he indeed knew! Truly a seasoned local driver of Huacheng… Luxianbei’s eyes flickered slightly, then he calmly inquired, “Uncle, do you know that place?”
“Of course I do!” Uncle Zhang Shan chuckled, “I attended that primary school when I was young.”
Wow, he’s part of it! Luxianbei’s gaze sharpened.
“That was the workers’ primary school of the former Huacheng Cement Plant, located halfway up the lime mine of the cement plant, so that workers could easily drop their children off while commuting. However, shortly after I graduated, it closed down when the cement plant was reformed and relocated, and it’s been shut down for a long time.”
“…”
That explains why it wasn’t mentioned on the list given by the authorities and why there’s no information about it online.
Uncle Zhang Shan looked to be over fifty years old; the primary school that closed shortly after his graduation must have been out of operation for at least forty years. Luxianbei thought, and heard Uncle Zhang Shan speaking again.
“But why are you going there? That place has no urban legends, just a bunch of ruined houses.”
Luxianbei, “…”
Why can’t I go just because there are no urban legends?
Makes it sound like I’m some strange thrill-seeking individual.
But…
“No urban legends? How could that be? That place must have been abandoned for a long time, right?” Luxianbei pressed.
“Really, there aren’t any!” Uncle Zhang Shan pouted.
“I have a few old buddies living nearby, and the last time we drank together, I wanted to ask them if there were any urban legend events in the area, but for decades, nothing has happened.”
“So you’re still going? How about I take you to the Abandoned Medical University? I heard they’ve been having hauntings lately.”
“No need, I’m just going to Half Mountain Primary School.” Luxianbei stated flatly.
A primary school abandoned for decades, that has never had any urban legend incidents; that’s suspicious enough!
That place definitely has something going on.
Moreover, the urban legend incidents at the Medical University… were arranged by me.
Luxianbei thought, glancing through the rearview mirror at Uncle Zhang Shan’s uninterested and somewhat disappointed expression, he shook his head.
How about I arrange a few urban legends for his family another day?
Listening to a story is no match for a firsthand experience!
