**Chapter 44: What Happened Eight Months Ago?**
With a loud bang, Unit 7 of Minhe Community collapsed.
Shattered stones and twisted steel rebar flew in all directions like floating leaves, triggered by the spell formula.
The building disintegrated mid-air as if it were a sandcastle being pushed over. The flesh and bl**d hidden within the structure, attempting to resist, turned into bl**d-colored sludge under the firelight, sticking to the defensive solidified spell formulas arranged nearby the building.
Moments later, as the dust settled, the Special Action Team finished clearing the ruins.
Jiang Li and other members of the Shancheng Siye Society stepped forward to inspect the site, their expressions gradually growing serious.
They had initially thought that blowing up the building would be enough, but along with the collapse, a complex cave system resembling an ant nest appeared beneath, telling them that the unknown components of the flesh and bl**d were eroding a much larger area than they had imagined—blowing up a single unit was far from sufficient!
“What do we do, boss?” a member of the Shancheng Siye Society asked Zhong Hui dazedly.
Blowing up a building was manageable for the Siye Society, but judging by the situation at the scene, the erosion from those unidentified components might extend beyond a single street, perhaps even wider.
Could they really just blow everything up? What if it had already spread throughout the entire Shancheng?
Zhong Hui remained silent for a moment before responding, “Let’s do this. Those who should stay will stay, and those who need to report back will report back. I’ll take Jiang and bring Tan Qiuming to the mental hospital. I hope we can extract something useful from him.”
—
Shancheng Guanyin Bridge Pedestrian Street.
Luxianbei stood in front of a café, slowly lifting her head. Her gaze lingered on the café sign for a few seconds before drifting down to a life-size cardboard cutout of a character in a maid outfit at the entrance, her eyes filled with a tipsy sort of enchantment.
The sign was primarily pink with light blue borders, displaying the words “Angel D Oh Cha Story.” The seven characters, each in a different color, corresponded to seven types of flowers. Below the sign, there was a small line of text: “Love and Magic Girls and Desserts Coffee.”
The life-size cutout was of the maid character—Bai Xiaohua and Mi Qiu.
That’s right, this was the only physical store of “Love and Magic Girls” experiential café in the entire Southwest region, a place Luxianbei had longed to visit.
Though she knew such a place existed before, she had always been too shy to come and enjoy a cup of coffee made by someone dressed as Bai Xiaohua.
In this world, some things felt like standing beside an empty public restroom stall when there are many available—doing so would attract odd stares.
But now, she was no longer afraid. What’s wrong with a girl loving cute things? There was even the possibility of applying for a job at the café!
Suppressing the impulse to grab the life-size cutout and run, Luxianbei walked into the café. A girl dressed as a rose-themed Bai Xiaohua immediately welcomed her with a sweet smile.
“Welcome back, Captain! What task do you have for Bai Xiaohua today?”
“Excuse me, are there any themed private rooms available? I’d like one.”
“Yes, we have one! Please follow me,” the girl said as she led the way.
Luxianbei looked around the café, nearly perfectly restoring the game’s ambiance, her gaze finally landing on the girl’s back.
Although not perfectly embodying Bai Xiaohua’s personality, the cosplay was quite well-done.
What a nice place!
—
A while later.
In the Angel D Oh Cha Story’s Qingcheng Mountain Auto Repair Factory themed private room.
Dorethea held a freshly made “Evolution Liquid,” staring silently at Luxianbei for a while before softly saying, “I didn’t expect you to have such a hobby, Teacher.”
“What hobby?” Luxianbei replied expressionlessly. “It’s just because meeting in such a place is safer; there’s less worry about ears on the other side of the wall.”
As she spoke, she unobtrusively removed her limited edition rewards from the offline experience, including stickers, posters, badges, and albums, out of Dorethea’s sight.
Upon hearing this, Dorethea had a realization.
I get it, truly a teacher!
Who would have thought that a powerful urban legend capable of defeating the Big Boss would appear in such a cute place?
This was akin to two big shots from spirit energy organizations negotiating on a playground’s merry-go-round—no one would expect it! They’d likely just see them as suddenly childlike parents.
“Coughing lightly at Dorethea’s thoughtful expression, to prevent her from thinking in a strange direction, Luxianbei hastily cleared her throat and interrupted her train of thought, saying, “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Of course, Teacher!” Dorethea nodded. “Where shall we start?”
“Well, let’s start from the beginning,” Luxianbei suggested after some thought. “Earlier, through Zhipianxian, I still have many details I haven’t clarified. Now you can explain it all again, and I’ll help you analyze it as you go along.”
“This time, you can take your time—no need to rush.”
“Got it,” Dorethea replied, recollecting and describing in as much detail as she could her experiences at Longmen Tea House.
“Wait, those three paintings were previously in Zhang Yu’s possession, and the Elders’ Council wanted them very badly, right?” Hearing Dorethea say that Zhang Yu had taken Tan Qiuming’s artworks and destroyed them, Luxianbei interjected, “That gives us leverage, doesn’t it?”
“However, Teacher,” Dorethea frowned, unsure. “From what I heard, those three paintings aren’t particularly important to the Elders’ Council. Zhang Shuisheng is merely taking advantage of the Elders’ Council to seek his own profit.”
“So what?” Luxianbei shrugged. “Whether the Elders’ Council really wants them is irrelevant. What matters is that Zhang Yu knows those are the items the Elders’ Council wants, yet he defied their will.”
“This time, although Zhang Shuisheng is using the Elders’ Council’s name to intimidate, what about next time? And what about the time after? Who can guarantee that when something the Elders’ Council cares about truly appears in Shancheng, Zhang Yu won’t cause trouble?”
“When necessary, you just need to make it clear to the Elders’ Council that Zhang Yu is a highly unstable factor and it’s necessary to eliminate him.”
Even if the next time there were really conflicts with the Elders’ Council, he might not act so decisively as he had this time, but as long as the seeds of doubt and suspicion were sown, it would be as difficult to eradicate as a biological invasion.
This is the power of the unknown! Even heroes like Yue Wumu can be doomed; let alone Zhang Yu?
Pausing, Luxianbei changed the subject. “As for Zhang Shuisheng, that’s even easier to handle. From the current information we have, if it gets out that he is using the Elders’ Council’s name for personal gain, that should be enough to get him into trouble, especially given his current dire health condition.”
“You know, what does a dying person want the most?
Dorethea pondered and cautiously suggested, “To fulfill some unaccomplished wish? For example, to meet someone?”
“Wrong!”
Dorethea shook her head.
“Little fool, of course, they want to live!” Luxianbei replied. “Like you said, if he has someone he wants to see, wouldn’t it be better to live and spend more time with that person than just a hurried meeting before dying?”
“From Zhang Shuisheng’s actions, he must want to live. As long as he has that thought, it’s like a drowning person; he will grasp at even a straw.”
“So, when necessary, you only need to let him know that you have a way to help him live, and then you can use him.”
“Right!” Dorethea’s eyes lit up and then she seemed to recall something, furrowing her brows and murmuring, “But Teacher, why do I always feel that your methods…”
sound like something a villain would do in a book?
Seeing Dorethea hesitating to speak her mind, Luxianbei tilted her head and asked, “You think the way I handle things isn’t honorable enough?”
Dorethea looked at Luxianbei, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
“Silly girl, if possible, I would have liked to teach you some honorable methods, but many times, honor doesn’t work!” Luxianbei sighed.
“Moreover, these methods are like a kn*fe; whether you wield this kn*fe to cook, to k*ll, or to rampage through a field, it depends on you. The kn*fe itself isn’t good or bad.”
Hearing this, Dorethea had a moment of clarity.
Does the Teacher mean that these seemingly despicable means are like firearms? They can create slaughter or maintain peace?
She thought, then settled her mind and nodded toward Luxianbei. “Teacher, I understand now!”
“But, there’s still a problem. I can’t even get close to the Elders’ Council. How will I let them know about Zhang Yu and Zhang Shuisheng when it’s crucial?”
“This,” Luxianbei contemplated, “the situation with Zhang Shuisheng is simple. You only need to hint to him that you have a way to cure his illness, and he won’t need you to act; I believe his people will contact you privately soon.”
“As for the rest, leave that to me!”
“Didn’t I tell you last time? I have a friend named Lan Yi. To be honest, she has substantial connections with the Elders’ Council. She should be able to relay the message successfully to them.”
However, I need to make contact with someone from the Elders’ faction first—preferably with Shuo E, that naïve guy.
Otherwise, relying solely on Lin Nian to spread the information would take too long to reach the Elders’ Council, Luxianbei thought.
After finishing her conversation with Dorethea, Luxianbei did not leave the Angel D Oh Cha Story right away but remained in the café until Dorethea had walked far away.
She had told Dorethea that leaving one after the other would help avoid the possibility of being secretly watched.
In reality, to collect all the rewards related to Bai Xiaohua, she had ordered more than half of the café’s drinks. Besides obtaining all the Bai Xiaohua rewards, she also ended up with considerable “useless trendy junk.”
As she carried out various bags, she worried about what would happen if Dorethea saw through her.
Wouldn’t she lose the Teacher’s authority?
After Dorethea had walked a distance away, Luxianbei confirmed with the café staff multiple times that the life-size cutout at the entrance was not for sale before she reluctantly returned to the private room, started tidying up the various gifts, and prepared to go back to the Tao Hua Family Homestay.
Stinky Sister also likes “Love and Magic Girls.” Though not to the point of obsession, she’d definitely be very happy to receive a load of gifts.
Of course, rewards related to Bai Xiaohua cannot be given!
Moments later, after organizing the various gifts, just as she was about to leave, she suddenly felt a subtle sensation from a communication Zhipianxian.
The corresponding Zhipianxian was held by Lin Nian, who was far away in Shizhou City.
Taking out the Zhipianxian and channeling spirit energy to establish contact, Luxianbei soon heard Lin Nian’s voice.
“Boss, I’ve made some progress on the information you asked me to investigate.”
“Oh? Tell me.”
“Last night at Moon Scraping Wind, I spent a little money and bought some intel from a member of the Solar Eclipse Society. He said that the Shancheng Solar Eclipse Society’s Elders’ faction has been recruiting talent for a long time. It’s actually pretty simple to make connections with them; you just need to contact someone named Zhang Yi.”
“I’ve sent you his contact information.”
Zhang Yi? Isn’t that the guy whose name was mentioned before, the one who was supposed to send the urban legends organization for inspection? Luxianbei nodded, “Got it.”
Additionally,” Lin Nian suddenly added, “the person you asked me to find who behaves very sleazily told me to pass along a message saying that if you want to infiltrate the Solar Eclipse Society, you can contact their leader.”
Void? Where did it get connections with the Solar Eclipse Society? Luxianbei was momentarily stunned but pushed her doubts to the back of her mind, calmly saying, “And then? Is there any news on the other matter?”
Compared to the Elders’ faction of the Shancheng Solar Eclipse Society, she was more concerned about the information she had commissioned Lin Nian to gather regarding infiltrating the Urban Legends Chat Group, disguised among the followers of the X Divine Child.
Yes, after discovering the altar beneath the Han Ye Studio, along with that recording, she had added this request to Lin Nian.
From the altar and the content of the recording, it was clear that the number of believers following the X Divine Child was not small. Once the number increases, it becomes easy to find some traces, and one can follow the clues to blend in.
What faster way to gather information than having the target personally tell you?
“I found a little something,” Lin Nian replied. “To be precise, I should say I found a circulated online log from those believers about their so-called bishop.”
“That log was widely circulated among the believers; they seem to derive pleasure from reading about the bloody and cruel things that bishop has done.”
Luxianbei thought,
What a fool, actually putting that kind of thing online?
Isn’t that like running around n*ked before Void, all of it laid bare?
Something that could be obtained so easily yet required payment to the Urban Legends Chat Group felt like a loss!
No! She needed to find an opportunity to get some value back from Void!
Just as Luxianbei was lost in thought, Lin Nian’s voice rang out again.
“In addition, I’ve uncovered something quite strange.”
“Oh?” Luxianbei snapped back to attention and asked, “What did you find?”
“I found that the number of followers of the X Divine Child used to be very low, and the frequency with which that bishop showed up was pitifully rare; he would only appear once every few years. When he did, his log entries were very obscure, completely avoiding any mention of the X Divine Child.”
Lin Nian paused before continuing, “But about eight months ago, the frequency of that bishop’s appearances suddenly increased, appearing multiple times on average each week, and the number of believers exploded.”
“At the same time, his logs frequently mention the X Divine Child and disparage it ruthlessly, as if…”
“As if a wayward son had suddenly grown up and dared to hit his father, right?” Luxianbei suggested.
If that’s the case, then it’s strange. The X Divine Child hasn’t successfully given birth to offspring; logically speaking, its offspring should still be in a state of existence and non-existence.
How could they have already made moves to resist the X Divine Child in that state?
This notion sounded absurd, almost as if an embryo had already entered a rebellious phase during adolescence, Luxianbei thought.
Lin Nian fell silent for a moment and then said, “Yes.”
“I understand. Please send me those logs when you can.” Luxianbei considered for a moment and added, “Also, please check what happened eight months ago that caused the X Divine Child’s offspring to turn into such an anomaly.”
“Understood,” Lin Nian replied. “By the way, I…”
“Do you want a raise?” Luxianbei interrupted. “Didn’t we just raise it last month? Little Lin, you know we’re still in the startup phase, and resources are tight. You should think more about our organization’s development. When we take on the Siye Society and punch the Solar Eclipse Society someday, you’ll share in the credit!”
“I’m not looking for a raise,” Lin Nian replied softly.
“No raise? You should have said so earlier!” Luxianbei rolled her eyes. “As long as it’s not a raise, everything is negotiable.”
Lin Nian chuckled coldly and said, “Heh, when you’re walking along the road at night, do you not feel scared upon seeing the streetlamps?”
“Joking aside, I’m trying to say that the matters you’ve been asking me to investigate are increasingly alarming, involving Cataclysm Grade urban legends. Don’t you think you should do something to ensure my safety?”
Luxianbei pondered for a moment and said, “You have a point. Later, I’ll give you a contact. If you think you’re in danger, reach out to someone named Hua.”
Initially, Luxianbei intended for Lin Nian to seek out Huasang in times of danger, but upon reconsideration, she realized with Huasang’s slow and lazy nature, by the time help reaches Lin Nian, she might as well miss the chance to eat a meal while it’s still hot.
“Forget it; let me give you Fu Xinyi’s number instead. She’s the next potential headmaster of the Dachunyang Palace. When the time comes, contact her, and she’ll take you to the Dachunyang Palace for refuge.”
Upon hearing Luxianbei’s suggestion, Lin Nian’s tone immediately brightened. “Alright, I’ll go investigate for you right away!”
If even the Dachunyang Palace can’t ensure her safety, then there’s no absolute safe place in this world.
