Chapter 32: Miaomiao Sauce is With You!
(The true king of doves is when, just when everyone thinks he has given up, he surrenders his own dove!)
Lu Yibei glanced around, confirming that the surrounding students were still engrossed in their phones, and lowered his voice, saying, “You’re telling me you have other ways to make me believe you?”
“That’s right, dare to give it a try?” The little bug looked surprisingly confident.
“Of course!” After hesitating for just a fraction of a second, Lu Yibei firmly responded, “I mean… of course not!”
“You’re not even going to tell me your name or what kind of urban legend you are? How can I trust you?”
A bug suddenly popped up, knowing more about my background than I did myself, it was just missing the word “suspicious” written on its forehead.
Why should I trust a guy like this at random?
Am I hoping it has a mysterious background? Hoping it has a lot of meat and a white body? Lu Yibei thought.
“You’re just as expected!”
It seemed like it had already guessed Lu Yibei would respond this way, showing no surprise at all, slowly wriggling its body and leaping up, landing steadily on his shoulder.
Lu Yibei kept his eyes fixed on the little bug, trying to predict its movements, but when it jumped, he was surprised to find he suddenly lost track of it.
It was as if the little bug vanished into the void in that instant.
Immediately afterward, a thought of prediction flashed through his mind, but it was too late to dodge.
Was it too fast to catch, or did it have some special ability?
The spirit energy fluctuation at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse was terrifyingly strong, and Lu Yibei could easily predict its actions, yet he couldn’t predict a little bug now, which made him somewhat anxious.
Something was off about it; it was scary!
Should I just squash this bug and run?
“Wang Buliu, uh, sir, sorry, honestly, which title do you prefer?”
“……”
Lu Yibei fell silent for two seconds, expressionless, and said, “Just call me by my name.”
“Alright, Little Wang.” The little bug nodded, “To show my sincerity, it’s okay to tell you what kind of urban legend I am.”
“As you can see, just a bug.”
“……” Lu Yibei glanced at the little bug on his shoulder with an expressionless face, “Do you think I’m easy to fool?”
It’s just a bug, and I’m just a dog!
A 19-year-old vintage single dog.
The little bug wriggled and extended a tiny white hand from its side, tapped its head, and made a tongue-out expression, “Aiya! Caught red-handed, really can’t do anything about you!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
Do big shots nowadays need to be a bit ridiculous to make sense?
“Actually, I…” the little bug twisted its body and continued, “I’m not too clear about what type of urban legend I belong to, after all, I just woke up a little over a year ago.”
“I guess I’m an urban legend born from the virtual network or artificial intelligence?”
Lu Yibei looked sideways at the little bug on his shoulder, nodded, showing an expression of “you continue, I’ll just quietly watch you deceive.”
Before finding enough evidence to prove the little bug’s true origins, he didn’t plan on easily believing its one-sided story.
Seeing his expression, the little bug continued undeterred, “Things like the millennium bug destroying the world, internet addiction harming teenagers, phones devouring time, artificial intelligence replacing humans, and so on, you’ve heard of these conspiracy theories, right?”
“Can these things create urban legends?” Lu Yibei retorted.
“Of course! As for why they can… it’s like a giant fish suddenly popping out of your toilet; why do you think that is?” the little bug said.
“Well…” Lu Yibei pondered for two seconds.
“Maybe it just failed to swallow the toilet and got sealed inside, then waited three years, and now that the three years are up, it breaks out of the toilet and rushes into the green grasslands… Later, it became the strongest, lost all its hair, retired from the world, got married and had kids, and then there was the granddaughter named after a character from a popular show.”
“……”
The little bug stared at Lu Yibei for a full two to three minutes, digesting that overly detailed plot.
“Seriously, can we communicate properly now?”
“When I ask others, they always respond with a confused question: ‘Why is there a giant fish in the toilet?'”
“How come there’s a guy like you who speaks nonsense so seriously? You’ve left me with nothing to say next!”
Lu Yibei stared at the little bug in silence for a few seconds, using an exaggerated tone, expressionless, to cooperate, “Why is there a giant fish in the toilet?”
Doing my best to play along with you, Beibei.
The little bug was very satisfied, shaking its head and said, “Exactly! This is just like why I was born; they are all things that cannot be explained.”
“As for the name…” it paused, a troubled expression appearing on its face, “Honestly, in this past year, I’ve used many IDs, but none has been determined as my name.”
Lu Yibei shrugged casually, “Since you were born from such elusive things as the virtual network, why not just call yourself the God of the Virtual, or simply call yourself the Void or something?”
“This…” The little bug pondered for two seconds, “I think your suggestion is good, I’ll consider it.”
After saying that, the little bug changed the subject back on track, “Now that we know each other well, let’s get down to business and talk about cooperation?”
“Cooperation?”
“Exactly.” The little bug nodded, “The members in the organization think I want to recruit you, but I believe someone like you, an urban legend, probably wouldn’t want to be subordinate, right?”
Sure, I would! Why wouldn’t I? Lu Yibei secretly answered in his heart, as long as you can guarantee I’ll eat well and live comfortably, I can let you all handle the killing and creating chaos.
Seeing Lu Yibei silent, the little bug assumed he had tacitly agreed with his statement and continued, “Honestly, aside from forming an ally contract, I can’t think of any way to gain your full trust.”
“Once the ally contract is established, you won’t be able to harm each other until the contractual conditions are met, which isn’t convenient for either of us, is it?”
“After all, we will likely have differing aspirations in the future.”
Lu Yibei, “……”
By that logic, before we even start cooperating, you’re already considering the possibility of reneging later?
Very nice, I like it!
Since you’re so open about it, I won’t have any psychological burdens when I backstab you if necessary in the future.
Lu Yibei thought, nodding, “Okay, comrade!”
Why did the atmosphere suddenly turn red?
“But, comrade, how can I trust you if you won’t sign the contract with me?”
“This is very simple!” The little bug wore a big smile, “In fact, you don’t really need to trust me, do you? Just like you haven’t completely trusted my origins.”
“You can try completing some website bounty commissions, and we will provide you with the information you want according to the rules. You can choose to trust it or choose not to.”
“You can also earn rewards to exchange for the resources needed to complete your defects, so even if our information has discrepancies, at least you can get stronger and won’t lose out.”
“This is my proposal for cooperation, what do you think?”
“……” Lu Yibei stared at the little bug, falling silent.
The little bug’s proposal was indeed tempting; the intelligence exchanged from the urban legend chat group’s website, even if not completely trustworthy, could serve as a reference.
At the same time, while completing the bounties, he would also have a stable way to obtain resources for completing his defects.
However, this little bug was concealing a very key thing.
Does such a cooperation really exist in this world where one only brings benefits to others without asking for anything in return?
What exactly does it want from me? Lu Yibei thought.
Seeing Lu Yibei deep in thought, the little bug wriggled a bit and jumped back onto the table, “Alright, I’ve said everything I needed to say, it’s about time for me to take my leave; can you see me off?”
“Sure!”
As soon as Lu Yibei’s voice fell, a rolled-up textbook soared through the air.
“Bang——!”
The textbook slammed down cleanly, making a crisp sound.
With a series of seemingly impromptu curses, the surrounding students, who seemed to have their souls sucked away by their phones and fallen into a state of paralysis, suddenly returned to normal, leaving only a pile of graphite-like black ash on the table.
“Buzz buzz——!”
Lu Yibei’s phone vibrated twice; it was a message from Miao Xiaoqi.
One hundred and three and a half cats: “Why did you k*ll our boss’s clone again?”
Wang Buliu: “??? Clearly, it told me to send it on its way.”
One hundred and three and a half cats: “[Black man question mark face]”
————
At 2:05 PM, inside the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau.
In a room with a bit of an old-fashioned vibe, a silver-haired girl, whose temperament seemed out of place with the decor, sat squarely at a square desk, staring intently at the display screen in front of her, occasionally picking up a teacup labeled “Serve the People” to take a sip.
Afternoon sunlight spilled onto her profile, coating it in a layer of soft golden light, her moist, thin lips gleaming.
Surprisingly, on her display screen, it was not a Mahjong game interface, but detailed information about a m*rder case.
Recently, Jiang Li had been playing Mahjong less and less, only playing thirteen rounds daily to maintain her skill, spending the rest of her time researching the various bounties of the urban legends chat group.
After some research and comparison, she shockingly discovered that a significant portion of the bounties posted by the urban legends chat group overlapped with the cases of the Siye Society, but some details in certain bounties were described in horrifying detail.
As if the victims themselves were recounting it.
Jiang Li moved her mouse, stopping the cursor on a bloody crime scene photo on the screen, frowning.
Although she was helping the urban legend fulfill its last wish, she was simultaneously hunting down the evildoers; this mysterious organization didn’t seem as… not, urban legends are urban legends, can’t easily be trusted to have a conscience.
But, should she take on this bounty task or not?
“Dong dong dong——!”
Just then, a knocking sound suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in.”
She quickly closed the webpage, looked up and called out softly, and then a sneaky figure slipped in through the opened door.
“Good afternoon, leader! Didn’t play Mahjong today? Don’t you need to practice your skills?”
Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei’s lifeless face and said lightly, “The so-called genius is someone who can reach a level unattainable by others without needing much practice.”
“Impressive, you must be the Genius Mahjong Girl!” Lu Yibei flattered.
Jiang Li silently stared at Lu Yibei for a moment, calmly stating, “That’s a term I’ve never heard before, but I suppose you can say that!”
“By the way, Lu Yibei, you really worked hard yesterday at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse.”
Is she hinting at something… Lu Yibei thought inwardly, glancing nonchalantly at the teacup on the table, and said seriously, “It’s all I should do, being born as a human, serving the people!”
Their brief skirmish was like two armored warriors engaging in close combat, neither finding any vulnerabilities in the other, ending in a draw.
“So, why didn’t you report immediately after completing the seal restoration yesterday?” Jiang Li asked.
“This…” Lu Yibei hesitated for a moment, responding, “I got caught up in something and forgot.”
“What was so important?” Jiang Li retorted.
“Attending Miaomiao Sauce’s online meet-up.” Lu Yibei blurted out.
Once again, they clashed, landing blows on each other, both feeling satisfied afterward.
“Never mind.” Jiang Li waved her hand, voluntarily declaring a temporary ceasefire, and shifted the topic, “You did an outstanding job with sealing reinforcement at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse, it’s time to complete your next task.”
As she spoke, Jiang Li opened the drawer beside her and pulled out several sheets of A4 paper filled with text, laying them out before Lu Yibei.
“Take a look? These are the new tasks I’ve prepared for you.”
[Urban Legend Case Number 3101
Urban Legend Alias: The Unfound Child, Spirit Energy Fluctuation Level: Unknown
First Incident Date: Around this year’s New Year’s Eve
Case Overview: A left-behind child on Fuchun Road mysteriously went missing while playing with classmates, three days later an urban legend occurred, and all the victims received an invitation to a game of hide-and-seek.
……]
……
[Urban Legend Case Number 2204
Urban Legend Alias: The Happy Neighborhood That Doesn’t Live Past 40, Spirit Energy Fluctuation Level: Unknown.
First Incident Date: April 1, 2015
Case Overview: Continuously rated as the neighborhood with the highest happiness index in Huacheng for ten years, it has a horrifying legend that happiness comes at a price, namely that no resident can live past the age of forty……
……]
[Urban Legend Case Number 0102
Urban Legend Alias: Cursed Notes, Spirit Energy Fluctuation Level: Unknown
Case Overview: Cursed notes circulating in Huacheng’s major middle and high schools, seemingly a prank, but those who do not copy three notes and send them out encounter misfortune afterward……
……]
……
[Love Never Leaves, Missing You, Always Online, The Departed Are Right Beside You, Huacheng Oxhorn Mountain Cemetery……]
The first three urban legend files had already made Lu Yibei quite troubled, but when he saw the fourth one, his expression suddenly changed.
“No way! Leader, what do you mean by this? Are you pulling out a cemetery advertisement? Does it mean if I don’t complete the task, you’ll make me d*e on the spot?”
“Not so exaggerated, generally speaking, we still need to go through a processing procedure at Yun Kang Psychiatric Hospital and the crematorium provided by the Siye Society.” Jiang Li calmly retracted the cemetery advertisement from the table.
Lu Yibei, “……”
“Moreover, it’s reasonable for members of the Siye Society to prepare a cemetery in advance.”
Lu Yibei, “???”
“This is one of the traditional benefits.”
“Such a morbid traditional benefit?” Lu Yibei frowned.
“Uh-huh.” Jiang Li slightly nodded.
Lu Yibei stared at Jiang Li for a couple of seconds and said seriously, “That seems too morbid; I’ll pass. Can it be converted to cash?”
Jiang Li thought for a moment and politely refused, “It can’t.”
“Alright, hurry up and pick one, see which one you prefer.”
Dear Wang Buliu, these are the ones I’ve carefully selected, with the highest overlap with the urban legend chat group website! Jiang Li added in her heart.
In Jiang Li’s view, the cases appearing in the urban legends chat group bounties had a certain level of danger to be completed solo; it was best to have a partner to do them together.
However, what she was currently engaged in was not reputable, and the only reliable partner she could think of was Lu Yibei.
But… how could I lower myself to ask him to be my partner!? Jiang Li thought.
“Wait…” Lu Yibei looked at the options, feeling overwhelmed, “Leader, these tasks just look scary; can a newly promoted member like me really handle them?”
“Oh, I would have forgotten if you didn’t mention it; theoretically, newly promoted members should not take on cases with a spirit energy fluctuation level exceeding D+. So…”
Jiang Li pointed at the column for the spirit energy fluctuation level on the files, “I specially found a loophole for you; they’re all cases with unknown fluctuation levels.”
“Isn’t what I’m doing just to help you become one of the main operational personnel as soon as possible?” Jiang Li said, her tone resembling that of a parent earnestly saying, “I’m doing this for your own good.”
Specially? Thank you for your ancestors’ eighteen generations, Genius Mahjong Girl! Lu Yibei scolded inwardly.
“Leader, isn’t this inappropriate? I think this isn’t appropriate; I haven’t mastered a single spell formula yet, taking on cases directly seems a bit…”
Jiang Li raised her delicate five fingers, interrupting him, “Bai Kai isn’t your elder? He’s the strongest spell master in the Huacheng Siye Society.”
“He wouldn’t have left you without any training, right? If that’s the case, it would be very suspicious.”
“……” Lu Yibei pondered for a moment, half-seriously, “Water Brother did teach me, but only a single Red Flame Flash; I feel that I…”
“I don’t want your feelings, I want my feelings!” Jiang Li interrupted again, “I have complete confidence in your abilities; if it’s you, just having the Red Flame Flash is enough!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
This is what they call important matters?
Is this woman holding a grudge because of last night’s incident, seeking revenge?
She must want me dead!
Lu Yibei thought fiercely, gritting his teeth, randomly pulled out an A4 sheet from the table, shoved it into his pocket, turned around, and was about to leave when Jiang Li suddenly stopped him.
“Wait a moment, there’s one more thing…”
Lu Yibei turned around, and there he met that eerie smile that could stop a child from crying, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Good luck! Miaomiao Sauce is with you!”
Lu Yibei, “？？？”
