**Chapter Two: Half of It**
Midnight hours.
Not long after Luxianbei had Dream Meng release the “Final Version of the Management Regulations on Urban Legends of Huacheng: Calamity Exemption and Revisions,” a PDF file with the same content appeared in the Urban Legends Chat Group.
“……”
Is this the rule set after Calamity took over Huacheng? Void thought after reading the document.
In fact, almost all urban legends kings, after completing the Hundred Demons Walk, would establish a series of rules for their subordinates. For instance, the rule set by Pestilence Taijie is that all urban legends must merge with it, while the rule of Peach Source emphasizes happiness above all, or else maintaining a living person exclusion zone and regularly offering tributes.
So, what counts as Calamity’s regulations?
Harmony between humans and urban legends?
Such a personal style is really apparent! Void mused.
While pondering, it asked in the chat group, “What does everyone think about the management regulations from Calamity Witch?”
Internet Old Pervert 00: “There are some commendable aspects, but it’s still not perfect. For example, the idea of using ley lines to capture wayward energies to subsidize subordinate urban legends is, in my view, too idealistic. If there are too many urban legends that can’t support themselves, she’s likely unable to fill that gap.”
One Hundred and Two-Thirds Cat: “Excessive, entirely excessive! What’s the point of urban legends if they can’t freely hunt?”
Contrarian Expert: “If urban legends are freely hunting and get caught by Siye Society, then they aren’t urban legends anymore but the core of the urban legend itself.”
“……”
As the discussions went on in the chat group, Internet Old Pervert asked, “Boss, what do you think?”
Void: “I think it’s quite good, very reference-worthy. If one day I successfully complete the Hundred Demons Walk, perhaps I’ll reference some content from it.”
Void: “@One Hundred and Two-Thirds Cat, remember the things I told you earlier? Make sure to deliver them to Calamity later!”
One Hundred and Two-Thirds Cat: “[Angry Cat] Got it, I’m already on my way!”
————
After two small snowfalls, Huacheng had cleared up, and the crescent moon hung in the sky, which appeared to have been washed by the snow, casting a bright moonlight.
Under the moonlight, a shadow glided between the high-rise buildings of Huacheng, gradually approaching the Happy Neighborhood.
After a while.
The shadow leaped from the top of a high-rise building, soaring through the cool evening breeze, a large shadow seemed to overshadow the moonlight behind it, reminiscent of countless slender, long tails swaying.
In the contrast of moonlight and shadows, the slender and petite figure of a girl with long legs could be vaguely seen.
It’s hard to imagine how such a seemingly fragile and powerless body could shoulder that heavy burden resembling a small mountain on her back.
“Shasa——!”
Miao Xiaoqi fell from mid-air, landing steadily on the grass not far from the underground garage of Happy Neighborhood. A pair of multicolored ears turned alertly back and forth, just as she was about to move forward, she was suddenly surrounded by seventeen or eighteen urban legends that flashed out from the darkness.
“Stop! What are you doing here?”
At that shout, Miao Xiaoqi was startled, her fur standing on end.
Following the voice, those urban legends were holding bizarre spirit energy items that looked as if they were salvaged from an old furniture market—plumbing plungers, metal folding stools, ram’s horns… everything one could think of.
The low-level spirit energy items scavenged from Li Tanghan’s house finally proved useful.
The spirit energy fluctuations from several urban legends were not weak, and with “special weapons” supporting them, it was clearly not suitable for a hard clash.
“……”
After a brief silence, Miao Xiaoqi patiently explained, “I, I came to deliver a gift to Wang Buliu!”
“Wang Buliu? Who’s that? Never heard of them!”
“That’s right, this place is the lair of Calamity Witch; non-essential urban legends cannot enter!”
“d*mn, I completely forgot about that…” Miao Xiaoqi muttered through gritted teeth, just about to explain.
At that moment, a clear voice came from a distance.
“Alright! She is with me…” The voice paused, clearly hesitating, and then added, “She is my silly online friend!”
Miao Xiaoqi, “……”
What a silly online friend! We can at least be considered friends who have met in person, right?
Wang Buliu is getting more inflated by the day!
Initially, she should have dealt with her properly in the frozen food store, leaving her with a psychological shadow.
As Miao Xiaoqi was grumbling, the surrounding urban legends stepped aside, parting to allow a girl dressed in green to walk through.
Behind her, a swarm of urban legends gathered, a chaos of demons that seemed never-ending.
Luxianbei glanced at the small thief, who appeared exaggeratedly like she stepped out from a comedic manga, carrying a huge burden on her back, a fleeting glimmer of amusement crossing her eyes.
“Miss Miao, I heard you came on behalf of your boss to deliver a gift to me?”
“Then thank you in advance! However, I have urgent matters to attend to today, so please place down the items and return for now? I’ll treat you properly next time you visit.”
“Eh?!” Miao Xiaoqi was taken aback for a moment, hurriedly waving her hands in explanation, “No, no, I didn’t come to…”
“Not here to deliver a gift?” Luxianbei frowned, “Then what are you here for? To cause trouble?”
“Of course not! Our boss said you could only choose half!”
“Oh! I see!” Luxianbei nodded, stepping forward to take the package from Miao Xiaoqi’s shoulder and opened it. Seeing the contents inside, her expression slightly froze.
Aside from the common items like urban legend cores, spirit energy items, and alchemical materials, there were dozens of chips, which surprised her a great deal.
Why are these things everywhere?
Jiang Li was very concerned about the chips, stating they were very dangerous. The black-robed figures ruled by Mu Se also carried this kind of chips, and now the urban legends chat group sends them to me as gifts…
They look valuable, but what exactly are they for? Luxianbei mused.
In fact, after completing the Hundred Demons Walk, when the urban legends cleaned up the battlefield, besides bringing back many urban legend cores, the items they returned most with were these chips.
However, after careful study, she found that beyond weak spirit energy fluctuations varying in intensity, there was nothing special about them.
She even managed to trick the “Calamity’s Test Subject,” Mr. Eye, into swallowing a few chips through cajoling and threats. The chips merely remained in its body temporarily, like a child accidentally swallowing a marble, without any unusual reactions.
Looking at the gifts brought by Miao Xiaoqi, filled with large amounts of urban legend cores, spirit energy items, alchemical materials, and special chips, Luxianbei pondered deeply.
What to do?
I’m no longer a child. Why compel me to make a choice?
I have to think of a way to keep everything!
Thinking this, Luxianbei walked over calmly, squatting down to sift through the opened package for a moment, until she had roughly divided the items into two halves, before looking at Miao Xiaoqi and saying, “I’m done choosing!”
“Just to confirm, I can really keep half as a gift?”
“Of course!” Miao Xiaoqi nodded.
“Promise?”
“Our boss isn’t like some people who like to go back on their word; if he says you can choose half, he will definitely keep his promise!” Miao Xiaoqi asserted.
“Oh…” Luxianbei nodded thoughtfully, “Then I’ll choose… just half of it, okay?”
As she spoke, she extended her hand and gently stroked the right half before her.
“Then I can take the other half with me?!” Miao Xiaoqi pouted.
As she stepped forward, just as she was about to pack the items and leave, she was stopped by Luxianbei.
“Wait! Why aren’t you keeping your word?”
“Huh?” Miao Xiaoqi was slightly taken aback by Luxianbei’s sudden question, mumbling, “Didn’t you say you chose the other half?”
“I didn’t!” Luxianbei replied expressionlessly, “I said I chose half!”
“Which half of half?”
“It’s just half!” Luxianbei insisted.
Miao Xiaoqi frowned in annoyance, “You’re such a nuisance! Half of it still needs to be specified…”
As the conversation reached that point, she suddenly sensed something was off. Looking back at Luxianbei, she found a sly smile flickering in her eyes.
Sorry, Miss Miao, I don’t want to have a conflict with the urban legends chat group either, but supporting a large group of urban legends is just too costly.
At worst, I’ll help you out from somewhere else next time? Luxianbei thought.
cr*p! This girl is shifting the concept; she wants to keep everything! Miao Xiaoqi’s expression slightly changed.
Just as she was considering how to counter Luxianbei’s clever argument, Luxianbei suddenly preempted her, raising her arm to call out to the surrounding urban legends.
“Young ones, hurry and help me take down the gift!”
Upon hearing, Dream Meng, who was in sync with Luxianbei’s thoughts, sprang into action, leaping forth and wrapping several items off the ground with its tendrils, shouting, “Then I’ll take this half for our Witch Lady! Thank you for the gift, guests!”
In just a few seconds after Dream Meng’s comment, several urban legends who understood what was happening surged forward, picked up the remaining half of the items, and dashed away.
“Thank you, guests, I will help the Witch Lady keep this half!”
The shift came so quickly, just like a mad dash to snatch a package, Miao Xiaoqi hadn’t even realized it when Dream Meng and those urban legends who took the items had already disappeared.
As she came to her senses, her fur bristled, and her many tails swayed behind her as she roared in a low voice, “Wang Buliu, you’re bullying me!”
Luxianbei blinked her innocent big eyes, “I’m so wronged! You said I could choose half!”
Speaking, she deliberately emphasized the words “half.”
“Hmph!” Miao Xiaoqi snorted coldly, swiftly pulling out her phone from her pocket, preparing to report the situation to Void, while also inviting people from the urban legends chat group to back her up, only to see a few private messages from her boss.
Void: “Xiao Qi, hurry back?”
Void: “This little loss is roughly just the commission from the urban legends reward website for a week, which isn’t serious. If it helps cultivate a good relationship with Calamity, it’s actually not bad.”
Void: “Also, I want to see what those chips are really used for.”
In fact, when Void dispatched Miao Xiaoqi to deliver gifts to Luxianbei, two hypotheses were made regarding the situation.
One was that Luxianbei would choose to keep something other than the chips.
The other was that Luxianbei would choose to keep the chips or all of it.
In Void’s view, Luxianbei wouldn’t come into conflict with the urban legends chat group over some unidentified chips that may not hold high value on the surface.
If she found a way to keep those chips, it would indicate that she likely knew the origin or use of these chips.
The use of the chips couldn’t be deduced from the information collected online, belonging to very secret intel.
Some small sacrifices could yield a hidden piece of information; it was entirely worthwhile. Even thereafter, she could make big profits from this information!
Void envisioned beautifully, but…
“I’m not having it! I’m not having it!” Miao Xiaoqi said angrily, glaring at Luxianbei, “You wait, I’ll definitely get my things back!”
“Is that so…” Luxianbei considered for a moment and shouted, “Someone! Prepare a nest for Miss Miao!”
Saying this, she waved her sleeve and left without taking a single chip. Soon, an urban legend brought over a large corrugated cardboard box inscribed with “Cat Cat’s Home” in big letters.
Miao Xiaoqi, “……”
After a moment of contemplation, she bowed her head and replied to Void on her phone, “Boss, once I catch up to the debt, I’ll go back!”
Void: “Good luck! [/facepalm]”
Void: “Also, help me observe how Wang Buliu ultimately processes those chips.”
So, Miao Xiaoqi temporarily settled in a corner of Happy Neighborhood and began her debt collection endeavor.
The residents of Happy Neighborhood were very friendly, and within a few days, “Cat Cat’s Home” was expanded into a “Luxury Cat Cat Palace,” complete with plenty of cat food…
————
Two days later.
Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, Office No. 8.
Luxianbei leaned over her desk, staring at the report before her, murmuring intermittently.
“I’m really stupid, I shouldn’t have issued those ridiculous regulations from the start. If I hadn’t issued the regulations and let them act wild, there wouldn’t have been so much chaos, and I wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation today.”
Although Baikai helped out and the upper authorities turned a blind eye, dealing with the aftermath of the chaos caused by the urban legends scaring humans was incredibly difficult.
For example…
【The Bedside Ghost successfully scared a certain little girl and was about to leave.
Hearing the girl crying louder, she said to it, “You… you can’t leave! I, I’m so scared to sleep alone!”
Touched by compassion, it lulls this frightened girl to sleep and stays with her until dawn.
The next day, the child’s parents found the bedside ghost, and it was captured on the spot.
Due to its furry appearance, it was mistaken for a new breed of animal and sent to Huacheng Zoo, currently detained in the feline enclosure, waiting for expert study before being publicly displayed.】
How am I going to come up with something to smooth this over after rescuing it?
And…
【A malicious spirit, mimicking Sadako’s method, scared humans by crawling out of the television.
After revealing itself, it found that the owner was someone it had long admired in life.
In an emotional frenzy, it shamelessly asked for an autograph, but not only did it fail, but the idol also got excessively scared, severely contorting her face.
Leading to her already reconstructed jaw dislocating and her nasal implant misaligning severely, likely leaving her with a serious disability.】
How the hell am I supposed to make this up? Am I going to be the one dealing with urban legends beating up popular idols?
Looking at the report on the desk, Luxianbei felt her brain was nearly squeezed dry.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Du Sixian’s voice came from outside.
“Senior, can I come in? I have a few things I’d like to ask you.”
What do you want to ask? As a subordinate, she doesn’t help alleviate my worries… Luxianbei grumbled internally, expressionless, “Come in!”
After opening the door, Du Sixian stepped inside, sweetly smiling at Luxianbei, “Hehe, senior, I heard Qing Ji said that while I’m on this mission, you’re supposed to support me, right?”
“Yeah, just focus on what you have to do,” Luxianbei nodded, “Let me tell you, when encountering urban legends, don’t be afraid; be bold! They just look terrifying, but they’re all paper tigers.”
After all, I’ve already informed all the urban legends in Huacheng; no matter who you investigate, they’ll all do their best to perform for you. Luxianbei quietly added in her heart.
“Got it! I’ll get ready to move out shortly. Qing Ji told me to get some defensive gear; do you have any good suggestions?” Du Sixian asked further.
“As for suggestions…” Luxianbei pondered for a moment before slapping the table, “That goes without saying! Just take as much as you can! Take as much as you can this time, and if it’s not used up, you can keep it for next time. If there’s still more after next time, you can take it to the Ghost Market…”
“Ghost Market?” Du Sixian tilted her head with a confused expression.
“Uh…” Luxianbei momentarily stammered, then cleared her throat, “Cough, cough. In short, try to pick up powerful spirit energy items and take the max limit of standard spirit energy items and gear according to the rations. It’s better to be prepared!”
“That makes sense.” Du Sixian nodded thoughtfully, her eyes glancing curiously, “Senior, do you have free time now? If you do, how about coming with me to take a look?”
“Not free, take care, I won’t see you off!” Luxianbei replied expressionlessly.
I actually want to follow you, but the conditions don’t allow it! Luxianbei grumbled internally.
In fact, Luxianbei was quite worried that Du Sixian might inadvertently harm some overly into character urban legend. If she could accompany her, she could assist in the performance as well.
After all, as a B-grade spiritual ability user controlling most of Siye Society’s intricate spell formulas and Qing Ji’s unique spell formula, she wouldn’t even be the opponent of urban legends below A-grade in a real fight.
However…
Luxianbei glanced again at the report on the desk, silently letting out a sigh.
“……” Seeing Luxianbei unhesitatingly reject her invitation, Du Sixian forced a smile, “Then, senior, you focus on your work. I’ll head out alone.”
After all…
I’ve long gotten used to this situation; my father is always like this.
Du Sixian grumbled inwardly, turning to leave the office, heading to the equipment department to collect her things, then exiting through the door of Siye Society, finding the Mercedes AMGG63 parked near the entrance and driving towards the outskirts of Huacheng.
Recently, a strange incident occurred in a small village bordering Huacheng and Moon City, where an entire village disappeared during the New Year and performance activities…
