Chapter 17: The Spy is Actually Right Beside Me?
The night was long, and snowflakes fell quietly, the chill more intense.
Lu Yibei hid in the gap between two rockeries, tightening her newly bought cotton jacket and suppressing her spirit energy fluctuations.
Feeling her movements, the coat, which had transformed into a thermal garment under the cotton jacket, gently wriggled a bit, lifting its collar to rub against her cheek.
(๑´ڡ`๑) Cozy~
Although the fabric of the coat was theoretically better at keeping warm than any clothes on the market.
Lu Yibei always felt that the coat, being a kind of urban legend, also had “life,” and should not be exposed to the air of a night with temperatures below minus ten degrees.
It probably feels cold too, right?
She thought, sensing through the bond mark a vague feeling of gratitude. A gentle light flickered in her eyes, and she was finally at ease, beginning to process the remaining materials at hand.
There were still plenty of materials left to make the Zhipianxian, and to prevent failure in production, she had prepared enough materials to create three of them.
Now, having successfully completed one, though it looked a bit ugly, when coupled with Zhu Yan’s modified spell formula solidifying mask, it barely resembled a person.
No one stated that being ugly disqualified one from being a Siye Society operative, right?
It was also normal for spiritual ability users to become ugly while drawing spirit patterns for distortion or evil spirits.
Lu Yibei glanced again at the Zhipianxian that wandered back and forth by the lakeside and shook her head helplessly.
Tsk, the running posture was still too grotesque.
Without decades of gout and rheumatoid arthritis, one would not be able to run like that, creating an inexplicable sense of inspirational determination.
Next time she crafted one, she must add a few more joints.
Thinking this, Lu Yibei retracted her attention, focusing on the remaining materials in front of her, and then began to create.
This time, she decided to make a “mini human-shaped self-propelled explosive device” capable of holding a single alchemical dirty bomb.
While recalling the process of making the Zhipianxian earlier, she used a small kn*fe to whittle down bamboo strips.
The bamboo strips became softer and more malleable after being whittled down, making the creation much simpler. Lu Yibei quickly crafted a delicate little figure about thirty centimeters tall.
After placing an alchemical dirty bomb inside its belly and wrapping it with yellow paper, she successfully completed a stubby, short-limbed mini Zhipianxian. After simply painting on eyes, eyebrows, and a nose, it looked quite adorable.
After completing a mini Zhipianxian, Lu Yibei did not prick its ring finger with bl**d or chant the spell but instead marked the number “1” on its back and immediately picked up the materials to create the next one.
She would apply her fingertip bl**d after all were made; otherwise, each creation would require tearing open a wound, which was truly hard to bear, Lu Yibei thought.
Thus, spending over an hour, she successfully crafted seventeen mini paper figures. She lightly bit her healed right-hand ring finger, quickly applied a drop of crimson on six of the Zhipianxian, recited the spell, and then stored them one by one in a metal box.
Seventeen was already the limit for the metal box; any more wouldn’t fit, and the stock of alchemical dirty bombs was also insufficient.
Sigh, the yield of calamity items has been dwindling recently, and the landlord family is about out of stock. If she wanted to continue making alchemical dirty bombs, she might have to find Fat Second Grandpa to procure more calamities.
After all, the corrupted divine bl**d within the Great Serpent God wasn’t so easy to find.
Worrying, Lu Yibei withdrew her focus, poking half of her head out from the rockery to watch the lakeside.
The Zhipianxian was still wandering by the lake, seemingly tireless, and the anticipated dark forces had not appeared to eliminate her.
Could it be that Shang Nanxing’s analysis was incorrect, and the dark forces targeting Siye Society operatives weren’t tracking them through the Gray Owl Badge?
Lu Yibei frowned slightly and took out her phone to check.
Time: 21:07, gradually inching closer to midnight.
“……”
It was still early; let’s wait a bit longer…
Lu Yibei tightened her clothing and hid back in the gap between the rockeries.
So cold, even with all these clothes on, why could she still not warm up at all?
Was it because the Witch’s power was maintained for too long?
d*mn it, so cold!
Lu Yibei thought, perhaps due to her body temperature dropping, she started to feel drowsy.
In a hazy state, she seemed to see a little girl selling alchemical dirty bombs in the cold winter, but no one bought her bombs no matter how far she wandered the streets. Her little hands and feet were frozen and devoid of color.
As night deepened, she could no longer move, shrinking into a corner of the empty street to escape the wind. She was so cold that she could only ignite an alchemical dirty bomb, and the entire street instantly warmed up under the brilliant light…
“Buzz—Buzz—!”
Just as Lu Yibei was about to fall into a deep sleep, her phone in her embrace suddenly vibrated vigorously, waking her from her drowsy state.
Opening her eyes, the coat had kindly passed the phone to her hand through the sleeve.
Unlocking the screen, Lu Yibei then realized that she had somehow been pulled into a WeChat group called [Dongyi Culture Research Project Group·Two] by Professor Ma. The group members, apart from Professor Ma and two other professors leading their students, hilariously included her nemesis, Professor Hou.
The vibrating phone was triggered by exchanges between Professor Ma and Professor Hou.
The cause was a few artifacts Professor Hou and his students had found in an antique market that afternoon. Professor Hou believed he had successfully retrieved genuine artifacts, while Professor Ma thought most of them were fakes.
Thus, these two old men started fighting.
Lu Yibei looked up and saw that the Zhipianxian was still lazily wandering by the lakeside, so she returned her gaze to the lively exchange.
Ma Zhen: “[Image][Image] Old thief, do read more books! How could this possibly be real?”
Ma Zhen: “@Hou Jun, you really aren’t capable regarding artifact identification, why are you making such a fuss? Quickly go back and rest; I’ll call you when the project starts. You’re embarrassing!”
Hou Jun: “Hmph, you’re short-sighted and yet dare to mock others? I refuse to debate with you; tomorrow we’ll do carbon isotope analysis and we’ll see the results.”
Mao Sanyou: “[Eating melon expression]”
Xinyi: “What’s going on? Count me in!”
……
Lu Yibei raised an eyebrow at the images Professor Ma sent, typed a message, “I agree with Professor Ma’s opinion; Professor Hou, this bronze artifact of yours is indeed a fake.”
Hou Jun: “@Lu Yibei, this student, it’s good to provide your viewpoint, but academic research must not involve personal feelings!”
Lu Yibei, “……”
Are you saying I’m biased towards Professor Ma? But there are problems here! Lu Yibei thought, typing another message.
Lu Yibei: “Professor, the shape of this bronze artifact does bear similarities to previously discovered artifacts, but it is merely a result of high-quality imitation, don’t you think there is an issue with the meaning represented by its shape?”
Hou Jun: “What problem? I see no problem!”
Lu Yibei: “Look, doesn’t its shape depict four horses pulling a carriage? But the carriage is drawn with gold, and gold in ancient times represented currency, so…”
Xinyi: “Horse pulling coins? Isn’t that an insult? Hahaha! [Thumbs up]”
Mao Sanyou: “Junior sister, speak cautiously!”
Hou Jun: “……”
Lu Yibei: “Also, this [Image], looks like a gold and jade waist buckle, but it’s engraved with a heron, and the head is facing left… this might not be too lucky, right?”
Xinyi: “Hahaha, one heron ascending to the west, hahaha, teacher is amazing!”
Xinyi: “This is something my senior brother said, doesn’t involve me!”
【Xinyi has been kicked out of the chat group by admin Hou Jun】, 【Lu Yibei has been kicked out of the chat group by admin Hou Jun】……
Lu Yibei, “……”
Why are they so petty?
Clearly, they just bought fakes, and they don’t even allow others to comment!
I bet Stinky Sister wasn’t that particular when creating devices, right?
Just as Lu Yibei was grumbling, her phone vibrated again. She looked and saw it was a message from Professor Ma.
Professor Ma: “Lu Yibei, well done! I shouldn’t have analyzed it from the texture and pattern like that old fool, I should have done it like you and approached it from the perspective of meaning. That old fool’s nose must be crooked with anger, what a joy!”
Professor Ma: “Alright, I won’t keep you; get some rest early. I contacted an old friend during dinner, and he seems to know the whereabouts of a few artifacts. We’ll see him first thing tomorrow morning.”
Lu Yibei: “Okay, Professor.”
After replying to Professor Ma, Lu Yibei looked at the Zhipianxian outside and frowned.
It was already late, but the assassins from the dark forces still hadn’t come.
Was it because my Zhipianxian was too ugly, or was it because this place was the city center, making it inconvenient for them to take action?
Could it be that there are also procrastinators among the dark forces, delaying their mission to eliminate this small reserve operative?
Whatever, let’s wait and see, if it doesn’t work, I’ll just go back to sleep and find the ancestor to play with, tomorrow I’ll find time to take the Zhipianxian for a stroll in the suburbs.
Apart from wanting to learn how to control the Hundred-Armed Giant Power, she was also very tempted by the Yellow Spring Soul-Calling Seal that Qing Ji had mentioned.
If one could summon the dead for half a stick of incense, wouldn’t that mean she could ask her father what exactly he encountered during that car accident?
Although the ancestor wouldn’t be willing to talk once calmed down, there must be some way to stir him up.
If all else fails, she could just speak ill of “Lu Yibei” more, and if that doesn’t work, add some bad words about “Lu Ming”! Lu Yibei contemplated.
————
After night fell, the prosperity and liveliness of Arrow Tower Old Street did not last long, falling into silence as the sky darkened.
Not every old street was safeguarded by the Siye Society like Mudan Street; most old streets’ nights were far from peaceful.
Places like Arrow Tower Old Street, where countless lives had once been eliminated outside the city gates, were even more so.
Under the night, the yellow streetlights illuminated the snow-covered cobblestone road, a man in a military coat with a sorrowful expression slowly passed through the city gate of Arrow Tower, snowflakes gently falling upon his shoulders.
Suddenly, he stopped, pulled something from his upper pocket, and looked down.
It was a pale golden Gray Owl Badge, its spread wings missing a segment; at that moment, the badge vibrated gently, as if reminding him of something.
The man stared at the badge for a few seconds, spat silently, his sorrowful face growing increasingly bitter, and then he returned the badge to his pocket.
Twenty-three operatives and reserve operatives from the Siye Society, who had rushed in from various places for support, had successfully eliminated twenty-two; the remaining two, merely reserve operatives, were of no concern, and he could take care of them later.
Now, he had something more important to do; he was going to k*ll a god!
Continuing forward, when he reached the pawn shop deep in the alley, faint footsteps came from the surrounding narrow alleys.
Following the sound, shadows approached the pawn shop from different directions.
An elegant man in a white suit, holding a bone flute.
An old man wearing a straw hat and a raincoat, appearing like a fisherman.
In a broader alley, a pair of men and women walked side by side, the man in a trench coat with a pale complexion, the girl with rabbit ears, swinging a rusty fire axe in her hands.
……
After a while, the sound of a gong echoed from afar, like an ancient night watchman ringing the signaling device.
“Dang—Dang—Dang—!”
The gong rang three times, lacking any rhythm yet penetrating to the heart, the streetlight quietly extinguished, and when it lit again, a figure wearing a strange mask appeared at the front door.
His long red hair flowed from beneath the bronze mask; the mask was shaped like a raven, with iron-black sharp teeth radiating a violent aura, complemented by a cloak made entirely of black feathers, he looked like a large black bird standing upright.
In his hand, he held a rusted blade.
At the moment he appeared, the ancient street was filled with soft sounds of snoring, the cries of children, and the rumbling of old heating systems…
All sounds fell into silence in an instant, even the cold wind carrying snowflakes seemed to sense this oppressive atmosphere and instinctively slowed down.
As if sensing something, the pawn shop surrounded by dozens of high-level spiritual ability users and urban legends suddenly began to tremble violently, the roof tiles clashing against each other, ringing resoundingly.
A few seconds later, a faint golden light appeared through the cracks of the door.
In an instant, with a loud “bang,” like thunder exploding, the blazing golden light engulfed the pawn shop, causing the ground to quake.
The frenzied shockwave surged, propelling shattered tiles, bricks, and beams several dozen meters away, a cloud of dust rising, revealing a colossal figure.
It appeared to be a giant turtle, its stout limbs resembling stone pillars supporting its massive body, its long neck raised high like a giant python, with eyes shining like lanterns, suspended high in the air, its nostrils resembling chimneys, each breath exhaling large amounts of white mist.
This was Yuan Ye’s true form, the serpent-necked turtle general.
After a few seconds of silent confrontation with the intruder, Yuan Ye suddenly moved, raising his forelimb and violently stomping forward.
Seeing this, the person in the black feather cloak did not retreat but advanced, stepping forward as flames erupted from under the cloak, enveloping his body, and he fiercely threw a punch towards the forelimb.
Thus, a deafening explosion erupted, and shockwaves once again swept out, reverberating for hundreds of meters…
————
“Boom——!”
A loud sound suddenly rang in Lu Yibei’s ears, causing her to shiver awake, focusing her senses to confirm the existence of the Zhipianxian, momentarily stunned.
The Zhipianxian… exploded?
Could it be that the dark forces that came to eliminate me have finally appeared?
After a brief thought, Lu Yibei’s eyes narrowed as she stealthily poked half her body out from between the two rockeries, stretching her neck to gaze at the lakeside, where she saw a disheveled, bombarded blonde girl.
The injured girl, staring at the remnants of her “companion,” which was now only a head, opened her soot-blackened lips, slowly exhaling a puff of black smoke. After staring for a moment, she trembled as she approached, flipping over the head facing the ground, turning on the flashlight on her phone.
The girl clearly saw that under the pale white light, that face beneath the half-melted plastic mask revealed a spiritually polluted “human face,” her complexion instantly turned pale, and her mouth twitched stiffly.
Then…
A piercing scream of terror echoed across the midnight Lotus Seed Lake.
“Ghost, it’s a ghost——!”
Watching the girl, who had instantly activated a speed enhancement spell and turned to run, Lu Yibei rolled her eyes.
Ghost, my a**!
That’s art, can’t you understand?
This current dark force’s mental fortitude is really pathetic!
After a few more internal complaints, Lu Yibei lightly pushed off the ground and soared into the air, employing her pseudo-divine armored horse’s ability to chase after the girl closely.
From the spiritual energy fluctuations she had felt when the girl screamed, her strength was only around 0.2 snake level, not too strong.
Even in her current state, if approached cautiously and taking a bold ambush, Lu Yibei had a twelve out of ten assurance that she could eliminate her; the odds were quite high.
Who would have thought that to eliminate a mere reserve operative, they would dispatch such a strong spiritual ability user?
Fortunately, the information isn’t equal; otherwise, it might have been a full snake or even a new rabbit-level enemy that came.
If that were the case, failing to eliminate her once and revealing their details would only leave her with the choice to abandon her professor and flee.
Lu Yibei thought as she adjusted her speed to maintain a distance of five hundred meters behind the girl, and before she knew it, she had arrived near the Tangcheng Four Seasons Hotel.
From a distance, seeing the building of the Tangcheng Four Seasons Hotel, Lu Yibei stopped her steps and took cover on the rooftop of a low building across the street.
Then…
Noticing the girl had entered the hotel through the back door, she paused for a moment, waited two or three seconds, and then moved cautiously to the hotel’s rear entrance. She placed down the metal box, took out a Zhipianxian, chanted the spell, and controlled it with her mind, sending it into the hotel.
After the little paper figure wandered around the lobby at the back door and found no spirit energy fluctuations, Lu Yibei entered the hotel, glancing around and fixing her gaze on the elevator.
7? Could she be going to the seventh floor? But isn’t that where the members of this research project group are staying?
Could it be that apart from Hu Yue, there was another suspected spy in the project group?
d*mn! A spy is actually right beside me?
