**Chapter 43: The Return of the Queen of Sparrows**
At 2:14 AM, the night was slightly cool, and a thick mist enveloped the surroundings.
About two kilometers away from the West City Lime Factory, a taxi was parked by the roadside, and solemn music could be vaguely heard coming from inside the car.
Zhang Shan had been waiting for Lu Yibei for over three hours. The music in the car switched from soothing light music, to rock, then to “The Great Compassion Mantra DJ,” and finally, to “Diamond Sutra REMIX.”
His emotional journey was quite straightforward: relaxing with light music to ease his nerves, uplifting his spirits with rock, trying to reason with the potential existence of urban legends using “The Great Compassion Mantra,” and finally thinking, “Screw reasoning and emotions, I’ll just save you on the spot!”
As a mature and reliable taxi driver, Zhang Shan had driven through many nights, but he had never felt as scared of the darkness as he did today, probably due to those particularly vivid ghost stories he just heard.
It was autumn, and it began to get foggy in the mountains at night.
Looking through the car window, the headlights only illuminated three to four meters ahead; beyond that, visibility started to blur, and further on, it was just a blank white expanse, gradually devoured by darkness.
From a distance, eerie screams occasionally echoed from the abandoned factory. Having driven a taxi for nearly half his life, Zhang Shan had seen many things, but he could not tell what kind of creature made those sounds.
This place was too damned sinister! Zhang Shan silently cursed in his heart when suddenly he heard a buzzing sound…
“Zizi… Zizi…”
Like static from a poor connection, an electric sound came from the car’s audio system.
Following that, the music distorted, sometimes sharp, sometimes hoarse, sometimes dragging on long notes, sometimes mechanically repeating a phrase—very strange.
Not good! Things started to feel off!
Zhang Shan couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination, but the air inside the car seemed to turn inexplicably cold, while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
“Gululu—!”
He swallowed hard, trembling as he pulled down his coat that was blocking his view, exposing his eyes to look outside the car, and the next moment, he turned pale, his heart nearly stopping.
The pale light from the headlights extended forward, only to vanish at the edge of visibility, swallowed by darkness.
Right at the boundary between light and dark, he could see a figure in a long dark red dress appearing at the end of the road leading to the West City Lime Factory, standing there in a bizarre posture.
Her long hair was draped over her face, slightly hunched at the shoulders as if invisible hands were propping her body up, with her arms weakly dangling, swaying back and forth as if there were no bones.
Zhang Shan’s gaze was fixed in that direction, time seemed to freeze for a second or two, and just then, the figure suddenly moved and swiftly floated toward him.
That’s right, it floated. Zhang Shan was certain he saw clearly!
The figure’s feet didn’t touch the ground but instead seemed to be on tiptoes, with only the tips making contact, and her legs remained motionless as her entire body swiftly glided forward.
Seeing this, Zhang Shan trembled in fear, paralyzed in his seat, and before he could react at all, that eerie figure vanished from view.
The howling wind suddenly arose, a faint scent of bl**d and decay invaded his nostrils, and the desolate grass, rocks, and twisted trees outside turned menacingly eerie as the wind howled, making everything feel alive with danger.
Zhang Shan had no idea where that uncanny figure had gone, but he sensed that it was drawing closer, the air grew colder, carrying a biting chill akin to winter.
He shakily grabbed his coat, silently covering his eyes, fully embracing the ostrich mentality of “If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist!”
However, not seeing with his eyes didn’t mean it truly didn’t exist, nor did it mean he couldn’t hear.
“Dong… Dong… Dong…”
Someone tapped on the car window beside him, producing a sneaky and feeble sound. Each gentle tap came in intervals of a second or two, weak and laden with a heavy sense of d*ath.
Zhang Shan huddled deeper into his clothing, burying his head inside; time seemed to thicken into a sticky substance, flowing slowly, while the “person” outside seemed to grow increasingly anxious, the frequency and intensity of the knocks on the car window rising, just like his racing heart.
“Dong Dong! Dong Dong! Dong Dong!”
Suddenly, the knocking ceased, leaving only the sound of static in the silent night.
Is it… gone? Zhang Shan thought nervously.
After a long while, he finally mustered the courage, lowered the clothing covering his face, and glanced outside.
Through the fogged-up window, he saw a blurry figure.
The figure slowly raised a hand, its delicate fingertips lightly tapping on the car window, using the condensation on the glass to slowly write a line of small letters—“Let me in.”
The condensed water droplets slid down the edges of the lettering, twisting grotesquely; through the crevices of each stroke, he could vaguely see the woman’s corpse-like pale skin outside the window.
In an instant, a chill shot up Zhang Shan’s spine, gripping his throat as if it were being held tightly by a powerful hand, an overwhelming sense of suffocation continuously assailed his nerves.
Then…
In the overwhelming fear and rising adrenaline, Zhang Shan, recalling that he was an experienced driver, let out a scream that was a mix of terror and anger.
“Ah! Ahhh—!”
One hand clutched the steering wheel while the other twisted the car key, then he slammed on the gas. In the next moment, the taxi engine roared to life.
As the car sped away, Zhang Shan felt vaguely that even if he escaped this night, it would leave a shadow haunting him for a lifetime…
———
The taxi suddenly lurched into motion.
After a clean and crisp drift turn, the wheels kicked up dust as it raced away.
Lu Yibei had one hand suspended in the air, still holding the position to knock on the window, expressionless, watching Uncle Zhang Shan vanish into the swirling dust, her lips slightly parted, wanting to say something but holding back.
“……”
After a long pause.
“Coat, did I… do something wrong just now?” Lu Yibei asked breathlessly.
In what seemed like a comfort gesture, the coat gently moved a couple of times.
I’m not sure either!
┓(‘∇’)┏
“……” Lu Yibei pondered for a few seconds, silently sighed, “Forget it, Coat, just take me back, it should be fine, right?”
“Right!”
She suddenly recalled something and asked, “That diary we found in Gu Xinian’s room before we left, you kept it safe, right?”
The coat moved a couple of times, seemingly in affirmation.
“Alright, then let’s head back!”
Although sneaking a peek at the diary wasn’t quite ethical, I’m very curious about what’s written in Gu Xinian’s diary! Lu Yibei thought.
———
In the early morning, inside the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Management Bureau, V Office.
Jiang Li lay sideways on the office sofa, her body slightly curled, and a thin blanket draping over her formed delicate curves. Hanging from the edge of the sofa was a fair hand holding an unfinished document.
Outside the window, the sunlight gradually became radiant, casting a thin layer of golden light over her fair face. Accompanied by the chirping of birds, her thick lashes fluttered twice before she opened her eyes.
Just then, the office door creaked open, and Ahua walked in with breakfast.
She placed the breakfast on the coffee table in front of Jiang Li, looking at her with concern, scolding, “Miss, you were up all night again? Really, if you keep doing this, you’ll be worn out sooner or later!”
“I completely agree.” A gentle voice came from outside the door.
An Qing walked in, pausing in front of Jiang Li, his arms crossed, “You’ve been working non-stop for several days, you should take a good rest.”
Jiang Li sat up, tidied her hair slightly at the temples, and as if she hadn’t heard An Qing’s suggestion, she asked calmly, “Is Silver Horn awake?”
An Qing shrugged, shaking his head.
“What about the new cases that have appeared?”
Though the Nightfall Syndrome epidemic in Huacheng had been well controlled with the help of the alchemical potions developed by Silver Horn at the risk of his life, shortly after Golden Horn’s failed second pursuit of Beres, several new cases had emerged in Huacheng.
These patients showed symptoms similar to previous cases, with markedly lower infectiousness compared to before, but the mortality rate and destructiveness had visibly increased.
It seemed like the “virus” had mutated.
An Qing sighed silently, “They’ve been given alchemical potions, and their conditions have been temporarily controlled, but there hasn’t been any improvement.”
“They are asleep, and they haven’t experienced any strange dreams, the rate of bodily deformities has slowed down, but…”
“But their physical condition continues to deteriorate, right?” Jiang Li asked.
Those patients had already contracted the Nightfall Syndrome, and as the Inheritance Beast hadn’t been hunted,
With someone deliberately controlling the will of the Inheritance Beast and continuously supplying it with spirit energy, Silver Horn’s alchemical potion could only prevent the illness but was unlikely to cure it at its root.
Patients who had already fallen ill would not recover from it, and they might never heal, potentially continuing to deteriorate slowly until d*ath.
It was like an old tap; even when turned off, it would still slowly leak, and that leaking water would continue to corrode the tap.
An Qing nodded, helplessly saying, “No one expected that Beres would invest so heavily, preparing in advance to blow up the hideout. From the remnants obtained by the Special Action Team, the value of that equipment is equivalent to two years of expenses for the Huacheng Siye Society.”
Money power!
This is likely the only, and the greatest advantage the Solar Eclipse Society has over the Siye Society in their struggle, apart from not having to adhere to legal and moral constraints.
Jiang Li’s eyebrows lowered, and after a few seconds of contemplation, she seemed to remember something and inquired, “What about Bai Kai? What has he been up to these days?”
“What else can he do?” An Qing spread his hands, contempt written all over his face, “Eating, sleeping, and hanging out in nightclubs!”
“I’ve asked around, and he’s been going into nightclubs almost as soon as it gets dark and only comes out until dawn, working the night shift.”
As he spoke, An Qing had deliberately pronounced the word “working” in a pronounced tone.
“Seems like he’s not having a harmonious life with a certain lady inspector, huh?”
Although there’s a saying that no field is ruined, only cows d*e, whether the cowherd can ruin the field may be uncertain, especially since the cowherd uses modern tools… An Qing thought.
Is it really that simple? Jiang Li frowned slightly.
To her, although Bai Kai was reckless and his lifestyle was questionable.
As a file management operative at the Huacheng Siye Society, she had almost seen all of Bai Kai’s task reports. In the face of various urban legend incidents in the past, Bai Kai generally completed tasks in half the time it took other operatives.
This was partly due to his high speed granted by his spirit pattern talent, and partly due to his diligent demeanor.
However, this time, Bai Kai had not only been slacking off but had also occasionally gone AWOL alongside the team leader Qi Dong and operative Gu Xiliu.
Days ago, when Jiang Li couldn’t reach Lu Yibei and went to ask him, he was very vague and quite dismissive.
Jiang Li could tell at a glance that he was hiding something, but at that time, the urgency of controlling the black night disease epidemic in Huacheng left her with no time to investigate further.
But now…
“Qing Sister.”
“Hmm?” An Qing tilted her head slightly.
“I’ll transfer my current work to you shortly and then go take a rest, alright?” Jiang Li said.
An Qing smiled and waved her hand, “Go ahead, leave it to me.”
“Mm…” Jiang Li nodded, deep in thought.
Speaking of which, I’ve never been to a nightclub even once in my life…
Perhaps I should visit the Lucky Star Mahjong Parlor later and check on a few old friends, Jiang Li thought.
———
Two hours later, the hidden door of the Lucky Star Mahjong Parlor was pushed open.
The gamblers inside saw the girl who had once been like a nightmare to them walk in and immediately fell into chaos.
“What’s going on? Why is she here again? Didn’t they say she got married and retreated from the world to take care of her family?”
“d*mn, who spread such a ridiculous rumor?”
“Waiter! Please help me settle up over here… My DNA moved, I’m done playing!”
The queen of sparrows returned to the world, sending the gamblers scattering like birds and beasts.
As usual, Jiang Li ignored the gamblers and walked straight to the corner table, which seemed to always have only three people, and with a “bang!” slammed her cane and chips onto the table.
“Shuffle, shall we play a couple of rounds.”
“……”
Upon seeing Jiang Li’s arrival, the three urban legends disguised as humans instantly wore expressions of distress, as if they had eaten two pounds of raw intestines.
As Jiang Li’s “informants,” they had long since become accustomed to this method of contact. However, as urban legends under the command of the calamity, they had also received warnings from the calamity—prohibition against using spirit energy for gambling.
So, nowadays, they came here daily just to reminisce about the good old days, occasionally participating in a few games without using spirit energy, purely for entertainment.
But now that they saw Jiang Li again, they found themselves in a difficult position.
Playing with her without using spirit energy would probably mean losing their core entity.
Moreover, as urban legends under the calamity lord, selling intelligence to the Siye Society operatives would mean turning into a traitor.
If they were caught by the calamity, their core entity would certainly be in trouble.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Li coldly scanned the three urban legends and calmly said, “Haven’t seen you all for some time, have you three turned over a new leaf?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right, we’ve quit, we stopped playing a long time ago!” one urban legend replied.
“Bang!” Jiang Li slapped the table, saying sternly, “Do you really think I’d believe your nonsense? If you’ve turned over a new leaf, what are you doing here?”
Another urban legend glanced at the one who had just spoken with a displeased expression, then smiled at Jiang Li, “No, Jiang Guan, we really…”
“I’m not here to win your money today,” Jiang Li interrupted. “I just wanted to ask you about something and catch up a little.”
Your catch-up means getting intelligence from us, giving us a bonus, and winning it all back, almost akin to getting something for free, right? The three urban legends thought in unison.
Deliberately ignoring the irregularities of the three urban legends, Jiang Li continued, “You guys often visit the Underground Realm, right?”
Surely, these urban legends that draw nourishment from human negative emotions wouldn’t just put their eggs in one basket.
While the mahjong parlor was the main battlefield for these three urban legends, they certainly didn’t miss out on nightclubs and similar places.
“The… Underground Realm?” one urban legend asked in disbelief, “Isn’t that under the management of Operative Bai Kai? Wouldn’t it be more convenient and thorough to ask him directly?”
Jiang Li glanced at the urban legend who spoke and replied coolly, “It’s not very convenient to ask him about this.”
I originally intended to infiltrate the place unexpectedly and see what he and Qi Dong were up to, how could I ask him? Jiang Li thought.
“Well then…” another urban legend pondered for a moment and asked, “What do you want to know?”
“Nothing much.” Jiang Li calmly said, beckoning to the three urban legends with her fingers, “I just want to borrow something like a VIP card or a drink card.”
Though she had never been to a nightclub, she was still aware of some basics.
If she didn’t know that Bai Kai had been frequently entering luxury private rooms in the Underground Realm, and without specific connections, she wouldn’t be here.
Hearing that Jiang Li wasn’t looking to gamble or gather intelligence, the three urban legends breathed sighs of relief and began to pull out various cards from Huacheng’s nightclubs, laying them on the table.
“No worries, please take them!”
Jiang Li scanned the cards laid out on the table and without hesitation, reached out to collect them.
———
At 6 PM, darkness completely enveloped the sky.
In front of the Underground Realm clubhouse, a black car pulled up and parked by the roadside.
A fiery, golden-haired girl stepped out, holding her head high, her slim waist twisting as she walked through the clubhouse door.
“……”
I want to see what you guys are really up to! Jiang Li thought.
