Chapter Twelve Departure [4K]
The feeling of falling suddenly stopped. Luxianbei opened her eyes and looked around, startled by the scene before her.
On the dilapidated rooftop, there were large and small mud mannequins that looked like those in clothing stores, some old and some young, varying in size between fat and thin.
On those brown-gray faces, the expressions were grim and twisted, as if frozen in the last second before something terrifying.
Their bizarrely shaped bodies also bore different degrees of mutilation—broken chests, half-shorn heads, and scattered limbs, with jagged breaks revealing dark, hollow cavities inside.
The wind blowing across the rooftop made its way through those hollow cavities, emitting a buzzing sound reminiscent of a broken flute, as if something invisible was wailing in sorrow.
“Luxianbei? What are you dazed for?”
A familiar voice came from behind. Luxianbei shivered slightly and turned around suddenly to see the Proxy Player Sister, who had appeared behind her she didn’t know when.
She was still wearing the apron from their last meeting, her hands dirty with wet clay, and her fair, delicate cheeks bore a few smudges of mud.
“What are you doing?” Luxianbei asked. “Why does this feel a bit scary?”
Could it be that the Proxy Player Sister had been alone for too long, and her mind had gone awry, wanting to mold these mannequins to keep herself company?
Luxianbei thought to herself, imagining the Proxy Player Sister talking to the cold, lifeless mannequins and suddenly going mad, violently destroying their bodies, sending chills down her spine.
Using her clay-stained hands, the Proxy Player Sister rubbed her nose and tilted her head at Luxianbei, explaining, “Didn’t I already tell you last time? This is my hobby; it’s art. I was just passing time by tinkering with my artworks.”
Luxianbei looked at the Proxy Player Sister and then at the eerie mannequins surrounding them, her expression flat as she said, “So, your preferred style of art is the dark genre?”
“What’s wrong with that?” The Proxy Player Sister shrugged nonchalantly.
Fair enough! What she likes is her own business; I have no right to interfere. Luxianbei muttered to herself, refocusing on the topic.
“Back to the point, the reason I came to find you today is that I want to ask you something.”
“Let me guess.” The Proxy Player Sister propped her chin on her hand, assessing Luxianbei. “I guess you want to ask why you couldn’t undo the urban legend transformation this morning when basking in the morning sun, right?”
To her, Luxianbei’s thoughts were exceedingly easy to read.
And Luxianbei felt there was nothing surprising about the Proxy Player Sister being able to guess her thoughts.
“It’s good that you know; hurry up and think of a solution!”
“Well, in terms of solutions…” The Proxy Player Sister pondered for a moment, then seriously said, “There is a solution, but I’m afraid you might not be able to accept it.”
“What’s there not to accept?” Luxianbei urged impatiently. “I’m heading to Shancheng this afternoon. The high-speed train security check can be tricked with Zhu Yan’s spell solidification mask, but I can’t wear a mask to meet Miaomiao Sauce, can I?”
The Proxy Player Sister nodded thoughtfully. “In that case, there’s an added stipulation: Jiang Li might not accept it either.”
“What do you mean?” Luxianbei asked, confused.
“I mean, you won’t be able to revert back. Hurry up and adapt to your current state!” The Proxy Player Sister said earnestly. “In my opinion, do more things that girls enjoy, like skin care, aerial yoga, or nail and hair styling. It’ll help you adapt quicker!”
Hearing this, Luxianbei’s face turned a shade of pale, her body trembling slightly, and she stared wide-eyed at the Proxy Player Sister, wanting to say something but stopping short.
Although her face showed no clear expression, the shock in her heart was palpable.
She looked as if she had just received some devastating news and could faint at any moment from the impact.
Although she had imagined what she would do if one day she could not undo the urban legend transformation, she had never thought that this day would come without warning.
And why was the Proxy Player Sister so knowledgeable about this?
Could it be that she voluntarily adapted to urban legend transformation?
If that were the case, she wouldn’t have done something like “just cut it off, brother!” Luxianbei feared.
The Proxy Player Sister rolled her eyes at Luxianbei’s reaction and spat, “Give me a break! What’s so terrifying about permanent urban legend transformation? Besides, I was just messing with you!”
Just messing with me? Luxianbei glared at the Proxy Player Sister, “Is this your attitude towards a customer whom you offered a taste of human life? Look how those other Proxy Players treat their top customers—what’s your attitude? Why such a big gap?”
This was the downside of monopolies; if there were more Proxy Players competing, would the Proxy Player Sister dare to treat me like this? Luxianbei thought indignantly.
The Proxy Player Sister glanced at Luxianbei and tentatively asked, “How about I parachute into Huacheng and keep you company while you sleep? I guarantee you’ll be breathless from enjoyment!”
“Who asked you to sleep with me, you j*rk?!” Luxianbei snapped. “You need to explain why I can’t undo the urban legend transformation!”
“XP System is strange to what extent to say such things to another self?”
“Oh, that!” The Proxy Player Sister shrugged. “It’s a side effect of merging with the God Realm Prototype!”
“Side effect?” Luxianbei tilted her head.
“Right!” The Proxy Player Sister nodded. “Even though the taste of human life eliminates the vast emotions that corrupt your powers, that thing isn’t omnipotent. Some things that aren’t exactly negative can still leave tangible impacts on you.
In fact, there have been cases where the core of the urban legend itself was entirely purified by the taste of human life.
“In simple terms, it’s like being ill and taking medicine. While the medicine can cure the illness, its toxicity will still affect the body, and you need to gradually digest these effects on your own.”
At this point, the Proxy Player Sister paused, her gaze sweeping over Luxianbei’s prominently raised chest, finally settling on her silvery long hair, and asked, “I guess when you saw that you couldn’t undo the urban legend transformation today, there was barely any fluctuation in your emotions, right?”
How annoying it is to feel completely seen like this, Luxianbei thought, reluctantly nodding.
“Exactly!” the Proxy Player Sister exclaimed. “Isn’t that a side effect? So now your urban legend core is still in constant operation, digesting the residual effects of the taste of human life in a manner akin to how an immune system works, so it’s impossible to bathe in the morning sun and automatically undo the urban legend transformation.”
“Don’t worry, top customer! Once the residuals of human life are fully digested, you’ll be able to undo the transformation!”
“That’s good; at least…” Luxianbei breathed a sigh of relief and instinctively asked, “So, how long will it take to digest it all?”
“Not long.” The Proxy Player Sister said lightly, “At least two or three days, or at most two or three years!”
In her eyes, time had long ceased to have meaning; two or three years and two or three days were just numbers.
“Ah?” Luxianbei’s eyes twitched. “What’s the difference between that and saying a monthly income above two thousand and below twenty million?”
“No difference.” The Proxy Player Sister shrugged. “In fact, there’s even a bit of resemblance. If you’re lucky, you could digest it early, like hitting the jackpot on a lottery for twenty million due to some special experience.”
Luxianbei, “So it depends on luck? Then I’m out of luck.”
In Shancheng, at the Xiyangyang Hot Pot Restaurant.
When Jiang Li’s phone rang for the third time, Mai Mai temporarily paused her speech, shot her a questioning glance, and quietly asked, “Agent Jiang, would you like to take the call first? I can wait for you and continue later?”
If it weren’t for a really pressing matter, who would call over and over? Mai Mai understood this.
“Sorry.” Jiang Li said, standing up and bowing slightly to Mai Mai, quickly heading outside the hot pot restaurant. As soon as she stepped out the door, she picked up the phone and answered.
Right away, she heard a soft voice on the other end, and her expression became strange.
“Is this Miaomiao Sauce? This is Wang Buliu. Are you available to talk now?”
Jiang Li thought, “What is Luxianbei up to? Why is she still in urban legend transformation during the day?”
She suppressed her curiosity and replied lightly, “I’m available, but I might have to go investigate soon, so please make it brief.”
“Okay, okay.” The girl on the other end said, “To put it simply, I’m arriving in Shancheng tonight. Can we meet up?”
Tonight? Jiang Li frowned, recalling the action plan they had temporarily formulated with Lin Kule while listening to Mai Mai explain the situation.
Around nine o’clock, they would set off for Shancheng Medical University to assess the situation on-site. By ten, they would collect Wang Han’s files and call logs from the Special Action Team. Then they would screen the personnel who had been in close contact with Wang Han recently to see if they could discover any anomalies. After nightfall, they would head to Jiujie in Shancheng to contact the informant from the Shancheng Siye Society embedded within the Solar Eclipse Society.
Considering the full schedule for the day, when would she have time to meet with someone who not only didn’t reply to her emails but also took several days to call?
While Jiang Li was pondering, a somewhat spoiled voice from “Wang Buliu” came through the phone, “I miss you.”
This sent a slight tremor through Jiang Li’s heart; the resentment accumulated over two or three days was suddenly overwhelming.
She frowned, considered for two seconds, quietly sighed, and calmly said, “Alright, but at least wait until after midnight.”
It proved true that when someone is mad at you, no matter how free they are, they’ll always find some inexplicable reasons to be occupied and unable to meet you. But when they want to see you, even if they’re busy, they’ll make time.
“No problem! I’ll just wander around until midnight and then call you!”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li’s expression changed slightly.
When Luxianbei said that, she felt a subtle fluctuation in her spirit patterns.
That meant Luxianbei was lying!
What exactly was wrong with that statement?
Jiang Li pondered, nodding. “Alright, we’ll talk more tonight.”
After they met, with just a little probing, she’d be able to determine what kind of lie Luxianbei had told her.
Although she didn’t have any obsession with purity of spirit and didn’t really mind that Luxianbei lied to her, after all, not all lies are malicious.
Furthermore, that “I miss you” was one hundred percent genuine, verified by spirit patterns.
However, as everyone knows, that was precisely her stubborn personality, enjoying to probe for the truth.
And she could also skillfully advance her use of spirit patterns.
k*ll two birds with one stone!
If she didn’t practice on Luxianbei, was she supposed to wait until she faced an enemy to cram for a test?
Luxianbei completely had no idea about the trials awaiting her in Shancheng; she only knew that after speaking with Jiang Li on the phone, she felt overjoyed, as if she could float away, even her steps home were lighter.
Thus, at exactly three o’clock in the afternoon, with more than an hour until the high-speed train departure, she couldn’t wait to head out from home toward the train station.
To her surprise, she thought Ju Meng would refuse to go to Shancheng because of a quarrel, but when she was about to set out, Ju Meng still followed her.
Of course, from the moment they left home until they passed security and settled into their seats, Luxianbei was continuously trying to mollify Ju Meng, but Ju Meng remained silent the entire time, not responding with a single word.
Seated, she stole a glance at Ju Meng, who was pouting and focused on her game, and Luxianbei sighed silently.
After the friendship soured, things truly started to become difficult.
Brothers don’t stay angry for that long, and couples don’t hold grudges overnight. The most excruciating state is being stuck in between two types of emotions.
However, Stinky Sister seemed to be suffering quite badly—she shouldn’t take long before she would start talking to me, right?
This was similar to when a girlfriend is angry; unless something unexpected occurs, it can last a long time. But as long as you tighten the lids of all the seasonings, drinks, and cups at home, she will soon come to talk to you.
Luxianbei thought that out of common sense, she wouldn’t bother Ju Meng further while she was moping; instead, she turned to look out the window, quietly reminiscing about the information regarding the Solar Eclipse Society’s base in Shancheng that she obtained from the Proxy Player Sister.
In fact, she hadn’t originally planned to ask the Proxy Player Sister for information about the Solar Eclipse Society in Shancheng. After all, she had previously contacted the Rabbit Lady and Shuo E using Lan Yi’s identity and had initially gathered some intelligence on the Solar Eclipse Society’s base, so advancing further shouldn’t be too difficult.
However, as soon as she decided to set off for Shancheng, she had tried reaching out to the Rabbit Lady and Shuo E, but the other party simply refused to answer her calls. Several times when the call connected, the person on the other end unfeelingly hung up.
Clearly, the Rabbit Lady and Shuo E were intentionally avoiding contact with “Lan Yi”!
Could this “Lan Yi” tolerate that? Of course, she would seek help from the Urban Legends Chat Group to arrange a “call and hang up” service for the Rabbit Lady!
Even changing phone numbers wouldn’t help; that’s someone’s power, born out of unethical online loan collections, targeting the Rabbit Lady, and unrelated to phone numbers or contact information.
Even if the Rabbit Lady was holding a toy phone, it would still ring incessantly.
Not carrying a phone? If she doesn’t carry a phone, there are still messages, carrier pigeons, or passersby to communicate, right?
Anyway, there’s bound to be a method that will torment the Rabbit Lady enough that she can’t help but reply.
Before that, why not take advantage of the information gained from the Proxy Player Sister and slightly advance the infiltration of the Solar Eclipse Society? Luxianbei thought.
Just as Luxianbei contemplated this, a small hand quietly handed her a phone, followed by Ju Meng’s voice ringing in her ear.
“Help me pass this along!”
