Chapter 223: Do You Want to Know How Your Father Really Died? |
Although Lu Yibei felt that there was a strange smell coming from Gu Niang, coupled with her disturbing aura, she didn’t know the crisis she had just avoided.
All he could see was Shui seemingly becoming nervous, dragging his godson away from the Night Division as quickly as possible.
As he left, he held onto her hand tightly, as if he were afraid that if he let go, she would fly away and disappear.
…
He drove them from Peony Street to the edge of the city.
Bai Kai didn’t say a single word along the way, and it was eerily quiet inside the car. Yibei seemed to have noticed this and wisely closed her ever-speaking mouth.
Halfway through, the pendant around her neck shattered with a loud snap. Seeing this through the rearview mirror, he said nothing but stepped on the gas silently as he picked up speed.
More than ten minutes later, they were finally out of Huacheng, and the concrete jungles gradually became sparse. Bai Kai breathed a sigh of relief and parked his car on the side of the road.
Wiping the sweat from his palms on his trousers and the gloomy face he put on, he turned around to Yibei with a smile.
“Ah?” She was stunned and asked in confusion. “What do you mean? And by the way, who is that girl? You and Jiangli seem scared of her.”
“Why wouldn’t we be?” He smiled bitterly. “She was already there when I first joined the Night Division.”
“Actually, she might even precede the Night Division,” he continued. “The person in charge of selecting the location of Huacheng’s Night Division reported that when they first entered the building, she was already there.”
“Is she… an urban legend?”
“Not really,” Bai Kai frowned. “She is a living, breathing human being, but I admit, she is closer to an urban legend than psychics are.”
He paused for a while, swallowing before he spewed out more information.
For ordinary psychics, to put it simply, the ratio of urban legend to human in their body is a 1:1 ratio. Hence, Gu Niang’s ratio might be a 4:1 ratio.
Logically speaking, she should’ve transformed into an urban legend by now, but she is still human. Bai Kai didn’t know how she managed that, so he didn’t tell Yibei.
Based on what he knows about his godson, although she wasn’t very smart, she seemed to be able to deduce a lot of things via observation.
If she knew how strange Gu Niang is and compared it with her own current situation, she might kill herself.
“To a certain extent, she is the gatekeeper of Huacheng’s Night Division, and she is much more terrifying than any detection device we have in store. However, you don’t have to worry anymore since she didn’t point out anything wrong about you. Nobody seems to be following us, which means that we are safe.”
“From now on,” he murmured, looking out the car window and admiring the scenery. “You have to hide your identity, and…”
Bai Kai seemed hesitant to speak, and Yibei peered at him through the rearview mirror, seeing his tearful eyes. He immediately turned around and grabbed her hands tearfully.
“Bei! You must not believe in anything a man says to you! Their so-called love at first sight is all lust! Do as I say, not as I do! Never be alone, never drink from an unattended cup, especially when alone with boys, and…”
“Okay! Okay!” Yibei interrupted. “I’m not interested in men.”
“What if?”
“I’m sure of it!”
“Then, would you like your godfather to buy you some clothes? You should…”
“No!”
She felt that, after she transformed, Shui seemed to be much more difficult to deal with than before.
…
After learning that Yibei had a way of transforming back to her boy self at first dawn, Bai Kai took her to the outskirts of Huacheng, and they decided to settle in a villa.
Handing the key over to her, he hurriedly returned to Peony Street. To the Night Division, Yibei was still in the small room recovering from the rejection of his runes, so he couldn’t leave for too long.
The neighbourhood near the villa was deserted; there were no security guards, and the other villas’ doors were open. She walked to the house number given by Shui and found the villa.
3 floors, a large garden, with a mountain towering over the villas—it was peaceful here.
Shui told her that this villa belonged to a rich friend of his. She wasn’t sure why he had a key to his friend’s villa.
However, the moment she unlocked the door and walked into the villa, she saw how luxurious it was inside. She felt as if she had stumbled into a castle, and in the centre of the living room, a huge portrait of a certain woman could be seen.
My god. I never should’ve underestimated you.
…
Night soon fell.
In the living room of a villa, decorated like an e-sports training room, it was lively—seven or eight figures wearing black cloaks with skull emojis talked and laughed with each other as they typed away on the computers.
A lanky man with dark circles under his eyes sat in the corner of the room. Multiple windows were open on the three screens in front of him, which were playing various videos and live broadcasts. Some of these live broadcasts featured people in various weird exercise and yoga positions bumping into each other.
“Hey, can you hurry up and analyse this for me? I’m dying of anxiety!”
A soft mewl sounded behind him, and the man hurriedly closed his tabs. He then turned around and saw a cat girl with a sad face.
“What’s wrong with you? Did she give you a hard time again and report the group chat?”
The girl rolled her eyes and said, “I wish. She didn’t bother me all day. Don’t you think this is strange?”
“You’re saying… She didn’t report you for one day, and you feel uneasy.”
“Yes! Don’t you think it’s strange?” The girl tilted her head.
“You’re crazy.”
The cat-eared girl narrowed her eyes slightly, and a cold look flashed in her slits. The next moment, with a flash of cold light, three quick slashes appeared on the man’s face.
…
After a moment of tense silence, the man hissed, rubbing his face and drawing in a sharp breath of cold air. “So, what do you want? Are you just trying to torture me?”
The cat-eared girl folded her arms and scoffed, “Hmph! I’m not that kind of kitty cat! Quickly check where [VACCARIA] is. I’ll go and see for myself.”
“If she manages to escape before the review, then the boss will have my skin!”
“Okay…” the man reluctantly agreed, turned around, and settled into his chair in front of the computer. He swiftly logged into the website and began his search.
As the man meticulously combed through the digital landscape, the cat-eared girl’s phone buzzed twice in her pocket. She quickly retrieved it and examined the notification from the account, and a sly smile crept across her lips.
Reported!
It seems Vaccaria hasn’t fled the scene.
Meanwhile, in a wealthy woman’s villa on the outskirts of Huacheng, Lu Yibei lay sprawled on a bed, clad in a luxurious bathrobe, with her eyes glued to her phone.
A few hours earlier, after wandering the neighbourhood in a state of paranoia, she had returned to the villa and found a comfortable room, collapsing onto the plush bed.
Initially, she had planned to rest for a short while, but she ended up succumbing to a deep slumber, only to awaken in the early hours of the morning.
She shed the dress that clung too tightly to her chest and hastily took a shower. Clad in her bathrobe, she responded to Shui’s barrage of concerned text messages. Then a crucial matter came to mind.
Without hesitation, she grabbed her phone, unlocked it with her fingerprint, logged into the group chat, and filed a report. Her movements were fluid and practised, the result of countless repetitions.
She felt the knot of anxiety around her throat loosen.
A sense of relief washed over her.
After all, everyone needs a purpose in life, and perhaps one day, she could be the one to bring these criminals to justice.
As she pondered, a private message popped up from a certain calico cat.
[100 2/3 CATS: You finally showed up. I thought you wouldn’t have the guts to face me.]
Something’s definitely wrong with this person!
[100 2/3: Dear user VACCARIA, as somebody on our Red List, we are required to tell you the contents of the review before you attend your review. Do you have any questions?]
[VACCARIA: Can’t you just leave me alone?]
[100 2/3 CATS: Absolutely not! And don’t even think about leaving the group—it’s forbidden!]
[Vaccaria: Hmm… no.]
[100 2/3 CATS: ???]
[100 2/3 CATS: Are you taking me for an idiot?]
SYSTEM PROMPT: The other party has blocked you.
[100 2/3 CATS: (╯°Д°)╯︵┴┴┴┴]
Lu Yibei placed her phone down and sneered inwardly.
Only a fool would subject themselves to such absurd rules!
What can you possibly do to me?
Do you think you can get me through the phone?
“Have you found her? Where is she? I’m going to teach her what cyberbullying in real life is.”
The cat-eared girl’s voice was laced with fury as she slammed her phone on the table with a pop!
The tall, lanky man removed his hands from the keyboard, turned around, and said with a heavy expression, “Are you sure about this? I don’t think you’re a match for her.”
“How would you know? I’m getting annoyed; let’s fight right now!”
“Fine!” the man exclaimed, flinging open the curtains and gesturing towards the outside. According to the boss’s information, she should be on the other side of the neighbourhood. Go on! I’m eager to see how you fare!”
“I…” the cat-eared girl faltered, her cheeks flushing a crimson hue. After a moment of hesitation, she blurted out, “I’ll let her be for now. After all, she’s a key target on the red list. W-we’ll get her in the future regardless…”
The man scoffed, catching a glimpse of the sharp claws extending from the cat-eared girl’s delicate hand. He hastily swallowed the second half of his mocking laugh.
The cat-eared girl curled her lips and continued, “Speaking of which, why is she here? Is she… trying to find us?”
The man’s expression turned grave at her question. “I think it’s just coincidence, but I can’t rule out the possibility that she discovered our hideout.”
“Maybe she’s even more powerful than what the boss estimated!”
“In that case…” the cat-eared girl placed her chin in her hands, her eyes slightly narrowing as she pondered for a moment. “She’s clearly not interested in joining us voluntarily, and she’s ignored the money I’ve thrown her way. I can’t fight her, but I don’t want to follow her either. If she gets involved in something bad, we need to have a backup plan.”
Lu Yibei was assured that she had blocked [100 2/3 CATS], but she couldn’t fathom how they had managed to bypass her block and appear in her friend list.
A sense of unease washed over her.
Hesitantly, she picked up her phone and tapped on the message, knowing that those pesky urban legends always found a way to reach her.
[100 2/3 CATS: User VACCARIA, don’t you realise that refusing to join us will be a grave mistake on your part?]
[VACCARIA: Fine. What exactly do you do? I’m sure you’re not just a group chat for urban legends, are you?]
[100 2/3 CATS: That’s a given.]
[VACCARIA: ?]
[100 2/3 CATS: Don’t be coy now; you know I can’t tell you anything until you join us. If it helps, if you join us, there are numerous benefits waiting.]
[VACCARIA: Like what? Money?]
[100 2/3 CATS: Money is merely a fraction of the benefits. There’s so much more for you to gain—aren’t you curious about why your superior is so enamoured with mahjong?]
Okay… But what am I supposed to do with that information? Blackmail her?
[100 2/3 CATS: And as for you, oddball, don’t you want to find out the safest and most secure way to improve your flaws?]
No need, actually. The Serpent gave me his knowledge; if I decipher its secrets, I’ll surpass this with no problem.
Noticing her silence, the cat-girl stopped typing as well, as if she were trying to formulate a great plan to recruit her.
The incoming message was like a storm brewing amidst the silence, causing Lu Yibei’s expression to shift abruptly.
[100 2/3 CATS: Don’t you want to know how your father really died?]
