Free Web NovelThe sky was getting dark, darker and darker.
It was as if some existence beyond comprehension was altering the light and darkness from an unseen place.
Dark clouds piled up above the sky, and the humidity in the air rose to an astonishing degree. The entire Mountain City seemed to have sunk into the sea, and the brilliant city lights at night were covered with a thin layer of watery hue.
An ominous and dead silent aura gradually rose in the city, stirring the wide river surface to roll and roar, and the river water was turbid.
Strangely, under such extreme weather, there was a noisy and piercing bird cry.
Following the direction of the sound, dense black dots swirled in the sky, like swarms of insects under the streetlights by the river in summer—no, even more frantic and bizarre than that.
Those black dots seemed to be affected by some force, screeching madly under the gloomy sky, quickly shuttling between buildings. Even if they accidentally crashed into the exterior walls of buildings, breaking their heads and bleeding, they showed no sign of stopping.
“How strange...” The twin-tailed Miss by the window tilted her head.
The entire city seemed to be undergoing some terrifying change quietly.
“Peipei... Peipei...”
“I’m talking to you, Peipei!”
The middle-aged man called softly, gradually approaching. Ji Yunpei withdrew her gaze from the window and turned around, “Huh? I’m listening...”
The middle-aged man was of average height, with a square face, wearing a dark brown long trench coat, and carrying an antique medicine box with red Spells carved on it.
“Old Dad, it’s so late, are you still going out?” Noticing the medicine box in the man’s hand, Ji Yunpei realized her Old Dad was about to leave and pouted.
“It’s work. The company calls, and Old Dad has to go.” The middle-aged man ruffled Ji Yunpei’s hair and said with a smile, “Hasn’t it always been like this?”
“I know, I know, but...” Ji Yunpei said, then turned her head to glance out the window and hurried away. Her small feet, clad in fluffy slippers, made a series of messy sounds on the old wooden floor.
Soon, she returned with an umbrella, caught up with the middle-aged man who had already reached the door, and handed the umbrella to him.
“If you’re going out, at least take an umbrella, right? Look at the sky outside, it’s about to rain heavily.”
As her words fell, as if in coordination with Ji Yunpei’s words, a muffled thunder rolled across the sky with a “rumble—!”
This thunder seemed to remind the middle-aged man of something. His expression gradually became serious. After taking the umbrella Ji Yunpei handed him, he said earnestly, “Peipei, Old Dad might not be able to come back tonight. Things are a bit tricky...”
“Tricky?” Ji Yunpei tilted her head.
As if considering something, the middle-aged man was silent for a moment before sighing soundlessly, “You know about what happened in Hua City recently, right?”
“Of course!” Ji Yunpei raised her chin somewhat proudly, “I’ve been paying attention to all this information recently to prepare to take over your position. Maybe I even know more than you do!”
“Let me think, what happened in Hua City recently... it should be about that newly born Demoness Seed urban legend who killed four Night Watch members overnight and then massacred more than ten high-level urban legend in Hua City in just one month, right?”
“Oh, and I heard that the one from Taoyuan was involved. How terrifying!”
As if somewhat surprised, the middle-aged man half-opened his lips, listened to Ji Yunpei finish, and then gradually frowned, asking with some displeasure, “Did you get this from that Monster Story Chat Group again? Haven’t I told you before? Those guys have very questionable backgrounds. You should have less contact with them...”
“I know.” Ji Yunpei lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her pajamas, and mumbled, “I was just thinking of learning more so I could take over your position sooner, wasn’t I?”
“...” In silence, the middle-aged man gently stroked her head with tender eyes, “This matter needs to be discussed at length. The current situation is a bit chaotic, and it’s not a good time for you to take over.”
He paused, then continued, “After I leave later, remember to close the doors and windows and put up talismans... Remember, every door and every window must have one. Before dawn tomorrow, no matter what happens, don’t open the doors or windows.”
“Is it related to that Demoness Seed urban legend from Hua City?” Ji Yunpei asked curiously.
“Yes.” The middle-aged man nodded, “She escaped to Mountain City, and chasing her are people from the Night Watch, more than ten high-level urban legend, and the one from Taoyuan.”
“They found the chairman and demanded he hand over that Demoness Seed urban legend within a day.”
Ji Yunpei caught the hint in her Old Dad’s words, and her expression gradually became serious.
Mountain City tonight will be very dangerous!
She didn’t know much about the Eclipse Society and Xu Ri Biotechnology, only that her Old Dad worked for them and that she would soon take over his position and continue to work for them. But she knew that the Night Watch and the one from Taoyuan were considered hostile forces to the company, and those urban legend were long-term targets of persecution for the company.
What kind of existence was this Demoness Seed urban legend that could make these people and urban legend team up to deal with her?
She really wanted to see her!
Suddenly, Ji Yunpei developed a hint of curiosity, and even... subtle admiration, for the Demoness Seed urban legend she had never met.
It was like in school when she heard about some divine person who was jointly noticed by the morality office and outside hoodlums, was constantly mentioned by both gaming enthusiasts and social circles, and often appeared at the top of exam rankings, and she always wanted to see their true appearance.
But soon, she shook her head, shaking off that thought.
Although her Old Dad was only a logistics personnel responsible for treatment, it didn't mean there was no danger at all.
How could she be curious about someone who might pose a threat to her Old Dad?
————
After sending her Old Dad off, Ji Yunpei was left alone.
Soon, she became uneasy.
Her home was in an old residential area by the river. As the night grew longer, coupled with several recent brutal murders in the vicinity, many residents had moved away. In her building, besides her and her Old Dad, there were fewer than ten households left.
At night, the entire building was quiet, with only the eerie sounds of wind and heavy rain outside the window. The air was filled with a strange and unsettling atmosphere.
Scary!
After following her Old Dad’s instructions to put talismans on all the doors and windows, Ji Yunpei immediately went into her cozy little room, turned on all the lights, hugged her stuffed animal, curled up on the sofa chair, opened her computer, and skillfully found the login entrance for the urban legend Bounty/Community Website on a Website full of ads and garbled code.
At times like these, only those sweet-talking and interesting netizens could bring her a little comfort.
As soon as she entered the yellow and black themed Website, the live broadcast push of “Hua City Demoness” on the homepage caught her eye.
“They can even live stream this? What are these Monster Story Chat Group guys really about? How can they be so powerful?” Ji Yunpei mumbled, moving her mouse and clicking into the live broadcast interface.
After just a quick glance at the live content, her eyes widened.
Although the live broadcast picture was very blurry and heavily shaking, only vaguely showing a figure appearing and disappearing in the distance, she could still make out that the streets and alleys shown in the live broadcast were near her home.
Less than three kilometers in a straight line!
In other words, that Miss Hua City Demoness, who was being pursued by a large group of people, was wandering nearby.
A chill quietly rose up Ji Yunpei’s back, her heart pounded, and she swallowed hard.
“Gulp—!”
Encountering something like this was like seeing a wanted poster for a perverted killer on TV, and the last image of that person was taken right below her own apartment building.
However, not seeing it doesn't mean she wouldn't think about it.
After closing the live broadcast, thinking about the Hua City Demoness wandering nearby, Ji Yunpei became even more scared. She always felt that after turning off the video and no longer seeing her movements, she would head straight for her home.
So, she opened the live broadcast interface again.
She only took one look and froze there, dumbfounded.
The Hua City Demoness was indeed getting closer to her home.
Judging from the blurry outlines of the scenery, she was about one kilometer away!
Perhaps due to being overly frightened and her brain short-circuiting, it wasn't until this moment that Ji Yunpei remembered to pull out her phone and call her Old Dad.
Her small hand tremblingly picked up the phone from the table, unlocked it, found the familiar number from the few contacts in her phone book, and dialed. Soon, a voice came from the other end.
“Hello, Peipei? Is something wrong that you’re calling so suddenly?”
“Old Dad... Old Dad!” Ji Yunpei whispered, pressing her voice down, “That Hua City Demoness seems to be near our house...”
“Haha, you child!” The man on the other end of the phone laughed after hearing Ji Yunpei’s words, “You’ve only been home alone for a little while, and you’re already scared again?”
“The company said that the Hua City Demoness has already appeared near Sanxia Mental Hospital, and it’s been filmed. I just watched it, so how could she be near our house?”
Old Dad Ji didn’t take Ji Yunpei’s words seriously.
He understood his own daughter; she was timid and weak-willed, only able to act tough in front of her Old Dad. Once her Old Dad wasn’t around, she would immediately back down. Perhaps even a stray cat on the street could beat her up.
In the past, when he went out to work at night, seven or eight out of ten times, he would receive a call from his daughter.
The content of the calls could be summarized into one theme—there was a “dirty thing” at home, Old Dad come home quickly!
Despite being a Psychic, she was still so afraid of urban legend. If it were in the past, Old Dad Ji would definitely rush home to see his daughter’s timid yet stubborn cute appearance. However, tonight’s work was too urgent and heavy, and he really couldn’t get away.
“But...” Ji Yunpei glanced at the computer screen, hesitating to speak.
Should I tell Old Dad that I’m watching the live broadcast of the “Hua City Demoness” on the urban legend Bounty Website? ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
If Old Dad knew that she had logged into the Monster Story Chat Group Website right after he left, ignoring his instructions, he would definitely be angry, Ji Yunpei thought.
Just as she was hesitating, she suddenly glimpsed a change in the live broadcast screen of the urban legend Bounty Website.
The Hua City Demoness was moving away, getting further and further.
“...”
Was she just passing by here?
That’s right!
How could such a vicious urban legend notice a low-level Psychic like me? Ji Yunpei thought, patting her chest and letting out a long breath.
“Phew—! It’s nothing, Old Dad. Since the Hua City Demoness went in the direction of Sanxia Mental Hospital, I guess I was just overthinking it.”
Friendly reminder: The Website is about to be revised, which may cause loss of reading progress. Please save your “book shelf” and “reading record” in time (screenshots are recommended). We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
“You brat, it’s good you know that! Be good, don’t be so paranoid, go to bed early... There’s milk in the fridge, remember to heat up a bag before you sleep. Oh, there are also your favorite raisin cookies in the oven, and...”
“Oh right, remember to close the doors and windows tightly. Don’t open them under any circumstances. Those talismans were obtained by me at a great cost through the chairman. Ordinary urban legend and Psychic can’t break them...”
“Alright, alright, I know, you’re so naggy!” Ji Yunpei grumbled, quickly hanging up the phone, leaning back against the sofa chair, and stretching lazily with her eyes narrowed.
The next moment, when she opened her eyes again, her vision plunged into an unexpected darkness.
What happened? Why were the lights off? I just... Ji Yunpei tried to recall what had just happened, but found her mind blank, as if a part of her memory was missing.
Waves of dizziness washed over her, her temples throbbed slightly, and she felt an inexplicable fatigue, like after overthinking.
“Bang—!”
A sudden muffled thud came from the direction of the window. Ji Yunpei, still in a daze, flinched sharply at the sound, turning her head to look at the window, and glimpsed a crimson hue through the gap in the curtains.
For some reason, a glossy-feathered bird had violently crashed into the window.
As if its body had exploded, blood splattered outwards, mixed with wet feathers, and a pair of rolled-back eyes refused to close even in death, staring fixedly at the person inside the room through the window.
“Bang—bang—bang—!” A series of muffled thuds came, as if a pair of hands were violently slapping the glass.
Before Ji Yunpei could regain her senses, she saw the second, third, fourth... one after another, dark birds crashed into the room’s windows, dyeing the transparent glass crimson, their bodies leaving twisted and bizarre trails.
Like a rising tide, the smell of blood seeped into the room through the cracks in the window, quickly enveloping the small bedroom.
Along with the smell of blood, a bone-chilling coldness also seeped in.
By the faint light of the computer screen, one could see that the blood smeared on the window had, ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ unknowingly, condensed into crimson ice flowers, which soon became covered with a layer of white frost.
With each breath, white mist diffused from her mouth and nose.
Something terrifying was coming.
Could it be... the Demoness of Hua City?
Had she returned?
This chilling thought flashed through her mind. Ji Yunpei trembled violently, fumbling to grab her phone, opening the call history, and was about to call her Old Dad again, when she suddenly stared at the screen, her eyes wide and pupils dilated.
“...”
The most recent call record was from a day ago?
How could that be? I clearly just...
If I didn't call Old Dad just now... then who was the person who answered the phone and spoke to me just now?
Ji Yunpei thought uneasily, an ominous premonition quietly rising in her heart.
She already had the answer in her heart, but she didn’t dare to touch it.
It was as if once touched, the speculation would follow her thoughts and become reality.
No, no, regardless of whether the call went through just now, now... she must call for help.
She must!
Thinking this, Ji Yunpei grabbed her phone with one hand and the blanket from the sofa chair with the other, crouched down, and burrowed under the computer desk, wrapping herself in the blanket to block out the light, then reopened her contacts.
Just then, a sinister voice drilled into her ears.
“So cold...”
The voice seemed distant, ethereal, yet also very close, right above her head.
Ji Yunpei’s body stiffened, and then, as if hallucinating, she saw several pale strands of hair dangling from the edge of the computer desk, fluttering in the cold wind, sweeping across her forehead like hundreds of tiny hands.
White hair? The Demoness of Hua City! The capricious, murderous, flesh-eating Demoness of Hua City?!
“Don’t, don’t, don’t kill... me, me, me...”
Ji Yunpei stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence. Then, her already limp body suddenly found an unknown source of strength, supporting her as she shot out from under the computer desk and rushed out of the bedroom.
When she reached the bedroom door, she looked back towards the computer desk and was instantly horrified.
A woman in a black dress was sprawled on her computer desk in an unnatural posture, her head seemingly severed at the bone, connected only by flesh, dangling from the edge of the desk. Her disheveled pale long hair writhed like countless tentacles, and foul, decaying blood dripped from her hair strands.
It was the Demoness of Hua City.
The Demoness of Hua City had already entered the house!
“Ah—!”
A scream pierced the silence. At that instant, Ji Yunpei had only one thought in her mind—run, run at all costs!
Out of the bedroom, through the living room, she ran all the way to the front door, and without even putting on her shoes, she reached out and pulled the door open.
The moment the door opened, a crimson torrent surged in, with countless severed limbs floating within it.
Ji Yunpei stood there blankly until the sudden illusion that had entered her sight dissipated. Only then did she see a woman in a tattered black dress, with disheveled pale long hair, radiating an eerie chill, standing before her, holding two rusty, serrated cleavers.
Face to face.
She could even see the woman's bloodied face.
On her face, which looked as if it had been gnawed by some wild beast, plant-root-like tendrils writhed and moved beneath the flesh.
Ji Yunpei turned to look at the bedroom behind her, then back at the woman in front of her. Her eyes suddenly rolled back, and she fainted to the ground.
————
“!!!”
Half-asleep, the system’s thick and long tail was tightly coiled around Gu Qianqian’s arm, until it heard Gu Qianqian’s shouts and suddenly woke up with a start.
“System! System, what’s wrong with you? System, you’re hurting me!” Gu Qianqian yelled.
“I...” the system said with a trembling voice, “I’m fine, just had a nightmare.”
“Huh?” Gu Qianqian’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, saying, “The system has nightmares too... No, does the system even dream? How strange!”
“You’re easily surprised! AI girls even dream of electronic tentacle monsters!” The system retorted, then changed the subject, “Speaking of which, have those old guys found a way out?”
“Not yet!” Gu Qianqian glanced in the direction Bai Kai and the others had left earlier, saying, “Senior Bai, who was the fastest, came back once and said the situation was not optimistic. All the places in Yumen Pass that were previously recorded as climbable walls have disappeared.”
“He also said... Oh right, he also said that Lord Huaiyuan gave that big guy a brutal beating, almost to death, and fiercely interrogated him, but the answer was still that there was no way to leave unless the two original Miracle Saints returned.”
“Two original Miracle Saints?” The system looked bewildered, “Could it be that besides the one who died before, there’s another First Generation Miracle Saint?”
Gu Qianqian pouted and said, “I don’t know about that.”
System, “...”
Things were getting stranger and stranger.
The convergence of Calamity and Void, the sudden sealing of Yumen Pass, the mysteriously appearing local people of Yumen Pass...
And that dream.
It hadn’t dreamt in a long time, and even when resting, it didn’t dare to fall into a deep sleep, always maintaining a state where it could instantly wake up at the slightest disturbance.
But today... it suddenly dreamt of the time when it first encountered the Calamity and was almost scared to death by the illusions created by the Calamity’s Charm ability.
If it had just obediently listened back then and not opened the doors and windows no matter what, wouldn’t all these troubles later have been avoided?
————
“No.” Lu Yibei scrutinized Chatterbox Girl for a while, her face expressionless, “That Miss has no grudge against you, why would you scare her for no reason?”
Tormenting strangers didn’t seem to bring any joy, Lu Yibei muttered to herself.
“Just desperate, that’s all.” Chatterbox Girl shrugged, “It’s been too long, I can’t quite remember the specific details, I only remember that I was severely injured and couldn’t escape. I found that the solidified Spell on her door was very high-level, and there was only a weakling at home, so I wanted to hide in her house temporarily.”
“You wouldn’t believe it, the solidified Spell set up in her house was outrageous! How do I put it? It was like a normal family had turned their house into a Disaster prevention shelter, I couldn’t get in at all, so of course I had to find a way to make her open the door for me!”
While telling Lu Yibei, Chatterbox Girl deliberately omitted some details.
For example, the city where the incident happened, the urban legend that severely injured her was Ju Meng, and also her true purpose for luring the twin-tailed Miss to open the door for her.
It had to be said, the “can’t remember because it’s been too long” method was really effective!
Lu Yibei looked at Chatterbox Girl out of the corner of her eye, pondering for two seconds, “Is that all? I guess you weren’t just simply planning to hide in that Miss’s house at first, were you?”
Chatterbox Girl, whose thoughts had been seen through by Lu Yibei, frowned, hesitated briefly, and then sighed silently, “Alright, I did indeed want to hijack her at the time and have her family cover my escape.”
“But later I found out that she had so many high-level solidified Spells set up in her house simply because she was extremely timid, and her father was a doting parent who spared no expense to buy that set of solidified Spell talismans just so his daughter wouldn’t be afraid when she was home alone.”
“So, I stayed at her house for a few days, and once my injuries got better, I left...”
“You just left?” Lu Yibei questioned, “Would it be that simple? You didn’t trick her out of her high-level solidified Spells?”
“I did.”
“As expected of you!” Lu Yibei nodded, “What happened next?”
“Later...” Chatterbox Girl recalled, “The next time I met her was three months later. A Calamity level urban legend had given birth to offspring in her city, half the city was in ruins, and her father also died unexpectedly. She escaped and happened to meet me, who was also escaping...”
“Why are you escaping again?” Lu Yibei rubbed her forehead.
“What do you know?!” Chatterbox Girl rolled her eyes, “Do you think my escape is like yours? Every time I escape, I end up counter-killing the people chasing me. Can you do that?”
Lu Yibei, “...”
