Free Web NovelIn the early hours of the morning, in a villa in the South Suburb of Hua City.
The tall, thin man took a drink from the refrigerator, passed by the Cat-Eared Girl who was studying the review tasks, and casually glanced at the members she had arranged for review, pausing for a moment.
"No, you really arranged Wang Bu Liu Xing's review location at the South Suburb Slaughterhouse? Isn't this a bit improper?"
The Cat-Eared Girl glanced at the tall, thin man, "What's improper about it? I haven't asked you yet! Didn't you say Li Weiyi was instantly killed as soon as he entered the Slaughterhouse? How did he appear on my review list again?"
"Ah, this..." The tall, thin man gave an awkward laugh, "I did see him with my own eyes being dragged in by that guy from the South Suburb Slaughterhouse!"
"I just found out he's still alive. How would I know how he survived? It couldn't be that Void made a misjudgment, could it?"
"Tch!" The Cat-Eared Girl lightly spat, "Void isn't like you, making so many mistakes at work."
"Uh..." The tall, thin man slightly opened his mouth, looked at the computer screen, and changed the subject, "Speaking of which, is it really okay to arrange Genius Mahjong Girl and Wang Bu Liu Xing together?"
"Why do I feel that if the two of them clash, it might cause trouble?"
The Cat-Eared Girl turned around, her eyelids drooping as she looked at the tall, thin man, "I say, can't you be a bit more optimistic?"
"They both have things they desperately want to know. I think there's a high possibility they'll team up."
"Isn't the South Suburb Slaughterhouse always on the blacklist? If the two of them team up, couldn't they solve the problem of the South Suburb Slaughterhouse while undergoing the review?"
The tall, thin man shook his head, "Anyway, I'm not optimistic. How high do you think the probability of them teaming up is?"
"At least seventy percent."
"I think at most thirty percent."
"Hmph!" The Cat-Eared Girl lightly snorted, waving her chubby pink fists at the tall, thin man, "Then let's wait and see!"
----
The next day.
Early in the morning, Lu Yibei experienced the life of the rich—waiting for the sunrise by her own swimming pool.
However, after bathing in the sunlight to recover and enjoying a brief **, she quickly became worried.
Sitting on the long chair by the pool, Lu Yibei held a tall glass cup in her hand, looking at the pitifully small drop of calamity water inside, her brows tightly furrowed.
"Why is there only this little bit today?"
In a trance, Lu Yibei seemed to see her little money sprout wings and fly away, waving its little hand at her as it flew.
----
When the sky was completely bright, Bai Kai drove to /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the villa gate early, according to the agreed time.
Lu Yibei received a call and came out of the villa, seeing Bai Kai, and was truly stunned for several seconds.
On his pale face, there was cold sweat, coupled with thick dark circles under his eyes. He looked as if he had aged over ten years overnight.
Thinking that Shui Ge had been busy all night for her sake and was so tired, Lu Yibei's heart couldn't help but warm. She stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and said, "Shui Ge, you worked hard last night."
Bai Kai held his waist with one hand and propped himself against the wall with the other, giving Lu Yibei a resentful glance, "Didn't I work hard?! God knows how Aunt Zhang knew I brought a girl here. I owe a favor and can't not repay it... Sigh, let's not talk about it!"
But it wasn't a loss. At least it filled the massive financial hole caused by rescuing Xiao Bei this time. Bai Kai thought to himself.
"I thought..." Lu Yibei opened her mouth, hesitating to speak.
I thought Shui Ge was watching that Peeling Skin puppet at the Night Watch all last night. I didn't expect his efforts were far greater than imagined.
But he drove a vintage car all night, and now he's driving a Beetle. Isn't this fatigued driving? Lu Yibei thought.
On the way to the Night Watch, driving Lu Yibei there, Bai Kai began his "Spiritual Energy Science Lecture" for Lu Yibei.
"When you get to the Night Watch later, it's probably this process. First, a physical examination..."
"Another examination? Let me confirm, is our place the Night Watch, and not some shady physical examination center?" Lu Yibei said.
"Nonsense, the physical examination before drawing the Spirit Mark is to verify if you are a Strange Tale. After it's completed, it's to determine your adaptability to the Spirit Mark. Isn't it different?"
"Okay!" Lu Yibei pursed her lips, "Then let me ask first, are you the one examining me, or..."
"Of course, that damn cripple will examine you!" Bai Kai said, his already dejected face becoming a little more somber, "From today onwards, you'll be her subordinate. Matters within the Night Watch involving you won't be under my jurisdiction anymore."
"That's good then." Lu Yibei nodded.
Jiang Li is a bit cold, but at least she's a beautiful girl. That's better than being touched all over by Shui Ge.
"Xiao Bei..."
"Hmm?" Lu Yibei suddenly felt cold.
"You make me very sad."
Lu Yibei saw Bai Kai's face, suddenly turned towards her, streaming with old tears, and got goosebumps all over. She exclaimed, "Holy crap! Don't be like that. At worst, I'll cook for you myself another day and treat you to a meal?"
"You said that?"
"Mm." Lu Yibei gave a perfunctory response.
"To your place?"
"Mm, uh... but we have to go to the old house. The apartment isn't very convenient." Lu Yibei said, pausing for two seconds before adding, "Since I started university, I've rarely cooked, and the kitchenware isn't complete."
A smile appeared on Bai Kai's face, "It's the same wherever we go. We can call, uh... call a few friends then."
"..."
Something's not right? Is Xiao Bei (Shui Ge) hiding something from me?
Seeming to sense that the other person was hiding something in their words, the two fell into an awkward silence.
Through the rearview mirror, after a moment of silent eye contact, the two said in unison, "You first!"
"Okay then, I'll go first." The two said in unison again.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Lu Yibei spoke first, "Actually, I just wanted to ask, was my Old Dad's death really just a simple car accident? Ever since I came into contact with urban legend, I always feel like something isn't right."
Hearing this, Bai Kai was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face. Instead of answering Lu Yibei's question, he counter-asked, "What I want to ask is, where did the Witch Seed power on you come from? And what did you do after obtaining it?"
Is this turning the tables? Lu Yibei slightly furrowed her brow and said, "It was the time I was attacked by Mr. Rabbit. As for what I did, in short, I didn't do anything bad."
"Xiao Bei, since that's the case, I won't hide it from you either." Bai Kai pursed his lips and said, "After that car accident, I went to the scene. There were indeed residual Spiritual Energy fluctuations. As for who the culprit is, I only have a rough guess and can't tell you yet."
After a pause, Bai Kai added, "Later, when you are strong enough and I have confirmed my guess, it won't be too late to tell you."
"Mm, I understand." Lu Yibei softly replied, then said no more. She propped her head with one hand and looked out the window.
----
Eight fifty in the morning.
In front of the gate of the Huacheng Folk Culture Research Administration.
After finishing a day of night duty, Li Xuan stretched, leisurely walked out from the gate, preparing to go to the intersection of Peony Street to enjoy a hot breakfast.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw Jiang Li walking with a limp from the other end of the alley in the distance.
The two exchanged glances from a distance. The moment they passed each other, Jiang Li squeezed out a smile at Li Xuan that was both eerie and provocative, and nodded.
"???" Li Xuan was stunned for a moment, turned his head, and looked at Jiang Li's receding back, his face turning pale.
What the heck! How many times has this happened? What exactly does she want to do?
In the past day, the two had encountered each other six or seven times in total. Every time they met, Jiang Li would show Li Xuan that dreadful smile.
Once or twice was fine, but with this many times, it inevitably made people suspicious.
She couldn't be trying to puncture my tire again, could she?
As Li Xuan thought this, he turned around and saw Lu Yibei and Bai Kai walking side by side. Then, with almost identical movements, they made "poking" gestures with both hands, poking him in the chest repeatedly, making him twitch.
Li Xuan, "..."
A beautiful day, ending from encountering Jiang Li, Bai Kai, and Lu Yibei.
Stepping through the gate, as she passed the small courtyard garden, Lu Yibei suddenly remembered the girl from yesterday who made her feel immense pressure, and subconsciously looked towards a corner of the small garden.
That Gu Niang was still holding a large black umbrella and squatting under the big tree. The moment Lu Yibei looked over, she slightly raised her head, met her gaze, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
Lu Yibei, "..." Why is she smiling at me?
At this time...
Anyway, she couldn't smile either, so she could only nod at the Gu Niang.
Just as Lu Yibei and the Gu Niang were having their "deep affectionate gaze," Jiang Li stood by the office window, secretly watching like a phantom homeroom teacher.
It seems like Senior really likes Lu Yibei? I've never seen her smile at anyone else. Jiang Li thought.
...
Half an hour later.
Inside Office "V" of the Hua City Folk Culture Administration Bureau.
Lu Yibei emerged with her upper body exposed from a testing device shaped like an Iron Maiden. Jiang Li looked up at her, her gaze sweeping over the faintly visible Ifrit Spirit Mark on her back. After two seconds of contemplation, she picked up a pen and filled in some data on the form on the desk.
【Spirit Mark Adaptability: Good
Spiritual Energy Fluctuation Level: B-~B+
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...】
Lu Yibei quietly watched Jiang Li fill out the form from the side. Recalling her experience in the testing device just now, she still felt a dull ache in her head.
Just now, the moment she entered the testing device, before she could even adapt to the stuffy and dark environment inside, a series of melodious tunes sounded in her ears.
The tunes seemed to echo deep within her mind, the speed getting faster and faster, the pitch getting higher and higher, gradually losing harmony and turning into dreadful noise.
The noise was like the whispers of a devil, luring out all sorts of negative desires hidden deep within the human heart.
But.
Ever since Lu Yibei swallowed the witchs egg, she had encountered far too many similar situations. Many times, she could not only hear maddening whispers but even see many bizarre sights.
She had long since gotten used to it and passed the test flawlessly.
"So, Leader, does this mean I passed?"
Jiang Li put down her pen, looked up at Lu Yibei, and slightly nodded, "Mm, you passed."
In fact, when she saw Agent One smile at Lu Yibei, she had already defaulted to Lu Yibei passing. The subsequent tests were just going through the motions.
"That's good, that's good..." Lu Yibei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. From today onwards, she was officially a member of the Night Watch, or rather, an official member.
Lu Yibei was secretly feeling happy on the side when she suddenly heard Jiang Li say, "However, the test isn't completely over yet."
Lu Yibei had already heard Bai Kai explain the test process on the way there. Hearing this, she nodded, "I know, now it's time for the special ability test, right? Shui Ge told me."
"Uh, Shui Ge is Bai Kai." Seeing a hint of confusion flash in Jiang Li's eyes, Lu Yibei explained.
"Oh, a rather fitting nickname..." Jiang Li nodded, got up, and limped towards the office door.
Seeing this, Lu Yibei stepped forward, wanting to help Jiang Li, but she subtly dodged her.
"Come on, follow me to the practice room."
Lu Yibei watched Jiang Li with a complex gaze for two seconds, scratched her cheek awkwardly, and followed behind her.
The two walked in silence through the interior of the Night Watch, down that long corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly, with only the faint sound of Jiang Li's heels and cane hitting the ground in their ears.
Lu Yibei secretly glanced at Jiang Li's delicate profile out of the corner of her eye. As if remembering something, she suddenly asked, "Leader, can I ask you a question?"
"Ask."
"Why do you like playing mahjong so much?"
Lu Yibei had been bothered by this question since seeing it from Cat Management yesterday. Since this question could be placed alongside the true cause of her father's death, the story behind it must not be simple.
Jiang Li's head drooped slightly, a hint of melancholy flashing in her eyes, but she didn't seem to intend to avoid Lu Yibei's question. Instead, she gave a self-revealing answer.
"My father was once the most famous gambler in Hua City. As his daughter, I was exposed to it from a young age, so it's normal for me to have a gambling addiction, right?"
After a pause, Jiang Li added softly, "Also, gambling is not a good habit. There is no such thing as 'gambling for fun' in this world. Gambling is gambling, regardless of the stakes."
"Those who win want to win more, and those who lose want to turn the tables. Once you get excited about gambling, you can't care about anything else. As long as you're at the gambling table, you'll lose eventually."
It was rare for Jiang Li to say such a long string of words so gently to Lu Yibei. Lu Yibei listened in a daze, and by the time she snapped back to attention, they had already arrived at the practice field of the Hua City Si Ye Hui.
The practice field was about the size of an indoor soccer field, with fine sand and gravel covering the ground and walls wrapped in a layer of metal plates made of some unknown material.
In one corner of the practice field stood several humanoid iron stakes, and in the opposite corner were some fitness machines.
Lu Yibei had no idea that such a large space was hidden behind that small subway door. Seeing the sight before her, she was slightly stunned for a few seconds before being guided by Jiang Li to the fitness equipment.
"Give it a try?" Jiang Li pointed to a punch power testing machine and said lightly, "Although your Spirit Mark is an energy type, it usually provides a certain degree of physical enhancement."
Seeing this, Lu Yibei slightly furrowed her brow. She was a little worried that she might break the testing machine with one punch.
However, the test still had to be done. She took a deep breath, swung her arms a few times, walked forward, and lightly threw a punch with confident posture.
Lu Yibei felt that she had used very little strength.
But at the moment she threw the punch, she still heard the sound of her fist breaking through the air, and felt that the forward force completely exceeded her expectations, causing her body to lose balance and lean forward.
However, just as she felt like she was about to fall, her spine, tendons, ligaments, etc., instinctively exerted force, instantly adjusting her center of gravity and stabilizing her posture.
"Bang—!"
As the muffled sound came, Jiang Li looked at the display screen and slightly raised her eyebrows. "217 kilograms? Not bad."
"Alright, a simple physical strength test is enough. The most crucial part is the next item."
"Energy type Spirit Marks usually manifest as one of these three: physical energy transformation, attribute Spell amplification, or innate Spirit Mark Spell. However, judging from the power you just unleashed, it shouldn't be the first type."
Although Lu Yibei's punch power test just now was close to the level of a world-class boxer, if it were truly a special ability for physical energy enhancement, her strength should be far greater, and when she punched, it would also come with some fire attributes.
Lu Yibei, "..."
In other words, the difference between a warrior, a mage, and an esper?
Just now, I was worried about exposing that my body had already been enhanced by the witchs egg, so I only used about two or three tenths of my strength. Maybe it is the first type. Lu Yibei thought.
While Lu Yibei was silent, Jiang Li turned around and asked, "Right, I never got around to asking you, after drawing the Spirit Mark, did you suddenly learn some special Spell?"
"Theoretically, this Spell should correspond to your Spirit Mark, which is the ability of Ifrit."
I haven't seen Ifrit's Spell, but I've learned quite a few Spells from Du Sixian... Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, shaking her head, "No, I haven't."
"Mm." Jiang Li nodded, resting her chin on her hand. "Then the ability you gained should be fire attribute Spell amplification. Generally speaking, the upper limit of this amplification effect is around 20 times, but your Spirit Mark level is relatively high, so I think the upper limit might reach around 30 times."
"Now let's see what the lower limit is. It should generally be between 0 and 5 times."
"Wait a minute, Leader!" Listening to Jiang Li's words, Lu Yibei suddenly realized something was wrong and couldn't help but interrupt, "If my gym teacher who also teaches math is correct, 0 multiplied by any number is still 0, right?"
"Mm, that's right." Jiang Li nodded. "If you're unlucky, it is indeed possible for the lower limit to be zero, and for you to misfire when casting Spells."
"However, you don't need to worry. Those are rare, once-in-a-century low-probability events."
And even if you encounter it, you can carry talismans with you to deal with Spell casting failures. Jiang Li added in her mind. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Lu Yibei, "..."
I was originally counting on this Spirit Mark to protect myself when it's inconvenient to become a urban legend!
According to Jiang Li, then it's over.
I, Lu Yibei, am such a jinx. Lu Yibei thought.
She had always believed in one viewpoint: as long as you live long enough, bad things... will always happen to you.
And the facts proved that her idea was completely correct.
When she held the tail of that Spell simulator, which looked like a giant bronze koi statue, and continuously infused Spiritual Energy according to Jiang Li's instructions, the koi's mouth opened and closed, spitting out light flames of varying strengths more than ten times consecutively.
Then, looking at Jiang Li again, she found that her expression had undergone a subtle change.
She rested her chin on one hand, lowered her head, staring at the form in front of her, her brows tightly furrowed, her eyes clouded with a hint of gloom. Just by looking at her expression, you could tell she had encountered something bad.
"Leader, could I really have encountered a rare, once-in-a-century low-probability event, where the lower limit is 0?" Lu Yibei asked weakly.
Jiang Li looked at Lu Yibei and gently shook her head. "No."
Lu Yibei's heart lifted, but then her mood plummeted with Jiang Li's next words.
"However, your situation can be considered a once-in-a-millennium occurrence. In the Night Watch's database, no one has ever reached a Spell amplification of 53.4 times right after obtaining a Spirit Mark."
"This level is almost enough to raise the power of a standard Spell to the level of a purely offensive precision Spell."
Lu Yibei scrutinized Jiang Li's expression and grumbled inwardly, I bet you're going to say 'but' next, aren't you?
"But..." Jiang Li looked at Lu Yibei with a solemn expression, "This is also the first time I've heard of someone having a Spell amplification of a subtle number like 0.01 times."
"This will also cause the power of your forbidden Spells to drop to the level of standard Spells when you cast them."
Lu Yibei, "???"
Isn't this like going all out on gacha pulls and getting a very rare but completely useless SSR? It's just messing with people's minds! Lu Yibei thought.
Seemingly sensing the chaotic and depressed emotions in Lu Yibei's heart, Jiang Li walked forward, patted her shoulder, and comforted her seriously, "Don't be sad. At least you're the most bizarre among all the energy type Psychic."
"This isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Spiritual Energy consumption of casting Spells also fluctuates with the amplification. At least when you cast forbidden Spells, the Spiritual Energy consumed might only be 0.01 times that of others."
Lu Yibei, "..."
The Spiritual Energy consumption is only 0.01 times, but what about the power?
Leader, if you're not good at comforting people, can you just not comfort them?
Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, then thought that she might still have the special ability of physical energy enhancement, and suddenly felt a little comforted.
If I can't be a great mage, at least I can be a bloody berserker! Or a berserker who occasionally has a wild streak and throws fireballs like explosion spells. Lu Yibei thought.
The first step to tormenting others' minds is to have a good mindset yourself. As the Flower City Torment King, Lu Yibei quickly convinced herself to accept the current situation and adjusted her mindset.
Jiang Li had been quietly observing Lu Yibei from the side. Seeing the gloom in her eyes gradually dissipate, she said calmly, "Since you've adjusted your mindset, shall we move on to the next step?"
"According to regulations, new Psychic should start performing missions after a brief period of adapting to their Spirit Mark. However, things are a little different here."
Saying this, she reached into the pocket of her double-breasted jacket, fumbled around for a while, and pulled out a form, handing it to Lu Yibei.
"The missions on this list are what you need to complete recently. They basically have no direct contact with urban legend. Pick one first?"
No direct contact! Then it's fine... Lu Yibei thought excitedly, taking the paper Jiang Li handed her and glancing at it. Her eyes trembled slightly.
This...
Why does this South Suburb Slaughterhouse look a little familiar?
