Free Web NovelThe night was deep, dark clouds obscuring the moon.
Hua City's distant suburbs, near the West Train Station.
Autumn cicadas, unseen, emitted intermittent, listless, dying laments.
Under the cover of night, the entrance to the abandoned subway station stood there. Several large holes were broken in the old tin roof and sealed by crisscrossing spiderwebs. The train station across the street was pitch black. freewebnoveℓ.com
Due to the West Train Station being closed because of a serious urban legend incident, this subway station connecting the city center and the West Train Station also stopped operating three or four years ago.
In front of the subway station entrance, the road barriers on the downward stairs were askew. Chains were wrapped around the rusty iron gate, with a large lock and a metal sign board displaying "Suspension Notice."
Further down, behind the iron gate, the stairs descended not far before being swallowed by a deep darkness.
"Da da—Da da—!"
From afar, the light sound of shoe soles tapping on the flagstone road surface came.
A girl, leaning on a cane, wearing a coffee-colored wool trench coat and round-toed leather shoes, accompanied by her Little Maid carrying a suitcase, limped over and stopped in front of the subway station.
"A Hua."
Jiang Li called softly, waving at A Hua, who then implicitly handed her a rebar cutter.
Holding the pliers, she walked around the barrier to the iron gate and skillfully cut the chains wrapped around it in just a few strokes.
When she turned back to hand the pliers to A Hua, she found A Hua was looking at her with a strange expression.
"What's wrong, A Hua?"
A Hua adjusted her glasses and mumbled, "Nothing, I just feel like Miss, you've been with that guy Lu Yibei for too long. Breaking in and picking locks has become increasingly proficient."
That little bastard has led her astray... A Hua muttered inwardly.
Jiang Li tilted her head, confused, and said, "Didn't I often do this kind of thing when I was investigating the gambling ring before?"
"But before, you would hesitate a little."
Jiang Li's lips parted slightly. After two seconds of silence, she said, "You're thinking too much. Let's go, let's go in and take a look."
Accompanied by a teeth-grinding "creak," the dark red paint on the iron gate peeled off. This long-sealed subway station opened once again.
Jiang Li descended the stairs, with A Hua pulling the suitcase closely behind her. Their figures quickly disappeared into the darkness.
----
After the prosperity faded, the formerly unbearably crowded subway station appeared so vast, like a huge maze, empty. Towering stone pillars cast large shadows on the ground, and a strange smell of dust and mold mixed together lingered in the air.
On the platform, the ground was extremely smooth terrazzo, reflecting a faint light from an unknown source. The faces of the models on the illuminated advertising signs against the wall had become blurred and distorted under the erosion of moisture, as if they were staring with wide eyes and open mouths.
Lots of trash and paper scraps were scattered on the ground, and a yellowed League of Legends S12 poster lay quietly among them.
Its former owner might have been an "eSports youth." Unfortunately, that year's competition was canceled due to certain "force majeure" reasons.
In the darkness, nocturnal creatures moved stealthily. When swept by the pale beam of the flashlight, they let out strange cries and fled into the distance.
Jiang Li watched the rats and bats flee into the distance and nodded slightly, "It seems this is the right place."
In abandoned underground structures like this, it's normal for dirt and grime to accumulate. It would be abnormal if urban legend didn't breed and reside here.
And this subway station is clearly abnormal, which also means Jiang Li came to the right place.
This is one of the entrances to that legendary casino.
A few years ago, when she first started investigating that gambling ring, the first clue she got from the urban legend in the mahjong parlor pointed here.
But by the time she tracked it down, she found the subway station had already stopped operating, and that gambling ring wasn't something you could just join casually.
The gambling ring required an invitation, and at that time, Jiang Li didn't know how to get one.
Holding the flashlight, Jiang Li searched inside the subway station for a while and finally found the automatic ticket machine in the corner.
When the subway station stopped operating, all the various equipment and machinery inside had already been moved out, leaving only this single automatic ticket machine waiting alone in the corner, as if abandoned.
On the wall behind the dusty automatic ticket machine, there was a crudely drawn graffiti.
The dark red graffiti looked like a "masterpiece" of a mischievous kid's prank, but it seemed to have a strange magical power that made it impossible to look away.
Jiang Li rummaged through her jacket pocket for the chip she got from Lu Yibei and put it into the automatic ticket machine. The chip dropped in without making a sound, as if it had fallen into another dimension.
The next moment, the automatic ticket machine, which had been idle for a long time, suddenly lit up without power. The screen displayed a route that didn't exist on any Hua City map.
【Hua City Train Station (West) -> Lanruo Inn Brothel -> Dan Sha Gu Shi Pharmacy -> Dream Come True Entertainment City
Time: 1:11—2:22
One-way price: 3 Balance: 10
Purchase Ticket +【1】- Tickets Confirm/Cancel】
As expected, just like the information provided by the Monster Story Chat Group, it has everything: prostitution, gambling, and drugs... Jiang Li muttered inwardly.
She stared at the automatic ticket machine's screen, her heart rate accelerating, her breathing becoming somewhat erratic. After a moment of daze, she extended a slightly trembling hand, added the number of tickets, and clicked "Confirm."
With a soft "Beep!", the screen's display changed, and the ticket slot dispensed two black, nameless ride cards with hot-stamped rose patterns.
Immediately following, four white chips with the value "1" rolled out of the coin return slot. Jiang Li bent down to pick up the four chips, weighed them in her hand, and found that these white chips, which were identical in texture to the chips with the value "10," were significantly lighter.
Although the starting capital was a bit less, only enough to start with the slot machines requiring the least stake, as long as she had these, it would be enough. Jiang Li thought fiercely, gripping the chips tightly in her hand.
----
All along, Jiang Li had a question in her heart.
She couldn't understand how that casino belonging to a certain urban legend could shuttle back and forth between various cities so brazenly under the nose of the Night Watch.
After all, excluding the few cities completely occupied by urban legend, the edge of every city under the jurisdiction of the Night Watch had a barrier jointly set up by three Calamity-level Psychic from the Night Watch Headquarters.
Although those barriers couldn't completely prohibit individual urban legend from moving between cities, they could prevent the occurrence of large-scale urban legend migration events.
To a certain extent, it prevented the possibility of certain urban legend using cities as bases and expanding their territory by radiating outwards through the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
But.
It was under such circumstances that the Dream Come True Entertainment City could achieve the "feat" of changing cities to hold events every so often.
This was one of the reasons why Jiang Li couldn't find them for a long time, and why the Night Watch, despite knowing of their existence and conducting several raids, couldn't eradicate them.
Jiang Li, with the mindset of uncovering the secret behind it, waited for a long time in the abandoned subway station.
However, when the "train" leading to the Dream Come True Entertainment City arrived, she didn't see anything valuable...
--
1:06 AM, inside the abandoned subway station.
"Ooh—!"
A high-pitched sound suddenly came from the pitch-black tunnel. The sound was strange, sounding very much like someone pinching their throat to imitate a train whistle.
Immediately after, a strong wind howled out of the tunnel, as if pouring some kind of cold aura into the subway station. It was the smell of decay and death accumulated over many years.
Jiang Li and A Hua stood side by side on the platform, gazing in the direction the wind was blowing, their gazes deepening. The howling wind picked up the trash all over the ground, carrying thick dust that swirled behind them.
Something was coming. The Spiritual Energy fluctuations inside the subway station suddenly increased.
"Bang bang—Bang bang—!"
Soon, a series of heavy footsteps echoed in the tunnel, as if a large elite army was running wildly along the tracks, but the frequency of their steps was much faster than humans.
The entire subway station was shaking, and dust fell rustling from the ceiling.
Suddenly, a foul wind swept through. A pair of hands several times larger than a normal person's abruptly burst out of the tunnel, followed immediately by a massive head.
That was a urban legend resembling a giant.
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The hair on its massive head was messy and matted. Hidden by its long hair, its eyes, as large as washbasins, stared bulging as if they had no eyelids. Its huge mouth was slightly open, revealing dark yellow sharp teeth.
On its withered body, countless muscular human legs grew densely, crawling and running wildly on the railway tracks, causing vibrations.
Below its waist, countless scarlet muscles split off, spreading out like a spider web, wrapping around the green train carriages, as if they had merged into one. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Inside the long carriages, dozens of passengers sat scattered. Besides a small number of Psychic and urban legend, there were also many ordinary people.
Judging from their attire, there were lavishly dressed and pot-bellied wealthy businessmen, listless and scruffy vagrants, ordinary office workers, and even a few students in school uniforms.
As for which station they would get off at, it was impossible to tell.
They actually used a urban legend with partial Power of a Hundred-Armed Giant to pull the carriage. What exactly are their origins?
Moreover, these ordinary people, seeing such a sight, actually dared to get on the train? Jiang Li thought in surprise, then gently shook her head.
Ordinary people might see a different scene. urban legend of this level always have ways to deceive their eyes.
Jiang Li stared at the "train" in a daze until the crisp crack of a whip lashing the air and the low wail of the urban legend sounded. Only then did she regain her focus and notice that on the body of the giant-like urban legend, a man wearing a top hat and a white mask, dressed in a tailcoat, was seated.
There was a suppressed, hidden Spiritual Energy fluctuation. Was he a Psychic or a urban legend? Jiang Li muttered inwardly while staring at the man.
The "train" stopped. The man stood up on the back of the giant urban legend, took off his hat, and bowed slightly to Jiang Li, "It's a pleasure to see you tonight, Madam! Welcome aboard the giant train."
"This train will depart in three minutes. Please bring your belongings and board in an orderly manner. Free snacks, fruits, drinks, and various books are prepared for you on board. Please feel free to help yourself."
"Finally, I wish you a pleasant evening."
After speaking, the man sat back down, looked straight ahead, and waited quietly.
At the same time, on the green carriage, the scarlet muscles wriggled, and with a sticky, wet sound, the train door in front of Jiang Li was pulled open.
Jiang Li focused her gaze on the train door that opened for her, then turned to look at A Hua, and said in a deep voice, "A Hua, are you sure you want to come with me? You can still leave now."
"Miss, what are you saying? If it weren't for Madam taking me in back then, I don't know where I would have been abducted by human traffickers. Since you came back, I've already decided. Wherever you go, I will follow." A Hua said.
"..." Jiang Li was silent for a moment, then nodded, "All right, let's go."
After speaking, the two of them boarded the train side by side.
Just as Jiang Li and A Hua boarded the train.
On the train, two black shadows lurking in front of the train door suddenly transformed into two wisps of black smoke as thin as hair, flying towards the platform like a sudden clap of thunder, and quickly ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) disappeared into the pitch-black subway station.
The man sitting on the back of the giant urban legend, his eyes hidden beneath the mask, watched the two black shadows depart with his peripheral vision, slightly furrowed his brow, but quickly withdrew his gaze and waved the long whip in his hand, driving the giant train forward.
urban legend similar to those two black shadows, hitching a ride on the Dream Come True Entertainment City train, crossing the barrier set up by the Night Watch, and sneaking into the city to cause trouble were too common. The man was already used to it and didn't want to bother with them.
What's more, if they went down to cause trouble, the headache would be for the Night Watch in that city, which had nothing to do with him. His only duty was to drive the giant train.
----
The next morning, at Huacheng Institute of Technology, in the Liberal Arts and Science Building, Lu Yibei was sleeping soundly on the desk.
She was really too sleepy.
Last night, she spent the first half of the night carefully studying the urban legend catalog left by Jiang Li, learning about the distribution of urban legend forces in Hua City, and the second half of the night learning sword techniques from Qingji in her dreams.
After a whole night, she barely slept.
"Ding—!"
The bell for the long break rang, and the sleeping Lu Yibei suddenly woke up. She wiped the crystal clear liquid from the corner of her mouth, then stared blankly at the empty podium in front, lost in thought for a moment.
She just had a nightmare, dreaming that Jiang Li gambled away all her money and finally even used her as a bet, putting her on the gambling table.
That's ♦ outrageous!
What's my relationship with her? How dare she use me as a bet?!
Not even in a dream!
Lu Yibei thought indignantly, slowly got up, and walked towards the corridor. Just as she passed by Yang Yi and his group, she was suddenly attracted by the content of their conversation and stopped.
"Let me tell you, that urban legend game is really not dangerous. My group member in that chat group tried it last night, and they were completely fine. Look, this is the photo they took."
Yang Yi said, then handed his phone to everyone.
Having experienced two audits and one bounty from the Monster Story Chat Group, Lu Yibei now felt a chill when she heard the words "chat group". She always felt that Yang Yi was dragging his friends down a path of self-destruction.
Besides, leaving the chat group aside.
In this world, is there really a urban legend game without danger?
Lu Yibei muttered inwardly, stretched her neck to look, and then saw the strange picture on Yang Yi's phone screen.
The picture showed a very ugly, crudely made doll with red threads sewn on its chest and a fruit knife stuck in it. Perhaps because it had been soaked in water, the red threads had faded, spreading a patch of red on its chest, looking like bloodstains gushing out when a fruit knife pierced its chest.
Just from its appearance, this doll was already at the level of a urban legend. Hanging it outside at night would definitely scare people to death.
"..."
Looking at that somewhat eerie photo, Lu Yibei fell silent for a moment, feeling a bit unhappy, and secretly complained in her heart.
The luck between people is indeed different.
She met a rabbit-headed figure handing out flyers by the roadside, and without even taking the flyer, she encountered a series of consecutive bad luck events.
And the person who created that kind of spooky thing actually didn't get into trouble. That's ♦ very unfair!
As Lu Yibei was thinking, she was about to continue examining the picture on Yang Yi's phone, when suddenly, a dark hand blocked her view.
"Yang, that guy is peeking at your phone."
Slightly broken Chinese entered her ears. Lu Yibei slightly furrowed her brow, looked in the direction of the sound, and saw that dark face.
"..."
Damn it, Black Uncle!
After being reminded by that foreign friend, Yang Yi was slightly stunned, looked at Lu Yibei with a strange gaze, and asked, "Classmate Lu, is there something you need?"
"..." Lu Yibei was silent for two seconds. Following the principle of maintaining good relationships between classmates, she said expressionlessly, "I'm fine, but I think you're about to have trouble."
"What do you mean?" Yang Yi said, his brow furrowed.
"I see your cheeks are sallow, and your philtrum is dark..."
Yang Yi was amused by Lu Yibei and interrupted, "Haha, Classmate Lu, are you trying to say I'm going to have a bloody Disaster recently? I didn't expect you could read faces."
"You helped me see the Disaster, so do I have to pay you? Haha!"
"Oh, really?" The 'green tea' girl next to them, dressed coolly and alluringly, said in surprise, "Classmate Lu, can you read my face too? See if I'm about to have good luck."
Lu Yibei, "..." Do you think I'm a blind fortune teller on the street? You ask me to read, and I read? Did you pay?
"You..." She glanced at the 'green tea' girl and said, "Whoa! Amazing, your bone structure is quite astonishing. Did you run out of an episode of urban legend from a Chinese Studio?"
"???" The 'green tea' girl tilted her head, seemingly not understanding what Lu Yibei was saying.
"As for you..." Lu Yibei pointed at Yang Yi and said, "I don't know anything about reading faces. What I just said is what Traditional Chinese Medicine says about a deficiency of kidney yang and internal dominance of cold-yin."
"I suggest you get two doses of Traditional Chinese Medicine to regulate yourself and go to bed earlier at night..."
While speaking, Lu Yibei winked at Yang Yi's phone again.
"Don't mess around with all this nonsense all day. Be careful of dying young... Ah, no, it should be dying from exhaustion!"
Yang Yi, "..."
This...
Everyone is majoring in Chinese Language and Literature, so why do I subtly feel like I can't outtalk her?
(I got stuck writing for a bit today, so the update is a little late. Please forgive me!)
