Free Web NovelNoticing Hu Yue appear at the other end of the corridor, Lu Yibei furrowed her brow slightly, got up, and quietly retreated to a nearby corner, pressing against the wall, revealing a small part of her face, secretly observing Hu Yue's every move.
The insider Professor, Mr. Hu?
Since the first full meeting of the project research team, Lu Yibei had not seen Hu Yue for two or three days.
According to what Professor Ma had found out, Hu Yue was visiting old friends, uniting various forces to inquire about the cultural relics, and the results were significant. But Lu Yibei felt that he was most likely doing some shady business with the guys who invaded Taoyuan.
However, in the past few days, her attention had first been focused on another "insider" - Fu Xinyi. After that, she encountered Suolang Baima and Miss Rabbit, suffered serious injuries, and thus overlooked Hu Yue's existence.
Now, seeing him appear outside Mao Sanyou's ward, Lu Yibei instantly became vigilant.
His appearance here definitely doesn't mean anything good!
----
The stark white light illuminated the corridor, the air was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant, and an invisible, oppressive atmosphere enveloped everyone. Both patients' families and medical staff unconsciously softened their movements.
The floor where the intensive care unit is located is always like this throughout the year, often terrifyingly quiet, as if brewing something, and whenever the tranquility is broken, it is always accompanied by heartbreaking tragedy.
Just like the scream the nurse on duty let out when Mao Sanyou's heart suddenly stopped.
Inside Mao Sanyou's ward, the medical staff were doing their utmost to negotiate with the Grim Reaper over the life or death of this young man.
Outside the ward, footsteps approached from a distance. Hu Yue, wearing a gray wool coat, came outside the ward and stopped in front of the transparent glass window. His right hand quietly reached into the pocket of his coat, gripping the cold bone flute.
Just as he was about to take out the bone flute and blow it gently, his body suddenly stiffened, and a strong thought flashed through his mind - I can't make a move! If I make a move now, I will definitely die!
Purple Maiden, people say she can foresee the future, often welcomed and worshipped at home, used to divine various matters.
As a dependent of the Purple Maiden, although Hu Yue's perception of misfortune was not as efficient as Lu Yibei's eyes, the feeling of crises like bloodshed and death threats was much stronger than that of ordinary Psychic.
Enveloped by that strong ominous premonition, he stood rooted to the spot like a statue, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Was he being targeted? Was there some Psychic or urban legend secretly protecting this kid? Hu Yue thought, the constant danger warnings flashing in his mind made it impossible for him to concentrate.
It was as if he had been pulled into the deepest nightmare, almost unable to wake up, until...
"Excuse me, please let me through! People in front, please make way!"
A nurse, pushing a small cart carrying medicine, walked quickly towards him. A loud shout came from a distance, startling Hu Yue awake.
He looked at the approaching nurse out of the corner of his eye, his gaze slightly narrowed. Just as the nurse brushed past him, using her body to slightly obscure his figure for an instant, his right hand loosened. The moment the bone flute fell back into his pocket, he turned and jogged towards the direction of the emergency exit.
【He is preparing to escape.】
This predictive thought had flashed through Lu Yibei's mind early on, her eyes locked on Hu Yue. Almost at the same time Hu Yue ran, she moved, following the direction Hu Yue had left.
Trying to run? Not that easy!
I finally caught a guy who not only knows why Mao Sanyou was injured but might also know about Smelly Girl's situation through those invaders in Taoyuan. How could I let you run away?
Meeting me, consider yourself unlucky! Lu Yibei thought fiercely.
----
Hua City, Folk Culture Research Bureau.
After Li Xuan sent a message to Bai Kai, he sat at his desk, processing the various documents submitted yesterday, but he couldn't concentrate. He repeatedly cast several calming Spells on himself, but still felt restless.
After a long time, he sighed helplessly, "Alas, proximity to cinnabar makes one red, proximity to ink makes one black. After spending so long with these guys, I've unconsciously picked up their bad habits."
...
In the silence, he stared at the document processing interface on the computer screen, lost in thought for a moment, and muttered to himself, "Forget it, taking a break once in a while is not an unforgivable mistake."
As he spoke, Li Xuan released his long-suppressed gossip soul and concern for his beloved car. He exited the document processing interface, skillfully switched his intranet account to anonymous mode, and entered the internal information exchange forum of the Night Watch.
As soon as he entered the forum, his eyes fell on a post that had been pushed to the top three on the homepage.
【Responding to the Tang City Red Owl signal, I, the most handsome in Jinmen, am about to arrive at the periphery of the territory of the Great urban legend Ju Meng. Below is the situation on site...】
"Is it really impossible to contact the outside world?" Li Xuan frowned, muttering to himself thoughtfully, "Tsk, these guys' analysis is unreasonable!"
As he spoke, he typed into the reply box: "I believe that in addition to the possibilities raised by those above, there are also ignorant wanderers who interfere with human cognition, and the Invasion Beast that can do this."
Two minutes after Li Xuan clicked 【Submit Reply】, he immediately received the first sarcastic comment.
Anonymous User: "Elder brother, don't mention the Invasion Beast, that kind of extra-dimensional urban legend. What kind of urban legend' Power can't it imitate?"
"That doesn't completely negate this possibility!" Li Xuan muttered unhappily, exited the post, and continued browsing the next one.
A gentleman agrees but does not conform. When encountering trolls online, he always treats them with an attitude of "You are absolutely right," otherwise, if he argues with them, it will never end.
【According to unreliable sources, there are currently over ten bounties related to Taoyuan circulating on the channels of those illegal Psychic organizations...】 ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
【Shocking, Ju Meng has fallen! A brief discussion on the life and death of the legendary Great urban legend...】
【...】
Li Xuan's gossip soul burned fiercely. He browsed post after post about the Tang City Red Owl signal, quickly recorded the useful information within them, then screened out the useful information one by one and sent it anonymously to Bai Kai and Jiang Li's intranet accounts.
Gossip, like urban legend legends, is essentially half-truth and half-false. As long as you accurately grasp the true parts, you can obtain useful information.
This isn't some kind of secret help; it's just that gossip, if it has no one to confide in, what kind of gossip is it?
Oh right, since it concerns Junior Sister Fu Xinyi, I have to notify Master first. If he can rush to Tang City, Junior Sister Fu will be safe.
Li Xuan thought, quickly took out his phone, found Hua Sang's contact information in a certain social software, and sent her a message.
Then...
He then fell silent, looking at the bright red exclamation mark after the message and the sentence in the center of the screen 【The other party has enabled friend verification, you are not yet his (her) friend...】.
No way, didn't I just mention a few days ago that I wanted to investigate Lu Yibei again? Is it necessary to be like this? What is so special about that kid? Li Xuan thought. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
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Tang City, Furong Street.
This is an old street that exists for as long as Jianlou Ancient Street, but due to the lack of iconic scenic buildings, it is not as well-preserved as Jianlou Ancient Street. In an era when the awareness of protecting historical buildings was not so strong, many alleys and courtyards here were demolished, and residential buildings were constructed.
Later, with the development of the times, the awareness of protecting historical buildings gradually strengthened, and some ancient buildings were renovated and preserved. As a result, this area now forms a complex terrain where new and old buildings are intertwined. If one were to hide, it would be even better than Jianlou Ancient Street.
At noon, no sunlight shone down from the sky piled with dark clouds, and the small river flowing through the middle of Furong Street meandered slowly.
On one side of the small river, a three-story building, built quite grandly, stood tall. The garden in front of the building was covered in snow, eerily quiet, as if all plants, insects, and life had died in the multi-day heavy snow in Tang City.
The second floor of the building.
A woman with deep features and a cold, elegant demeanor leaned on a recliner by the window, holding a cup of hot tea and sipping it slowly, her gaze occasionally looking out the window.
Suddenly, the sound of a door being pushed open came, and hurried footsteps crunching on the snow made a 'creak creak' sound. The woman's face sank. She stood up and walked to the window, silently looking towards the garden outside the building, and saw Hu Yue, looking somewhat disheveled.
Stopping in the small courtyard, Hu Yue looked ahead. The garden's branches were overgrown, dilapidated and gloomy. He could faintly hear the sound of the small river outside the courtyard. The dim light of the sky fell on the snow, as if pressing down, like night was about ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) to fall.
Everything was the same as his previous visits, yet he vaguely felt that something was not quite right. When he looked closely, he couldn't pinpoint what was abnormal.
The woman on the building looked at the somewhat bewildered Hu Yue, curled her lips, lightly leaped onto the windowsill, looked down at Hu Yue below, and leaped down, silently landing in front of him along with the falling snowflakes, interrupting his thoughts.
"Professor Hu, what's wrong with you today? You look like an evil spirit is chasing you for your life."
Hearing the woman's teasing, Hu Yue took two deep breaths to regulate his breathing and said seriously, "There is indeed something chasing me, but it's something even more terrifying than an evil spirit."
At this point, his words paused. The figure that had been following him flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help but shiver.
That existence seemed to be hidden in his shadow, seemingly everywhere, yet disappearing into nothingness when he tried to find it.
Regaining his composure, Hu Yue looked up at the three-story building behind the woman and asked with a frown, "Didn't we receive news from outside yesterday that the friends coming as reinforcement from outside were supposed to arrive this morning? Haven't they arrived yet?"
At this moment, although the barrier around Tang City had not yet been activated and was still in a defensive state, preventing large numbers of Psychic and urban legend from entering the city simultaneously, a small number of Psychic and urban legend who knew the situation inside Tang City had paid some price to sneak into Tang City in advance, preparing adequately for tomorrow's battle.
"..."
The woman was silent for a moment, as if thinking, and then, before Hu Yue could detect anything abnormal, she said lightly, "You know the current situation. It's not strange for something unexpected to happen. Perhaps something on the road delayed them?"
"That's also possible..." Hu Yue nodded thoughtfully. The next moment, his expression became tense again. "Oh no, if the reinforcing friends haven't arrived yet, then it's really bad!"
After leaving the Tangcheng University Affiliated Hospital, Hu Yue was chased by that extremely dangerous but untraceable aura and fled here without stopping. He had originally intended to join forces with the three Psychic, two urban legend who should have already arrived, and the woman in front of him to face the enemy.
But now, the reinforcing Psychic and urban legend had not arrived, and the agreed meeting point only had this woman. If the existence tracking him appeared at this moment, he would not be confident of winning.
"Bad? What do you mean by that?" the woman asked nervously.
Hu Yue composed himself, his eyes darting left and right, and lowered his voice, "Didn't I tell you earlier?"
"That tree in Taoyuan is suspected to have revived, and that damned Crow Slave's strength has surged. He found me this morning and forced me to use my identity to kill someone at the Tangcheng University Affiliated Hospital..."
"Oh, I know that. And then?" The woman nodded. "You didn't happen to be lacking in strength, failed the assassination, got counter-killed, and fled all the way here, did you?"
Hearing the woman's reply, Hu Yue's eyes trembled almost imperceptibly. He beckoned the woman to come closer so they could talk in a low voice.
Then...
The moment the woman leaned in towards him, a pale bone flute slipped from his sleeve. He gripped it firmly, aimed it at the woman's chest, and thrust it forward fiercely.
When he first entered the courtyard, Hu Yue had a vague feeling that something was wrong. After talking with the woman, his suspicion was further solidified.
Although this woman cooperated with him, her attitude had always been dismissive and she was unwilling to communicate with him much. Furthermore, after the change in the Crow Slave, the matter of forcing him to use his identity as a member of the project research group to assassinate Mao Sanyou was something he had never told anyone else. How did the woman know about it?
Based on these two points, he concluded that the woman was not herself.
If his judgment was wrong and he accidentally injured a comrade, then it could only be considered her bad luck!
Hu Yue thought viciously, his strike as fast as lightning. The air suddenly exploded with a bang, and he thrust the bone flute into the woman's chest. Then, Spiritual Energy burst forth, tearing apart the woman's body. Blood gushed from the woman's back, splashing onto the accumulated snow in the small courtyard, the pure white and crimson colors clearly distinct.
But at this moment, accompanied by a tearing pain in his head, what he saw in front of him suddenly cracked piece by piece like a shattered mirror, and then exploded into fragments scattering everywhere.
When the light and shadows in front of him returned to normal, the three-story building in front had already turned into a dilapidated, dusty old house. In the main hall with the door wide open, there was a portrait with a blurred face.
What the ♦ is this ghost place?
This thought flashed through Hu Yue's mind. He slowly turned his head towards the woman who should have fallen to the ground, but only saw a patch of white snow. The next moment, he sensed a strong danger fiercely attacking him from behind.
No, it's behind me!
His pupils contracted violently. Just as he was about to turn around, he felt a heavy blow.
Something cold and hard struck the back of his head fiercely. A strange impact force directly ignored his Spiritual Energy defense, poured into his skull, and rampaged as if trying to tear his brain apart.
At this moment, the person who ambushed him took the opportunity to strike the back of his head several times in quick succession. He even vaguely heard the crisp sound of his skull about to crack.
In just an instant, his vision went black, and his consciousness fell into silence like a broken thread.
----
"Bang——!"
Seeing Hu Yue fall into the snow, Lu Yibei rushed forward, gripped the Lingtai Pure Karma in her hand, and struck the back of his head another twenty to thirty times.
Only after confirming that he wasn't faking unconsciousness and was truly unable to wake up did she lean down, cast seventeen or eighteen sealing Spells, and wrapped him up like a zongzi with the Spells, finally feeling a little relieved.
"Tsk, this Lingtai Pure Karma really does have the effect of directly impacting consciousness, just as Ancestor said. But this Charm ability mixed with Mengmeng's innate skill to create illusions is still not proficient!"
"I clearly tried it on Ancestor so many times last night, yet I still revealed a flaw so quickly."
To subtly influence the sight, hearing, and even perception of a target while they are conscious is much more difficult than the previous crude method of charming Miss Rabbit and giving her psychological trauma.
Lu Yibei muttered to herself, squatted down, turned the fallen Hu Yue over, and began searching his body. In a short while, she found a palm-sized notebook from the interlayer of his jacket. Its cover was made of tanned deerskin and engraved with sealing Spells.
It seems tracking this guy was indeed the right move.
It's kept so secretly, there must be some unspeakable secret inside!
Lu Yibei thought, looked at Hu Yue, and gently tapped his head with the notebook in her hand, "Professor Traitor, do you know you've really harmed your comrades? Who uses this kind of thing if they're a decent person?"
