Chapter 304: The Successor of Will of the Explosion Maniac

Just after three in the morning, a cold wind twirled small snowflakes through the air.

On a small hill two kilometers from the Hua City Ceramics Factory, a petite girl stood atop a towering tree, gazing in the direction of the factory.

She held a roughly drawn hand map in one hand and a pen in the other, occasionally glancing down to sketch something on the map.

After a long moment, looking at the map filled with messy lines, Lu Yibei silently sighed and slipped it back into the opening of her guitar case.

“That should do it, time to get started.”

According to the haunting incident catalog given to her by Jiang Li, although there were no overly powerful hauntings in the Hua City Ceramics Factory, there were plenty of them, no less intimidating than those on Yin Street.

Therefore, to avoid being chased by emerging hauntings after her last energy discharge on Yin Street, she had selected a relatively concealed spell casting location in advance and planned an efficient escape route in case of any mishaps.

Although the hauntings from Yin Street were no match for her and were all slain during the chase, it was better to be safe than sorry!

What if something terrifying was triggered in the ceramics factory?

As she pondered, Lu Yibei unknowingly reached the first planned location.

Standing between two abandoned buildings, barely a meter apart, she used the buildings for cover as she looked towards the dark expanse of the ceramics factory some five hundred meters away, then took out a potion from her pocket and swallowed it.

“Ah, ying-!”

The pain from the potion made her whimper involuntarily.

As familiar whispers echoed in her ears, power surged within her. She raised her hands, aimed forward, and began to chant crisply.

“Water surges, fire blazes, wind and rain follow; vast and scorching… Flaming Stream!”

With the chanting of the spell, a brilliant light filled the narrow gap. Two abnormally thick beams of light, like two dragons wrestling for life, intertwined and tore through the deep night, heading straight for the roof of the ceramics factory.

“…burn the rhino horn to illuminate, witness the calamity, fiery crimson flame!”

“Dim skies, cold winds rise, tearing apart the clouds…”

…

Before the beams of Flaming Stream could land, Lu Yibei quickly chanted another series of spells. A giant fireball followed the two streams of light, resembling a miniature sun, with shimmering ice crystals trailing behind it.

However, just as the dense, hail-like high-tier spells were about to strike, their velocity suddenly slowed.

A semi-circular barrier could be faintly seen covering the top of the ceramics factory.

The few hauntings and psychics hiding in the factory, realizing the unexpected saturation bombardment, jointly launched a large-scale defensive spell.

The continuous bombardment hitting the expanded barrier slowed down and exploded, unable to shatter the thin layer.

Yet, the entire ceramics factory began to tremble. The semi-circular barrier, like a rubber ball being abused by a naughty child, was continuously compressed and deformed with large cracks appearing and quickly being repaired.

But even the strongest defensive spells have a limit.

Finally, as the spectral images of four beasts, shining as if falling from the moon, smashed down, that limit was reached.

The Four Beasts Bright Sky Cannon mixed with the energy of the shattered defensive spells caused a violent explosion above the ceramics factory.

“Boom-!”

Along with a loud bang, the ground shook, and a whirlwind rose above the ceramics factory, shattering the long-neglected roof, and faint screams filtered through the booming explosion.

The whole process took mere seconds, and by the time Lu Yibei recovered from the pain of casting spells and the potion, and looked towards the ceramics factory, she saw the building had been decapitated, a sparkle in her eye.

Hehe, another of my favorites down, time to loot the bodies!

Thrilled, she prepared to enter the ceramics factory to collect the night’s spoils when suddenly a shout came from inside the factory.

“Who is it? Who is-!”

“A sneak attack is nothing, come out and fight me face to face!”

A creature resembling a monkey with the head of an eagle leaped from the ruins of the factory, howling skyward while swinging huge stones in a rage, its glossy feathers still trailing a few unextinguished flames.

Following this, several figures in black robes flew out, standing behind it, searching for something.

Meanwhile, Lu Yibei, sensing the strong psychic energy fluctuations from those hauntings and psychics and already fleeing along the planned escape route, thought to herself as she ran.

“Judging by their attire, could they be part of the same group of Black Cloak Men I encountered at the unfinished building on Fuchun Road?”

The thought of being targeted by such a nefarious force made her anxious.

“Damn, why did exploding this place bring out such tough characters? What kind of cursed fate is this?”

“Scared now, but if I can’t provoke them, can’t I just avoid them? I’ll just report their hideout to The Midnight Watchers Society!”

However…

This was not the cursed fate Lu Yibei imagined.

As the saying goes, if you walk the night long enough, you’re bound to encounter a ghost.

In just a couple of days, she had bombed all the unowned, remote haunting locations in Hua City, encountering these individuals was inevitable.

Even if it wasn’t the ceramics factory, another hideout would have been bombed eventually.

Elsewhere, in a secluded villa area on the outskirts of Hua City.

Old Pervert sat in front of his computer, fiddling with the latest love-simulation game translation program, boasting to a guru from a fan translation group.

Just then, a vintage icon popped up in the bottom right corner of his screen. Opening it, he saw a spell bombardment video filled with special effects, featuring Wang Buliuxing in action.

…

After a few seconds of silence, Old Pervert hurriedly forwarded the video to his boss.

Online Old Pervert 0: “Boss, check this out!”

Void: “I’ve seen it already, while you were receiving the video.”

Void: “A sneak attack, huh? I didn’t expect this to be Wang Buliuxing’s way of dealing with the Dusk Maiden’s Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts. The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass… Worthy of her!”

Void: “She deliberately uses only spells for each attack instead of using the innate abilities of hauntings, to avoid giving the enemy a chance to track her through residual psychic energy fluctuations. Clever, indeed!”

Online Old Pervert 0: “So, boss, what do we do now?”

Void: “You guys should mimic her tactics and sneak attack too! Take the opportunity to grab some benefits. If something goes wrong, just blame it on Wang Buliuxing, after all, she led the way.”

Void: “She takes the meat, bearing most of the risk; you guys get the soup, bearing less risk. Fair, right?”

Online Old Pervert 0: “Brilliant, boss!”

Thus.

From that day on, Lu Yibei temporarily stopped her “explosion maniac” activities, and the hauntings that had joined the Dusk Maiden’s Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts also briefly sighed in relief.

But soon, a group of individuals inheriting her will appeared.

Their methods were not as violent, but their movements were even more elusive. These explosive robbers appeared in Hua City, causing the Black Cloak Men and hauntings to tense up again.

Two days later, early in the morning.

The snow from the previous night was light but had fallen steadily throughout the night, covering the alley entrance to the Hua City Folk Culture Administration Bureau with a thin layer of silver.

“Creak-Creak-!”

After completing the night shift and finishing breakfast, Li Xuan walked from afar across the snow, his expression tinged with worry.

He couldn’t contact his Shifu. Since he had sent that video clip of Lu Yibei casting spells to him, he had tried to reach his Shifu several times and finally confirmed that he had indeed been blocked.

“Ah, once the investigation of the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts is complete and Jiang Li returns, I might need to take a leave to go back and talk to Shifu.” Li Xuan muttered to himself.

As a talented individual sent by the Great Pure Palace to The Midnight Watchers Society, he had always thought he was his Shifu’s pride. This situation deeply saddened him.

As Li Xuan mourned his Shifu’s indifference, accompanied by the sound of something heavy being dragged, a shout suddenly came from the alley entrance.

“Guys, be careful not to get oil on yourselves; that stuff is toxic!”

Following the voice, he saw a tow truck pulling a bus shell parked by the roadside at the alley entrance. Several members of the special task force were pulling it inside through the delivery entrance of The Midnight Watchers Society’s back door under Bai Kai’s command.

The corpse of the Haunt Charioteer had been discovered that morning in an automotive recycling plant. An Qing, upon receiving a tip from a hospital informant that the management personnel of the remote recycling plant, totaling seven individuals, had simultaneously developed a bizarre disease causing their skin to turn into hard cardboard the previous night, rushed over with her tools.

In this day and age, it was not unusual for individuals to suddenly contract Nocturnal Syndrome without apparent reason. However, if multiple people at the same location developed symptoms of Nocturnal Syndrome at the same time, there definitely was a “source of infection”.

An Qing, after receiving the notification, headed over with her tools. After a thorough search in the car-recycling plant, piled high with “corpses”, she found the seemingly scrapped Haunt Charioteer’s corpse.

When she discovered the corpse, a pool of black blood, resembling motor oil, had spilled all over the ground, clearly the source of the sudden outbreak of Nocturnal Syndrome.

After briefly processing the scene, An Qing contacted Bai Kai to come and retrieve the corpse of the Haunt Charioteer.

A corpse of a haunting with a psychic energy level of A- and toxic blood needed proper handling; otherwise, frequent outbreaks of Nocturnal Syndrome in the vicinity were the least of the concerns. Worse, it could potentially merge with individuals bearing psychic potential or other hauntings, giving rise to new hauntings.

And the corpse of the Haunt Charioteer was not the first high-tier haunting corpse discovered in Hua City recently.

The Dusk Maiden had gone on a killing spree.

As he looked at the bus, splattered with black oil and missing all four wheels, and then at Bai Kai, Li Xuan paused, the first thought crossing his mind being, “Did he really puncture the bus?”

Damaging private property was one thing, but destroying public property was a serious matter.

Then, upon closer inspection of the bus, he realized it had faint psychic energy fluctuations, and his expression immediately turned solemn.

Hua City had long been rumored to harbor a high-tier haunting that disguised itself as a public bus, prowling the streets in the dead of night to lure and kill hauntings and psychic potential bearers. Li Xuan had heard of it, but he never expected his first encounter with it to be with its corpse.

Muttering to himself, Li Xuan stepped forward.

At the alley entrance, an old man from Mudan Street, out early to buy groceries, paused as he passed by and curiously asked, “Xiao Bai, what are you guys up to?”

“Oh, Uncle Weng? This bus is a cultural relic. We’re bringing it back for protection, research, and restoration.”

“Huh? Isn’t this just an old bus from the ’50s or ’60s? How can this be a cultural relic? Xiao Bai, what about my old bicycle at home? When are you guys going to come and collect that?”

“…”

Just as Bai Kai was struggling to explain that they were a cultural preservation unit, not a scrap collection service, Li Xuan approached the two.

A sly glint flashed in Bai Kai’s eyes as he casually placed his hand on Li Xuan’s shoulder. “Ah, good morning, Section Chief Li! Have you had breakfast yet? If not, let’s grab a bite together!”

Li Xuan’s heart tightened at Bai Kai’s sudden friendliness, suspecting he was up to something again. But then, he smirked inwardly.

Ha, I walked here today! Bet you didn’t see that coming!

“By the way, your car repair shop is at Jinrong Repair Factory, right?”

Li Xuan, “???”

Seeing his expression change, Bai Kai smiled and said, “Don’t panic. I was just asking casually. Now, let’s talk business.”

“Speaking of which, when Hua City’s barrier was set up, wasn’t the Headmaster of the Great Pure Palace involved? If possible, could you ask him to make some adjustments?”

“…”

Li Xuan froze for a moment before realizing Bai Kai’s intent. His expression grew serious. “You’re thinking of applying for a city lockdown? Has the situation escalated that much?”

The barriers set up by The Midnight Watchers Society between cities served as fortresses, isolating hauntings and preventing cross-city Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts incidents. In emergencies, they could also be activated to lock down specific areas, minimizing damage during large-scale haunting hunts.

However, only those who participated in the barrier’s setup knew how to activate it.

“Absolutely!” Bai Kai scoffed. “Several high-tier hauntings have already been attacked multiple times. I reckon the Dusk Maiden will make her move on the next moonless night.”

“But…” Li Xuan frowned. “Why don’t you directly submit an application to the higher-ups? That would be much more proper and compliant than asking our Headmaster.”

“…” Bai Kai stared at Li Xuan for a few seconds before sighing. “Li, do you even know who our superior in charge of Hua City is?”

“It’s…” Li Xuan began to say the name of that woman but suddenly paused, realization dawning in his eyes.

He had heard that Bai Kai, in his younger years, had been deceived by a female psychic who took advantage of him before leaving him high and dry. He also heard that the woman later joined The Midnight Watchers Society. And now, he had heard yet again that she was overseeing the Southwest region, which included Hua City.

Seeing Li Xuan’s enlightened expression, Bai Kai raised an eyebrow and said, “Got it now? I knew you, as Hua City’s most gossip-savvy operator, would figure it out in no time.”

Li Xuan bristled. “You’re the gossip-savvy one! You-“

“Enough nonsense!” Bai Kai interrupted. “Considering I help you change your car tires every couple of months, are you going to help or not?”

Who asked you to help me change them? Thanks a lot, you jerk! Li Xuan cursed inwardly before replying, “It’s not that I don’t want to help, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s just that… I’ve recently been blocked by my sect. I can’t get in touch with them for now.” Li Xuan’s expression turned bitter.

“What the-?” Bai Kai exclaimed. “I used to think our personalities clashed because of me, but now I see it’s you! How annoying does someone have to be to get blocked by their sect after nearly a decade of living and learning with them? Li, be a decent human being!”

“Well, since that’s the case, I’ll have to think of something else. Alright, I’m off.”

Watching Bai Kai chase after the special task force members, Li Xuan hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

“…”

In the dead of night.

On a desolate hillside, a striking woman in a red dress stood before an abandoned mine shaft, staring ahead.

Within the pitch-black mine, the darkness seemed to flow like a viscous liquid, as if something terrifying was lurking within, locked in a silent standoff with her.

This was a small coal mine on the outskirts of Hua City, shut down years ago after a severe gas explosion.

The Dusk Maiden had scoured Hua City for high-tier hauntings capable of causing large-scale explosions, finally arriving here to confront the haunting responsible for the gas explosion.

In truth, she wouldn’t have come here if she had other options. The haunting hidden in the underground maze of the mine had a natural advantage, and if she ventured inside, she wasn’t confident of victory.

Yet, just as she resolved to enter the mine, a black streak of light shot from afar, landing beside her and transforming into a Black Cloak Man wearing a golden eagle mask.

“Lady Witch, there’s been an incident.”

“What kind of incident?” The Dusk Maiden frowned.

“Several more bases have been bombed. At one location, after the explosion, the injured were even robbed of their psychic items.”

“From what we’ve observed, these attacks resemble the one at the Ceramics Factory. Two bases were hit simultaneously this time.”

“I suspect they’re not just one group but an organized, premeditated force. There might even be a powerful organization behind them.”

Though the casualties from these bombing attacks were not significant, they severely disrupted the preparations for the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, causing great frustration for the Dusk Maiden.

She glanced at the dark mine shaft ahead, then at the Black Cloak Man beside her. She had thought she’d found the final suspicious target and was about to end her troubles, only to realize she’d been wrong again. Her long-suppressed anger finally erupted.

“Put the expansion plans on hold for now. Before the next moonless night, find those meddling rats and drag them out!”