Chapter 314: The First Snow in Hua City

The sky was laden with clouds, dark and heavy, as snowflakes silently descended from an unseen source. Each flake was unique, resembling irregular lace-like hexagons, and most melted into droplets before touching the ground, pooling in the small pits filled with mottled soil, quickly forming murky puddles.

Hua City was once a sun-drenched place, even though the shortening of daylight in recent years had brought colder weather and winter snow. Yet, it retained its final stubbornness.

The first snow of winter in Hua City usually left no accumulation.

…

University Town.

In the early hours, a taxi slowly pulled up on the street in front of Jingyi Apartment. The passenger paid the fare and hurriedly got out, just as a cold wind blew, carrying the chill of melting snow, sneaking through the gaps of the collar, sleeves, and hem, burrowing into the clothes, chilling to the bone, making one shiver and yearn to retreat back into the warmth of the car’s heater.

Braving the cold, Lu Yibei gritted his teeth, shut the car door, and quickly ran towards the quiet apartment complex, his footsteps splashing on the wet ground.

As he moved forward, he cursed under his breath, “Damn this ghost weather!”

As someone who dreaded heat and cold, in usual circumstances, Lu Yibei would have severed all social ties and huddled at home, “playing dead” under the covers.

Back home, as soon as he closed the door, he shouted into the empty, dark room, “Hairball, Eyeball, Denture, Nightgown!”

“Where are you? Stop hiding! I know you’re all here!”

“Come out quickly, I want to discuss something about the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts with you!”

After a moment of waiting, just as Lu Yibei was about to call out again, whispers emerged from the corners of the room, followed by rustling sounds. Several sneaky figures crawled out from under the sofa, lining up before him.

They looked like little pets who had made a mistake, awaiting their owner’s punishment.

“Speak up!”

In the awkward silence, Hairball was the first to speak, “Lady Witch, let us explain! Everything we did, though it might seem reckless, was all for you!”

“Exactly!” Eyeball chimed in, “Woman, I hope you know your place!”

“Enough, let it be!” Denture said gloomily, “At this point, all the consequences stem from me alone, it has nothing to do with them. If you want to punish, punish me!”

Lu Yibei rubbed his aching forehead, grumbling, “Who asked you to say that? Besides, did I say I blame you?”

“See? I don’t know why you’re all so scared!” Eyeball said smugly, glancing around at the companions, “This woman is clearly conquered!”

“…”

Could you say less, please!

Grumbling internally, Hairball, Denture, and Nightgown all shuffled aside, distancing themselves from Eyeball as if to draw a clear line.

Lu Yibei clenched his fist, stepping on the eyeball, and continued, “What I want to know is, how many hauntings have gathered? After last night’s chaos, can we still bring them together?”

The little hauntings shuddered. The Lady Witch knows about what happened last night?!

“Lady Witch, are you planning to…” the hairball ventured cautiously.

Lu Yibei straightened his back, squinting slightly, his chin lifted with a hint of allure in his voice, “I’m planning something big. Are you willing to follow me?”

Is that the right vibe?

For these few seconds, I rehearsed countless times in my head while in the taxi! Lu Yibei thought secretly.

“A warrior dies for a confidant! I am willing to follow the Lady Witch, even if this path leads to death.”

Born as a haunting, the denture, with a heart set on death, agreed without hesitation. If it’s the same end, might as well go out with a bang.

Lu Yibei, “…” Could you say something more auspicious?

“I-I’ve long been the Lady Witch’s ghost.”

The nightgown said weakly, and as soon as the words fell, the eyeball struggled to squeeze half its body out from under Lu Yibei’s foot.

“Woman, is this how you ask for help? When asking, you should show some clea-“

“Squish-!”

Before the eyeball could finish, Lu Yibei shifted his foot.

Firmly, he stepped down.

The eyeball’s voice was abruptly cut off.

Having vaguely guessed Lu Yibei’s intentions, the hairball, thinking about possibly following him to do something that would shake the entire haunting community of Hua City, was so excited that its fur stood on end.

“Reporting to the Lady Witch, aside from the school you use for hiding and a few surrounding areas, all hauntings around University Town have been brought under our banner!”

“Ninety-seven Class D hauntings, twelve Class C+ hauntings, Class B hauntings…”

As the hairball spoke, Lu Yibei’s eyes involuntarily lit up.

If there were enough Class B hauntings, or even a Class A haunting, there might be a chance against the Dusk Maiden in a direct confrontation, let alone a surprise attack.

“…No Class B hauntings, the rest, about four hundred and fifty-seven, are all Non-graded hauntings.”

Lu Yibei, “…”

Alright, they are, after all, just a bunch of little hauntings with an average psychic energy fluctuation of less than 0.1 of a Mr. Rabbit. What was I expecting?

However…

Though the quality is lacking, the quantity far exceeds the conditions Shui-Ge mentioned.

Thinking of this, Lu Yibei looked seriously at the hairball and said, “Well done. I’ll leave the task of gathering them to you.”

“But…” the hairball hesitated for a moment, “Lady Witch, after last night, those little hauntings are terrified. I’m not sure I can gather them all.”

“Is that so?” Lu Yibei rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a few seconds, “I can understand. After all, challenging a Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts led by a Class A haunting is indeed very dangerous.”

“By the way… if any little hauntings don’t want to come, you mustn’t force them, understand?”

As long as I can find a way to gather a hundred little hauntings, that’ll do, Lu Yibei mused.

Originally planning to gather all the little Hauntings even if it meant resorting to kidnapping, the hairball shuddered slightly and meekly said, “Un-understood.”

“Oh, by the way!” Lu Yibei suddenly remembered the funeral-like procession the hairball and its companions had arranged the previous night. With a serious tone, he reminded them, “Get rid of those white banners, black-and-white photos, gongs and drums, and suona as soon as possible. What you had wasn’t a Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts; it was more like a ghostly army passing through!”

It seems Lady Witch’s sense of aesthetics is a bit skewed, the hairball thought to itself, then asked Lu Yibei, “Then, Lady Witch, what do you think we should do?”

“That’s simple!” Lu Yibei rolled his eyes. “Don’t you always use my computer to download those little movies? Can’t you use it for something productive?”

“For example, search for keywords like ‘parade’ or ‘campaigning’!”

“Got it!” the hairball realized. “We’ll get right on it!”

“Alright, hurry up then!” Lu Yibei said as he headed upstairs.

As he reached the stairway, he seemed to remember something and suddenly stopped. He turned back to the little Hauntings in the living room and asked, “By the way, what’s the name of your organization again?”

As soon as he finished speaking, four dark shadows zipped across the room. A few little Hauntings gathered together, striking a pose reminiscent of middle-aged women taking a group photo.

“Our organization is called the Messenger of Love and Peace…” the hairball began, but stopped to let the denture take over.

“Model of Morality and Conscience…”

Next was the eyeball, squirming and struggling at Lu Yibei’s feet, speaking in a mournful tone, “Handsome Guys and Beautiful Girls…”

“…Witch Warriors!” the nightgown finally added weakly, completing the introduction.

Wow, even organization names are a group effort now? Lu Yibei covered his forehead with his hand, shielding his eyes from the sight; it was almost too much to bear.

“……”

Once Lu Yibei’s figure disappeared from the apartment living room, the little Hauntings sprang into action. They found his laptop, powered it on, opened a video application, and entered “parade campaigning” in the search bar on the homepage.

Following Lu Yibei’s usual search preferences, the website displayed a slew of videos with titles like “Annual Bai Xiaohua Moe Battle Campaign Live,” “Magical Girl Festival Float Parade,” and “Country Z Heroine Support Live.”

One couldn’t help but marvel at the power of big>After spending several minutes watching a dozen videos, the hairball mused, “So, this is the style Lady Witch likes!”

“Understandable, every girl has a princess dream, right?” the denture murmured.

“Tsk! Women!” the eyeball scoffed disdainfully. “Always into flashy, superficial stuff!”

After entrusting the task of gathering the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts to the little Hauntings in the apartment, Lu Yibei dove headfirst into his modest Alchemist’s Workshop.

Although Shui-Ge had solemnly instructed him to prepare for the impending battle upon leaving The Underground Club, Lu Yibei was at a loss, having never faced such a situation before. Even the Great Serpent God’s knowledge lacked detailed records on this matter.

After all, such beings are inherently powerful, belonging to the rare breed of Hauntings that possess immense confidence in their own strength. In their prime, they could whimsically decide to lead a Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, carving a bloody path through the mountains teeming with Hauntings without any preparation.

Lu Yibei didn’t consider himself one of those naturally gifted brutes. Following blindly would only lead to a dead end.

However, the absence of precedent didn’t mean he shouldn’t prepare. If he didn’t know what to prepare, why not prepare everything he possibly could?

Previously, when he was crafting Completion Potions, he had leftover raw materials and scraps, some of which could be used to create pure silver, the standard healing potion of The Midnight Watchers Society.

By preparing some pure silver, he could at least have a skill to serve as a health pack for himself.

As for the rest, they could only be used to make “bombs.”

As the infamous bomb fanatic feared by Hauntings across Hua City, how could he go without dozens of bombs by his side?

Lu Yibei originally planned to save these scraps for making talismans later. But by chance, he discovered a little secret about these scraps.

These scraps, rich in fire attribute psychic energy, could be melted and formed in one go. When activated with psychic energy, they could release heat equivalent to tenfold the red flame flash while consuming only a small amount of psychic energy. If he mixed in some disaster water beforehand…

How about a Homemade Alchemical Bomb? Just the thought of it was thrilling!

With these “bombs,” he could barely handle situations where he couldn’t deploy spell formations, sword techniques, and his movements were restricted.

As for how he discovered this little secret, it’s a complicated explanation. In short, youth is wasted if one doesn’t take risks.

Anyway, the chubby guy upstairs called the police, and the officers knocked on the door five times in one day…

From just after five in the morning until two in the afternoon, nearly eight hours, Lu Yibei was immersed in his makeshift Alchemist’s Workshop.

He successfully crafted twelve portions of pure silver and twenty-seven Homemade Alchemical Bombs, along with three Completion Potions and a bunch of miscellaneous items, stuffing his guitar case to the brim.

Finally zipping up the guitar case and hugging it tightly, Lu Yibei felt as if he were holding an arsenal, his heart filled with a sense of security.

The snow outside, which had stopped briefly, began to fall again at some point. Lu Yibei gazed out the window, sighed silently, and took out his phone to send a message to Professor Ma.

Lu Yibei: “Professor, are you at the school? I’d like to ask you a small favor in person.”

Professor Ma: “I’m in the office, free until four o’clock. You can come by anytime.”

Receiving Professor Ma’s affirmative reply, he stashed the guitar case under the bed, got up to stretch his aching joints, and beckoned to the jacket on the bed. The jacket flew over, gently draping itself over him, then raised its collar and affectionately nuzzled his cheek.

Just as Lu Yibei was about to leave the apartment to face the haunting transformation at the unfinished building, he suddenly remembered something. He got up and went to the storage room, retrieving all the core entities of hauntings he had accidentally obtained while venting his power some time ago, and summoned the hairball.

“Hairball, come up here!”

Thud, thud, thud-!

With a series of dull thuds like a ball bouncing on the stairs, the hairball appeared before him.

“Lady Witch, what are your orders?”

Lu Yibei looked at the hairball, placed the core entities of the hauntings on the ground, and after a brief thought, took back a small portion and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. He pushed the rest forward and said, “These are for you. Maybe you can use them.”

“I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be heading out. You all continue with your tasks.”

With that, he hurriedly went downstairs, heading towards Professor Ma’s office.

“Girl, come back soon! Don’t stay out all night!” The eyeball’s arrogant voice echoed from downstairs.

“Shut up!” Lu Yibei snapped angrily, slamming the door with a “bang.”

Light snow was falling gently, and a faint, smoke-like gray ribbon hovered and swirled in the sky, reluctant to leave. The entire Hua City University of Technology was shrouded in a layer of gray, and on this chilly day, the campus was sparsely populated.

Lu Yibei walked under an umbrella along the main path of Gate No. 4, his brow furrowed, feeling a bit downcast. It wasn’t until he saw the headless senior sister holding a red umbrella that he managed to force a smile more painful than a grimace, his facial muscles stiff.

“Tsk, I don’t even know what I’m worried about. Didn’t I already guess this outcome? At least it’s not entirely hopeless!” he comforted himself.

Lu Yibei’s main purpose in visiting Professor Ma was to borrow the Fortune Deity Coin for divination.

Although he had one himself, Professor Ma’s coin seemed to have undergone spirit communication, showing signs of developing from a psychic artifact into a haunting, with significantly higher accuracy.

However, after casting the coin three times to divine the outcome of “whether challenging the Dusk Maiden would succeed,” Lu Yibei’s anxious heart found no solace.

All three times, the coin stood upright on the desk, a result that was clearly not promising.

So, Lu Yibei secretly used his own coin to divine “whether Professor Ma’s coin’s divination was accurate,” and received an affirmative answer.

The eerie upright coin, combined with Lu Yibei’s frostbitten expression, made Professor Ma immediately notice his unusual state. However, he didn’t press for details, instead engaging him in a lengthy discussion about various aspects of the Dongyi cultural research project.

Finally, before Lu Yibei left, Professor Ma earnestly told him, “Have a good New Year, and report back to me early after the holiday.”

Lu Yibei, however, joked self-deprecatingly, “I’ve been too caught up in trivial matters lately. I might even fail my finals, and if I have to retake them, I won’t be able to report back early.”

Professor Ma, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, slamming the table and scolding, “Then get back to studying! Stop messing around with this superstitious nonsense. Can you divine your way through exams?”

“…”

Under the barrage of Professor Ma’s scolding, Lu Yibei slunk out of the office, finding himself unknowingly on the main path of Gate No. 4, near the abandoned warehouse where the headless senior sister and the school’s little Hauntings hid.

Approaching the headless senior sister, Lu Yibei rummaged in his jacket pocket and handed her the remaining half of the core entity. “Here, take this! I might not be able to bring you food for a while, but this should last you all a few months.”

With that, he continued walking along the chilly main path of Gate No. 4.

The headless senior sister hesitated for a moment, then tightened her grip on the core entity and took a couple of steps forward to catch up. “Are you going to do something dangerous?”

“Of course not!” Lu Yibei waved his hand without turning back. “I was scared out of my wits when I first saw you; how could I possibly do anything dangerous?”

“Oh, and if you can, give ‘Mr. Lu Xun’ a little more. I’m really looking forward to the day it can speak, so I can have a heated debate with it!”

“Pfft!” The headless senior sister chuckled, adjusting her tilted head. “We can’t give it too much, or the students will suffer!”

“Last week, a student went to pray to him for good luck in exams and ended up getting smacked on the palm a hundred times with a ruler.”

Lu Yibei thought, “Isn’t Mr. Lu Xun’s statue’s ruler made of solid brass?”

“The day before yesterday, a couple was caught pretending to study in the woods, and they got punished too.”

“And then…”

The headless senior sister continued to chatter about the amusing antics of the campus Hauntings, lost in her stories until she realized Lu Yibei had already walked far away.

On the deserted main path of Gate No. 4, a cold wind swept up the unmelting snowflakes, passing by with the now-useless evening class bell. The slender figure suddenly transformed into that of a petite girl.

Her pink and white hair, swaying in the breeze, became the only bright color on the dreary street.

“No skirts, no skirts! It’s one thing on normal days, but wearing skirts in this freezing weather? Even with wool socks, are you trying to give me arthritis?”

From afar, a voice as clear as wind chimes echoed, and a smile appeared on the headless senior sister’s lips…

As night fell, Lu Yibei huddled in his unlit apartment, clutching the Pure Lotus Sword, waiting.

Due to Bai Kai’s prediction that the Dusk Maiden might start the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts any day now, he dared not enter the Dream to review “The Diagram of the Gentleman Sword of Taihe” with Qing Ji.

Thus, he spent a sleepless night, with nothing happening.

When he returned home after dispelling the haunting transformation on the rooftop, he received two messages from Bai Kai.

Bai Kai: “Yibei, I’m all set on my end.”

Bai Kai: “No water sources were attacked yesterday.”

Holding his phone, Lu Yibei typed out several long replies, only to delete them all, finally responding briefly: “Thanks, Shui-Ge, I got it.”

Bai Kai: “Good luck!”

Looking at Bai Kai’s reply, Lu Yibei felt a warmth in his heart. He put away his phone, took out his key, and opened the door. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the living room filled with a dozen little Hauntings, all uniformly prostrating towards the entrance.

“What are you all doing?” Lu Yibei asked, puzzled. “Are these the leaders of the little Hauntings?”

“…”

After a brief silence, Captain Hairball spoke with a heavy tone, “Apologies, Lady Witch, this is all the Hauntings we have. The others…”

Before Captain Hairball could finish, Eyeball angrily interrupted, “Woman, this is all your fault! Saying you didn’t want to come, don’t force people, and now look what happened? They’ve all run away. You’re doomed this time. I’ll be the first to swallow your core entity!”

Lu Yibei’s face turned slightly pale, his brows furrowing tightly.

“…”

Oh no, the situation seems worse than expected… This is going to be tough.

But…

The Dusk Maiden is already one of the strongest Hauntings in Hua City, and now she has a group of Black Cloak Men assisting her, having killed so many Hauntings and psychics. It’s only natural that the Hauntings in Hua City would fear her.

I can’t just force those Hauntings to go to their deaths, can I?

Lu Yibei thought, looking at Captain Hairball, maintaining a calm facade, “No rush, we’ll take it slow. We still have time, right?”

“Also, just to be clear, if things get really dangerous, feel free to bail. I won’t mind!”

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, let’s disperse for now. I need to catch up on some sleep while it’s still daylight.”

Once awake, he needed to visit The Midnight Watchers Society before nightfall to investigate the Dusk Maiden and X Taisui’s detailed information.

Perhaps he could find some crucial details in their records that might lead to victory… Lu Yibei pondered.

“…”

Upon hearing this, the Hauntings fell silent, leaving the living room in a dead calm.

Meanwhile, beneath a manhole cover next to the University of Finance and Economics’ convenience store in Hua City, in the damp and filthy drainage pipe.

A large creature resembling a rat, yet with six legs and long antennae, sat on a “throne” made of stacked stone bricks. It was the ruler of the Cockroach Rat swarm within this drainage pipe.

It gazed from afar at the nearby sewage pit.

Melted snowwater flowed down through the gaps in the manhole cover, cascading like a waterfall, as a group of Hauntings resembling it but smaller in size frolicked in the sewage pit.

Soon, a little Haunting swam up to the Cockroach Rat King, poking its head out of the water with a piece of rotten lettuce, blinking its six eyes curiously, “The King, does this mean we don’t have to participate in that thing anymore?”

“No need to go. Even if Captain Hairball and their allies are Class A Hauntings, she’s fighting alone! If we follow, it’s just a death sentence.”

As the Cockroach Rat King spoke, a small Cockroach Rat suddenly fished out a dark green substance from the water, raising it high and cheering, “It’s rotten meat! Everyone, there’s rotten meat in the sewage today, we can feast!”

Just as it finished speaking, the dark green substance it held erupted with psychic energy fluctuation, growing rapidly, sprouting writhing granulation tissue that pierced into its body.

Soon, the entire sewage pit was filled with the smooth, viscous dark green substance…

The Cockroach Rat King fled in panic.

Around the same time, near an elementary school in Hua City.

A young woman in professional attire, wearing black-framed glasses, was anxiously searching for something. She weaved through the streets and alleys until she finally spotted a student curled up at the end of a narrow alleyway. She stopped, approached slowly, and gently ruffled the student’s hair, offering a wry smile.

“Tongtong, what are you doing hiding here? You’re so close to school, why not go inside?”

The little girl froze upon hearing her teacher’s voice. As she looked up, her eyes welled with tears. “Teacher, I’m scared to go to school…”

“Scared?” The woman’s expression turned serious as she probed further, “Tongtong, tell me, is someone bullying you?”

The little girl sobbed, wiping her tear-streaked face, and shook her head, biting her lip.

The woman frowned, then patted the girl’s head with a reassuring smile. “Tongtong, don’t be afraid! If someone is bullying you, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it for you!”

She playfully waved her fist and whispered in the girl’s ear, “Tongtong, let me tell you a secret, your teacher knows magic…”

Before she could finish, she sensed a faint, tainted psychic energy fluctuation emanating from the girl. Instinctively, she stepped back and noticed a dark green granulation tissue wriggling inside the girl’s frostbitten, pink ear.

Suddenly, the girl collapsed, her body convulsing, pupils dilating, and consciousness fading.

A haunting! The woman’s face turned ashen.

By day, she was an elementary school homeroom teacher; by night, an occasional solitary psychic hunting hauntings. Witnessing this scene, she quickly assessed the situation, silently recited an incantation, and a warm white light appeared at her fingertips, touching the girl’s forehead.

“Buzz-!”

With the faint vibration of air stirred by psychic energy, the granulation tissue withered and fell away. The girl’s consciousness briefly cleared, and she slowly opened her eyes, looking at her teacher, her breath weak. “Teacher, am I going to die?”

“Of course not, silly. You just have a little illness. I’ll take you to the hospital right away.”

The woman spoke softly, lifting the girl in her arms. Then she heard the girl whisper in her ear, “Teacher, no one bullied Tongtong. Tongtong did something bad herself.”

“What bad thing did you do? Can you tell me?”

“On the way to school, Tongtong saw a little pond with lots of tiny mushrooms growing…”

“Teacher, I’m so sleepy. Can I take a nap?”

“No, you can’t! You have to finish what you started!” the woman replied.

“Okay!” The girl responded, mustering her strength to continue. “Those little mushrooms were so pretty, and they moved. Tongtong thought they were fun, so she didn’t listen to mom and stepped into the water…”

Hearing this, the woman’s expression changed. She quickly set the girl down, preparing to remove her little boots to check, only to see her chubby little leg melt like wax into liquid, falling to the ground and spreading into a dark green mass of flesh…

The woman stared blankly at the small body being gradually engulfed by the dark green substance, something churning in her eyes. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a string of white flowers resembling pearls, clenching them tightly in her hand…

In the old district of Hua City, near the seafood wholesale market, a shabby street lay quiet.

An old man, dressed in ragged clothes resembling those of a vagrant, hurriedly made his way down the street, clutching a foam box filled with seafood. He was heading towards the direction of his low-rent apartment, his feet splashing through the puddles of dirty water.

As he moved, he kept glancing over his shoulder, wary as if expecting the original owner of the seafood to come chasing after him to reclaim it.

Though he had salvaged the seafood from a trash heap, the folks at the seafood market were notoriously unfriendly towards him. Even retrieving items from their garbage wasn’t an easy task.

After a while, the old man reached his cramped room, cluttered with empty bottles and cardboard. He locked the door behind him and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Good, good, no one followed. This whole box should last me quite a few days,” he muttered to himself.

He lit the coal stove, placing a battered iron pot filled with water on top. While waiting for the water to boil, he opened the foam box to start sorting through its contents.

Although these discarded foods often had issues, his experience told him that with careful selection, he could find at least a small portion that was still edible.

However, when he opened the box and saw it was filled with nearly fresh yellow croakers, his eyes widened in disbelief.

“This… this… oh no, did I ‘steal’ someone’s stuff? No, no, I can’t do this,” he murmured, his grizzled eyebrows knitting together.

As he contemplated whether to risk the scorn and even beatings from the seafood sellers to return the box, he noticed dark green granulation tissue, resembling mold, growing near the gills of the fish.

Seeing the granulation tissue, he exhaled in relief, “Phew, thank goodness!”

Realizing he had only taken what others discarded and not stolen anything, he felt much more at ease.

“But still, what a waste. Just a little spoiled, and they threw it away? Cut off the bad parts, and there’s still plenty of meat to eat,” he said, drawing a small knife from his waist.

Carefully, he trimmed away the parts of the fish with the granulation tissue, placing the cleaned pieces into the boiling water. Adding a few scallions and slices of ginger, it wasn’t long before he had a pot of simple yet aromatic fish soup.

The old man scooped up a bowl of soup, holding it like a treasured possession, and brought it to his lips to blow on it before taking a sip. A blissful smile spread across his face.

“Delicious, truly delicious. It’s been ages since I’ve had something this tasty.”

Murmuring to himself, he didn’t mind the freshly cooked fish soup being scalding hot and began to gobble it down.

As he ate, he suddenly felt his cheeks burning hot, and his forehead seemed to catch fire.

He felt tightness in his chest and discomfort in his throat, soon followed by symptoms of breathing difficulty.

Am I sick? Falling ill just as winter is starting can be quite troublesome! The old man thought, as his forehead grew hotter and his entire being felt groggy; his vision started to blur.

He heard his own labored breathing, followed by a cough that seemed to tear at his lungs, filling his mouth with a sweet, metallic taste.

Soon after, his body weakened, he knocked over the freshly made fish soup, and fell to the ground, his vision plunging into darkness.

In a daze, he heard a rustling sound, like those damned rats scurrying in the dark corners, and then his consciousness slipped away into silence.

After an unknown time, a sound of keys jingling outside the hut was heard, followed by a soft voice calling, “Grandpa Zhang, I’ve brought you something nice, can you guess what?”

“Hehe, it’s your favorite sheep spine stew!”

The door creaked open.

Gu Qianqian, who had come to visit the old man who had taken good care of her when she was homeless, stood at the doorstep, frozen in place as she took in the scene inside the hut, and the sheep spine stew dropped from her hand with a clatter.

In that dark, cramped hut, dark green granulation tissue was moving incessantly, found in the sink, the trash can, the spilled fish soup, and emanating from the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose of the collapsed old man…

In the afternoon, at the dilapidated office of The Midnight Watchers Society in Hua City.

Lu Yibei put down the files on the Dusk Maiden and X Taisui, which he had read countless times, and rubbed his swollen temples with a sigh.

While everyone was guarding the water sources, Bai Kai helped him get a backdoor favor to contact headquarters, which allowed him the opportunity to study these files in detail.

According to the internal records of The Midnight Watchers Society, the Dusk Maiden indeed has a significant weakness: her special abilities mostly rely on corrosive wildflowers and piercing screams to inflict damage.

If one can match her psychic energy to block out hearing, and also dodge the wildflowers with sharp movements, she would be forced into close combat.

Of course, as a Class A Haunting, her combat skills far surpass most Class B Hauntings and should not be underestimated.

Moreover, she now wields a long blade, formed by corrupting Jiang Li’s psychic energy.

However…

Lu Yibei picked up the file on X Taisui again, examining it from all angles and frowning.

As one of the top entries on The Midnight Watchers Society’s Wanted List, it appears to be all weaknesses, but due to its astonishingly fast rate of replication and division, it might as well have no weaknesses at all.

“Unless it’s a catastrophe-class haunting, it can’t cause substantial damage?” Lu Yibei murmured to himself.

Fortunately, all the water sources were under the watchful eyes of the special task force, and the most crucial Hua City reservoir even had a mushroom girl “growing” in it, preventing the Dusk Maiden from planting the X Taisui’s organism.

Otherwise, if I fail, Hua City is doomed.

As Lu Yibei was lost in thought, he suddenly heard An Qing’s somewhat agitated voice coming from the small garden outside the window.

“How could this happen? Didn’t we already secure all the water sources?”

Hearing this, Lu Yibei’s heart tightened. He stood up and quickly moved to the window.

Standing opposite An Qing, Du Sixian, who was reporting the situation, caught a glimpse of him and gave him a bitter look before continuing her report to An Qing.

“Qing-Jie, the water sources are indeed secured, and even the important sewage treatment sites are guarded, but…”

“But what?” An Qing frowned.

“But those things don’t seem to be sprouting from any fixed water source, and the sudden outbreaks of Nocturnal Syndrome across the city are completely random. We can’t determine the source for now,” Du Sixian explained.

If they’re not sprouting from a fixed water source, then where are they coming from? Could it be that the X Taisui has evolved the ability to spread through the air without The Midnight Watchers Society knowing? Lu Yibei wondered.

As he pondered, Qi Dong hurriedly ran in from outside the main gate, stepping onto the bluestone slabs in the small garden, which were wet with accumulated water, making a series of damp footsteps.

“Tap-tap-tap-tap-!”

Hearing those footsteps, Lu Yibei’s pupils suddenly contracted as he looked down at the ground. Seeing the puddles, he cursed inwardly.

A snowfall in Hua City rarely accumulates; the melting snow spreads across the entire city.

Every corner of the city is dotted with tiny “water sources,” meaning the Dusk Maiden could scatter the X Taisui’s organism in any corner of Hua City, like drawing lots, and then…

Damn it, why am I only realizing this now?

Is it all over, is there no hope?

Thinking of this, Lu Yibei’s face turned pale. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly clenched his fist.

No, it’s not over yet. As long as I succeed, there’s still a chance!

As long as I succeed…

He thought silently, reaching into his pocket to pull out the “Hua City Perfect Escape Guide,” and crumpled it into a ball.