Chapter 442: Father, Driver, and Quantum Entanglement

After discovering a message in his father’s phone that seemed to be from Qi Nanzhu, Lu Yibei thought he would be able to find more information related to her.

However, after patiently going through all the messages, Lu Yibei realized that, just as Qi Nanzhu had said in her message, that might really have been the last time she and Lu Ming met.

Among the more than five hundred messages on Lu Ming’s phone, the only message from the contact named “Zhu” was this one.

The rest of the messages-about half-were just idle chats with Shui-Ge.

In this version, Shui-Ge is still the king of freeloading!

The remaining half were partly various novel rejection notices, and the other part was all sorts of work-related information.

Before seeing these messages, Lu Yibei had thought that after giving up on his dreams and choosing survival to raise him, his father had immediately opened a sichuan restaurant. But that wasn’t the case.

Before that, he had tried all kinds of jobs.

He took the civil service exam, but failed the political review.

He wholesaled small appliances, but unfortunately ran into a batch of smuggled goods and lost everything.

He even worked as a typist, handed out flyers, carried bricks, but the wages from these temporary worker jobs weren’t even enough to buy formula.

As Lu Yibei read, his nose grew a little sore. He vaguely remembered asking his father before if he really liked cooking.

Lu Ming’s answer was that the thing he hated most was cooking.

At the time, Lu Yibei thought it was just a joke.

He never expected that his father truly hated cooking.

It was clear that, in order to raise him like an ordinary father, his dad had really worked hard, and in the end, only took up the job he disliked most out of desperation.

“Was I really such a big eater as a kid? Almost as much as Gu Qianqian.” Looking at a text between Lu Ming and Bai Kai, Lu Yibei frowned.

[Lu Ming: Xiao Bai, this kid eats so much, he finished three cans of formula in a week. I don’t mean anything by it! I just want to tell you, when you’re out having fun, be careful, don’t go getting some girl pregnant!]

[Bai Kai: Don’t worry, every time I use psychic energy to… never mind, forget it. I just transferred five thousand to you, check if you got it.]

At this, Lu Yibei suddenly understood why Shui-Ge was always mooching food at his house when he was little.

Given his father’s personality and his relationship with Shui-Ge, if he borrowed money he definitely wouldn’t pay it back. Wouldn’t Shui-Ge have to find a way to get some of it back?

Ancient medical texts say, “One drop of semen equals ten drops of blood.”

That was real hard-earned money!

“Tsk tsk, in the end, those two are the real soulmates, aren’t they?” Lu Yibei muttered, shook his head, put away his phone, and left the mall.

He flagged down a taxi by the roadside.

“Driver, please go to Jingyi Apartment in University Town.”

After telling the taxi driver his destination, Lu Yibei leaned against the window, silently watching the scenery outside, lost in thoughts about Qi Nanzhu.

The time Qi Nanzhu sent the message to his father was December eighteen years ago. I was almost one year old then. Could I have come into contact with her too?

Although a child that young wouldn’t have clear memories, it’s very possible I imprinted her name in my subconscious, right?

So, after hearing her name again from Hu Yue and Suolang Baima, that’s why I keep recalling her name in my mind…

Thinking this, Lu Yibei slowly closed his eyes.

Sunlight streamed through the car window onto his eyelids, and he saw a hazy, chaotic scene. In a trance, it seemed as if a woman’s figure appeared before him.

She was a woman of decent height and looks, who had once done something earth-shattering in Hua City, and had a fierce conflict with Lady Zi because of it.

She had an ambiguous relationship with his father, but for some reason, they eventually parted ways.

But when she left, she must have left something especially precious for his father, so much so that someone was willing to pay a huge price to hire dozens of psychics and hauntings, including Suolang Baima, to snatch it.

She might have come into contact with me, maybe even held me, and I might have heard her name, but I was too young to remember anything.

Now, no one knows where she is, whether she’s alive or dead. It’s as if she vanished from the world, leaving almost no trace behind.

Judging from the clues at hand, Qi Nanzhu’s life experience is nothing short of eventful, so…

Since Dad knew her, why didn’t he use her story to write a novel?

That would be more reliable than something like The Drifting of Lu Xun or The Fantastic Voyage of Young Run Tu, right?

Thinking this, Lu Yibei shook his head, tossing out the wild thoughts in his mind and pulling himself back.

Ban Shan Primary School-how come I’ve never heard of this school before?

Even the list of schools in Hua City given by the authorities doesn’t include it. Is it within Hua City?

If it is, it’s probably been abandoned for a long time.

……

The scenery outside the car window changed several times, and before Lu Yibei could think through all his questions, the taxi stopped in front of the gate of Jingyi Apartment.

After paying the fare, he got out of the car and hurried home.

Although he had found some clues about Qi Nanzhu and learned the address of Ban Shan Primary School, he didn’t plan to go searching right away.

In broad daylight, under the open sky, running around places he’s never been-what if he ran into a haunting?

Better to wait until night, after the haunting transformation. If something happens, if I can’t beat it, at least I can run, right? Lu Yibei thought.

Yue City outskirts, in an underground warehouse less than ten kilometers from the border of Hua City.

This cold storage, originally used as a seafood transit station, had become abnormally damp and chilly after being abandoned, with a thick, nauseating stench lingering in the air.

Deep inside the cold storage, candlelight cast shadows on the stone walls, swaying as if in a dying struggle.

A man with sickly pale skin and a hunched figure was bent over the old fish-cutting workbench, writing furiously, immersed in the words on the parchment scroll, excitement flickering in his eyes.

Soon, someone pushed the door open and entered.

A figure in a black cloak staggered to Berses’s side and stopped, then swayed twice and collapsed to the ground.

“Sir, the other Team B members who went with me to Hua City, all disappeared the night before last…”

Hearing the weak voice behind him, Berses stiffened slightly, slapped the feather pen onto the rusted workbench with a “smack,” and slowly turned around.

“Disappeared? Why did they disappear? Didn’t you do as I instructed?”

Berses spoke in a flat tone, his eyes scanning the Black Cloak Man back and forth, like a venomous snake sizing up its prey.

Feeling the cold malice in Berses’s gaze, the Black Cloak Man swallowed nervously and hurried to explain.

“Sir, we infiltrated Hua City and mingled with the forces hunting Gu Qianqian, following your orders exactly. Everything went smoothly at first, but just as we were about to catch Gu Qianqian, something went wrong…”

Taking a minute or two, the Black Cloak Man recounted in detail how their group blended into the forces chasing Gu Qianqian, how they cornered her, and how, in the dilapidated hut where she hid, a bizarre psychic energy fluctuation appeared without warning, which then evolved into a massive psychic energy vortex.

“…The vortex triggered a violent explosion. After the blast, over ninety percent of the psychics and hauntings involved in the siege disappeared…”

An explosion? That does fit “Gu Qianqian’s” style as seen in Taoyuan… Berses nodded thoughtfully, then pressed, “What about Calamity?”

“Wasn’t she always having people tail them? What was she doing that night?”

“She…” The Black Cloak Man hesitated, “Since entering Hua City, the Team A members haven’t seen her in person. They tried to sneak into her lair, but… but…”

“But what? Just say it.” Berses frowned.

“But they were distracted by a cute little cat, then Calamity’s subordinates knocked them out, stripped them, and threw them out.”

Who could resist a little cat? She’s just too adorable!

Berses, “…”

Jingyi Apartment complex.

Lu Yibei sat at his desk, resting his chin on one hand, staring blankly at the computer screen in front of him.

Half an hour ago, after returning home from Lianxin Communications City, he first rounded up the little Haunting at home and questioned them about the situation with the hauntings in Hua City tailing Gu Qianqian.

Upon learning that Gu Qianqian had once again defeated the psychics and hauntings besieging her two days ago, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been somewhat suspicious that the recent outbreak of Nocturnal Syndrome in Hua City might be related to those people hunting Gu Qianqian.

But…

For now, it seemed unrelated.

They had all vanished under Gu Qianqian’s hand-what trouble could they stir up now?

As for Gu Qianqian occasionally disappearing and reappearing out of thin air during the pursuit, as if she had a no-cooldown blink skill, Lu Yibei wasn’t surprised.

He possessed the knowledge of the Great Serpent God, so he could naturally guess that Gu Qianqian had the bamboo slips leading to the illusion.

Still, he was a bit envious of Gu Qianqian’s bamboo slips.

That was a life-saving artifact-if he had it, wouldn’t he just hide inside until he was invincible? Even being second-best in the world wouldn’t do!

After a simple inquiry into Gu Qianqian’s situation and confirming that the psychics and hauntings who infiltrated Hua City posed no immediate threat, Lu Yibei turned on his computer and began searching for information on Ban Shan Primary School.

But he found nothing.

There were at least eighty, if not a hundred, primary schools named Ban Shan Primary School, scattered all over Country Z.

If he couldn’t pinpoint the exact location where Lu Ming and Qi Nanzhu met, visiting them one by one would take three to five years at least.

“No, this approach is wrong. I should assume Ban Shan Primary School is in Hua City, search thoroughly, and then gradually expand to neighboring cities.”

But, did Hua City even have a Ban Shan Primary School?

Such a trivial matter wasn’t worth asking the haunting chat group to investigate.

Although they were more professional than the best private detectives at gathering information, their fees were also more professional than the best private detectives.

So, unless absolutely necessary, Lu Yibei didn’t want to ask them.

“If only I could contact Uncle Zhang Shan.” Lu Yibei muttered to himself.

Uncle Zhang Shan, a native who had lived in Hua City for decades and worked as a taxi driver, was probably more familiar with Hua City than anyone else.

Unfortunately, after several dangerous incidents, Lu Yibei had lost Zhang Shan’s contact information.

“Or…” He glanced at the darkening sky outside, “maybe I’ll try after night falls?”

With that thought in mind, Lu Yibei temporarily stopped searching for Ban Shan Primary School and turned to the three boxes of Lu Ming’s belongings he’d brought back yesterday, rummaging through the remaining items again.

This time, aside from a half-torn photo and a warped brass key, he didn’t find anything particularly useful, like an old cell phone.

“Sigh, Dad was just too proper. Couldn’t you have written a diary or something?” Lu Yibei muttered to himself.

Then…

The sky darkened; in just over ten minutes, night had completely fallen.

A familiar chill, accompanied by a pounding heartbeat, surged from his chest, growing stronger and spreading to every limb and bone.

Already accustomed to the changes in his body during haunting transformation, Lu Yibei showed no sign of abnormality, simply lay expressionless on the sofa, relaxed his mind, and silently enjoyed it.

11 o’clock at night.

After idly browsing a certain pink app for two or three hours, Lu Yibei called for her jacket, slung the metal box containing the Alchemical Bomb and Pure Lotus Sword onto her back, and headed out.

Based on past experience, at this hour, as long as she stood by the street and casually waved her hand, the taxi driver she flagged down would inevitably be Uncle Zhang Shan, as if it were some kind of midnight taxi haunting.

Although Lu Yibei’s theory had no scientific basis, these days, she’d heard that even in Europe, hauntings like Newton’s Coffin Board had appeared-so who cared about science anymore?

As for why she always ran into Uncle Zhang Shan…

Don’t ask, it’s quantum entanglement!

So, ten minutes later, in front of the Jingyi Apartment complex gate, Lu Yibei waited for a moment and flagged down a taxi.

She opened the door.

Yep, it was Uncle Zhang Shan.

This uncanny synchronicity made Lu Yibei genuinely suspect that she and Uncle Zhang Shan were quantum entangled.

“Hey, long time no see! I’ve missed you so much! What story are you telling this time?”

Just as Lu Yibei wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Uncle Zhang Shan, he wasn’t surprised to see her either-in fact, he seemed a bit excited.

Recently, his stockpile of material was running low, his livestream content was getting dull, and his listeners had complained to him several times.

Some hot-tempered guys had even threatened that if he couldn’t come up with an interesting story next time, they’d pay him a visit and take him haunting-hunting themselves.

Lu Yibei, “……”

Uncle, aren’t you getting a bit too cocky?

You’re just a night-shift taxi driver, always thinking about my hauntings-isn’t that a little much?

What if, one day, the person who gets in isn’t me? Aren’t you really not afraid something might happen?

After grumbling to herself, Lu Yibei tilted her head and said, “Uncle, before you ask what story I’m telling, shouldn’t you ask where I’m going first?”

“Oh, so where are you headed?” Zhang Shan asked perfunctorily.

“Ban Shan Primary School.”

Lu Yibei didn’t ask if Uncle Zhang Shan knew where Ban Shan Primary School was; she just gave the address directly.

“Huh? Ban Shan Primary School?”

Judging by his reaction, he definitely knew! No wonder he’s a veteran driver in Hua City… Lu Yibei’s eyes flickered slightly, then she calmly asked, “Uncle, you know that place?”

“How could I not?” Zhang Shan chuckled. “I went to primary school there.”

Well, he’s even a firsthand witness! Lu Yibei’s gaze sharpened.

“That used to be the workers’ primary school for the Hua City Cement Factory, built halfway up the limestone quarry to make it easy for workers to drop off and pick up their kids. But not long after I graduated, the cement factory was restructured and relocated, and the school has been closed for ages.”

“……”

No wonder it wasn’t on the list the higher-ups gave, and nothing could be found online.

Uncle Zhang Shan looked to be over fifty; if the school closed not long after he graduated, it must’ve been abandoned for at least forty years. Lu Yibei thought, then heard Zhang Shan speak again.

“But what are you going there for? There’s no haunting there, just a bunch of broken-down buildings.”

Lu Yibei, “……”

Can’t I go if there’s no haunting?

You’re making me sound like some kind of reckless thrill-seeker.

But…

“No haunting? How could that be? That place has been abandoned for ages, hasn’t it?” Lu Yibei pressed.

“Really, nothing!” Zhang Shan pursed his lips.

“I’ve got a few old buddies living nearby. Last week, when we were drinking together, I asked them if there’d ever been any haunting incidents around there, but after decades, nothing’s ever happened.”

“So, are you still going? Or should I take you to the abandoned medical university dorms? I hear it’s been haunted a lot lately.”

“No need, I’m just going to Ban Shan Primary School,” Lu Yibei replied coolly.

A primary school abandoned for decades, and never a single haunting incident-that’s what’s truly strange!

There’s definitely something wrong with that place.

Besides, the medical university haunting incident… was my doing.

Lu Yibei thought, glancing at Uncle Zhang Shan’s bored, slightly disappointed expression in the rearview mirror, and shook her head.

Maybe I should arrange a few hauntings at his place someday?

Listening to stories is nothing compared to experiencing them firsthand!