Chapter 443: A Down-to-Earth Story

Rain drifted down from the sky.

A figure clad in a black raincoat flashed by, swiftly approaching the cold storage warehouse in the distant suburbs, feet treading on damp, muddy soil, making faint, sticky sounds.

“Creak–!”

The old, heavy iron door was pushed open, letting out a sigh-like groan.

The person slipped into the cold storage, dropped to one knee before Berses, cupped his fists and said, “Sir, we’ve just received word from Team A-they’ve finally found traces of the Calamity.”

“Oh?” Berses’ face lit up with joy. “Are they keeping a close watch?”

Among the thirty-some special individuals he’d discovered, the Calamity was one of the subjects he most longed to study.

“Reporting, sir, Team A has already followed her and plans to act tonight.”

“Tonight?” Berses sneered. “Those reckless fools… Even with the treasures I’ve given them, acting tonight is a bit too confident, isn’t it?”

The so-called treasures were the fruits of Berses’ long-term work with the Beast of Inheritance.

By using the flesh and blood of the Beast of Inheritance, contacting the powers of other hauntings and replicating them, then applying Alchemy for a certain degree of deactivation, he had created special Alchemical potions that could temporarily grant psychics or hauntings multiple powers.

However, so far, the powers these special Alchemical potions could bestow were only up to a B- level at best.

If the psychic energy fluctuation level went any higher, not only would the bodies of psychics or hauntings struggle to withstand the destructive force of high-tier powers, but their own powers would also sharply intensify the rejection reaction to new powers.

Berses had tried to improve it many times, but had never achieved a breakthrough.

This was one of the reasons he was so eager to study the Calamity.

If he could capture the Calamity alive, and use her extraordinary trait of accommodating multiple high-tier haunting powers, combined with the Beast of Inheritance’s ability to replicate most powers, Berses was confident he could even create a “deity.”

That would be a true “deity” in every sense-capable of wielding multiple haunting powers, nearly omnipotent-not the flawed, incomplete powers of a mythical type haunting.

However…

“This can’t be rushed. Go tell those guys in Team A to keep a close watch on the Calamity and wait for the right moment to act,” Berses said.

Berses had gathered information from all sorts of channels, carefully studied the Calamity’s management of Hua City’s hauntings, as well as some of her past experiences, and with her elusive ways, he could almost conclude that her vigilance was exceptionally high.

Although, with the help of special Alchemical potions, Team A’s psychics and hauntings did have a certain chance of capturing the Calamity.

But if they failed and alerted her, making the Calamity wary, it would be much harder to catch her alive.

So Berses believed that to capture the Calamity, he had to find the right moment-a moment where, if he struck, he would surely succeed.

After all, he had plenty of patience.

Just like a few years ago, when he wanted Jiang Li, who had extremely high psychic potential, to become his test subject.

He spent nearly a year, gradually luring Jiang Li’s father into the abyss of gambling, turning him from a good husband and father into a mindless gambler who eventually lost everything.

He even sent someone to deliver the ticket for Jiang Li’s father’s last trip to Dream Come True Entertainment City.

He firmly believed that even an ancient monster like Gou Meng, who had existed for centuries, would show a flaw, and the Calamity would also, at some point, reveal her weakness.

—-

Under the night sky, a taxi sped through the empty city, the chilly spring rain pattering on the windows, making faint, dense sounds, as if whispering of the coming cold snap.

The ride was silent. Lu Yibei gazed thoughtfully at the city outside, washed clean by the spring rain.

As the King of Hauntings in Hua City, she could use Ley Line Energy to sense the location of most hauntings within the city.

After hearing Uncle Zhang Shan say that Ban Shan Primary School had been closed for over forty years without a single haunting incident, she already felt a vague unease.

Although it was normal for there to be no children in claypot rice, an abandoned school-a place so eerie-felt off in the current climate of surging hauntings.

As she drew closer to the old mining district near Hua City’s cement plant, Ban Shan Primary School loomed ahead. Lu Yibei used Ley Line Energy to probe the surroundings, and the sense of unease in her heart grew even stronger.

It was as if something extremely dangerous was approaching.

That feeling was like cold, delicate spider silk, wrapping around her chest, making her unusually anxious.

Around Ban Shan Primary School, she couldn’t sense any hauntings at all-not even within a three-kilometer radius.

If Ley Line Energy was like a haunting version of the Sky Eye systems, then that place was like a surveillance blind spot.

There were two possible reasons for this.

The first was that after Ban Shan Primary School closed, almost everyone who knew of its existence had forgotten about it, rarely mentioned it, and with no haunting legend spreading, naturally no hauntings would be born.

But the probability of that was low.

According to Uncle Zhang Shan, Ban Shan Primary School was abandoned not just because of the cement plant’s restructuring, but also due to technical flaws and over-extraction at the limestone mine, which caused cave-ins, leading to the school’s foundation deforming and the buildings becoming hazardous.

Not far beneath the school lay the collapsed mine where people had died. Anywhere else, haunting legends would have evolved into a dozen or more versions by now.

The second possibility is that something exists there that the hauntings fear-perhaps a haunting so powerful it can shield itself from Ley Line Energy detection.

Given that when she previously asked the hauntings in Hua City about Ban Shan Primary School, none of them knew anything, Lu Yibei felt that there was a high chance a terrifying haunting capable of blocking Ley Line Energy detection lurked within Ban Shan Primary School.

Could that haunting be Qi Nanzhu?

If so, would my sudden visit offend her and provoke an attack? Lu Yibei wondered.

Just then, Zhang Shan’s slightly trembling voice reached her ears.

“W-why did you take out a knife?”

“Huh?” Lu Yibei was startled and looked down.

She’d been so absorbed in her thoughts that only when Uncle Zhang Shan interrupted did she realize she’d somehow already taken the Pure Lotus Sword out of its metal case and was holding it in her hand.

“Uh…” Lu Yibei watched as Zhang Shan freed up a hand and took a stun baton out of his storage box, then organized her words and explained, “Don’t be scared! We’re almost there, right? I have to be prepared in advance, just in case we run into something inside and get caught off guard.”

“But…” Zhang Shan frowned, hesitating to speak.

But hadn’t he just said there were no hauntings there?

“You want to say there’s never been a haunting incident there, right?” Lu Yibei’s gaze was teasing. “Utter foolishness!”

“You humans, most of you are always like this-easily deceived by appearances, preferring to believe what you want to believe. But sometimes, the truth is often contrary to what most people think.”

“Have you ever considered that the reason Ban Shan Primary School has no hauntings is simply because you’re not aware of them? That doesn’t mean there aren’t any hauntings there.”

“Have you ever gone inside at midnight, when the crows rise and fall?” Lu Yibei asked in a sinister tone, the pale glow of the headlights reflecting off her expressionless face.

Hearing Lu Yibei speak this way about his alma mater, Zhang Shan frowned and probed, “So you’re saying there are hauntings in Ban Shan Primary School, I just don’t know about them?”

“Then, when you go in later, can you take me with you? I’ll just follow behind and observe, collect some material-I promise I won’t cause trouble!”

“……”

Listening to stories isn’t enough anymore, now you want to go in and see for yourself?

You’re really getting bold…

Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, thought seriously for a moment, then didn’t answer Zhang Shan’s question. Instead, she changed the subject: “How about I tell you a story? Consider it your fare.”

Zhang Shan, “……” Didn’t you just say there’d be no story today? Making it up on the spot? You just don’t want to pay the fare, do you?

“A long time ago-well, about forty years ago-there was a primary school built around a mining site, attended by the children of the mine’s workers,” Lu Yibei began.

“The story takes place one afternoon. That day, all the students were quietly attending class in their classrooms when suddenly, a terrible earthquake struck.”

“In an instant, the earth shook, the sun and moon lost their light, and with a deafening roar, the school buildings collapsed. Most of the students and teachers didn’t have time to escape and were buried alive beneath the rubble.”

“In that disaster, many people died, including several of little Zhang’s closest buddies…”

“Wait!” The more Zhang Shan listened, the more wrong it felt. He couldn’t help but interrupt, “Why do I feel like you’re hinting at something?”

Over forty years ago, Ban Shan Primary School did experience a minor “earthquake” due to a mining accident, and that “earthquake” turned the school buildings into hazardous structures.

“No! There are plenty of people with the surname Zhang, why does it have to be you?” Lu Yibei replied expressionlessly and with conviction. “I just saw the scene and suddenly thought of this story, that’s all.”

She paused, glanced at Zhang Shan through the rearview mirror, and seeing he said nothing, continued, “Little Zhang and his buddies were very close friends-like brothers, really. As they were dying, they worried about Xiao Shan…”

“Hey! Zhang Shan, you’re really not talking about me?” Zhang Shan growled in a low voice, his palms sweating.

“You’re overthinking it! My story is just more down-to-earth, that’s all,” Lu Yibei denied, then…

Silently activated her charm ability.

According to her deduction, Ban Shan Primary School might be hiding an extremely terrifying haunting. Even letting Uncle Zhang Shan approach the school was already dangerous; if he really followed her inside, she couldn’t guarantee his safety.

As for why she didn’t just tell him the truth and let him leave on his own…

First, Lu Yibei worried that even if he knew there was a haunting in Ban Shan Primary School, Zhang “inflated” Shan would only get more excited.

Second, telling a story meant she didn’t have to pay the fare!

“They worried about little Zhang, who was unconscious, and couldn’t bear for him to wake up and see such a cruel scene. They all knew little Zhang was timid and weak, probably unable to handle it all.”

Zhang Shan, “……” She’s definitely talking about me. When I was a kid, I started reading haunting stories to toughen up because I was so timid, and eventually got obsessed with them!

That’s right, as a haunting, she must have many ways to learn about my past.

But why is she suddenly telling me all this? Could it be…

Impossible, impossible-I just had drinks with them not long ago. How could they be hauntings? Zhang Shan thought.

Although Lu Yibei’s story differed from his own experiences in some details, under the influence of her charm ability, he couldn’t help but feel she was an old woman who’d lived through those events, and her words seemed highly credible.

Unconsciously, his palms sweated, cold sweat slid down his cheeks, his heart thumped wildly, and Lu Yibei’s slow, slightly eerie voice kept echoing in his ears.

“So, they chose to become hauntings, weaving a dream together for little Zhang-a dream as real as reality.”

“In the dream, the earthquake didn’t collapse the school buildings. In the dream, in the school where hundreds died or were injured, there were no hauntings. In the dream, little Zhang’s memory was frozen at the happiest moment, his buddies always by his side, growing up together.”

As Lu Yibei spoke, she activated Meng’s lnnate skill. A few invisible tendrils reached out from behind her, silently attaching themselves to the top of Zhang Shan’s head.

Soon, you’ll get to experience a full-projection haunting story! Lu Yibei thought, quietly observing the scenery outside, ready at any moment to let Zhang Shan see his “buddies.”

“As time passed, by chance, little Zhang-now a middle-aged man-returned to his old haunts. His buddies sensed his approach, discussed it, and made a decision: to tell little Zhang the truth.”

“They believed that the grown-up Zhang was now a responsible, upright man, surely able to face the cruel truth of the past.”

“So, they waited quietly at the foot of the mountain where the school once stood, waiting for little Zhang to arrive, until midnight came and the crows rose and fell.”

As her words ended, the skill activated.

The next moment, Zhang Shan turned a corner, and the school gate of Ban Shan Primary School suddenly appeared out of nowhere ahead on the road, entering his field of vision.

“Screech-!”

The harsh sound of the emergency brake rang out as the taxi stopped by the roadside, wild grass growing thick, cold wind whistling.

At the end of the headlights’ beam, the school gate, rusted and surrounded by rampant vegetation, stood.

Five pale figures stood side by side, waving gently and mechanically, as if bidding farewell, or beckoning someone to approach.

Behind them, the outlines of the mountain swallowed by darkness and the ruins of the school looked like a beast lying in wait, ready to devour.

The rain-moistened concrete road winding through the mountains stretched from the school gate all the way to the car, gleaming under the high beams, as if it were a road leading to heaven-or to the underworld.

Seeing the scene before him, Zhang Shan instantly felt like he was about to fall apart. If it weren’t for his regular exercise and decent physical condition, he would’ve had an acute cardiovascular episode right then and there.

I don’t mind you telling a down-to-earth story-in fact, I’m quite happy about it-but you can’t just pull this straight-from-the-underworld stunt! Zhang Shan cursed Lu Yibei fiercely in his heart.

In his memory, Ban Shan Primary School should still be three to five minutes away by car.

But now, the school gate had suddenly appeared right in front of him. A few familiar faces were even waving at him from the entrance. This was a hundred percent, no, two hundred percent a haunting incident.

“Uncle, why did you stop?” Lu Yibei leaned in behind Zhang Shan at just the right moment, whispering in his ear, “Hurry up and keep going!”

“Gulp-!” Zhang Shan swallowed hard, pointed outside the window, and said weakly, “We-we’re already here! It’s, it’s right up ahead.”

“Up ahead? Isn’t that just the road? I don’t see the school!” Lu Yibei asked in confusion. “Could it be… you saw something?”

“I didn’t!” Zhang Shan blurted out, then realized his reaction was too intense and might arouse suspicion, so he quickly lowered his voice.

“I-I’ll just drop you off here, okay? You should get out now.”

“Huh? Didn’t you just say you’d go into the school with me to have a look?” Lu Yibei tilted her head.

As she spoke, her small hand grabbed Zhang Shan’s shoulder, and at the same time, she quietly channeled a faint psychic energy. A bone-chilling cold seeped from her fingertips, as icy as a corpse crawling out of a morgue.

Zhang Shan shuddered, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. “No, no, I’m not going. I have to hurry back to my livestream. If I don’t get back soon, my listeners will be worried.”

“All right then!” Lu Yibei sighed in mock resignation. “Um, Uncle, how much is the fare? Someone told me when I came that you always have to pay for a ride.”

“No need, just go!” Zhang Shan shouted emotionally.

Lu Yibei shrugged, quickly pushed open the car door, and got out.

A gentle breeze and light rain swept in. She carried the Pure Lotus Sword on one shoulder, swaggering forward, listening to the roar of the car and the hum of the engine behind her, feeling quite pleased.

What is humanitarian spirit? This is humanitarian spirit!

Not only is he eager to help others and never charges for rides, but when he gets scared, the sense of fullness he provides is so much greater than that of normal people.

Uncle Zhang Shan really is a good person! Good people should live long lives, so if there’s any danger, let me face it alone.

Thinking this, Lu Yibei fixed her gaze on the faintly visible buildings halfway up the mountain, her eyes narrowing.

—-

Two minutes later.

Just after Lu Yibei left the roadside at the foot of Ban Shan Primary School, a gust of wind rose from the darkness.

Five black shadows swept over from the distance. After pausing briefly, they glanced in the direction Zhang Shan had left, then swiftly chased after Lu Yibei, running up the mountainside…