Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 453 - 423 Wuyou Strange Tales 1

Chapter 453: 423 Wuyou Strange Tales 1

In the past, when I investigated urban and rural legends, I would first visit the people who had experienced these legends.

On one hand, it was to prepare before conducting fieldwork; on the other hand, if these "witnesses" were merely making up stories for publicity, I could expose their falsehoods at this stage, thus saving the trouble of further investigation. Such false legends were quite common, and having dealt with many, interviewing witnesses had become a crucial step before conducting field investigations on legends.

This is how I came to know Xiaoqiao, my junior. A few months ago, she passed by an abandoned construction site where she witnessed a blood-soaked evil spirit, which inexplicably transported her inside an unfinished building. Fortunately, the spirit seemed to have weak mana and, after capturing Xiaoqiao, struggled to proceed further, ultimately just watching helplessly as Xiaoqiao fled in a panic.

Later on, she posted her experience on the university forum. Not long after, I visited her, and she nervously recounted the entire incident to me.

I briefly explained to Zhu Shi my previous encounter with Xiaoqiao, while the junior added, "Later, there was a policeman named Kong who asked me similar questions. I’m not sure if he’s related to that official organization rumored to handle paranormal events. I even checked with the local police station, but they all said no such person exists there..."

Agent Kong had previously mentioned, during his explanation about the abandoned construction site legend, that "the witness claimed..." and such. It seems that even though Agent Kong secretly operates as a Fallen Demon Hunter, he still fulfills his duties as an agent openly.

"I never heard you mention anything like this before..." Zhu Shi said, looking at Xiaoqiao in astonishment.

"The whole thing was too terrifying. I didn’t dare to recount it to others, let alone even think about it," Xiaoqiao said.

To be honest, I couldn’t quite empathize with this mindset. Even without my pursuit of the supernatural, as an ordinary person, I believe one should actively seek help from the outside world after experiencing a supernatural incident.

She continued, "Furthermore, not long after, that abandoned construction site mysteriously exploded. I assumed the matter ended then, so I wanted to bury it inside my heart and pretend nothing ever happened.

"In fact, I wanted to confirm with the senior, but ever since then, he’s rarely shown up at the school, and then he simply disappeared...

"Well... Senior, let me confirm, could it be that the reason you disappeared a while back was because of me..."

As she said this, a look of unease appeared on her face.

It appeared that she believed I had gotten entangled in some troublesome events recently and that this trouble was caused by her.

Though not entirely mistaken, it was because of her post about the abandoned construction site legend on the university forum that I was led into the site and encountered Mazao there. Following that, my "disappearance" was directly associated with Mazao. On thinking back, I felt I had to thank this outwardly gentle junior for the wonderful encounter she had inadvertently led me to.

I felt a lot of goodwill toward her now.

"Don’t worry, you didn’t do anything wrong,"

I consoled her, then continued, "Let’s get back to the main topic—have you once again encountered a supernatural event recently?"

Xiaoqiao seemed to relax slightly at first, then, as if recalling something important, said worriedly, "Yes."

For someone who had never encountered a supernatural event before, unexpectedly encountering one at some point was a breakthrough from zero to one. Unless they perish in the first encounter, they would then continually encounter new supernatural dangers. This is acknowledged as a curse of the abnormal world.

Not divulging her experience to her classmate Zhu Shi truly was a misstep. If she had spoken out, Zhu Shi would likely have found a way to protect her, or, like Lu Chan recommended Agent Kong to Luoshan Academy in the past, propose she undergoes related training to handle supernatural dangers in her future life.

"So, what specific event did you experience this time?" Zhu Shi asked seriously. "Now that you have met Zhuang Cheng, isn’t it time to share your experience?"

"Hmm..."

Xiaoqiao glanced at Zhu Shi with a hint of curiosity, then hesitantly nodded.

She started with a legend recently spreading on the internet.

Since last year, legend culture had become increasingly popular online. This particular tale was mixed among them and appeared indistinguishable from those grandiose false legends. Its content wasn’t complicated, resembling a Pen Spirit or Monkey’s Paw legend, where wishes were realized for the witness.

"It’s said that this legend can only be seen online by those who strongly pessimistic about their lives and believe they can’t change their circumstances by their own efforts in the remaining days," Xiaoqiao said. "The legend states that by going to a secluded spot in one’s city, like a midnight park, deserted unfinished building, or suburb wilderness, and repeatedly writing the legend’s content on paper, a mysterious figure will appear to guide them.

"This mysterious figure takes them to a mysterious place where all life-related troubles can be resolved.

"Past regrets, present worries, future concerns—all dissolve into nothing there.

"Those who repost the legend online claimed that they are returnees from this legend incident and truly resolved all their life’s worries there.

"They also stated that by following the legend’s instructions, one could even gain powers to compete with monsters like evil spirits."

The legend’s content ended here. For convenience, I decided to refer to it as the "Carefree Legend."

Zhu Shi asked, "So... did you follow it?"

Xiaoqiao regretfully nodded, then continued, "If it were just about solving some regret or worry, I wouldn’t have taken the bait, but I indeed have worries about the future. Recently in society, haven’t there been constant discussions about supernatural matters? Things once believed to be nonexistent are now discussed as if completely natural...

"After experiencing the abandoned construction site legend, I thought those evil spirits and demons would continue lurking in the unknown corners of society. As long as I lived my life properly and weren’t too unlucky, I’d be free from encountering such things again. But now, they’re boldly appearing under sunlight, transitioning from the domain of the unusual to that of common knowledge.

"At the thought of perhaps encountering creatures like that again despite a cautious life, I felt extremely uneasy. So, after seeing that legend, I thought since I’d end up facing it again eventually, why not take the initiative and see if I could really obtain powers countering monsters...

"I admit getting blinded by gain. When I wanted to turn back, it was already too late."

She went on to recount her experience.

A few days ago, at dawn, Xiaoqiao was in the campus grove, took out her phone, and squatted with her legs together, placing her notebook on her thighs. She took out a pen and repeatedly copied the "Carefree Legend" content from the repost page. By this point, she already regretted it, feeling she was doing something foolish but still held onto the mindset of "since I’m already here" intending to see it through to the end.

When she looked up again, unexpectedly, a shadowy figure had appeared before her.

Both legs went limp, and she fell to the ground in fright, yelling uncontrollably. It wasn’t just because the shadow appeared so suddenly but also because it didn’t even look human. Its body seemed to be formed entirely of pure shadows, appearing pitch black even under the phone’s light.

The shadow showed no response to Xiaoqiao’s extreme reaction. She wanted to flee but felt too weak to even stand. After crying out for a while, she realized the shadow seemed harmless, and the volume of her cries gradually decreased.

Seeing her finally calm down a bit, the shadow spoke, saying, "Follow me." It then turned and began slowly moving away.

Only then did she realize that this could be the mysterious figure from the "Carefree Legend" meant to guide the witness to a mysterious place.

Upon realizing this legend was genuine, she instinctively felt fear and wanted to retreat, pondering if she should stop delving deeper.

Yet, many legends circulating in urban and rural areas contain premises where, if one doesn’t complete the legend’s prescribed content in order, it would lead to unpredictable terrifying consequences. After experiencing the abandoned construction site legend, she gained some understanding of legend culture. If she aborted halfway and ignored the shadowy figure, turning to leave, it might transform into a vengeful ghost, killing her on the spot.

She had no choice but to follow the mysterious figure, and before long, found herself out of the school campus and into a populated area. Even late at night, there were a few food stalls and customers on the street, yet eerily, nobody noticed the dark, shadowy creature as if it existed in a different "layer" than them.

Surrounded by such a chilling, paranormal atmosphere, Xiaoqiao felt a coldness envelop her hands and feet, wanting to call for help from those around her but fearing that doing so would only draw them into danger.

As Zhu Shi’s friend, even though she was timid and apprehensive by nature, she was still kind-hearted. No matter how one looked, this shadowy creature possessed demonic power beyond mortal comprehension. Even if everyone on this street united to attack it recklessly, her mind simply couldn’t envisage a scenario where mere human strength could kill it.

After traversing a certain distance, she was led to a secluded place not far from the university campus.

This was precisely the abandoned construction site that once haunted her nightmares—the half-destroyed unfinished building stood like a strangely shaped tombstone in the night.