Volume 2, Chapter 12 (Chapter 50): Tattoo

“Is that so?” Yibei asked. “Isn’t it strange for him to just carry an item like Acala, the Immovable, around? He might be related to a cult of some sort, so maybe you should keep a close eye on him!”

“R-right,” Jiangli nodded. “I will investigate this, uh, person named Bai Kai Shui.”

“My next question! When I was spying on Mr Rabbit and his accomplices, I saw a strange tattoo on one of his accomplices…”

As soon as he mentioned a tattoo, Jiangli’s pupils shrank as she slightly trembled as if she remembered something terrible.

“I originally wanted to look for it in the Night Division Records, but I couldn’t find anything on it…”

“I know exactly what you are talking about. We are trying to track them down. In short, they are a terrorist organisation, and you know too much about them. I suggest steering clear of them if you happen to run into them.”

‘A terrorist organisation?’ he frowned. ‘I can’t avoid them even if I wanted to; they seem to be tracking me down! Hell, one of them stole my dinner!’

“Alright,” Jiangli broke the silence. “That’s enough for today. Come back tomorrow.”

“B-but I still have a lot of questions,” he pouted. However, seeing Jiangli’s steely expression, he sighed as he turned to leave.

The moment he pushed open the office door, Jiangli called out to him, “Wait!”

“What is it?”

“Don’t go out for the next two or three nights. Urban legends become more active during the transition of the dark moon to the new moon.”

“Speaking of which, I have something serious to ask!”

“Speak.”

“Do you have any other psychic items I could use? I don’t have any psychic energy, so doesn’t that mean that the statue I have is useless?”

Jiangli glared at him, and he immediately ran out of the office.

On Peony Street, the wind swept by, and the few ancient willows danced in the wind.

Yibei walked on the ancient street and pondered as he admired the scenery: ‘Since urban legends can feed on human fear or worship, doesn’t that mean I won’t have to hunt in the future? How can I make humans believe in me?’

‘A podcast? A video? I don’t know if there’s a distance limit either.’

He decided to register two accounts later to test it out. The most important thing today was to sneak into the girls’ dormitory.

Although it was a bit shameful, he swore he was about to starve to death. Who cares about dignity when you have an empty stomach?

‘And when I get my hands on that girl hosting that damned baby…’

“Lu Yibei?”

A gentle voice interrupted his thought process, and a handsome, well-proportioned, tall man appeared before him. His smile was like a spring breeze as he towered over Yibei.

“And you are?”

“Li Xuan,” he smiled. “I am Operator No. 2 of the Night Division. You don’t know me, but I know you. Let me tell you: someone is going all the way for you, even going so far as to slash my tires…”

“My bad, that’s not important,” he corrected himself.

‘Operator No. 2? Does that mean he’s stronger than Jiangli since she’s Operator No. 5?’ he wondered.

“So, you’re my boss’s colleague. Is something wrong?”

“No, no. I just saw you wandering around the streets mindlessly and wondered if you needed help.

“That’s true,” he hesitated to speak but had an idea. He started telling Li Xuan about how he asked Jiangli to provide him with something to defend himself with but was rejected.

“I see, haha! Don’t mind her. It’s not that she doesn’t want to give it to you; it’s just that she doesn’t have anything to give to you.”

As he spoke, he groped around in his pockets and took out an intricate trinket carved with decorations of the moon, eyes, and birds. It was like a tiny pebble in Yibei’s palm.

“This is an amulet I made in my spare time, and it chases away bad luck. Treat it like I’m making amends for you on behalf of Jiangli. Oh, and this little thing can also repel mosquitoes.”

“Oh, uh, thanks,” Yibei said in a daze.

“I’ll be heading off to headquarters. I was supposed to be on duty today, but I got so drunk that I slept past my alarm! See you later!”

Yibei bid him farewell and watched as he left, fiddling with the cold pebble in his hand.

‘He seems nice and down to earth. I didn’t know the Night Division had people like this. Tsk!’

Huacheng, in an apartment near the Underground.

A room decorated with seductive, enticing colours, embedded with Tiffany jewels, and an intricate mirror on the ceiling; beneath the mirror was a large, peach-coloured, round water bed, and it was strangely reminiscent of a bed you would find in a luxury hotel.

On the big, round bed, a blonde woman with a gorgeous figure and pristine skin slept soundly in Bai Kai’s arms. The messy bed told a story of a war that happened last night.

Bai Kai held her in one hand and his phone in another and stuck it to his ear. His expression gradually became serious, and he snuck out of bed, wrapping the blanket over her naked body. He left the room and shut the door gently as he sat in his living room.

“Yibei reported you to me, saying that you might be in a cult,” Jiangli’s cold voice came from the other end of the phone. “By the way, does he actually hate you?”

“Absolutely not!” he yelled. “How could he ever hate me? The fact that he chose to report this means that he has a sense of justice and a high degree of vigilance!”

“Well, to me, it sounded like he hates your guts.”

“Shut up! Doesn’t this mean that this problem is solved? What’s the point of calling me?”

“It’s unreliable,” she replied coldly. “Sooner or later, he’s going to find out. You should find a way to deal with him as soon as possible. Next time, I’m not lying to cover for you.”

“Okay, okay, geez, I get it,” he sighed as he hung up. He lit up a cigarette and looked at the painting on the wall.

His new number was also blocked by Yibei, so he couldn’t exactly contact him. He could only…

“Shui, where are you?” A soft whine came from his bedroom. “Shui, this goblin cave needs a big stick!”

Bai Kai immediately leapt off his sofa and ran towards the bedroom with a wretched smile.

Not long after Bai Kai hung up, Jiangli’s maid, Hua, walked in angrily.

“Miss! How could he possibly ask you for another item to protect himself? I have never seen such a greedy boy in my entire life!” The maid complained. “Need me to chase him out and teach him a lesson?”

“No need,” she sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want to give him an item, it’s just that…”

Many Night Division members are non-psychics and rely on specially-made equipment to defend themselves.

These weapons are not only made to fight urban legends but could also be used against ordinary people, which means that they are extremely lethal. Weapons like these are not appropriate to hand over to a college student.

As for the other, more benign psychic items or equipment, some need psychic energy to power, like the statue of Acala, the Immovable, or some are used to detect nearby urban legends. Yibei couldn’t possibly use them.

“Hua,” Jiangli sighed as she rubbed her temples. “Leave me alone for a bit.”

“Are you okay, miss?”

“It’s fine. Just leave.”

“I-I’ll be at the door. Please call me if you need anything,” the maid responded in a low voice.

As soon as she left, Jiangli got up and unbuttoned her grey-blue cloak as she crept towards the mirror.

As the cloak slipped down her smooth back and her long hair draped over her shoulders like a cape, she turned around slowly, brushing aside the hair that obscured her back.

A Black Sun Totem tattoo was reflected in the mirror.

She stared at the tattoo from the corner of her eye, thoughtful.

‘The Solar Eclipse…’

One day, I’ll destroy you with my own hands, Jiangli thought, as her eyes turned an icy blue.