CH 5

At half past four in the morning, on the opposite side of the city,

A new moon emerged from the dark clouds, and the ancient house hidden in the night revealed a dilapidated appearance.

Under the layers of ivy and vines was a wall that had already peeled off. The courtyard was scattered with dead leaves behind an iron gate that was full of rust. The old and sparsely maintained fountain had already dried up, and the stone carvings of gryphons on both sides of the fountain were cracked and shattered.

The building was eerily gloomy.

This is the Amber House, located on the outskirts of Huacheng. It used to belong to a wealthy businessman, but he committed suicide due to bankruptcy. Rumours that it was a haunted house gradually spread, and it was soon abandoned.

Up until now, nobody knew that there were still people living in this house.

It now belongs to a young girl named Jiangli.

Jiangli slept soundly on the rose-coloured bed in the depths of the house.

Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a few beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“Click, click, click!”

The clicking sound of high heels hitting the marble floor echoed in the corridor, and the brass doorknob was gently turned.

A maid in a classical maid outfit walked into the room, stepped before Jiangli’s bed, and bowed respectfully.

The maid didn’t speak, but Jiangli woke up anyways. As soon as she opened her eyes, a scarlet light flashed in her eyes.

It subsided like an ebbing tide, and her eyes returned to their pristine, sea-blue colour.

The little maid uttered, “Miss, a Level C Energy Alarm.”

“Do you really need me to deal with that?” Jiangli asked.

The little maid didn’t speak, and Jiangli sighed.

“Where is it?”

“That direction of Changsheng Road.”

“Right. Help me get out of my clothes.”

The rose-coloured duvet slid off her body, and three thousand silver threads hung down like a waterfall, covering her snow-white body. Her slender and exquisite curves were faintly visible.

The maid helped her up, walked her to the chair of the dressing table, and sat her down.

With the help of the light, you can see her reflection: long, silvery hair; a delicate oval face; and a petite, thin body that evokes pity in people.

It’s a pity that this delicate, doll-like girl isn’t so perfect.

Her slender right leg, from the knee down, was a prosthetic made of metal. On the silver shell of the prosthetic limb, there were strange runes engraved on it that emitted a light blue shimmer.

While helping her comb her hair, the maid asked, “What do you want to wear today?”

“The one I bought two days ago. Hand me my walking stick while you’re at it. We can leave without breakfast.”

“Okay, miss.”

Twenty minutes later, Huacheng, Changsheng Road

Several police cars were parked next to an old apartment building, and a barrier was pulled up in front of the entrance of the apartment, with red and blue police lights flashing.

Four policemen were walking out, carrying a stretcher. From the outline under the white cloth, a feminine figure could be seen.

Not long after, a black car came and parked by the side of the road. Seeing the car approaching, the person in charge immediately walked up towards it. The car window rolled down, revealing Jiangli and her frowning, pale face.

“What happened here?” she asked, flashing her silver badge.

The mourning barn owl was the symbol of the Night Division.

The Night Division is a semi-official organization composed of psychics with unique abilities, specializing in dealing with various things related to ghost stories.

Outside the car window, the person in charge helplessly smiled, “We can’t handle this. A strange attack happened.”

“Anyways, according to regulations, after we confirm it, we have to notify your night meeting.”

“But I’m not the operator on duty tonight,” Jiangli said tiredly.

“I know it’s Bai. We’ve notified him, and he’s already here. He told us to notify you.”

“Whatever. Any witnesses?”

“No.”

It would be much easier to deal with an attack without witnesses. It saves a lot of effort needed to suppress the spread of rumours.

Thinking about it, she turned around and patted the back of the driver’s seat lightly: “Hua, I’ll go up and take a look.”

“Okay, miss.”

At the same time, Hua handed her the black cane with a silver unicorn on top.

She took the cane and got out of the car, and told her maid, “You don’t have to go up with me. You can stay here.”

She was wearing a slim suit jacket lined with a white shirt, and under her high-waisted dress, the black silk concealed her prosthetic leg. However, it couldn’t cover her difficulty walking.

Although it was not the first time working together with her, the person in charge couldn’t help but feel bad.

“She’s nice, but she’s weird too. What a pity!”

“Hmph!” the maid snorted beside him, hearing his words. “Our mistress doesn’t need your pity!”

“My bad.”

Changsheng Road was located in a remote place, neither close to the business district nor the school district. A few people lived here, and almost all of them were students looking for cheap house rent.

There were very few residents in the unit building. The whole building was vacated after a short evacuation. Jiangli walked through the quiet corridor, and the only sound that could be heard was her high heels.

The murder scene wasn’t big; it was a one-bedroom rental house with simple decorations.

As soon as she entered the door, she was greeted with a strong smell of blood rushing towards her face.

There was already a man who arrived first.

A handsome man with a soft yet masculine face—he had fair skin, a slender neck, and a pair of eyes that were like cold stars on a winter night.

He was wearing a classic, dark brown suit with a silver owl on his chest; the placket was slightly opened, and a crimson rose was embroidered on the exposed collar of his white shirt. He exuded a poetic and romantic aura yet possessed the sharp temperament of a swordsman.

This same man was squatting at the door of the bedroom, eating instant noodles, as Jiangli arrived.

The hand holding the fork gulped down the noodles in big bites, and the soup splashed all over.

It was as if he didn’t care that there was a horribly mangled corpse in the same room as him just a few minutes ago.

Hearing her footsteps, he put down his instant noodles and wiped his mouth with an advertising leaflet, smiling warmly at Jiangli.

“You’re here! I was getting hungry, so I was eating when you arrived. I hope you didn’t mind, did you?”

Jiangli’s eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

“Bai Kai, I’m not on duty tonight, but you called me here. It better be important.”

“Eugh, you called me by my full name. I feel like I committed a crime. I’m your senior, for God’s sake! Besides, I called you here because I was thinking of you!”

“Of me?” she frowned.

“Yup! Weren’t you responsible for hunting down Miss Twilight?”

“This attack is related to her?”

“That’s right,” he smiled, revealing a bunch of pale strands from his coat pocket. “Look, rabbit fur.”

“The rabbit again?”

A strange tale of a witch was circulating, and her name was Twilight.

She is a girl with a gorgeous long dress like she just hopped out of a fairy tale. She appears at dusk, wandering the city with a parasol.

Those who are attracted to her beauty will go mad as soon as they hear her discordant screams used to deter them, and they will involuntarily become her servants as they lose control of themselves.

Half a year ago, Jiangli assassinated Miss Twilight, but it seems that she has returned.

In many cases, strange stories can never truly die down. As long as people believe in them, they will live forever.

The operators of the Night Division can only kill them over and over again so that they cannot cause damage until they are completely forgotten by people.

Mr Rabbit is the only one left among the servants of Miss Twilight. Recently, he murdered three people in a row, and all those attacked have the potential to become psychic users.

These people are easy to screen out from ordinary people since only psychics or potential psychics are the only ones who can see them physically.

The blood containing psychic energy is like a drug to those horrifying rumours, nourishing their strength and strengthening them with incredible powers.

“If you can see them, you’re already dead.”

This is the most common phrase told to newcomers to the Night Division.

Because of Mr Rabbit’s murders, Jiangli concluded that Miss Twilight would re-emerge soon, as she needed the blood to restore her strength.

Bai Kai curled his lips and said, “I know you’ve already killed that rabbit, but as long as there are idiots who believe that rabbits are a symbol of evil, they will always come back.”

“This isn’t that simple, is it? You’re telling me stuff I already know, so just get to the point already.”

“I called you here because I suspect that Miss Twilight isn’t actually awake, and the recent attacks have nothing to do with her,” he explained. “That rabbit wants to accumulate strength for himself, so he can get rid of her control.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Bai Kai confirmed it enthusiastically. “First, we know that it is awake, but Miss Twilight isn’t.”

“Second,” he continued. “Judging from the remaining psychic energy around the area, it has basically advanced from a Level C threat to a Level B threat, which means if we don’t stop it quickly, a new witch will be born in Huacheng.”

Hearing this, her face became serious. If a rumour and urban legend are successfully formed, then that creature will be close to a Level A threat, and the damage that may follow will be unimaginable.

All of the threats that Jiangli faced were all Level B threats that were close to Level A, and even then, they caused hundreds of casualties.

Therefore, preventing the birth of a witch means saving at least hundreds of lives!

“I see,” Jiangli pondered. “I’ll keep an eye on it.”

She turned around and left, and Bai Kai rolled his eyes and said, “I shared that out of the kindness of my heart, and not even a little thank you? How cruel! What’s the use of her being beautiful if she’s mean!”

“Heh, is that so? I’m sure you need a partner soon,” Jiangli’s voice echoed through the corridor.

His expression stiffened immediately, feeling bad for talking badly about her.

He realised that he was utterly alone—he had no children, no partner, and even his closest friend had died, and his life was looking bleak…