Chirp

Fang Xian sat there, taking the opportunity to look around.

Even in the middle of the night, the General Affairs Bureau was brightly lit and bustling with people.

Now and then, cries rang out. There were also people who looked like unemployed street toughs.

What went on every day in this steel metropolis of Jiangcheng?

Click.

Beyond the glass, the door on the right opened.

A couple came out. The woman seemed to be crying, but she was too far away for Fang Xian to make out her expression.

"Wang He and Li Yu."

Fang Xian tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Chen Lin noticed where he was looking. "They want to thank you in person."

Fang Xian smiled. "Officer, I told you already. I do good deeds anonymously."

Chen Lin said, "But they know your name is Fang Xian."

Fang Xian leaned back lazily. "But I'm not a journalism major."

Chen Lin did not press him.

There was something strange about the young man in front of her.

Still, he had helped solve two cases in a row.

One was a stalking case; the other, a disappearance that had gone cold ten years ago.

Could supernatural powers really exist in this world?

As a police officer, Chen Lin refused to believe it.

"By the way, why haven't I seen that other officer tonight?"

Fang Xian had asked the question out of nowhere.

Chen Lin studied him as though weighing something. After a moment, she said, "Have you heard of the Jiangzhou Rainy Night Murder Case?"

Fang Xian nodded calmly. "Is there anyone in Jiangzhou who hasn't?"

Chen Lin gathered up the things on the table. "He's working on it now. He's busy, and the case is urgent. There have been four murders in the past six months. The Council leadership and the public are both demanding that the General Affairs Bureau solve it as soon as possible."

"If you really have supernatural powers, perhaps you could help us."

Fang Xian narrowed his eyes. "Of course. If I get the chance."

Chen Lin glanced at the time. "It's past three. Want me to drive you back to school?"

Fang Xian hurriedly stood. "It's all right. I'll walk back and pick up some breakfast on the way."

Chen Lin did not mind. "Suit yourself."

The moon shone bright among sparse stars.

Fang Xian wore his backpack

as he walked through the streets of Jiangcheng.

He could not keep the smile off his face.

It worked!

I did it!

The moment the police had sent Li Yu and his wife to claim the remains, the urban legend mission [Going Home] had been completed.

And it was not just the reward of sixty days of life.

A red notification dot had appeared in the upper-right corner of the Urban Legend Compendium app.

It meant...

a new urban legend!

Right now, Fang Xian even found the startup ad delightful.

"When the shopping festival comes around next month, I need to buy myself a new phone."

"Otherwise, the Urban Legend Compendium keeps crashing, and I have to watch an ad every time I reopen it."

Fang Xian muttered to himself.

He opened the [Captured Urban Legends] screen.

His eyes lit up.

Beside the little bald Liu Changgui

sat an adorable chibi girl, hugging her knees.

Though she was made of pixels, she was remarkably detailed, with a vividly bewildered expression.

And... the entire urban legend glowed.

[Variant Urban Legend—Li Wan (Wandering Spirit)]

[Level: Lingering Fear]

[Urban Legend Type: Obsession]

[Basic Traits: (Moist Body) (Normal State Display) (Lethargy) (Interference) (Possession) (Attraction) (Spirit Separation) (Enclosed Liminality)]

[Personality: Afraid of loneliness]

[Condition: Excellent]

[The gifted girl died during that damp rainy season ten years ago. Once her Obsession with going home faded, she found a peace she had never known in life. She caught your scent and reached out to you, timid yet brave.]

[An Obsession this extraordinary should not normally give rise to a Ghost Story. Perhaps there was still a secret hidden within it, you thought.]

[Reflective Trait: Normal State Display, Attraction]

[Encounter Location: North Bank Garden Scenic River Pipe No. 3, Xinlin Subdistrict, Jiangcheng District, Jiangzhou City]

[Cost of Use: One day of life (per day)]

[Fulfilling her Obsession counts as a cost of use (per instance)]

Holy shit.

Now that's more like it.

Fang Xian fought to keep the corners of his mouth down.

No.

Not yet.

I can't laugh yet.

Little Baldy looked even creepier next to Li Wan.

Fang Xian pressed Li Wan's chibi pixel figure.

With each tap, the little girl went "chirp."

"It even has sound effects!"

Fang Xian was more delighted than ever.

Tonight's reward had been worth all that hard work.

Fang Xian tapped once.

"Chirp."

Fang Xian tapped again.

"Chirp."

Fang Xian pressed hard.

"Chirp."

This time, the chirp sounded a little drowsy.

That was nice, Fang Xian thought.

Wait.

Where is that sound coming from?

It did not seem to be coming from his phone.

Fang Xian always put his phone on silent before going to North Bank Residential Community to catch urban legends.

He had not switched the sound back on yet.

So where's that sound coming from?

Fang Xian looked around.

Even in Jiangcheng, the streets were almost deserted at midnight.

Trees and streetlights cast shifting shadows on either side.

"Chirp."

I didn't tap it that time, Fang Xian thought.

What's going on?

The sound seemed to ring right beside his ear.

"Holy shit!"

Fang Xian turned his head.

And suddenly saw

something white moving

on his shoulder!

Yet he felt nothing there, only a sense of unease.

"Chirp."

"Chirp."

Now Fang Xian could hardly miss her.

A long-haired little girl in white was sprawled across his shoulder.

She was small and slender.

Her skin was fair.

There was even a beauty mark on the right side of her face.

She looked like an adorable white cat.

Eyes narrowed, she seemed to be dozing peacefully on Fang Xian's shoulder.

That face...

"Li Wan?"

Fang Xian looked around.

There was a twenty-four-hour convenience store across the street.

Ding-dong.

Fang Xian went inside and picked up two rice balls.

The young cashier looked curiously at the unusually pale young man. He was rather handsome, at least—a little bright spot in her dull night shift.

"Would you like them heated?"

the cashier asked.

Fang Xian looked at her. "No, thank you."

Ding-dong.

He left the convenience store.

The cashier had not been able to see Li Wan on Fang Xian's shoulder.

"Chirp."

The little girl looked half asleep.

She moved closer to Fang Xian's face and gently nuzzled him.

Her little face actually pressed against his.

Fang Xian's face did not change.

The little girl's cheek squished slightly. She pouted, then settled into an even lazier, more comfortable sleeping position.

[Normal State Display]: If a Ghost Story does not wish to enter the Compendium, it can manifest in reality at a very low cost.

Don't try to fool me!

Fang Xian jolted.

He had seen it clearly.

Like that damned Urban Legend Compendium Basic Membership, this little girl charged him automatically!

Fang Xian took a bite of his rice ball and calmed down.

He looked at Li Wan, the little girl on his shoulder.

"Has she lost all her old memories?"

Fang Xian watched her sleep soundly.

Her little face was almost as pale as his, with a touch of adorable baby fat. A bubble even formed at her nose as she slept.

"Ten years."

"Whatever happened, Li Wan is in the past now."

Fang Xian looked into the night. "From now on, you'll stay with me. I'll call you... Xiao Jiu."

"Chirp."

Xiao Jiu narrowed her eyes sleepily, still dazed.

[Urban Legend Compendium—Variant Ghost Story]

[Xiao Jiu—Capture Successful]