"Sorry to keep you waiting."
One o'clock in the afternoon.
Chen Lusi was finally ready.
"Really kept you waiting."
Wu You stood up, looking weary, "I never realized visiting someone's house could be so painful... Lu Si, you really need to learn what hospitality means."
"Do I look like the kind of person who entertains guests?"
Chen Lusi retorted.
Wu You was left speechless and could only motion for Li Tian to head out together.
Chen Lusi followed closely, preparing to lock the door, only to find Xia Panqiu hadn't left but was instead wandering around his room.
Chen Lusi was a bit curious but didn't ask much.
He didn't have any shameful secrets, so let her wander as she liked.
"..."
Xia Panqiu pocketed the recovered camera and turned around, only to find Chen Lusi and the other two standing at the door watching her.
... Their expressions were odd.
Xia Panqiu quickly sensed something was amiss.
After all, she was in someone else's house...
So after a moment of silence, she looked at Chen Lusi and proactively asked, "Is your 'shadow' following you?"
"Shadow?"
Chen Lusi was stunned for half a second before he realized, "She's already vanished."
"Vanished... got it."
Xia Panqiu nodded and didn't ask further.
As they spoke, she had already walked out of the room.
Chen Lusi gave her a curious look but eventually said nothing and closed the door.
This was the official start of his first mission journey.
...
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Chen Lusi and the team arrived at their destination—Wucha Town.
It was a small town under the jurisdiction of Jiangchang City.
Not far from Chen Lusi's hometown.
So as soon as they reached the destination, having just stepped out of the car, Wu You approached and hooked his arm around Chen Lusi's neck, "Buddy, you've been here before, right? Got any local specialties to recommend?"
"I've never been here; I'm not really sure what specialties they have." Chen Lusi shook his head.
Wu You was incredulous, "Isn't your hometown right next door?"
"Don't really like going out."
Chen Lusi glanced around as he casually replied.
"..."
Wu You sighed, shrugged a bit bored, and turned to walk toward Li Tian.
Chen Lusi continued to observe this small town, which was only a little over ten kilometers from his hometown.
They were currently in the town's regular market meeting place.
Though small, it had all necessary facilities like banks and supermarkets, but today wasn't a market day. While the shops were open, there weren't many people around, making the place feel rather deserted.
And their presence as outsiders hardly drew much attention.
After all, though Wucha Town was a bit remote, it wasn't entirely isolated.
At this moment.
Chen Lusi noticed Xia Panqiu standing nearby.
She stood quietly beside the car, unlike Chen Lusi and Li Tian who appeared obviously out of place.
From a distance.
Her petite frame, youthful yet undefined cute face, combined with her simple, breezy outfit exuded a youthful vibe.
All of this made her look less like an outsider, and more like a student skipping class.
In Chen Lusi's mind, she was just missing one long, flowing hair to fit the image of a high school girl.
Perhaps she thinks long hair makes her look younger, which is why she cut it short?
Like how she deliberately wore business attire, just to show a mature side?
Chen Lusi observed her shoulder-length, chic short hair, and while pondering, he asked, "... What should we do next?"
"... Wait, and in the meantime, ask locals about famous supernatural legends."
Xia Panqiu turned her head, hesitated a bit, then replied, "Though it's often a futile effort, it's the only thing we can do. Over at Kunlun, most of the time they can only give a general location and time, but we can't process it in advance, so we wait for something to go wrong and then try to control the situation."
"Is that all?"
Chen Lusi was a bit curious, "If it goes wrong, won't it spread widely?"
Speaking of which.
He realized he hadn't heard much about any strange happenings on mainstream online communities recently.
"A notable feature of activated legends is that the entities and related anomalies can't retain imagery, only firsthand witnessing works."
Xia Panqiu shook her head and continued, "And there hasn't been a widespread activation of legends in city centers. Most cases occur in remote towns and deep mountains, with few witnesses. We induce collective amnesia among witnesses so they blur those memories."
"And most of the witnesses struggle to recall specific scenarios, even if there are some who leak information, without any evidence, would you believe it? In an era where paranormal stories are made into serialized videos."
"Oh...."
Chen Lusi tried to put himself in the scenario and found it plausible, nodding in agreement, then asked, "Why don't you make people like us forget as well? How can you be sure we won't spread it?"
"If you forget and inadvertently use your abilities, it would be more trouble."
Xia Panqiu said softly, "It's better to use the 'Mysterious Department' gimmick to keep you in line. Most people will settle down after the explanation, and even if some want to spread it, we can control it.
And half a year later, the abilities of most empowerers will be collectively stripped away, making the only evidence vanish, and accounts of personal experiences will be dismissed as dreams."
"Stripped?"
Chen Lusi was even more curious.
Xia Panqiu looked at Chen Lusi.
"Can't talk about it?"
Chen Lusi realized.
But Xia Panqiu still didn't speak.
"Sorry."
Chen Lusi understood and continued, "Also, sorry about the rooftop... I shouldn't have directly called you an idiot."
"... Wu You's Heart's Reflection only brings out true thoughts."
Xia Panqiu was taken aback by his words and momentarily didn't know what to say.
After holding back for a while, she finally managed to push out a sentence.
"But even honest thoughts have times when they should or shouldn't be said."
Chen Lusi explained, "Isn't that how we all live? Suppose you're walking down the street, and someone suddenly tells you, you're actually suited for long hair, and short skirts, then comments on your slim, straight legs with white stockings, all claiming it's just their honest opinion. What would you think?"
Xia Panqiu was stunned, then replied, "... That's crazy."
"That's the point, even honest thoughts can be things you should or shouldn't say."
Chen Lusi looked at her and stated calmly, "If an adult can't control their actions or inner thoughts, saying or doing whatever they want, never suppressing their desires, calling someone an idiot just because they feel like it, or punching someone on the street just because they resemble your enemy, even you don't know them, that's not normal, is it?
If we just met and I said you're short merely because you're petite, what would you think? Candid? Most wouldn't think that, right?"
"I wouldn't say you're short right off the bat; even if certain, ordinary people wouldn't directly tell you, you're suited for white stockings, not even salespeople are that blunt, sometimes being a bit subtle, a bit civil, avoids many unpleasant situations."
"After all, life isn't a stand-up comedy, offending others isn't amusing... right?"
"..."
Xia Panqiu bit her lower lip, slowly lowered her head, and didn't respond.
She stood still for a moment, then turned around and left.
"... Hahaha."
Chen Lusi didn't get a response from Xia Panqiu... but instead was met with Wu You's laughter.
After Xia Panqiu left.
Wu You came over to Chen Lusi, once again hooking an arm around his neck, joyfully saying, "Lu Si, you must have a lot of luck with women in your life, right?"
"Brother Wu You, I can tell when I'm being sarcastic."
Chen Lusi turned to Wu You, "And it wasn't on purpose; from my experience with women, I really think it's better to be clear in these things, to avoid future grievances and inexplicably being targeted, this is what we call... exchanging sincerity for sincerity."
"Exchanging sincerity for sincerity... hahaha."
Wu You was even more amused, squeezing Chen Lusi's neck playfully, overflowing with laughter, "I'm increasingly liking you."