Chapter 132: The Mother of All Urban Legends, the Master of Chaos and Fear

Chapter 132: The Mother of All Urban Legends, Lord of Chaos and Fear

Well, how to say this...

Looking at the high heels and the red umbrella before him, Chu Fu thought with a complicated expression that if they had responded to the summons and gone to the "Progenitor," the Progenitor would most likely have already been replaced by Elius by then—which fundamentally was still him.

—Whether they moved forward or backward, they were destined to come before him. Perhaps this could be considered a kind of fate?

Thinking this way, Chu Fu did not refuse the two urban legends' request.

Just as Chu Fu, holding the bright red umbrella in one hand and the blood-dripping high heels in the other, walked back to his dorm with complete composure under the strange gazes of passing students—

In another corner of the city, someone was already reeling from the legend he had left behind.

"What?"

The information relayed from the other end of the call was so unbelievable that Investigator Bai Feizhang couldn’t help but raise his voice, parroting it back for verification:

"You're saying he came out of A-013 'Mirror Corridor' in the middle of the night, waited at the bus stop holding C-145 'Midnight Blood Umbrella,' then boarded A-077 'Mirror 414 Bus,' and finally disembarked unscathed and returned to school?"

His astonished voice reverberated through the hospital corridors before Bai Feizhang suddenly remembered he was on a monitoring assignment for victims of urban legend incidents and shouldn’t be shouting in the stairwell at four in the morning, causing a disturbance.

Luckily, no one was around, or he’d be getting some strange looks...

But then again, was the bizarre news he’d just heard really not a hallucination from sleep deprivation?

Yet, the investigator on the other end of the line confirmed it again: "At first, when we heard the patrol’s report, we thought it was ridiculous too. But we reviewed the CCTV records, and it’s definitely not a delusion caused by urban legend influence."

"To add, after he got off the bus, the blood umbrella hovered persistently to shelter him from the rain, and another B-grade urban legend, 'Bleeding High Heels,' followed behind him."

"Also... do you remember you’re in a public space? Keep your voice down."

"Sorry," Bai Feizhang coughed awkwardly and immediately lowered his voice. "So, what’s the Containment Facility’s take on this unique urban legend?"

After maintaining steady contact with Chang Shuyue, Bai Feizhang already knew that the "B-062" recorded by the Containment Facility was a player—and likely a mysterious heavyweight of unfathomable background.

Now, it seemed this heavyweight’s strength was far beyond what Bai Feizhang had imagined, and his style was even more unrestrained, carrying an indescribable... regal indifference.

Probably because at that level, one no longer cared about others’ opinions or judgments, hence the utter disregard for conventions.

Apart from the goals he pursued, everything else receded into indistinct scenery, hardly worthy of his attention.

Bai Feizhang believed the heavyweight meant no harm—it was just that his way of completing objectives differed from ordinary players.

After all, the heavyweight didn’t need circuitous approaches to achieve his goals effortlessly.

Of course, Bai Feizhang couldn’t mention players or the Gods’ Playground to the Containment Facility.

Playing the role of an investigator dutifully, he could only occasionally guide his colleagues’ observations and analyses to prevent that player surnamed Chu from being labeled as humanity’s enemy and subjected to control measures.

The investigator on the phone said, "After discussion, we unanimously agreed that his previous temporary classification was too low. He may possess A-class—or even higher—abilities."

Such an evaluation undoubtedly reflected the Containment Facility’s apprehension and awe toward Chu Fu’s power.

Among the over eighty A-grade cases, most urban legends were large-scale area-of-effect or event-type, like the Mirror Corridor, or rule-based ones that initiated inescapable hunts, such as "I See You."

Humanoid urban legends like Chu Fu were rare. Most humanoid urban legends had limited destructive power, capping at D to B-grade.

The last A-grade humanoid urban legend was the "Replicant," known for its infectious propagation and high-level imitation skills.

Bai Feizhang thought with admiration—as expected of a heavyweight—before asking, "So, what containment protocols has the organization decided on?"

"None, for now."

The investigator’s tone was weary. "Based on his recent pattern of behavior, he shows no aggressive intent toward humans. We can only hope he truly means no harm..."

"We don’t have the resources to control this neutral urban legend—we’re running out of time."

"The intel Investigator D brought back confirms the existence of the urban legend Progenitor, 'Mother.' Soon, all urban legends in this city will descend into endless frenzy, dragging every resident into a hellscape ruled by urban legends, welcoming 'Mother’s' awakening and answering her call."

"The longer this goes on, the more active and frenzied the collective urban legends will become. So, we must find a way to suppress 'Mother' before the worst happens... preferably, to put her back into permanent, silent slumber."

Bai Feizhang fell silent. Though he wasn’t from this world, he still felt a sense of shared crisis.

He asked softly, "What if... we can’t find a way?"

The investigator remained calm, as if already prepared for the worst: "If all resistance and defense efforts fail, we’ll have no choice but to evacuate the civilians."

"From then on, Guiyin City will become a lifeless urban legend dominion, an orderless human quarantine zone... and this may only be the beginning. If the influence spreads, there will be a second, a third Guiyin City."

"But until then, we won’t stop acting. No one wants future generations to look back on history and find such an inescapable, bleak, and harrowing chapter."

Feeling the weight of the situation, Bai Feizhang repeated slowly, "We’re running out of time."

—For both the natives of this world and the temporarily arrived players, this was the reality.

The anomalous escalation in urban legend activity meant the mission difficulty would rise, and so would the death rate—a player disadvantage.

Silence hung between them, broken only by the faint static of the call.

With a heavy sigh, the investigator forced optimism: "Still, it’s not all bad news."

"Since B-062 has demonstrated the ability to suppress—even destroy—other urban legends, some speculate he might be a 'Star of Judgment' descending on the eve of the urban legends’ frenzy, dealing a crushing strike to them."

"The brass suggested revising his rating and codename. Now, he should be called S-003 'Judgment Day'—in the final moments, he may judge the future of urban legends, as well as humanity’s fate."

"..."

Bai Feizhang’s lips twitched, but he didn’t dare say more.

Considering the VIP's current movements, he thought the Containment Facility’s speculation was somewhat accurate...

It seemed the heavyweight was barreling relentlessly forward on the path of dominating the urban legend world and systematically dismantling every urban legend in his way!

Hanging up, Bai Feizhang tugged his cap lower and continued patrolling the hospital floors, keeping tabs on the status of the urban legend incident victims.

As he passed a certain room, his periphery registered a dark red shadow flowing across the window—

...like thick blood, or perhaps strands of smooth, curling hair.

He spun around, his face twisting in suspicion, but found nothing unusual.

Through the clear, empty window, he could see inside the room: a young student lay unconscious on the bed, while his mother maintained a bedside vigil.

The plainly dressed middle-aged woman looked drawn, with eyes raw from weeping.

Glancing at the room number, Bai Feizhang quickly recalled the patient’s details—

The student was said to have summoned some urban legend in his rented apartment. When his roommate found him, he was unconscious in his room, surrounded by shattered mirror fragments, a fully-consumed red candle in front of the mirror frame, and a peeled apple rolled beside his hand.

Medical tests showed that the young student was lucky, with no physical injuries and normal brainwave readings.

The doctor speculated that he was merely suffering from extreme fright and exhaustion, which was keeping him unconscious. Most likely, he just needed proper rest.

Bai Feizhang cautiously stopped outside the door, observing for a while.

Just as he was about to leave, the student on the bed suddenly croaked out, his voice dry and raspy:

"Mother! Mother..."

"Yes!" Hearing her child's call, the middle-aged woman beside him immediately perked up, gently patting his hand in reassurance. "I'm here, don't be afraid."

Outside the door, however, Bai Feizhang frowned, sensing something felt off.

Would a normal parent-child relationship involve such a stiff, formal way of addressing "mother"?

The student's repeated cries didn't make Bai Feizhang feel heartwarming. Instead, they reminded him of the awakening source of the urban legends—codenamed "Mother."

Despite the gentle response and comfort, the young student didn't calm down. Instead, he seemed trapped in a dark nightmare, tossing and turning.

His eyes remained shut as he forcefully broke free from the woman's grasp, raising his hands high into the air as if reaching out eagerly to welcome the arrival of some great presence:

"Mother, Mother—Mother of all urban legends... Sovereign of chaos and fear!"

The student's voice turned nearly hysterical, piercing, abruptly shattering the hospital's early morning quiet. Under the anxious and terrified gaze of the middle-aged woman, doctors and nurses rushed in, attempting to restrain his thrashing arms and legs.

Fortunately, he didn't get violent. His hands lowered, his tense body gradually relaxing as if falling back asleep.

At the very end, the student's lips moved faintly, mumbling disjointedly in his sleep, "The Ill Fate Witch... who emerged beneath the ancient full moon..."

"We await... your return..."

Bai Feizhang's expression froze. After a long pause, he hurried into the stairwell, pacing back and forth out of sight, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, before entering this instance, I had no idea the final boss was such a high-level threat!"

"What era is that witch even from?!"

Now, he felt as though a time bomb that could blow everything up lay buried beneath his feet, its timer ticking away to an unknown detonation—and he alone knew of its existence.

Tension, anxiety, and the pressure was crushing.

Bai Feizhang really wanted a cigarette, his thumb brushing over the cigarette pack. But after a glance at the prominent no-smoking sign on the wall, he still put it away.

After calming himself slightly, he scrolled through his contacts for Chang Shuyue's number, intending to share this crucial information.

"Huh?" He muttered in confusion. "Why did she change her profile picture?"

Originally, all contacts had the same default gray avatar. But now, Chang Shuyue's number displayed a white-background photo, with a barely noticeable black dot at its center upon closer inspection.

Trusting his close collaborator, Bai Feizhang didn't overthink it and dialed directly.

Yet when the call connected, the other end remained eerily quiet, without even the faintest breath.

"Reporter Chang?" Bai Feizhang's unease grew more uneasy as he called out, frowning.

An unfamiliar voice responded from the other side, speaking slowly, dragging out each word: "I... see... you—"

Abruptly, the eerie voice cut off, as if interrupted by some unforeseen circumstance, leaving only dial tone behind.

Bai Feizhang called "Hello?" several times, but redialing got nothing. He shoved his phone away, confused.

Unnoticed by him, a red-haired, green-eyed figure appeared in the reflection of a glass window behind him.

The witch's silhouette sat perched on the windowsill, watching him with amused interest, a satisfied smile curling beneath her hat's brim.

It was Elius who had scared off the urban legend creeping through the phone lines.

How could Bai Feizhang be allowed to come to harm at such a critical moment?

Elius still needed him to relay the intel to the other players—to let them all know she was the shadow looming over this instance!

With dark amusement, Elius looked forward to the expressions on the players' faces when they fought their way to her in the end.