Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 19 – Life Hacks
It wasn’t long before the gruesome scene in the rented room was discovered and reported to the Anomaly Management Bureau.
Hua Qiling immediately took a few Oversight Department members to the scene to investigate.
Suspecting a connection to the “Witch of Envy,” Luo Yan also went along.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t wearing the magnificent maid outfit, just a simple white t-shirt and knee-length shorts, revealing her fair, slender legs.
Her long silver hair was braided, as Luo Yan found it cumbersome when loose.
Now, it was difficult to see any trace of her past life in the Old Era; she was gradually adapting to modern life.
—The only unusual thing was the white eye mask she wore, with lace trim, mainly because Anna had said it looked nice…
Of course, Luo Yan and Hua Qiling weren’t holding hands anymore. Afterward, Hua Qiling had confessed the truth.
Sharing the basic “Eagle Eye” vision remotely didn’t consume much spiritual energy, as long as they were close.
Luo Yan had said it didn’t matter, whatever was more convenient.
When they arrived at the scene, the rented room was surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, chattering and speculating.
A few Yan City security officers struggled to maintain order, preventing the curious civilians from getting too close to the dangerous area.
…Mainly because this incident had occurred in District Nine, the most remote and poorest district of Yan City, where rent and prices were low, but the living conditions were only slightly better than the refugee settlements outside the city walls.
Therefore, it was mostly inhabited by outsiders, and outsiders… always loved a good spectacle.
The security officers were relieved to see Hua Qiling arrive with her team.
“What’s the situation?” Hua Qiling frowned. “Why are there so many people?”
Numerous gazes were fixed on Hua Qiling, but they seemed to completely ignore Luo Yan standing beside her.
“Envy,” the power of the “Witch of Envy,” could rewrite souls and consciousness. Although Luo Yan couldn’t do that yet, reducing her presence was no problem.
She had been exploring her abilities, figuring out how to use them, and she had come up with quite a few useful “life hacks.”
Why should “esper abilities” only be used for fighting? There were so many other practical applications!
Facing Hua Qiling’s question, the security officer, sweating profusely, couldn’t bring himself to say that this was a common occurrence in the lower districts, so he quickly said,
“Officer, please come inside, the investigation is more important.”
Hua Qiling nodded and, without further questioning, led Luo Yan and the Oversight Department members through the crowd and into the room.
Before entering, Luo Yan seemed to sense something and instinctively looked back with her “Eagle Eye” vision.
But she only saw the surging crowd and the security officers struggling to contain them.
“…Strange…”
Luo Yan frowned, then dismissed the thought and followed Hua Qiling inside.
“…She actually dares to appear here so openly,” Qin Wen, hidden within the crowd, closed her eyes, sensing the unsettling aura emanating from the silver-haired girl. “Well… this is a rare opportunity. Six swords should be enough to kill her.”
Behind her, the illusory forms of six swords gradually materialized.
…
“All dead…?” Hua Qiling’s expression turned somber. “This seems similar to what happened at the ‘church ruins’… Could it be the ‘Witch of Envy’s’ power?”
She frowned. Remnants of biological tissue were scattered on the ground, and the Oversight Department members were carefully collecting them.
Seeing these twisted pieces of flesh, Hua Qiling shuddered, recalling the monsters in Ghost Town.
Luo Yan stood beside her, subtly sensing the surrounding aura.
“No, I don’t sense any residual spiritual energy of ‘Envy’,” Luo Yan shook her head. “However, this… flesh… is indeed similar to the monsters controlled by the ‘Witch of Envy,’ or more precisely, the townspeople resurrected by Mrs. Natalie.”
Now, recalling the events in Ghost Town, Luo Yan’s emotions were much calmer. The dreamlike experience, the moments of connection and redemption, were buried deep within her heart.
…Of course, she considered them connection and redemption. Hua Qiling, on the other hand, was terrified.
“Could it be… that the townspeople aren’t dead… haven’t been released… and are now killing people?” Hua Qiling said, her voice filled with fear.
“That’s impossible. They were merely remnants of stagnant time. After coming into contact with the real world, their complete disintegration was only a matter of time.”
Luo Yan shook her head, looked around, and then said,
“The door and lock aren’t damaged. It seems the door was opened properly, which means the attacker wasn’t mindless. Perhaps they knocked, and the mercenaries inside opened the door.
“There are no signs of struggle inside, only bloodstains, indicating that the attacker was far stronger than these mercenaries, killing them instantly upon entering.”
Hua Qiling’s eyelid twitched. “Luo Yan, why are you analyzing this? Leave it to the Oversight Department; that’s their job… And why do your words sound so familiar?”
“Because I’ve been reading detective novels recently,” Luo Yan said calmly. “And what I’m trying to say is, if the attacker is this powerful, even if they aren’t a Devil’s Apostle, they’re close.
“This incident is at least ‘Calamity’ level or above. Fifty percent of our resources should be allocated to this.”
Killing the mercenaries instantly meant the demonic creature’s strength was above “Difficulty” level, possibly even “Calamity” level.
Ghost Town, as a “Peril” level disaster event, had monsters starting at “Ruin” level.
If even a minion could reach “Calamity” level… Although it might not be a “Ruin” level incident, threatening the entire mega-city, it was definitely a “Calamity” level event.
A “Calamity” level incident within Yan City…
“We definitely need to take this seriously,” Hua Qiling took a deep breath, then paused, as if realizing something. “Wait, Luo Yan, why do you know so much about the Disaster Response Department’s work?”
“Because I’ve also been reading the ‘New Era Disaster Archive Report Compendium’ recently.”
“Seriously? You can actually stomach that thing? And just how many books have you read lately?”
“Not many, just five or six hundred. Using ‘Envy’ to read makes it very fast.”
Luo Yan said calmly. This was another one of her life hacks. “By the way, I also read a few of those romance novels you gave me, but I’m curious, why are all the main characters female?”
“…Give those back.”
Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 20 – About Social Death
“Why?” Luo Yan asked, puzzled. “I remember you told me to read them. You said, ‘If you’re bored, you can read more. I have a lot of books.’”
Luo Yan’s movements were restricted in Yan City. She couldn’t go anywhere without Hua Qiling’s accompaniment.
However, Luo Yan didn’t mind; she wasn’t fond of going out anyway.
So, to keep Luo Yan entertained, Hua Qiling had gotten her a library card for the apartment complex and allowed her to browse her personal collection.
But she had been busy lately and hadn’t paid attention to what Luo Yan was reading.
The result was that the pure and innocent Luo Yan had been gradually… corrupted… by these books.
“Those books aren’t really suitable for you…”
Hua Qiling touched her nose awkwardly and looked away.
“Really? I think they’re quite interesting,” Luo Yan said, her interest piqued. “I still have many questions for you, like what ‘lesbian’ means, and why authors always write ‘omitting 10,000 words here to avoid censorship’—”
“L-L-Lady Luo Yan!” Hua Qiling stammered, her voice trembling. Even the serious Oversight Department members almost burst out laughing. “Please don’t continue! This is… work time!”
She wanted to cry. Such a private topic had been brought up so casually by Luo Yan… Now the whole Anomaly Management Bureau would know.
At least Luo Yan hadn’t mentioned the genre of those books, so her own preferences were still safe. The social death wasn’t complete.
Luo Yan nodded.
“Oh.”
After a moment, she asked again,
“Why are the two main characters in these books always sisters?”
Hua Qiling covered her face with her hands. This was the end.
“Pfft!”
Several Oversight Department members finally lost their composure, their faces red and contorted, barely suppressing their laughter. Hua Qiling could already imagine their expressions when they returned.
Although they knew they shouldn’t laugh at their superior’s embarrassing secrets…
Unless they couldn’t help it.
“I’ll… tell you later,” Hua Qiling mumbled, her face still in her hands.
Ah, let the world end, let everyone die, just let it all end…
“Oh.”
Luo Yan nodded.
Fortunately, before she could ask another mortifying question, the Oversight Department members finished collecting their evidence.
Hua Qiling and Luo Yan had come partly because they wanted to see the scene for themselves, and partly to provide protection for the non-combatant Oversight Department members.
There had been cases of Oversight Department members being attacked and killed by suddenly appearing monsters while recording data on disaster phenomena.
Since then, all mega-cities required Disaster Response Department members to escort Oversight Department personnel during investigations.
Now that the Oversight Department members had finished their work, it was time to return to the Anomaly Management Bureau for further analysis.
They had devices that could accurately identify the aura of a “Primordial Demon,” whether from the demon itself, a remnant of its will, or just a minion.
Such advanced devices couldn’t be produced by Yan City; they were from the Old Era.
Although the Old Era had been destroyed, it left behind a considerable legacy. Most of the New Era’s technological achievements were based on Old Era technology.
Even the blueprints for the first mega-city, “Noah,” were from the Old Era.
In the face of that sudden cataclysm, the people of the Old Era had made extraordinary efforts and struggles.
Although they ultimately failed, their brief struggle left behind a glimmer of hope for the New Era.
The Old Era’s technology had been highly advanced. Before its destruction, they had developed many things to combat the “Primordial Demons” and the “Calamity Tide,” including weapons and various precision instruments.
Even the concept of the “Ice Coffin Weapon” had already emerged, though it ultimately wasn’t perfected in time.
The prototypes of these devices were preserved in “Noah,” constantly being replicated and distributed to other mega-cities.
“Let’s go,” Hua Qiling lowered her hands, a faint blush still lingering on her face. “We should hurry back, just in case.”
The Oversight Department members, being professionals, quickly regained their composure, nodding with serious expressions.
Of course, what they were actually thinking was anyone’s guess.
Leaving the rented room, the crowd outside hadn’t dispersed, many civilians and mercenaries still eager for a spectacle.
“Aren’t you going to disperse the crowd?”
Hua Qiling frowned and turned to the nearby security officer.
This wasn’t something to gawk at. Although a “Calamity” level disaster was rarely a threat to a mega-city in this era, if handled improperly, it could still result in many deaths.
The security officer chuckled wryly. “It can’t be helped. District Nine is a mixed bag, difficult to manage… We often have to let things be.”
“Then it’s time for some order,” Hua Qiling pondered for a moment. “I’ll suggest to City Lord Lin to increase security presence here. Yan City can’t afford to relax its vigilance during this time.”
“If that’s possible, then thank you, Officer.”
The security officer didn’t take Hua Qiling’s words seriously, replying with a perfunctory tone.
Hua Qiling didn’t mind. She led the Oversight Department members through the crowd, heading back towards the Anomaly Management Bureau.
Luo Yan followed slightly behind Hua Qiling, her expression serious, seemingly lost in thought.
After leaving the rented room, the feeling of being watched returned, but Luo Yan couldn’t pinpoint its source, only vaguely sensing it within the crowd.
This was another one of her “Envy” life hacks. The power from a “Primordial Demon” was truly formidable.
Even a small fraction of it, like what Luo Yan possessed, had so many applications.
“Never mind, it’s not a big deal. Just someone who saw through the illusion I created with ‘Envy’.”
…
“They’ve left… and they seem to have taken something?”
Qin Wen, her eyes closed, followed Luo Yan and the others from afar.
But thinking wasn’t her forte, so she quickly gave up.
“Never mind, I’ll just kill them and find out.
“There were too many people earlier, not a good place to strike… A little further ahead is the abandoned district…
“Then, a quick and decisive strike.”
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