We didn’t linger outside. After getting the permit, we headed straight back to our lodging. Though the document wouldn’t take effect until tomorrow morning, An Li still had plenty to prepare.
With this permit, we could now visit the police station to gather essential intel: recent incidents, locations of deaths, victim identities… all the critical details.
“What a hassle,” I grumbled. “Why doesn’t that evil spirit just come out and face you head-on?”
An Li didn’t even glance at me. “Because others aren’t you. They’re not stupid.”
“…”
Hey, I’m not dumb enough to charge head-on either, okay? If I can’t win, why fight fair? Throwing lime powder and aiming for the groin counts as strategy.
Arguing with An Li about this was just asking for trouble, so I left her be.
She was busy—crafting bullets for her revolver and enchanting the blade. The bullets had Magnum-style casings, packed with silver shot instead of just gunpowder. Enchanting the blade meant coating the steel with holy water. Genuine, high-concentration holy water—not the kind I pee out.
“You’re working so hard,” I murmured, opening An Li’s laptop.
Since she was working *so* hard, I’d quietly browse the web.
The moment I logged on, a message popped up from the female netizen I’d met before:
*Little Sunny Shower: Traveling?*
*Yes, already in Wuzhou City.*
(I’d told her earlier An Li and I were on a spontaneous trip.)
*Little Sunny Shower: How’s there time to go online while traveling? Isn’t your girlfriend annoyed?*
I glanced at An Li and typed: *She’s busy.*
Busy, busy—good thing she’s busy.
Come to think of it, I’d connected with her because our usernames shared two characters. Fate, right?
*Little Sunny Shower: No wonder they call you “No-Brain.” Stop “busy”-ing! Pounce, act cute, drag her to bed—she won’t be “busy” anymore.*
My heart thumped twice… then flatlined within seconds.
*Don’t joke. We’re not like that.*
If this were before, I’d have blushed. But now—
Turned into a silver-haired loli. Lift the skirt? Nothing there. On the bed? Almost certainly the one on the receiving end. My heart had long turned to ash.
*Little Sunny Shower: “Not like that” can become “like that.” Just climb into her bed. Sweet night guaranteed.*
I sneered at the screen, too tired to reply.
Give me a break. I don’t even have my little pecker anymore—what’s the point?
*I’m done. Taking a break,* I typed, closed the chat, and opened the browser.
An Li was hard at work nearby. As her self-proclaimed First Assistant™, I couldn’t fully slack off. Time to gather intel.
I searched “Wuzhou City,” “Lianyun District,” “deaths,” “victims”… Results? Pure tourism brochures and restaurant guides. Zero suspicious traces.
“How is this possible?” I blurted. “Not a single hint online?”
The files said over five hundred dead in Lianyun District. In modern society, even dozens of deaths from an accident would dominate headlines nationwide.
“Supernatural incidents get suppressed and covered up,” An Li said without looking up, still coating the blade. “Otherwise, society would’ve collapsed. Totally normal.”
“No, no, no—*how* is that normal?” I shook my head. She explained *why*; I questioned *how*.
“But this is the information age!”
An Li finally sat on the sofa to rest. “*Because* it’s the information age, covering things up is easier.” She continued calmly: “Say a major supernatural event happens. A thousand witnesses post online. Authorities, posing as admins, ban three to four hundred accounts under legit pretexts—downloading torrents, posting shady links, lewd images… nobody’s account is spotless. When they want you silenced? They shut you down. No complaints.”
“But the other hundreds of posts?” I pressed.
“For every few hundred supernatural posts, they flood the net with thousands, millions of distractions—or blow up a trending news story to redirect all attention.”
Her words hit me hard.
I’d only seen the internet’s power to expose… never how much *better* it conceals.
Still, I spotted a flaw: “Even if others are fooled, the witnesses who posted onsite won’t be deceived.”
“You’re right,” An Li said softly. “But do you think knowing the truth is a blessing for an ordinary person?”
“…” I shook my head, dejected.
