The black shadows in the city

A magical world, magical abilities, and powerful physical strength.

Cao Qian stood on the rooftop looking into the distance, feeling both the strangeness of this world and a deep, familiar sensation within her heart.

I’ve had countless experiences like this before… Cao Qian looked at her small yet seemingly infinitely powerful hands and thought silently to herself.

Below the building, Guan Ling looked up at Cao Qian. Lu Mingze quickly reached out and covered his eyes, saying sternly, “Don’t look around randomly!”

“No,” Guan Ling pulled Lu Mingze’s hand away and said, “Don’t you think it’s strange? You can’t see anything at all. I wasn’t looking on purpose—when I saw Sister Cao jump straight up two floors high, I instinctively looked up. Who knew that beneath her ultra-short skirt there’d be a patch of mysterious shadow, completely blocking everything, so I couldn’t see a thing. That’s why I couldn’t help staring for a moment.”

What he said made Lu Mingze look up as well. Sure enough, there really was a mysterious form of censorship, and no matter the angle, there was absolutely no risk of exposure.

The two men looked at each other and fell silent for a moment. Lu Mingze sighed, “It’s just like the cartoons we watched as kids.”

At this moment, Cao Qian, who had been scouting from above, jumped down from the second floor and said expressionlessly, “This ability is called ‘Transformation Girl’. It’s probably based on the anime we watched when we were young.”

“Oh, no wonder you can jump so high,” Lu Mingze nodded repeatedly as he recalled the anime, saying, “In anime, once you transform, nothing you do is strange anymore.”

Guan Ling, a post-70s generation, felt he couldn’t keep up with their conversation, so he quietly stood aside and just smiled.

Cao Qian said, “I checked the locations marked on the map. There are many constantly moving black shadows in the town—I don’t know whether they’re dangerous. However, there are no black shadows around the City Lord’s Mansion, the plaza, or the church.”

“The statue didn’t mention these black shadows…” Lu Mingze wondered. “I don’t think he hid it on purpose. Since you say there are no black shadows near the plaza, that means the statue probably didn’t know about this—after all, he can’t move.”

Cao Qian and Guan Ling had already grown used to Lu Mingze’s habit of always thinking the best of everything. Following his train of thought, Cao Qian said, “Then why are there no black shadows in only these three places?”

Lu Mingze thought for a while but had no clue. Still, when there was a problem, one should ask proactively, so he opened the book and asked, “Why do you think there are no black shadows in these three locations?”

Cao Qian and Guan Ling found it strange that Lu Mingze was asking a book questions. Even if the book knew many things and had strong analytical abilities, it shouldn’t be able to know this much, right?

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingze looked at the book in surprise and said, “You said a lot this time.”

Cao Qian and Guan Ling gathered around and saw that the book’s pages were now densely filled with an entire page of text. It read:

‘The existence of the black shadows has two possible explanations. First, like the items inside the City Lord’s Mansion, they are magical creatures that only appear at night. Second, they are residents of the town who only dare to come out at night.

‘If it is the first possibility, then it is normal that these three locations have no black shadows. The church contains a holy sword; the holy sword was once the statue’s personal weapon, and the statue itself likely possesses power as well. As for the City Lord’s Mansion, magical creatures already reside there—it is their territory, and magical creatures each have their own domains. Of course, another possibility is that the magical creatures inside the City Lord’s Mansion are stronger than the other black shadows, causing the latter to fear entering. If that is the case, it means the City Lord’s Mansion still hides secrets—otherwise, why would the strongest magical creatures in the entire city all be there?

‘If it is the second possibility, then the matter becomes even more worthy of reflection. Why do the residents only dare to go out at night? Isn’t night the time when magical creatures breed? Why would they fear the relatively safer daytime? Why are the residents not striving to rebuild their homes? What exactly happened on the Day of Disaster? And why do neither the magical creatures nor the statue mention the truth about that day?

‘The City Lord’s Mansion contains magical creatures, so it’s normal that residents dare not enter. The statue harms people through mirrors, so it’s also normal that residents avoid the plaza. But the church houses holy relics that can clearly protect the city—so why do residents not dare to enter the church?

‘In summary, if the residents themselves are the black shadows, then it is highly likely they have also been affected by demonic energy, only to a lesser degree than the bandits, still retaining their human hearts. If, after the Day of Disaster, all residents of a town turned into magical creatures, then what exactly was the disaster? Man-made or natural?

‘If it was a natural disaster, it means a powerful demon exists in the town, and we may face a brutal battle. If it was man-made, then it means the residents themselves committed grave sins and brought disaster upon themselves.

‘Of course, all of the above are only conjectures and will be continuously updated as more clues are obtained.’

Lu Mingze, Cao Qian, and Guan Ling: “……”

Guan Ling wiped his face and said, “This reminds me of the fear of being dominated by exam papers back in high school (NT: meme meaning overwhelming academic pressure).”

Cao Qian carefully studied the book’s analysis and frowned. “Why do I feel like this book thinks it’s more likely that the black shadows are residents? It talks much more about the residents.”

Lu Mingze didn’t speak. This kind of clear, methodical, long-form logical analysis felt like something he had heard before—so familiar, as if it were right beside his ear.

But he couldn’t recall that person’s appearance. He only remembered… a lump… of chest? Strange. He had thought the book was Xing Ye, but Xing Ye couldn’t possibly be female.

“Could you be a woman?” Lu Mingze searched his hazy memory and asked, “And… very ugly?”

The book snapped shut with a “pa” sound, leaving Lu Mingze facing a dark, solemn black cover.

“She seems to be angry.” Lu Mingze held the book and looked at Cao Qian a little helplessly. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said a girl was ugly.”

But… in his memory, he seemed to often say the word “ugly” to this person, and that person had never gotten angry.

Lu Mingze closed his eyes and tried to recall. He had assumed the book was Xing Ye, but the memories only made him more confused. In his mind appeared a pair of black eyes gazing at him—no different from the Xing Ye he had seen at the airport.

Despite being momentarily distracted by the chest, Lu Mingze still hesitantly spoke to the book’s cover: “You… are you Xing Ye?”

The book, which seemed to be sulking, immediately opened. On the snow-white pages appeared a huge “YES,” followed by an exclamation mark.

“So it really is you…” Lu Mingze gently touched the page. “You said you love me…”

His face flushed slightly. A book confessing to him wouldn’t normally make Lu Mingze feel embarrassed. But once he connected the book with Xing Ye, he couldn’t help feeling awkward.

When Xing Ye had placed the phone case in his hand, it had seemed as though countless unspoken words were hidden in Xing Ye’s eyes.

Lu Mingze snapped the book shut and, under the curious and gossip-filled gazes of Cao Qian and Guan Ling, said seriously, “Let’s clear the task as soon as possible.”

After completing the task, he would be able to recover his lost memories, understand the meaning behind Xing Ye’s deep gaze, and make sense of his own chaotic heart.

Cao Qian and Guan Ling were extremely curious about the love–hate entanglement between their captain Lu Mingze and a book. However, the two were sensible enough not to ask. After all, Lu Mingze’s face was so red that even the night couldn’t hide it—asking further might make him explode on the spot.

Guan Ling pondered along the way. This girl called “Xing Ye” was really smart. Xiao Lu might very well end up being completely wrapped around her finger.

Lu Mingze put the book into the small pouch at his waist and touched the hilt of his sword. “I think we can’t avoid acting around the black shadows. Whether they’re magical creatures or residents, avoiding them means missing a lot of clues. But doing this will be dangerous. What do you think?”

“I agree.” Cao Qian clenched her fist.

Guan Ling opened his wristband and said, “Come to think of it, something’s strange. I have quite a few items in my wristband. They’re all one-time-use, but they’re very powerful.”

Cao Qian and Lu Mingze also had items, but theirs were clearly player-related, existing only in item form. Guan Ling’s were different: things like “Alien creature Cells” that could turn someone into a powerful giant octopus, a “Fish Tank” that could hide a person completely from detection, and a “Thunder Strike Talisman” that granted lightning abilities—all of them looked extremely strong.

“Looks like we have plenty of ways to protect ourselves,” Lu Mingze nodded. “Then it’s decided—no avoiding the black shadows. We’ll face them head-on.”

“And what about your self-protection ability?” Cao Qian couldn’t help asking. Lu Mingze looked naïve and sweet, which was rather worrying.

Lu Mingze told the two about his skill “Unparalleled Beauty”. After a moment of silence, Guan Ling said, “I don’t know why, but I feel like those black shadows are one hundred percent residents.”

“Why do you think that?” Lu Mingze asked in confusion.

Cao Qian understood Guan Ling’s reasoning and explained, “If they’re magical creatures, their aesthetic sense may not align with humans, and you’d be in danger. But if they’re human residents, they’ll most likely like your face, triggering your ‘ Unparalleled Beauty’ skill. Your luck stat is at 100%—there’s no way you’d encounter danger. So the black shadows must be residents.”

It was a simple and brute-force line of reasoning, but strangely convincing.

After organizing their items, QR codes, and abilities, the three left the plaza.

Their formation was as follows: Lu Mingze walked at the front. His luck was good—any path he led would definitely contain key clues or be the safest route. Plus, with his “ Unparalleled Beauty” skill, of course his face had to be placed at the very front.

Cao Qian covered the rear. She was fast and strong, able to fend off surprise attacks from behind.

Guan Ling stayed in the middle. As a healer + support with repair and defensive abilities, the protected central position suited him best.

After walking for a while, they began hearing continuous “whoosh whoosh” sounds around them, as though many black shadows were following them nearby.

These black shadows hid in the darkness. When Cao Qian observed from high ground, she could see them, but once inside the city, they had cover and became invisible.

Still, none of the three were afraid. Guan Ling’s hand rested on his wristband, ready at any moment to transform into a giant octopus to protect everyone.

Just as Cao Qian and Guan Ling remained on alert, Lu Mingze stopped and said, “You can come out now. We won’t hurt you. We’re going to the church to find the holy sword and demon-exorcising magic, to protect the city.”

“Exorcise demons?” A gloomy voice came from the darkness. “We are all demons. So the prince has come to eradicate us.”

“Rather than be eradicated by the prince, we might as well kill them first,” said a shrill voice.

“We’re beyond saving anyway…” said a despondent voice.

“No, no, that’s not it!” Lu Mingze hurriedly said. “We’re taking the holy sword and magic to eliminate the bandits outside the town. And after dealing with the bandits, we’ll go to the gold shop to find gold and craftsmen to repair the statue in front of the plaza.”

“The statue?” The voice in the darkness suddenly turned despairing. “Impossible. The statue will never be restored. Even if the holy sword, the golden armour, the Sea Blue Eye, and the Black-Scaled Battle Boots are all recovered, the devoured Diamond Heart can never be restored. This is our sin—we cannot obtain redemption.”

As he spoke, a familiar ding sounded in the ears of the three, followed by a narration:

“Task Four: Find the Sea Blue Eye.
Task Five: Find the Black-Scaled Battle Boots.
Task Six: Find the Devoured Diamond Heart.
Current task progress: 0.66. Each task’s progress is 0.11.”

 

Translator : DarNan