Chapter 32: Actually, I’m a Transcendent

"Old Lu, what exactly do you see?"

Seeing Lu Li staring fixedly at the mirror without moving his gaze, Pan Shuai couldn't help but lean in to take a look himself. However, upon doing so, he found that there was nothing in the mirror but Lu Li. Indeed, aside from the person who had been targeted, no one else could see anything. Or rather, it wasn't that they couldn't see anything at all; it just looked like a perfectly normal mirror.

Lu Li waved him away. "This is a critical moment. How should I put it? I see a young woman."

"I know, you already said that." Pan Shuai breathed a sigh of relief. If a woman appeared, it was highly likely that the ritual had been successful. All they had to do now was wait a minute; once she vanished from the mirror, the "Midnight Apple-Peeling" urban legend would return to its dormant state.

Once he relaxed, Pan Shuai’s true colors surfaced. He nudged Lu Li with his elbow and teased, "Old Lu, so this is the type you like deep down, huh? Tell me what she's like!"

"She's in ancient-style clothing. It's hard to tell, but it looks like mourning attire, though I'm not certain. The style feels like the Han Dynasty, milky white, with all sorts of patterns I don't recognize. It feels like a magically modified version. Her hair is a milky white with a hint of pink, and her eyes are pink."

Pan Shuai was stunned. "Huh? Is it that precise?" He had read plenty of transcripts and watched interrogation videos of previous victims, but he had never seen anyone describe the apparition with such precision. Could it be that Old Lu had been single for so long that his tastes had become this specific? That didn't seem right, though. In his memory, Lu Li liked quiet girls with long, straight black hair. Or wait, hadn't Lu Li also said he liked athletic girls with sun-kissed skin, short hair, and abs? No, that wasn't it either—he’d also mentioned liking mature, older women. Come to think of it, it seemed Old Lu liked any pretty girl.

Perhaps because the problem seemed solved, Pan Shuai’s mood lightened, but he soon noticed something wrong. Lu Li’s expression remained serious, growing increasingly solemn.

"Old Lu, what did you discover?" Pan Shuai sobered up immediately.

"Let me ask you a question," Lu Li said, his eyes locked onto the mirror. "You must have many case files. Is there any mention of this: when you see something else in the mirror, are you yourself still visible in it?"

Pan Shuai looked back at Hao Liang.

Hao Liang pulled up the files on his laptop and looked up. "No. When something else appears in the mirror—whether it’s a person, a monster, or anything else—you never see your own reflection."

"I see," Lu Li asked another question. "Then, if I see my own reflection in the mirror, does that mean I’ve failed?"

The expressions of the three men changed instantly. "Old Lu! What do you see?"

Lu Li didn't answer. His gaze remained fixed on the mirror. It showed him sitting in the chair, with the cabinet behind him, some clutter on it, a white wall, and a round clock hanging on the wall. It was an exact reflection of the reality behind him. There was only one difference: a girl was standing beside him in the mirror. Yes, the same girl with long milky-white hair, pink eyes, and white ancient-style robes.

"Young Master Pan, if I’ve failed, what will happen to me?"

Pan Shuai’s face turned grim. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm. "There are two choices." He spoke rapidly. "One: break the mirror within a minute, and you’ll be fine for today. But the price is that tomorrow—no, tonight—you will have to face two urban legends simultaneously."

Since it was past midnight, he meant tonight. Lu Li nodded, his eyes still on the girl in the mirror, who was also looking back at him.

"And the other choice?"

"The other choice..." Pan Shuai pulled a pistol from his waistband. Luo Hao stood up and drew an amber-colored long blade from nowhere, while Hao Liang put down his laptop and produced two Type 64 pistols. "Wait for the minute to pass, and then we take it down!"

Lu Li nodded. "Is it that simple?"

"We just have to weather the storm for now. But in this situation, it won't go dormant. That means it will come for one of us three tomorrow." Pan Shuai chambered a round and disengaged the safety, sighing, "No choice, that’s just what we do."

Lu Li finally realized. They hadn't come to keep watch just because they were brothers; it was because this was the job of their Supernatural Investigation Bureau field team. If an urban legend couldn't be solved, they would "infect" themselves with it, allowing them to take it back to the Bureau to attempt to break the curse. If they succeeded, all was well. If they failed, the legend wouldn't spread to the public, staying contained within the Bureau, where there would always be another chance to solve it. He realized that the vast amount of documentation they possessed had likely been bought with the sacrifices of many predecessors.

Although Lu Li knew this was merely a change in the world's perception—that there were no actual "predecessors"—these files had appeared abruptly, like "settings" forced upon them by the world.

Looking at his three brothers of over a decade, who were still calm and even smiling, Lu Li sighed inwardly. He lowered his gaze. "That won't be necessary. I'll try to handle this myself." If, as Miss Bai and Miss Luo had said, he was the special one... if the girl in the mirror was Miss Huai Xu, then he was certain he would pass! At the very least, he wouldn't die.

"Don't mess around, Old Lu!" Pan Shuai scolded him, which was a rare occurrence. "This isn't the time to play the hero! We do this job to protect you ordinary people! This isn't something you can handle!"

Lu Li turned his head to look at them and suddenly smiled. "Young Master Pan, I never realized you were so arrogant."

Pan Shuai was stunned, rendered speechless. Yes, it was arrogance. He did look down on Lu Li. Not in terms of conventional societal achievements—he admitted Lu Li was more capable than he was—but in terms of being an "Extraordinary," he felt a sense of superiority over Lu Li. So did Hao Liang and Luo Hao. In their minds, how could an ordinary person handle such supernatural events? The tall ones should hold up the sky; these things were meant for those of them with power. The ordinary people just needed to wait to be protected.

"I admit it, I am arrogant," Pan Shuai confessed frankly. "But with great power comes great responsibility, Old Lu. You should understand that. This isn't the time to be a hero; people will die! If you want to be a hero, wait until we're all dead first."

Lu Li smiled. "Who told you I was an ordinary person?"

From somewhere, he suddenly pulled out a pot. It was a pot of blooming white peonies that shouldn't have been in season.

"Miss Bai," Lu Li whispered, "lend me your power."

The white peonies radiated a faint, ghostly glow, as if in response to him. At the same time, his chest began to glow softly.

The next moment, the world shattered like glass.