Twenty minutes earlier, Wen Wen, cloaked, glided like a bat to the window, silently opened it, and entered the office building. He could sense the densest fear emanating from within.
Following the scent of fear, Wen Wen found the office where people were taking turns telling ghost stories.
The moment he saw them, he knew that out of these dozens of people, only eleven were human; the rest were strange entities.
A scene of people telling ghost stories would only be complete with real ghosts. However, these more than thirty entities were not ghosts, nor were they異種生物 (yì zhǒng shēng wù - exotic creatures) from the inner world, nor were they puppets.
They seemed more like constructs made of controllable supernatural powers, obeying some command to scare people here for fun.
Yes, in Wen Wen's eyes, these entities were merely scaring people. They were no different from Meng Chun, who had started the storytelling, because Wen Wen didn't feel any malice from them, only a sense of mischief.
Since these entities had no intention of harming anyone, and it seemed the "Little Dragon Hero" would take some time to arrive, Wen Wen decided to first find the superpowered individual or monster controlling them.
This was not difficult for Wen Wen; his specialty was finding people by tracing connections.
Since these entities were deliberately pranking the eleven ordinary people, Wen Wen's target should be nearby, enjoying this prank.
Following those emotions, Wen Wen easily found three strange presences on the fourteenth floor.
Quietly moving upstairs, Wen Wen saw the moonlight shining through the window onto three small figures.
These three figures held hands, forming a circle, their faces smiling. They were so engrossed that they didn't notice Wen Wen had already reached their side.
Upon closer inspection, Wen Wen realized these three were small monsters, less than a meter tall, with gray skin, pointed ears, and long noses, looking nothing like humans.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Wen silently mused, "I remember seeing an introduction to these creatures at the association. They're called 'Mischief Sprites' or 'Prank Imps.' They've appeared in many places in the Federation and are inner world creatures with nasty personalities."
"They enjoy playing pranks, and after the prank, they erase the victim's memory of that period and offer some small compensation. Normally, they are not dangerous to ordinary people, but if provoked, they might do something cruel..."
"So, it seems the 'listeners' downstairs were all created by these three using their abilities, with the purpose of scaring people."
"For now, there doesn't seem to be any danger. I might as well use this opportunity to observe that Little Dragon Hero."
With his plan set, Wen Wen silently descended the stairs and, in a manner imperceptible to anyone, subtly moved a chair and joined the storytelling gathering.
He could have hidden in the shadows to observe, but he preferred to blend in because he found listening to ghost stories quite amusing. Wen Wen even went up to tell a ghost story himself.
Wen Wen's story was a blend of several of his own personal experiences, enhanced by the abilities of the Twisted Speech Tree Spirit and his contorted expressions. As a result, of all the ghost stories that night, Wen Wen's was the most terrifying...
Just as Li Meiqi was almost scared enough to wet herself, the Little Dragon Hero appeared.
Looking at his costume, Wen Wen had to exert immense willpower not to comment on it. He didn't want to reveal his peculiarity to the Little Dragon Hero at this moment.
He had heard Zhangsun Jing's description of the Little Dragon Hero, but upon seeing him in person, Wen Wen realized the Little Dragon Hero's attire was indeed that garish...
However, judging a person as shallow and foolish based solely on their appearance would be a mistake, so Wen Wen decided to observe the Little Dragon Hero's combat before forming a conclusion.
As he was thinking, Meng Chun's slightly trembling voice reached Wen Wen's ears. "You, you, who are you!"
The other programmers also looked at Wen Wen in terror. Their nerves were extremely frayed, and Wen Wen's sudden appearance caused them extreme fear.
Moreover, unlike the highly deceptive listeners, Wen Wen himself possessed certain traits that instilled fear in ordinary people, like a serial killer poised to erupt.
"Relax, don't be nervous. I'm not a bad guy. I'm here to take care of that Little Dragon Hero..." Wen Wen explained earnestly.
Meng Chun and the others fell silent. Solving their benefactor, the Little Dragon Hero, and still claiming not to be a bad guy?
"Tsk, in short, I mean you no harm. I just find it fun to be here. By the way, your stories are all pretty bad."
Wen Wen stood up from his chair, brushed off the wrinkles on his cloak, and swaggered towards the Little Dragon Hero, leaving Meng Chun and the others bewildered.
Now, they began to worry about the Little Dragon Hero. What would happen to him being targeted by such a creepy individual?
When Wen Wen found the Little Dragon Hero, he was engaged in a fierce battle.
Although these listeners were not strong, they were numerous and extremely resilient. The Little Dragon Hero's punches and kicks could only dent them, not completely kill them.
Even so, the scene was a one-sided massacre. The Little Dragon Hero was like a tiger in a flock of chickens; with every wave of his hand, a listener was sent flying, twisted and deformed, only to crawl back onto the battlefield.
After a short while, the scene began to turn bizarre. The Little Dragon Hero's opponents could no longer be called human, but rather a mass of grotesque figures.
Clinging to the ceiling beams, Wen Wen watched the battle and shook his head slightly. "It seems this Little Dragon Hero is not a well-trained superpowered individual, just a lucky person who suddenly gained power..."
"Fighting these things is just a waste of time. Furthermore, fists and kicks are the least efficient means to deal with them. You only need to cut them thoroughly with sharp objects or disperse them completely with exotic energy."
...
Meanwhile, on the fourteenth floor, cold sweat covered the foreheads of the three Prank Imps who were holding hands in a circle.
"Damn it, where did this terrifyingly strong guy come from!" the creature with the largest nose fumed.
"Long Nose, you organized this prank. Why are you asking us?" the creature with the shortest ears questioned.
"Stop arguing! Do you want that guy to discover us? If you don't focus, the toys we created will be smashed by him!"
The creature who spoke last had the palest skin... its name was "Pale Face."
They had initially planned to scare people for fun using these clay figures they controlled. A few days ago, the three of them had migrated to this building and were wandering around the new territory late at night.
In the middle of the night, they stumbled upon Meng Chun telling stories and curiously hid in the shadows to listen for a while, only to be startled by Meng Chun.
So, they meticulously crafted a script and created over thirty clay figures, preparing these figures to impersonate ghosts and properly retaliate against Meng Chun and the others.
However, they never expected the Little Dragon Hero to intervene, thwarting their prank.
The Little Dragon Hero's formidable strength far exceeded their expectations. The three of them, working together to control the clay figures, were no match for the Little Dragon Hero. Now, if they relaxed even slightly, these clay puppets would be instantly smashed by the Little Dragon Hero.
Once these puppets were destroyed, the Little Dragon Hero would undoubtedly notice them controlling the clay figures, so they could only grit their teeth and persevere.