Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

The person had already reached the door.

He gripped the doorknob but hesitated.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with going home to visit people now; it's only human nature.

But since the bureau has already prepared an excuse for him and even troubled others to go and comfort his family, is it really just to go back and deliver good news?

My mom said she knew the rules, that she wouldn't show off or tell anyone, but what parent wouldn't want to show off their children?

"call!"

Standing in front of the door, Zhang Wei let out a long sigh of relief.

I definitely have to go back, but I can't just go back like this.

Wealth and honor not returned to one's hometown are like wearing brocade at night.

If the Bureau can come up with such a resettlement plan, then there must be even more outrageous ways to do it.

Zhang Wei wanted to praise his mother to the skies when he returned home, to make this middle-aged woman, whose edges had been worn down by life, radiate beauty again. But to have this idea, he had to do things first and make enough contributions before he could talk about treatment!

And it all started with the very first task!

Zhang Wei put down his phone and switched to his tablet, quickly browsing the task section. Soon, a silhouette task that piqued his interest caught his eye.

[Evil Rat]

Size: Town (late Qing Dynasty)

[Type: Exploration, Intelligence Gathering]

Time flow rate: 10:1 (day)

On January 1st, our district patrol officer Duan Dexing, along with two trainee patrol officers, went to the location to rescue the stranded civilians. On January 3rd, the two officers brought the three civilians back to the secular world. A report of the failed operation was submitted.

The report states that villagers in Yanjiacun and nearby villages concealed the truth and were suspected of secretly colluding with demons, resulting in injuries to patrol officers, the death of one trainee patrol officer, the deaths of seven travelers, and varying degrees of injury to others.

[Based on preliminary information, the demons encountered in the silhouette appear to be rodents, numbering over a hundred, and accompanied by various other demons. Furthermore, there is a suspected large tomb on the mountain, possibly containing a powerful, transformed demon. The level of danger is quite high!]

[Mission Rewards: 100-500 quota points will be awarded based on detailed intelligence information, plus 50 in cash. For battles with demons and monsters, with recorded footage or clear physical evidence, 30-100 quota points and 2-10 in cash will be awarded for each monster, depending on its type and rating.]

[Note: It is recommended that formal patrols not include intern teams, or experienced patrols may venture deeper into the silhouette to investigate. Before a mission change, only reconnaissance is necessary; direct conflict is unnecessary!]

The suggestion was good, but Zhang Wei chose not to listen to the advice from the sector.

Is the silhouette dangerous?

What he wanted was a dangerous silhouette. If it wasn't dangerous, how could he quickly get through this internship? If it wasn't dangerous, how could he save face by making some demands so that he could go home in a big way?

But the problem is coming.

Although Zhang Wei enjoyed the benefits of a formal inspector during his internship due to the "genius clause," the minimum requirement for taking on a task was two people. He caused a scene as soon as he arrived, and although he had a valid reason, he was unsure how the other inspectors viewed him.

Moreover, after he finished, he went into seclusion to cultivate, without even leaving behind the contact information of the examiners.

Moreover, even if they stayed, the silhouette of the evil rat alone, along with the danger hinted at in the mission, was enough to make people hesitant. Most people wouldn't dare to take the risk with him!

There are many other similar town-level locations, but the vast majority require a formal patrol team of two or more people to go there!

However, if we take a step back, we have more options, but these silhouettes have either been cleared of most of the dangers by the Meteorological Bureau, leaving only some deliberately left to be dealt with by newcomers in the Bureau or civilian travelers.

It is worth mentioning that, regardless of whether the silhouettes have been cleaned up or not, they will fall from the past into the mortal world at a fixed and slow speed after they appear, eventually merging with the earth of the mortal world.

If we discover and eliminate them early, what awaits them after they fall into the mundane world is the old practice of changing customs and traditions, which requires both support and restraint.

However, if it's something like a silhouette of a newcomer, or something too difficult to handle, it will often face a barrage of attacks once it enters the mundane world.

Faced with the potential threat of ancient demons and evil gods left over from ancient times, the resources and other things in the silhouette are insignificant, not to mention what kind of places are rich in resources in the silhouette.

Famous mountains and great rivers!

No man's land!

The more famous and remote a place is, the more outrageous and mysterious things it may harbor.

The most outrageous silhouette that Zhang Wei could find with his access privileges is a silhouette of a prefectural-level official from the late Qing Dynasty or modern times. Just hearing the background shouldn't be too difficult, right?

But the map background of this silhouette is Yunmengze!

Let's use a term that's more familiar to people today: Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River.

Within this small prefecture-level city, you'll find the Yangtze River, one of the four major rivers, as well as Dongting Lake, the birthplace of many myths and legends in the southern water system. Just a short walk to the southwest leads to another old haunt of strange tales—Western Hunan!

Although the silhouette map boundaries are obstructed, and the silhouette of a prefecture cannot contain such a vast area of ​​land and water, Xiangxi cannot be perfectly represented in this silhouette.

But it was only a tiny bit showing at the edge, and the two heavyweights mentioned above almost overturned the Guizhou-Qianjiang region at the time.

Of course, Zhang Wei could only see the general outline of the event; he was not authorized to access the more detailed records.

Although this happened ten years ago, and the Guizhou-Guizhou region has recovered, that silhouette still terrified everyone at the time. And even now, that silhouette hasn't fully entered the mundane world; it only borders halfway and remains in a high-risk zone...

Getting back to the point, if Zhang Wei really can't find suitable teammates, he could always take a step back and choose some shallower areas to practice on.

Although there are many demons and heretics in the mortal world that were not cleaned up before, or that were simply reborn and caused trouble after being integrated into the silhouette, for Zhang Wei, who still has the necessary time node of the first seven days after his death and even the forty-ninth day after his death, the mortal world, which is in sync with the flow of time in the present world, is not his best choice.

If things go smoothly, everyone will be happy. But if they can't be handled, or if the other party turns around and runs away, the time wasted in the pursuit will delay him. At that time, should he complete the mission first, or temporarily stop the mission and go home?

He'll be relaxed at home, but what if these demons and heretics hurt someone while they're on their escape? Who will be held responsible?

Zhang Wei is fine if he doesn't take on missions, but once he does, he has to be responsible to the end...

Just as he exited the [Evil Rat] quest and began browsing through the numerous silhouette quests available at a high-speed time flow, his dormitory doorbell suddenly rang.

As he stepped out of the bedroom and opened the door, he saw An Yixi, dressed neatly and cleanly, and even slightly plumper than a few days ago, standing outside his door, eagerly waiting.