A Disguised Adventure and Underground Secrets

‘Red Spider Lily, what are you doing now?’

‘Taking care of the neighbor’s child, playing spy house.’

‘What’s that? Sounds adorable~’

“Su Su, I’m here~” Little Ruoruo skipped cheerfully towards the community park. On the parallel bars and ladder set of the fitness equipment, a girl with black hair and a red dress hung upside down by her legs, waving her hands excitedly.

“Ruoruo, perfect! I can’t get down, catch me~”

“Eh? Eh! Su Su, don’t panic! I’m coming!”

The two little girls tumbled to the ground together, but fortunately, neither was hurt.

The girl with black hair and a red dress was named Mo Su, Ruoruo’s new friend.

“Su Su, this is very dangerous.” White Ruoruo said, a hint of helplessness in her voice, as Mo Su lay sprawled on her.

Beyond the initial impression of quiet gentleness, every subsequent meeting with Mo Su startled her.

This time, Su Su had invited her, promising to take her on an adventure.

“It’s fine, Ruoruo, Ruoruo. Even if I fall, I’ll be okay. It might just hurt a little~” Mo Su reassured her with a laugh.

“Isn’t that completely lacking self-reflection? Is that really a reason to say it’s fine?” White Ruoruo retorted. “Our teachers always tell us not to do dangerous things.”

“Ruoruo is just like a mommy. From now on, I’ll call you Mommy Ruoruo~”

“Ugh~ No way, not that nickname~”

“Hehe~” Mo Su got up from White Ruoruo, pulling her to her feet with a smile. She patted the dust from Ruoruo’s clothes. “There, all done!”

“…” Ruoruo found herself speechless at Mo Su’s antics. After a moment of thought, she returned to their original purpose. “Su Su, where are we going for our adventure?”

“Hmm…” Mo Su paused, looking at White Ruoruo. She raised her index finger, her expression full of mystery. “Did you know? Near our community, there’s an underground subway station. And within it, there’s a secret passage leading to an incredibly mysterious space. It’s perfect for an adventure~”

“Wow~”

“Really?”

“Of course!” Mo Su puffed out her chest with a confident smile. “My information is never wrong! Today, we’re going there to play!”

“Will it be dangerous?”

“Don’t worry! I’ll protect Ruoruo!” She gave a thumbs-up. “And who knows, we might even uncover the plot of some evil organization, defeat them, and save the world! Hehe~”

“Wow~”

“Ruoruo, our grand adventure is about to begin~”

“Mm!”

“…”

In the shadows, a ghostly wolf, its form obscured, watched them intently.

****

“Host, Host, someone’s targeting you, and they’re using little Ruoruo as a hostage~” Su Xiaoqian circled Red Spider Lily. “Let’s go save her!”

“…” Red Spider Lily pondered. “Hmm, let’s not alert them yet. As you said, Ruoruo has no reason to be targeted.”

“If I am the target, and it’s from the ability users’ side, these past few days should have been enough to confirm that I don’t have many ties to her. At most, they might still hold out a little hope of discovering something.”

“This means that as long as I don’t appear, Ruoruo should be safely released after this incident.”

“If it’s a villainous ability user, it’s most likely She Min. That probability is higher, isn’t it?”

“After all, she has seen my appearance. Compared to other ability users who might imitate based on descriptions, she would at least be more accurate. Not to mention, her Calamity Beast possesses a variety of abilities~”

“Is it Big Sister She Min?”

“…” Red Spider Lily paused, then gave Su Xiaoqian a curious glance. “Xiaoqian’er, what’s your standard for distinguishing between ‘Big Sister’ and ‘Little Sister’?”

“Eh? Um… age, I guess?” Xiaoqian’er grinned mischievously. “Otherwise, Host, what did you think it was?”

“I… I naturally thought it was age too~” Red Spider Lily looked away. “Anyway, if it’s She Min, I don’t think she’d be too far. She should be within Xiaoqian’er’s search range.”

“Understood! Mission accomplished!” Su Xiaoqian changed into a gray military uniform, saluted, then pulled out a table, an antenna tower, and a radar.

‘…’ Ah~ This wonderful theatrical flair. Xiaoqian’er, are you really so unconcerned with acting without props?

Red Spider Lily instructed the ghostly wolf to continue its pursuit. She began to ponder: if it was She Min, what exactly was her objective?

Having finally achieved her desires and accomplished her goal, she should have left this city, where the Sovereign was stationed, much earlier to return and build her beautiful home. Could it be that before leaving, she wanted to meet her again to express gratitude?

“Host, found her.”

“Mm.”

Rather than guessing blindly here, it would be better to just go and ask directly.

****

The little girls entered the underground subway station through a safe entrance beside the station.

The place buzzed with activity, and many people were coming and going. More importantly, it was the transfer point for the city’s Line 1 and Line 2, making it a crucial transportation hub.

Because of this, the subway station housed convenience stores selling various goods, along with numerous other emerging shops: snack bars, pastry shops, coffee shops, and more—all popular with young people.

It was even rumored that a certain cake shop within the station served incredibly exquisite and delicious cakes, drawing people specifically to try them, eventually turning it into a popular internet-famous spot.

Within this bustling area, there was also a cinema called ‘Wish Digital Cinema’.

“Su Su, are we going to see a movie?” White Ruoruo, whose hand was being held, looked around curiously. “Does the cinema have a hidden passage?”

“Exactly!” ‘Mo Su’ grinned, handing White Ruoruo two conjoined tickets. “I’ve already bought the tickets! Ruoruo, you go find our seats first, and I’ll go buy popcorn!”

With her short legs, she scurried towards the popcorn machine.

“Oh~” Ruoruo nodded. This was her first time going to the cinema with a friend. She mused, ‘Was the cinema really this close to her home all along? Next time, she could come with her sister too~’

She took small steps, entering the cinema from the main entrance. The lighting inside was somewhat dim; outside, it was still bright, but within, it felt like twilight.

Perhaps it was her first time entering a cinema, making her a little nervous, yet also a little excited. An unknown realm, indeed!

“So, Little Su Su is actually this grown up now? Hmm, that explains a lot~” Red Spider Lily observed the mature woman in sunglasses before her.

After Red Spider Lily sat down, the woman’s casual demeanor straightened slightly. She propped her cheek on one hand, a smile gracing her lips. “Mm, even cuter now~”

“It’s just a disguise.” Red Spider Lily replied calmly, getting straight to the point as always. “So, what’s your purpose?”

“Well, on one hand~ I wanted to see if Little Su Su was alright. After all, if something were to happen to you because of me, this big sister would feel quite uneasy. Of course, I have a lot of confidence in you, Little Su Su.” She Min chuckled softly.

“And on the other hand, didn’t Little Su Su mention that this city seems to have a lot of Calamity Beasts? So, this big sister also did a little investigation.”

“…” Red Spider Lily looked at her, puzzled. “So?”

“It’s quite something, you know~” She Min beckoned with a small hand, signaling Red Spider Lily to lean closer.

Red Spider Lily, with a sigh of resignation, leaned in. She then heard,

“Little Su Su, do you know about the ‘Underground City’?”