stonecrandall Chapter 264 Shadow, Mirror
Chapter 264 Shadow, Mirror
Chapter 264 Shadow, Mirror
Qin Nan suddenly had a moment of realization.
Two days have passed since the "Shadow Calamity".
After such a big incident, most people habitually define the whole event as "over," and Qin Nan was no exception.
The shadows stopped spreading, the shadow corridor shattered, and the instigator, the Shadow Woman, was also killed without a burial place. In addition, Sister Tan was safely rescued, which was an end for Qin Nan.
But after hearing Tang Zijun's words, she belatedly realized that the Shadow Disaster was not an end, but rather the beginning of something else entirely.
Tang Zijun adjusted her glasses and began to speak.
"When the Shadow Clan first appeared, Lao Chang and I discussed their origins. At that time, we defined them as another manifestation of desire, similar to the Greedy Ones."
"Yes," Chang Lei nodded and added. "Because the mirror dimension was shattered at the time, the chaotic negative energy had nowhere to go but to spread to another dimension. We guessed at the time that it might be the source of the shadow world."
"I think I understand now," Qin Nan said tentatively after a moment's thought. "You initially thought the disappearance of the mirror dimension created the shadow world, but that's not actually the case, is it?"
"That's right."
Chang Lei nodded heavily, then his fingers swept across the table again.
Soon, several photos appeared on the screen. The photos were all screenshots from surveillance cameras, with the time marked on the edges.
A photo of the school, a photo of the scene afterward, and some other photos that, on the surface, seem to have no problem.
But what's strange about these photos is that some faint human faces appear in the reflections of the images.
"Twelve years ago was the time when the Greedy Ones were most active. Back then, the Wolf Riders were still in junior high school, and the Greedy Ones' main enemies were magical girls."
One photograph after another was presented: shop windows in the commercial street, reflections in the fountain, and windows of abandoned schools, all displaying blurry human faces, both men and women.
Chang Lei said as he pulled up these pictures that had long since disappeared from the internet.
"The Mirror Dimension disappeared seven years ago. If we consider the time span, the birth of the Shadow World should have occurred within these seven years, and it's impossible for it to involve the battle twelve years ago."
Tang Zijun turned to Qin Nan and continued Chang Lei's words, "But strangely, Shi was corrupted by the shadows after sacrificing himself in that battle, which doesn't make any sense."
"The Shadow World appeared twelve years ago... Is that even possible?" Qin Nan frowned.
"It is indeed possible. After all, if it is only one dimension, when the world is formed, the corresponding laws should create the corresponding world."
After thinking for a moment, Chang Lei looked up and said.
"According to my investigation over this period of time, the greedy ones originated in ancient Babylon. The earliest recorded being born in the mirror world was Princess Amédice of Media, who was lovesick."
"The one that built the Sky Garden?" Tang Zijun raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." Chang Lei nodded.
"However, back then, there wasn't a term like 'the greedy one,' and the number of people in the mirror was relatively small, often appearing only once every few decades. But this also proves that the reversed world had existed for a long time."
"That means the Shadow World actually existed a long time ago, but because the negative energy of the real world was taken away by the Reverse World, life has never been born in the Shadow World," Tang Zijun proposed a guess.
"That's quite possible, but it still doesn't explain how Lost transformed into Shadow Girl. Personally, I don't think it's very believable that a magical girl's fall from grace would lead her to unintentionally connect with the Shadow World." Chang Lei shrugged.
Qin Nan listened attentively to their conversation. She also wanted to join in the introduction, but her thoughts were still on "Where is ancient Babylon?"
On the question of "Who is Princess Amédice?"
Tang Zijun took a deep breath and then slowly sat down on the sofa next to her.
He knew Chang Lei quite well. Although this guy wasn't very reliable and his style of doing things was rather unpredictable, and he liked to slack off and do nothing at the drop of a hat, he would never joke about this kind of issue.
The fall of magical girls, or rather the negative energy they generate, is indeed closely related to shadow energy. However, if it is merely a connection, it is not enough to awaken an entire dimension.
You must understand, loss is real death.
Her ashes are still placed in the cemetery in her hometown.
If the current "loss" is not a loss at all, but rather a life created by the shadow of the person who died back then, then it means that the shadow world already possesses the ability to create life.
Whether it's the Reversed World or the Shadow World, these are dimensions created from negative energy, worlds that are difficult for creatures in the real world to access. Understanding the issues involved is not something that can be done overnight.
Even Tang Zijun, who fought against the Greedy Ones for three years, and Chang Lei, who is himself a Greedy One, cannot claim to have a 100% understanding of the history of the Reversal World and the Greedy Ones.
This also made their investigation into the details of the matter much more difficult.
After a moment, Chang Lei broke the silence again. "Besides the Shadow Clan, the appearance of the Shadow Clan is also a mystery. Although those guys are just cannon fodder, they are indeed a manifestation of shadow life. In this respect, they are somewhat similar to the Underworld."
Chang Lei wasn't wrong.
It's important to know that there are no "minions" in the Reverse World.
Greedy individuals are independent entities from birth. Unlike heretics and demons who can summon a large group of demons to assist in battle, they are like lone travelers who do everything themselves.
In this respect, the Shadow Clan is completely different from the Greedy Ones, and is more similar to the Heretics.
"Based on the secret events gathered by our agents around the world, the Shadow Clan does bear some resemblance to the 'tall, thin figure' of Western urban legends."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zijun frowned. "A tall, thin figure? Isn't that something that's already been debunked?"
"Then I don't know. After all, even I, who am also a part of urban legends, find it difficult to define urban legends." Chang Lei shook his head helplessly.
"Perhaps the urban legend of the tall, thin figure was created by ordinary people who accidentally saw the Shadows."
The photos projected onto the wall show that the tall, thin figure from the urban legend does indeed bear some resemblance to the Shadows.
The same suit, the same black top hat, but without eyes or a nose, only a grotesquely twisted, gaping maw, and a gaunt, inhumanly thin body, giving one a chilling feeling.
"While I don't know much about the Shadow Clan, I do know a bit about the Netherworld Clan. Those guys are intellectually deficient and are products created by heretical demons based on negative energy."
At this moment, Qin Nan took the initiative to speak, and she quickly shared her knowledge about the Netherworld Cult and the Heretical Demons.
"The birth of the Netherworld Swarm is similar to that of the Beasts, except that they are too weak and cannot withstand too much energy, so the heretics and demons basically use them as slave laborers."
"From this perspective, the Shadow Clan is very likely similar to the Netherworld Clan, both being manifestations of shadow energy. This also proves that there must be a creator behind them."
Chang Lei turned to look at Tang Zijun. "But no matter what, there's no doubt that the Shadow Clan is a newly emerging force. After all, the Shadow Clan wears suits, which is a style that has been popular among humans for the past few hundred years. They couldn't possibly be imitating penguins, could they?"
"The more troublesome problem now is that we cannot determine whether there are still unknown entities remaining in the shadow world."
"Oh, right." Chang Lei suddenly remembered something and looked at Tang Zijun beside him. "Can your special form still enter the Shadow Corridor?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Zijun instantly understood Chang Lei's meaning. "You don't mean you want me to be like before, do you?"
"Pretty much. Although you can't enter the shadow world, if you can control the shadow corridor, you can block the door and kill them so they can't get out." Chang Lei grinned.
Tang Zijun sighed and propped her chin on her hand. "That's true, but it's still so troublesome. It just doesn't feel right." Chang Lei chuckled. "Your OCD is acting up again, isn't it?" "No wonder, what can I say, you're a Virgo."
Hearing this, Tang Zijun rolled her eyes. "Who even reads horoscopes anymore? Everyone's into MBTI now, you know?"
"Who says I don't understand? How could I, a happy little dog, not understand?"
"You're so happy, old man."
Tang Zijun waved her hand, then took out a black bead from her pocket and placed it on the table in front of Chang Lei.
"Let's wait for Tan Zhixin to wake up first. She might have some ideas about how Shi transformed into Shadow Woman. As for the Shadow Corridor, I'll keep an eye on it when I have time. Take this Shadow Fragment and let the department see if they can figure it out."
"Okay." Chang Lei didn't stand on ceremony and put the shadow clippings into his pocket.
This shadow fragment is much larger than any other shadow fragments collected by the Bureau of Magical Investigations, and it carries an exceptionally high amount of energy.
The bureau's research on these energy crystals is on track, and perhaps through the study of the shadow fragments, we can figure out the inside story of the shadow world.
When Chang Lei put his hand in his pocket, he suddenly touched something.
"Oh right, I just remembered, your credentials have arrived, along with the Demon Surveillance Bureau's uniform, but as a six-star agent, it doesn't matter whether you wear it or not."
As he spoke, Chang Lei took out a stack of palm-sized documents from his pocket.
"You should always carry your identification book and agent card with you. If you lose them, report it immediately. These are quite important. If they fall into the wrong hands, it will cause trouble, and it is very difficult to replace them."
Tang Zijun picked it up curiously and examined it.
The document itself wasn't anything special; it was a small red booklet that looked like a marriage certificate, with the seal of the Magic Bureau and a job title stamp inside.
However, the agent card is quite nice, with a frosted texture on the back and naked-eye 3D on the front. It looks very exquisite when it's in a black card holder.
"Wow, this is really good."
"Of course! After all, you're the only six-star agent in the department, so your badge naturally has to be special," Chang Lei said with a smile. "But don't show off, there's a special chip inside."
"Locate me?" Tang Zijun was taken aback.
"Well... there is a tracking device, but it's just a safety measure. No one can track you unless you manually activate it."
Tang Zijun turned the cards in her hand over and over. "So what's so special about this special chip?"
Looking up, I saw Chang Lei with a mysterious smile: "Free public transportation, half-price admission to major scenic spots, unlimited meals at state-run canteens, and lifetime membership to internet cafes nationwide."
"How about that? Special enough?"
Tang Zijun: ....