Bug Abuse? I Swear I'm Just Playing Normally!

“R-Report, Captain, that paranormal is just strolling along at a leisurely pace. We’ve already evacuated the nearby residents. But the strange thing is… wherever it passes, meteor showers occasionally fall, and some of the dead inexplicably revive. I even saw my dead grandpa among them… sob sob…” The operator broke down crying mid-report.

Li Shoushi: “……”

“You… my condolences…”

“Captain, you don’t understand. When I was a kid, grandpa loved me the most… sob sob…”

“…Alright, I get it. Calm down first. Tell me the situation clearly, then we’ll discuss your grandpa, alright?”

After a pause, the operator continued, voice still trembling. “Right. There’s good news too. My grandpa—no, I mean, that paranormal—keeps stopping and going. Sometimes he cries loudly while shouting ‘Hairy Weirdo,’ sometimes he even takes naps… At this pace, it’ll take him a few days to reach the city.” The report came from the Paranormal Hunters stationed in Jingnan.

Only then did Li Shoushi’s grim expression ease a little. When he learned that this Black Mount paranormal was actually Bai Wan from the future—how the hell were they supposed to fight that?!

“Maybe… maybe we shouldn’t fight at all? Just surrender? Otherwise, if HQ gets wiped out, what then?” One of the female S-rank captains hesitated aloud.

They couldn’t even handle Bai Wan as a kid. Now it was a future paranormal version of him? Forget it.

“If we don’t fight… Jingnan City will be gone. And after that, one city after another will vanish!” Li Shoushi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“Don’t panic. Luckily, Future Bai Wan is walking slowly, taking leisurely strolls, even napping. He’s practically a lazy paranormal. We still have a few days to think of a strategy,” Wang Ye said with an easy smile.

“True… it’s a small mercy in this whole mess. With Lil’ Tong guarding Ping’an City and can’t join us. The Chief is stuck in a dungeon. The Doctor is locked away in the lab. If we don’t turn to that one person, then right now, the only ones we can deploy are the three of us S-rank captains.” Li Shoushi was forced to assess their strength.

Three S-rank captains against Future Paranormal Bai Wan. Would it be enough? No one could say for sure.

Even Wang Ye’s expression grew serious. “Enough or not, we’ll have to fight. We can’t let him destroy the world. The battle’s coming, everyone. As S-rank captains, we can’t just sit still. We still have a few days—let’s use them to plan our tactics carefully.”

Everyone nodded gravely.

Whatever happened, they would have to try. They were S-rank captains—the official peak combat force. The showdown between Future Paranormal Bai Wan and the Para-Hunter HQ was about to begin.

…

Meanwhile, Bai Wan was riding in a car—wearing gloves, a hazmat suit, sunglasses, even carrying his own isolation seat cushion. He handed the driver some cash wrapped in a containment bag.

The driver looked him up and down suspiciously, hesitated a few times, and finally asked, “Bro, are you…positive?”

“No, no.”

“Then… going on a trip?”

“Not really. Why do you ask?”

“Just… looking at you, I thought you were an astronaut about to head into space tourism.”

“……”

“…keep the change, thanks.” Embarrassed, Bai Wan picked up his seat cushion and clambered out of the car, looking every bit the astronaut in his bulky getup.

Right now, he could barely keep his violent bug power under control, one slip and it could spiral out of control. So he had no choice but to suit up like this.

…

Carefully, Bai Wan entered the Lan City branch. The place was almost empty—only Liu Tong had stayed behind.

Seeing Bai Wan all bundled up in clothes, tiptoeing inside, Liu Tong nearly leapt out of his chair in fright.

Holy shit!

He dove behind his seat, glaring warily. “What city did you blow up this time? Do the cops know you’re hiding here? Turn yourself in now—there’s still time!”

Helpless, Bai Wan explained his current physical condition.

Only then did Liu Tong relax. For a moment there, he thought Bai Wan had already been wanted for blowing up cities.

“Where’s the captain, and hair-weirdo?” Bai Wan asked.

“They went on a mission,” Liu Tong said weakly. “Some wanted criminals showed up in Lan City. They went to deal with it.”

“Wanted criminals… Will they be in danger?” Bai Wan asked, frowning.

Liu Tong clapped him on the shoulder. “Relax, brother. Nothing’s more dangerous than you.”

“???”

Bai Wan began to wonder if Liu Tong had some misunderstanding about him.

“By the way, when are you changing your name back?” Liu Tong sighed.

Just yesterday, his mom had even called, saying how proud she was that her son had become the strongest rookie. He’d tried to explain countless times that he wasn’t Family. But his mom just laughed and said: If you’re not Family, then who is? Your friend?

In that instance, Liu Tong felt utterly drained—clearly Bai Wan was the real Family here.

Hearing Liu Tong’s complaint, Bai Wan whistled and looked away, pretending none of it had anything to do with him.

Liu Tong’s mouth twitched hard. Then he remembered—he’d once bragged in front of the paranormal Chen Weiyu, saying Bai Wan was godlike with Diaochan in Honor of Kings. Most likely, Bai Wan had remembered that for a long time.

Thinking of this, Liu Tong raised his hand and slapped his own mouth in frustration.

“Alright, enough jokes. Let’s get serious. You’re about to enter Desolate Village, right? Here, take this.”

He handed Bai Wan a black notebook. “HQ asked me to give this to you. It’s information on Desolate Village.”

Curious, Bai Wan opened it. But inside was far less than expected. Only a single word and a short phrase on the blank pages:

‘Couple.’ ‘Beware of her.’

“That’s it?” Bai Wan frowned. The hints felt overly vague.

“Dungeon intel is hard to extract. It costs a fortune in Paranormal Coins. And this is Desolate Village we’re talking about. Don’t underestimate these two lines. HQ must’ve paid dearly for them,” Liu Tong explained.

Bai Wan nodded.

“And another thing,” Liu Tong added. “HQ told me to warn you—be extra careful in Desolate Village. Something’s been off lately.”

“What do you mean?”

“According to reports, Desolate Village has been growing harder ever since it appeared. The earlier runs were tough but survivable—some even came out with the Craftsman class. But for the last six months, every run has ended in total wipes. No survivors.”

Bai Wan frowned.

What’s happened in the past half-year? Dungeon difficulty is supposed to be fixed—so how could it change?

“Just be careful. The Desolate Village seems to have its own will, and it’s been increasing the difficulty,” Liu Tong warned.

Bai Wan nodded. No matter how tough it got, he had to go. He’d cleared unsolvable-level dungeons before. And this wasn’t just about his hidden class. It was also about his Family. If he cleared Desolate Village, another member of his family would be freed.

A blurry figure surfaced in his mind again.

That girl… she must be in Desolate Village. The girl who had looked at me with such haunting, resentful eyes…

She seemed familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.

Who is she? I don’t remember ever wronging a girl like that… What secret is the Desolate Village hiding?

“Oh, one more thing,” Liu Tong added. “Desolate Village has many urban legends. One of them is a hidden one—the Wishing Buddha legend. Supposedly, you can make a wish if you find it. It’s rare, but if you do, think carefully beforehand. Use it well, it could grant you huge benefits.”

Bai Wan’s heart leapt.

Wishing? Can I really wish for my family to be freed… or maybe… for myself to just become a normal person?

For a moment, Bai Wan was truly moved and excited.

A Wishing Buddha legend, huh… Can you make me normal? Please, Wishing Buddha… I don’t want to live as a walking bug anymore!

With that hope, Bai Wan bade Liu Tong farewell, took the Five Ghosts Descend from Granny Nami, and prepared himself.

…

Two days later, he entered the dungeon.

This time, Bai Wan was filled with excitement and determination.

Desolate Village promised not only the Craftsman profession and a chance to repair his Ghost Ship, granting him the unique class of Captain, but also the hidden Wishing paranormal.

On top of that, he had acquired a fun new bug skill: Fairy Tale Book. Random fairy tales would manifest inside Desolate Village. This dungeon might turn out unexpectedly festive. The source of thɪs content is Novᴇl_Fire(.)net

Whoosh!

The sensation of weightlessness hit him. Dizzy, Bai Wan opened his eyes again and found himself standing inside a strange room.

A message formed in his mind.

[Urban Legend, Desolate Village begins…]