Chapter 1

Li Ang took the phone and saw that the class monitor had opened an anonymous version of the app forum.

The post was a nightmare that a netizen claimed to have had a few days ago.

taijthr: Nightmare last night. I dreamed I was playing hide-and-seek with a blind old woman in an old house, Hei Deng Xia Huo, lit by oil lamps. While hiding, I saw a shrine with a bizarre-looking idol. Out of reverence, I put my hands together and bowed to the shrine.

The old woman caught me immediately and said I couldn't bow.

She said it was the Sheng Nan Wang.

The Sheng Nan Wang is also a child, a god who protects children. But because of my special constitution, I easily see chī mèi (demons). As an infant, I wouldn't have lived past five months. So I was forcibly sealed with a child chī mèi, to suppress them. So you must never worship them.

I turned around and saw a child glaring at me fiercely at the door.

eyz: Don't ask, it's just F.

ilbiz3: ′Д`! I want to see

vkkokoa: What happened next?

n2fgazv: Holy crap?! I also dreamed of a Sheng Nan Wang idol a long time ago. I couldn't find anything when I searched on Baidu, so I thought I was just imagining it. д

y7dztxy: What the hell? I also dreamed of the Sheng Nan Wang before, in a forest full of fallen leaves. It was nighttime, and there was a stone altar in the forest. On top of it was a black humanoid statue, with the three characters "Sheng Nan Wang" carved on the base in what looked like seal script.

I and a bunch of kids were picking up fallen leaves and approaching the altar. With each step closer, I felt the fear in my heart deepen. I woke myself up just before reaching the altar.

Li Ang scanned these words, suddenly raised his head, and looked serious.

This forum was themed around otaku culture, with an anonymous discussion board in the style of 2channel imageboards. All the netizens' names were anonymous strings,

and each post was a string of pure numbers.

Li Ang's serious expression made the class monitor feel a little strange. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Li Ang shook his head and didn't speak, continuing to look at the urban legend post.

Logically speaking, urban legends that specifically record abnormal events are the most likely to trigger conventional task clues.

The Special Affairs Bureau couldn't possibly not know.

But now that the killing game had been put on the table, and the Special Affairs Bureau had announced a contact number, constantly publicizing to the citizens that they must contact the authorities if they encounter any situation.

The urban legend section of this anonymous forum must have official personnel from the Special Affairs Bureau lurking,

and looking at the post time, it was four days ago.

Even if this urban legend might be connected to an abnormal event, the Special Affairs Bureau officials must have already resolved it,

otherwise they wouldn't have left it until now.

Li Ang felt a little relieved in his heart. At least he didn't have to worry that the abnormal event would affect Wang Congshan.

He continued to browse the post,

and found that many anonymous netizens below were also discussing information about the "Sheng Nan Wang."

Some people said that they had also had strange dreams about the idol, dilapidated temple, old house, and Sheng Nan Wang, some near, some far.

Some scoffed, saying it was the poster's self-directed act.

Some searched for information online, linking the Sheng Nan Wang with some folk allegories and legends.

Some were excited, saying they had witnessed the birth of a new man-made urban legend.

There were also particularly talented netizens who, in the first instance, created a C-rules tabletop role-playing game based on the Sheng Nan Wang information currently provided by netizens from various parties.

Li Ang roughly browsed the post and found that on the anonymous forum, besides this thread discussing the Sheng Nan Wang, there were other threads discussing this urban legend.

Li Ang slowly raised his head, looked at Wang Congshan, and asked slowly, "What did you want to say just now?"

The class monitor licked her lips and said hesitantly, "Do you remember when I told you about a strange dream I had one day in junior high school?"

Special Affairs Bureau, headquarters, in an office.

The air was so heavy and oppressive it felt like it could be wrung out, a group of people sat in chairs smoking cigarettes, their solemn faces hidden in the dense smoke.

"The so-called urban legend, literally speaking, is a story that is set in a city and widely circulated among cities.

Most are horror-themed, but there are also sensational conspiracy theories, humorous and funny anecdotes, or everyday life encyclopedia knowledge.

Usually they are fake, but sometimes there are real elements because many urban legends are inspired by real events, and in the process of oral and internet transmission, they are constantly embellished and evolved into different versions.

Urban legends are widely circulated in America, Europe, and Japan, one because urban legends are generally vague, but the details are refined and assertive.

The second is because the content of urban legends is close to life, in line with the contemporary public's desire for knowledge and reading tastes."

In the office, a thin, tall young man wearing glasses stood next to the projector screen, making a report,

"There are three main ways in which urban legends are born.

The first is a normal event that seems incredible, made up of many coincidences.

For example, in western Pennsylvania, America, many people claim that every night when night falls, a demon without eyes or a nose, radiating green light all over its body, appears on the streets.

This legend seems bizarre and离奇, but it is real.

A man named Raymond Robinson had his face destroyed in an electrical accident, and his skin turned greenish due to radioactive contamination.

He was very strong and did not give up hope in life. Because it was not good to go out during the day, he could only go to the streets at night to relieve his suffering and loneliness.

Someone happened to see his figure, and without knowing why, this urban legend was born."

"The second way urban legends are born is that some real events are spread by people's embellishment, becoming more and more bizarre, and finally evolving into strange tales.

For example, the Slit-Mouthed Woman legend that swept across all the islands of Japan like a plague in the late 1970s, causing extreme anxiety among the general public. Parents were in a panic, and officials stepped in to strengthen patrols in various campuses, and some areas even suspended classes on a large scale."

"And the third type is the one we are facing now.

After individual netizens post some strange remarks on the Internet, other netizens are affected by factors such as memory ambiguity, curiosity, and herd mentality,

and continue to add bricks and tiles on this basis, constantly improving,

and finally producing urban legends with amazing details, wide applicability, and even constantly updated eyewitness records.

For example, the Kisaragi Station in Japan. It first circulated on the 2channel forum, and the main content was that a girl took a train late at night and arrived at a non-existent station called 'きさらぎ駅'.

The girl eagerly shared her experiences in the station with 2channel friends, seeking advice and help.

But as time passed, and the popularity of the post gathered,

the girl eventually lost contact.

In addition, there is the Slender Man in America. At first, it was just a strange tale randomly fabricated by netizens, but it unexpectedly aroused a wide response. More and more people claimed that they had seen or heard of the Slender Man, and a large number of photos of unknown authenticity also circulated on the Internet.

In the end, it even had a huge impact on the real world, and single-player games and related movies were produced based on it.

Finally, there is the Sheng Nan Wang that we are facing now."