Zhang Xiaowai stood at the mouth of an alley at the edge of the night market's barbecue street, clutching the cryptic note from the hunchbacked antique stall owner.
The paper bore a distorted gossip symbol and a scrawled message: Old Town, midnight, find the next piece.
His Oolong Aura was humming again, buzzing like a phone bombarded with notifications, sending prickles of unease across his scalp.
Every time this cursed "aura" kicked in, trouble followed—either he got dragged into a case, or a bigger case.
Liu Piaopiao stood beside him, her deer-antler hat swaying in the night breeze like a pair of Teletubby antennae.
"Old Town! That place is the gossip capital of Oolong City.
If we're lucky, we might snag the next map fragment without breaking a sweat."
Tang Xiaotang, clutching her reporter's notebook, muttered as she scribbled, "If I can film a case-cracking vlog in Old Town, I'll go from intern to full-time. Maybe even hit the trending list!"
Wang Dazhuang, one hand on his nightstick and the other rolling up his sleeve, bellowed, "Let's go! Old Town or bust! Any shadows or demons, I'll knock 'em flat with one swing!"
Zhang Xiaowai rolled his eyes so hard he nearly sprained them, feeling more like a tour guide wrangling a busload of unhinged tourists.
"Can you all chill? That place is pitch-black at night, with barely a working streetlight. It's damp, slippery, and creepy as hell. If I break a leg, my company's insurance won't cover 'non-work-related curse incidents'!"
No one listened.
Liu Piaopiao was already dragging him forward by the arm.
Tang Xiaotang trailed behind, buzzing with excitement, occasionally tossing out interview questions: "Teacher Zhang, how did you single-handedly crack the Oolong Eye case? Share your heroic journey!"
Zhang Xiaowai, stumbling along, snorted. "I tripped, knocked out the suspect, and called it a day. No journey—just physics doing its thing."
Old Town reeked of mold, dampness, and ancient dust.
The crumbling buildings on either side seemed ready to collapse, their walls webbed with cracks and moss.
The streetlights cast a sickly yellow glow, flickering like they were one power surge away from giving up.
The narrow alleys were unnervingly quiet, broken only by distant cat yowls or the rustle of wind-torn fabric, sending goosebumps rippling across Zhang Xiaowai's skin.
"This place is creepier than a horror movie set," he muttered, sticking close to Wang Dazhuang's broad back.
"Don't worry, I got you," Wang Dazhuang said, flashing a grin that gleamed under his flashlight. "I've trained in… three sets of military boxing, two YouTube tutorials, and—"
"Shut it!" Liu Piaopiao interrupted, waving her flashlight in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other, scanning symbols etched on the walls.
"Look! This matches the one on the note! This has to be where the next piece is hidden!"
Her words were barely out when Zhang Xiaowai's foot slipped with a sharp crack, dislodging a loose cobblestone.
A faint clink followed, and a small metal plate shot out from the gap, smacking his kneecap.
"Ow, damn it!" he yelped.
Liu Piaopiao dove for the metal piece, her eyes gleaming.
"Map fragment! Another half of the gossip pattern!"
Tang Xiaotang whipped out her selfie stick, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Brother Xiaowai! Your footsteps are like divine GPS! This is straight-up mystical!"
Zhang Xiaowai, rubbing his knee, looked ready to cry. "Can I trade the mysticism for a raise?"
Before the mood could settle, heavy footsteps echoed from the alley's depths, accompanied by the faint clink of metal.
The sound grew closer, cold and rhythmic.
"He's here!" Liu Piaopiao's eyes sharpened, snapping into detective mode. "Ambush positions!"
Wang Dazhuang gripped his nightstick, a grin tugging at his lips. "I've been waiting for this. Destiny, strike!"
Zhang Xiaowai flattened himself against the wall, muttering, "Oolong Aura, please take a day off, I'm begging you…"
A trio of black-clad figures burst from the shadows, wielding batons and charging straight at them!
"Holy crap, actual shadows!" Zhang Xiaowai ducked, hugging his head, but fate had other plans.
As he crouched, he knocked over a pile of discarded wood.
The planks swept out, slamming into one attacker's shin with a loud thwack.
The figure crumpled, howling in pain.
Liu Piaopiao hurled her magnifying glass like a grenade, shouting, "Detective strike! Vanish, shadows!"
It clocked the second attacker's helmet, sending them staggering back.
Wang Dazhuang roared, charging in with his nightstick flailing like a windmill. "Taste my Destiny Combo!"
His moves were chaotic but intimidating, freezing the attackers in their tracks.
Just as the group seemed to gain the upper hand, the third figure darted forward, snatching the map fragment from Zhang Xiaowai's hand and bolting.
"Don't let him escape!" Liu Piaopiao yelled.
Tang Xiaotang sprinted after him, shouting, "Give me back my scoop!"
She was all fire and fury until a black cat streaked out from an alley, startling her into a shriek. But the cat didn't stop—it launched itself at the fleeing figure, followed by a swarm of stray cats in what looked like a feline SWAT raid.
The attacker flailed, yowling as claws raked him. The metal fragment clinked to the ground, and Tang Xiaotang, undeterred, dove into the cat pile to retrieve it.
"Hahaha! Cat gods to the rescue!" she crowed, hoisting the fragment like a trophy. Her face sported fresh scratch marks, but she beamed like she'd just landed a promotion.
Wang Dazhuang jogged over, wiping sweat from his brow as he took the fragment. "Aura's OP! Xiaowai, you're a walking cheat code!"
Liu Piaopiao leaned in, comparing the two fragments. "They fit together! But this map's got more pieces. We're not done yet." Her brow furrowed, sensing a deeper mystery brewing.
Zhang Xiaowai collapsed onto the ground, clutching his forehead. "Can I just… have one day without a plot twist? My life's blinding me."
Tang Xiaotang, sipping through a straw, grinned.
"No way! Your Oolong vibe demands a feature article! I've got the title: Mysterious Reporter Witnesses: Aura Bro's Midnight Quest—Oolong Map Shocks Old Town!"
Zhang Xiaowai's mouth twitched. "Can you… drop the 'Aura Bro' bit? I've got to face coworkers tomorrow."
As the group prepared to leave Old Town, Liu Piaopiao froze, staring into the darkness toward a dilapidated mansion. "Did you hear… bells?"
The others paused, holding their breath. Faintly, carried on the wind, came a low, deliberate tolling—like someone underground was striking a long-dormant door.
She pointed into the shadows. "That might be the 'underground auction' the note mentioned."
Zhang Xiaowai's scalp tingled. "Underground auction? Weren't we just looking for map pieces? How'd we jump to auctions?"
Liu Piaopiao turned, grinning. "Perfect setup, right? Next episode, target: mysterious underground syndicate!"
Zhang Xiaowai's stomach lurched. "Maybe I should just quit my job…"
The night was inky black, the alley's flickering lights mocking the Oolong Squad's fate.
High above, in the shadows of a rooftop, a pair of eyes watched silently, as if the referee of their next game had already pressed start.